Dark Instincts (The Phoenix Pack 4)

The Beta’s eyes lingered on Roni in a way that Marcus did not like. He arched a brow at the male, who simply smiled unrepentantly. Obviously, he wanted his ass kicked.

Quinn returned to his seat and gestured to the sofa opposite him. Neither Marcus nor Roni sat, and the tension in the room rose. “Okay, what can I do for you?”

Marcus’s voice was quiet but grave. “You know why we’re here.”

An incline of the head. “You’re seeking those responsible for attempting to abduct your Alpha pair’s son, and the trail has led you here.”

“I want to keep this civil, Quinn. You want that too, I’m sure. After all, there’s really no need for this to get unfriendly. All you have to do is cooperate and answer our questions. Simple.”

Roni hadn’t heard Marcus use that tone before—it was dark, menacing, and held a promise of reprisal if he didn’t get exactly what he wanted. In fact, she’d never seen him look like that before either; there was such energy, intensity, and darkness there. It made Quinn straighten in his seat.

“We know that the Scorpio Pack was responsible,” continued Marcus. “We know you have an alliance with them, despite that they were blacklisted.”

Quinn shrugged, as if the matter was nothing. “Business is business. Whether or not they’re blacklisted is no concern of mine, providing they keep up their end of the bargain.”

“Where are they, Quinn?”

“If I tell you that, Trey will kill them.”

Well, duh. Roni leaned against Marcus slightly, speaking in a theatrical whisper. “I’m not comfortable around this wolf; he sees the future.”

In spite of everything, Marcus found himself amused. “What would you do in Trey’s position, Quinn?”

“I’m nothing if not loyal, and the Scorpio Pack is under my protection.”

“It won’t save them. They crossed a very big line, and there’s no going back from that. Choose a side, and choose wisely.”

Quinn sighed. “I haven’t seen or spoken to the jackals in over three months. I don’t know their exact location at this moment—”

“I call bullshit on that,” Roni said ever so pleasantly.

He growled, clearly offended. “You doubt my word?”

“You might not be interested in protecting their lives, but you’re interested in protecting your business—that means concealing them from us.”

“And that would be very bad, Quinn.” Marcus tilted his head. “Very bad and very stupid.”

“I joined your pack in a war. Trey’s son might never have been born without the backup you had that day.”

“You didn’t do that for my pack. You wanted a shot at Trey’s uncle, and he gave it to you.”

Quinn’s nostrils flared. “You’re asking me to condemn the jackals to death. This isn’t about me or them. This is about honor and—What’s she doing?” He glanced curiously at Roni.

Yes, what was Roni doing? Marcus frowned, watching as she slowly paced in a circle on the other side of the room.

Abruptly, Roni stopped and growled at Quinn. “They’ve been here. I can smell them.”

The Beta suddenly dove at Marcus, his claws unleashed, just as the female enforcer launched herself at Roni. It wasn’t an attack, but an attempt to subdue them—Marcus saw that right away. But no one was subduing either of them.

Confident Roni could take care of herself, Marcus concentrated on the Beta. He gripped the wrist of the arm reaching for him and sharply bent it sideways; a growl of pain mingled with the sound of a bone cracking. Marcus pinned the arm behind the Beta’s back and head-butted him hard enough to make him sway on his feet. Then he shoved the male backward, who landed on the sofa. Quinn sprang from his seat, heading for Marcus, and—

“I’ll snap her neck, I swear to God.”

Everyone froze at Roni’s words, surprised to find Quinn’s enforcer whining on the floor and Lola in a headlock. Hands raised in surrender, Quinn immediately backed off. Taking his cue, the Beta and the enforcer also submitted, but Roni didn’t release Lola.

Marcus smiled. “Now, maybe we can actually—”

The door burst open and two male wolves darted into the room. Quinn’s “No!” had one of them skidding to a halt. The other, however, made a grab for Roni. Totally unruffled, the pretty little wolf used her free arm to deal the male a fast, hard blow to the jaw that sent him sprawling on the floor, out cold. Calm as you please, she then turned back to Quinn.

Marcus and his wolf loved her viciousness, and Marcus had to admit to being totally turned on. He sighed sadly at Quinn. “I was hoping it wouldn’t come to this.”

“Let her go. Just let her go.” When Roni didn’t loosen her hold on Lola, Quinn moved toward her.

Marcus quickly blocked his path. “You don’t touch her. Ever.” Quinn’s dominant vibes suddenly slammed into Marcus, smothering him like an oppressive desert heat. It was an attempt to intimidate him, to force him to submit—an insult that could get him killed by Trey. Marcus shrugged off the vibes. Maybe if Quinn were a born alpha, it would have worked. Unfortunately for the Alpha, his level of dominance didn’t exceed Marcus’s. “Are we done playing?”

Wide-eyed in shock, Quinn stepped back, licking his lips nervously.

“You want to get to your mate. I understand, I do. I know Nick was in the same state when he heard that Shaya was battered and bruised after the crash that I’m sure you heard all about. Roni’s also Nick’s sister, so you can imagine how she feels about it, particularly since she was also in the crash.”

Quinn licked his lips again, his eyes darting from Lola to Marcus, wrestling with the decision of what to do.

“Where are they, McGee?” Marcus demanded.

Quinn’s gaze met Marcus’s determined one. “Marcus . . .” But he said nothing more.

“You’re scared of them,” Marcus realized. “Aren’t you?” This wasn’t about protecting the jackals at all. Quinn didn’t answer. Then Lola squealed.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Roni. “Did that hurt? My bad.”

Marcus stepped forward, repeating, “You’re scared of them, aren’t you?”

The Alpha swallowed hard. “Yes, and you should be too.”