Page 77 of Assisting the Alpha
“If they make it through the wards and stay in the conference room, yes.” Ayo’s wards will only let in people we can trust right now. Kit has also isolated the data from the rest of our system, so Teo’s people won’t be able to access anything we don’t want them to.
We’ve all started to head for the building when a Mercedes pulls up at the kerb and Vittorio rushes over to me. “Zaiden said Ayo’s missing.”
I send the others on ahead. No point in everyone standing around for this conversation, and Raj can handle dividing up the work.
“That’s right. We believe the murderer is one of the coven. We’re working on a location he might be being held.”
Vittorio exhales, his shirt sleeves pushed up roughly to his elbows and his previously immaculate hair looking like he’s run his hand through it a bunch of times. “I’m breaking Ayo’s confidentiality with what I’m about to tell you.”
Okay, the vampire now has my complete attention. “He’s my fated mate, if that helps your conscience, and my mate’s life is worth any price.”
“Ayo’s life is worth his anger, yes.” The vampire looks around and lowers his voice further. “Ayo is about to come into an inheritance.”
I frown. “He didn’t mention that.”
“He told me he didn’t want to distract you from the case, not when he’d been warned off once already. Anyway?—”
“Wait, warned off?” It clicks. “The alley. When they beat him up.”
Why the fuck didn’t he tell me? He and I will be having words about not keeping secrets from each other when we find him.
“Correct. He believes the inheritance is some sort of magical artefact that someone wants to get their hands on. If he hadn’t claimed it by his twenty-first birthday, it would have defaulted to the coven. He only recently became aware of it at all.”
“And got you involved, keeping the whole thing secret. You think this is why he’s been taken?” His birthday is in a few days. “You think they want to kill him so he won’t inherit the artefact?”
Vittorio shakes his head and checks around us again. “They could just steal it afterwards if that were the case. Ayo doesn’t know yet, but he’s set to inherit the entire coven estate including the manor and all other buildings on the land. He’ll also inherit a large sum of money.”
“Holy shit.”
“Your mate is a billionaire, Ethan.”
“Holy shit.”
“And while the coven as a whole would inherit the wealth if Ayo didn’t claim it, it would come under the control of one person.”
“The coven leader.” I can barely breathe. Ayo has no idea. It would be typical of him to think it’s some sort of grimoire or artefact instead of anything more than that.
The worst part is that he trusts Nyoka. He won’t know to keep his guard up around the man.
Nyoka as the murderer fits just as well as Lola, though. Perhaps more so. Nyoka is in charge of the coven, therefore responsible for the debt and the loans, even if Lola is the one who actually made the arrangements. He’s in charge of the task force so could have planted evidence about Xana that perhaps the task force aren’t even aware is fake. None of them would suspect him.
He also had access to the family grimoires. Ayo thought someone outside of the family had found out about them, but what if they didn’t? What if the Nagual spell was kept in the family after all?
“Come with me.” I rush back into the building, Vittorio also restricting himself to human running speed at my side. It doesn’t take us long to make it up to the office.
Raj comes over as we enter the crowded conference room. “We’re searching now.”
“It’s Nyoka.”
Everyone in the room stops, all eyes now on me. Teo is the first to speak. “You’re sure?”
“As certain as I can be. Everyone, pull up everything you can find linked to him and cross reference any communications with or links to the victims prior to their deaths.”
I don’t even realise how badly I’m shaking until Raj pulls me into a tight hug. “We’ll find him, Ethan. You have a lot of peoplewilling to turn this city upside down for that man. We will find him.”
Fuck, we’d better. I can’t even contemplate the thought of facing a life without him in it.
Chapter Twenty-Two
