Bound to Shadows (Riley Jenson Guardian 8)

"Meaning Blake definitely is behind it. Tyson wouldn't spit without his big brother's approval. "

"Tyson's usurped the London pack in Cona Creek and made it his own. "

Rhoan's expression was contemptuous. "He always was a lazy bastard. Should have guessed he'd steal a pack rather than make one of his own. We going after him?"

"'We' are not going anywhere," Jack said, without taking his gaze from the other vamp. "Not until we finish here, anyway. "

I glanced at him. "Boss, I tracked down the number Evin phoned his reports into, and it's a Melbourne number. We need to hit the address and rescue Evin's mate as soon as possible. "

"Riley, the murders we're investigating occur during the day, which means we're limited in our guardian usage. "

Specifically, it meant there was Iktar, Rhoan, and myself. But there wasn't anything I could do that Iktar and Rhoan couldn't - other than talk to souls, and the reality was, we weren't really getting that much information from said souls. These people were far too clever.

"What about a deal, then? Let Quinn and me go after Evin's mate tonight, and then we'll concentrate on solving the murders. "

"And Blake?" Rhoan asked.

I glanced at him. "Can wait until we have the time to work up a really good revenge. "

"The minute you free Evin's mate, he'll know the game is up. "

"Not if the guards are forced to believe she's still there. "

He grimaced. "I don't know - "

I touched his shoulder, squeezing gently. "We'll deal with him. Just not yet. " I glanced at Jack. "Can we go?"

He glanced at me then, and his eyes held a hint of regret. It was the sort of look I imagined a parent got when their kids finally left the nest.

Maybe he realized that's exactly what I was trying to do.

"Contact me the minute you free her. We'll probably have more information about the murders by then. "

"Thanks, boss. " I squeezed my brother's shoulder and turned to head back out into the main room, then hesitated and looked back at Jack. "Boss, you might want to talk to Harris before you leave. "

His concentration was back on the vamp, so his reply was almost absent. "What about?"

"About his ability to bring down helicopters with kinetic force. He's also mind-blind. He could make a perfect replacement for Kade. "

Or better yet, for me.

He merely grunted. The vamp was sweating even more profusely, so Jack's constant telepathic barrage was having an effect.

I winked at Rhoan then continued outside.

"Well?" Evin said, almost anxiously.

"We're a go. We just need you two to keep relaying information and pretend everything is as it should be. "

Evin scrubbed a hand across his face. "He'll expect me to be overwrought and anxious, and that certainly won't be hard to fake. "

West didn't say anything and he looked no happier than before, but even with Quinn's restrictions in place, I very much doubted he'd do anything to jeopardize the operation. He might not love working in this town, but I had a suspicion he did love being a cop.

"I'll phone the minute we have news. And Harris?" I smiled his way. "Thanks. "

A hint of amusement crinkled the corners of his bright eyes. "You're welcome. And anytime you feel the need to find trouble, please try not to find it in my town. "

"Deal. But your life will quickly become boring without me. "