“This isn’t an interrogation, Sergio. If it was, my Beta would be snapping your limbs like twigs while my mate then beat you bloody with them. You tell me straight up who tried to kidnap my son.”
Sergio studied his fingernails. “You might remember I proposed an alliance between our packs, Trey. Had you accepted, we could have saved ourselves all this drama.”
“You want an alliance in exchange for information?”
Sergio’s smile was devious. “It’s just business.”
Roni sidled up to her brother and pointed her lollipop at Sergio. “You’ve got to give it to the guy, Nick: he has balls. Of course, we can always fix that by scooping them out with a rusty spoon and shoving them down his throat.” She spoke to Sergio then. “I’ll bet that’ll leave a familiar taste in your mouth.”
“Bitch, you—” His words were abruptly cut off as Nick plucked him out of his seat by his throat and slammed him high against the wall while the other jackals yelped and cackled.
Sergio struggled against Nick’s hold. “What the fuck!”
“Let me explain something,” rumbled Nick, power and rage pouring from him. “We’re not here to chat, or negotiate, or interrogate. We’re here to get the facts. You’re going to give us what we want. If you don’t, I’ll destroy you and every single jackal in this building.”
Now Sergio looked suitably afraid. It was impossible not to while Nick was glaring at him with homicidal urges in his eyes.
Taryn squinted up at him. “Glad it’s not me up there. I get nosebleeds in high altitudes. Do you?”
“You’re still not talking.” Trey took one menacing step forward.
“I heard it was the Scorpio Pack,” Sergio blurted out.
“Go on,” prodded Nick.
“Can you put me down?”
“No.”
Sergio sighed in resignation. “I don’t know for sure; I’m not in contact with them. They were blacklisted a few years ago.”
A pack could be blacklisted for a number of reasons, usually crime-related. They would then be mostly isolated from shifter society, losing their territory and alliances and no longer recognized as a pack by the shifter council.
“You sound disgusted with them,” observed Dante.
“I am. They were blacklisted, for God’s sake.”
Taryn snorted. “It’s not like your pack is squeaky-clean.”
“But there’s not a thing anyone could pin on me. For a pack to be sloppy enough to have evidence brought against them is worthy of disgust.”
“Well, since you have so little respect for them, you won’t mind telling me where I can find them.” Nick gave Sergio’s neck a cautioning squeeze.
“I don’t know,” he wheezed. “After they were blacklisted, they were forced to go on the road, so they’re never in one place for very long.”
“Why was the pack blacklisted?” Marcus asked.
“They were running an illegal fighting ring for shifters. It went on for years. At some point, they started including humans. The humans were willing, but they were getting badly hurt. Then some started . . . disappearing. Before it could attract the attention of the extremists, someone tipped off the council, and they blacklisted the pack.”
Taryn’s brows arched. “Wow, great story. In what chapter do you tell us where the fuck they are?”
“I told you, I don’t know where they are.”
“Then what do you know?”
He was silent for a moment. He closed his eyes as he said, “S. N. M.”
Dante’s brow furrowed. “What?”
Opening his eyes, Sergio elaborated. “It’s a website: snm.com. You should find some answers there. But you might not like what you see.”
Nick allowed Sergio to slide down the wall. “There. That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Sergio cupped his throat. “All of you get out of here. And don’t step a single foot on my territory again.”
Nick actually smiled. “Provided you told me the truth, there’s nothing for you to worry about. Except for the matter of the female trying to creep up on my sister. Unless you want said female to die, call her off.”
“Nick,” whined Roni, who had easily sensed the jackal trying to blindside her. “Why did you have to tip him off? I was looking forward to having some fun with her.”
There was no way Marcus would have allowed the female jackal to touch her, but he knew telling her that he’d planned to intervene and protect her wouldn’t have worked out well for him.
Sergio shook his head slightly at the female, and she halted . . . but not before baring her teeth at Roni. His little wolf laughed.
“Aw, isn’t she cute?”
Considering she’d used the same tone that one might use when referring to a newborn bunny, it was totally understandable that the jackal jumped at Roni. Marcus had seen it coming, and he was fast as he moved to leap between them. But Roni was faster. Quick as fucking lightning, she grabbed the flailing female by the throat and slammed her onto the floor, pinning her there. And she hadn’t even lost her lollipop in the struggle. His wolf growled his approval.
Roni shook her head sadly at the jackal, wagging her lollipop. “My, my, my, we are behaving very stupidly today, aren’t we?”
One of the male jackals stepped forward. “Let her go!” Marcus blocked his path.
“Well, now, that’s up to her.” Roni cocked her head at the female. “Are you going to use what few brain cells you have and be a good girl if I let you up?” The jackal nodded, her eyes fearful. “For your sake, you better not be bullshitting me.” The female quickly scampered.
As one, the Phoenix and Mercury wolves turned their backs on the jackals—communicating their lack of fear. Sergio’s voice stopped them as they reached the door.
“Remember, don’t come back here.”
Taryn shook her head, looking offended. “Ah, now that’s just rude.”
Roni nodded. “Totally.”
Back in the rear seat of the Chevy, Roni once again found herself caught between the window and Marcus, who was currently focused on his cell phone. Frustratingly, she was conscious of every single inch of that solid, supremely masculine body pressed against her side.
She should have felt trapped. He was a very pushy, dominant male who was invading her personal space. And yet, all she felt was the insane urge to turn her head and inhale more of his scent. But could anyone really blame her? The guy oozed sex, power, and danger. It was a lethal cocktail for any dominant female shifter. It made her wolf kind of drunk.