“But?”
“The last six months or so, he’s been moving up in the world. It’s been part of a change we’ve been seeing on the streets for the last year and a half or so. A lot of the players you were familiar with are either gone or in jail. There’s a new player in town, one we haven’t been successful in infiltrating yet. They’ve either refused contact with our people when we’ve tried to get in or they out us as cops and threaten to kill our families if we don’t leave them alone.”
“Do you have a name?”
“Yeah, just no proof, at least not enough to bring them in.” He waved off the waitress as she neared the table with more coffee. “Pat, these new players are bad news. They don’t hesitate to kill. In fact, I’d lay good money on them enjoying killing.”
She tried not to react. That sounded too much like the lycans.
“Before we get to that, let me tell you about the other one.” Stoker stared into his empty mug, moving it around the tabletop in circles as he did. “Bartholomew is low-level muscle. He hit my radar about two years ago when he started being mentioned by some of my CIs as trying to force them into working for the new players in town. I wouldn’t trust him any further than I can throw him but being part of an attempted hit on a cop is a bit much for him.”
“At the risk of repeating myself, but?”
“Pat, I know there’s not a chance in hell Captain Santos is dirty. You wouldn’t have been her partner and you wouldn’t be working your ass off to find the bastards who shot her if she was. But I don’t see how in the hell these SOBs could be involved.” He waved off her protests before she could voice them. “It’s just that none of this makes any sense.”
“Tell me about it.” She considered her options for a few moments. “Buck, I’m going to pull you in to the taskforce. We need any and all information you have on these two and I need the name or names of those you feel are these new players you’ve been talking about. It could be the captain had run-ins with them before.”
“You’ll clear it with my lieutenant?”
“Consider it done.” She retrieved her phone and sent a quick text. “Now, who do you think Caudell and Bartholomew are working for?”
Before answering, Stoker gave her some background. The person or persons trying to take over much of the drug trade in Dallas appeared on the scene approximately two years earlier. At first, they were minor players and operated well below the radar. Then Narcotics realized some of the players they’d been after for ages were no longer around. Some simply disappeared. Others got out of the business, something that was unheard of and Pat knew it. Only a couple of major gangs still had their hands in the “business” in Dallas, mainly those with cartel connections. Everyone else had been swallowed up by this new group. The problem was, while Narcotics managed to bust low-level pushers, they’d been unsuccessful convincing those arrested ne to roll on the higher ups. They were too scared. The threat of prison didn’t scare them as much as the ones they worked for.
“And the person you believe responsible?”
“Jacob Branson. He claims to be a real estate investor. Appears to have close ties to another player in the real estate business, one Connor Ferguson. The two are often together, and I suspect Ferguson is the money behind the operation while Branson is the muscle. But we don’t have enough to pull them in for questioning, much less to charge them with anything.”
Pat swallowed hard and fought the impulse to curse long and hard. Then, seeing him watching her, she blew out a breath.
“I know for a certainty Captain Santos has run up against both of them before. Ferguson was one of those kidnapped when I was. We’ve never understood why he was taken. Hell, we never understood why I was other than I’m a cop.” She tried shrugging it off and hoped he wouldn’t press for more. “Maybe they think she learned something in the course of her investigation into my kidnapping, or into the ambush that cost Mike and the others their lives, that put their operation in jeopardy.”
“Did she?”
Pat shook her head. That was one question she could answer honestly.
“No. But I’ll get you access to the investigative files for both cases.”
“Thanks.” He signaled the waitress for some more coffee.
“Get me everything you have on both Branson and Ferguson. I’ll meet you back at the station and introduce you to the rest of the team. Shelly Tanaka is heading up the investigation. I’ll fill her in.”
“Give me a couple of hours.”
“Text me when you’re ready. I’ll meet you there.”
He nodded and slipped out of the booth. Before she could protest, he told her he’d take care of the tab. She thanked him and watched as he walked off. As she did, she wondered what in the hell she was supposed to do now.
Damn lycans.
* * *
Mac sank onto the sofa in the rather barren apartment in yet another warehouse turned safehouse with a sigh of relief. She felt like she’d been shot all over again. The last few hours had taken their toll on her physically and emotionally. Worse, she knew the others realized it. Because she didn’t want them to worry, she hadn’t argued when they sent for Patek. Instead, she’d stretched out and closed her eyes, doing her best to rest until he arrived.
“You are a damned lucky and even more stubborn woman, Mackenzie Santos Caine,” the doctor said as he closed his bag with a snap. “Are you hurting any?”
“Some,” she admitted. “But not like what I have the last twenty-four hours or so.”
He nodded and then sighed. “If you promise to get some rest, at least two hours sleep, you can shift. But you have to do it here. I want either your grandmother or Jackson here with you when you do, preferably both of them. And no hunting, no leaving the building. Shift, eat and rest. Understand?”
Even though she wanted to shout with joy, she nodded sedately.
“I want you to check her once she’s shifted, especially her injured shoulder. If there is anything that concerns you, send for the corpsman on duty and then send for me,” he told Ellen.
“I understand.” She glanced at Mac before turning her attention back to the doctor. “I assure you she will do as you say.”
He nodded and, after telling Mac one last time to get some rest, left the room. Mac watched as her mother walked him out. Then she lay back, her attention focused on her grandmother.
“If I promise to wake you the moment we hear word about Wysocki’s children, will you get some rest?” She pulled a quilt from the back of the sofa and draped it over Mac’s legs.
“Your grandmother’s right, Mac,” Elizabeth said as she returned. “You need to rest. It’s the best thing right now for you and the baby.”
The baby. A smile touched Mac’s lips and her hand moved to her stomach. At least one thing good had happened the last few days.
“How about we talk about the baby?”
She knew her mother and grandmother needed to think about something besides her. It was the first time they’d really had to talk about her being pregnant. The joy on their faces told her all she needed to know. They welcomed the news of the baby just as much as she did. That was all the opening she needed to ask her questions.
“You’re going to be such a wonderful mother, Mac.” Elizabeth smiled at her daughter as she took one of the chairs opposite the sofa. “Much better than me.”
Mac chuckled. “With my luck, I’ll have a daughter even more headstrong than I was.”
“I want you to promise me one thing, Mackenzie. Don’t make the same mistakes I did.”
“Mom, you did the best you could. I doubt I could have done any better.” She might still suffer the occasional moment of resentment because her mother had not told her about her shifter heritage, but those moments came less and less frequently. “Besides, there’s not going to be much of a chance this little one.” She smiled down at her still flat belly.” Will grow up without knowing about the furry side of the family.”
Elizabeth laughed even
as her mother shook her head.
“But I do have some questions.” She looked at her grandmother.
“I’ll do my best to answer them,” Ellen said.
Mac scooted up a little and wondered where to begin. Then the answer came to her. The moment Patek said she could shift, she felt her jaguar’s relief, a relief she shared. But there was that nagging worry about what shifting might do to the baby. There was so much she didn’t know about being a shapeshifter.
“Why don’t we start with the obvious.” She tried to smile but the butterflies in her stomach were all too real. “Will shifting do anything to the baby?”
Like maybe turn it into a kitten?
Ellen smiled, as if knowing what she feared. “No, love. Shifting this early into the pregnancy won’t do anything to the baby. Your last trimester, you will want to avoid it if at all possible. The strain a shift puts on your body could send you into early labor.”
That was one worry off her mind.
She ducked her head, feeling foolish. But she had to ask.
“Gran, is there any chance—” She couldn’t finish. All she could do was sit there and blush.
“Mackenzie.” Ellen smiled and moved to sit on the edge of the sofa at her side. She drew her granddaughter close. “I’m sorry. This is yet another conversation we should have had before now. You can quit worrying. You will give birth to a beautiful, healthy baby boy or girl. You aren’t going to give birth to a cub or a kitten.”
“Oh, Mac.” Elizabeth moved to kneel next to the sofa and reached for her daughter’s hand. “When this is all over, why don’t the three of us go away for a weekend? You can tell us everything we need to know, everything I should have asked when I was younger and everything we should have told Mac as she was growing up.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Mom.” Mac gave her mother’s hand a squeeze. “Gran?”
“So do I.” She leaned over and kissed Mac’s cheek. “Now you get some rest. When you wake, you can shift. Assuming, that is, you still want to.”
“You promise to wake me if you hear anything from Pat or the others?”
“We do,” Elizabeth assured her. “Rest now, love, or Jackson will worry when he gets here.”
She nodded and slid down on the sofa until she lay flat. When Elizabeth carefully helped her position a pillow under her head, she smiled in appreciation. As she did, her mother and grandmother bent, one after the other, to kiss her forehead. Feeling like a little girl being tucked in for the night, she closed her eyes. As she did, she hoped their lives returned to normal sooner rather than later.
* * *
Jael sank to the floor, her back against the wall, cell phone in hand. She couldn’t believe it. When was the nightmare going to end?
“All right. Thanks for letting me know.” What else could she say?
“You don’t mean it any more than I did when I learned,” Pat said humorlessly. “Will you let the others know?”
“Yeah.” Not that she wanted to. Elizabeth texted not long ago to let her know Patek said Mac could shift. That meant it would be even more difficult to keep her from doing anything foolish.
“Tell her I’ll be there as soon as I can. But we need to run down a few more leads and I’m waiting to hear about Wysocki’s family.”
“Understood. I’ll keep you informed about what’s happening here.”
“I know I don’t have to say it, but knock her out and tie her down if that’s what it takes to keep her from doing anything stupid.”
Unconsciously, Jael’s hand moved to where her cuffs hung from her belt. It was tempting, so very tempting. And it might come to that if Mac reacted the way she expected. Still, maybe Mac would surprise her. She did have the baby to consider, after all. Maybe that was enough to make her think twice before putting herself in danger.
She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Frowning, she considered what she’d been told. Then she opened her eyes and quickly scanned the documents Pat emailed her. Even knowing there was a connection to the local pack, this seemed beyond belief. But there was no doubting it, not when she looked at the files. Damn it, the pack had gone too far this time. Not just in shooting Mac but in putting the entire community at risk.
More worrisome was the fact they didn’t know what else the pack might have been up to.
Knowing she needed to tell Mac and the others, and not looking forward to it, she knew there was someone else she needed to speak with first. Without giving herself time to second guess herself, she dialed Mateo’s number.
“What’s wrong? Is she all right?”
Jael cursed silently. She should have realized he’d be worried about his cousin. Her next check-in wasn’t scheduled for another two hours. The fact she was calling ahead of time signaled trouble. Fortunately, if such a thing could be called fortunate, it wasn’t the trouble he anticipated.
“She’s fine. But there’s something else that’s come up you need to know about.” Quickly, she related what Pat told her.
“She’s sure about the intel?” Mateo asked.
“She is.” She paused, thinking. Knowing the best way to proceed was to keep him focused on duty, she continued. “Sir, I know Detective Stoker. He’s one of the best in Narcotics. If he says there’s reason to suspect Ferguson and Branson of being involved in the local drug trade, there’s a damned good reason for it. It would also explain how the pack always seems to have the money and resources to keep going. It is also why they wouldn’t want Mac or anyone else looking too closely at what they’ve been doing.”
“All right. Get me copies of everything you have. I’ll brief the general.”
“Sending it now.” She pulled up her email client and forwarded Pat’s email to him.
“Got it,” he said a few moments later. “I’ll see what our people can pull out. I’m also getting eyes and ears on those two ASAP. In the meantime, keep my cousin safe.”
“I will.” She thought for a moment. “Sir, check the status of the pack as well. You know the key players beyond Ferguson and Branson. They’ve all been unusually silent since the attack on Mac.”
“I’ll get someone on it. You tell Lee to look into it as well.”
“Thanks.”
“Jael, answer me this. Do you believe they are involved, either together or individually?”
“A week ago, I’d have said neither would be this foolish. Now I’m not so sure.” And that was an understatement. “I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what to think. Ferguson seems to have changed after what Cassandra’s people did to him and the others. That’s the real turning point for when he seemed willing to actually work with the pride. It might have all been a ruse on his part, one designed to make us relax our watch on him and the rest of the pack. Or it might be that Branson and others in the pack have had enough and are making their own powerplay. You have to admit, attacking Mac is an excellent way of taking attention from what their real goal is.”
“Thank you sooo much, Master Guns. Just what I need, another headache turned nightmare.”
“I aim to share, sir,” she chuckled.
“Then I will return the favor and share one of my headaches with you. Brief my cousin. Tell her everything. And them make sure she doesn’t do anything foolish.”
Jael groaned. “You are an evil bastard—sir.”
“I know.” He laughed. “Seriously, keep her safe, Jael. We can’t risk her or my grandmother.”
“I know.” She’d do everything humanly possible to protect them. “Get us some reinforcements before the pride meeting tonight. I have a bad feeling that whatever is going to happen will happen then.”
“Understood. I’ll touch base in an hour, sooner if I learn anything before then.”
“Same here.” She stood and inhaled deeply as Mateo hung up. She wasn’t sure which of them had the most difficult job, her having to keep Mac safe or him making sure nothing happened to reveal their existence to the world-at-large.
* * *
&nbs
p; Mac moaned and shifted positions. As she did, a hand gently stroked her hair. Her jaguar purred and she leaned into the hand as she recognized her husband’s scent. Without opening her eyes, she reached up, her hand searching for his. She smiled as his fingers twined with hers. Then his lips brushed her cheek.
“Shh, babe. Sleep some more,” he soothed.
She shook her head and carefully sat up. As she did, she looked around in surprise. The last thing she remembered was dozing on the sofa. Now she lay on a bed in a room furnished as sparsely as the living room. Bed, a single bedside table and single dresser along with a straight-backed wood chair were the room’s only furnishings.
“How long?” She carefully shifted her injured arm in its immobilizer. Then she scooted up the mattress until she sat hip-to-hip with her husband, relaxing as he slid an arm around her and held her close.
“About an hour and a half.” He pressed his lips to her temple. “You’ve had me so scared, Mac,” he said softly.
“Me too.” She wouldn’t lie to him. She reached up to kiss the line of his jaw. “Can you believe we’re going to have a baby?”
“The only thing that could make me happier is if we have twins.” He wrapped his arms around her. “But you have to take care of yourself.”
She nodded. Then she looked up at him. She would take care of herself, for the baby and so Jackson wouldn’t worry. But she wanted, she needed to shift.
Please let him understand.
“Jackson.”
He sighed and tilted her face up to look at him. “I know. Your mother and grandmother told me what Patek said.” He swung his legs off the bed and stood. “You can shift but you have to do was we tell you, Mac. And you have to let me know if you start hurting worse. Promise me.”
“I do.” Even though she wanted to shout for joy, she knew better. He still worried about her and about the strain shifting would put on her battered body. “I promise.”
He looked down at her for a moment before helping her to her feet. She stood still as he gently loosened the immobilizer. As she eased her arm from it, she did her best not to wince. She didn’t want him worrying any more than he already was. Besides, it felt good to be able to move the arm a bit. Pain still tugged at her shoulder and the wound in her side, but it was nothing compared to what it had been the day before. Hopefully, after she shifted, it would be even better.
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