When He's Sinful (The Olympus Pride 3)

“He’ll probably have the cabin rigged to blow,” predicted Farrell.

“I’d have to agree,” said Tate. “Which is why I don’t intend to go inside or even get too close to it.”

Havana sat on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other. “When he realizes no one is going to enter, he’ll probably blow it up as a distraction and then play sniper. His plan could be to pick us all off with his gun. It could be to simply take out Aspen and Camden. On the other hand, he might wish to shoot the rest of us and then kidnap Aspen and Camden so he can have some ‘fun’ before he kills them.”

Tate’s eyes danced from Aspen to Camden. “Whatever the case, it’s an attempt to draw you both out into the open and into an area he knows well. Which is why I think neither of you should go.”

Aspen felt her back snap straight. Through the mating bond, she felt Camden bristle. She doubted his tiger liked the idea either. Her bearcat sure didn’t. Aspen’s arms dropped to her sides. “Now hang on a sec.”

“Wayland won’t expect that,” Tate hurried to add. “He’ll be banking on you both coming for him. My opinion? He won’t believe for a moment that you’d stay behind. So when he notices you’re not among us, he’ll just think the rest of us are meant to be a distraction and that the two of you are coming at him from another angle. Wayland’s attention will be so divided it’ll be easier for someone to get the drop on him.”

Pausing, Tate eyed Camden closely, who didn’t look the slightest bit interested in the Alpha male’s proposition. “I know you and your cat want blood. I’m not saying you won’t get it. We’ll bring him back alive—he’ll be all yours. Well, yours and Aspen’s. I don’t see her standing back while you have all the fun.”

“You’d be right to think so,” said Aspen.

Tate continued speaking to Camden. “You need to let us retrieve him for you. I get that it will be hard for you to stay behind. But it’s better than walking into a trap.”

Camden clenched his teeth. It would be more than “hard” to stay behind. It would be goddamn infuriating. After all that the piece of shit had done to Aspen, Camden wanted to personally bring Wayland down. Wanted to avenge her.

Eliminating threats to her was not only Camden’s right, it was his responsibility as her mate. Sitting back while others did the job for him … It would feel wrong.

Similarly, his tiger growled, not down with this plan at the fuck all. He craved to hunt and maul the bastard that had targeted his mate. The beast didn’t want to hand over that pleasure to anyone else.

Aspen let out a groan of surrender. “I hate to say it, Camden. Really, really hate to say it. But Tate’s right. Wayland won’t think we’d remain here—especially you. He’ll think you’re as singularly focused on getting revenge as he is.”

“He’d be right,” clipped Camden.

“No, he wouldn’t. Wayland’s a man who has to win, no matter the cost. You’re not. You can be patient when you know it’s best to let your prey come to you. That’s all we’d be doing. Letting him come to us. I want to be there when he’s caught, but I also want this to be over. We have more of a chance of the latter happening if we play our own game instead of his.”

There was no way to deny that, but … “I don’t like it. My tiger doesn’t like it. I doubt your bearcat does either.”

“Oh, she detests the idea,” Aspen confirmed. “But we have to shove all our anger aside and be smart. Otherwise, we’re playing right into Wayland’s hands.”

“No one would expect either you or your tiger to be okay with this, Camden,” said Tate. “I wouldn’t like it either, in your shoes. But you have to admit that this makes sense. Unless you want Aspen walking into a trap—she won’t stay behind if you won’t either.”

Camden looked at his mate. The expression on her face told him that Tate was right, and the firm set to her jaw said there’d be no changing her mind. “Fuck,” he cursed, resigned.

He knew better than to argue with her when she wore that look—it never got him anywhere. Which meant that he’d have to go along with Tate’s plan unless Camden was prepared to allow his mate to walk alongside him into a goddamn trap, which he was not.

“Who are you planning to take with you?” she asked the Alpha male.

Tate pursed his lips. “Luke, Farrell, Alex—”

“Me,” Havana chipped in.

Bailey lifted her hand. “And of course me.”

Poking his tongue into the inside of his cheek, Tate looked from his mate to the mamba. “It would be better if you two remained behind. Wait, hear me out. Wayland knows you both. He knows what you’re capable of. He knows you matter to Aspen and, in some way, even to Camden. Wayland could target you both in lieu of them.”