Head Hunter (City Shifters the Pack #3) - Layla Nash Page 0,38

few details. Originally, Mr. Evershaw asked me to develop a habitat for him. For – it. Silas. I’m a habitat designer for large cats and other predators.”

“A habitat designer?” Smith seated himself behind the desk but leaned forward, eyes flashing with an odd hint of silver. “Fascinating. I can’t say that I’ve met someone with that skillset. Tell me how you came to this unique career field.”

I glanced at Dodge but he shrugged like it was my decision whether to talk or not. I cleared my throat. “You don’t have to pretend to be interested. I’m sorry we barged in on you like this, it’s been an odd morning, and...”

“An odd morning?” Smith frowned as he sat up, his attention shifting back to Dodge. “Though I’m genuinely interested in your skillset and approach to habitat design, Ms. Lawson, perhaps that can wait. Mr. Dodge, care to explain yourself?”

His tone changed to chastise Dodge, as if Smith had expected to be told about a rough morning right off the bat. Dodge sighed but ran through the string of awful events that had occurred in the past day, skipping the part where I freaked out about Silas and Deirdre and jumping right to when Dodge found me at the animal sanctuary.

When Dodge mentioned Ms. Bridger, Smith leaned back in his chair and pressed his hands together at his chest, eyebrows arched. “Oh really.”

“Yeah,” Dodge said. A world of history and judgement fit in that single syllable.

I clenched the armrests of the chair, which thankfully was a great deal more comfortable than the ones in the lobby. “Okay, you guys have to help me out. She seems so nice, so helpful. She’s been mentoring me and she’s given me a lot of design freedom with the project. She’s doing this great charitable thing for animals in need. How is she such a terrible person?”

“Babe, she’s going to use the sanctuary full of predators to get rid of her enemies,” Dodge said.

“That’s preposterous.” I managed to laugh, shaking my head. “That’s insane. She wouldn’t...”

But when I looked between the two men, neither one laughed with me. Neither smiled. They just looked grim and resolute. They really believed... My stomach turned over and my hands started trembling as I brushed my hair back, just in case I had to ralph into the trendy stainless trashcan next to Smith’s desk. “It’s impossible. It can’t be...”

Dodge made a rough sound in his throat and reached for my hand as he edged his chair closer to mine. “Deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

“Here’s some water,” Smith said, retrieving a bottle of fancy name-brand water from a hidden fridge in the corner. He leaned against the desk as he stood in front of me. “I’m sure this is quite a shock, Ms. Lawson. Please know I’ll do everything I can to assist.”

“Who are you, exactly?” I sipped the water but couldn’t drag my attention from where Dodge’s hand gripped my wrist. “What do you do?”

“I’m a private investigator, of sorts,” he said pleasantly enough. But there was an undertone to his words that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. He definitely wasn’t telling the whole truth. If Dodge brought us there, though, then obviously Smith couldn’t be too bad? I just wished I had a few moments with Dodge to ask him about this guy and what the plan was. “I also take responsibility for some of the communities in this city. We can talk more about that later, of course, once we’ve resolved this little problem with Bridger.”

Dodge checked his watch. “We told Bridger that we had a client meeting this morning, so Persephone wouldn’t have to meet her or show up at the sanctuary. You’re our client meeting. We just need to buy some time before we meet Evershaw at Hangang over on 5th.”

“Of course,” Smith said. He smiled at me, as if to reassure me, but it didn’t do much to settle my nerves or my stomach. “I would ask to go with you, but I imagine Deirdre is still... upset with me.”

Dodge snorted and leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out to cross his boots. “That’s an understatement.”

“Wh-what is she upset about?” I asked, looking between them.

Smith winced, then offered a tentative smile. “I tricked her into helping Miles with something several months ago, and she has not forgiven me for the ruse.”

“Deirdre does not like being backed into a corner,” Dodge said, grinning.