The Great Disapurrance: BBW Shapeshifter Surprise Pregnancy Romance (Chicago Catastrophe) by Anya Nowlan, Rory Dale Page A

lot more mysterious than he normally was.
    A picture popped up on his screen. The face was familiar, yet it took him more time than it should have to place it.
    “Hang on. Is that Sienna?” he asked softly, careful to not be overheard.
    The picture was obviously at least a couple of years old, but that wasn’t why he had trouble recognizing her at first. Sienna’s hair was impeccably straight and impossibly shiny, and her gorgeous features were all but hidden under a heavy layer of makeup.
    Instead of full cheeks and a dewy complexion, this version of her had a thin face and skin that looked like plastic.
    She was wearing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes and an expensive-looking pendant hung around her neck, depicting some sort of symbol Arlen hadn’t seen before.
    “It sure is. When I told Spade you were with a girl called Sienna Marquez, I could almost hear a bell go off in his head,” Foster replied.
    Spade was the head of the intelligence department for good reason. The man was a true treasure trove of less than savory information and had the uncanny ability to find dirt on almost anyone. And act on it, if need be.
    “Who is she?” Arlen asked, feeling his stomach turn hollow.
    If Spade had her on his radar, then she must be a lot more than just a massage therapist.
    “You ever hear of the Marquez family out of New Mexico? They made their fortune in the early nineteen hundreds, cashing in on the oil boom. They’re not much for being in the public eye, but are well-known in the more wealthy circles.”
    “No, I haven’t heard of them. How wealthy exactly are they?”
    He dreaded the response. With wealth, came trouble. And with trouble, came danger.
    “Wealthy enough to offer Spade a million bucks for their only daughter’s safe return. They said she’d skipped out a few years back, some rebellious phase,” Foster replied, stunning him for a second.
    “A million dollars? They do know I’m not holding her hostage, right?”
    “Yeah, but Holland was. And for a lot more than just a million.”
    Arlen hadn’t known one phone call could offer up this many surprises. Sienna hadn’t said anything about being held for ransom, she had seemed genuinely confused by Holland’s insistence on having her with him. Could it be she really didn’t know what his real motivations were?
    “What did Spade say to her parents?”
    “What do you mean? That we’d hand her over, of course. And gladly take the money.”
    “Return her to her parents in exchange for the money, right,” Arlen echoed numbly, standing to pace around the apartment. “Like she’s some sort of vase or lost kitten? She might have a reason for staying away from her family. She’s a person, and she’s capable of making her own decisions,” he hissed, growing quieter the more he wanted to yell.
    The force of his response caught Foster off guard. Arlen had never thought he’d be disrespecting a superior officer like that, but he couldn’t stop himself. He could hear the man tapping his pen on his desk on the other side of the line, like he was known to do when he got agitated.
    “This is not your call. We have already made the deal. Someone will be by shortly to pick her up. Now tell me which safehouse you’re at.”
    Arlen had always been good at following orders, but this one he just couldn’t abide by. His tiger thrashed against his skin, spurring his disobedience on. Foster was a decent man and a competent supervisor so Arlen did feel bad for getting him in trouble, but the feeling was eclipsed by the protectiveness he felt when he thought of Sienna.
    She was under his protection. His. At least as long as she needed him to keep her safe.
    “No. I am not handing her over without her consent and if you send someone to take her by force, that someone is going to be sent back in a body bag. Shadow Squad will have to scrape them off the walls by the time I’m through. Feel free to relay that message to Spade.”
    Foster started to