HISS (4 page)

turn you against me.” Her façade slipped. “The bitch is full of lies.”

“Funny mother, but Sint hasn’t said anything negative about you to date. As for you beating Sint out

—well—she doesn’t seem too torn up about it since she is happily mated to a boar.
An
Alpha
.”

She sputtered.

“So to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?”

“There are rumors flying around here that you are sniffing after that Marree girl again. It’s bad

enough that the woman has no family, no history, we can’t even be sure she’s a snake. And don’t think

I haven’t heard about that bastard child she got pregnant with after she left here. Probably from that

human she left you for. Be careful or she’ll be claiming you’re the little heathen’s father. The woman

can’t shift and I want to make sure you realize the impact she will have on your career if you try to

mate her.”

“Mom.” He could practically her cringe at the endearment. “You might be surprised to hear this but

when I looked in the mirror this morning, a grown-ass man peered back at me. Your opinion is

unsolicited and unwanted. I will do what I please and Marree has always been the one who made me

happy. Imagine the joys of being a grandma. Perhaps I need to buy you the T-shirt.” He paused,

allowing his words to sink in. “Is there anything else that you need?”

“You’ll see, Jamison Montgomery Conda. A mother is always right.” The line went quiet.

Jamison turned onto the clay road that would lead him to Marree’s house. “I know you’re still there

mother.”

“Of course I’m still here. It would be rude to hang up on you. I am waiting for an apology.”

“Were you? Hmm. I hadn’t planned on giving you one. I will tell you this. I plan to claim Marree

and have many children and…are you sitting
mom
?” He continued. “If they can’t shift, I don’t care

because I will love them anyway. And if you don’t want to have anything to do with my family—well

—I can honestly tell you I am perfectly okay with that. Bye bye now.” Jamison depressed the button to

cut off the call as he pulled into a gravel-covered driveway. He drove over the pebbles and onto the

grass, parking the vehicle behind the house.

If Marree saw an unfamiliar SUV, he knew she would throw her truck in reverse and he was

doubtful he’d ever catch her. He had to approach her calmly and leave her with few options. Handling

those backstabbing, social climbing, money-hungry shifters on the council was a breeze compared to

dealing with Marree. He eased his finger over the window mechanism, sending the driver and

passenger side windows down. A cool wind blew through the cab. He leaned his head back and closed

his eyes.

In his mind he went over his arguments. After all he was entering into the most important

negotiations of his life.

Chapter Four

Twilight painted the sky dark amber with just a hint of deep blue peeking through at random

intervals. Kiele stepped out of her car, dragging her jacket with her, and scanned the surrounding area.

A few vehicles dotted the parking lot. She threw the light coat around her shoulders and slid her arms

into the sleeves, effectively hiding the holster strapped to her back. She pulled down her T-shirt to

conceal the slender daggers belted at her waist.

The street lights flashed on as she crossed the parking lot, creating dull yellow circles on the

concrete. She bypassed the glass doors at the front of the building and eased into the shadows, walking

along the side of the structure to the back door. Except for the recent remodel of the inside, the edifice

hadn’t changed in over fifty years. Knowing how thrifty the council could be, she’d bet the interior

hadn’t changed much either. She shook her head. So much money was funneled through the council

with high percentages being taken from the top of every contract, government and shifter-wise, under

the guise of fairness and full disclosure. The bastards could afford better security.

Flush with the wall, she eased into the alcove under the camera above the doorjamb. Using the

darkness to her advantage she slipped her hand along the metal edge until her fingers touched the

heavy duty plastic case of the lenses. She dug out the mini can of silicon from her pocket and raised

her arm pressing on the nozzle. Kiele returned the can to her jeans and pulled her lock picks free.

She’d done this a million times before, using her sense of touch to open an entry. The soft snicks of

the tumbler told her she’d succeeded. She gently yanked the heavy barrier open and quietly moved

into the interior of the building. Dim lights along the floor moldings illuminated her way. It was

ridiculously easy moving along the floors. They still believed themselves invincible and that their

word was to be executed and accepted with no questions asked. The fools, only a few of them could

see the writing on the wall and therefore took precautions. A war wouldn’t be the end for them. It

would feed the council’s delusions of grandeur and cement side deals that most of the members

secretly made anyway. Hell, they would become the black market. Kiele located the office and

soundlessly glided through the sliver of open space in the doorway.

The dark haired man with the angular features she assumed was her connection leaned back in his

chair and stared at her. He lifted a beveled tumbler of brown liquid and swirled it. “It took you long

enough to get here. I was assured you were the best. I’m not so sure I believe that.”

Kiele knew her grimace was feral, exposing her sharp incisors. She’d dealt with council members

before but this one had cockiness in spades. “Heinrich, right? I don’t give a damn what you think.”

She sniffed and wrinkled her nose. “Coyote. You have a job that needs to be handled and I’m here to

take care of that.”

“Fuck up and I’ll kill you myself.” He set the glass down with a
thud
.

“If you could resolve your problem on your own I wouldn’t be here. So save the scare tactics for

someone who gives a shit. I need a name and picture of my target.” She rested her hip on the arm of

the chair across from his desk.

He slid the top drawer open and pulled out a glossy eight by ten shot of three men and stabbed a

finger on the man in the middle. “I actually want all three killed but we’ll start with Jamison Conda.

As an esteemed member of the board, I’m sure you know I can’t have this traced back to me.”

Kiele stared at the picture and hid her surprise. She knew her target well, which should make it easy

to complete her assignment. She schooled her features into a nonchalant mask and quelled the

uneasiness twisting in her stomach. “As I understand it, I was only to eliminate one beast.” She leaned

forward and pulled the photograph closer, playing at memorizing the features of the other men. “If

you want more than the one man dead then you need to rethink your payment.” She shoved the image

away.

He ignored her statement. “Jamison is in Betaille at the moment but I have one of my associates

watching him.” Heinrich steepled his fingers. “As far as any additional compensation, given the

expense to secure your services I want to see how you handle yourself before I contract another job

with your people.” He snorted. “Humans are a waste of valuable time. How can you work for them?”

“You tell me. You went to the Shadow Clan for help. Must be a hellava thing to have to swallow

your pride and sink so low as to contact my organization to solve your problem.” She sucked her teeth.

“I know all about you, Heinrich Himmel, and about your rout. I don’t like surprises and honestly your

file was full of interesting observations and insights.” She watched his eyes widen. “What? You were

so busy watching others you didn’t realize someone has been keeping an eye on
you
? As for worrying

about who you’re getting in bed with, well, let me give you a word of advice, you’re already fucked

and with no Vaseline.” She shook her head and rose. “One more thing. Watch your back, coyote. Next

time I may be coming for you and you won’t see me until you feel my blade at your throat. You

checked me out so I’m sure you know how I get my jollies.” She eased from the room and retraced her

steps without a backward glance.

She made quick time in exiting the building and after a hasty trot to her car, she slid behind the

wheel. What the hell was going on? When she’d committed herself to the Shadow Clan she’d done so

with the understanding her friends and family would be safe. With the push of a button her car came to

life and she pulled out of the lot, melding into traffic. She needed to make contact with her handler

and if possible, she needed to warn the only person she could trust. Someone had double crossed her

and would pay for the slight.

Kiele pulled into a convenience store parking lot and rushed in to purchase a cheap cell phone. She

initiated the account and waited a few minutes for the phone to activate. She dialed her friend.

“Have you lost your fucking mind calling me here?” Colin’s annoyed rasp came through loud and

clear.

“We don’t have much time. You, Jamison, and Matos are targets. Heinrich has taken a contract out

on Jamison first and guess who got the assignment?”

“You mean that bastard actually crawled into bed with the humans. He must be desperate.” Colin

chuckled.

“It’s not a joking matter. These are not people we want to play with,” she muttered.

“Do what you do best, Kiele. I trust you’ll handle the situation with efficiency. I’ll warn Matos and

Jamison. Maybe it’s time to come in out of the cold. My pack will ensure your protection. You have

my word.”

“We don’t have everything in place. We are not prepared to deal with the Shadow Clan yet. What

about Roar?”

“My son will have to learn there are consequences to his decisions as all my boys had to.” There

was a hard edge to his voice.

“No, I can make this work.”

“Do what you have to do. Volkshire is ready. I don’t like fighting a war on two fronts but if it’s a

fight the fuckers want then I will shove shit straight down my enemies’ throats.”

“You have Betaille and Jamison’s clutch in Rattler, Texas. Plus us sleepers in the Shadow Clan,

bitches will never see us coming once everything is organized. If we play our cards right there won’t

be a war at all. In the meantime, you need to get to Roar and pull that pup out.”

Colin grumbled. “Seems like I’m always saving one son or another. How do you want to handle

this? You’re on point for this assignment.”

Kiele snickered. “I have a contract. I’m going home.” She hung up and dropped the cell on the

cement. Grinding the plastic under foot, she kicked the pieces into the gutter.

She inhaled deeply and dug her phone from her pocket. After scrolling through her team’s numbers

she grazed the screen and listened to the rings of her handler’s cell. She didn’t wait for

acknowledgment. “You broke your word.”

The slow baritone of her contact scraped over her nerves. “Your target isn’t for anyone in your

family or even in Betaille, for that matter.”

“I grew up with Jamison. We were close,” She spat.

“The operative word is were. Do your job, Kiele. I would hate to see something happen to that

handsome boy of yours because his mama can’t follow directions.”

“My parents would never let you near him.”

“They would never see us coming and it will be your fault as they bleed out in their sleep.”

“I have other means of protecting them.”

“You mean that snake of a daddy who fathered your son. We’d kill him first. For all your years of

service you’ll at least get a warning of what’s coming. Now do your fucking job and report in with

proof of death.” Her contact ended the call.

She tightened her grip on the small device and whispered. “Don’t you worry, you son of a bitch.

When I’m done confirmation of kill won’t be an issue.”

* * * *

She came barreling down the lane like a bat out of hell and swerved to a stop. Red dust kicked up

surrounding her vehicle in a haze. She stepped out of the cloud with Karma clinging to her hip. He

stepped around the corner of the structure as she stuck the key in the deadbolt.

Jamison cocked his head. “Why the hurry?”

She jumped in place, swinging around to face him. Karma clutched at her lab coat and giggled. He

stared at the child. Her dark, honey gold ringlets of loose curls had a hint of green at the roots. Except

for her eyes, she favored her mother but he knew those light brown eyes. They were the color and

shape of his. He smiled wide, no longer needing Marree’s confirmation, he knew in his heart Karma

was his. The little one returned his grin and he could make out a tiny hint of fang. There was no cause