“He called her Toya, not LaToya,” said Aspen. “I know Julius is likely our guy, but it might be worth finding out where Wayland is now just in case the whole ‘For T’ thing is about her.”
Camden doubted it wasn’t Julius, but … “Wayland does have the skills needed to pull all of this off.” He looked at the three females as he went on, “Any one of us could have trespassed without being detected, just as we could have safely handled a car bomb.”
Bailey nodded. “He might have even made it himself.”
Luke frowned at the mamba. “So, wait, you know how to build a bomb?”
She lifted one shoulder. “It’s not that hard.”
“He could also have somehow obtained the code to this building,” Aspen pointed out. “We could have done it.”
Tate squinted. “You think he sent Jerome to your apartment?”
“Possibly,” said Aspen. “He could be behind everything. He could be behind a few things. On the other hand, he could be behind none of it. I just think it’s worth considering him.”
Havana fished her cell out of her pocket. “I need to make a call.”
Camden would bet that the person she meant to call was their old boss, Cesario, to find out what she could about Wayland. No doubt making the same assumption, Aspen and Bailey followed her into the kitchen.
Tate took a step toward Camden. “You and I really should talk.”
Sensing where this was going, Camden said, “I’m not joining your ranks.”
“If you did it temporarily, you’d be able to better protect Aspen while your enemy plays his games,” Tate told him.
Luke snickered at the Alpha. “You’re a devious fucker. I approve.”
Ignoring his brother, Tate went on, “If you’re thinking she’ll hand her enforcer duties over to someone else until the danger has passed, you’re fooling yourself.”
Camden hadn’t actually thought that, because he knew Aspen would never hide or dump her responsibilities on others. “I would have thought you’d prefer for her not to be so close to your mate until our culprit is caught.”
Tate snorted. “As if Havana would allow that. She’ll want to be near Aspen so she can watch her back—that’s what those girls do. Nothing you or I say will keep them apart while all this is happening. We can either support them on that and give them added protection, or we can be pushed out of the situation.”
“You honestly think your cats will accept me as an enforcer after what I did to Grant?”
Tate slanted his head. “You don’t understand my kind very well, do you? We like vicious. We like crazy. We like people who’ll do whatever they need to do to keep the people under their protection safe. Last night, you demonstrated that you meet that criteria.”
“You can’t tell me no one is pissed about what I did to Grant.”
“I’m sure some are. But he was healed the moment you left, so it’s not as if he’s stuck in recovery. And it became clear to all when Aspen didn’t interfere that her being Grant’s mate is extremely unlikely. If she was, seeing him not only in danger but in pain would have woken any protective instincts she had toward him, no matter how deep she’d buried them. Even Grant has to be second guessing himself at this point. He’d be a fool if he wasn’t.”
In Camden’s opinion, the enforcer was very much a fool. “I wouldn’t obey you at all times without question,” he warned the Alpha. “My only real concern would be Aspen. If protecting her meant going against an order from you, I’d do it.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
“Then why push this? Why be eager to have someone as an enforcer when you know they’d be a wild card? There has to be something in it for you. What?”
“As I said, nothing I do would convince Havana to put some space between her and Aspen right now. I’ll be putting extra guards on my mate for a while. They’ll tail the girls wherever they go. But that’s not enough to put my mind at ease.”
And then Camden understood. “You want Aspen to have added protection to reduce the chance of Havana getting caught in any crossfire.”
“It’s not only about Havana. I’m concerned for Aspen. Her safety is important to me. She’s part of my pride, so she’s under my protection. Plus, I’ll like anyone who adores and protects my mate with such a feral ferocity. She took a bullet for Havana—that’s not something I’ll ever forget. I want Aspen to have added protection, but she won’t accept it from just anyone. She’ll accept it from you, though.” Tate raised his brows. “So, are you in or not?”
If the male had insisted on blind obedience, Camden’s answer would be a resounding no. But as he and Tate appeared to understand each other … “All right.”