Page 77 of An Unending Claim
“I don’t know how to tell you… I didn’t want to make this call, but I feel you deserve to know.”
“I don’t have all day, Castile.”
“I have evidence that Peyton has been involved in a series of murders in New York City, possibly even some of the deaths of multiple shifters in the area.”
“Oh? That’s interesting. Can I ask what this evidence is?”
“I have proof of her fingerprints and DNA at the scene of a heinous crime. Not to mention bullet shells that are practically her calling card. And I…” He trailed off. “My mate.” His voice dropped low and he sounded almost choked up. “Peyton had a partner in crime. He—he recently killed my mate.”
“And you have proof of this?”
“I have one better. I have the man who did it.”
“If you have the man who killed your mate, what is your interest in Peyton?”
“That little bitch is my granddaughter. If anyone is going to take—make her stand accountable for her crimes, it should be me. The killer confessed that she manipulated him into hurting my mate, told him how to get on my land and how to find my sweet Nadia.”
Tanner mimed gagging and I hit the mute button. “Are you five years old?”
He just shrugged and I turned off the mute. “Since Peyton is my mate, I believe it’s my right to choose how she is dealt with.”
“She should never have been allowed to mate you without my permission,” he snapped. “Technically, she is still a member of my pack.”
“Interesting. I see two problems with that statement, Castile. One, Peyton Castile was a member of your pack. You have never been Alpha over Peyton Dyer. Second, I believe her presence in my pack web, the bite mark on her shoulder, and the changing birthmark of a paw on her shoulder all indicate that she is no longer a part of your pack.”
“She probably had a witch enchant the mark, and put a spell on you,” he said, trying a different tactic. “Panthers are loners. They don’t mate.”
“Bullshit. All shifters have mates, Xavier, and you know that. Whether panthers decide to act on their fate is another matter altogether. One that doesn’t concern you.”
“What about a trade?” I bit my tongue as he tried yet another approach. “Peyton for the killer, Bane, and the name of the hacker helping him?”
I noticed the fucker left himself out of that equation, and he obviously hadn’t noticed Lisa’s absence, which I wasn’t about to share with him. His offer was puzzling, though. “If you think I care enough about Peyton to want the man hunting her, why the fuck would I let her go? Especially to a monster such as yourself.”
He threw off all pretense when he replied—most likely because he was out of maneuvers. “Hand her over, Nathan. Or you will regret it.”
“Is that a threat?” My tone was lethal, but he didn’t heed the warning.
“Absolutely. You have twenty-four hours to hand her over, or I will take her.” Then he hung up.
“I take it back,” I murmured. “Heisthat stupid.”
“What?” Tanner raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing, just something I told Peyton. I think we should act tonight. The chances of him actually waiting twenty-four hours are nonexistent.”
“Too bad you didn’t tell him he could come get Peyton,” Asher commented, making my head whip in his direction.
“What the fuck?” I growled.
He held up his hands in a surrender pose. “I’m just saying, then you could have had him meet you somewhere. It would’ve made infiltrating his lands a fuck of a lot easier.”
“If one more of my enforcers suggests we use my mate as bait, I’m going to fire all of you and replace you with wolves who know how to keep their mouths shut.”
The Alpha vibes rolling off of me clued them in to my mood and they didn’t mention Peyton again.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
PEYTON