The Reluctant Alpha by A.K. Michaels Page B

saw a large shadow fill the doorway, “Jacob,” he said.
    Sure enough, his very large PI came into view, his trademark sunglasses in place even though night was almost upon them. Jacob raised a hand in greeting as he strode towards them. Cam placed his hands on his hips, an eyebrow raised. “Care to let me in on the reason you’ve used my private jet?”
    Jacob smirked, “Was quickest way to get here and trust me, you want me and my expertise here.”
    “That remains to be seen,” Cam replied, noting Marcus placing bag upon bag on the tarmac.
    “What’s all that?” Jinx asked, pointing to Marcus.
    “Tools of the trade,” Jacob replied non-committedly.
    Marcus joined them, “Boss, you need to call Stracey, she’s been trying to get you and she sounds worried.”
    Cam stared at his pilot. “What?” he asked, not one instance coming to mind when Stracey had been “worried.”
    “She says to call as soon as you can.” Marcus looked pensive, obviously aware that Stracey didn’t spook easily.
    Cam dug his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll do it now, you lot get all that stuff over to the Club house.”
    Hitting speed dial number one he waited, the call answered immediately. “Cameron, I’ve been trying to reach you.”
    Stracey’s tone wasn’t one he’d heard before. Not in the twenty years the woman had worked for him. “What’s going on?” he asked quickly.
    “I’ve had a call from a woman who said she met you earlier. She sounds scared and said you’d told her to contact you if she needed help.”
    Cam’s heart lurched, Chastity.
    “And?” Cam almost whispered.
    “She was rambling and it took me a few minutes to understand what she was saying,” Stracey took a deep breath. “She said her name was...”
    Cam interrupted, “I know her name, go on.”
    “She said something about the Alpha knowing something or other. Not about you, but about her. Said he scented Silas on her but Silas can’t be found and he punished her in some way because he said she was lying to him. Cam, she sounded very scared. I don’t think I’ve ever heard fear like that before. What the hell have you gotten into?”
    His stomach clenched at the thought of what “punishment” Chastity had endured. A growl rumbling up from his chest and breaking free, loud enough that Jinx shouted over, “You okay?”
    Cam ignored him, trying to get a grip on his emotions. Emotions that were suddenly out of control. Stracey’s voice breaking in on his thoughts of what he was going to do to Dupont when he got his hands on him.
    “Cameron! What’s going on?”
    “Did she leave a number?” he barked out, his tone sharp and one he’d never used before when talking with Stracey.
    Stracey sounded worried and offended as she spoke, “Yes, she did, I’ll text you it but you need to let me know what’s happening. I may be able to help.”
    “I need you to cancel everything in the diary for the next couple of weeks, maybe longer. I’ll let you know. If there’s anything urgent you deal with it ‘cause I’m going to be busy here. If you can’t deal with it let me know but I’m pretty sure that’s not happening. Stracey, I trust your judgment implicitly and I need to be focused here.”
    Cam could hear her gasp, “You’re going off the grid? What will I tell everyone?”
    “Yes.” Cam’s mind full of the She-Wolf he’d met earlier. Determined to get her to safety at the same time as meting out his own form of “punishment” to her brother. “We have a situation here at my uncle’s Pack and I’m not sure how long it’s going to take to sort it. I’m going to, possibly, need your help and if I do then you have to do as I say. No questions asked.”
    “Of course,” Stracey’s voice now strained, “you know I’ll do whatever I can. I’ll make something up as a cover story for your sudden vanishing act.”
    “Thank you,” Cam’s tone was almost back to normal, “and remind me you need a bonus and a raise when