“Solo?” I asked. Only the best of the best went on solo missions.
He nodded his head. “You two work very well together. You have chemistry.”
Raj nudged me again. “You hear that, Killer, we have chemistry.”
I scrunched up my nose. “What does that have to do with anything?”
Ryker paused for a moment, like he was contemplating something, then nodded. “This is a different mission. Unlike the typical stray rogue who wanders onto pack properties, there is a group of rogues that are working together. I want you to find out where their hideout is. There will be no killing on this mission. We need information so we can raid their hideout and stop them once and for all.”
Raj took the file from me, read it for a moment, and looked up. “They’re going to be at the Night Raider’s Café? A bunch of rogues?”
“The café is having a party during the full moon this Friday. All the packs in the area are invited which means there will be many alphas there. Since this particular group is targeting alphas, I expect there to be some rogues in attendance.”
“What do you mean that they’re targeting alphas?” I asked, voice wavering. Though Roman didn’t want me, I still wanted to keep him safe. Luna Raya died in a rogue attack, and I didn’t want Roman to have the same fate. If he was in danger, I would do anything to stop it.
“They’re killing alphas and taking their land and people.”
Raj furrowed his brows. “How many have they killed already?”
Ryker sucked in a breath. “Three.”
I nearly choked on the fucking air. “Three?” I shook my head. “How?”
Ryker sighed, looking much tenser than usual. “I don’t know, but I need you to figure out where they’re hiding out. I don’t care how you do it—flirt with them if you have to—but they can’t die. We need them to lead you to their lair.”
~~~
After showering, Raj and I ran to the café to scope it out before Friday so we could create our best plan of action. So far, our only plan was to flirt with the rogues and hope they’d bring us back to their hideout. But I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to flirt with someone who wasn’t my mate or my friend.
Flirting with Raj was easy because he was naturally good at it. With rogues who were here to find an alpha, to kill an alpha, to take an alpha’s land and his people, it would be difficult to convince them to take me home. I would have to cover my Lycan tattoo and… take off my necklace.
Raj stepped into the buzzing early morning crowd at the café, shook his hips back and forth seductively, and looked back at me. “Such a tight space for a club, but they don’t call it dirty dancing for nothing. A small tight space, filled with sweaty bodies that you have to grind against just to move.” He chuckled. “Seems like my kind of party.”
Wait for it.
“Especially if you’re my date.”
There it was.
I picked my hazelnut coffee up from the counter, yawning. “Why do you insist on flirting with me?”
“I flirt with everyone. It’s my job.”
“Your job is to kill rogues.”
“Killer, you’re still so new. You don’t know that there are subgroups in the Lycans. Some groups are pure warriors and kill; some flirt and get important information.” He smirked and placed an arm around my shoulder. “I happen to do both.”
“What about Ryker? What is he?”
He nudged me. “Why you have a crush on him?”
“No, I just haven’t seen him kill many rogues, and he gets awfully flirty,” I said, cheeks flushing as I remembered earlier before practice.
“He goes out on a lot of solo missions to kill rogues, but he is highly skilled in flirting.” He wiggled his brows at me.
“Well—”
“Long time, no see, stranger,” Vanessa said in that high-pitch, screechy-ass voice. I pressed my lips together and gazed over at her. She walked into the café, swinging her purse in her hand, wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of heels. “I almost didn’t recognize you. You look different—pretty.” She curled a finger around my hair and watched it bounce.
