When Reno’s eyes widened at Kat, Prince followed the direction of his gaze.
“Kat!” Prince gripped the end of her shirt and tugged it back down.
“That’s a hell of a custom job,” Reno said under his breath.
Prince knew she was just showing off the holster for her dagger, but jealousy bloomed unexpectedly.
Kat touched her shirt. “It’s a tight fit with expandable elastic—quality material, not the cheap stuff. So when I shift, it stays securely on my wolf and I never have to worry about losing a weapon.”
“Nice. Think your guy can make me one for my gun?”
“Maybe.” A wistful look crossed her expression. “I’m thinking about settling down here in Austin and getting into your line of work. Just an idea I’m tossing around since working for the higher authority can be demanding.”
Reno’s eyes flashed at Prince. “She’s a bounty hunter?”
Prince realized he was going to be hearing that question a lot, and his first instinct was to lift his chin and maintain eye contact. He was proud of his chosen female.
A slow chuckle rose in Reno and he patted Prince on the shoulder. “You’ve got bigger balls than I gave you credit for. Hope you’re up for the task. Men like us aren’t easy to live with.”
Kat chortled. “What gave my gender away—my thick bed of chest hair?”
A bloom of red touched Reno’s face, and he rubbed his clean-shaven jaw. “I meant women too. Menandwomen. Uh… Just an expression.”
Kat’s smile waned. “Are you here to help find my sister?”
“I hired Reno to see if Vlad has any contacts in the area,” Prince said, clasping his hands together. “My intent was to uncover any associates who might have taken him in and given him refuge.”
She looked at him with hope glittering in her eyes. “And?”
“He’s not trading in Austin, not unless he’s working under an alias we don’t know about.”
Kat waved her arms, exasperated. “Now what? I looked through all the files and couldn’t find a connection here. Transaction dates and amounts, but no second home and definitely no alias that I could find. Vlad has my sister, and time is of the fucking essence! Why did he just get up in the middle of a bar and drive all the way down to Austin so he could hang out in a shack in the woods? It doesn’t make any sense!”
Prince lowered his head but kept his eyes on her. “We think he’s been holding Alex prisoner. There was wolf hair and fresh blood in the basement, and not from Nadia’s wolf. I’m assuming since you’re twins, her wolf is black, like yours. He probably drives down every so often to feed him. A Shifter can go a long time without food or water, so maybe Vlad left him a few supplies. I thought you would have guessed this?”
Kat shielded her face with one hand, only her mouth visible. “I did. I just needed to hear someone say it out loud to confirm I’m not crazy—that my father’s still alive. That I haven’t been holding out hope all these years in vain.”
Reno cleared his throat and flashed Prince a look, the kind a man gives when he sees a woman in distress. “Well, I’m not completely useless. We don’t have any associates, but I got the names of two local men known to run with him. Not business partners that I can tell, probably just lackeys. It’s the best lead we’ve got.”
Kat discreetly wiped her wet lashes. “And where are his buddies?”
“My guy only knows them by first name, but he gave me a good description. He’s seen them hanging around. I got a feeling Vlad pays them to move the Shifters he’s selling. If he’s got your sister and anyone else, he’ll need help.” Reno stroked his bottom lip with his thumb. “We need to move fast since he might be using their vehicles to transport them out of the city. I don’t think he’ll make a move in the daytime, but I’ll call you the second I get word, so keep your phone on,” he said, turning his attention to Prince.
Kat reached under her shirt, and Prince smirked when he heard the sound of Velcro. She pulled out a miniature pen. “Give me your arm,” she said to Reno.
He stuck out his arm with a bemused expression.
“This is my number, just in case Prince’s battery dies or a moose eats it. Memorize it and then wipe it off. I don’t like my number floating around on paper… or flesh.”
“You got it.”
* * *
Kat triedto keep herself occupied, but all she could think about was putting a dagger into Vlad’s eye. Prince led her to the media room, but it was awkward sitting amidst a strange pack, especially after Prince introduced her as his lover. That had roused a few curious glances.
Lover was such an old-fashioned term—something only Frenchmen used in the movies. Then again, Prince was Old World European, so to him the word held a significant meaning. She didn’t argue since she couldn’t come up with an acceptable word herself. They weren’t mated, and calling a seven-hundred-year-old alpha her boyfriend seemed unquestionably inappropriate.
Kat headed down to the basement, hoping a shift would settle her nerves and kill some time. But once there, her wolf didn’t want out. So she sat down on a flat rock, pulled up her knees, and rested her chin on top of her folded arms.
