into the present moment. They stepped out of the car and wound through the heavily landscaped walkway toward the front porch of a two-story home. Amar tipped his head back to examine it. “It always interests me to see the different ways clans live. This one seems to have a bit of funding, but they’re not over the top like some of the others I’ve seen. At least they’re not living in poverty, which is always a problem.”
“I guess we can safely assume, just like our time in the service, that whether you’re dealing with rich or poor, it’s just as likely that someone’s up to no good.”
“You bet.”
Roman was excited to go in and get this done. Though he had no intention of joining the Force, he needed something to keep his mind off Melody. Unfortunately, the Alpha of this clan had very little to say.
“I appreciate that you’ve taken the time and effort to come all the way out here,” Mr. Morefield said with mock sympathy as he puffed on a cigar behind his desk. “I mean, this must be a major event if the SOS Force is involved. I can’t, however, give you any clue as to what’s going on in the case of this child. We prefer to keep to ourselves as much as possible. It’s the much safer way to run a clan, as I’m sure you can agree.”
Amar nodded. “And you’re sure you haven’t heard anything about either a missing or a found shifter child?” He’d been careful not to give any specific information as to where Ruby was, and he hadn’t even spoken her name.
“All I can tell you is that we’re all present and accounted for. I’ll be sure to contact you if I find myself in need of your assistance.” With a wave of his arm, they were dismissed.
“He’s lying,” Roman said through gritted teeth as soon as they were out the front door. “The bastards who attacked us at the zoo had a very distinct scent, and I picked up on it here. These guys are definitely involved.”
“We haven’t had any trouble out of this clan just yet, but I’ve heard a few rumors that they might not always operate on the up-and-up. Their territory butts right up next to another clan’s, which is bound to cause some trouble eventually if it hasn’t already.”
They ducked through an arbor overgrown with vines and rounded the edge of a flower bed, where a woman was on her hands and knees working the soil. “He’s lying to you,” she said quietly.
“Ma’am?” Roman stopped.
She glanced behind her, toward the house, but she was shielded from view by a large bush. “Don’t look down here! If they see you talking to me, I’ll be in more trouble than I even want to think about.” She clutched her hands in the rich soil.
Roman and Amar played along, turning to look at each other so it would look to anyone else as though they were standing on the sidewalk and having a conversation. “What do you know?” Roman asked.
“They took the child,” she whimpered, a tear dripping off her jawline and into the dirt. “They didn’t say anything about it, and I’m not privy to Mr. Morefield’s scheme, but I heard it crying in the night. I knew it wasn’t ours, and I couldn’t bear the idea of it being taken away from its parents.”
“So, you were the one who left her on our doorstep?” Amar asked, glancing down the block.
“No. I couldn’t get away, but I sent someone who could. I would’ve done it myself if I could have. As it is, I may be killed just for talking to you.” She wept harder, her dirty hands on her knees now.
“You can come with us,” Amar offered. “We can give you shelter until this whole thing is over with. Our vehicle is just over there, and we could be there in just a few seconds.”
She shook her head emphatically. “I can’t. I have obligations here. I had to tell you. As a mother myself, I had to do what I could. It wasn’t even safe to risk giving the baby back to its own clan, but I believe it belongs to the one to the east of here. Please, just go before it creates more trouble for all of us.”
The two men moved on to the vehicle, but as Roman climbed into the passenger seat, he couldn’t help but think of Melody. This woman had gone