Christian herded me to a private corner where we could talk away from the crowd. “If that were the case, don’t you think he’d put out an ad that was a wee bit more specific about the woman he’s searching for? That would save him the trouble of meeting up with skinny women if his buyer wanted voluptuous.”
“True, but maybe he has lots of orders—lots of different requests. It’s not a wasted trip if the girl fits someone else’s criteria. But I have a very specific look, Christian. And that might not be what people are interested in. What if we get Wyatt to pose as a buyer and make a request for a girl with mismatched eyes?”
“Over my rotting corpse,” he snarled. “You’ll have every black marketeer this side of Cognito coming after you.”
“Right, if we post it on the black market website. But he’s visiting human message boards, and I think that’s where we need to focus our attention. It doesn’t take a genius to know that if you have a buyer with specific needs, the value of the merchandise increases. I’m pretty sure he’s not the only Breed on this site, so it won’t be difficult to tip him off that we’re not human. Why waste our one opportunity if I’m not what he’s looking for? We need to play both sides. If he knows what the buyer wants ahead of time, that makes things interesting, don’t you think? Instead of a direct transaction, the seller puts them for auction to squeeze more money out of the buyer. Then he has him by the balls.”
“Jaysus. Who are you?”
“The Shadow,” I said dramatically. “Look, maybe we don’t have to take unnecessary chances. I’m not going to traipse off into the city and do this by myself, even though I could. You’re my partner, so we’ll work on this together. It won’t take that long to catch this guy. At least now we know one of his hangouts. If it turns out we can’t lure him with the shiny bait, then we’ll send him an email and schedule a time to meet. How’s that sound?”
Christian folded his arms. “What if you meet him and he tricks you? He’s a Vampire—that much we know. You’re no match for a Vampire.”
“First of all, he thinks I’m human. If something goes awry and he forces me to drink from him, he’s going to find out real quick how punishing my wrath can be when I’m juiced up with Vampire blood. Anyhow, it won’t come to that. It’s not going to be difficult to spot a Vampire in here.”
“You don’t think he’ll grow suspicious when he happens to meet a girl with your rare condition?”
“Condition?”
He waved his hand dismissively. “Affliction.”
I tapped my chin and studied his eyes. “Have you ever worn contacts?”
“If you think that I’m going to be the bait—”
“No, but this is a human club, and another Vampire will notice you.”
“Worry not, lass. I’ve been doing this for years. I blend.”
“I’m used to working alone, so let me think this through. We need to decide if Niko is the best person to help. If our Vampire frequents this place, he’s going to notice people who stand out. Even if Niko wears his hood, it’ll look weird. People don’t come to a club like this to be aloof and drink alone. The last thing we want to do is spook this guy.”
Christian sighed. I couldn’t hear it over the music, but his body sagged and his breath skated across my neck. “There are a hundred other cases we could be working on. This is a shot in the dark, and it puts you at immeasurable risk. I don’t like it. Not one bit.”
“This is what’s going to test our relationship, isn’t it? If I were just your partner, you wouldn’t fight me. This case isn’t any riskier than the others we’ve worked on. It’s nowhere near as dangerous as the situations I found myself in before Keystone. If this is going to work between us, then you have to accept that my job—just as yours—involves taking risks and putting my life on the line.”
“And that means I can’t care what happens to you?”
“No, but you’re going to have to ask yourself if this is something you can deal with moving forward. I can’t have you pulling me aside every time we’re on a case to tell me how dangerous it is and how I might get hurt. I already know that. This is what I signed up for. It’s what we both signed up for. I didn’t like you gallivanting off to Europe alone, but this is our life, and it’s not exactly conventional. We’ll look out for each other as partners, but don’t pull the boyfriend maneuver.”
“I loathe that word. It’s humanly juvenile.”
“I agree. So let’s work out a plan and do our job. This guy’s a Vamp. It’s not like he can pull any surprises on us, right?”
Chapter 8
Shepherd added ten giant cans of baked beans to his shopping cart. He was overwhelmed with all the different brands of food on the shelves. Normally Keystone bought groceries in bulk at a facility owned and operated by Shifters, but because so many roads were closed that morning due to ice, they were unable to reach the warehouse. So here they were, in aisle twelve of a grocery store. Wyatt and Blue tagged along to help with a shopping list Viktor had given them after Kira took inventory of their food supplies.
Beans weren’t on the list, but Shepherd enjoyed meals that stuck to his ribs… like the succulent steak Kira had served that morning. He hadn’t had anything that mouthwatering since ever.
Wyatt’s fingers wrapped around the handle of his shopping cart, the LOST SOUL tattoo between his knuckles accurately describing Shepherd’s current mood.
All Shepherd wanted to do was keep his kid safe, but now he was wondering if telling Niko about his secret had been a smart idea. He’d given serious thought to every scenario and all the risks to himself, his child, and his team. What if Niko’s loyalty to Viktor was stronger than the Keystone brotherhood? Viktor was an upstanding guy who had given them all a second chance—even the killers among them. So long as they left their past behind. Even if Shepherd could get his kid back, what then? Viktor’s invitation to work as a mercenary didn’t come with a plus-one.
They veered down another aisle, their carts in a single file. Wyatt suddenly hit the brakes, causing Shepherd to crash into him.
“What the immortal hell is this? Face cream for hair?” Wyatt positioned the pink-and-white box next to his face like an advertiser on the television.
Blue turned around and pushed up the sleeves of her soft brown leather jacket. “That’s bleach.”
His brows remained suspended in two arches.
“It’s for facial hair, like over the lip,” she explained, adjusting her winter knit hat.
“For the lip,” Wyatt repeated flatly.
She snatched the box from his hand and set it on the shelf. “Do you think we’re all smooth and hairless like a dolphin’s ass? Women have body hair. Accept it. We are legion.”
“But that’s deception.”
Blue strutted away, her boot heels knocking against the floor. “File a complaint.”
Wyatt looked over his shoulder at Shepherd. “You think she has a beard?”
Shepherd cracked a smile. Blue had always been one of the guys, but he was damn sure she wasn’t hiding a goatee. She was a pretty girl with olive skin and blue eyes so stunning that it was like looking into the ocean on a clear day. Her strut was fierce, and she had a matter-of-fact way of talking. A tone befitting a queen—graceful and ruthless.