Page 124 of Golden Eagle

Nikita snorted. “What if we want to find you?”

“Oh, we’ll be in touch shortly. Don’t worry.” He dipped his head and touched the brim of an imaginary hat. “It was a pleasure, gentlemen. My lady,” he said, with a quick, correct bow in Trina’s direction.

Much caught Sasha’s eye as he turned to follow his packmate.Make him do it, he mouthed, and Sasha knew he meant a binding.

The two wolves moved through a jostling, happy crowd, beneath the buttery warm glow of all the mismatched antique lamps, and disappeared.

Sasha liked them fairly well, and was grateful for their help tonight, but he had to admit that it was a relief to be with just his pack, now.

And Dante. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that vampire, yet; for now, he sat on the very outside edge of the booth, quietly sipping a beer, his expression thoughtful, but not intrusive. Sasha slid in beside Nikita and decided not to worry about it.

Nikita’s hand landing on his thigh under the table helped, too.

A server came around with vodka for Nikita and whiskey for Sasha.

“We ordered for you guys,” Trina explained.

Nikita raised his glass in brief salute to her.

It was Jamie who finally let out a deep sigh and broached the subject. “Guess it’s safe to say Gustav has Institute ties?”

“Or was tailing us tonight at the very least,” Trina said.

“No, we would have caught their scent,” Sasha said.

“You heard Pretty Boy,” Lanny said, gesturing to the two empty chairs pushed in at the far side of the table. “They had a magic flash drive, and some magic cloak of invisibility or some shit.”

“A ward, rather,” Dante corrected politely.

“Whatever,” Lanny said. “Who’s to say Gustav doesn’t have one? Maybe he’s been following us all along and we just haven’t noticed.”

“I don’t think so,” Sasha said, but his belly squirmed with doubt. He reached for his whiskey.

“Anyway,” Nikita said. “Gustav wasn’t in any shape to walk off when I left him. Either his Familiar came to his rescue, or the Institute did. If he’s working with them, they’ll patch him up. If he’s not, and hopefully he isn’t, then they’ve got themselves a fat prize to play with, and maybe they’ll leave us alone.”

A beat passed.

“Whaddya mean?” Lanny asked, leaning forward to peer down the table. “Did you and him get into it?”

“Yes,” Nikita said simply, and drained his glass.

The others all traded glances, brows lifting and frowns plucking at their mouths. When Sasha met Trina’s gaze, she tipped her head in silent question.

He shook his head and mouthed,Later.

Lanny made a face, but shrugged. “Well. I’m starving. Let’s order a shit-ton of food.”

“An excellent idea,” Dante said.

When the server came back with their refills, Lanny took command, ordering multiple baskets of hot wings, fries, potato skins, and chips and salsa for the table to share, and burgers on top of that.

“We can’t eat all that,” Trina murmured.

“Baby,watch me.”

When the food arrived, fragrant, steaming, and glistening with grease, Nikita leaned an elbow on the table and asked Trina, “What are the odds you’ll keep your job?”

She sighed, but Sasha saw relief on her face. What had just happened had been terrifying for all of them, risky in a way that surpassed regular, everyday worries. The risk of capture, of torture, of experimentation, or death had set all of them on edge. What was a job in the face of that, Sasha figured.

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