Page 41

Nightsky Estate

* * *

Talon glanced up at the clock. He had postponed his meeting with Juliette four days earlier after his confrontation with Michaela. The grizzly shifter was more than a figure-head politician. She was shrewd and was as brilliant about human-shifter history as her brother.

He had underestimated her. That thought still burned. He tapped his fingers on the list of names in front of him. There was a mole at the SBSI and he was still no closer to discovering who it was than he was at finding out who employed the resurrected mercenaries he and the other Guardians had killed outside the human encampment.

The soft tap on the door alerted him that Juliette had arrived. He rose at the same time as the door opened and Olive peered in. He gave the housekeeper a reassuring smile and nod. Olive returned his smile and opened the door further.

“Miss Juliette for you, sir,” Olive said.

“Thank you, Olive. Can you bring a refreshment tray in,” he requested.

“Of course.”

“Thank you for coming. Would you care for a drink?” he asked.

“Of course,” she replied, walking over to the couch and sitting down. “Have you talked to the others?”

He shook his head. “Not yet. There have been some… unexpected developments that I’ve been working on. I thought it was best to have more answers than questions,” he replied.

She lifted a delicate eyebrow at his rueful tone. He poured her a glass of whiskey, walked over, and handed it to her before he sank down in the chair across from her. They sipped on their drinks.

Olive’s knock alerted them that she had returned with a tray of refreshments. As soon as Olive set the tray on the table, the aroma of freshly baked bread and savory dishes filled the air, making him acutely aware of his hunger. As she pulled back the cover, the aroma of succulent lemon-glazed trout, rice pilaf, and roasted vegetables wafted through the air.

“You need something a little more substantial than finger foods,” Olive said.

“Thank you, Olive. This looks magnificent,” Juliette praised.

“I’ll return later with a nice dessert and coffee,” Olive replied before she exited the room, closing the door behind her.

“I swear if Thaddeus ever fires Robert again, I’m kidnapping both him and Olive and taking them home with me,” Juliette threatened.

He chuckled when she took a bite of the delicious meal and moaned. He had to agree with her. The meal melted in his mouth and warmed his empty stomach.

“I may have to smother the old owl if he does. Has there been any word on the missing female?” he asked.

Juliette shook her head. “No. Van and Peterson have been searching for her. It hasn’t been easy with the weather, but I would have been shocked if they had quit. With the break in the weather, Grayson and Beau have gone to meet up with them. They will also have Rigo.”

He nodded. That was a good team, especially with Rigo. If Juliette was correct and Jayden was the two wolf shifters’ mate, they would never give up on finding and protecting her. The weather had hindered the use of any satellite imagery. Searching for the woman was like searching for a specific pine needle in a forest.

“What have you found out?” she asked.

He sighed, touched his serviette to the corners of his mouth, and sat back in his chair. Reaching for his glass of bourbon, he was surprised to notice that he had cleaned his plate. He sipped his drink before he answered her.

“I’ve narrowed the list of suspects who could be the mole in the SBSI.”

She studied his face with a shrewd look. “But?—?”

He shook his head and twirled the amber liquid in his glass, studying the way the liquid formed a whirlpool. The corner of his mouth twitched as the imagery mirrored his current thoughts.

“My gut says I’m being manipulated.”

“Ah.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “And that means?”

“Ah.”