Vic pointed into the alley and the officers nodded their thanks before charging in and taking Bohdan down. It was a loss of some easy cash for Vic, but the information hed received about Whitlan was much more important.
Yeah? he heard on the other end of the phone. Dee-Ann Smith of the Smith Pack was not what one would call a chatty She-wolf. Or friendly.
Ive got information, he said cryptically, not willing to put too much detail out over the air. But he didnt need to say Whitlans name to Dee-Ann. Frankie Whitlan was the most wanted full-human in shifter history. All three major organizations were trying to track him down and execute him for participating in and running expeditions to hunt shifters. But the man had the uncanny ability to disappear. Or he had some very powerful people protecting him. Whatever it was, the Groupthe American shifter protection agency; Katzenhaus Securitiesthe feline protection organizationalso called KZS; and the Bear Preservation Councilthe worldwide bear protection organizationalso called BPC, simply could not track the man down. All they needed was a location so they could send in either Dee-Ann Smith or KZSs sharpshooter Cella Malone to take him out. But after several years, theyd been unable to lock on the guy.
When can you get back here? she asked.
Ill get the first plane out.
Good.
The call disconnected and Vic continued moving down the Albanian street toward his rental car.
Where are we going? a voice said behind Vic.
Back to the States.
Cool.
Vic stopped walking, faced the shifter behind him. Shen Li smiled at Vic around the short bamboo stalk he had in his mouth.
I dont need you to come with me.
Were you planning on leaving me in Albania?
Shen, a giant panda born and raised in San Francisco, had a specific set of skills that Vic used for some jobs. They were longtime colleagues whod worked for the government together. Now that both were doing freelance work, Vic brought Shen in as needed. But Vic didnt think Shen was needed for this.
You can get back on your own, cant you?
Dont speak Albanian. You do.
Oh. Right. Okay. Well then, sure. You can come with me.
Great.
The pair started off again in silence, except for the seemingly never-ending sound of Shen chewing on his bamboo stalks.
So whats our next job? Shen asked and Vic stopped again.
He faced Shen. You do understand were not partners, right?
Were not?
No.
Why not?
Its easier for me to work alone and call you in when I needyou.
Shen chewed and chewed while his dark brown eyes gazed at Vic.
And this was the problem with being a hybrid. Vics bear side had no issue with the staring and the silence and the bamboo-munching. The feline side of him, however . . . wanted to tear Shens face off. Just for that damn munching sound alone.
Working extremely hard, Vic reined in his feline tendencies and suggested, Why dont we talk about this at another time? We need to get our stuff from the hotel and find the first plane out of here.
Okie-dokie! Shen walked off, and in an attempt to get control, Vic shook his head a bit, the feline snarl out of the back of his throat before he could stop it. The few full-humans walking by quickly gave him a wide berth . . . and he couldnt remotely blame them for it.
Calm and controlled again, Vic followed Shen to the rental car and, eventually, back to the States.
Hows it going? Toni asked as she handed Livy a dark German beer.
Livy had insisted Tonis parents not attend the after-funeral get-together at her parents house. The Jean-Louis Parkers were such nice people, it wouldnt be fair. But nothing would deter Antonella. She was determined to be part of the entire, horrifying ride.
Livy took the cap off her beer with her hand, yawned, took a drink, shrugged. Fine.
That bad, huh?
It could be worse.
Youre at your fathers funeral
Im sure he was killed for a very good reason.
your mother is fighting with his entire family over money
In her mind, the fact that she didnt kill him herself means she earned that money.
someone unleashed poisonous snakes in the backyard
For the kids to have something to play with.
and your fathers mistress just showed up.
Livy turned and watched the tall Serbian supermodel strut through the hallway toward Livys mother. She wore all black, including a black fur stole, and black six-inch Louboutin shoes. Livys mother spotted her instantly, and without saying a word, she was suddenly surrounded by her sisters and female cousins.
Cool, Livy muttered. Fight.
You cant let your mother fight her.
She probably wont. But my aunt Teddy will definitely take her on. Because Im pretty sure before she started dating my dad, that model was dating one of Teddys sons. And you know how Teddy is aboutLivy dropped her voice and put on her best Polish accent my beautiful, beautiful boys. They are from God, no?
Yeah? he heard on the other end of the phone. Dee-Ann Smith of the Smith Pack was not what one would call a chatty She-wolf. Or friendly.
Ive got information, he said cryptically, not willing to put too much detail out over the air. But he didnt need to say Whitlans name to Dee-Ann. Frankie Whitlan was the most wanted full-human in shifter history. All three major organizations were trying to track him down and execute him for participating in and running expeditions to hunt shifters. But the man had the uncanny ability to disappear. Or he had some very powerful people protecting him. Whatever it was, the Groupthe American shifter protection agency; Katzenhaus Securitiesthe feline protection organizationalso called KZS; and the Bear Preservation Councilthe worldwide bear protection organizationalso called BPC, simply could not track the man down. All they needed was a location so they could send in either Dee-Ann Smith or KZSs sharpshooter Cella Malone to take him out. But after several years, theyd been unable to lock on the guy.
When can you get back here? she asked.
Ill get the first plane out.
Good.
The call disconnected and Vic continued moving down the Albanian street toward his rental car.
Where are we going? a voice said behind Vic.
Back to the States.
Cool.
Vic stopped walking, faced the shifter behind him. Shen Li smiled at Vic around the short bamboo stalk he had in his mouth.
I dont need you to come with me.
Were you planning on leaving me in Albania?
Shen, a giant panda born and raised in San Francisco, had a specific set of skills that Vic used for some jobs. They were longtime colleagues whod worked for the government together. Now that both were doing freelance work, Vic brought Shen in as needed. But Vic didnt think Shen was needed for this.
You can get back on your own, cant you?
Dont speak Albanian. You do.
Oh. Right. Okay. Well then, sure. You can come with me.
Great.
The pair started off again in silence, except for the seemingly never-ending sound of Shen chewing on his bamboo stalks.
So whats our next job? Shen asked and Vic stopped again.
He faced Shen. You do understand were not partners, right?
Were not?
No.
Why not?
Its easier for me to work alone and call you in when I needyou.
Shen chewed and chewed while his dark brown eyes gazed at Vic.
And this was the problem with being a hybrid. Vics bear side had no issue with the staring and the silence and the bamboo-munching. The feline side of him, however . . . wanted to tear Shens face off. Just for that damn munching sound alone.
Working extremely hard, Vic reined in his feline tendencies and suggested, Why dont we talk about this at another time? We need to get our stuff from the hotel and find the first plane out of here.
Okie-dokie! Shen walked off, and in an attempt to get control, Vic shook his head a bit, the feline snarl out of the back of his throat before he could stop it. The few full-humans walking by quickly gave him a wide berth . . . and he couldnt remotely blame them for it.
Calm and controlled again, Vic followed Shen to the rental car and, eventually, back to the States.
Hows it going? Toni asked as she handed Livy a dark German beer.
Livy had insisted Tonis parents not attend the after-funeral get-together at her parents house. The Jean-Louis Parkers were such nice people, it wouldnt be fair. But nothing would deter Antonella. She was determined to be part of the entire, horrifying ride.
Livy took the cap off her beer with her hand, yawned, took a drink, shrugged. Fine.
That bad, huh?
It could be worse.
Youre at your fathers funeral
Im sure he was killed for a very good reason.
your mother is fighting with his entire family over money
In her mind, the fact that she didnt kill him herself means she earned that money.
someone unleashed poisonous snakes in the backyard
For the kids to have something to play with.
and your fathers mistress just showed up.
Livy turned and watched the tall Serbian supermodel strut through the hallway toward Livys mother. She wore all black, including a black fur stole, and black six-inch Louboutin shoes. Livys mother spotted her instantly, and without saying a word, she was suddenly surrounded by her sisters and female cousins.
Cool, Livy muttered. Fight.
You cant let your mother fight her.
She probably wont. But my aunt Teddy will definitely take her on. Because Im pretty sure before she started dating my dad, that model was dating one of Teddys sons. And you know how Teddy is aboutLivy dropped her voice and put on her best Polish accent my beautiful, beautiful boys. They are from God, no?
