Didn’t I know it. “But why do they hate you? Jaxson…seems angry.”
My uncle leaned back and drummed his fingers on the table. “Because we provide people with the means to stand up for themselves.”
“We shouldn’t talk about this tonight,” my aunt commanded. “Let’s speak of brighter things.”
I swallowed.
During the drive to Eclipse, Jaxson had told me the LaSalles dealt in illegal arms and materials. I looked down at the flowers so I wouldn’t stare at my hosts, but my mind was churning. What did the LaSalles actually do? Was it just trafficking weapons, or did they make them, too? Were they guns like the ones I’d grown up shooting, or something worse? Something magical? Something to do with dark magic?
Jaxson had pushed me hard into staying at the motel, but when I thought about it, this was probably the safest place for me to be—with people who’d been in a standoff with werewolves for centuries.
He wants control.
But things were spiraling out of control. Some idiot had posted pictures of me all around Belmont, letting my assailants know exactly where I’d gone. Worse, Jaxson had paraded me through pack headquarters. Tons of werewolves had seen me and knew that a red-haired girl with a tattoo had just shown up in town. If one of them were in cahoots with my attackers, they’d know exactly where I was. It was practically a slam dunk.
I dropped the flower I was holding.
It couldn’t be.
But something clawed from within my chest, and my pulse quickened. Was Jaxson using me as bait?
He’d had people keeping an eye on me. He’d tried to keep me in Belmont, where they could strike again. Now he was keeping me in town, holding my car. I was a sitting duck, and he knew they’d be back.
He’s planning on it.
I jumped up from the table, my heart thundering.
“Everything okay?” Laurel asked.
“I just remembered I have to make a call,” I stammered, then hurried out the front door and scrolled through my phonebook to find the entry for Asshole.
Jaxson picked up after the first ring. “Savannah. Good to get a call. Have you changed your mind?”
“You ass, have you lost yours?” I snapped, keeping my voice low in case anyone inside was listening.
“What are you talking about?”
For all my anger, the sound of his whiskey voice still lit a fire in me, but I fought to keep myself focused. “Are you using me as bait?”
“What? No.” He scoffed. Was it genuine?
Shit.
I should have confronted him face to face. I had a good sense of when people were lying to me, but it only worked when I was right there, looking them in the eyes and making them sweat.
I pushed on anyway. “Apparently, someone plastered posters all over Belmont that said I was last seen heading to Chicago. The sheriff didn’t know where I was headed, nor did anyone else in town. Did you have your people post those signs?”
“Absolutely not.”
Was he lying? I couldn’t tell, and it made my palms itch.
“You’ve tried pinning me down. You’ve got your stalkers watching me wherever I go. You wanted me to stay in your motel, on your lands.”
“I’m doing my best to protect you while you’re doing your best to get yourself killed,” he said coldly.
I’d bet money his eyes had turned honey-gold, like they always did when he was pissed.
“You posted those signs. This isn’t werewolf witness protection! You’re using me as goddamned bait!”