“Please, next break you have, come visit us in Germany with your lovely girlfriend or wife and I will make sure you are well taken care of. We should always be on the same side against the bad people and always remember our friends who—” I realized my mistake too late.
“I don’t take bribes,” he snapped.
“Not abribe,” I bit out, flipping the card back towards me. “I will get my way without your help and I could plow you over to make it happen. I amappreciating you. I know your job is difficult.” I gestured to Ricco. “As is his. He protects his people and was afraid you could know the bad men who want his people dead. None of us is the enemy.”
“But we get shit on too often for not being bad,” Ricco muttered, understanding how to help. He said more in Italian that seemed to soften the officers around us.
“I apologize,” the officer muttered, clearing his throat. “You are a strong woman of good character to risk your own standing to help four no ones that most would let be casualties in pissing matches.”
“Snitch,” I teased Ricco. I sighed like I didn’t want to have to say more, but worked with the idea the cheetah Alpha had put in front of me. “It’s also guilt. Not enough people in high places—corrupt people weren’t being punished and I couldn’t stomach that when it involved children. I acted a bit rashly and they retaliated.”
“You are a mother,” he muttered, studying me closely. “Only a mother could risk so much for children she doesn’t even know.”
“No, I have none, but my mother risked everything and much pain to free me from the cycle of abuse my family loved,” I said sadly. “Those children were taken from their mothers. Many died and we couldn’t save them. If I lose some wealth and goodwill to have brought the others home—so be it.”
He gave a firm nod and took my hand, kissing it… While taking the card. “My sister struggles much after her own abuse. Next vacation, I will accept your kind offer and take her to Germany to enjoy your beauty there. Thank you for appreciating me and mine.”
“Thank you for not making me have another headache or guilt to keep me up at night,” I whispered, acting the right part to make this happen. I waved Ricco to stay back when I felt the human’s desires and walked off with the officer. “Off the record again…”
“Please.” He cleared his throat and looked past me before meeting my eyes. “I know I can be blind, but I care about Rome.”
“A shifter hurt you.” I bit back a sigh when I saw in his eyes too much anger. “Your sister.”
“Yes,” he seethed.
I nodded. “This pride is good. We checked into them and they are working with the company that is my cover to—”
“The whorehouse,” he hissed.
I shook my head. “Check it out while you are in Germany. You are misinformed. Their clubs are like a keystone species. There will be newsafelife in that area. Shops and economy will pop up. Yes, some half-naked women but… So what? Safe fun for adults when we need more fun in the world. You think American movies of drama and sex.”
“I do,” he accepted. “I will take what you said to heart and tell others. We do need to educate ourselves because we want what is best for Rome and her people.”
“From what I heard, your local government is thrilled with the reports and numbers—the evidence of how areas turn around when that company moves in,” I hinted.
But I left it at that.
The officers removed the names of the other two and the four came with me officially. Ricco gave me a look not to even bother arguing when he fell in step with me.
Yeah, I expected nothing less.
What I didn’t expect was a strange array of people in the lobby of corporate who immediately locked on me when I arrived... Which was never good.
The head of ISLE (International Supernatural Law Enforcement), Director Phillip Stevens was there, but I was happy to see my former lover, Dylan, was not. He’d been inserting himself and causing trouble any chance he could and it was grating on more than just me.
There were a couple of other people with him who were clearly ISLE and over a dozen who weren’t. A few I recognized.
One in particular made me smile to see and I headed right for him. I was almost to the head of the tiger shifter council,Graham, when Ricco was suddenly there pushing me behind him.
“This cub has too much death focused at you,” he told me. “And you will swallow it down if you want to live longer than these next moments,cub.”
“This one too?” Graham growled. “How many has she—”
“Finish that and I will turn a blind eye when he rips your head off,” Director Stevens bit out. “I’m already beyond done with you.”
“She has not been in my bed,” Ricco snapped, understanding what Graham thought. “She is the superhero her people say of her and not just for demons. She droppedeverythingto come help two of mine all because we were honorable in our deals with demons. Something you know nothing about, but you know I will kill any who risks my people.”
I moved next to him and patted his arm, glad when Ricco nodded that I had this and he wouldn’t speak for me.
