Page 57 of Broken By Her Mate

“Good night.”

Tolliver didn’t linger because the temptation to give her more than a peck on the cheek was overwhelming. He walked away, his steps rapid and brimming with the desire he felt but couldn’t give in to.

***

Anticipation curled in Tolliver’s gut as he watched the activities from the other side of the train tracks. Yesterday, whenhe went to the office, he got new intel about the Jonas Mercer case. His crew had been using the railroad as one of their methods to transport the women they took. He had done what he did best—dug into the deepest, darkest corners of cyberspace and managed to hack into Mercer’s network.

The information was vague, but it led him to a city a few hours away from Bellefleur, to the train tracks. Tolliver had been watching from the bushes for a while and had started to lose hope of getting concrete evidence when he saw two men escorting a woman into the cargo section of the train. The woman looked dazed, as if she’d been drugged, and her hands were wound behind her, so it was safe to say she wasn’t their willing travel companion.

Tolliver snarled at the sight. “I’ve got you now, Mercer.” He zoomed in and snapped a few pictures with his phone to send to Ryder. Although Jonas Mercer wasn’t present, he had concrete proof of the trafficking ring to get the elders and other higher-ups to take things seriously. There was always a bunch of politics and red tape to get through in these cases.

He got an instant reply from Ryder.

What is this, and where the hell are you?

Tolliver stared at Ryder’s texts with a twinge of guilt. He hadn’t told anyone what he was up to, not even Laila. After his interaction with Laila the other night, he’d gotten the impression that she was softening toward giving them another shot. He was prepared to prove himself and win her heart. To do that, he needed to get the problem of Jonas Mercer out of the way. The man hung over them like a dark, mysterious shadow. The sooner he got rid of Mercer, the more time he’d have to focus on his relationship with Laila.

Ryder and Zach wouldn’t approve of him going after Mercer half-cocked. It wasn’t like him either. Tolliver was known to be calm and methodical. However, Mercer’s men had gotten too close to Laila the other night for his comfort. If they tried again, they’d probably get their hands on her, and he couldn’t allow that.

Tolliver watched the men loading the train a little longer to be sure there were only two of them. He hadn’t seen anyone else the entire time he was there, so he decided to get a closer look and maybe help the woman he’d seen. He crouched and took careful steps forward, his focus sharp. His mind was already racing with plans to intercept the operation. If he could take these guys down now, he’d have the upper hand. He had plans to use them to lead him directly to Mercer.

When he was close enough, he was about to reach into his pocket for his phone. Now that he was sure he could get Mercer, he’d bring the others in. However, before he could make a move, a sharp, blinding pain exploded at the back of his head. He didn’t hear the rustle of movement or sense the attacker before it was too late. His body crumpled to the ground, but he was still conscious. Before he could find his bearings and fight back, something stuck him in the neck.

Tolliver instantly knew what it was because of the searing burn that radiated from the injection. Wolfsbane. The poison moved fast, spreading to the rest of his body and practically lighting his nerves on fire. His muscles locked up, and his wolf howled in agony. He muttered a curse before everything went black.

Chapter 20 - Laila

Laila paced the kitchen, her agitation rising by the second. The house was too quiet, and she couldn’t stand it. Cora returned to Cedar Ridge yesterday. She was still overseeing the bakery, which Laila hoped wasn’t for much longer. Plus, she had classes. She got restless without Cora to chat her ears off and distract her.

It was dark out, and Tolliver had yet to return. When he left earlier, he said he was going into the office and would be back soon. After a few hours, she figured he got caught up in something at work. She knew how he sometimes zoned out when hacking some system or another. It always tickled her how gruff and arrogant Tolliver could be, yet he could be the biggest nerd ever when he was near a computer. She smiled slightly at the thought because he’d be livid if she called him a nerd to his face.

A blast of affection hit her hard and blossomed through her chest. Maybe it was more than that… It was time to stop living in denial. She still loved Tolliver. And she was worried. He should be home by now, and there was a nagging feeling in her gut that told her something was wrong. After a few failed attempts to get through to him by phone, she called Elena.

“Hey, Laila! How’s it going?”

“Elena…”

The urgent tone had Elena on alert. “Is something wrong?” her voice dropped to a whisper. “Is it the baby? Do you need more of that potion? I told you it was hard to hide it from Tolliver—"

“Elena, it’s not that. Have you heard from Tolliver?”

“No. Not since this morning.”

“I’ve been calling him, and he isn’t answering. He isn’t home yet.”

Elena chuckled. “You know how he is sometimes, Laila. I bet he’s holed up in his office, lost in cyberspace. He’ll die before he admits what a nerd he is.”

For a moment, Laila shared in Elena’s amusement. Clearly, his sister knew him well, too. But that bad feeling came right back. “Something is wrong. He should be home by now.”

“Laila…”

“No, Elena. I’m not just saying that. Things aren’t adding up. If he said he’d only be gone a couple of hours, he’d be back. He’s been working overtime to show me that his job won’t stand in the way of us.” Which she felt guilty about. She didn’t want him to stress over trying to please her. She wanted to tell him he didn’t deserve to live like that. “Plus, you know how overbearing and annoyingly overprotective your brother is. He wouldn’t leave me here alone at your family’s mansion at night, no matter how much security is in place.”

Elena hummed. “You have a point.”

“The mate’s bond that I’ve been trying to ignore for dear life… Well, it’s screaming at me now.” The dull ache in her chest and the constant fluttering in her stomach that made her nauseous told her that her mate wasn’t okay. “Something is wrong with Tolliver, and I don’t know what to do.”

“Okay. Say no more. I’m going to get Ryder, and we’ll be right over.”