Olin took a seat at the table and pulled his legs up, wrapping his arms around them as he rested his chin on his knees. “Our house is gone. Aunt Mya is beside herself, and Ollie is trying his best to hold himself together. We haven’t found Uncle Fester yet.”
Syn nodded as Olin talked, and then his brows dipped. “What do you mean you can’t find your uncle?”
Olin glanced at the man, and Syn made an ah sound as if he understood that Olin presumed his uncle dead. “I hope that isn’t the case.”
“Me, too.” Olin rested his cheek on his knees as he stared at the kitchen door. “Have you heard anything about Coop or Karidon?”
“You bonded with him.” Syn took a seat at the table and set his mug down but kept his hands wrapped around the ceramic cup. “I can scent Coop all over you.” Syn smiled, and somehow that made Olin feel just a tad better. “And here I thought you two would end up killing each other.”
“It’s like pulling a girl’s pigtails on the playground.” Olin drew a circle on the tabletop as he thought of the wonderful night he’d had with his bonded mate before all hell had broken loose.
“Wouldn’t know about that.” Syn chuckled. “But I get what you’re saying.”
“I came here because if…no, when Coop and Karidon are brought home, I want to be close.” He stared at the gun on the table and wondered what it would be like to shoot someone. He never wanted to find out, but to see such a powerful weapon and to know it could end a life had him staring at it.
“I haven’t heard anything yet,” Syn said and then pulled the handgun closer to his mug.
Maybe the guy thought Olin’s fascination would lead him to pick the weapon up. Olin had never touched a firearm in his life, and he never planned to.
He glanced up when he remembered what his twin said. “I have to use your phone. Ollie asked me to call when I got here.”
Syn pulled his from his pocket and slid it across the table. Olin swiped his finger to unlock the phone but stared at it. “How do you work this thing?”
Syn chuckled and then hit a few buttons to reveal the keypad.
“Get a dang iPhone,” Olin groused.
“Mine works perfectly fine.” Syn handed it back to Olin. “You’re not allowed to ask to use my phone and then make fun of it.”
They both stilled when the screen to the back door squeaked.
Chapter Nine
“Wakey, wakey.”
Talyn leaned over the sleeping alpha, his Magnum pressed into the back of the man’s skull. The room was bathed in darkness except for the traces of moonlight spilling into the room. Samson was turned onto his stomach, his arms wrapped around a pillow, an empty Scotch bottle on his nightstand. From the strong pungency, Talyn could tell the alpha had hit the bottle hard.
Every single one of the men Talyn had brought with him was standing in the bedroom. They’d taken out the Enforcers watching over the alpha’s house. They hadn’t killed them, but those men were going to wake with massive migraines after the blows delivered to their skulls.
Samson might not survive Talyn’s impromptu visit.
Samson groaned and then rolled over. His eyelids fluttered open to reveal bloodshot eyes. “What are you doing here?”
Talyn eased back a step but kept the gun trained on Samson’s head. “I’m either here to kill you or find out why you allowed two of your Enforcers to take two of my men.” Talyn gave a low, methodical chuckle. “Which I’m going to kill you for if you actually let them.”
Samson rolled back over and closed his eyes. “Go ahead, shoot me. You’d be doing me a favor.”
This, Talyn hadn’t expected. He ripped the sheet back and grabbed a thick section of Samson’s hair before he yanked the man from his bed. Samson landed with a hard thump on the floor before Talyn released his head and then pressed his booted foot into the alpha’s chest. He gripped his gun with two hands, teacup style. “Where are my men?”
Samson’s stare was blank. “I don’t know.”
What in the hell was wrong with this guy? Why wasn’t he fighting back? Why wasn’t he threatening Talyn’s life for invading his territory, his home?
“You better give me a better answer than that.”
When the man sighed, Talyn knew something was wrong. The Samson he knew wouldn’t have taken this lying down.
“My men told me that yours were here, in Riverside, but I gave no orders for them to be taken. As a matter of fact, I told my Enforcer to fuck off.” The guy’s voice was indifferent.
Talyn had no idea what was wrong with Samson and, quite frankly, didn’t care. His only concern was getting Coop and Karidon back.