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The sasquatch lived in a mountain palace powered by fire and his own ancient magic.
“We could go as far as the road allows,” Tina suggested. “Wait for him there.”
“Just because the road is open doesn’t mean it’s safe for you to be there,” Hugo growled. “Hannah can attest to that. She told me what it was like to get caught in the avalanche. I’ll be up all night thinking about what she told me. She’s damn lucky that Lars rescued her almost immediately. I can’t risk you going up there.”
I looked at my phone again, swiping away the notifications. I’d put alerts on my own name andThe Mating Game. It all seemed so trivial when there was still nothing from Marissa or Bjorn. “There’s no way I can just stand by while they might be in danger. No one’s heard from them in almost twelve hours.”
I started pacing back and forth. I’d just shifted to get to Lars’ mountain home, and I had a feeling I’d be doing it again soon.
“We could talk to Suzanne.” Tina held her hand up because she knew how much I did not like that idea. “Of course, we’d have to handle the conversation very delicately, but she could have answers that would save us a lot of heartache.”
“I suppose you’re right.” I almost asked if she was willing to go talk to her, but she had to get those baby boys tucked into their crib. If anyone was going to talk to her, it would be me. “Who’s coming with me?”
“I will,” Stephanie said.
“Hugo, Gabe, I’d like you to go as far as it’s safe to go so Lars can let you know what he finds. Anyone else who’s willing to go out there and look, I would much appreciate any effort you can give, but I understand that you all have lives and families you have to get back to.”
“Marissa and Bjorn are our family,” Saint said. “We’re their pack while they’re away from their own.”
“If I could ask some of you to stay here at home base, best case scenario, they come back safe and sound, and we’ll look back at this and laugh.” I took a deep breath. “This was not how I expected girls’ night to go.”
“We’ll find them.” Stephanie grabbed her camera. “Let’s do this. We’ll figure out our strategy on the way.”
“I need to get ready first.”
Tina furrowed a brow. “You’re gonna take the time to get into drag?”
“Not my most spectacular hair and makeup, but if I go like this, I’ll be at a disadvantage. I do my best work when I’m looking as fierce as possible.”
* * *
“I’m glad you’re so calm,” I said to Stephanie as we climbed into the van. I’d had to work fast, so I did a minimal makeup. Getting my eyebrows and eyelashes done had never paid off so much as they had tonight. A dress didn’t seem practical, so I opted for one of my signature Bibi tracksuits and my biggest, blondest wig. Big hair made everything better. “I can’t believe both contestants went missing on the same night.”
“I can.” She was already on her way out of the Village, heading toward downtown. “I just hope it’s a horrible coincidence and not a plan.”
“Lars didn’t mention any sign of foul play. Not that I hope that Marissa and Bjorn ran into avalanche trouble, but I’m afraid to consider the alternative.”
“Unfortunately, we have to.” Stephanie sighed. “I got taken prisoner by an enemy pack. I know we’ve settled things with Montana, for now anyway, because those damn wolves never seem to totally go away, but Suzanne’s been riling up anyone who will listen to her. The wolves have been talking about how pissed they are that she’s not showing any respect for their ancient relics. They don’t like that she’s making their business her business, and now that she’s claiming to have the Hudaknocker in her possession, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone would use Marissa to make their statement.”
A chill went down my spine.
The crowd was as thick as ever in front of HQ. My queens were here, fabulous as always. I couldn’t wait to get those girls in the hot seat because I had a feeling they could tell me some things. They cheered when they saw me, which made the rest of the crowd erupt.
Suzanne’s lips parted as I approached. But then she steeled herself and folded her arms in front of her chest. She was perfect, camera ready, and waiting for this moment, the one that would most likely revive her career and make her a respected name in the entertainment industry once again.
But it wouldn’t be at my expense.
She stared me down, and the crowd went silent, waiting to see who would strike first. “To what do I owe this honor?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to ask her about Marissa. But there was no way she’d be here if she knew her daughter was in danger. “I’d like to see the Hudaknocker.”
“I’d love to show it to you.” She grinned. “How about we do it on stage?”
There were pros and cons to that arrangement. In the plus column, everyone would know we had the Hudaknocker safely back in our possession. But on the other hand, everyone would also know it had gone missing.
“Deal,” I said, holding my hand out to her to try to come to some sort of truce.
She didn’t take it. “I’ll want to ask you some questions before I hand it over.”
