That did make sense. “You keep calling the Colters, bad shifters. That implies there are some good werewolves around.”
“There might be.”
That wasn’t an answer. Trax slipped out from behind the counter and headed toward his room. She figured he was going to collect some of his stuff for the night.
She faced Dante. “So who else is in this organization?” One name wasn’t enough for her inquisitive mind.
“I doubt you’ll run into many in the group, but there are four other men who do exactly what we do.” He leaned closer. “Or rather, what Trax does. I was telling the truth before. I mostly run the store, and our resident vigilante prowls the streets making sure it’s safe for people like you.” His voice was laced with pride.
“Who are these other men?”
“Drake Stanton and Kurt Wendlick are partners, along with Clay Demmers and Dirk Tilton.”
She’d never remember their names. “Are they ex-military, too?”
“For the most part.”
Trax came out of his room carrying some clothes, a pillow, and a blanket. “Dante, you’re a slob.”
“What else is new?”
“You just dumped her toothbrush on top of her clothes.”
Dante looked over at her. “I was in a hurry. Sorry.”
She placed her good hand on his leg and heat shot up her arm. Immediately, she withdrew her arm to her side. She didn’t need to be thinking with her pussy when she needed her brain right now. “It’s okay. I’m thankful you brought some clothes.”
A light above the entrance door flashed. Dante jumped up. “Pizza’s here.”
That was quick. From the noise, he took the stairs two at a time. She expected to hear the door open sooner than it did. He was probably checking to see if the pizza guy was legit. His feet pounded on the stairs again and he reclosed the upper door.
“Let’s eat!”
The spicy smell of tomato, cheese, and bread made her stomach grumble even more. Dante picked up a stack of napkins off the counter and brought them over. “Water?”
She’d love wine, but her head would only pound more. “Sure.”
He grabbed the beer Trax had offered earlier but never delivered on. No sooner had he settled next to her than Trax’s phone rang. Tension rolled off Mr. Easygoing, as if he expected trouble.
Trax answered, but said little. “When? Keep me posted.”
He looked straight at her and her heart skipped a beat. “What?”
“Elena Sanchez is missing.”
Liz looked over at Dante whose jaw had tensed. “Who’s Elena Sanchez?”
“The secretary at Couch’s firm you replaced.”
Double, oh shit.
Chapter Five
Liz’s mind spun, trying to remember what the girl had told her. “She might be in Costa Rica.” She fisted her bandaged hand. Pain burned through her and she winced.
Trax came out from behind the counter. “Tell me what you know.”
Now they were going to think she was a real piece of work. “I needed to get close to Couch. You know why.”
Trax sat opposite her, but his rear barely touched the leather chair. “Yes. Go on.”
“Jobs are scarce and people don’t just quit because you need to take their place so you can kill their boss.”
Dante’s brows pinched. “You told her you wanted to kill Couch?”
She wasn’t that dumb. “No. I told her I planned on starting my own au pair business and wanted the experience from a seasoned veteran like Couch.”
Dante nodded. “Smart.”
Trax motioned with his hand for her to hurry up with her story. Well, it was her story, damn it. Liz huffed out a breath. “Anyway, I needed to find a way to get a job at Couch’s company. Given it’s only a two-person operation, I didn’t have many choices.”
Trax raised a brow. “What did you do to her?”
Her mouth formed an O. “I didn’t do anything to her. I paid her almost my entire life savings to just walk away.”
“Sugar, how much did you give her?” Dante leaned forward.
“Five thousand dollars. Then she told me she hated Couch, and she’d be happy to leave. With the money she could visit her family in Costa Rica.”
Trax didn’t say anything. He removed his phone and pushed a button. Because he walked into the kitchen he must not have wanted her to hear.
Dante rubbed her arm. “That was very creative of you, but I’m sorry you had to spend so much money.”
“Yeah, well, I was desperate.”
Dante picked up a slice of pizza. “Eat up.”
“Who’s Trax talking to?”
“Our counterparts, Clay and Dirk. They’re awesome at finding people. It’s their best skill. Don’t worry. We’ll find her.”