Many of her clients gossiped or talked about their lives, but Dean hadn’t been one of them. “No, nothing. We just chatted about general things.”

“Hmm. If he notices that the website has collapsed, he’ll suspect we’re onto him. He’ll keep his distance from you.”

“That all depends on why he put out the hit.” Mila sighed. “I really don’t get why he would want me dead, Vinnie. I never picked up even the slightest hint of animosity from him.”

“Some people are good at acting.”

True enough. Ending the call, Mila looked at Dominic. “Did you hear all that?”

He nodded. “I heard.”

“I don’t understand any of this.” She twisted slightly in her seat to face him better. “You said he watched me. Watched me how?”

“It wasn’t ogling. He didn’t display any sexual interest in you, so I didn’t pay as much attention to it as I should have.”

Mila hadn’t picked up any sexual attraction either. He’d never flirted with her, but he’d been friendly and polite. “He only ever complimented me once, and that was to say I had a nice voice. He said he saw me perform when he took his girlfriend to the Velvet Lounge.”

Dominic’s brow furrowed. “You saw him there?”

“No. He just told me about it. But then, it could have been yet another lie, right? I never saw him anywhere but the barb—” Noticing that Dominic had gone stiff as a board and that his eyes were glittering with something very, very dark, Mila asked, “What? What is it?”

“He might have lied to you about having a girlfriend, but he didn’t lie about going to the Velvet Lounge. I saw him there. He was alone, sitting at the bar in the VIP section. The only reason I paid him any attention was that he was talking to someone I know well.”

Mila narrowed her eyes. “Who?”

A short while later, Dominic was leaning against the security shack when a familiar car drove through the tall gates. She’d gotten here faster than he thought she would. But then, he’d been sure to sound a little lost and forlorn over the phone, not wanting her to suspect the real reason he’d invited her here. He’d told her he needed to talk to someone he could trust, which was true. He hadn’t said that she was someone he could trust, but he’d known she’d take his comment to mean exactly that.

At his urging, Charlene parked the car in the turnout near the shack and then rushed out of the vehicle, looking somewhat flustered. “Are you okay?”

“I’m good,” he replied, hiding the urge to grip her by the throat. Because if his suspicions were true, Charlene had a lot to fucking answer for.

“I heard about the shooting on TV.” Her nose wrinkling, she glanced around. “Where is Mila?”

“With her family.”

Charlene’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Ah, you let it leak to reporters that she was here so that they wouldn’t look for her in the right place. Clever.” She edged closer to him, and her brows drew together. “You wear her scent. And her claiming mark.” Neither of which seemed to make her happy.

Dominic smoothly stepped back when she would have touched him. No, he couldn’t tolerate that right then. “Walk with me.”

Charlene blinked. “Sure.” As they walked through the fringe of tall, regal trees, she said, “You look so . . . on edge. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without a smile in your eyes.”

“Not much to smile about when I just watched my mate get shot.”

“I guess not,” she muttered.

“You really don’t like Mila much, do you?”

“I don’t know her,” Charlene answered, evasive. “She seems nice enough, but . . .”

“But what?”

The fox opened and closed her mouth a few times. “I just don’t see it going the distance, that’s all. I mean, like I’ve said before, she’s not your type.”

“That night at the Velvet Lounge when you realized I’d marked her, you had a sour look on your face. Even seemed to rant about it to the guy at the VIP bar. Just who was he exactly?”

Tension stiffened her muscles. She lifted her shoulders, nonchalant. “Just some guy. One of our usual patrons.”

“You know him. I could tell.”

She averted her eyes. “I know him a little, sure.”

“Who was he?”

“I doubt it’s anyone you know.”

“Try me.”

She halted, turning to face him. “What’s wrong? Why all the questions?”

Dominic took a confrontational step toward her. “Who is he, Charlene?”

She swallowed. “Dominic—”

“Tell me who he is.”

“Just a friend of Lennie’s.”

“His name,” Dominic pushed, but she clamped her lips shut. He growled. “If our friendship ever meant anything to you, you’ll tell me what I want to know.”

She threw up her arms. “Dean Preston. See, you don’t know him, do you?”

“Here’s what I do know. You’ve been doing your best to make Mila keep her distance from me, and Dean Preston put a fucking hit out on her. You knew about the hit, didn’t you? You knew she was in danger, and you didn’t want me in the line of fire, so you tried to drive a wedge between us.”

Charlene’s eyes flickered. “It’s not what—”

“Why didn’t you say something?” he demanded, rage curdling through him. “Why? The fucker wants her dead!”

“No, he doesn’t. He didn’t put out a hit; he just wanted her hurt.”

“Is that what he told you? Because if so, he lied.”

“No, you’re wrong. He has no need to put a hit out on her. He doesn’t want her to die.”

“Then what does he want?”

“He wants his true mate.”

Dominic frowned. “What?”

“He found his mate a few months back. Recognized her as his. But she’s imprinted on another.”

“If she’s imprinted on another male, he couldn’t possibly know that she’s his.”

“Dean has visions. He’s not a Seer, but he has witch-blood in his family. Long ago, he had a vision of his true mate, and he saw her happy with someone else. He’s been determined to find her and prevent that future from happening, but he didn’t find her in time. He befriended her, though. He’s done his best to get close to her, and he’s managed to convince her that she’s his true mate. He wants her to leave the guy she imprinted on, but she won’t. I can understand that. I love Lennie. I couldn’t leave him for someone else.”

“What does any of this have to do with Mila?”

“Like I said, Dean befriended his true mate. She trusts him. Confides in him. Told him how hard it is to see her partner fuss over her cousin. Told him how she strongly suspects that the guy she imprinted on is the predestined mate of said cousin.”

And then the light bulb went on. Dominic swore. “Adele. Dean’s mate is Adele.”

“He hates the guy she’s with. I think he said the cat’s name is Joel. But Dean won’t hurt him because it would only hurt her.”