Blood Rights [Wicked River 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Gabrielle Evans Page B

her a whore and said he was glad she was dead.” His mother, not his father, had been his hero, the person he looked up to until her death when he was fourteen. When placed in a precarious situation, he still tried to think of how his mother would handle it, what she would expect from him.
    “Sounds a little bit like you were goaded, man.” Thank mercy they had Casey on their side. They guy was smart as hell, always thinking three steps ahead. “Why would your dad want you out of the way?”
    “Me,” Moira whispered. “I don’t know why, but it’s the only thing that makes sense. If Steven is one of the people helping to create these Shadow Walkers, I think we can assume he had a hand in leading you back.”
    That was a bit of a stretch in Brock’s opinion. Why would his father go to so much trouble to get him out of town only to manipulate him into coming back? “I’m not following, Mo. Why would he want me back?”
    “Well, let’s look at the sequence of events,” Casey suggested. “He pushes you into attacking him, giving him the perfect reason to send you running—a reason too dangerous for you to take Moira with you. Now, you’re back. You claim Moira. Rip sees it. He goes missing, and then Shadow Walkers show up two days later.”
    “You think my father lured me back here just so I would claim Mo? Why?” If that was the case, why had his dad wanted him out of the picture in the first place?
    “Well, she has powers now,” Joss answered with a shrug. “Maybe he wants her power.”
    “I can buy that, but again, why get rid of me in the first place? Moira didn’t have powers before I claimed her, and I couldn’t claim her if I wasn’t here.”
    “Maybe he didn’t know that she wouldn’t have powers until she bonded with her mate.”
    That sounded like his dad. The man was smart, but he was also rash and impulsive. It made sense that he would have acted before having all the information he needed. “So, what happened while I was gone, and what does my father want with Mo? He can’t just take her powers. There has to be something else.”
    “You do remember that I’m sitting right here.” There wasn’t much heat in Moira’s voice, though. It had been a long night, and the stress was obviously getting to her. “There’s no way to know, so let’s just figure out where they’re keeping Koba.”
    “There might be a way,” Casey said thoughtfully. “The Walker Moira took down, he wasn’t dead.”
    Joss snorted and shook his head. “I’m betting he is now.”
    “Go find out.” It was their best chance at getting answers. “If he’s alive, take him to the barn and come get me.”
    “I’ll go.” Joss stood and placed a hand on Casey’s shoulder, holding him in his seat. “You can barely walk. Stop being such a pain in the ass.”
    “The sun will be up soon.”
    Brock arched an eyebrow at Casey and frowned. “So?”
    “If your Shadow Walker is alive, you better find a place to keep him out of the sun. It’ll be kind of hard to interrogate him if he’s burned crispy.”
    “Tie him up in the loft. There aren’t any windows up there. He’ll be fine as long as it’s not direct sunlight.”
    After shifting so many times during the night, Brock was dead on his feet. He felt like a dick for wanting to sleep while Koba was missing, but he wouldn’t be any good to anyone if he couldn’t function and think clearly. “You guys should grab some shut-eye. I’ll try to nap on the couch until Joss gets back.”
    To his complete surprise, Moira didn’t offer even the slightest argument. She simply rose to her feet, kissed his forehead, and padded down the hall to her bedroom. “She’ll be okay,” Casey assured him as he struggled up from his chair. “Koba’s going to be fine, too. You’re right about one thing. As long as he’s useful, he’s safe.”
    True, but how long until Koba became more of a liability than an asset?
     
    * * * *
     
    “Why did you stop me from