Joey snickered, instantly lightening the tension in the room when he patted Pavlo's shoulder. "We don't need to hear about what kind of smelly sacs you like on your face, dude. Tell us more about this Harmony chick. From where we stood, it almost looked like she was the one who pushed you into the car."
Pavlo chewed his lip as he considered that for a moment. "Maybe? Now that you mention it, I did feel smaller hands on my butt when I was shoved. And she’s the one who said to run while I was trying to catch the frisbee. But that doesn't mean anything." He blanched, looking around at all of us with sad eyes. "Do you think she was only pretending to be my friend so she could help get me kidnapped?"
When the rest of us hesitated, Tanner went and flung his arms around Pavlo’s shoulders. "If she was, then screw her. That's not the kind of person you need in your life. Don't worry, I'm a much better friend and it looks like I'm probably sticking around because Ivan is my mate. How cool is that? Do you know that only seventeen percent of shifters ever meet their fated mates? And I found mine while getting help for you."
River rolled his eyes. "There's no probably about it, Danger. If you think your big lug of a mate is planning on letting you go, then you're nuttier than a squirrel. Pun fully intended." He winked and glanced at Vasily. "I don't think Pavlo has anything left to tell you right now. Besides, we can question him more later. I don't know about you but I'm curious as to what that shithead Jake has to tell us."
As it turned out? Not much. We left Pavlo and Tanner under Misha and Joey's supervision while Vasily, River, and I squeezed into the small office where George and Leo were waiting. They stood side-by-side with Jake on his knees in between them with his hands behind his back. If he wasn't such a shitprick, I might've felt sorry for him when I saw tears and globs of snot running down his fucking face.
River casually swung his chain back and forth while Vasily walked forward and clicked off the safety—the sound loud in this small room—while he put the barrel of his gun to Jake's forehead. "Stop sniveling and tell me what I want to hear if you want to walk out of here tonight. Don't try to bullshit me or I'll know it. You can consider me a human lie detector, so keep that in mind. You have one chance, Jake. Tell me how Pavlo came to be in that fucking storeroom and who brought him here."
Jake gulped and blurted what little he knew in a single rush of breath. "I d-don't know anything, I swear! T-two guys showed up here last night when I was at the door during the Friday night rush. They showed me a wad of cash and asked if we might have a back room where they could stash something today. They said it would only be for a few hours and all I had to do was keep my mouth shut and let them in an hour after closing to retrieve their package. In exchange, I got to keep the money—half then and half today when they picked up the package. I didn't know they were talking about a person! I just thought it was a quick way to make some extra cash."
Vasily's gun clicked again as he put the safety on and took a step back, idly scratching his temple with the barrel. "Dammit, he's telling the truth. I guess all we can do now is wait until the place closes and see who shows up."
"Like that's going to happen. I'm pretty sure we all know they had to have kept eyes on the place, right? I mean, it doesn't hurt to keep some men watching but those fuckers are long gone." River stopped swinging his chain as his face lit and he turned to Jake. "Wait. You still have that money on you?"
Jake's head bobbed up and down. "Yes, sir. Every penny that I got so far! It's in my left pocket. Take it all… I don't care. Just let me go? I won't make any trouble, I promise."
River walked forward and reached in the man's pocket, pulling the cash free with a wrinkled nose. "Damn right you won't or I'll come knocking at your door. Trust me, I’m not as lenient as this big guy here. And just in case you think I won't find you? I wouldn't bet on it, because I'm one of the best trackers in the area." He nodded at Vasily, letting him know he was done.
Vas put the gun back to Jake's forehead long enough to scare the fuckface one last time. "Listen closely, friend. You've lost your job and I'll be dropping this cash into the poorbox of the first church I pass. But I keep my word and you told me the truth, so you'll walk away with your life. Get out of here and don't even think of trying to pull a double-cross.” He dropped the gun and jerked his chin toward the door. “George, you and Leo can see Jake out. But let him stop and get that final pay Mike mentioned before you escort his ass out the door. I'm not a complete asshole, am I right? The man can have the money he earned, just not Pavlo's blood money."
After they left, River pulled a bill from the center of the wad before passing it to Vasily. "I'll just be keeping this one for tracking purposes. Like I said, I don't expect anyone to show up here later expecting to find Pavlo. However, there’s a good chance that if I can't track their scents from this bill, the Hernandez brothers can."
Vasily shrugged. "I'm not arguing, sweet cheeks. Take whatever you need. You're probably right, but I'll still leave some guys here even if I doubt they'll find anyone later. That money is our best lead at this point."
River grabbed a blank envelope from the desk and put the bill inside, then reached over to the wad Vasily still held and took another one, shoving it in the envelope before he sealed it then shoved it in his pocket. He shrugged at the grin on my brother's face. "What? You still have plenty left to leave at whatever church you pass. Although if you ask me, I'd say to send it to St. Jude's or something like that. But you do whatever. I just figure two bills are better than one. I'd rather be safe than sorry and this way the Hernandez brothers can have their own bill to use for tracking."
Vas slung an arm around River's shoulders. "I'm not questioning you, sweet cheeks. You do you, I'm just the big lug with the gun."
I rolled my eyes at their flirting and left the office. Our men could take it from here, but the rest of us needed to get back to my father's estate. And more importantly, I wanted to get my mate alone and get to know him better.
Or claim him.
Maybe both… the night was still young.
5
Tanner
I was nearly bouncing as we exited the bar. I’d saved Pavlo! I’d followed all his directions, found his family, and then managed to lead them back to him. And I’d found my mate! Being at the bar reminded me of that slimy alpha who’d drugged me. I shuddered.
“You okay, Tanner?”
“Your voice is comforting,” I said. “Like a weighted blanket. I have one of those. Back in Toronto. Do you think we’ll be able to go get my stuff soon? I still have to work. I mean, I really only need my laptop to work, and that’s in the—” I gasped. “Oh, shit. It’s at the hotel. And it’s way past checkout time. You don’t think they’ll still have it, do you? My laptop, my passport, my clothes…”
“I’m sure they have a protocol for things like this,” Ivan assured me. “We can easily swing by your hotel to pick up your stuff while everyone else heads home. Hey, Misha. Keys?”