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reputation as a philandering jackass, even Patrick could see the problem. “ Did you make his kid disappear?”
    “I haven’t had time,” Alec said darkly, with more than a little bite. “She agreed to the engagement. I don’t like it, but I’m trying to remember that she gets to choose, even if I don’t like her choice. She’s staying with my younger brother in Austin, and you two can probably get more information from her than you could from his family. She’s a smart kid.”
    “And arguably better informed about Oscar’s habits than his father.” Anna snatched the paper from Alec’s hand. “Nathan, right? That little brother?”
    “Yeah.” He nodded to the note. “That’s all the details I have so far. It’s not much, and I don’t know if it’s reliable. You may not know how much is accurate until you get boots on the ground. But I can transfer the payment into your account tomorrow, if you take the job.”
    She passed the note to Patrick without opening it. “The sooner we can talk it over, Jacobson, the sooner we can give you an answer.”
    Alec’s gaze flicked back and forth between them. “I’ll be downstairs.”
    He left, and wasn’t as careful with the tuxedo jacket. It fell to the ground in a crumpled ball, still holding the door open but trashed. Patrick expected a glare and a cleaning fee from the rental owner, who’d seemed dubious enough about fitting a thug to begin with.
    Then he flipped open the paper and stopped worrying about a few hundred bucks. “Shit, that’s a lot of zeros. Suicide-mission-level zeros. How much does Ochoa like his kid?”
    “Don’t know.” She peered down at the paper and swore. “That looks about right for how much Oscar means to him, though. He’s the favored oldest son. The heir apparent.”
    Patrick skimmed the rest of the notes. “Five wolves missing over the last three weeks, and that’s just the ones someone reported to the council. I’d bet there are more.”
    “There are always more.” She took the scribbled sheet from him and frowned at it. “Who do you know out there?”
    “In the southwest?” Patrick closed his eyes and summoned the list of names. “A spell caster detective out of Albuquerque. A few psychics in Dallas, and a jaguar in Phoenix. And the Lore Keeper, but he’s gotten dodgy in the past few years. Won’t even open that crazy underground missile silo he lives in unless you catch his interest. What about you?”
    “Most of my contacts are closer to Vegas,” she admitted, “but I should be able to bang on a few doors.”
    This was always the surreal part, the part that kept him coming back. It never mattered if they’d been five seconds from fighting or fucking, when work hit the table, the pieces fell into place. “So are we doing this?”
    The corner of her mouth kicked up. “No one’s better than us, right?”
    “I could use the money,” he replied, keeping his voice light. “Hell, who am I kidding? I could use a good hunt. I’m ready to climb the walls in this town.”
    Anna folded the note neatly and handed it back to him with a slight bow. “When do we leave?”
    This was a dance they were good at. They both knew their places, not to mention all the steps. It wouldn’t be the first time they started a job with lingering tension in the air, but if there was one thing they could do well, it was wipe away the personal and get down to business.
    Besides, it just might be fun. Not the tragedy of the circumstances, but the thrill of catching the bad guy. “Got any plans for tonight?”
     
     
    Anna was six miles shy of Beaumont, Texas, when her gritty, burning eyes forced her to take the next exit. She signaled in plenty of time before the ramp, and she heard the deep, rumbling engine of Patrick’s bike follow as she took the right indicated by the roadside signage.
    In the next few days or weeks, as the danger grew and they found themselves avoiding populated areas, they’d surely see their share of