“Yeah.”
“She’s…she’s perfect.”
“Perfect for what, Mr. Hill?”
Hill wove in his spot for a second but steadied himself. Frowning, he tucked the photo away in a separate drawer. “Never mind. I want more information on this Elaine. Do you hear me? Concentrate your efforts on her.”
“But she’s always with her friends. There’s this dude Connor—”
“I don’t care aboutthis dude Connor!” Hill smashed his fist down on the set of drawers. “Listen, John. Right now, your efforts at the Ursa are the only thing keeping you alive. I want more photos of her in every light and by every angle. I need to see her features up close. Do you understand me? You will get me those photos of Jinny, and you’d better do it soon.”
“You mean Elaine.”
Hill blinked several times. “Yes, I meant, Elaine.”
“Okay, I just don’t understand why you need all this information. Why is the Ursa so important to you?”
“It’s not the resort.” Hill clenched and unclenched his fists a few times. “It’s the people there who interest me.”
“I don’t follow.”
“You understand what I do, right, John?”
It’s better if the organs are fresh when I extract them. “Yes.”
He pulled up another chair and sat next to John. “The people at the Ursa Resort are all shape shifters, right?”
“Right.
“People like us. Part human, part animal.”
“Yes.”
“Emphasis on theanimal.”
John’s entire body went cold. “You want to hunt shape shifters?”
“Here’s the thing. My contacts pay a lot of money for animal organs. They ship them off to some God-forsaken country where little old ladies make tea out of bear gall bladders or some such thing. Frankly, I don’t care and I don’t want to know, but I do know this. These same contacts of mine are openminded men. They see the world as we do. They understand its aberrations. And as much as they would pay for animal organs, they would pay ten times that amount for shape shifter organs.”
“But…that’s murder.”
“It’s only murder if someone finds out.”
John’s hand began to shake, as much as he tried to keep it still.
“John, John, don’t look so depressed. Why do you think I made you my spy? I’ve heard there are some superior specimens at the Ursa. You know, quality product.”
“But you want to hunt our own people.”
Hill shrugged. “They’re not my people. I might shift like they do, but I feel nothing for them. They’re strangers to me. As for what I do to them, that’s just business.”
John shook his head, aghast.
“Look, my friend, your debt is considerable. I need you to provide me with all the necessary details on the people at the Ursa. And one day soon, I’m going to pay the resort a visit. If you do your job well, your entire debt will be erased. Wouldn’t that be good? Think of how much better you’d sleep.”
“Please don’t ask me to do this.”
“Oh, but I’m not asking.” Hill pinched him on the chin, making him look up. “I’m not in the habit of asking for anything. Do you feel me?”
