Havana, Bailey, Farrell, Alex, and the old Alpha Vinnie—who also happened to be Tate and Luke’s father—were all lounging on the rear rows. Her girls tried luring Aspen to them, but Camden pulled her to sit beside him, making both Havana and Bailey snicker.
On the row behind them, the mamba leaned forward and said, “Um, Camden, if you don’t ease up on the marking, Aspen’s going to have people handing her pamphlets in the street about seeking help for domestic abuse.”
“Bailey,” Havana barked.
“What?” asked the mamba, her eyes wide. “She has fingerprint bruises on her throat. Ooh, are you guys into choking and stuff? How intriguing. Is it hot, Aspen? I’ll bet it’s hot. Did he do it for a few seconds or keep it up until you almost passed out? Oh no, wait, he didn’t make you pass out, did he? I guess it’s okay if you get off on it. Personally, though, I wouldn’t see the appeal in—”
“Oh my God, stop.” Aspen scrubbed a hand down her face. “Could you be more inappropriate? You know what, don’t answer that.”
“You’re being insensitive to my needs again.”
“What you need is to butt out of my sex life.”
“Oh come on, we’re all adults here. No one’s gonna care if you admit you have a few kinks. It’s not like he throws a plastic bag over your head to cut off your oxygen supply. Or are you guys building up to that?”
Aspen groaned. “Someone shut her up.”
Camden turned his head to look at Bailey. He didn’t speak. He stared at her, unblinking. She returned his steady gaze as any serpent easily could. But, just as he’d no doubt anticipated, she got bored fast and sat back with a frustrated sigh.
Aspen gave him a sideways smile. “Thank you.”
He splayed his hand on her thigh and gave it a light squeeze.
Noticing that Vinnie was studying a printed-out map of some sort, she frowned. “What’s that?”
The old Alpha glanced up at her. “An aerial view of the property Wayland inherited.”
Camden held his hand out and asked to take a look. As he and Aspen both studied it, she said, “That’s a lot of land.”
Vinnie nodded. “We’ll have to park in the surrounding woods and then walk the rest of the way or he’ll see us coming. Presuming he’s there, anyway.”
Once they finally neared their destination, Luke went off-road and parked the SUV in the wooded area. They piled out of the vehicle and walked right into the scents of dry grass, warm earth, and fresh air.
Camden glanced around but saw no security cameras. Just shrubs, high grass, and thick, moss-covered trees. His tiger usually enjoyed the adrenaline that came with such “missions.” But today, the cat was anxious. There was every chance his enemy was here, and he didn’t want Aspen anywhere near the polar bear.
Tate tipped his chin in the direction of the house. They walked toward it, winding their way through the maze of trees. Camden continued to look out for cameras or motion sensors, but he saw none.
As the forest began to thin out and they had a clear view of the house, they squatted among the trees, out of sight. The one-story building had seen better days. It was old and dated with dull, chipped, flaky paint. There were no planters or porch furniture or even a windchime. It looked miserable and abandoned, but that wasn’t to say it was unoccupied.
Tate hummed. “No vehicle or signs of life. Farrell, do a fly-by.”
The Head Enforcer promptly shed his clothes and then shifted into his avian form. The hawk rose in the air and flew off. No one spoke as they waited for him to return. It wasn’t long before he was back at Tate’s side, once more in his human form.
“There are fresh tire tracks on the ground,” said Farrell, redressing. “Someone has been here as recently as today, but I don’t think they’re here now. The main house seems to be empty. There are no sounds coming from inside, or from either of the barns. There’s also some kind of outhouse, but I didn’t hear anything coming from in there either.”
“We could go take a look around,” said Bailey, “but he’d know we were here.”
“Not if we’re careful not to move anything and we spray on some of this.” Tate pulled a bottle of clear liquid out of his pocket.
“What is it?” asked Aspen.
It was Alex who replied, “Scent overlay spray. Got it from my uncles. It’ll stop us from leaving our scents behind.”
Once they’d all misted themselves with it, Tate said, “We need to split up.” He swept his gaze over Luke, Vinnie, Alex, and Farrell. “You four check out the outhouse and the barns. The rest of us will head to the main house.”
That fast, the group separated. Camden was impressed by the stealth with which the Olympus Pride members moved. He’d expected it from Alex, of course. Wolverines could get in and out of anywhere unseen, no matter how secure the location.