Enticing Their Mate(46)

“You want to go now?” she asked.

“It’s best if we do.” He followed her out. “Can you drive? Jay has the truck.” Not having the control bugged the shit out of him, but he’d deal.

“Sure. Do you have the directions?”

He tapped his forehead. “Just head east. I’ll tell you where to turn.”

Riley didn’t like that this clinic was close to an hour from the warehouse. While MacKenzie and Chris had done extensive research looking for other factions who would want to waylay the women for their own profit, they’d come up empty-handed. That didn’t mean he could let down his guard.

“Do you know how the women will be transported?” she asked. “Some are in a delicate condition.”

“Connolly is working on that now.”

She glanced over at him. “What’s up with Connolly this and Connolly that? You two seem to be rather chummy. What gives?”

With the mission about to end, it wouldn’t hurt to come clean. “Don’t get mad but there were reasons why we’ve had to keep his identity a secret.”

Her hands gripped the wheel so hard her knuckles turned white. “A secret? What kind of secret?” Her voice didn’t rise, but a hard enough edge to it caused his gut to cramp.

Shit. Both he and Jay had kept her safety in mind when they decided not to involve her in all of the discussions. It would be too easy for Statler, or one of the other guards, to extract information from her. “He’s a rogue Pack member.”

She drew in her bottom lip and dragged her teeth along the edge, forcing him to look away or chance having to ask her to pull over. The urge to claim her was driving him crazy.

“Exactly what does rogue member mean?” she asked.

He stabbed his fingers through his hair. “Connolly used to be in the General’s platoon in the service. Since then, the General has used him on an as-needed basis. As much as the General would like to have Connolly join our merry bunch, Connolly’s a loner. Think of him as a contractor-for-hire.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Sarah,” he said with a huff.

She held up a hand. “I get it. The less I know the better.”

Riley wanted to reach out and touch her, assure her they had her best interests in mind, but if he did, he might not be able to stop at just her arm. “In the beginning, there was no reason for you to know, but now I believe it’s time. All I ask is that when you’re at the warehouse, act as if he’s still Statler’s right hand man.”

She saluted, the lines on her brow softening. “Message received.”

As they neared the location, Riley scoped out the area. If they had to break the women out of the clinic he wanted to understand the topography of the land.

“It’s the building on the left,” he said.

“What are all these cars doing here?” Sarah found a spot between a truck and a van and parked. “I thought this was supposed to be some super secret place.”

That was what he’d like to know. “Let’s go find out.”

As he slipped out of the car and came over to her side, he rotated around to make sure Trax could pick up the area on the camera. Riley pulled open her door, and without thinking, helped her out. Fuck. That one touch nearly caused him to shift.

“You okay,” she asked.

He didn’t need to explain how every time he was near her, his animal tried to take over. “Yes. I’m worried that’s all.” Just then, a woman exited the clinic with a young boy.

“About?”

“Everything.” That was the truth. “One, I’m not happy Statler failed to mention this was a real clinic servicing the locals, and two, why didn’t Statler check out the clinic himself? I know it gives us a chance to scope it out, but he should have said something.”

“Assuming he knew. The man’s arrogant and thinks all chores are beneath him.”

“There are some things that need the personal touch.”

Once inside, Riley stepped up to the receptionist who was seated behind a glass partition. “I’m here with Sarah Osmond. We have an appointment with Dr. Elkhart.”

She typed something in her computer. “I don’t see your time scheduled.”

He hadn’t called ahead to make one because he hadn’t expected a receptionist. He’d assumed Elkhart was expecting them. After all, a large sum of money was involved. “Tell him Mr. Statler sent us.”

The receptionist looked up at him with a blank expression, the name apparently not ringing a bell. Riley gave her his fiercest look.

“I’ll…I’ll ask him.” She pushed back her chair and rushed down the corridor.