Moon Shifter 02 - Primal Possession

Joseph asked.
    Of course he knew who the criminal was. Years ago Edward had lived in Miami for over a decade. Even though he hadn’t run in the same circle, anyone who lived there knew who Dimitri Saburova was. The man was one of the most violent, brutal bastards Edward had ever come across. That was saying something.
    Dimitri’s daughter had cut ties with her father, but that wasn’t why Edward wanted her. Katarina Saburova had been intimately connected with Jayce Kazan, the enforcer for the North American Council of lupine shifters. Katarina and Jayce had dated for many months until she’d moved to North Carolina.
    Edward had almost had her captured a few weeks ago. The two idiots he’d enlisted to kidnap her had accomplished that much with relative ease. But then they’d been killed because they hadn’t followed his instructions. Instead of bringing her straight to him, they’d apparently locked her up in some cage on their property. Then they’d gotten themselves arrested for going after Connor Armstrong’s mate in the middle of the day during a drunken joyride. That had made them a bright shiny target for the Armstrongs. If they hadn’t gotten themselves killed, Adler would have done it anyway.
    Those fucking Armstrong brothers, Liam and Connor, had interfered. He couldn’t prove it but he knew they’d helped Katarina escape. That bitch hadn’t killed those two goons on her own. The cops might have bought her story—because they had no reason not to believe her—but he had a video recording of the Armstrong brothers searching Felix’s house. The same day and around the same time the woman supposedly killed Edward’s two guys all by herself. Unfortunately he didn’t have video from the shed where they’d died. It was where they’d taken their victims, and Edward hadn’t known about its existence until too late.
    Edward straightened. “I
know
who Dimitri Saburova is. She hasn’t spoken to her father in a year. He won’t be a problem.” The heat was nearly suffocating now, so he stepped away from the fire.
    “I don’t know, man. I knew this guy who went to Coleman Penitentiary instead of flipping on Dimitri. The Feds offered him protection and everything and he
still
chose maximum-security prison.” Joseph wiped a hand across his sweaty brow and Edward knew it had nothing to do with the warmth of the room.
    “Taking her will be a triumph for us. What do you think the boss will be able to do with her?” They could bring the enforcer to his knees and turn him into a mindless killer.
    Joseph looked confused and shrugged. “I dunno.”
    Edward clenched his jaw. While he appreciated the enthusiasm of these new recruits, they were more or less ignorant thugs. Or wannabe thugs. Which was often worse. They thought they were bad enough to take on anyone. He cleared his throat and tried to keep the disdain out of his voice. “Forget about her father. This bitch dated the enforcer.”
    “So? They broke up.”
    He sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Those animals are very territorial. He’ll come for her. If we take her, he’ll trade his life for hers.”
    Joseph frowned. “You’re sure?”
    He probably would trade his life for hers, but that’s not why they wanted him. If they lured Kazan into a trap where they held Katarina, he’d kill any human in the near vicinity who he thought was involved with her kidnapping. Joseph would likely be one of those humans and if Adler could get it on tape…He smiled at the possibilities. Once that happened, the APL could officially launch their media campaign against all these shifter abominations. “Why do you keep questioning me? Haven’t I given you a place to stay? Didn’t I take you in when you had nowhere else to go?”
    Immediately Joseph’s eyes dropped. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
    “Soon that bitch will—”
    “Tsk, tsk.” Brianna walked into the room carrying a tray of cookies.
    Immediately Edward felt like he was a kid again. “Sorry, Brianna.”
    “If you want to teach these recruits, you also need to teach them manners.” Her soft voice was authoritative.
    “Of course. I’m sorry.” Petite, blond, and damn near perfect, Brianna was the only woman on the planet who got away with talking to him that way.
    She was also the only woman he’d ever stand for. Hurrying toward her, he took the tray and laid it on the middle of the coffee table. He desperately wanted to please her and hated himself for it. “These look