Her entire body became heated energy as he jerked her back from the door by her nape as if she was a recalcitrant pup. He let out a cry and jerked his hand away.
She drove her elbow into his ribs and turned, the light filling her face, but it didn’t make her a beacon of brightness. It blurred her features making them translucent.
“What the—”
Kyra drove her gold-tipped claws into his throat, just hitting the jugular, and she thrust her knee between his thighs before backhanding him as he growled and doubled over.
She turned and jerked open the door, shooting out like a light.
Chapter One
“With all that’s been going on, I think we need to restructure the security protocols,” Dylan Ashley commented as she set the bottle of beer she was nursing down on the table in the quiet little bar on the edge of Stonington.
The cold had probably kept many a human in tonight or it could have been that little turf war that had erupted a few days ago between wolves and jackals who were trying to move into their territory.
“None of that really affects us to a major degree, Dylan,” Claudia Mayer commented, her mind on the woman at a table across the room. The attractive woman was with a man who leaned toward her as he spoke.
Her black hair was in two low ponytails, and her slim little body was tight with curves in all the right places. At the moment, it was the sensually curved mouth Claudia couldn’t take her eyes off of. She wanted to taste it, lingering over every lick and nip.
“I don’t know where your head is lately, Claude, but you need to get it back in the game,” Dylan said with a growl of irritation.
She dragged her eyes from the woman to fix on Dylan. “Don’t question my leadership,” she said quietly, but the steel in her tone was unmistakable even to her own ears. “I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you?” Dylan demanded. “There is much concern on my part and a few others’ that you’re losing your edge.”
“If any of you want to test your theories, let me know,” she replied. There was a lot going on in their town right now, and Claudia was starting to grow increasingly concerned about it all herself.
Serial killers? Wolves who would do anything to obtain something that wasn’t theirs to take?
Claudia understood where this was going and wasn’t going to be a victim of the train attempting to burst through, even as the conflicts between the wolves and two other coyote packs heated up.
Dylan exhaled roughly. “I’m not threatening you,” she muttered. “I’m merely stating facts here.”
“If you weren’t one of my commanders, I’d take out your throat with a claw,” Claudia told her. “I don’t mind you raising your concerns or the concerns of other packmates, that’s why you’re my head of security, but watch yourself.”
“Listen to me, Claude,” she insisted as she leaned toward her. “We have no idea what Jenner is going to do. He’s become unstable, even more so than Jericho was. With the loss of members of his familial pack, he might decide all coyotes are on his hit list.”
“Let’s hope not,” she commented as she looked away, gaze tracking the woman again.
She was concerned about where Jenner’s new beliefs would lead him. However, Claudia wasn’t about to allow fear to force her into reactionary mode yet.
“Let me deal with this my way,” she said. “Go find Evan. Make sure he’s not in any trouble.” Evan was another of her commanders and either of them could take over in her absence.
Tonight, Evan was on the hunt for information. Claudia didn’t expect him to lose sight of the game, but times were a little treacherous with jackals afoot this close to home.
She didn’t know why they were there, but this was wolf and coyote country. She wanted answers no matter how simple and obvious they were.
“Fine. I hope she’s with him. Then you won’t be here alone long, but I suppose this beats the alternative.”
“Which is?” Claudia asked coolly. Dylan’s attitude was getting a bit tiresome.
“That damned strip club,” Dylan muttered.
“Oh?” Claudia looked at her then, and her copper eyes were like a caress on her face that made the coyote growl low inside Claudia’s mind.
“You need to stay away from that place for the pack’s own good. There’s no telling what kind of trouble is brewing there, and the woman that you go there to see just might cause us all kinds of grief.” She gave Claudia a pointed look and marched out.
Claudia lifted a brow, but quickly turned her gaze back to her prey. The man with the woman got up and left, too. Now, that intrigued her, but she wasn’t worried about Dylan. The woman could handle herself against two of that guy.
He was thin and just the right side of average looking. It made her wonder why a sexy woman like that would bother with a scrawny man. She was way too hot to settle for ordinary.
The woman got up and headed for a vacant pool table and started racking up balls. Claudia got to her feet and strolled back as a couple of guys ogled her prey.
“Hey, gorgeous, wanna join our game?” one of the men asked, eating her up with his eyes, and Claudia’s coyote growled menacingly inside her mind.
“No, thanks,” she replied, giving them a smile.
“We’ll buy the drinks,” the second one said.
“Not interested.” The woman selected a cue and walked over to the table. The good-looking black man joined her, standing way too close for Claudia’s liking. Her animal growled and snarled, but she quieted it as she waited for the woman’s response.
“Oh, come on. Your boy’s gone. You can come play a round with real men.”
“When I want a real man,” she murmured, slowly raking her gaze down his fit body. “I’ll find a woman.”
Claudia couldn’t help but grin at that and it answered the most pressing question about the woman on her mind.
She was certain this was the very dancer who’d captivated her with the flick of her whip and the swish of her hips when Claudia had first seen her on stage.
“In that case I’m sure you need—”
“I need you to get lost,” she cut in smoothly. “Before I have to call the police.”
He glared at her and went back to his table.
Claudia approached and put her hand on the wood frame. The brown eyes glanced up and the softest hint of her scent slithered over Claudia. She tipped her head up drinking in the intriguing smell.
Yes, this was her dancer. Yes, her animal had already staked a claim, a temporary one that Claudia couldn’t wait to explore. She was certain the dancer would more than meet her expectations out of bed as a dinner companion and in it as a sexual one.
“Yes?”
“Buy you a round?” Claudia asked allowing her gaze to slowly slide over the black outfit and the thick ponytails cascading over her shoulders. Her brown eyes were the shade of smooth whiskey and preoccupied even as they swung to meet Claudia’s.
“Sure.” She smiled, her eyes lighting with interest.
“What are you drinking?” The shade of her gaze seemed wrong. The color a little muted, and Claudia wondered if it was the light or she wasn’t the woman Claudia thought she was.
“Just ginger ale,” she said and bent over the table. She looked down the length of the cue at Claudia before adding, “You want to play?”
“Sure.” Claudia threw her word back at her. “Be right back with those drinks.”
“I’ll be here,” she said and took a shot. She sank a couple of balls, and Claudia turned to head to the bar.
****
Kyra watched the woman go. She knew who she was, but Kyra doubted the mayor of Snowbury knew who she was without her black leather mask and the distinctive perfume she used to hide her very subtle but true scent.
She couldn’t help wondering what Claudia was doing this far from town in what was fast becoming jackal-wolf country.
She had had a meet with a jackal who was on his way out of town before his boss went down f
or running drugs. He was certain it wouldn’t happen with Dillinger dead, but he wasn’t taking chances.
If Kyra was smart, she’d be jumping ship, too, instead of allowing her emotions and an imagined debt to Dillinger to keep her on the case. His replacement, Ava, had taken over in Dillinger’s death, but she was giving every impression that capturing Dill’s murderer and Russo was on the back burner while she got her kid out of town to someplace safe.
Ava was digging in for the long haul and had asked her to stay the course with her. Kyra knew she had some issues with the Russos and stakes were even higher for her than they had been for Dillinger.
“You don’t seriously think a woman can satisfy you,” the golden-skinned man said cutting into her reverie. His tone was filled with disgust.
Kyra threw him a look, dark heat already swelling inside her. What was it with the men in this bar? Did none of them realize she wasn’t interested?
“And what do you think you have that the other guy doesn’t?” she asked icily and flicked a gaze to first man who’d approached and back at him.
He walked over to her, his gaze sliding up and down her as if she was a treat he wanted to devour.
He leaned towards, her a smile playing on his lips. “The right equipment to give you a good fuck to loosen you up, but unlike him, I don’t mind your friend coming along.” He threw a look to the bar where Claudia had gone.
Kyra laughed. “You couldn’t keep up, let alone get us both off, so keep it in your pants, stud,” she drawled and started to move away.
His hand shot out, grabbing her arm. With a pointed look at the offending appendage, Kyra sent a jolt of heated energy to curl around his fingers.
His eyes widened, and he quickly released her to look down at his hand. “Damn. What was that?”
“Are you okay?” she asked sweetly.
He gave her a hard look as he shook his hand and walked away. Kyra turned her gaze back to the table with a smile.
She didn’t hate men, but Kyra wasn’t a fan of men putting their hands on her without permission or necessity.
“Here you are.” Claudia returned, and Kyra took another shot. “So, what’s your name?”
She tilted her head up drinking in those winter-gray eyes with a darker outer rim.
“Kyra.”
“You’ve got game, Kyra,” she drawled. “And a look that has the men around here acting like dogs in heat.”
Kyra laughed and rounded the table to take the drink. “Seems as though,” she said allowing her southern accent into her voice.
She’d worked hard at hiding that twang. Traveling around the world, she’d learned people thought of her as a hick despite her expertise and skills. So, Kyra had lost the accent.
“Thank you.”
“Southern girl or are you just putting on an act?” Claudia asked.
Kyra smiled. “We’re all playing a part, aren’t we…?”
“Claudia.”
Kyra set the drink down and took another shot. She missed on purpose. “Your turn.”
Claudia retrieved a cue and took her turn. Kyra watched her, noticing the concentration and the shape of her ass. She was a woman who took care of herself, but she had noticed that the first time she’d danced for Claudia.
The thick ebony hair was cut in a boy-cut, neat and short with longer bangs tinged an intriguing silver-gray that gave her pause. That could be a dye job or a genetic anomaly of a snow coyote.
Kyra wouldn’t mind going out with her and meeting her away from work made it easy to flirt, but on the job, she didn’t bother. She wasn’t a whore, and she wasn’t going to sleep with her customers, let alone date them.
She was here to do a job not pick up a problem.
“So, what do you do, Kyra?”
“Right now, play pool,” she replied. “What about you?” On the surface, she was just a stripper cooling her heels in a small town while she decided where to go next.
“I’m a mayor,” she answered.
She took a sip of her soda. “Do you like the job?” Kyra asked. She had often wondered if Claudia liked her job or if it was more of a burden she couldn’t wait to be rid of.
“Sometimes.” She missed her next shot and stood to lock eyes with Kyra who saw a hint of something she hadn’t seen in those silver-gray eyes.
She’d always preferred strong women since only a dominant could handle the wildness of her nature without getting hurt.
“I guess it has its perks,” Kyra said, huskily and cleared her throat, but her heart was beating a little faster now just like it always did when Claudia looked her straight in the eye like that.
“Doesn’t help with picking up women,” Claudia drawled and took a swallow of her beer.
She smiled nervously. The snow coyote was even more dangerous than a hyena. Deadly in its kills, the animal could crush bones with its teeth and some could infect its victims with a paralyzing cold.
The animal thrived in chilly climes, and some were able to live outside even in human form without a coat for days.
“I bet that’s not true,” Kyra murmured, allowing her gaze to slide down Claudia.
Claudia’s lips curved in a smile as she came around the table to stand next to her. “Not completely,” she agreed quietly. “There are women who like and or respect the authority and power of a woman in charge.”
“Mmm.”
“What about you? Do you like power on a woman?” Claudia asked leaning closer.
“The scent can be intoxicating,” Kyra said, her gaze dropping to Claudia’s mouth. “But just because a woman has a position of authority doesn’t mean she’s all that.”
“Not by a longshot,” Claudia agreed. “What would it take to turn your head, beautiful? Get you to say yes to a date?”
Kyra’s phone rang as she tried to decide whether to run or play with this intriguing woman who had her animal’s rapt attention.
“Saved by the ringtone,” Claudia murmured. “I guess your boyfriend’s just running late.”
Kyra pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced at the display. “Excuse me.” She walked a few steps away from the table. “Yeah.”
“I’m outside the Mountain Ridge, is that the right place?”
“I’ll come out,” she said and ended the call. Turning back to Claudia, Kyra smiled. “It was nice meeting you. Maybe we can finish this game sometime. Thanks for the drink.”
“How about tomorrow night?” Claudia asked. “We can grab dinner instead.”
Kyra hesitated. She couldn’t really take chances with a fling even if she would be needing a warm body soon. “I don’t think so,” she said and backed away. Every part of her screamed in rebellion.
“Maybe I’ll see you around then,” Claudia said and tipped her bottle to her.
“Maybe.” Kyra hurried over to the bar to pay her tab before heading out to the parking lot. She spied the black rental SUV and went over to rap on the window.
Ava peered out at her and then unlocked the door.
“Hey.” She slammed the door closed after climbing in.
“Hi,” Ava said, her pale face drawn. Her blue eyes were tired, and her auburn hair was pulled into a messy ponytail.
“Did you get your kid to safety?”
“Yeah.” She pushed out a rough sigh. “It’s still not sitting too good with me that this job might get me killed and leave him without a mother, but these people have to be stopped.”
Kyra gave her a grim look. “Not necessarily by you, Ava,” she said quietly, thinking back over her own life. She’d lost family to a cartel, too, and felt the fight shouldn’t be taken up by someone with a child.
Witness protection was only as good as the agents entrusted with a witness’s care and her family hadn’t been so lucky.
Ava gave her a hard look. “Don’t judge me when you have no idea of how my shoes fit.”
Kyra shrugged. “No judgment.” Only sorrow for her child. Her father had walked this same road as the crusader and it
had cost her both her parents and the extended family she’d loved.
She did this job not to avenge them or prevent others from going down the same path, but because it was all she knew. She’d been christened into this life in blood and become intimate friends with darkness. She didn’t shy away from the hard decisions even when she was playing the damsel.
Ava gave her a single nod. “I’m going to trial in a few days, so I need a copy of that file.”
She reached into the small purse strapped across her body. “How much do you want? Timmons had everything organized by date and person, but there isn’t exactly a smoking gun in here on anything except money laundering.”
“I want a copy of everything you have so I can familiarize myself with it,” she answered. “Their lawyer is already trying to get a continuance, so I need to know what I have to work with. I don’t want to overshoot it and get the case thrown out.”
“He’s going to want one after you present this,” Kyra told her. “He might even go after the bookkeeper.”
“Does the file incriminate the entire family? I want them all especially his damned brother.”
“The murder was on the tapes, and I don’t have a copy of it. I can’t even say for sure if it was Carlo, the hitman or the brother who did the shooting. I’m still working on tying them to some other crimes of trafficking and murder.”
Ava sighed. “Do you think you can get me what I need for a conviction on something besides mail fraud or a misdemeanor that he’ll walk on?
She wanted murders. That would keep Ava’s brother’s killer in jail for life.
“I can’t make promises, Ava,” she said softly. She’d been in this business since she was thirteen, and Kyra had learned well from her mentor that promises were a dangerous liability without evidence in hand.
“Umm, listen, I need to know if you were there that night Dillinger was killed,” Ava said as she turned her gaze out the windshield.
“I can’t testify to that right now and still help you.” She wasn’t afraid of a court appearance because she knew very well how to disappear and fight a war from the shadows.
Claiming a Beta Coyote Page 2