Mine for Eternity [Council Enforcers] (Siren Publishing Classic)

amused.
    “Okay, guys. I have no plans to take the fall for this guy. I plan on spending a long and happy life with my mate.” Mitch sat up in his chair ready to take action. “The first thing we need to do is gather all the information about the councilman that we can. He said he was away. Ben, find out where he’s been. See if we can tie him to any property in Chicago. Maybe we can find out where the rogues are staying. Ryan and Ken, I need you guys tracking down the other council members. Track their movements and see if you can figure out if any of them are in on this plot.”
    “What will you be doing?” Ry asked him.
    “I will stay in contact with the asshole, Percival, to keep him distracted and thinking we are doing exactly what he wants us to. In the meantime, I plan to set a trap for this damn jackass that keeps tormenting my mate and keeping me up at night. Yeah, and I haven’t had a nice, long nap in the sun in forever.
    Their meeting broke up after that, and Mitch headed straight for his mate. He found Tessa lying on the floor playing with Nico. He had a feeling they both were suffering from a little cabin fever. He hadn’t let either of them go further than the front porch since they heard the first howl.
    “Hey, baby.” Mitch put a smile on his face so he wouldn’t worry her. He lay on the floor and laughed when he was immediately attacked by Nico.
    Mitch had finally marked the cub a few days before by sedating him. It had been Ken’s idea to put him to sleep, and it worked perfectly. Nico had no idea that he had been bitten while he was asleep. He shoulder was sore for a few days, but once his healing kicked in, that had quickly gone away. Now, he was acting like a typical cub. He was full of playful aggression and willing to take it out on anyone who was willing to get on the floor with him. The growling is cute. With my help, he may have a mighty roar like mine someday.
    Ignoring his lion, Mitch lifted the cub off his back and sat him back on the floor. “Why don’t you go find Uncle Ry and Uncle Ken and help them pack?”
    Once Nico was out of the room, he leaned over and kissed his mate who had been smiling at the two of them. “I need to talk to you.” What he was about to ask her went against every protective instinct he had for his mate, but for his plan to work, he needed to have Tessa on board. “I have a plan to catch this rogue, but I need your help.”
    “You know I’ll do whatever I can.”
    “I have a feeling that keeping you locked up is not going to bring the rogue any closer for us to be able to catch him. We need to lure him out, and the only way to do that—”
    Tessa cut him off, “Is to use me as bait.”
    “As much as I hate it, yes. That’s exactly what I want to do.” It went against everything he knew. Mates were meant to be cherished and protected, not offered up like a prize.
    Mitch expected his lion to be foaming at the mouth and going crazy over his decision, but he had been strangely silent since Mitch had come up with the plan in his head. That worried him. His lion was a smart, sarcastic asshole at best, but never silent. When his lion went quiet, bad things happened.
    Still, Mitch went forward with his plan. “Ken and Ry are heading out, but Ben is staying. The rogue hasn’t bothered us in a few days, so we will make him think we are starting to relax. We will start going outside again and letting Nico play, and in a few nights, you and I will sneak out of the house to take a midnight walk through the woods.”
    “Do you think this guy will try to attack us?”
    “No, I don’t think so, at least not with me there. Ben will stay behind to guard Nico. A few minutes into our walk, he will call my cell and let me know there is an emergency. I’ll run off, leaving you alone.” Mitch could hear Tessa’s heart racing and pulled her into his lap. “Hey, you have nothing to worry about. I won’t go far. My scent is all over my territory, so the rogue shouldn’t even know I’m still there. He will never get near enough to touch you. I just need him out in the open so I can take him down.”
    It took a moment for Tessa to respond. “Okay. I trust you, and I want this over just as much as you do. Just promise me if something happens, you will take care of Nico. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to him.”
    Mitch didn’t respond to that. He would definitely take care of Nico no matter what, but he didn’t even want to