The older woman gave him a deferential nod before sighing. “Oh, this business with the auction is just horrible, isn’t it?”
“It is,” replied Tate. “But it’ll be dealt with. In the meantime, be careful.”
“Oh, I will. Trust me.” She gave Havana a pointed look. “You take care now.”
“You, too,” said Havana.
With a little wave, the woman walked away.
Havana’s eyes met his, and Tate felt the electric snap of attraction in his blood. Those bluish-gray eyes flared, telling him she’d felt it too, but she blanked her expression fast.
To his consternation, the drive to brand her hadn’t yet dimmed. It was still like a live wire inside him, and he had no idea how to shut it off. He just knew he had no intention of answering that drive. He wouldn’t force a mark on her just to make some kind of point, no matter how much his system pushed at him to do so.
“I’m hoping you came because you have amazing news to deliver,” she said, stepping back to allow him to enter. “Like that one of your contacts knows where Gideon is.”
Tate took three steps into the apartment before he admitted, “Unfortunately, I don’t yet have that info. Most of them believe he’s dead, but not all. They’re still looking into the situation with the auctions and—” He cut off as a mamba launched its entire body at the adorable bearcat sitting on the rug. The bearcat let out a yowl, and then the two were wrestling and rolling around on the living room floor. Lounging on the sofa, Camden only sighed.
Havana crossed to the animals. “For God’s sake,” she snapped. “Are you really not bored of this at all?”
The animals easily broke apart, so it was clearly a play-fight. The bearcat sat up, cute as a button, and scratched at her ear. The snake raised her head and flicked out her tongue.
“We’re supposed to be watching a movie, so could you please go shift and put on some clothes?” Havana asked them.
The animals cast Tate and Luke a brief look before each heading to a pile of clothes. But then the bearcat’s long, ringed tail lashed out and whipped the mamba. The snake hissed and coiled to strike.
“No, I’m done with this,” Havana declared. “Go. Shift. Now.”
Tate’s body tightened at the dominant, no-nonsense way she took control. He’d seen her do it with her friends more than once. Watching her own her strength and step into her unofficial Alpha role was always a turn-on.
The animals both shot her a put-out “you’re no fun” look. It was as the bearcat turned that Tate noticed two puncture wounds on her back.
“Looks like the snake bit her,” he warned.
Havana waved that away. “She’ll be fine. Bearcat shifters have a peptide that can neutralize any snake venom.”
He blinked. “Really?”
“Yep. And don’t think Bailey’s mamba doesn’t take full advantage of that and bite the bearcat whenever she feels like it.” Havana walked into the kitchen.
Signaling for his brother to remain in the living area, Tate trailed after her. He found her standing at the counter, where bags of various snacks had been laid out. “Farrell told me that Sinclair wasn’t at his apartment.”
Her nose wrinkled. “He was long gone by the time Aspen, Camden, and your Head Enforcer arrived. Apparently, it was too much to hope that there’d be something at Sinclair’s place that would give us any clues as to where he might have gone or who hired him.”
“Farrell couldn’t find any photos there, so we don’t have a clue what Sinclair looks like.” Tate propped his hip against the counter. “My allies and contacts have been debriefed about everything. Only a few had heard a rumor about the auctions, but they weren’t convinced it was true until now. Unfortunately, none had info on Sinclair. There’s no record of him anywhere, so he either destroyed his paper trail or he isn’t using his real name. Many loners don’t.” He tilted his head. “Do you?”
She smiled. “Don’t start asking personal questions unless you want some tossed your way.”
He edged closer and persisted, “Is Havana Ramos your real name?”
“Is it true that you have no interest in ever mating?”
He frowned. “Where did you hear that?”
“You have a lot of gossipers in your pride. Some believe that little nugget of speculation is true; some don’t.”
Tate stared at her for a long moment, saying nothing. He really didn’t want to get into all that shit about Ashlynn’s betrayal and his mother’s death, so he did what he often did when someone asked him a question that he wasn’t comfortable answering. He didn’t lie, he just changed the subject. “Luke spoke to Dawn on the phone about the names of the loners Rupert gave you.”
Havana shot him a little smile but didn’t call him on his failure to answer her. “Yes, she did.”