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Josef frowned. “Excuse me, Tariq, but that doesn’t make sense. We have to break this down. If those psychic males were planted at the club over time and not just since Sergey took over, then there was no way of knowing that he would lose Elisabeta. Cornel would have no way of knowing I would make a trip from the Carpathian Mountains to the United States. If a plan was made by the Malinov brothers for the vampires to create a diversion, then it was for another reason altogether. Elisabeta and I are merely additional reasons now.”

That kid is worth his weight in gold, Petru said. He is right.

There was a stunned silence. Traian inclined his head in a show of respect toward Josef. “You never cease to astound me. Tariq, what do you have that the Malinov brothers would want that they would risk exposure to the world for? Not only exposure to the world, but the retaliation of every Carpathian hunter coming after them?”

“I can’t imagine.”

“You have lived here for a very long time. You have been in the States longer than any other Carpathian and lived among humans the longest,” Traian reminded.

Tariq shook his head. “I’m sorry. That’s all true, but it doesn’t mean anything to me. I have no idea why they would target me, other than I represent the prince here, and that’s recent.”

“Elisabeta?” Traian turned to her. “Do you have any idea what the Malinov brothers were after?”

As usual, when asked a direct question in front of so many people, she shut down, withdrawing into the safety of her mind merge with Ferro. Ferro mentally bared his teeth at her birth brother. He knew better than to put Elisabeta on the spot like that. There were too many people in the room, too many eyes on her. Too many ways for her to be wrong.

There is no wrong answer, piŋe sarnanak. Traian may be your brother, but he is a thoughtless lout and his lifemate will spend centuries teaching him how to be kind before she ever allows him in her bed again.

Not only did he allow his beloved woman to hear him, but Sandu, Andor and Dragomir heard as well. All three of the ancients looked at Traian and Joie. Red flames flickered in the deep black of Sandu’s eyes.

Strangely, Tariq and Gary had gone silent, and once again Ferro got the very uneasy feeling he’d had almost from the moment he’d brought his lifemate from the rich healing soil that first rising when he’d claimed her. He flicked them a quick gaze. There was nothing to be seen on either face, but he hadn’t expected there to be.

I apologize, Elisabeta, Traian said immediately. It was thoughtless of me. I was thinking only of solving the mystery. I know you’re tired and probably frightened by all of us. I have to ask you again, though, do you have any idea what the Malinovs may have wanted from Tariq? Did you overhear them talking? It would have to be something extremely important for them to risk so much. Sergey might not even know or understand what they were talking about.

I do not . . . She trailed off.

Cornel and Dorin would know. Sergey is fixed only on getting you back. That is all he thinks of. Cornel and Dorin would know what their cousins were after. They would know the importance of it and would seek it as well.

Ferro.

Ferro knew his lifemate deliberately addressed him alone.

I need time to think about this. There were so many conversations. So many things said, and this is important, so I have to really give myself time to sort it all out.

“Elisabeta will need time to think about this, Tariq. She does not want to rush an answer. In the meantime, we can discuss the fact that the danger to Elisabeta and Josef is very real and we need to keep a close watch on them. Josef, will you be able to work on the club’s computers remotely?” Ferro asked.

Deliberately, Ferro engaged with Tariq, pushing just a little to see if the leader really wanted answers to the question Traian had proposed.