Insight

Flint awoke in the middle of the night. He bolted out off the couch in his office, coated in a cold sweat. Static. The same sensation that told him Bastian was with Eve... It radiated through his body, making him nauseous.

Eve’s heart beat was calm and slow, as if she were content. Though he could feel twinges of discomfort shake the steady pulse that he’d come to depend on. Eve wasn’t happy to be near Bastian, she just wasn’t fighting it. It occurred to Flint immediately that Eve was sleeping. She must have been.

He tried to shake off the feeling and he couldn’t. No matter what he did, it remained just under the surface. Flint got a very hot shower, allowing the water to redden his skin. He wanted to burn the static away, but all he did was make his skin feel raw. The Alpha got dressed in a t-shirt and a pair of jeans.

He contemplated going for a run but instead he paced around the office. His attention was on the cabin displayed on the television. He couldn’t stop examining it for movement. It felt like an obsession. The sun slowly rose in the sky, but Flint didn’t leave the room. He continued to shift between sitting on the coffee table to pacing around it.

A knock fell on the door at seven in the morning. The sound startled him out the trance he’d seemingly fallen into. Flint stood and opened the door. Blair was in the threshold, gripping her satchel tightly. Something had happened.

The young woman's mindlink was racing with thoughts too quickly for the tired Alpha to decipher. Flint’s gaze flicked over the assistant. Her brown hair had been quickly pulled into a bun on top of her head. She was wearing a large sweater and some hole covered skinny jeans. This was far from the collected, professional appearance she usually had.

"Tell me." Flint stepped aside, allowing her to enter.

Blair sat on the sofa and opened her bag, pulling out a stack of paperwork. The Alpha closed the door before sitting in the chair across from her. He allowed her a moment to collect herself and find whatever she seemed to be searching for.

"Sorry, Alpha. I know it's early." She finished sorting the documents on the coffee table between them.

"It's fine, Blair. What did you find?" Flint replied.

"You wanted me to locate Jim and Rose Lawler. Well, I think I have." The assistant answered.

"You think, or you know?" He raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Let me start at the beginning..." Blair began quickly explaining herself. "The Lawlers were living in Summerville when Star Dust Hope placed Bastian with them. It took a few days to get my hands on the records for the Summerville public high schools during the years Bastian would have been a student. The trouble is, there are two in the area. North Summerville High turned up nothing. No Lawlers anywhere, parents or students."

"And the other school." Flint nodded, looking over the pages she handed him.

"Central Summerville High had one admission for a tenth grade drop out named Seth Lawler. I think it's obvious why that name got my attention." Blair slid another set of papers toward the Alpha. "He had a GPA of four point two. Team captain for the hockey team and a starting forward. He was suspended for more than one hundred days his freshman year for fighting and causing chaos. Still, he was pretty popular with the students and the teachers."

"Anything of use?" He grunted.

"Yes. His 'guardians' on file were James and Rose Lawler. Their address was listed as 318 Cider Avenue. The new owners claim they bought the house in 2010." She replied.

We were twenty, so was Bastian. What does that mean? Flint pondered silently.

"I checked in with the utility companies to try to find out if any of the accounts had been switched, or just cut off before the move. The only people who would talk to me were from the power company. Apparently, in August that year, the Lawlers closed their account. There was a note in the database about their reason for cancelling. It said they were moving out of the service area."

"Sounds like a dead end." He ran his hand through his hair, pushing it back.

"Nope. I contacted the power companies in the surrounding areas, posing as a debt collector. They didn't want to deal with me and so, they just kind of answered my questions." Blair stated. "The next account for James Lawler showed up in Alberton. They bounced around to a few homes in the past eight eight years, but they've been settled for about three years on a small farm."

"Alberton is two provinces away. They went far..." Flint looked over the page she handed him.

"Yes, Alpha. I sent a tracker to check out the address at 83 Erwin Drive. He sent me a description of the owners. A couple live there and they look to be in their early sixties. He even managed to send me a picture. I came to you as soon as I got the report. The mail in the mailbox was all for James and Rose Lawler. It's got to be them."

Blair slid her phone across the table. Flint looked at the image she was displaying for him.

There was a man with silver streaked hair in a baseball cap. He was getting out of a rusted, green truck. A woman was waiting for him a few feet away. She held a few grocery bags in her arms and her smile lines showed her to be a light hearted person. While the crease on her mate's forehead spoke outwardly about his time spent scowling.

"You did good, Blair." He handed her the device. "I'm proud of you. Eve will be too."

The praise of her Alpha filled the young woman with joy. She had been working tireless since the Luna's kidnapping, doing everything asked of her. Even the things out of her depth and job description. Blair's face flushed and she smiled gratefully, lowering her head humbly.

Flint stood to get the phone on the desk. He was excited. If he could find out where Bastian got the creeping sedum, he could get some too. Flint would have no reason to leave his mate in Bastian's clutches for another moment.

Even if the Lawler's didn't know where to get the tea, Flint was certain they were the ones who originally informed Bastian about it. They had to know something. To find out whatever he could, Flint would have to speak to them himself. Still, he knew he couldn't go alone without risking more damage to his reputation among StarLight; should things go badly.

"Boy?" Elijah spoke through the phone.

"Dad, Blair found Jim and Rose Lawler." He informed him.

"When do we leave?" He replied without asking for any more details.

"Now. I'll come get you. Pack an overnight bag, it's a twelve hour drive." Flint nodded.

"Done. I'm at the Manor." Elijah stated before hanging up the phone.