“We’ll fix it,” she said. “I promise.”

“There’s only one way this will get fixed,” he said, and buried his face against her neck.

And she knew he was right.

Ric sat up in the middle of his hallway floor and gazed at Dee-Ann.

“Missy Llewellyn? Mace Llewellyn’s sister?”

“That’s where the money leads.”

“Are you sure? We have to be sure.”

“I’m sure that the information I have is right.”

He scratched his head, unable to wrap his mind around this. “It can’t be Missy, Dee-Ann. It can’t be coming from her.”

“Why not? Because she’s too rich?”

“No,” he argued. “Because she’s too damn lazy.” He laughed, resting his arms on his knees. “I’ve known Missy for a lot of years. We run in the same society circles and although she’s not a fan of hybrids, Missy isn’t a fan of anyone. She hates equally across the board. But to invest this kind of money and risk, you’d have to really hate hybrids with a passion. Missy doesn’t do anything with passion except complain. My God, can she complain.”

Dee-Ann sat up and Ric forced himself to focus on her face. If he looked any lower, he’d be all over her again rather than focusing on the bigger issue.

“Then what do you think’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Unless she’s being set up. By hyenas, maybe?”

“Hyenas ain’t puttin’ money out for hybrid fights. They hoard their cash.”

“Very true.” Ric grimaced. “There’s a Llewellyn on the Board, you know.” The Board had come into existence in the late 1800s to handle territory disputes that had turned ugly. Representatives from the bigger Prides, Packs, and Clans now met twice a year to discuss any issues or concerns, but would meet more often if there were problems that couldn’t be resolved easily and quickly through phone calls or e-mails. “Matilda Llewellyn. So we’ll have to be careful how we handle this.”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t want to insult the rich felines who’re maybe killing their own kind.”

“That’s not what I meant. So feel free not to put words in my mouth. And why are we arguing when we’re both naked?”

“Let’s face it, Ric, to put together an organization like this, to run it right—there has to be some serious money involved.”

“The Van Holtzes have money like that. The Magnus Pack. The Löwes. And that’s what Missy is going to say, and she’d have a valid argument. What about her brother, Mace?”

“Forget it.” Dee shook her head. “I can go on and on about Mace Llewellyn and why he’d never in a million years be involved insomething like this, but most important is that he’s never had direct access to pride money. Not ever.”

“Can he be trusted if we go to him?”

“Absolutely.”

“Let me talk to Uncle Van. He deals with Matilda, so maybe he has some ideas.”

“Malone’s people may deal with it.”

“If they do, I might end up feeling a little sorry for Missy.”

“Oh?”

“Felines are mean, Dee-Ann,” he said, standing up. “Just . . . mean. At least you’d be in and out quick.”

“True enough.”

Ric started to walk away to get his phone, but he came back, crouching in front of her.

“You said you need to call your Uncle Van.”

“I know. I just wanted another kiss.”

“We start kissin’, you’re not going to call your uncle.”

“Cousin.”

“Whatever.”

Ric leaned in. “Kiss me anyway. So we can make up for arguing while naked. We should never argue while naked.”

“Lord, once you set your mind to something—”

“—like a wolf with a bone,” he finished on a whisper.

CHAPTER 21

D ee had been right. He never made it to the phone, but it didn’t matter because KZS got in touch with Van themselves. And, at four a.m., a conference call came in for Ric involving Van, the head of the KZS Victoria Löwe, and the sow who ran the NYPD shifter unit, Lynsey Gentry. It was a two-hour conversation that basically ended with his cousin telling them all to, “Take the weekend. We’ll discuss on Tuesday.”

At first, Ric didn’t know why Tuesday, then he remembered that it was July Fourth weekend in another day. And that his father was throwing that big Pack get-together at the Macon River Falls house.

An event Ric had already told his mother he wouldn’t be attending. These days she didn’t even bother to argue—she knew his not attending was for the best. Now, though, he was doubly grateful he wasn’t going after he finally called Van earlier in the day and not only confirmed what Van and the other cousins already knew, but he also revealed how much deeper Alder’s thieving actually went. It would, eventually, get back to Alder about Ric’s involvement in his exposure as a thief and betrayer of his Pack, and Ric knew that would be a dark day indeed.

And because of all that, Ric did make sure to call his Uncle Van back after the conference call ended and give him the heads-up that Dee-Ann had found Wendell trying to break into his safe, probably trying to find out how much Ric knew. Van’s response to that information had been . . .

surprising.

“Dee-Ann Smith was in your apartment?”