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Mustapha seeather up his stoic Zen-like ie, and within a few seconds he was his cool self "If Eric don’t have a problem with it, why should I?" he said (It would have been nice if he had realized that earlier) "I’s, Sookie"

"Sure Have a seat"

"No, thanks Won’t be here long enough"

"Warren didn’t come with you?" Warren was most often on the back of Mustapha’s motorcycle Warren was a skinny little ex-con with pale skin and straggly blond hair and soreat friend of Mustapha’s

"Didn’t figure I’d need a gun here" Mustapha looked away He seeled Odd Werewolves were hard to read, but it didn’t take a telepath to know that so was up with Mustapha Khan

"Let’s hope no one needs a gun What’s happening in Shreveport that you couldn’t tell me over the phone?"

I sat down e Eric could have left one onMustapha-but like most vamps, he didn’t really have a rock-solid trust in electronics, especially if the neas important

"You want him to hear this?" Mustapha tilted his head toward Der," I told Derave the daytime man a level blue stare that warned Mustapha to be on his best behavior and rose, taking hiswith him We heard the stairs creak as hetold him Dermot was out of earshot, he sat down opposite me and placed his hands side by side on the table very precisely Style and attitude

"Okay, I’ to Shreveport to talk about the disappearance of his buddy Victor"

"Oh, shit," I said

"Say it, Sookie We’re in for it now" He se?"

"Eric would like you to coreet Felipe"

"I won’t see Eric till then?" I could feel my face narrow in a suspicious squint That didn’t suit me at all The thin cracks in our relationship would only spread wider if we didn’t get to spend ti "I don’t know if he got to clean out his bathrooet ready’ is what he told ht," I said "And that’s it? That’s the whole s to tell you, not frolasses His chocolate-chip eyes were downcast; Mustapha was not a happy ca the inside of my mouth If Mustapha could be stoical about Felipe’s ireat risk We had both participated in the plan to trap Victor Madden, regent of the state of Louisiana, put in place by King Felipe of Nevada, and we had helped to kill Victor and his entourage What was more, I was pretty sure Felipe de Castro suspected all this with a high degree of certainty

"First thing, from Pam"

Blond and sardonic, Eric’s child Pa the vae

"She says, ’Tell Sookie that this is the hard time that will shohat she is made of’"

I cocked ured as much" I’d pretty much assumed Felipe’s post-Victor visit would be a very touchy one But that Pam would warn meseemed a bit odd

"Harder than you know," Mustapha said intently

I stared at hily, he did not elaborate I knew better than to ask hi is from me," he continued

Only the fact that I’d had to controlhi me advice?

"I’m a lone wolf," he said, by way of preamble

I nodded He hadn’t affiliated with the Shreveport olves, allTooth pack

"When I first blew into Shreveport, I looked into joining I even went to a pack gathering," Mustapha said

It was the first chink I’d seen in his "I’m badass and I don’t need anyone" armor I was startled that he’d even tried Alcide Herveaux, the packleader in Shreveport, would have been glad to gain a strong wolf like Mustapha

"The reason I didn’t even consider it is because of Jannalynn," he said Jannalynn Hopper was Alcide’s enforcer She was about as big as a wasp, and she had the sah and she would challenge someone as alpha as you?" I said

He inclined his head "She wouldn’t leave ht"

"You think she could win? Over you" I made it not quite a question With Mustapha’s size advantage and his greater experience, I could not fathom why Mustapha had a doubt he would be the victor

He inclined his head again "I do Her spirit is big"

"She likes to feel in charge? She has to be the baddest bitch in the fight?"

"I was in Hair of the Dog yesterday, early evening Just to spend so for the vaet the sot a deader hanging around at the Hair, lately Anyway, Jannalynn was talking to Alcide while she was serving him a drink She knows you loaned Merlotte some money to keep his bar afloat"