The Wolf Prince's Fated Heart - Page 91

“Sure thing, miss,” Fred replies, opening the glass door to let me in.

“Tim’s found himself in some trouble, and he won’t be coming back to his apartment for a while,” I say, wondering just how much I can tell him. “I was hoping you could let me in to pack him a bag of clothes.”

“I don’t know, miss,” Fred hesitates. “I could lose my job for this.”

“I understand,” I say, but don’t give up just yet. “Would it help if you supervise me as I prepare the bag?”

Fred sighs. “I wouldn’t dream of making you feel like I don’t trust you. You’ve always been so polite and thoughtful with me. I’ll let you in, but please don’t tell anyone I did it. I love my job, and I’d hate to lose it. It’d be a nightmare to find something else one year before my retirement.”

“Thank you, Fred,” I say, smiling as I follow him inside. “You’re the best. I’ll be gone within an hour. You can trust me on that.”

Tim’s place is on the first floor. I use Fred’s master key to get in. His clothes are still neatly placed in their sections—the left side of the closet is for work clothes, the right for everyday attire, and the drawers contain t-shirts and boxer briefs. Some things never change.

A pang of sadness hits me, hard. Tim may have lost all of his moral backbone, but he’d taken good care of his home. I always knew him to be kind. This is all too much for me to take in. It just proves to show how a bad company can influence a person.

I pause for a moment, wondering if that’s what’s happening to me. Graham is on the other end of the bond. On the other side of morality. His friends can’t be any better than him. Is he a good person?

I know bits and pieces about him, but he has controlled that information. Outside of work, I have no real idea who he is. Still, it’s not so hard for me to imagine him being a good man despite his dark and ruthless nature.

He takes responsibility. He cares about me and he proved it to me on more than one occasion.

With a shake of my head, I banish the doubts and grab a bag from underneath Tim’s bed. I fill it with a few neatly folded outfits and reach for a pair of sneakers to stuff inside as well. I put a hoodie on top of the clothes.

I go to Tim’s office to see if there’s anything there he could use.

My breath hitches.

He hasn’t put any of our pictures away. My wall decorations are still up on his walls, and the sight makes my heart ache. I remember trying to talk to him about it, but he’d always refused. He kept saying that I should feel comfortable in his apartment and do whatever I wished with it. It seems to make even less sense now.

I tear my eyes away from our smiling faces and focus on the computer on his desk instead. Considering that he didn’t stop living in the past, chances are he didn’t change his password either. I type it in, hoping I’m right.

Bingo.

After launching the computer, I root through Tim’s search history, looking for anything that’s related to Jason and the radicals. I’m so focused on the screen that I don’t notice I’m not alone until the person clears his throat.

I jump to my feet and away from the desk. My back collides with the wall behind me. I’m trapped.

“You must be Cassidy,” the man says with a smile that doesn’t meet his eyes. “I’m Jason. Jason White.”

I can feel myself start to shake. Maybe it’s because of the stress and the knowledge of the horrors he committed, but I feel like prey, and Jason is the ultimate predator.

He’s carrying a backpack, but he doesn’t need any weapons. Not when his own power is a weapon strong enough to bring a grown wolf down.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, stepping into the room.

“I could ask you the same thing,” I say, hating myself for how weak I sound.

Jason sighs. “I came to see what Tim kept on me,” he replies. “I heard he got captured, and I want to avoid unnecessary troubles.”

My mind screams in warning. His honesty is a red flag. He doesn’t plan on keeping me alive. I’m a liability. Another body to add to his count. He might kill me, but if he has to drag my dead body down the hallway, the chances of him escaping without attracting unwanted attention are lowered. Although, he’s proven time and time again that he knows how to keep his head down.

“You threatened him,” I remind him. “You forced him to work for you.”

“I didn’t force him to join our cause,” Jason waves his hand dismissively. “But once you’re in, you can’t leave. He knew that, and yet, he still tried to test my patience.”

His smile never falters, though I can feel the tension rising in the air. His gaze flickers to the window by my side, making me think I could use it as an escape route. Jumping out of a first-floor apartment must be better than being captured by this psycho.

“Once someone’s on the wrong side of the war, they stay on the wrong side,” Jason continues. “Some people are just too blind to see what unnatural freaks the wolves are. They are a danger to the society. They are wild beasts without control. The sooner they’re put down, the better.”