That got her back up. “Tell me you don’t still think he tried to kill you.”
“What? No. Nor do I think he hired someone to do it. I can agree he’s not the type to have others do his dirty work. Which is why it would have been a good plan to hire someone—people wouldn’t believe he’d do it. Not even you.”
Aspen narrowed her eyes. “Did you really come to apologize, or are you here to try to plant doubts in my head?”
“I came here to apologize. And I truly mean it. I don’t think Camden was behind what happened. Not anymore. And I have more respect for mating bonds than to try and turn one mate against the other anyway.” He swallowed, his eyes dulling. “Never take the bond for granted, Aspen. Never forget how lucky you are to have it; to have found your other half. Hold him tight,” he added, his voice thick with loss.
Aspen gave a slow nod. “I will.”
“Aw, now that’s sweet,” said a new voice. And then Wayland materialized behind Grant, who froze and went all wide-eyed. Well of course he did. It was a common reaction when you had the barrel of a gun digging into the back of your head.
“Hello, Wayland,” Aspen said—mostly for Grant’s benefit, so he’d understand the situation. Predictably, the enforcer blanched.
“Let’s all go inside,” Wayland proposed.
Well it was better than him trying to take her someplace. Aspen slowly shuffled backwards, allowing both males to move forward.
Wayland closed the door with a mule kick. “Okay, Aspen, that’s far enough,” he said once she’d backed halfway into the living area.
Her scalp prickled as something occurred to her. “Wait, so you had Grant come here to talk to me and get me to open the door? You two are working together?”
Wayland looked plain offended, and Grant seemed absolutely horrified.
Snorting, Wayland shook his head. “I work with no one. I need no one.” He cast Grant a quick look. “I’ve seen this guy a couple of times. He seems to hate Camden. I can relate. But not enough to let him live.”
Blood splattered over Aspen as a bullet tore through Grant’s head. The life left the enforcer’s eyes, turning them flat and empty. He sank to the floor, dead. And then the gun was aimed at her.
She stayed very still, watching Wayland closely, keeping her stare blank. Her bearcat was equally still, eager to pounce and claw and bite.
“Thinking of trying to wrestle the gun out of my hand?” he asked.
Well, yes, actually she was.
“That would only get you shot, so I wouldn’t advise it.”
He’d shoot her anyway. Though not yet. He’d want Camden to watch, wouldn’t he? She couldn’t allow that to happen. But she also had no way to alert her mate.
He’d feel everything she was feeling right now through the mating bond—her dread, her frustration, her anger, her helplessness—but he’d no doubt interpret it all as her still obsessing over Havana and Bailey’s safety. And thanks to the silencer on the gun, no one would know to call for help.
“Let me at least check on Grant.” If she could get a little closer to Wayland …
“Nah, that won’t be happening. It’s not like you can help him. There’s no fixing ‘dead.’” His face hardened. “Just ask Toya.”
Talking about the woman he’d lost did not seem like the sort of thing that would keep him from pulling that trigger again. She quickly changed the subject, saying, “You’re not supposed to be here.”
His eyes lit with smugness. “You thought I’d be at the cabin, huh? I would have been in order to execute plan A, but it quickly became clear that I’d have to go with plan B.” He gestured at the sofa without moving his gaze from her.
Understanding the silent order, Aspen stiffly sat. “And what exactly was plan A?”
“To kill you near the cabin, of course. I knew you’d sense that the trail I left was a trap. Any good Alpha would insist that the main targets stay behind. I just couldn’t be sure if you and Camden would go along with it, so I hovered around to keep watch. If it had looked like you’d both be joining the party, I’d have headed to the cabin and dealt with you there. But you weren’t among the people who piled into the vehicles earlier.” He smiled, all arrogance. “That wasn’t disappointing, though. Separating you and Camden from the people trying so hard to protect you could never be a bad thing.”
Pausing, he seated himself on the armchair, his gun still pointed her way. “Even better, security’s more lax than usual because so many believe I’m currently under siege. And it just sweetened the whole thing when Camden left your complex. I knew it meant you were alone. I couldn’t resist coming to say hi.”