A/N: Gabriel takes it upon himself to investigate. R&R!!

The evening was young; the investigation was set to the side so that Rafe enjoyed the company of his newly acquainted Lily. Once Gabriel chose to leave to further investigate, he had allowed his son to continue interrogating his American friend. Gabriel felt that from the beginning, Lily seemed too good to be true. Why would anyone want to come all that way to read on their legends, their inner most secrets. What would benefit from knowing that Loup-garoux existed?

Gabriel sat in his car pondering further on the girl's intention. He again found things too strange to take to heart. He drove off, returning to Orange Crest to do a more comfortable investigation while in the light. As he entered the apartment, the smell of old blood and soil carpet struck his senses that he covered his nose with the sleeve of his coat. Pieces of carpet had been stripped for evidence; a simple procedure for the police to take. Gabriel avoided stepping on the carpet. He maneuvered around the room as he did the night before.

The police had kept the room boarded well, and everything lay untouched. Gabriel wasn't planning to focus on the obvious. Something had to have been there, something had to have revealed more. He felt more and more convinced that Lily was not who she said she was. He protected his family, his people from hunters. He would not take this girl so easily.

He looked through every drawer, carefully covering his hand with his sleeves. She had nothing out of the ordinary. Her clothes were neatly folded in the medium oak dresser provided; boots were lined at the wall. Gabriel relied on his senses to lead him back beneath the bed. He found strands of hair tangled to the box spring. He grabbed what he could and though the chances were minimal. He took a breath. Days went by that the strands of hair had been enveloped by the stench of blood. Gabriel abandoned failure. He took another breath. A pheromone tickled his nose; something sweet, something unimaginably different than what he came to favor. His eyes flicked with awakening. He tucked the strands of hair into his coat pocket and went on looking through her belongings.

Gabriel looked through every crevice, every possible area of the apartment for anything significant. He crouched over the waste bin next to the desk finding crumpled paper. Gabriel smoothed out each page to find numerous attempts of letter writing. He read what he could in the fair light coming from the window.

…I'll find their establishment. They are getting very smart. They are learning to take caution and care for the own. Hunters wouldn't find them so easily; that is a good thing. Father, why do they interest you so? I know that I am not allowed to question you so often; but I simply wonder what your intentions are. You might be angered by what I have to tell you thus far, of course, you might be astonished as well that I've managed to come close to one of them. I have…taken an interest to him. Please do not…

Gabriel could read no more. Every other sentence had been crossed out thoroughly. Lily was not too confident in writing a letter to her father. In fact, she discarded the letter entirely. Gabriel had no use for the other letter. He had what he needed and left.

---

River woke to the sound of music. Rafe had allowed her to sleep after their long hour of conversation, if conversation was modest to reveal. She hadn't known that Rafe lived there; his bedroom was upstairs over the bar. She had the perfect view from where she stood after approaching the window, the glass frosted but still able to see some form of activity below. She reached for the doorknob, jingling it a little. Rafe locked her inside. Her second attempt became meaningless as she crossed the bedroom to distract herself with a shower.

She forgot how wondrous it was to even bath in cool, clean water. Her skin could not have felt better than it did then. She washed away days old grime, soil…and blood. River leaned to the wall, allowing the water to caress every curve of her lean body. But, she wouldn't be fooled by the luxurious bath too long. River stepped out, heedlessly drying her body and finding her clothes. She needed to hurry before anything happened.

---

Gabriel came back to the lounge with a strong purpose. He was going to talk to Lily. Young women of the Loup-garoux turned when he entered. They allowed him to pass without complaint even the desire to talk to him seemed urgent and needed. Gabriel went over to Rafe who sat entertaining a few friends.

"I need to talk to you."

Rafe unpleasantly excused himself from his circle to follow his father in a more quiet location beneath the stairs. The music hadn't wavered that they drew closer to speak levelly.

"What is it now, Gabriel?"

"Where is Lily?"

Rafe showed a satisfied grin. "She's sleeping upstairs. We had a long conversation; a well deserved one. Americans can be so easy to convince."

Gabriel assured that his son had done the unthinkable with a Human; still, his laws hadn't forbid that…until now. He withdrew the letter from his coat pocket and handed it to his son. Rafe read the letter. He smiled afterward.

"What is this?"

"That," as Gabriel pointed to. "was the letter she was going to send to her family; that girl says she is no hunter but she is tracking us down. I don't think she has told us everything."

Rafe smirked, handed the letter back to his father and looked far from him. "What did you propose to do?"

Gabriel looked to his son with determination. His eyes flickered with power; it seemed obvious what he wanted to do and though he had power over his son, the lounge was his to decide. Rafe briefly chuckled from his father's behavior.

"Do you really believe that will force her to tell us what she has been holding back?"

"We frighten even the most toughest criminals. Surely, we can do the same especially if that girl has been lying to us the entire time. Several Loup-garoux have been killed since she has come to Bucharest, don't you think that is a little peculiar."

Rafe grimaced. He brought his hand to his mouth and dove into thought. "Well, there are plenty of tourists, why not hunt them down to see if they are the infamous Loup-garoux killer."

"Do not make this a joke, my son. I still lead and if you defy me, I will have you released from your pack."

"You come to your conclusion that my sweet Lily is the one that we are looking for?" Rafe sounded depressed then. He looked toward the crowded lounge. He had others to entice him longer than Lily would, but she was a challenge to find the entire time. He took his keys from his back pocket and started for the stairs. Gabriel went behind him.

Rafe unlocked his bedroom door and went inside to find that Lily had gone. His window was half opened and cold breeze flooded his room. Gabriel went to the window, growling at the idea of his son being careless. Rafe looked to his father.

"If she had nothing to hide. She would not have run."

Gabriel shoved his son out of his way.

They needed to find River, fast.