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I stepped back and stared at her, waiting, giving Misha a chance to est payout on delivery of the "

She ignored my derision "So far, all I have is a contact with a primo blood-servant of a o na my face, and hers fell "You’ve never heard of him?"

I shook my head I didn’t remember that name fro I had looked at was clan naet a handle on Natchez’s organizational structure "Clan name?" I asked

"Clan Petitpas"

I shookNatchez’s established houses Misha turned her head away, letting that blond hair cover her face for aher eyes "Bobby said you would help He said to tell you that I need you"

Bobby looked up at the sound of his name and I ered a round, beaten and bloody, the bullies having run off, one eye already blackening, his red hair round dirt "I needed you, Jane," he had whimpered "And you came"

Unlike when I had trailed Ann Shelton and her pals down to the gy attacked by a sroup of vicious boys, had been luck If I hadn’t

Bobby looked from me to Misha and back And smiled

"Okay" I hadn’t expected to speak--I certainly hadn’t expected to agree to help Misha write a book--so I clarified, "I’ll tell you what I can that isn’t covered by the employee/employer relationship" I walked back to my chair and picked up ht?" She nodded, and I sipped The tea was light and flavorful, delicate like the "flower" that had blooot an idea Go me "I’ll share, but I want it both ways I’d like what info you already have on the local va "Fine As long as you agree to not write a book on the subject"

"Write a-- Yeah, sure Fine Done I’ll try to arrange intros But if the vamps you want to talk to say no, then I have no control over that"

"No a to break their fingers one by one?" She s

"No None of that They’d break me in tith one hand tied behind their backs I want all this in writing"

"I’ll haveto protect your interests and privacy and give you the right to read the book before it goes to the editor So let’s start there, with the Mithrans’ physical strengths My sources tell ular vaain"

I didn’t try to stiflethe feel of Lucas Vazquez de Allyon’s flesh trying to reknit and heal, even as my blade severed his head "Yes" I dranklike an idiot I had been played I knew that I just wasn’t sure how it had happened "Definitely yes"

My appointment with Misha and my trip down memory lane concluded, I was back in the SUV cab with Eli, the Kid on speaker phone while I instructed him to research Bryson Ryder If the human wasn’t a primo of a known clan, then I wanted to knohat he really was It was dumb, but I felt responsible for Misha "While you’re at it," I suggested, "create us a listing of any properties owned by Big H’s clans"

"Yeah, I’ll just snap ers and they’ll appear, collated in a file," the Kid said, his tone full of snark "I’m not Superman You have no idea how impossible that last request is, do you?"