to have to press my suit faster with Ania Dover for more reasons than her leopard rising. I think she’s in trouble.”
“Maybe not now, but if she messes with either the Caruso or Anwar family, she will be. While the two of you are eating tonight, I’ll try to slip in and see her father. That might be the only chance we have.
Mitya frowned. “I’ll see if I can get her to have him join us. If he’s really bad and can’t, then at least she’ll talk to me about him and you’ll have a better idea of where in the house he is and if anyone is with him.
“What do we know about the two families in Houston? They haven’t been on anyone’s radar, have they? In all the briefings—and I admit, I’m still not up to speed on all the players—I don’t recall Drake or anyone else mentioning either family as a threat.”
“Marzio Caruso came up through the ranks with his father in Florida. They ran a port and docks there, very successfully. When the father wanted a change, they relocated to Houston and quickly established themselves as the authorities in the port. They just took over the docks,” Sevastyan answered. “Ann is his wife, and they have four children, all boys.”
“Great. Are they leopard?”
“According to Elijah, yes, both families. Marzio added a trucking business as well, and the family and their enterprises have thrived. They do business with and get along well with Elijah Lospostos. He says they have always been men of their word. He hadn’t heard of a feud between the Dovers and the Carusos.”
“And the Anwar family?”
“Bartolo is the head of the family and, from all appearances, is a man of his word. He has two sons, Enrico and Samuele, both, like the Caruso brothers, very involved in the business. The daughter is younger by several years, Giacinta. She’s supposed to be very sickly and rarely leaves the house. Again, they do business with Elijah, and he’s never had a problem with them. He said even when the Caruso family came to Houston, there wasn’t a war or seemingly ill will between the families.”
“Elijah is a huge name in the business, not just here but worldwide,” Mitya said. “He’s an asset. Drake was smart to recruit him.”
He tipped the contents of the glass back. He rarely drank. It was never a good idea when one was a shifter, especially when the leopard was as feral and bloodthirsty as Dymka was. His leopard had settled a little knowing Mitya’s intention was to see Ania.
“The hit wasn’t necessarily put out by either of those families,” Mitya finally said. “We’re just speculating, Sevastyan. We don’t know if a hit was even ordered. The father could have been done by an actual robber. As for the car, that could have been anyone not happy with the family for transporting something successfully for anyone, let alone the families in Houston.”
Sevastyan nodded. “Actually, that’s true. And it might fit better. If the Dovers had done something against either family, I would think it would be known by most of the other families, but Elijah says there’s not a hint of a problem between them. Elijah used their driving services on more than one occasion and he said they always delivered, the reputation was solid.”
“If I can, I’ll meet with Ania’s father. If I get the chance, I’ll question him. He won’t want his only child to go against a powerful crime family. Even if she succeeded in killing any of the family members, the others would come after her and kill her. He would know that.”
Sevastyan shook his head. “Let me question him, Mitya. You concentrate on Ania. She needs to be brought in fast if you really think she’s close to the Han Vol Dan. The last thing you want is for her to go into heat and for every leopard within a hundred miles to go after her.”
Mitya pushed down the instant surge of ferocious adrenaline caused by the idea of anyone getting near his woman. His leopard was vicious, raking and clawing, trying to tear his way out. Mitya breathed away the fury and got himself under control. Being a leopard shifter meant absolute control at all times.
“We can make the call when we’re there at the house. Get as much information as possible on both families and anyone else who used their services from Elijah. Contact Drake. He seems to be able to acquire intelligence on