Page 65 of Thrown into the Mob

THIRTY-ONE

CONRAD

Three days after the meeting underground, we received Evander's response.

It wasn’t a note, and if it’d been anyone else, I’d have wondered if he was tired of playing childish games.

Flint alerted us that he’d received a phone call from Vasik. Evander never did enjoy the unpleasant aspects of doing business, and as he wouldn’t be face to face with me or my mate, he delegated it to Vasik. I wondered how many job titles my twin had assigned to the dragon shifter since I’d left.

“Evander acknowledged the pack mark and has withdrawn his claim under flight law.” We were in Flint’s private office, and he was sipping coffee. A photo of Tony, Lottie, and Kendric was on his desk. “He requested no further meetings, and the Solari will not pursue Madd or interfere with the pregnancy.”

That was it. He hadn’t issued any threats, and he’d imposed no conditions. The message was abrupt, saying only what was needed. I didn’t expect warmth and there was none to be had. It was a complete surrender.

“It's a trick.” I knew my twin better than anyone, despite us never being close. And he didn’t back down. I wanted this to be over so Madd and I could begin our life together, and I hated to put a damper on the celebration.

“Maybe.” Flint put down the mug.

“It's not maybe.”

Like Flint, I was also drinking coffee, and I took another sip. I’d switched back to coffee once the morning sickness passed. Madd had tears in his eyes when I brought him a brewed cup on the first morning, saying drinking tea didn’t agree with him.

“Evander doesn't withdraw. That’s not his style.” I wish I knew what he was up to.

“He could be out of options,” Ranger offered. He was eating cereal standing up because he’d rushed here after sleeping in. “You took his fire, Flint took his law, and his big scary meeting fizzled in the panic room. He's got nothing left.”

“He's got dragons.” I wasn’t getting through to the wolf shifters how much havoc the dragons could cause when they weren’t disabled by claustrophobia.

“Dragons who watched their new leader flail and fail underground. That's not great for morale,” Hunter said.

Madd was staring at me because he’d once said I didn’t trust peace. That wasn’t true. I longed for it. What I didn’t trust was Evander and his band of not-so-merry dragons.

But for Madd’s sake and especially the baby I carried, I had to try and get past this. I put a hand over my belly that was starting to curve with new life. I owed it to the two people I loved most in the world not to assume we were under attack.

Over the next few days, I stopped looking at the sky whenever we went outside. That was the first step in regaining some normalcy. And the following week, I slept the entire night without once waking and checking the sensors.

I let Madd drag me to a secondhand bookshop because it reminded him of the one near that tiny apartment I’d rented. We browsed the shelves for almost an hour, and I didn’t look toward the door, though I positioned us facing the entrance. Old habits really did die hard.

Madd was back at work and bored because he was no longer doing undercover work. We’d agreed on that, but even so, his cover was blown. Now he was stuck in an office with Hunter as his superior, and he was convinced he was being given easy work that anyone could do just because of the uncertainty in our lives.

Flint waylaid us outside the cafeteria one morning

“You have decisions to make.”

“About that,” Madd began. “You’re not making use of my talents.” He was aware that no matter how catastrophic events had affected their lives in the past, Flint and his brothers had continued doing their jobs.

“That’s my fault. Dragons are a different beast to humans and traitors.” Flint had been worried about my mate’s safety. “But forget that for the moment, I want to talk about something else.”

“Huh?” Had there been another threat? I leaped to my feet with adrenaline surging through my veins.

“Where you’re going to live.” Flint looked between us. “You're in a room in the compound right now. That works for security, but it's not a home, especially not with a child.”

“Your family is still here, as are your brothers.”

“And we’re all returning to our respective homes this weekend. And so is Treyton.”

My brother had informed me of his and Brock’s decision, but I figured he’d never been in real danger.

I hadn't let myself think about a home because I couldn’t get past the danger my twin represented. But Flint was right. A baby needed a home, not a room in a building with guards and surrounded by concrete.