Shawn chuckled and felt for the first time like they were on the level.
In the distance, the sounds of sirens could be heard and the flickering of blue lights started to make themselves known at the gates.Adam lifted his hand and Shawn noticed he was holding a fob.The gates opened and two unmarked cars drove in.
As they pulled up on the grand, paved driveway, Shawn broadened his stance.He hated the cops.Even though he worked in security, he didn’t like dealing with them.They could be pedantic, and when it boiled down they were a nuisance.
Adam seemed to sense his tension.“Don’t worry.These are our guys.They’re good.”
“There are just two Lion Shifters in the entire LAPD?”
“Nah.There are more, but these are the only ones on Homicide.”
Shawn accepted that with a lift of his chin and watched as two detectives climbed out of their no longer flashing cars.As they strode over toward them, they directed their attention to Adam.
“What’s going on, Adam?”the shorter one asked.He had white blond hair that was turning silver.His face was craggy and lined with age, but though he was short, he more than made up for it with the muscles he packed.
“We have a situation.”
“When don’t we when you call us?”the taller, darker cop retorted.
“Don’t bust my balls, Santiago.It’s not my fault I’m calling you out.”
So, the dark, Hispanic-looking guy was Santiago, which meant the shorter one was Erickson.
“Just get to the details.We need to call this in ASAP,” Erickson remarked, folding his beefy arms across his chest.
Rather than let Adam explain, Shawn recited, “At twenty-hundred hours, your leader, Ryan DeSoto and my boss, Maryellen Forsythe-Drew left the site of their first date, Feral LA.I drove them to the compound in Ms.Forsythe-Drew’s SUV alongside a fellow guard, James Pantera.
“As we drove toward the compound, Pantera withdrew a weapon, aimed it at me, and told me if I didn’t drive where he insisted, he’d shoot me.His intention was to hijack the car, steal Ms.Forsythe-Drew away from the vehicle, and kidnap her for ransom.
“However, upon issuing the threat, Mr.DeSoto,” Shawn hesitated, “completed a half-shift and took out the threat to Ms.Forsythe-Drew.Pantera’s corpse is currently sitting in the passenger seat of the SUV behind you.”
Santiago and Erickson shot each other a look.“Military?”Santiago asked.
“How could you tell?”Shawn bared his teeth in a grim smile.
Erickson let out a whistle.“Fine mess the leader’s sprung upon us.”
“It couldn’t be helped.The threat to Ms.Forsythe-Drew was incalculable.”
Erickson demanded, “Are we talking abouttheForsythe-Drews here?I mean, are we?”
“Yes.We’re talking about the American dynasty,” Shawn said blandly.“We’ve recently fielded two other kidnapping attempts, but this one was far closer to home than any of us could have calculated.”He firmed his jaw.“Pantera was a friend as well as a colleague.He’d been a part of the team for eight years.We… I trusted him.”
Sympathy lined both cops’ faces.“Your boss must be finding this real hard to take in.”
Adam cleared his throat.“She’s our Luna.”
Shawn frowned at the unusual terminology, but the label had both men’s eyes shooting wide.“He’s found a mate?”
“Yeah,” Adam confirmed.“She’s over at the lodge.”
Erickson rubbed his jaw.“Fuck me.”
“You think there’s a coincidence that the bastard’s name was Pantera?You know what those fuckers are like.They all change their surname to that at eighteen.”
Shawn’s frown deepened.“What do you mean?What are you talking about ‘changing their surnames?’”
Erickson, Adam, and Santiago shared a look, but it was Santiago who clarified, “You seem aware of the paranormal population, Mr.…?”
