The Quiet One

29

Regal couldn't believe Harper was his mate, the week they'd been together had been full of ups and downs. He knew the threat to her was still out there, but now they were mated and he could protect her better. Her not coming home after work had killed him, he felt lost without her by his side and never wanted to feel that way again. The ring had been in his pocket for a few days, after he'd gotten the resizing rushed the moment he could get a hold of one of her rings. Her mother helped him when they had cleaned up her apartment after the attack. His phone dinged with a text message, carefully he extracted himself from around her and found his phone on the floor.

Anders: I looked into the book collectors from Harper's list. The only name that stuck out is a collector in the town over named Joseph King. He has been known to use black market means to get his hands on a certain book. He is a reclusive millionaire and won't leave his home for anything. He prefers to hire others to do his dirty work. He's been on the hunt for a rare book, couldn't get the name from my contact but has gone to drastic measures to find the book.

Regal: Thanks for the heads up, I'll do some digging into his bank accounts and see if anything major sticks out.

Anders: Let me know.

Regal: Will do.

He put away his phone to see Harper sitting up rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Who were you texting?"

"Anders, he found one collector on your list who has a less than savory way of getting books, if he cannot find them the legal way. I am going to dig into his electronic presence and bank records to see if anything comes up. Anders couldn't name what book he was looking for, but from the sounds of his text this man has been going down every avenue possible to find the book," he explained, he promised to keep her in the loop from now on and as his mate he didn't want her to ever feel less.

"Who is it?"

"Joseph King."

"Oh, he is a bit intense, I've only ever dealt with him over email and an occasional phone call. He has never stepped foot into my shop, I just mail him the books I find and he sends me an electronic transfer of money," she shared.

"Do you have your receipts for him?" Regal asked, he might be able to go in through her connection with him.

"Yes, he purchased a book from me about a month ago, I keep all transactions to protect myself as much as keep it for tax purposes." She lay back in the bed, her hair disheveled from their lovemaking. Her blue eyes bright with thought, he could see her thinking about Joseph King and what else she could remember.

"We can start looking into him on Monday, this weekend I want to focus on us and the holiday market we are going to tomorrow." Regal put his phone on the charger and crawled back into bed.

"I cannot wait." She snuggled into his arms and he couldn't remember a time when he felt more content.

"Get some sleep, my love." He kissed her gently and they drifted off to sleep. 

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