The Tracker's Secret: Sunderverse (Mate Tracker Book 2) by Ingrid Seymour (the gingerbread man read aloud .txt) 📗

I was in my potions alcove inventorying my ingredients to figure out when I needed to schedule another trip to Elf-hame, when my phone rang. I picked it up absentmindedly as I finished typing a couple of numbers into my laptop, which rested on my worktable.

“Hello?”

“Toni Sunder?”

The voice sent a chill down my spine. I thought I recognized it, but it couldn’t be. “Yes, this is Toni.”

“Ms. Sunder, it’s Ulfen Erickson.”

Crap. It was him. I took a step away from the computer.

“How may I help you?” I asked, a part of me curious about the call, and the other itching to hang up.

“I will be brief. I only have a couple of minutes for this call. I’ve been arrested.”

The what?! Arrested? Why? And why the hell was he calling me of all people?

“I’m sorry?” I said, but it came out as a question.

“There’s no need for civility. I know well how you feel about me. But this is nothing personal. This is strictly business. I wish to hire you to track someone for me.”

“Um, unless you need a new mate, I’m afraid I can’t help you, Mr. Erickson.”

“I’m willing to pay you fifty thousand dollars to find this person. Upfront.”

Holy shit! That was a lot of money, but the right thing was to say no—even if it hurt a little. Well, a lot, really. Fifty grand would pay for a big chunk of our business loan.

“It’s not a matter of money,” I said. “I’m sorry. I’m afraid you’ll need to find somebody else to help you.”

“One hundred thousand dollars, Ms. Sunder,” he counter-offered.

I almost choked. Rosalina and I would be set up for a while if I did this. I hesitated for too long, and he took advantage of it.

“Come see me, and we can talk about it. I’m willing to offer you a bonus if you succeed.” He quickly gave me the details of where he was being jailed. It was Tom’s precinct.

I was still trying to find my voice when he hung up. I walked out of the alcove like a zombie. I expected to find Rosalina working at her desk, but she wasn’t there. She’d probably gone across the street for some coffee or next-door for ice cream.

Mechanically, still shocked by the call and the colossal money offer, I found myself walking into Jake’s office. He was shirtless, kneeling on the floor, tapping a narrow board against another as he laid hardwood flooring. I hadn’t been in his office in a few days, and I was surprised by the progress. He wasn’t done yet, but he was close. He’d already painted all the walls light gray, finished all the trim, and installed industrial-looking overhead lights that hung from thick cables.

He dusted his hands and stood up, his expression turning to worry as he noticed my lost stare. “Everything all right, Toni?”

“Ulfen Erickson just called me.”

He frowned. “Did something happen to Stephen?”

I shook my head. “No. He called me from jail. He’s just been arrested. He wants to hire me to track someone for him.”

His face twisted in confusion, making him look exactly how I felt. He ran stiff fingers through his hair as he considered.

“Why was he arrested?” he finally asked.

“I don’t know. I was so surprised I didn’t think of asking, and he didn’t say.”

He walked to a sawhorse where he’d hung the gray button-up shirt he’d been wearing and stuffed his muscular arms through the sleeves. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. He’s offering me a lot of money to do this for him, and it’s really tempting, but I don’t want to get involved,” I blurted out, all in one breath.

“I understand.”

“You pick now to be reasonable. Whatever happened to ‘stay out of it, Toni’?”

“This is different. I can go with you. After you find out why Ulfen was arrested, you can decide if you want to help him. You could just hear him out. Maybe he’ll tell you something that can help Stephen. His life’s still in danger.”

“Unless Ulfen is the one trying to kill him, in which case, there’s nothing more to worry about.”

“True.”

I sighed. If I could keep Stephen safe from maniac mages, a short conversation with Ulfen would be worth it.

Jake buttoned his shirt up and took the motorcycle keys out of his pocket. “So?”

“Let’s go.”

We walked out, and I climbed on behind him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist. He started the engine, and we took off. Ten minutes later, we were at the police department. Jake decided to wait outside, while I walked in and told the receptionist at the counter that I needed to see Tom Freeman. A moment later, Tom came out of his office and greeted me with a warm hug.

“Hey, kiddo, how are you?”

“I’m good.” I smiled, then went straight to the point. It was rude as hell but I was too anxious to hold back. “Ulfen Erickson called me. He said he wants to hire me to track someone for him. He asked me to come.”

Tom’s brow furrowed. He glanced around, then inclined his head toward his office, asking me to follow. We went in, and he closed the door behind us.

“I wouldn’t suggest you take him up on his offer, whatever it entails,” Tom said. “The mage that attacked you and Stephen plea-bargained and now he’s out on bail. He swore under oath that Ulfen Erickson paid him to kill his son.”

“What a bastard! Who would do that to his own son?”

“Who do you think he wants you to track?” Tom Asked.

“I’ve no idea, but maybe I should talk to him. Maybe he’ll tell me something that will bury him deeper.” Now, I wanted to spit in his face. That mage almost killed me, too.

“He’s not allowed visitors right now. Sorry, kid, I don’t think it’s smart for you to get involved. Just stay out of it. Go back to tracking mates and staying safe.”

That sounded great, but, suddenly, I started wondering if it would be that easy.

“What will