"Here." Lucas threw him an apple.
Catching it by reflex, he bit into it. "It's like this kid disappeared into thin air." Clay was one of the most patient hunters in the pack, but today, he felt dangerously on edge.
"What have you got so far?" Sandwich finished, Lucas picked up a bottle of water.
Clay laid out the facts, then glanced toward the doorway. "Nate's here."
There was a perfunctory knock before the other sentinel walked in. His eyes lit up at the sight of food. "I'm starving. Couldn't find anything I liked out there."
"That's because you're used to Tammy's cooking." Lucas pushed the plate of sandwiches in his direction.
"I've got something to tell you about the Rats, too." Clay repeated what Teijan had said, polishing off his apple in the process.
"What's your take?" Lucas asked.
"I say he's serious." He grabbed a couple of crackers. "He hinted at this the last time we spoke but I told him we wouldn't agree to anything but a full pact." A pact, not a true alliance, because the Rats weren't equal to DarkRiver in power. That agreement, DarkRiver had only with SnowDancer. A pact was an acknowledgment of the weaker group's submissive status and a promise by the stronger party to provide aid if necessary.
"He has to come to me." Lucas picked up a bottle of water and set it in front of Nate, lobbing another in Clay's direction. "I go Down Below, it's a concession. Send Barker to deliver the message."
"I'll handle that," Nate said around the cracker he'd bitten into. "This works, we get a built-in spy network. And to think I argued with you about the Rats when we first took control of the city."
Lucas shrugged. "Calculated gamble. It could've turned out badly if the Psy had ever figured out they were down there, but they didn't. So now we take advantage. Let's have a meeting tonight, decide this. My place."
"Make it Nate's," Clay said. "I can't leave Talin alone." And she wasn't yet trusted enough to be shown the location of their alpha pair's lair. The only reason he'd taken her to Tammy's house was because it was already well known by a number of parties. That was why it was guarded round the clock by a rotation of soldiers most visitors never saw.
"Fine with me," Nate said. "Kids are heading to see their grandparents tonight anyway."
"Talin can't attend the meeting." Lucas met Clay's eyes. "You okay with that?"
"Yeah," he said, but the leopard flexed its claws in disagreement. The protective animal heart of him wanted her accepted unconditionally by the pack - an impossible task. Now, more than ever, DarkRiver had to be careful who it trusted with its secrets. Because not only were the Psy watching, so were changeling and human spies. "She can stay in one of the upstairs bedrooms while we meet downstairs."
"All right." Lucas glanced at Nate. "So, what did you find out about this kid?"
"Boy's a smart troublemaker, but he kept his nose clean until a recent shoplifting charge." Amusement danced in his eyes. "Tried to steal some fancy women's perfume."
Clay snapped off a curse. "For Tally. Idiot kid. He should've known she'd be on to him in a second, even if he wasn't caught."
"Yeah well, what kid thinks straight when he has a crush?" Nate shot Clay a sharp glance. "I know a few men who don't do a lot of thinking either."
Clay refused to be baited. "Nothing's sending up red flags, but then it wouldn't if this is an organized group."
"There is one thing," Nate said. "Everyone I spoke to mentioned that the boy had a beautiful voice. One man said he felt half hypnotized by it."
"That tells us nothing." Lucas frowned.
The leopard in Clay caught a hint of something important but he couldn't pin it down. "It's a factor to add into the mix," he said, getting up to leave. "By the way, Luc, can you ask one of the soldiers to pick up a package for me?"
The alpha raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Any special instructions?"
Clay gave him the details. "Don't damage it." Not yet.
Clay had to force himself not to drag Tally to him the second he and Nate returned to the house. His beast wanted to bite, to taste, to draw her lush Tally scent into his lungs. He satisfied himself with taking the seat beside hers and putting an arm along the back of her chair. "We heard Jon had a good voice," he said, tracing her features with his eyes. "What about the other kids?"
Her gaze clashed with his and he saw her read the depth of his hunger. "Mickey couldn't even do karaoke," she said, cheeks flushing as she bit down on her lower lip. He gripped the back of her chair to keep from taking over the task.
"There goes that theory." Nate collapsed into a chair beside his mate.
Tamsyn kissed him in affectionate welcome. "Talin's done profiles on the kids, but I haven't had much luck - there's something in the autopsy photos. I just can't figure out what."