Page 107 of Golden Eagle

Nikita had been uncharacteristically silent throughout, arms folded tight across his chest. His scowl was pretty characteristic, though. Even sharper-edged than normal. “What he’s taking forever to say,” he said, anger deepening his accent, “is that Gustav stole the ferals. Yes? And is using them. Or, trying to.”

Trina said, “But why would he?”

“Because he’s evil and stupid,” Nikita said. “Why does anyone do anything? Fucking wars have been fought for less reason.”

Will’s face was carefully blank as he looked at Nik. “Indeed. But I still think it’s the likeliest possibility. Do you disagree?” When Nikita didn’t answer, he said, “I haven’t smelled the corpses, but you have. You said you recognized the scents of the ferals, and Gustav, and his Familiar.”

“Yeah,” Nikita said tightly.

Sasha moved, shifted a little, and Trina figured he laid a hand on Nik somewhere.

Nikita sighed, and some of the visible tension bled out of him. He leaned forward and put his elbows on the table. “Yeah. We did. And, yeah.” Grudging. “Your idea doesn’t suck.”

Will grinned.

“If that’s true,” Trina said, “why in the world would he want them? And why would he be letting them run wild?”

“Does that matter?” Will asked.

“To me? Yeah, it does.”

“Detective,” Nikita said by way of explanation, and she thought he sounded proud.

“If we go back to the Institute,” Lanny said, “the truce is over.”

“Yes,” Will said. “As much as my alpha would like to wipe the Institute off the board for their atrocities, I feel a full-scale attack is premature. We need evidence – and I think Gustav is our best source of information to that end. We need to find him.”

“We haven’t been able to,” Lanny said. “What makes you think you guys can?” His hand had stilled on her thigh, starting to relax, and he wasn’t shaking as badly anymore.

“Well,” Will said slowly, smile flirting with one corner of his mouth, “forgive me my presumption, but I’ve had the impression you’ve all been a bit…preoccupied, shall we say…with personal matters.”

Trina felt her face flush immediately.

Sasha squirmed in his seat beside her.

“Perhaps you haven’t deployed all your resources?” Will suggested. “Perfectly understandable.”

Nikita’s scowl returned, darker than ever.

“But now I say we begin our search in earnest.”

It was silent a beat.

In a small voice, Sasha finally said, “I agree.”

“Wait,” Nikita said. “In exchange for what?”

“Beg pardon?”

Much reached over for Will’s beer and drank it down in a sequence of steady, shallow sips.

“You came here to recruit us, you already said,” Nikita said. “If you help us now, you expect our help in return, right? You’ll want us to join up with your crusade?”

Will frowned. “Do you always break everything down into these sorts of cynical terms?”

“Always. Because cynical terms are the only kind anyone ever offers.”

A beat. And Lanny said, “You’re not wrong, dude. Also.” He leaned forward, gaze narrowing in on Will, expression going hostile. “I don’t trust you.”

“Guys,” Trina said. Exhaustion was setting in. She needed to eat. To have another drink. To take a freaking nap. “Can we please, please skip the pissing contest? Just this once? I need a burger.”

They had the grace to all look at least a little chastened.

It was Much who answered, raising an arm to flag down their server. “I second that. Thank Christ.”

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