Page 72 of In Prey We Trust

Felix holds his hand up and mimics pinching with his fingers. “Stop pouting and share, brother.”

“Fine, fine.” Fitz tugs me away from his twin and wraps around me tightly. “Yes, I have some earwigs and radios that will work. Might be one per team, though. I’ll order more in case we’re going snipe hunting again later, but I wasn’t prepared for such a sizeable group.”

Rufus looks up from the phone that he somehow got back from Cori without her knowledge. “I’m awfully hurt, baby Khan. I’ll have you know I’m fucking dangerous in a scrap and I have a sixth sense for nasty shit before it goes down. My Memaw had the gift, you know.”

“No shifters have ‘the gift,’ you fool,” Rennie mutters as he rolls his eyes. “Not even gorgons, as few as there are.”

“Believe what you want, Pierre le Pessimist, but my Memaw is never wrong.” Rufus runs his hand through his hair and shrugs. “I’m not so talented, but I’ve got killer instincts.”

“Are we done flashing dicks around?” Cori smirks, then winks at me. “Because I think we all have stuff to contribute and there are enough people who underestimate us without us helping them out. So knock off the measuring contest.”

I almost stand up and clap. Cori hasn’t been nearly as sassy this year and I don’t know if it’s the new locale or her lack of hook-ups, but I was a little worried about her until now. “You tell ‘em, sis.”

Felix rubs his hand down his face, looking at us all like he wants to bang his head on the wall. “Groups set, then. Renard, contact the crew while we use the board and maps to plot our course. Chess, if you will?”

“We need lists of what to look for and what to grab,” I add as my cheetah goes to pull the boards over. “Everyone should have copies on paper and on their phones. Oh! And knives.”

Cori arches her brow as she looks at me curiously. “Knives? We’re preds, Dolly.”

I shake my head and my tiger grins. “Felix says we never go anywhere without a knife and it’s saved our bacon more times than I can count. Rufus, you’ve got enough to give her one, right?”

“Dollybear, I’ve got enough knives to carve up the entire Games team and serve them for dinner before even one goes dull. I’ll arm our girl.” Rufus’ fangs flash as he winks at me and I sigh.

“You know, I’m thinking I simply attract crazy.”

“Duh.”

Gee, thanks, Fitz.

Killer Queen

Lucille

I don’t like it one bit.

Pacing across my ex-accountant’s pelt on the floor, I glare around the room as if it holds the answers to my unrest. Since Bruno and I came home from Cairo, the chessboard has changed dramatically and the moves were not my doing. First, my errant progeny finagles her way to that substandard academy early and then she dares to choose to represent our family in an age-old competition I didn’t approve of. I could strangle that bulky himbo in charge of the Leonidas pride for allowing his own wayward daughter to register Delores, but he’s far too useful to the Council. His teams travel the world ceaselessly and it makes various branches of my father's and Bruno’s businesses much easier.

That doesn’t mean I won’t show him who’s really in charge; I simply have to be smart about it.

I’m almost pleased when I hold my hand out and it’s immediately filled with a martini glass. Matilda was on her best behavior this summer because I made it known Delores was under the watch of Bruiser’s security team in the house with no witnesses. Accidents happen and who’s saying she might not get caught in the crossfire of a poorly planned home invasion? Not me. My threat kept her on her toes so well I thought she might have a nervous breakdown, but luckily for her, she held it together.

Being surrounded by weaklings is nothing new, of course. Dmitri drilled the importance of cannon fodder into me at a young age, and I took it to heart. Spineless lackeys are expendable, but useful for so many things. You don’t want to choose someone too intelligent to follow you everywhere or you set yourself up for an internal coup. So I keep the addlepated Mattie and Bruiser close because they’re just smart enough to carry out commands, but not quite enough to revolt.

Bruno would lose his scales if he knew his treasured brute was actually loyal to me. It’s delicious.

“Matilda, what reports do we have on the progress towards repairing my school?” I tap my claws on the mantel impatiently as I stop to watch her flutter about the room, looking for the right files. Couriers bring me the most classified documents in writing and I burn them once I’ve digested the information. I don’t trust that fool Erickson not to betray me, and there are simply too many loopholes to be exploited in digital communication.

The pale-faced bird finally stops flapping around the room like a toddler in a towel cape and walks over with a sheaf of papers in her hand. She’s trembling as usual, and I roll my eyes as I snatch them from her. The top page is some ridiculous scientific nonsense about worker safety—as if I care about that. Snorting, I toss it aside and move to the next report. It shows a fifty percent slow down in worker output and rising costs for injuries. “Who approved paying for this?”

She blinks, gulping as she walks over to look at the expense report. “It’s part of the negotiated contract, Madame Lucille. Titus McLachlan was in charge of it.”

Of course he was. That sneaky feline owns most shares in the worldwide hospital network as part of the legitimate wing of the Khan empire.

“I’m going to string that tiger up by his toes,” I snarl as I look at the mounting charges. “Who cares if the workers are getting sick? They have a job; it should be enough. This was a gambit to line the Raj’s pocket.”

Mattie swallows again, his eyes blinking behind the stupid glasses before she says tentatively, “Madame, I agree, but perhaps if they are too ill to work, it will continue to impede your progress? Also, the rumors among the lower tier predators and the prey may prevent us from replacing anyone unable to continue.”

My jaw tightens when I see the wisdom in her words, but instead of thanking her, I thrust my empty glass at her. Taking it, she scurries off to the pitcher like her feet are on fire as I seethe. The partnership with the Khans is a necessary evil on many fronts, but I dislike allowing anyone to siphon money within my organization—regardless of the reason or legitimate purpose for it. One cannot maintain an iron grip on underlings who are also immoral if you do not make examples of those who act out. I will have to punish Titus for his largesse in a public, yet very definitive manner.

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