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“Did he have any specific enemies you can recall?”

Calvin chuckled. “Who doesn’t? I don’t know who he had personal beef with. Didn’t he spend time in jail recently?”

“He sure did. And he clearly didn’t learn his lesson.”

“Huh. Usually after a little time behind bars, a man changes his habits. Or so I’ve heard. Maybe you should talk to Henry Hightower. I think he’s still in the back.”

“Why him?”

“That Seaborn fellow was an employee of his.”

“Is that right?”

Calvin twisted around. “There he is.” He waved his arm to snag the Mage’s attention. “Hightower! Over here.”

Henry wrapped up his conversation and sauntered over with a charismatic smile. “Miss Thompson. What a pleasure seeing you here.”

“You have ten minutes left in the private room,” Calvin explained. “The Councilwoman has some questions for you.”

We jolted at a deafening roar from an animal. An enormous grizzly bear climbed onto a table, which teetered beneath his weight before collapsing.

Calvin cursed. “Now you’ve done it. If you don’t get your hairy ass out of here, I’m getting the shotgun!”

Henry put his hand on my back and ushered me to the private rooms. “You shouldn’t be here. This is no place for a lady.”

“A lady belongs wherever she likes.”

Henry’s wavy blond locks and tight pants made him look like a character in a historical novel or soap opera. The way he strolled through the bar like the star of the show made me laugh quietly.

As he shut the door to one of the private rooms, he asked, “To what do I owe the honor?”

I glanced at the sofa and decided to sit on the armrest since we wouldn’t be here for long. “I’m sure you’re aware of what happened to Marcus Seaborn.”

Henry arched an eyebrow. “I’ve heard.”

“Calvin mentioned he worked for you. Have you had any recent trouble with him?”

Henry drew closer and put his hands in his pants pockets. “When he was arrested, I let him go. A man like that doesn’t belong on my payroll.”

“Do you mostly hire Mage employees?”

“I do what I can for my own kind. I’m sure you understand. Shifters dominate the beer industry, so that’s fewer jobs for us. That’s why my focus is on wine.”

“What did he do?”

“He was one of three sales managers who travel to different places to negotiate distribution deals.” Henry smoothed out his mustache with a slight look of annoyance. “Why does this matter? You have the killer locked up, and I replaced Marcus months ago.”

“It’s my job to investigate every crime and gather the details. Did you ever have trouble with Mr. Seaborn? Were there any disputes between him and anyone else in your company?”

Henry shook his head and shrugged. “A lot of people found him annoying, but he locked in enough sales that it wasn’t worth letting him go. Maybe it’s a good thing all this happened.”

“How do you mean?”

He drew closer. “It doesn’t look like that Chitah will be a problem anymore. I heard he was hanging around your house.”

“Installing security.”

Henry gave an ambiguous look I couldn’t read. “Why haven’t you responded to my messages?”

“I’ve been really busy. Now isn’t a good time. Like I said before, we look good on paper, but we’re not compatible.”

He towered over me, forcing me to look up. “I’m not a man who gives up easily, and I’m sure you’re a woman who knows she’s worth fighting for.”

I was beginning to regret having started this dating journey. Deacon was probably sitting on my doorstep, and what if the last four guys showed up? As much as I wanted to be brutally honest, my rejection had to be tactful enough to maintain a working relationship with a pillar in the community.

“Rumor has it you went on a date with that beta from the Macgregor pack.” Henry shifted his stance. “Is that true?”

“It’s no secret.”

He tilted his head to the side and stroked my hair.

“When I want something, I get it. You’re a smart lady, and I’m sure you know what a powerful couple we’d make.

We could do big things together, and I’m real protective of what’s mine.

You wouldn’t have to worry about hiring security with me around. I take care of roadblocks.”

I got up to leave. “Thanks for answering my questions, Mr. Hightower.”

Henry blocked my path to the door. “I don’t like loose ends. Let’s not go back and forth over the phone. That’s a waste of time.”

My heart thumped loudly when I realized how alone we were in here. “I’m not interested in pursuing this. We don’t have chemistry.”

“You and I both know that you’re not pairing up for love. That doesn’t matter to me either. Got any more excuses?” He touched my arm before lightly clutching it.

I sighed with frustration. Why can’t he let this go? “I look after my father. He has all kinds of medical issues and needs care. My job is also important, and you alluded to wanting a wife who stays home. We’re incompatible, and I’m not going to change anything about me.”

“We can work around the job.” He stroked my arm. “As for your father, he’s old. I’m sure you love the man, but when it’s time, it’s time. Then what? You’ll be all alone.”

My belly tingled. Maybe that was my tiger’s instinct, but something about his remarks felt like a veiled threat.

“What are your gifts?” I asked, channeling those instincts into something useful.

He jerked his head back. “Pardon?”

“You’re a Mage, and I’m a Shifter. Being with you is dangerous enough because of your power, but I need to know everything about you. What are your rare gifts? If my dating life isn’t allowed to be personal, neither are your abilities.”

He withdrew his arm and scratched his forehead. “I don’t see why that matters. I wouldn’t be using them on you.”

“Well, you certainly aren’t a Charmer,” I chided before walking around him to the door. When I reached for the knob, I paused. “Did you have something to do with Marcus Seaborn’s death? Were you there?” I looked over my shoulder and observed his reaction.

Henry locked eyes with me, his gaze steady and deliberate. “I’m not as patient as I look. I’m asking for you to bond with me—to be my wife. Or mate, as you like to call it. What’s your answer?”

“I’m…”

“Like I said before, I don’t let anything stand in the way of what I want. I can offer you power, money, and protection.”

“And what is it that I offer you?”

“Your beauty. Your confidence. You also have connections and clout, and that comes in handy.”

“Why not date another Mage?”

He shook his head. “Not what I’m interested in.”

Suddenly it was becoming obvious. Another Mage would be his equal in power.

With a Shifter, Henry had more control. He wouldn’t be able to touch me with his hands during sex without electrocuting me, and the more I thought about that power imbalance, the less I liked it.

What might he do to my tiger if he felt threatened?

“I can make all your problems go away,” he promised, his cadence slowing.

“And if I say no?”

Henry ran his finger along the column of my neck. “You’re a smart woman.”

He left the remark hanging in the air like a razor-sharp pendulum swinging overhead.

I had always prided myself for being a cunning negotiator, but I kept playing one scenario after another in my head, and none of them had a good outcome.

Still stroking my neck, he said, “You know, I bet I could talk to the Mageri and get them to drop the charges on that Chitah friend of yours. He’ll probably be banished from town… but wouldn’t that be nice? You’d be surprised at the connections I make in my line of work.”

Terror washed over me.

“Women like you are easy targets in a small town like this. I’d hate to see anyone accuse you of being in on that murder.”

“If they do, they better be ready for a slander charge.”

“You and the killer have been spending a lot of time alone together in your house. Did Marcus ever wrong you? Did you have a vendetta against him? Any reason you can think of that would incriminate you?”

Two very big incidents sprang to mind: the parking lot scuffle and the shed fire. “I need time to consider?—”

“Time’s up. I’ve given you more than enough time.” Henry touched my hair, which made my skin crawl. “Is Deacon Shaw going to be a problem too?”

“No.”

“Good. All I want is for you to accept my proposal. You’ll have money, power, respect, and best of all… me. I treat my women right, and I promise I’ll never hurt you, Eden. How many men can promise you that?”

Suddenly it wasn’t me I was worried about with his veiled threat.

It was all the people in my life he might hurt.

There were a number of ways he could force my hand or get his revenge if I rejected his offer, and he’d laid them all out without implicating himself.

Rejecting him was a more dangerous move than accepting.

“I’m not letting you leave this room until you give me your answer,” he bit out.

“I’ll agree on one condition.”

A smile creeped up his face. “Name it.”

“My father will live with us.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way. Is that all?”

“No rushing the ceremony.”

He canted his head. “Now, Eden. That’s not very romantic.”

My heart sank when I realized there was no getting out of this. Buying time would give me an opportunity to think my way out of it if possible. My priority at the moment was protecting people from his wrath, and that meant placating him.

I steeled myself. The last thing I wanted him to see was my fear. “We both know this isn’t a love match, so I need time to sort through personal matters and finances.”

“Done,” he finally said. “See how easy that was? Intelligent women go far in this world. Since you’re obviously a smart cookie, give me a timeline by tomorrow morning. And don’t forget to include all these personal matters you have going on that are delaying our auspicious day.”

“All right.”

He leaned in close to my ear and whispered, “That’s my girl. You won’t regret this.” Before drawing back, he added, “I don’t like roadblocks, so don’t put any between us.”

His threatening words made my heart jump. “Okay.”

“Good.” He drew back and gripped the doorknob.

“Don’t ask me again if I had anything to do with that murder.

You should know better than anyone that slander is against the law, and it would ruin my business and future earnings.

” Henry opened the door, and the music floated in from the main room.

“And wear shorter heels. I don’t like these.

Maybe I’ll buy you a classy pair of Gucci shoes. Would you like that?”

Henry had undoubtedly used Marcus to set up Lucian, and if I didn’t play my cards right, Deacon might be next.