Noah

“Hello Noah,” came Chase’s voice. “I must admit to have been expecting Angela’s voice. After all, this is her phone.” The snarky tone of his voice made Noah’s blood boil. The knuckles of his fingers went white as he squeezed, imagining Chase’s neck between them.

“Well, she’s not interested in speaking to you right now,” he returned icily. “I’m certain you understand just why that might be. So, you’ll have to content yourself with me.”

“Such a disappointment you are. You could have been an excellent loyal son of Cadia,” Chase spat. “But instead you had to go and fall in love.” He said the word like it was something to be abhorred and avoided at every opportunity, as if one was weak simply for being in love.

Noah almost felt pity for him, that he would never know the love of his mate’s touch. Almost.

“What do you want?” he asked, struggling to keep his anger reined in. Now was not the time, he repeated, focusing on the next steps. Once Cooper was safe, then he could unleash hell. But not before.

“Do we really have to play that game?” Chase sighed. “I’d hoped we could just get to the point. Like professionals.”

“So why don’t you answer the damn question then, instead of beating around the bush and trying to act like a fourteen-year-old who thinks they have an IQ of a hundred and fifty and just learned to use the thesaurus to sound smart?” he shot back.

Chase hissed, but it wasn’t clear whether it was humor or anger, and by the time he responded his voice was under control. “Very well. I want it all. Names, addresses, bank accounts, mortgage holders, acquaintances. Anyone and everyone that has helped set up this community, shifter or human, along with all the information to go with them.”

“There’s nothing you can do to humans,” he stated.

“Correct. But I can ensure that they never interact with Cadia in any meaningful way again.”

“You intend to blacklist them.” It wasn’t a question.

“Of course I do. Did you seriously think it was going to go any other way? We can’t have people aiding and abetting fugitives.”

Noah snorted in derision. “They aren’t fugitives, you ignorant panda. They’re just living away from Cadia itself. Among humans.” He figured at this point there was no harm admitting that the shifter community in question existed. They were going to have to give him the information in order to get Cooper back. It was just up to him to ensure Chase never made it back to Cadia with it.

He heard the anger in Chase’s voice at the insult he’d delivered. Not many knew how to effectively insult a shifter, but comparing them to their least intelligent cousin in the wild was almost a surefire way. He needed to get under the other shifter’s skin. Make him angry, but also play to his arrogance, ensuring he was overconfident about the entire situation.

“Where do you want us to send the information?” he asked, playing directly to that tactic now by pretending to give in.

“You won’t send it anywhere. You will have Angela hand-deliver it to me.”

Noah growled. “Not happening. Do you think I’m stupid enough to give her up to you? I mean, give me a little credit here.”

Chase laughed. “Well, you obviously are stupid enough not to realize that there is no way she won’t be at any exchange that involves her child. So perhaps I should reevaluate my intelligence estimate of you.”

Shit. He’s right. Angela isn’t going to trust anyone, not even me, to be there to get Cooper back. She’ll want to be there. Okay, time to adjust the plan accordingly.

“Where and when?” he asked sullenly.

“Cloud Park. One hour. She comes alone, or I kill the child and her. Don’t test me on that.”

“You hurt the child, and I’ll rip your throat out,” he replied levelly.

Chase laughed harshly. “I don’t want the child. The thing won’t stop crying. Bring me the information I need, and I’ll gladly give the child back. This is a business deal, Noah. Nothing more.”

The line went dead. He looked at the phone for a second and then handed it back to Angela. “You all heard that?”

Both she and Gray nodded.

“I guess we’d better start assembling as much information as we can. He’s going to check it over before he hands over the child. At least the names and addresses part. Bank accounts and shit we can forge.”

“We’re just going to give it to him?” Angela asked. “I mean, I can’t believe I’m saying that. He has name. But that just seems like you’re giving everyone up for my son. You guys are planning more, right? That’s not all there is?”

Noah smiled. “No, that’s most definitely not all, my love.” His eyes went flat, and when he spoke it was with the ringing tone of authority that ensured anyone who heard him knew he was making an oath. “Nobody threatens my family and gets away with it. Chase isn’t going to succeed today, mark my words.”

“How are we going to do that though?”

He looked at her. “You’re going to do exactly as directed. We’re going to give you the information, and you’re going to take it to Cloud Park and deliver it to him in one hour.”

Angela blinked in confusion. “Um. Okay. But then he’ll have the information, won’t he?”

“Precisely. We need to get Cooper back. That’s the first priority. To do that, Chase needs to think he’s succeeded, without problem.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “Once you two are safely out of harm’s way, then, and only then, will we ensure Chase doesn’t get away clean. But the less you know, the less you can give away,” he said apologetically.

“You already have a plan?” Gray asked.

“Well, yes,” he said slowly.

“I sense a ‘but’ coming,” Gray said. “A big one.”

Noah smiled. “But we’re going to need the help of a certain someone else.”

Gray frowned when he heard who. “Why?”

The smile became a full-fledged grin. “Because Chase forgot one very important thing.”

“And what’s that?” the two of them asked in unison.

Noah bared his teeth. “It’s snowing out.”