His mother, of course, and her ubiquitous stylist Risa Ostrov, but also two familiar faces. Familiar not from Colin’s paparazzi research or any show Lexi Blanc had ever performed, but from Colin’s own recent history.
“Well ,well, well,” said Colin, because if he was to be in a gangster film, he would play the damn part. “What have we here? Agents Faste and Lenis, back in San Andreas territory already? I’d say it’s nice to see you again but given the company you’re keeping, this can hardly be a good thing.”
It was a dig at his mother, but she seemed unaware of the slight. Or uncaring.
She was sitting in front of him in a flowered wrap dress with strappy sandals, long legs crossed at the ankle, and perfect makeup. Her eyes on Colin’s face were not the avid ones of a long-separated mother, stupid of Colin to even think that. They were mildly annoyed, as if he were some government questionnaire she had to fill out, and she was wondering if she could make her assistant do it for her.
He took a cautious sniff, relieved to find that Lexi Blanc smelled like a stranger. A strange Alpha werewolf in his territory mixed with face powder and hair product – human ones that were scented with chemicals and greed. Colin could smell Agent Lenis too, another Alpha, but cleanly wolf, earthy meaty power, a scent his instincts had catalogued before. Agent Lenis’s scent was that of tentative ally – not safe but not enemy either. Agent Faste smelled of berserker – honey fur and boreal forests. Risa, the human, smelled as all humans did, slightly like prey but also of perfume and skin cream, shampoo and deodorant, all the scents that most humans who worked closely with werewolves were asked to avoid. Curious that his mother didn’t restrict the products used by her human companion. Had Colin been a more aggressive wolf, he would have pointedly coughed.
He narrowed his eyes at Lexi Blanc. “Mother dearest, I had no idea you were working for the SBI.”
His mother pushed a single coil of artfully arranged hair back over her white shoulder with one fine-boned hand. Colin realized, with a start, that her hands were just like his too, gracefully tapered and elegant.
“Don’t be silly, darling, they work for me, of course.”
Agent Lenis snorted loudly at that.
Agent Faste, as always, was a lump of inscrutable, unflappable refrigerator-sized disinterest. Or apparent disinterest. No doubt the berserker observed everything.
“She’s lending us a hand.” Agent Lenis, as another, older, Alpha, wasn’t going to let his mother get away with claiming superiority.
Colin was secretly delighted by this. “What does the SBI want with a country music singer?” he asked.
“Never you mind that, sugah, I wanted to talk to you.”
“Funny, mother, that’s never motivated you before.”
Colin looked hard at the two SBI agents. What was going on here? Had they used his mother to get him away from his pack? Shifter protocol dictated they go through Alec to officially interview him. Was this a work-around to get him alone? Why him? What could the SBI possibly want from him?
“Why me, specifically?” He ignored his mother and glared at Agent Faste, who’d always seemed a nice enough dude for a bear shifter. Plus he was super hot, best thing in that car to look at.
“Because you’re my darling sweet little boy,” replied Lexi Blanc.
That actually made Colin’s stomach roll. So he continued to ignore her and talk to the SBI team. “What are you after? What’s going on?”
“Apparently you had a little dust-up with some members of the Pinniped Syndicate.”
Colin was deeply confused. “I did?”
“The selkie are in town, snookums,” said his mother, smiling sickly sweet.
Colin narrowed his eyes at her. “Seriously, just stop.” He turned back to the agents. “That thing at the cafe the other night? That was some assholes who thought a friend of mine owed them money. He didn’t. End of story.”
“Patrick Inis, yes. We’ve been watching him for a while.” Agent Lenis curled her lip.
“Oh, that must be exciting for you. Poor thing slaves away at that cafe more hours than he should, then sleeps in his car. I’m sure he’s a veritable fountain of criminal activity.”
Agent Lenis rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, kid.”
“Hey now,” replied Colin. No one but Judd was allowed to even think about calling him kid, Alpha werewolf or not.
“And yet, the Pinnipeds made contact with him, so he must be some