He nodded slowly. “I understand where you’re coming from. What’s this about?”
I took another sip of lemonade and the ice clinked against the glass. After setting it down, I used the condensation on my fingertips to wipe a smudge of dirt off my arm. “Last night, a man knocked me down and pinned me on my stomach. I didn’t see him because he had a tight grip on my hair and it was dark. He used a device,” I said, holding my finger up to my eye. “A quick strobe light—I’ve never seen anything like it before. Not that small. Precise enough in rhythm to force my animal out.”
Concern blanketed his expression. His frosty blue eyes seemed lighter against his dark hair and pensive eyebrows. “Why would someone force you to shift? Did they know what your animal is?”
I smoothed out the rough edges in my voice. “No, but they do now. They couldn’t have been Shifters or else the flickering would have made them shift too. That’s all I can tell you, and I’m asking you to respect my privacy. I’m coming to you because you have connections, and I don’t trust anyone else—not with this. I think you love Lexi enough that you wouldn’t do anything to hurt a friend. We’ve had a couple of girls go missing and…”
I couldn’t mention Reno helping or it could land him in a world of trouble. While he was a PI and selected his own cases, the Packmaster might consider it a conflict of interest to help a friend of the family, not to mention here I was, asking for another favor from the Weston pack and depleting his resources.
“What makes you think they’ll come back for you?” he asked in a raspy voice.
When a muffled sound came from outside the door, I paused and waited for silence. “They weren’t trying to rob me. I woke up and all my money was still on the lawn—a lot of money. I’m a last-resort kind of girl, Austin, and you’re my last resort. Money is no object. Just for a few days; I wouldn’t ask any more of your time.”
He sighed through his nose and leaned back. “I’ll have Reno—”
“Not him,” I quickly said, then masked it with a smile. “Nothing personal, but he’s… with April.” I gracefully waved my hand. “I… I would feel terrible if something happened to someone in your pack who was mated. April’s a sweet girl, and I wouldn’t dream of putting her mate in danger. You don’t have to tell me his name or what pack he’s from. All I need is a man to watch over me while I look into a few things.”
Austin brushed back his messy hair and stood up. “How much can you afford?”
“Two hundred a night is the most I can pay. What’s the going rate? Is that too little?”
He walked around the desk to my left, a few pieces of dirt crumbling off his shoes. “Two hundred is fine. I’ll keep this between us, and I won’t assign anyone who’s mated. Now that you mention it, I’d prefer it that way.”
I would have felt terrible if anyone in Lexi’s pack got hurt. Aside from that, Reno couldn’t watch me. I’d already asked him to investigate the kidnapping.
“Let’s keep this between us. If you have to tell Lexi anything in the throes of passion, just say I’m having issues with my manager and I asked for your advice. She already knows there’s some drama going on at work. And I don’t care who you hire or where he comes from; just make sure it’s someone you trust. I’ll pay extra.”
“Are you working tonight?”
“No, it’s my night off.” I cupped my elbows and stood up, sitting on the edge of his desk as he lingered by the door. A silly part of me didn’t want to leave. I felt protected in this house and understood the power of a pack, something my kind didn’t have. I thought about asking to stay over, but aside from imposing on his kindness, I’d never bring my Misha into a house full of wolves. Just the idea of them chasing her around made my panther want to scratch someone on the ass.
“Will you be home?” he asked. “I’ll put someone on you today, but I need to know where you’ll be.”
“I have to go back to my apartment and take a shower. I feel like a walking hairball, and I shudder to think about the pedicure I’m going to need after running around without shoes like a hillbilly.” I pursed my lips while staring at my feet. “It shouldn’t take long. After that, I’m heading back to Club Sin to speak with some of the girls. It’s a slow period at the club, so I’ll hang around until your man shows up.”
Austin raked his fingers through his sweaty hair a few times. “He’ll be there no later than noon, and you won’t even know he’s watching. After twelve, you can go wherever you need to. Maybe you should pack up a few things and stay at a hotel.”