He walked right up to Crispin Phillips, caught him by his hair and yanked his head up. Phillips squealed, blinking rapidly over and over, his breath coming in ragged bleating gasps, mouth open wide.

“I really hate dirty cops, especially stupid ones. You didn’t even try to hide the money.” He dropped the undercover cop’s head and turned to the hit man. “And you. Taking a contract on me, that wasn’t your best decision.”

Aaron Alderman managed a shake of his head. “Not you. The woman.”

Everything in Alonzo stilled. The woman. He heard it, but it took a moment to process because he totally rejected the idea. A hit on Evangeline? Who would put out a hit on his woman? Had his uncles found him? It would be like the bastards to go after Evangeline instead of him.

He peeled off his gloves, closed his fingers one by one into a tight fist. He pushed his knuckles close to Alderman. “You see that? You know that symbol?”

Alderman’s face paled. His eyes went wide. He’d seen that symbol before, the one tattooed on Alonzo’s fingers, just below his knuckles. His brother and cousins had that same tattoo, the one that took all four fingers to create the Amur leopard crouched and waiting for a kill. That and a symbol of brotherhood. Their territory in Russia was fiercely guarded, undeniably wealthy and successful. Mostly, it had a reputation for being bloody, cruel and brutal. That symbol, while not known to be representative of an actual shifter, was known throughout the world and feared as being Bratya.

“What?” Crispin screamed. “What do you see?”

Alonzo pulled on his gloves. “This woman you tried to kill, she belongs to me,” he informed the hit man in a low, almost casual tone.

Alderman shook his head. “It was a job. Business. I didn’t know who she was.”

“I’m going to make you an offer. Just once. You know who I am. You know my reputation. I want to know who put out the contract. No negotiations. You’re going to die. You know that. But how you’re going to die is up to you. You can take a long time and suffer, or it can be fast with no pain. Choose now.”

Crispin’s bleating noises began again in earnest. He wept, the sounds loud. The dispatcher’s bladder let go. He struggled against the chains he was hooked to, his toes barely touching the floor. Alonzo didn’t look at him. All of his attention was on the hit man.

Alderman nodded. “Amodeo. The bastard had a real hard-on for her. Wanted it done immediately and to keep going until it was finished.”

“You the only one? Exclusive?”

“As far as I know, but he’s got a rep for dirty dealing. My boss owed him a favor and I drew the short straw. I hope you get the son of a bitch.”