I was just about to take a hot shower and call it a night when my phone rang.
“Hey baby,” I answered, knowing it was Avery.
“How come you haven’t called me?” she demanded in her pouty voice that I love so much.
“Sorry, baby. I’ve been busy infiltrating a pack,” I said sarcastically.
“Very funny. So, how is it going?”
“Well, let’s see. I kicked your boy Cade’s ass yesterday at Call of Duty.”
“What the hell are you doing playing games with him? I’m pretty sure that’s not why your dad sent you there,” she snapped.
“I have to be friendly, Avery. Besides, I think I got under his skin, so I am doing my job.”
“I’m sorry. I know you are. I just hate you being so far away from me and with those people,” she whined.
“I’ll be home soon, babe. This pack is on the verge of imploding without our involvement, so with us helping things along it can’t be too much longer,” I assured her.
“Okay, just be careful.”
“I will. I love you.”
“I love you too. Bye baby,” she said before she hung up.
Then I went back to what I was doing before Avery called. The same thing I had been doing all day. Absolutely nothing! It was too damn cold to even think about going outside, and I had no idea where Scarlett took off to. I was about to text her when her father came into the room and wanted to chat.
“How did things go with Cade yesterday?” Brian asked, sitting in the chair by the fireplace.
“I got him thinking, that’s for sure.”
“What do you think of those boys? Formed any opinions yet?”
“It’s obvious right away who’s alpha material and who’s not. Aiden is a decent guy, but he could never run a pack, and he could never ever take us on. Cade is the one to worry about. He’s smart. He’s playing his cards just right, and no one has even noticed that he’s in the game. He’s been able to put himself into the perfect position. If they decide to let the elders vote, Cade’s got it. If they make the guys fight it out, Cade’s got it. Hell, if they fight for it, he will gain even more respect than if his father just handed him the position. This way, as the pack will see it, he will have earned his title,” I said.
Brian seemed to be absorbing my response. “Then we were right to get Luke to side with Aiden. If anyone can help Aiden learn how to fight it’s that Stanton kid.”
Brian’s demeanor instantly changed and a pained expression crossed his face as he continued.“I guess I didn’t realize it before, but that Stanton kid is huge, isn’t he? Naturally, as the future enforcer, I knew he was a decent-sized kid, but he looks like a grown-ass man. I have to admit, I’m a little worried about Scarlett.”
“Scarlett can handle him,” I answered.
“You think?”
“Don’t worry. Luke will be putty in her hands,” I told him.
“Where is she anyway?” he asked.
“No idea, but listen, Scarlett and I are going to have a hard time ‘making nice’ if it’s this freaking boring around here. We need to figure out a way for us to spend more time with Aiden and Cade,” I suggested. “Maybe even both at the same time. That would be fun, huh?”
We tossed around a few ideas but nothing sounded feasible until the perfect idea popped into my head. “Hey, what’s today?”
“It’s the 30th,” Brian answered.
“Is it too late to put together a little New Year’s Eve party?” I asked.
Brian actually thought my idea was great. He offered to go into town and buy whatever we would need. All we had to do was get Scarlett on board and the right guests at the party. We sat for a while and talked about what I could do or say at the party to really stir things up.
Soon the conversation took another turn when Brian let me know that whatever plans he and Dad had for Marcus was well underway. I knew better than to ask questions. If Dad wanted me on the in, he would have told me himself. I’m being kept in the dark, so whatever he has in store for Marcus had to be some pretty serious shit.
“I need to speak with your father, but I was thinking…in order to really weaken this pack, we should probably do something about the enforcer,” Brian stated out of the blue.
“Luke’s dad?” I clarified.
“Yes. Once Marcus is out of the picture, Phillip will most likely serve as interim until a new alpha is chosen. If Phillip isn’t around… Phillip, excuse my language, chaps my ass. Plus, a pack without an enforcer is more vulnerable any way you look at it.”
Marcus out of the picture? I started to ask what the hell that meant but decided to hold off, at least for the time being. Instead, I nodded my ahead and agreed. “I can see your point. What do you have in mind for him?”
“Let me worry about that. I’ll get in touch with your dad,” he said as he stood up to leave. He got to the stairs and then turned back to me. “I will keep you informed on what’s going on with Phillip, but let’s agree that Scarlett doesn’t need to know about this.”
“Without a doubt. Scarlett doesn’t need to know anything,” I agreed.