Head Hunter (City Shifters the Pack #3) - Layla Nash Page 0,12

the sanctuary’s goals and needed the money kept me from hanging up and walking away without another word. I damn well couldn’t move plants around in my suit, which meant driving to the apartment to change and splash some water on my face. “I’ll be there as soon as I can. Leave the loading dock open and I’ll –“

“Good,” he interrupted, and the call ended before I could even finish talking.

I clenched my jaw until a headache ignited behind my eyes. My hands still shook, though not quite as much as before, as I started the car and checked my mirrors to make sure no monsters had followed me from that beautiful Victorian house with the massive garden and a monster in the basement. I exhaled and pushed those worries aside. I could deal with that later. Maybe some manual labor would help me work through the adrenaline and panic.

At least I knew the predators at the sanctuary weren’t going to open their cages and start walking on their hind legs to chase after me. I shuddered at the thought and focused on getting to my apartment. It would all make sense later. I just had to think it through. Monsters like that didn’t exist. It was just a mistake. Just a stupid, crazy mistake – my mind playing tricks on me. That’s all it was.

I just wished I believed myself.

Chapter 8

Dodge

He found her apartment easily. It took a couple of calls and some basic Internet research, and he had multiple home addresses for Persephone Lawson. Dodge figured it was another reason she could be pissed her parents gave her such a unique name: made it damn easy to track her down. He lingered across the street from the shady apartment building and tried to enjoy a bit of the cigar he’d meant to smoke in the cellar with Silas.

Dodge knew he trespassed on the BloodMoon pack’s territory, and knew it wouldn’t be long until the O’Sheas noticed his presence and decided to do something about it. He kept his eyes on the apartment building. Persephone’s perfume drifted in the air, though it was faint enough he knew she’d been there after the little incident with Silas, but not so recently that he could have used it for tracking purposes. She had to return to her den at some point. It was just a matter of whether he wanted to loiter in the street like some love-struck schmuck or chase her down somewhere else.

He didn’t look up as Rafe O’Shea, one of the alphas of BloodMoon pack, strode up with a dark look on his face. “What is SilverLine doing on my territory?”

“Evershaw was going to call you,” Dodge said, not looking away from the apartments. It was sort of true. He’d told his alpha that the architect’s apartment was on BloodMoon territory, and Evershaw had grunted in response. Dodge took that as sufficient coordination on his part. “We had a slight incident. Human was involved. She lives over there.” He gestured in the general direction of the apartment buildings. “We need to talk to her, so I’m here to track her down.”

“We can retrieve her and deliver her to you,” Rafe said. His jaw clenched and his dark eyes glinted in the afternoon sun. “Evershaw knows better.”

Dodge shrugged and checked the coal on his cigar. “Look, man, I’m just here following orders. I’m supposed to bring the girl back so the witch can talk to her.”

The other wolf’s eyes narrowed, like most people’s did when Deirdre came up in conversation. Dodge didn’t know the specifics, but apparently Deirdre had helped out Rafe’s mate at one point. If she called instead of Evershaw, they were much more likely to get help instead of a hard time. After a long silence, Rafe scowled at the apartment building instead of Dodge, which Dodge took as positive progress. “What happened?”

“You heard about that problem with the sorcerer?” Dodge waited for Rafe’s nod; he figured the story had made the rounds after Henry’s mate, a witch, ran afoul of some evil sorcerer and got the pack embroiled in magical trouble. The shifters in that city were all a nosy bunch of pricks, too, who gossiped more than anyone else Dodge had met. “Sorcerer took Silas and fucked him up, so we’ve got a wolfman in our basement. Deirdre is fixing him but it’s slow going.”

Dodge didn’t like talking about pack business with someone from the outside, particularly when the other person was an alpha