Looking her up and down, he grimaced. His flat eyes reminded her of some really ancient Vampires she’d met once. But this one was only human; she could smell the coppery scent of his blood and hear the steady thump of his heart.
As the silence stretched on, he continued to stare at her, no doubt trying to make her uncomfortable, but she refused to allow this. Instead, she stared right back and waited.
“Do you know what we’re developing here?” he asked.
This time she didn’t have to feign her interest. “Yes. A new virus. I admit, I find that fascinating. I’d love to be part of research like that.”
“It’s not research,” he corrected her. “We plan to use it if we have to. Unless we receive what we want from the US Government.”
Now they were on tricky ground. Rick hadn’t told her how much of this she was supposed to know. “What do you want?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
“War with West Latvia,” he immediately said. “I want that country’s trade wiped off the map.”
“But why?” And this truly was the part she didn’t understand. “What are your reasons?”
“Russia.” He spoke the name as if saying it should be enough. Still, she waited, not sure what he meant.
He sighed at her lack of reaction. “Russia trades heavily with them. It’s a way to buy myself power.”
“But why would you want power with Russia?”
This time, he laughed. “How about you just stick to biology? I don’t have time to explain the intricate nature of politics to you.”
His condescending tone had her clenching her teeth. But she kept her annoyance in check, aware the stakes were far too high for her to blow it on something so trivial.
“Money can buy power,” she finally said. “I’m guessing you’re aware of how much something like this would fetch on the international market?”
“We’re exploring all options.” He waved his hand in dismissal. “I can see how someone like you might be valuable to my organization. Your husband, though—I’m not sure I need him.”
Alarm prickled along her spine, though she took care to show no reaction. Straightening, she tilted her head and eyed him the way one would look at a particularly noxious rodent. “My husband and I are a team. You can’t have me without him.”
He laughed. “You’re not running things here, sweetheart.”
This human was damn lucky she’d had centuries to learn how to control her anger. Even so, she felt that familiar flash of rage and wanted to crush him. Which she easily could, right here and right now, without blinking an eye.
“Again, I’m not your sweetheart,” she drawled. “It’s me and Rick or neither of us. Now, do we have a deal or not?” Bracing herself for Gus’s reaction to her declaration, she knew she had to come up with a quick plan in case he decided to simply kill them. He had no idea he couldn’t—the only thing that would end Rick was a silver bullet or fire. As for her, a stake through the heart. Beyond that, they were invincible. They could be hurt, true. But Rick’s kind had supernaturally fast healing powers. She couldn’t bleed if she hadn’t been fed enough blood.
Instead of yet another staring contest, Gus laughed again. She detected a slight note of unease hidden in his pretend mirth. “You’re a tough one,” he said. “I will agree to take both of you—on one condition.”
She nodded.
“No drug use while you’re in my employ. Either of you. If I find out you indulged, I will kill you.”
Finally, something that actually made sense. “Agreed,” she replied. “As long as you leave my husband to me. I will need him at the lab, working as my assistant. He follows my orders really, really well. If he doesn’t...” She lifted one shoulder delicately, letting her meaning sink in. “There are consequences to pay.”
Maddie stared up at the man, shocked at first. “How dare you,” she said, her expression turning icy. “Do you know who my brother is?”
“Lady, your brother could be the President of the United States for all I care,” he responded. “My job is to protect our Pack from discovery. You’ve been seen with that human who’s been snooping around here.”
Shaking off his hand, she spoke her brother’s name. “Colton Kinslow,” she said. “My brother is also a Pack Protector. Why don’t you ask him if his sister would ever endanger the Pack?”
He stared at her, his expression still hard. “I’ll call him and let him know what’s been going on. I expect he’ll be phoning you. Just be aware, we have our eyes on Jake Cassel. If we learn you have, in any way, enabled him to gain access to information that is off-limits to humans, you will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Having said that, he turned around and stomped off. Frowning, Maddie watched him go. What the heck had Jake done now? As far as she knew, he’d been caught lurking around Broken Chains and beat up for it. Was there more he hadn’t told her?
As if he knew she’d been thinking about him, her cell phone rang and the caller ID showed Jake’s number.
“Well, well, Jake Cassel,” she answered. “Were your ears ringing?”
“What? Never mind. Just call off your dog.”
Perplexed, she wondered if he’d taken too many painkillers or something. “I’m not sure I follow,” she replied. “Maybe you should just lie down and get some rest.”
Silence. For some reason, she could picture him dragging his hand through his hair. “Fair enough,” he finally said. “I’m guessing you have no idea what I’m talking about.”
“None whatsoever.” Taking a long sip of her beer, she rolled her shoulders and tried to relax.
“Someone’s parked outside my house, watching me. If I get in my car and drive anywhere, I know he’ll follow me.”
“Really? Have you tried it? How do you know for sure?”
Then she listened while he told her about calling the police and who the person claimed to be. When he got to the part about the stalker returning once the police had left, a shiver snaked up her spine. That and the fact that the Pack Protectors were actively interested in him meant there was more going on than she knew. Much more.
“I’m guessing you haven’t told me everything,” she said. While she couldn’t inform him about the confrontation with the Pack Protector, she knew there had to be more to this than a case of a persistent reporter continually coming down the dead-end alleyway and trying to get Broken Chains’ door to open. Other humans had tried in the past to no avail. No one paid them any mind, at least that she knew.
So what was so special about Jake Cassel? She got that he was a reporter, but he had no story. Even if he managed to make it inside Broken Chains—which he wouldn’t—all he’d see was a bar with a bunch of people drinking and dancing. Like a private club. A human couldn’t tell from looking at someone that they were a Shifter or a Vampire or a Merfolk. That was why all those different species were able to live side by side with humans, undetected.
And Broken Chains belonged to them, the nonhumans. It was their place, one of the few where they could go and relax and simply be themselves.
Sure, she found Jake Cassel attractive. It happened often. Shifters dated humans, Vampires dated Shifters, etc. Heck, her friend Shayla, who happened to be a Mermaid, had just married Zach, a Shifter. She was allowed to date Jake Cassel if she wanted.