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“What money?” I bite out. Already my fists are clenched, ready to beat the shit out of him for even daring to think of laying hands on my mate. Tasha squeezes my arm; but if she thinks I’m going to relax after what he just said, she’s out of her mind.
“Look, I’ll go, okay? No harm done. Clearly this was just a mistake.” He keeps taking steps backward toward the door. Fuck that.
I pull my arm away from Tasha and launch myself at the guy. I can see the panic in his eyes, but then he sets his jaw and swings at me. Not his smartest move. I grab his arm well before he makes contact and jerk down, sending the asshole into a midair somersault that lands him on his back with a loud thud. He wheezes from having the wind knocked out of him.
“You came all this way,” I point out, my voice monotone. “We wouldn’t dare turn away a guest without sharing a cup of tea first. Right, sweetheart?”
Tasha heaves a sigh. “Men are so dramatic. I’ll put the kettle on.”
I bark out a laugh as she steps around the guy on the ground and makes her way into the kitchen. When I reach down, the guy flinches hard and throws his hands up protectively.
“Don’t worry, you’re worth more alive than dead. For now.” I can’t imagine Tasha’s first act as Luna Sovereign would be putting her stamp of approval on me killing the guy. Another strike against this position of hers. I want to be able to protect her. I can’t do that if we’re playing catch-and-release with bastards like this.
I grab the guy by the shirt and drag him into the kitchen, shoving him into the nearest chair so I can give Tasha a proper once-over to make sure she’s really okay. Just because he hasn’t laid a hand on her doesn’t mean she can’t be shook up. Someone barged their way into her home when it’s been pouring rain for hours.
That’s a level of desperation there’s no accounting for.
“How much money?” I blurt out the question.
The guy eyes me warily. “Half a mill,” he mumbles.
I stare dumbstruck at him. I had to have misheard, but a quick glance at Tasha reveals she must have misheard the same thing because her jaw is slack as she stares at him.
“What did you say?” She frowns at him.
“Five-hundred thousand.” There’s no mistaking him this time as he speaks clearly and looks uneasily between the two of us.
“Who the hell is offering up that kind of money? They probably don’t even have it, you stupid fuck.” It sounds like one hell of a scam. Get someone to do their dirty work on a false promise of one hell of a windfall and then don’t bother following through. It’s not like anyone could bring action against the head of the whole thing and risk admitting to kidnapping another shifter.
“No, he does. The guy is loaded. Fancy suit, Rolex, being driven around in one of those bulletproof SUVs like a politician or something.” The idiot talks so animatedly with his hands that it takes a second to push past my irritation to digest his words.
“It sounds like you’re describing…” I trail off, and Tasha finishes the thought. “A human. The guy you’re talking about is human, isn’t he?”
I can’t recall ever seeing any shifter in a Rolex and bulletproof SUV.
“Yeah. The guy’s definitely a human.” Our new pal isn’t so animated now. “Listen, I don’t know that much really. I overheard a couple of rogues in a bar mention the guy was staying nearby, so I tracked him down. His name’s Brandon. He’s traveling with a couple of buff bodyguards and a bag full of what I assume is cash.”
Tasha and I meet eyes.If Brandon’s traveling with cash out in the open like that, what are the odds he’s only a hired hand?she asks.
I would bet on it. No one with that kind of money would be doing his own dirty work. Every shifter he’s sending after you and your siblings has seen him. That alone is a red flag. But if we want to figure out where the head of the snake is, we’re going to have to find this Brandon guy first.
“What’s your name?” I glare.
“Nick.” His voice cracks.
“Well, Nick, you’re about to tell us what exactly you were supposed to do after catching yourself a Jarreau. What would happen next?”
He swallows hard and then tells us everything.
17
Tasha
There’s a patch of herb garden that was desecrated by the fallen tree. I sit on the stump, ignoring the way the wet bark feels against my ass, and stare out into the woods. Someone is out there. I can feel it, but I can’t see them. I almost called for Paxton when I first sat down, but he’s out in the driveway dealing with Dominic’s guys who are here to cart Nick off.
Who are you?
I’m not expecting any sort of response, so I nearly slip backward off the stump when I finally see hazel eyes staring back at me from the tree line. I grasp painfully at the bark to keep myself upright, wincing. By the time I refocus on the eyes, they’re gone.
