Savage Urges (The Phoenix Pack, #5)(18)

“You can’t be serious about helping loners!” Greta griped. The word “loners” was spoken in the same tone as someone might use for “Nazis.”

The smile that Taryn shot Greta was a little evil. “But just think how much fun it would be to have more unmated females around your boys . . . you know, flirting with them, leading them down the path of sin.”

Greta lifted her chin. “I refuse to offer any help to loners.”

“And I refuse to accept that someone who is so old she was a waitress at the Last Supper could still be alive, yet here you are.”

Hearing a series of beeps signaling that Ryan had received a text message, he took his cell from his pocket. The message was from Zac and mostly in shorthand, but Ryan translated it into: “Thanks for chasing off Remy today. Are you really going to help the shelter?”

Ryan immediately replied: “Yes. The whole pack will help.”

It was a promise, and Ryan never broke his word. He wasn’t concerned that Greta would change Taryn’s mind on the matter. Even if the woman miraculously managed to do so, it wouldn’t change Ryan’s plans.

Generally, he didn’t get involved in other people’s drama. Having been raised in a house that was full of it, Ryan avoided it like the plague. But he had every intention of helping the shelter, and he wouldn’t be swayed from that course. Once Ryan committed himself to any cause of action, he saw it through to the end. He wouldn’t overlook the danger Remy presented to those children and he wouldn’t let Zac down.

In truth, the kid deserved a better guardian than Ryan—he wasn’t good at giving emotional feedback, wasn’t good at bonding, and wasn’t good at expressing affection or receiving it. But he could give Zac a home, a sense of belonging, and ensure he was safe. Those were all good things, right?

Spending time with Zac to earn his trust would also mean spending time with Makenna. Ryan waited for discomfort to settle in at the idea of being around a loner . . . but none came. In fact, he realized with a start, he wanted to see her again. Probably because she was a mystery. Ryan liked having all the facts of a situation. He wanted to know who she really was and what happened to her. Moreover, he wanted to know what f*cking pack would cast out a pup and just how they could possibly justify it to themselves.

“Where did you hear the rumor about Remy?” Trey asked, interrupting Ryan’s thoughts.

“I was at a shifter bar,” said Ryan. “The waitress was flirting with him at the other side of the room. One of the barmen—Myles—didn’t look happy about it. Then he snickered when Remy dismissed her. He said he wasn’t surprised she’d been sent on her way because he’d heard Remy’s interests leaned toward young boys.”

Dante folded his arms across his chest. “Then I think we need to go and speak with this barman, find out where he got that information.”

Later that night, Ryan strode through the crowded bar with Trey, Dante, and Trick. They found Myles at the far end of the bar, flirting with the female he was serving.

He went rigid at the sight of their grim expressions. “What’s this about?”

A straight shooter. Ryan liked that.

“We have a few questions,” said Trey. “It won’t take long.”

Myles barked a nervous laugh. “I’d be a fool to walk off alone with four pissed-off Phoenix wolves.”

“It’s not you we’re pissed at,” said Trey. “But I have a feeling you can tell us a little about the wolf who did piss us off.”

Myles pressed his lips together, clearly reluctant. Finally, with a heavy exhale, he rounded the bar and gestured for them to follow him. He led them through a door marked “Staff Only” and into an empty break room. “What do you want to know?”

Trey spoke. “Remy Deacon.”

Myles’s face scrunched up in distaste. “What about him?”

“Last time I was here,” said Ryan, “you told me Remy likes little boys.”

Myles shifted uncomfortably. “That’s what I heard.”

“From who?”

“Some of my pack mates. They were originally members of one of the packs he took over. They switched to ours a few months ago.”

“They know this for certain?” asked Dante. “They’ve witnessed it?”

“No. They said he likes to be around the kids, that he takes them on nature walks and he’s adopted all the orphans.”

“There’s nothing wrong with spending time with pups,” said Trey.

“No, but some of the boys have gone missing. And one of the fathers outright accused Remy of abusing his son and then attacked him. Remy killed the father. Since then, some of the families have left—maybe because they believe the rumors or maybe because they’re being cautious.” He cringed as he added, “I also heard that his extremely possessive mother loves him . . . a little too much.”

A bitter taste settled on Ryan’s tongue. His wolf curled his lip in total disgust. If the latter rumor were true, a person might be tempted to feel sympathy for Remy. Ryan wasn’t tempted. Sad and sick as it was, lots of people were abused. They didn’t all become abusers.

“We need to speak with your pack mates,” Dante told Myles. “We need to know more about Remy.”

“I don’t think they know anything more.”