Allegiance of Honor (Psy-Changeling #15) - Nalini Singh Page 0,122
control a shitload. I didn’t have to show him my claws before he started spilling his guts.
Lucas made a mental note to thank Miane, knew the alpha would say she was simply repaying DarkRiver for the introduction to Tanique Gray. Faith’s brother had brought BlackSea far closer to their vanished packmate than they would’ve been otherwise.
Jamie’s report continued:
My gut says we got everything out of the captain. He even gave up all his commercial and personal codes. I sent them through to Dorian and Bastien so they could dig through his transactions and transmissions and they haven’t found any evidence of greater involvement on his part. He was the unwitting mule hired to be the fall guy should Naya be found while he was crossing the ocean.
Bastien’s tracking the source of the twenty-five-thousand-dollar payment. It was all anonymous of course. Pretty standard in a smuggler’s line of work so the captain had no reason to dig any deeper.
I made the call to let him go, but we’ve bugged the hell out of all his systems. He doesn’t know, thinks he was released with a warning. He’s promised to share any new approaches from the individual who hired him, but for some strange reason, I don’t believe him.
I’ve asked Bas to tag all his financials and Dorian is monitoring all his personal correspondence using various data backdoors. We’ll know if he’s approached again—I figured it was better to let this piece of bait sail away, see what he might attract, but if you think I should take him in, we can easily catch his ship.
One more step in hunting down their prey, Lucas thought, one more step in the right direction. It was slow progress, but it was progress. Sending a message to Jamie confirming receipt of the information and backing the senior soldier’s decision to release the captain, Lucas told him to return to DarkRiver territory.
The work on the water was done. Now it was up to Bastien to hack through the financial jungle that no doubt awaited.
“Luc.” Hawke’s voice came just as he was sliding away his phone. “Sorry for the delay—was up in the higher elevations, hit a rockfall on the way out and had to navigate around.”
Lucas shook the other alpha’s hand. “No problem.” Where before they’d both circled around each other, their animals ready to attack at any behavior that even hinted of a dominance challenge, their relationship had changed into something far different over time.
Lucas had allowed Hawke to hold Naya.
That said everything.
“You want to walk to the waterfall while we talk?” Hawke asked, thrusting a hand through the hair of silver-gold that echoed his wolf’s pelt.
At Lucas’s nod, the alpha fell in beside him, and they moved at a steady pace as they spoke about a number of matters related to the increasing interaction between the packs, as well as a construction project DarkRiver was heading, with SnowDancer a thirty-percent silent partner. They’d worked on several such projects by now, the wolves content to remain in the background, given DarkRiver’s expertise in the area.
The two of them had just completed their discussion and returned to nearer the den when Dev joined them. After explaining to Hawke what he’d already told Lucas about the better training opportunities for Forgotten children back in New York, he said, “Excluding Will’s family, it looks like my people will be out of your hair within the next month.”
Hawke nodded. “Everyone fit well into the pack, and adults and children both made friends. If they want to visit afterward, they’ll be welcome.”
“I can tell you right now that they’ll be taking you up on the offer—leaving their new friends was the children’s biggest concern.” Dev’s eyes met Lucas’s and, all at once, those eyes didn’t quite look human.
The irises remained brown but the flecks of color inside were suddenly glittering so bright they appeared like pieces of precious metals.
“Dev, what the fuck is happening to your eyes?” Lucas asked before the other man could say whatever it was he’d been about to say.
“Shit.” The leader of the Forgotten squeezed his eyes shut as he lifted one hand to grip his temples in a vice. “It comes and goes, and it doesn’t look like I can control it, though I’m trying the fuck hard.”
Hawke folded his arms. “You developing cardinal eyes?”
“Or something.” Scowling, Dev dropped his hand and opened his eyes.
The flecks continued to glitter. Eerie, but oddly compelling at the same time.