“Mm-hmm.”
“Humans?”
He made his move.“Mages were hunting us.Don’t know why nobody ever liked Shifters.They slaughtered my tribe.Some of us escaped, but we split up when they began tracking us.I walked north for weeks before reaching the Mediterranean Sea.After that, I traveled from coast to coast in search of freedom, but Shifters were oppressed in so many places.I helped end the enslavement in Greece.”
“Really?”Lucian took his turn.
“This was long before they discovered America.I’ve seen a lot of bad things in my life,” he continued, jumping one of Lucian’s pieces.“I fought so Eden wouldn’t have to, but it seems like she’s fighting her own battles.I just wanted her to have an easy life.That’s what every parent wants for their children.”
“I’m not rich,” Lucian admitted as they continued playing.“That’s what you wanted for your daughter.”
Her father jumped another one of Lucian’s checkers and captured it.“I only want a man who will treat her like the queen she is.If Eden chose you, that means she sees a future with you that’s better than what anyone else could give her.You’re not only a security wizard, but you’re the Shoe Bandit.”
Both men laughed, and for the first time, Lucian felt like he might win this man’s approval after all.
Sitting inside Henry’s sedan,I searched the glove compartment but only found the owner’s manual, a few rags, and a bottle of cologne.
“Eden, you still there?”Connor asked through the speaker phone.
“I’m here.”
“I called Hiroki just now and brought him up to speed.He’s ringing the Mageri to get what information he can.”
“Are the cleaners on their way?”
“Aye, but they’ll be there in the morning.Might want to cover the body so the coyotes don’t get at him.”
I shut the glove box.“He runs a company, Connor.We need to figure out who to call since his employees will be impacted.I don’t know if someone should take his place or if it means his distribution will shut down.That’ll affect a lot of buyers.”
“I’ll handle that meself.Don’t you worry about it, darlin’.Are you sure you don’t need me there?”
“Everything’s fine.”
“Everything’sfarfrom fine.You’ve got a corpse on your land.”
Mentally drained, I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed.“I can’t believe this happened.How could he be so stupid?He had too much to lose with his business and reputation.This is something you expect from a person with no real prospects.People would’ve forgotten about the challenge, and the only witnesses were a few drunks in Storybook.He operates all over the place, so this was the last thing I expected.”
“Hold on.Hiroki’s sending me a message.I can never figure these confounded phones out.”
Connor accidentally ended the call while trying to figure out how to access his text messages.I set my phone down and lifted up the center console.
“Mints, gum, more cologne—because obviously one bottle in the car isn’t enough,” I muttered.“What do we have here?”
Beneath a microfiber rag, I found a black box that rattled when I picked it up.The sensor alarm on the door was driving me crazy, so I shut the door and turned on the interior lights.After lifting the box lid, I pulled out a top set of teeth with long fangs.“Well, well.What do we have here?”
The phone rang, and I answered.
“Sorry about that,” Connor said.“Hiroki sent me a message.The Mageri looked in Hightower’s records and said he was a Stealer.”
“I thought they’d put up a fight about disclosing information.”
“Well, when you’re dead, you’re dead.There’s hardly anyone’s secret to protect, so it doesn’t matter.I would’ve called meself, but Hiroki has a better relationship with them.Don’t worry about coming in to work.I know it’s your big day moving, and I’m still packing the moving truck.”
I was still reeling over the news.“A Stealer.When Milly looked at Marcus Seaborn’s body, she suggested it could’ve been a Stealer.It was a hypothesis.He had signs of strangulation, and no Chitah—or anyone else for that matter—would be able to strangle a Mage to death.There were burn marks on his chest and no venom in his blood.”I paused for a dramatic beat.“Guess what I just found in his car?”
“A confession?”
“Even better.Chitah teeth.Only the top part.I bet these would’ve fit the impressions on the body.”
