Page 36 of Puma's Pride

“Need to talk to Sal again today.” I tell Alisa as we pass through the common room to get to the kitchen. “I need to confront him about Juan.”

“And about what he was doing in Chicago?” Alisa asks. When I narrow my eyes at her, she simply rolls hers. “I’m not an idiot. I saw you tense up when Diego mentioned it.”

“Well, don’t say anything…” I start and bite off the rest of my sentence when her eyes narrow. Fuck, she’s hot when she’s pissed at me.

Inside the kitchen we find two kids eating French Toast and I’m pretty sure they poured the syrup directly onto their faces and down their pajama tops. When Elina lifts her arms up to offer me a hug, I shake my head. She gives me a sweet pout and I laugh. “As much as I love you, I can’t carry you around today and if you hug me, we’ll be glued together.”

Elina laughs as Mal studies me. “Do you love me, too?” He asks, and I grin at him.

“Absolutely. But I’m not hugging you either.” I tell him. He gives me a grin that has my heart constricting. I turn around to grab a mug of coffee in order to clamp down my emotions. How can two little imps, who, combined, weigh less than a quarter of my weight, have such a big impact on me? They’re turning me into a sap. As I sip my coffee and watch them lay hands on each other’s faces and pretend to be stuck, I realize I’m pretty happy being a sap.

“Where’s Corinne?” Alisa asks Showtime.

“Drawing baths.” She says with a grin. “I’ll take care of Elina for you while you two eat.”

“Thanks, Showtime.” Alisa says, as she piles a plate of food for me and one for herself. I grab her a mug of coffee and follow her out to the common room.

I wave down Wildcard, who is walking toward the kitchen with his empty plate. “Church in an hour. See who all can make it. I need Spark there.” I tell him. He nods.

“You got it, Prez.”

I turn to Alisa. “Were you and Desdemona going to 1% today?” We’re only a few days away from the charity event and I know Desdemona has been spending more and more time there.

Alisa nods as she swallows a bite of French Toast. “We are. The last of the auction items come in today. We need to verify that we have all the pieces and update the catalog. Why?”

I chew my food as I consider my response. Normally, I wouldn’t involve the women in my plans, but I need to talk to Sal in person and away from his bodyguards. I also want him away from his office. Knowing how much interest Sal has in the auction, I consider using that interest as part of my plan. He once asked about the possibility of viewing the items prior to the event. I can do him a favor and get him alone.

“Would you be willing to let Sal have a sneak peek at the items up for auction?” I ask her.

“You need to talk to him?” Alisa counters and I nod. She grins. “Oh, baby. You only have to ask.” She leans over and kisses my cheek before taking our plates into the kitchen.

I go looking for Spark. I need him to put together a few things.

I start Church even though several of the members are missing. I know most are working and the others probably didn’t have enough time to make it in. That’s ok, because the members I need are here. Spock, our secretary, is taking notes so everyone will know the details, eventually.

“Most of you know we had two visitors yesterday. One I invited and the other not so much.” I start. “After Juan accosted Alisa in the parking lot, I asked Sal to come to the clubhouse so he could listen to the recording. I thought he might have insight into what Juan’s claims about Alisa. It turns out Alisa’s mother has ties to another cartel and Juan believes marrying her will gain him control of that cartel.”

“Do we know how?” Wildcard asks.

“According to Sal, Alisa’s aunt is a major player with influences that cross several cartels.” I tell them. “No one knows how Juan figured it out. Diego smuggled Alisa’s mother into the country and gave her a new identity. One that no one but the two of them knew.” I glance at the stunned expressions on everyone’s faces and nod, knowing they get it. “Juan has access to information, but we don’t know his source or sources. Which leads me to our second visitor last night. Juan hitched a ride in the trunk of Sal’s car. He didn’t get into the clubhouse, but he scared Elina. He escaped before we caught up to him.”

“Did Sal bring him?” Dice asks, and I shake my head.

“I don’t believe so, but I’ll find out.”

“How did he know Sal was coming here?” Chill asks. “Your request was out of the blue and he arrived within minutes.” She glances at Spark. “We checked for bugs, right?”

He nods. “We’re clean on our end. I think the leak is on Sal’s side, but I can’t prove it unless he grants us access.”

“He could have a rat, or Juan may have bugged Sal’s office or phone.” I say. “Which is why I’m having Desdemona invite Sal to 1% today. He’s interested in the art, so he’ll show. If Juan is tracking him, he may or may not follow him to the casino. I want everyone alert and looking for him. In the meantime, I’ll have the women get Sal alone so we can scan his phone and his person before we let him know what we suspect.”

“We could ask Trouble and his crew to help secure the casino.” Chill offers. “If Juan does show, he’ll be on alert for our kuttes. He may not be looking for the Shadow Borns.”

I nod. “Good thinking. I’ll reach out to Trouble. One more item before we break.” I continue. “I’ve learned that Sal and Junior were recently in Chicago for a meeting.”

“How recently?” Wildcard asks.

“They returned the day Josef grabbed me.”

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