“What have we learned?” Tiberius directed the question to the small group assembled in the conference room.

He felt anxious and on edge. He hadn’t heard from Ryan since she had left his office hours ago. The security detail he had assigned to watch over her had been reporting back frequently with assurances that she was safely tucked away in her apartment, which helped somewhat. He would have much preferred to have his mate with him, but understood that she needed time to assimilate and accept what he had revealed. The good news was, she had unknowingly called to him in her dreams—definitely a positive sign.

“Glitter isn’t the only one missing,” Sugar said. “Diamond and Minx didn’t show up for their shifts tonight.”

“Guards at the door reported denying access to two men this evening, both of whom they described as suspicious,” Jay said somberly. He tapped a few keys on his tablet and displayed still photos of the men in question.

Spice recognized one of them. “That guy on the left is Carlos, Marcel’s brother. Gets off on causing pain. Used to love roughing us up when Marcel thought we needed to be put in our place. Last I heard, he blew town shortly after Marcel disappeared.”

“He had a thing for Glitter, too,” Sugar added, “but he’s not smart or brave enough to have acted on his own. No, if he’s involved, someone else is pulling the strings.”

“That corresponds with what our sources have been reporting,” Quintus said. “Several of those who disappeared shortly after our arrival have been resurfacing. All indicators point to the one known as Black Eagle.”

Jay’s eyes went wide. “Black Eagle? That guy is bad news. I mean, really bad news. Human trafficking, Colombian drug cartels, and an underground network with tentacles in some very strategic places. If he’s in town, we need to be on high alert. Not that I don’t think you guys can’t kick his ass,” Jay was quick to add, “but he plays dirty. He doesn’t care how many people get caught in the crossfire. In fact, the more, the better.”

“Which means,” James said quietly, “that Bait and everyone in it could be in danger.”

~ * ~

RYAN SAT BACK IN HER chair and stared at the half-dozen open tabs on her computer screen. The more she researched, the more she was convinced that her early morning epiphany had been right on the money. Tiberius and the Shark were one and the same.

The question now was: what did she do about it?

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t taken time to eat.

Unable to sit still any longer, Ryan got up, grabbed her purse, and set off for the deli just down the street.

A few weeks ago, the answer to her question would have been a no-brainer. Now, it wasn’t quite so simple.

Forgetting for a few moments that she was personally involved with Tiberius, her research had revealed some surprising, irrefutable facts. Among them: vice-related crimes had been steadily declining over the last year in the Golden Beach area, as had drug-related incidents among local high schools. The most stunning stat: non-vehicular homicides were down a whopping eighty-three percent.

That corroborated what Drew had told her about some of the major players being taken out of the game. Maybe not all of it could be contributed to the Shark but numbers didn’t lie. It seemed way too much of a coincidence to believe that things had just improved on their own, conveniently beginning right around the time Tiberius and Quintus purchased the old cannery.

And, moral compass aside, things had improved.

When Ryan had first entered the academy, she had been so idealistic, seeing the world in the simplest of terms. Things were either good or bad, black or white. Over the years, however, some of those hard lines had blurred. It was impossible to be a police officer and not see how extenuating circumstances had to be considered. Sometimes, doing something “bad” might actually result in a greater “good,” just as a strict, blind adherence to the rules could result in doing more harm than good.

Adding to her moral dilemma, she was personally involved.

Was Tiberius odd? Absolutely. Was he a few bricks shy of a full load? Possibly. Was he a bad guy? Her instincts, along with her heart, said no.

Somewhere along the line, despite her best efforts and his ridiculous claims, Tiberius had managed to find his way through her defenses and make her question not only herself but her everything.

While waiting for her order, Ryan’s phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and saw Betty’s number appear. Talk about good timing! A girls’ night in with Betty was exactly what she needed. Betty had a unique way of looking at things. Talking things through over Chinese takeout and a bottle of cheap wine might just help her put things into proper perspective.

She swiped the screen and brought the phone up to her ear. “Hey, Betty, I’m glad you called.”

“Oh, Ry!” Betty cried. “You’ve got to get over here!”

Through the phone, Ryan could hear sirens wailing in the background. “What’s going on? Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Betty assured her, “but Bait’s gone.”

Sandwich forgotten, Ryan ran out of the shop. “What do you mean, Bait’s gone?”

“I mean, it’s gone. I was putting the finishing touches on the cake for a sex toy party tonight and there was this loud BOOM. When we ran to the window, all we saw was a pile of rubble where Bait used to be!”

Ryan looked out the window to the south end of town. Sure enough, dark, billowing clouds of smoke were visible in the sky. Her phone chimed again, signaling an incoming call.

“Betty, I have to go. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Disconnecting that call, she answered the one from her captain. “Winslet, we’ve got a possible bombing at a nightclub called Bait. Get over there now.”

“On my way ...”

Ryan wouldn’t let herself think about what she might find when she got there.