Making the Rent the Hard Way - 20

 

"Okay. Okay. So, our first step is finding out who it is then doing something to stop him. What you recorded won't do that."

"No kidding. Though Farnham must think it will, otherwise, why would he want me out of the picture?" Luca said.

I tapped my fingers together in thought. "Maybe we can use it."

"The recording? How?"

"I haven’t figured that part out yet," I admitted. "If I say I've got it or know what's on it, he'll know I found you. I'd rather not have to deal with the consequences."

"Yeah. He's a bastard. He'd do whatever it takes to get you to tell him where I am."

Curious, I asked, "You know that for a fact?"

Luca nodded. "More or less. One of the shifters who worked as a cook at the restaurant got in a fight with Farnham about his—the guy's—relationship with a human woman. Farnham told him to break it off. The guy said he wouldn't because his private life was none of Farnham's business. They almost came to blows. Two days later he committed suicide. At least, that was what the cops said it was. If Farnham can make that happen, you better believe he'd have no problem forcing you tell him where I'm hiding." He barely smiled. "Not that you can do that."

"Yeah. At which point I'd die wishing I could have. Not how I want my life to end, thank you very much."

Luca sighed. "We're at a dead end, unless we can get more proof about what Farnham's planning. Then we could let the humans know about it. Rumors in the shifter community are just that—rumors. And half of them like the idea of a shifter takeover of the city."

We sat in dismal silence for a long time after he'd said that. I knew stopping Farnham was probably not going to happen. He had too much going for him, including the tacit backing of a lot of the shifters in the city, if Luca was right.

"We could eliminate him," Luca said softly.

"Farnham or his candidate?"

"Farnham."

"If we did, one of the others would just step in to take his place."

Luca smiled grimly. "Not if I was the one who took him out. He's an alpha. Whoever defeats one, then becomes the new alpha."

"Defeats, Luca. Killing him without a fight doesn't count."

Luca's shoulders sagged. "Yeah. And there's no way I could beat him in a fair fight—or even an unfair one."

"Our only option is to get the goods on him. He has to have records somewhere on what he's planning. The steps. The details."

"Good luck with finding them, even if you could get into his office at the club or his house," he said, sounding disgruntled.

"Getting in isn't the problem, with you helping me."

"How would I…" Then he got it. "I've never been to his house."

"He's a bigwig, on lots of committees and what have you. I'd be willing to bet he's held get-togethers there. All we'd need are some pictures, right?"

"Right." Luca began to perk up again.