Page 15 of Hunting Isla

“Hakuna your tatas, Archer. Guys, let the nice lady go before the lions get their tails in a twist.” Vance reached down and pulled me up. “Nice to meet you, Isla. I’m Vance, leader of the Cold River Sleuth.”

I shook his hand, returning his smile. He was quite handsome, but he had nothing on my guys.

“Well, now we’re all introduced, can someone explain to me what the hell is going on right now?” Wyatt demanded. I could sense he was reaching the end of his usually long tether.

Vance threw a look at the twins, and they immediately started talking to Bohdie, telling him stories and challenging him to a game of tic-tac-toe. Between the two of them, Bohdie’s eyes bounced back and forth, completely engrossed in what they were saying. Despite my gut instinct and the fact they were just on the other side of the room, I kept an eye on him.

“Word came through some of my less upstanding contacts that someone had put out a one-million-dollar reward for the pelt of a cub. Not just any cub—this cub was a direct descendent of the former Chatsville Regent. The contract was being funded by an anonymous donor, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out who’d put out such a hit.”

My hands gripped the cushions of the sofa, and my nails elongated into claws, shredding the fabric. Oops. But Bob had to die. Soon.

“We didn’t pay much attention, because quite frankly, your politics make me sick. But as I said, when you guys showed up with a very familiar smelling cub, I just wanted to check you weren’t taking him back to your Regent.”

Wyatt let out a low growl. “Not our Regent.”

Vance waved a hand. “Whatever.”

As my mind turned over what Vance had said, I watched Bohdie play with the twins, each taking turns to “lose” tic-tac-toe until he was crowing with delight. How could anyone want to snuff out such a beautiful light?

“Hang on, what do you mean Bohdie smells familiar? Did you know Kara?” Wyatt, with his mind for minor details, stood and began pacing around the room.

“Kara who? The kid smells almost exactly like Billy.”

I was so freaking confused right now. I got up and started pacing around with Wyatt. “Who the hell is Billy?”

Archer grabbed me on the way past and settled me in his lap. “The correct question is who was Billy—he’s dead.”

Vance shook his head. “Not unless he died in the last three weeks. I saw him in Nevada less than a month ago.”

Archer went rigid beneath me. I reached down and squeezed his thigh. “Who is this undead Billy? I’ve never heard of him.” Not surprising, really, but I wanted some answers now.

“Billy is Bob’s son. Bob said he died the same night as Kara,” Wyatt murmured.

Three things went through my mind at that point. First, Archer felt really good beneath me, his hard chest pressed against my back, and it was making the rest of my thought processes a little murky.

Two, Billy and Bob sounded like they’d stepped straight out of a trailer park. The lions might consider mass renaming all their children.

Three, was Billy a bad guy, or a potential ally?

Luckily, I only voiced point three. Axel shrugged at my question. “Billy is a dead man. Either he faked his own death, or Bob faked it for him, but I don’t think he’s an ally.”

Vance snorted. “I’d bet money that Bob doesn’t know he’s alive. He’s a contender, and if he was willing to put a hit on the cub, then there’s no way he’d let Billy live.”

Wyatt stopped pacing and sat down beside Archer and me on the couch. Almost as if he did it subconsciously, he pulled me from Archer’s lap until I was pressed between them. Like the meat in a sandwich. A sexy, sexy sandwich. He absently stroked my hair, just like he used to do when we were studying as kids. He used to say it was better than a stress ball and helped him concentrate. I swallowed down my smile.

Axel shook his head. “Bob didn’t get along with anyone, least of all his son. But when did Kara have the opportunity to meet Billy? It makes no sense.”

Vance leaned closer, his voice barely a whisper. “He’s part of a guerilla movement.”

“There are gorilla shifters too?” I asked, sucking in a breath.

Every set of eyes turned to me, even the twins, who were still entertaining Bohdie. Then Vance let out a huge, rumbling laugh. I could feel Archer and Wyatt chuckling beside me, and the twins were now rolling on the ground, laughing. Literally rolling, knees tucked up and arms wrapped around their ribs. Even Bohdie was giggling, though I doubted he had any idea what everyone was laughing at. I looked over at Axel, and even though he wasn’t outright laughing at me, his lips were twitching. He may as well have been doubled over.

“Guerilla with a U, sweetheart,” Wyatt said, kissing my temple.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I get that now. It was a fair question.”

Vance had wiped the tears from his eyes and was looking from me to Axel. “Just how new are you? When were you turned?”