hadn’t liked it.
Mahone didn’t reply. He simply stared at Caleb, waiting for him to break. But Caleb didn’t break easily. He turned and had actually made it to the door when Mahone said, “If you want me to beg, that’s not going to happen.” He paused, then said somewhat reluctantly, “But we need Wraith. This next op is sensitive, and having two females who are already familiar with each other is key to its success. So I won’t beg, but I’m willing to offer an incentive.”
Disbelief whipped Caleb around. “Incentive?” he snorted. “You mean you’re trying your hand at bribery again? You did that to get me to join the team, and I still haven’t collected.”
“Yes, but I didn’t have a name for you then. I do now.”
Caleb sucked in his breath. “ Now you have a name for me? Why should I believe you?”
“Who else are you going to believe, O’Flare?”
Caleb paced, cursing under his breath. Whatever name Mahone had, it was the name of someone high up. Well protected. His statements to Mahone aside, Caleb hadn’t overlooked the possibility that Elijah’s death might have been intentional. In following that theory, Caleb had pulled every string and used every advantage and connection he had to get a name, but it hadn’t mattered. People had closed up. Gathered close. Shut the vault. No amount of money or threat of bodily harm had made a difference. For the sake of his peace of mind, he needed that name. He finally paused and stared Mahone down. “Who is it?”
Mahone shook his head. “After you bring back Wraith.”
Caleb was on him in a second, pushing him against the wall. “You promised me if I joined the team—”
“I promised I’d help you find the truth. And I will. But first you need to get Wraith. After all, you’re the one who chased her off in the first place.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Caleb released Mahone and stepped back. “She left when you told her you were sending us on a different mission.”
“She left when you came back into the room. You guys have another fight or something?”
“Or something,” he mumbled. His mind raced back to that moment when he’d seen her. The lust. Then the fear. Right before Bianca and Jacques had stopped him. Could Mahone be right? Had she made up an excuse to leave because she’d been afraid? Of him? But that didn’t make any sense, given the way she’d propositioned him.
Mahone stared at him, waiting patiently.
“Tell me,” Caleb ground out.
“Drugging and raping the feline leader’s daughter and getting away with it? Untenable. We need to find the bastards, and fast, before the felines decide to take matters into their own hands. To do that, we need two Otherborn females, at least one of them disguised as a feline. They need to be comfortable with each other, able to pose as friends out for some fun on the town. Wraith and Lucy fit the bill.”
Of course they did, Caleb thought. Only, he didn’t see how they were going to convince Wraith she needed to come along, or for that matter, why it was so important she did. Caleb took a deep breath, keeping his gaze fixed on Mahone. “Why do you really need Wraith? And don’t tell me it’s so Lucy can feel comfortable. You know Lucy’ll get the job done regardless, and that’s all you care about.”
Mahone studied him, then said, “Wraith has previous experience with the type of club we’ll be targeting, as well as a prior history with one of the suspects we’ve identified. Her reappearance might be surprising, but it won’t be overly suspicious. It can also give us an advantage.”
Caleb formed his hands into fists. He knew what kind of clubs they were talking about. Sex clubs. Kinky-ass shit with private rooms, sex toys, and even an audience, if that’s what someone wanted. When wraiths were involved, kink became synonymous with pain, and lots of it. Picturing Wraith involved in that made him sick.
Picturing her coming face-to-face with yet
Mahone didn’t reply. He simply stared at Caleb, waiting for him to break. But Caleb didn’t break easily. He turned and had actually made it to the door when Mahone said, “If you want me to beg, that’s not going to happen.” He paused, then said somewhat reluctantly, “But we need Wraith. This next op is sensitive, and having two females who are already familiar with each other is key to its success. So I won’t beg, but I’m willing to offer an incentive.”
Disbelief whipped Caleb around. “Incentive?” he snorted. “You mean you’re trying your hand at bribery again? You did that to get me to join the team, and I still haven’t collected.”
“Yes, but I didn’t have a name for you then. I do now.”
Caleb sucked in his breath. “ Now you have a name for me? Why should I believe you?”
“Who else are you going to believe, O’Flare?”
Caleb paced, cursing under his breath. Whatever name Mahone had, it was the name of someone high up. Well protected. His statements to Mahone aside, Caleb hadn’t overlooked the possibility that Elijah’s death might have been intentional. In following that theory, Caleb had pulled every string and used every advantage and connection he had to get a name, but it hadn’t mattered. People had closed up. Gathered close. Shut the vault. No amount of money or threat of bodily harm had made a difference. For the sake of his peace of mind, he needed that name. He finally paused and stared Mahone down. “Who is it?”
Mahone shook his head. “After you bring back Wraith.”
Caleb was on him in a second, pushing him against the wall. “You promised me if I joined the team—”
“I promised I’d help you find the truth. And I will. But first you need to get Wraith. After all, you’re the one who chased her off in the first place.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Caleb released Mahone and stepped back. “She left when you told her you were sending us on a different mission.”
“She left when you came back into the room. You guys have another fight or something?”
“Or something,” he mumbled. His mind raced back to that moment when he’d seen her. The lust. Then the fear. Right before Bianca and Jacques had stopped him. Could Mahone be right? Had she made up an excuse to leave because she’d been afraid? Of him? But that didn’t make any sense, given the way she’d propositioned him.
Mahone stared at him, waiting patiently.
“Tell me,” Caleb ground out.
“Drugging and raping the feline leader’s daughter and getting away with it? Untenable. We need to find the bastards, and fast, before the felines decide to take matters into their own hands. To do that, we need two Otherborn females, at least one of them disguised as a feline. They need to be comfortable with each other, able to pose as friends out for some fun on the town. Wraith and Lucy fit the bill.”
Of course they did, Caleb thought. Only, he didn’t see how they were going to convince Wraith she needed to come along, or for that matter, why it was so important she did. Caleb took a deep breath, keeping his gaze fixed on Mahone. “Why do you really need Wraith? And don’t tell me it’s so Lucy can feel comfortable. You know Lucy’ll get the job done regardless, and that’s all you care about.”
Mahone studied him, then said, “Wraith has previous experience with the type of club we’ll be targeting, as well as a prior history with one of the suspects we’ve identified. Her reappearance might be surprising, but it won’t be overly suspicious. It can also give us an advantage.”
Caleb formed his hands into fists. He knew what kind of clubs they were talking about. Sex clubs. Kinky-ass shit with private rooms, sex toys, and even an audience, if that’s what someone wanted. When wraiths were involved, kink became synonymous with pain, and lots of it. Picturing Wraith involved in that made him sick.
Picturing her coming face-to-face with yet
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