When A Lioness Snarls (A Lion's Pride Book 5) (12 page)

“Is this your way of saying you wanted to make out with someone else?” Jealousy, sheath thy claws!

“No. I’m glad it was you and not anyone else. And a good thing no one accosted you. I would have had a hard time hiding the body.”

“Why would you have to hide a body?”

“Never mind. What I was trying to say is some things should only be done in privacy for the right reasons.”

“Because you’re a prude.”

Sigh. “Fine. Yes. I’m a prude, and dammit, I won’t apologize for it.”

She tossed him a grin. “Good, because you shouldn’t. It is frustrating, but cute.”

Turning her gaze away from him, she rotated her inspection to the ceiling. It loomed high overhead, the metal structural beams strung with disco balls and thick wiring.

“Hard to believe this is the hottest club right now.”

“Amazing what a lack of lighting and alcohol can do. Now we should get searching before our luck runs out and someone shows up.”

“Where should we look first? I doubt there’s anything out in the open. Personal files and stuff would need somewhere more secure.”

“Agreed. There’s got to be an office around here somewhere.”

Indeed there was, overlooking the whole club on a second floor. The door to it took only a firm shove to open. Inside, the space remained dry, obviously on a separate zone than the other part of the club.

They went through drawers, sifting through the papers found there, mostly orders for alcohol, time sheets for employees, and other detritus relating to the running of a club.

No secret agendas involving the trafficking of shifters. No secret compartment in the drawer with hidden USB sticks containing digital snuff movies. Not even any handcuffs. The desk and filing cabinet weren’t the only place they struck out. The computer locked them out after three invalid passwords, douchenozzle, Lunaisdaddomb, and lovemonkey not being correct.

And no, those weren’t her passwords. Anymore.

They didn’t find a single clue, other than the fact that the tequila wasn’t from Mexico. The horror.

Skipping back down the stairs, she couldn’t help but return to the dance floor, something nagging at her. Of the fairy dust the night before, not a trace seemed to remain, washed away most likely by the water.

Everything was washed clean, even all scent. So why did she feel they’d missed something?

Hidden.
Her feline hinted at something, but what? There wasn’t really much to see in this place. A vestibule, the main party areas, a storage area behind the bar with a washroom for employees and a place to hang. DJ booth, enclosed and kept dry from the deluge. What had they missed?

“Care to explain to me why you’re trespassing?”

The sudden query startled a yell from both of them. And no wonder. Apparently, they’d both missed the guy who’d snuck up on them.

T
he most emasculating
thing that could happen to a hunter, other than someone shaving his fur while he slept? Someone sneaking up on him.

As in he did not notice. At all.

Wolf fail.

Whine.

It didn’t matter Luna appeared just as surprised. How fucking embarrassing, especially since he yelped like a little startled pup.

Instinct took over, screaming danger. Whirling, Jeoff took quick stock of the stranger who walked more quietly than a spider on the ceiling, which, according to his sister, was false. She claimed the distinct click of their eight legs always made a noise. She would know since she screamed bloody murder every time he’d let his hairy tarantula loose in her room when they were kids.

He’d grown more mature since then, which was why he didn’t understand why he suddenly felt like a little boy in the presence of something big, so big that his wolf wondered if they should show their belly.

Excuse me? Like fuck.

The disturbing urge to submit made no sense. It wasn’t as if the male he faced presented a clear and present danger. As a matter of fact, he didn’t look like it would take much to take him down.

A lean dude, probably an inch or two over six feet. Black hair, with hints of red, slicked back, pale features, a thin nose and piercing eyes that looked less than impressed. The stranger held no weapon and didn’t have the bulky build of a bruiser. Still, there was something that didn’t sit right.

A low growl rumbled past his lips as his wolf bristled within, not liking the stranger at all. He took a deep breath for more clues, and it was then he understood his inner beast’s agitation. Whoever this guy was, he didn’t bear a scent apart from the fabric softener used on his smoky-gray Henley shirt.

Just like the guy last night. Except, this guy wasn’t the right size. More than one fellow without a natural scent? That was something of concern, as was the battle for dominance occurring right now.

Eyes locked, they did a silent posturing dance. When males met for the first time, animal or human, it didn’t matter. A certain posturing occurred as each man took the measure of the other. A glance up and down. A hitching of thumbs in belt loops. A hint of a disdain around the lips. It was part of establishing who was the more dominant one. Turned out it was Luna.

“Oh give me a break. You can both stop staring at each other. We all know who’s the one in charge here.” A pair of eyes swiveled her way, in time to catch her smirk. “Don’t make me show you.”

“Is she always so brazen?” asked the dude.

“
She
is right here. And
she
wants to know who you are,” she uttered with the haughty disdain of a queen.

A brow arched. “Who I am? I believe I asked first, and unlike you, I have a right to be here. So, who are you, and why are you trespassing?”

“We’re investigating what happened last night.” Jeoff had a ready answer.

“You are? Yet on whose behalf?” The man tapped his chin. “You’re not cops. Cops need a warrant to enter without permission. And why would the police return when they left more than satisfied it was a patron who accidentally set off the alarm. You’re most certainly not with the insurance company, since I didn’t call them. So who does that leave?” He fixed a dark stare on them, a strangely compelling gaze that made Jeoff want to blurt all his secrets.

Yeah, no. Jeoff clamped his lips and stared right back. The man let a hint of a smile curve his lips before turning his mighty glare on Luna. Jeoff almost laughed. As if something like that would intimidate her.

Fists planted on her hips, she stared right back. “You might as well concede now. I don’t blink. And, besides, I thought we already decided who was in charge here,” Luna retorted.

The man sighed. “Damned animals. Your kind are always such a pain to deal with.”

“Excuse me?” Jeoff said.

Head tilted at an angle, Luna perused the fellow more closely. “You know what we are, don’t you?”

“A lioness and a wolf, meddling in my affairs. However did I get so lucky?” The sarcasm dripped.

“You got lucky because you forgot to report to the city’s king.” Continued perusal and sniffing of the guy still didn’t let Jeoff identify the fellow. Strange, so fucking strange, because he’d never come across a person with no scent other than that of detergent on his clothes. Every living creature had a unique bouquet all their own, until now.

“You want me to report to your king?” Rich laughter left a chill on the skin. “Why would I do that? Those rules apply only to your kind. As for me, I don’t report to animals.” Clear disdain hued his words.

More and more things didn’t add up. “What are you?” Because the way the man spoke, his very attitude and apparent knowledge, made him more than human, but if he wasn’t shifter, what was he? Contrary to popular belief, just because Lycans and other shapeshifters existed didn’t mean a pantheon of other fairy tale creatures did. Or so Jeoff had been taught.

“I am none of your business.”

Funny how those words seem to echo, teasing the edges of his mind, repeating over and over, a whispery mantra. He brushed it aside. “I’m making it my business.” The words growled from him, and he leaned forward, the posture one of looming menace.

The fellow remained undaunted, standing his ground. “Do you really think you can force me?”

“Maybe he can’t, but I can. Tell us. Now. Who are you?” Luna pressed closer, invading the guy’s space, but he still didn’t retreat and kept his cool expression as she paced around him. That took balls. A lioness on the prowl wasn’t something to trifle with.

“Such interest in who I am. Then again, I guess there is no harm in announcing it. After all, I do plan to reside here for the foreseeable future. I am Gaston Charlemagne. The owner of Rainforest Menagerie, the club we are conversing in. As I am the proprietor, you will tell me why you broke in.”

“What if we don’t?”

“Then perhaps I shall allow the authorities to question you instead.”

“Surely we can settle things as adults.” Because the last thing Jeoff wanted was to bring the police in on possible shifter business. Luna already had enough strikes against her, but that didn’t mean she knew when to hold her tongue.

“Settle things like an adult?” She uttered a snorted. “Speak for yourself. I say we pin his ass to the floor and start torturing him for answers.”

“Tsk. Tsk.” Charlemagne shook his head. “Animals. Always thinking violence is the answer. And so unnecessary, especially considering I have nothing to hide.”

“If you have nothing to hide, then there is no harm in you maybe answering a few questions.” Jeoff tossed the suggestion.

“If it will get you to leave, then ask.”

“What do you know about the couples who have gone missing from your club?”

“People missing? That is the first I’ve heard of it. Are you sure you have the right location?”

Usually a good judge of character, Jeoff couldn’t read the man. With no scent or body language to hone in on, he could only take his words at face value. “They all came here. And haven’t been since.” A stretch of the truth to see if he could startle a reaction.

Charlemagne didn’t bat an eye. He replied with a slight shake of his head. “Why are you lying? Are you sure these people even came here, or are you fishing for information?”

How did the bastard know?

“Do you recognize these people?” Luna pulled out her phone and flashed some images saved on it.

One after another, Charlemagne shook his head. “Your persistence is commendable but misplaced. I do not personally greet all those who pass through my doors. They might have been patrons. They might not. I’m afraid I can’t help you, and I wonder what you thought you would find by breaking into my club.”

“We were looking for clues,” Luna boldly stated.

“Did you find any? Perhaps some blood in the bathroom? A souvenir in the office? A body in the basement?”

“This place has a basement?”

“A small one for utilities, and not the point. Your search is unfounded and illegal.”

“What’s illegal is what happened here last night. We were here. We saw what happened.” More like felt. The thing was, the drugs were gone, and his desire for Luna remained. Hell, it had existed before the drug too. Short of giving in, he wasn’t sure he’d ever quite shake it.

“Were you looking for reimbursement because someone cut your evening short by setting off our sprinklers?”

“I’m looking to find out why everyone in the club was drugged.”

At that accusation, Charlemagne’s lips split as he let out a loud laugh. “Drugged? And what makes you think such a foolish thing?”

Again, Luna didn’t couch her words. “The whole place turned into a giant orgy.”

“Yes, I heard the patrons got friskier than usual the previous evening. What of it?” A supercilious raised brow went well with his reply.

“It was drug-induced,” Jeoff accused, because how else to explain the loss of control that had almost led to him taking Luna on the floor, like an animal?

“That accusation is groundless. People got inspired and let their inhibitions down. You got caught up in it, a sexual version of mob mentality. Now you regret your actions and want someone to blame.” His dark eyes glittered. “Nothing happened here last night. And nothing happened to those missing people. Unless you are actually with law enforcement with a warrant, I will ask that you leave. I am done answering your questions. The exit is that way.” The man pointed, and Jeoff bristled. It was one thing to take orders from Arik, quite another from this upstart who thought himself above him.

As for Luna, no surprise, she didn’t intend to listen. “You can stop with the orders. I am not done with you.”

“Yes. You. Are.
Sleep.
” The fellow’s hand rose, and he blew the dust sitting in the palm. Jeoff held his breath, determined to not inhale, but the fine particles still stung his eyes and settled on his skin.

In one blink of an eye to the next, he found himself outside on the sidewalk, sitting slumped, Luna at his side. “What the fuck just happened?” Jeoff asked as he jumped to his feet.

Luna darted forward and yanked on the door, yet despite the handles not being chained, it didn’t move. Something secured it from inside. “How did we get here?”

I don’t know.
An emasculating admission he couldn’t make. “I think that dude inside did something to us. Drugged us somehow with that powder he blew and then brought us outside.”

“So I didn’t just imagine what happened?” She cast him a glance. “You saw and talked to him too?”

“I did. And I’ve got to say I didn’t like him at all.”

“What the hell was he?” she asked as she stepped away from the door. Head craned back, she peered upward at the shuttered building, the windows all painted, none offering a glimpse of the inside, even if they could reach them.

“Fuck if I know what he was.” He shrugged. “I was kind of hoping you would know.”

“Nope. But he’s obviously not human.”

On that they could both agree. “Think he’s here all alone?” If the guy didn’t have backup, then perhaps they could storm the place and…what? He had no grounds for attacking the fellow. But they obviously couldn’t ignore Charlemagne.

She tapped her bottom lip, her gaze distant. “He’s strong, whatever he is, or at least wily. As for backup, I think he’s got at least one, maybe more, of his kind with him. His lack of real body odor made me think of those bouncers last night. The one at the door and the one I clobbered. Not to mention the guy who jumped me in my apartment.”

“What of our fellow in the woods?”

She rolled her shoulders. “Could be one of the ones we’ve met, or a new one. With no scent, I can’t be sure. What I do know is there’re too many of them, and I don’t like it. We need to get back in there,” she observed.

“Somehow, I don’t think Charlemagne is going to answer if we knock.”

“So we don’t knock.” She smirked. “We’ll come back tonight and wait for the doors to open. He can’t stop us from having a good time in his club.”

Except, apparently, he could.

Despite the water mishap the day before, the club was open that night, busier than ever. But that wasn’t the reason the bouncer, the same one from the night before, didn’t let them pass.

Arms crossed over his chest, the brute, doused in a bottle of cologne, pungent enough to burn any and all nose hairs, stood in their way.

“You’re not allowed in.”

“Why not? You let us in last night.”

“Not happening today.”

“But look…” Luna pulled out an ID card and waved it in front of his nose. “I brought my driver’s license.”

“Still not happening. Boss’s orders.”

“Charlemagne banned us?”

It explained a lot, not that Luna accepted it.

“This is a free country. You can’t keep me out.”

Actually, they could, and they could call the cops. At least Jeoff thought they might have given the distant sirens.

“Come on.” Jeoff tugged at Luna’s hand. “We’ll go somewhere else.”

Face set in a scowl, and scuffing her cowgirl boots, which looked utterly adorable paired with her jean skirt and plaid blouse tied off under her breasts, Luna stomped back in the direction of his car. “I can’t believe we’re walking away. I mean, we totally could have strong-armed him. Or at least I could have and you could have slipped inside and checked out his staff and stuff for more plain dudes.” Plain dudes being her new word for the scentless fellows.

“Strong-arming wouldn’t have worked.”

“And scuttling off with our tails tucked will?” was her sarcastic retort.

Her lack of faith pricked. “I can’t believe you’d think they’d scare me off that easily.” He made a chiding noise. “I’m not giving up. But I am going to employ something called subterfuge. Let Charlemagne and his crew think they’ve chased us off, but in reality…” He gave her a grin. “We double back and sneak in another way.”

“I like the way your mind works.”

Except his mind couldn’t budge the men stationed at the front and back of the building and another pair to guard each end of the alley. Add in more on the outside of doors and exits.