Page 64 of The Tracker's Secret

“Dunno.”

“Or maybe the Ericksons pissed him off.”

Jake shrugged and rubbed his forehead, looking at a loss. “Also a possibility. And if he’s working with someone, could that be Fiore? Would a well-respected werewolf align himself with a vampire?” He didn’t seem to expect any answers to these questions. He just seemed to be talking out loud, which was a good thing because I had no clue, and I was starting to get a headache thinking about it.

“I can do some digging around,” he added. “Find out if Blake has any family or friends, talk to them if I find them.”

“Don’t you have a case you’re working on?” I asked.

“Not at the moment. I haven’t officially opened for business. I’m still working on finishing the place. Plus there’s been a lot going on.” He glanced away, looking preoccupied.

I had to remind myself that he’d only arrived in St. Louis a couple of weeks ago. Though, considering everything that had gone on, it felt much longer than that.

“What will you do?” he asked. “Will you track Blake?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” After our conversation, I was leaning toward doing it, but I wanted to discuss things with Rosalina first.

“Let me know if you do. I’d like to offer whatever help I can.”

“Sure, though there isn’t anything you can do to help.” I gave him a sardonic smile. His help had always come afterward, once I’d homed in on a location for my mark, and we needed to physically track them.

“I wish there was.” He held my gaze, narrowing his eyes with distrust. “I wish you would tell me everything about how your skills work.”

I made a dismissive gesture with my hand. “It’s nothing special. Boring as hell.”

“I don’t think anything about you is boring, on the contrary.”

“Oh, yeah, I’m oodles of fun,” I said with a sigh.

He rested his chin on his hand and regarded me with amusement. “You certainly are, especially in bed.”

I felt the heat climb from my neck straight into my cheeks like fireworks exploding in all shades of crimson. How dare he bring that up?

Cheeky bastard!

Did he mean it, though? I really wanted to know. God, I hated myself. But I couldn’t help it. This man could turn my g-string inside out with only one look. Still, I couldn’t let him disarm me like this. Two could play at this game.

I shrugged, trying to appear indifferent to his comment. “And I was just getting started. I’m much more fun now.”

It was Jake’s turn to turn red, except in his case, it wasn’t from shame but anger. His nostrils flared. He pulled his hands under the table as they balled into fists. His teeth ground together. I legit heard them with my enhanced hearing. I waited for him to turn green with jealousy, but maybe that was too much to ask.

Brimming with satisfaction, I placed a tip on the table and stood. “We’d better go. I have work to do and a decision to make, which I need to discuss with my partner.”