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Deveron shrugged. “Savino has a lot more than you know to deal with, but his inner demons are his own. Either way, he did not kill your mother.”
“Deveron,” Sakura said, a warning in her tone, and Adam doubted she would hold it together much longer. He laid a hand on her shoulder and felt her pull against it with a strength that far exceeded what she’d had as a human. Still, he hardly flexed a muscle to keep her in place. He had another question, since it was obvious Sakura was too worked up to put together the clues Deveron presented them with.
“Deveron,” he said over his mate, “what was the woman’s name who arrived at Kasen, Sr.’s calling?”
“I didn’t know then, but I learned much later. It’s Gladys, your dad’s lover and former best friend to your mother.”
That’s when Sakura figured it out. The same woman who dumped Savino in a place where no human would find him had hired men to kill her and Adam. The coincidence was too great otherwise. The next question was, did Kasen, Sr. order her to do so?
Chapter Thirteen
“Why did she hire lowlifes to take care of the body? Why not leave it to the cleanup crew?” Sakura speculated. “After all, they had other dead shifters. Deveron said so. If he can be believed, that is.”
Adam tossed his suitcase on the bed. They had determined it was ridiculous to occupy two different rooms at two different hotels. Besides, when they’d gone back to his, Laila had been there, sexy and kittenish—so unlike her alter ego—waiting naked in his bed. Adam had scarcely been able to control his hellcat at that point. He almost missed what Sakura said, now remembering her leap through the air and the shockingly fast way she’d pulled out her knife and nicked Laila’s face with it. On instinct, Laila had hurled Sakura across the room with a strength no normal woman should have. The situation really got out of hand when instinct also kicked in for him—and he had ruined another set of clothes.
Him in bear form woke Sakura out of attack mode, and eventually the women came to an unhappy truce. Laila would back off and return to Texas, and Sakura wouldn’t hunt her down like the beast she was. He still marveled that his mate didn’t think of herself as a shifter. Laila had left him with the warning that if he didn’t control his emotions, he would end up revealing their existence, and that couldn’t happen.
“You don’t have to defend her at every turn,” Laila said in parting, jealousy clear in her eyes. “This ain’t her first rodeo. She’s strong enough to take care of herself.”
“I know, I know. Hard habit to break. I’m Sakura’s protector. Even if she didn’t need me as much then and maybe less now, the emotions are a hundred times stronger. I’ve got her back, and I won’t allow anyone to hurt her—even you, Laila.”
Laila had threatened something about coming back to warm his bed when he was ready, and he waved her off onto a shuttle to the airport. Then he had spent the rest of the night demonstrating to Sakura no woman could please him like she could.
“Adam Michael Martinez, are you even listening to me?”
He dropped on the bed and lay back, pulling her with him. “Every word, mami.”
She swatted at him and rolled away to start unpacking his bag.
“I can do that.”
“You never unpack. I’ll do it. Anyway, I was saying I’m calling my dad and asking him about Gladys. I’m just trying to figure out how to go about it so he doesn’t clam up like usual.”
“Just come out with it and don’t take no for an answer.”
“Have you met my father? He can be stubborn.”
“Once or twice.” He grinned and then sobered. “You think Deveron was lying about Savino?”
She frowned. “I don’t know. I kind of think he doesn’t believe Savino did it, but that proves nothing. He said himself, back then Savino was more a friend than a servant. Deveron was prepared to kill my dad, so it stands to reason Savino would have no qualms about attacking my mother. I mean, she didn’t go out on assignments a lot, but she was still a trained hunter.”
“True. So?”
“So I want to know why Gladys didn’t follow protocol, and then I’m going to learn who Deveron is protecting. If it’s not Savino, then I’ll find out who it is, and that person is going to die.”
He shrugged. “Okay, let’s do it.”
A knock sounded at the door, and they both said, “Roger!” at the same time.
Sakura started to answer, but he barreled past her and wrenched the door open to jerk the man into the room. Roger’s feet dangled in the air, and he offered an ingratiating smile that did nothing to lessen Adam’s dislike of the man.
“Why are you here, Roger?” he demanded. “If you still think you have a chance with Sakura—”
“No way, man. I know she’s your mate. I’m strictly hands off.” He strained to see Sakura around Adam. “Tell him, Sakura.”
She studied her nails. “Why should I? You could have been the one to turn me. I might have been a bear like Adam right now.”
Adam’s eyes widened. Did she really mean she would have liked him to have turned her? Thinking that, his hold on Roger’s collar tightened until the man gagged and coughed. Adam eased up. “Again, why are you here?”
