by Renee Rose
“You won’t see her again,” my alpha says firmly.
Fuck this. I snarl again, this time out loud, and stomp out of the hanger.
“You can’t claim her, Deke,” Rafe calls after me. “You don't know what your wolf will do.”
He’s right. My wolf is a monster, out of control. The only thing I’m good at is killing. And one day, I’ll go too far, and my pack will have to put me down.
I can’t see Sadie again.
It’s for the best.
Chapter 4
Sadie
This morning my eyes are gritty, and I’m exhausted. If my kids or fellow teachers notice my smile is a bit forced, they don’t say anything.
I didn’t cry over Deke. I barely defended him to my friends. They left after I gave them a half-hearted promise to let them know if Scott makes another move.
I don’t care about Scott. My thoughts are consumed by the big biker and our supernova kiss. I barely knew Deke, and my heart feels empty, like he already made a place for himself, and now he’s gone.
I bring the motorcycle cookies to my classroom. Charlie stole two last night, but there are still plenty.
We’re out for recess when one of my students tugs on my skirt. “Miss Sadie, there’s a man here to see you.”
Sure enough, there’s Scott in navy slacks and a tie with a bouquet of red roses crossing the parking lot towards our enclosed playground. My lip curls. Roses? So cliché. I pull out my phone to text Charlie that she won the bet.
I signal to my fellow teachers that I’m going to go deal with this and march to the gate. Scott smiles when he sees me. I can practically see him flip a switch to “charming.” His thinning hair blows in the breeze. No amount of fancy product can hide the fact that he’ll eventually go bald. It’s petty of me to look forward to it, but if Scott cared half as much for being a decent person as he does his grooming, he’d might be tolerable to be around maybe.
Why did I ever date him? Was I really that desperate for my dad’s approval?
“Scott.” I cross my arms over my chest. “What are you doing here?”
“Council meeting next door. But I knew I would see you.” He proffers the flowers. I raise a brow.
“I can’t accept these. We’re not together any more.” Darn him for putting me in this position in front of my students.
The smile slips a little from Scott’s face. “Why not? Sadie, we were good together.”
I can’t help it. I half laugh. It’s so far from the truth, it’s funny. Amazing I never saw it that way before.
Scott’s smile is gone now, and I catch a glimpse of something else, something ugly. “You’re not acting like yourself, Sadie. You’re not usually like this.”
“Maybe this is who I am. Maybe before I was too nice. I deserve to have you respect my boundaries.”
“Is it that biker? His influence? Are you really seeing him?” He shakes his head. “Your dad is going to flip.”
I’m about to answer when the roar of motorcycles interrupts. Two Harley Davidsons roll up to the parking lot next door. The huge bikers pilot their bikes into a shared parking space, then dismount. The sunlight glints off their aviator shades. They’re in dark jeans that hug their powerful thighs and black leather jackets. They look like they just walked off the set of the most badass action movie ever filmed.
As they get closer, I recognize them. Deke and one of the other guys from the plaza two nights ago. A flush rolls up from my toes, heat climbing steadily towards my cheeks. My heartbeat thuds in my ears.
I’m not the only one who notices the bikers. Half my class is pressed against the fence, pointing to the motorcycles.
“So cool,” one little girl shouts. “Miss Sadie, those are motorcycles. Like the cookies you brought us.”
A breeze kicks up, and Deke’s head snaps my way. I give a little wave and lean back on the fence to compensate for my suddenly weak knees. Deke immediately alters his course to detour away from the school entrance to where I stand. After a second’s hesitation, so does his biker buddy.
Deke arrives first, his shades pointed right at me. “Sadie.”
“Deke,” I greet him, my voice catching a little. He looks good. Behind him, his buddy scowls at me. It’s not the blond from last night but a different guy who clears his throat as if he doesn’t want Deke to forget he’s there.
Deke steps to the side and jerks his head to his buddy. “This is Rafe.”
“Hi, Rafe,” I say. We’re all standing in a loose circle, me with my back to the fence, Scott to my left, Deke right in front of me, and his buddy at his left elbow. Not awkward at all.
Scott clears his throat, annoyed at being left out. “Excuse us,” he says, and his voice is high and whiny compared to Deke’s deep rumble.
“Sears,” Deke says, with a brief glance at the flowers Scott brought.
“Adalwulf.” Scott tries to face off with Deke, but Deke refuses to look at him.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask both Deke and Rafe.
“Council meeting. City’s hiring us for some security,” Rafe answers. Deke just looks at me. I can’t see his eyes behind his shades, but my insides quiver like I’m stipped naked.
Nope, did not imagine the intensity between us. And it isn’t going away. It’s getting stronger.
“Cookies?” asks Deke, raising a brow.
“You heard that?” I am full on blushing now.
“You gave mine away.”
“You left without taking them.”
This time both Rafe and Scott clear their throats, and I realize Deke and I are talking like it’s only the two of us.
“So you guys do security?” I ask Rafe.
“We do. We’re former military.”
“Rafe was my staff sergeant,” Deke says.
A small hand tugs the edge of my sweater. “Miss Sadie, can they come next week?” Jenny, one of my kindergarteners, asks.
I smile down at her and the little boys who are gathered at the fence. “I don't know, Mr. Rafe and Mr. Deke are very busy. Do you want me to ask them?”
A chorus of excited yeses rises up from the kids. A few jump up and down.
“What’s next week?” Scott asks. I ignore him and say to Rafe, “We do a career day every Tuesday. We had the fire department last week. Could you guys come and talk about your service?”
The corner of Rafe’s mouth quirks up as if he’s amused by something, but all he says is, “Sure. Here.” He hands me a white business card. “My email and cell are on that. Call anytime, and we’ll set it up.”
“Will do.” I nod to him coolly. I’m still miffed about the no mixing with civilians rule that made Deke’s biker friend interrupt our moment last night.
“Sadie,” Scott says, but the bell rings.
“Got to go. I can’t take those,” I tell Scott, waving a hand at the rose bouquet. “One of my students is allergic.” I turn my back on him and smile up at Deke. “See you next week. Rafe, nice to meet you.”
The back of my neck tingles as I walk away. I stand against the wall by the door, and my kids fall into line. I know Deke’s watching, and it puts a big smile on my face. Fate brought us together today, and if everything goes well, next week, I’ll get to see him again. I already can’t wait.
Deke
“Gotta admit,” Rafe says as we watch Sadie guide her students back toward the school, “Your little human’s got a backbone.”
“She’s not mine,” I mutter. “Per your orders, as I recall.” My wolf howls at my denial. I don’t bother giving Sears a second glance before heading off to the school entrance.
Rafe falls into step beside me. “Once you saw Sears with her, you couldn’t get over there fast enough. Is he bothering her?”
“Yep.” I don't say anything else, but Rafe can probably hear my teeth grinding.
“You didn’t punch him in the face. Pretty impressive restraint.”
“Yeah, I should win a prize.” I rub a hand over my face. Seeing Se
ars with Sadie made me want to shove the guy’s head in his trunk and slam the door down on him. Repeatedly. And then throw her over my shoulder and carry her back to my place, caveman style. For protection.
And orgasms. I want to give Sadie Diaz all the orgasms. Enough pleasure to make her forget that guy ever was in her life.
“You wouldn’t really visit her classroom, would you?”
Rafe shrugs. “Why not? It’s community service. We have to give something back to Taos.”
“Do you think that’s smart?”
Rafe turns to me. He tilts his head. To his credit, he takes the question seriously. “What do you think, soldier? You think your wolf can behave around a bunch of five and six-year-olds?”
I swallow. I think I can keep my wolf reined in but don’t want to promise anything. “Probably shouldn’t risk it.”
“Objection noted. But if we go, you’re coming with us. I won’t let your wolf get out of line. And I think it’d be good for you.”
I nod, shocked.
Then my alpha points a finger in my face. “But stay away from Sadie Diaz. That’s an order.”
My wolf growls, and I stifle it before the sound can rumble out of my chest. “Yes, sir,” I say stiffly.
“It’s the right thing to do, Deke. Humans aren’t for us.” He searches my eyes before nodding and walking away. I follow more slowly.
Humans aren’t for us.
I could argue with him. There are a few wolf shifters we know who have mated humans. Not that I’d ever call them up and ask them how it works. It doesn’t matter, not in my case.
I’m too feral to ever be trusted with a human female. Especially not one as gentle as Sadie.
Sadie
As soon as I’m home, I take out Rafe’s card. Black Wolf Security. It lists his name, Rafe Lightfoot. There are two numbers, office and cell. After a second of hesitation, I call the office. A recorded woman’s voice invites me to leave a message, so I leave my name and number and the details of the career day.
A minute later my phone vibrates with a text. “This is Deke.”
I grab my phone and clutch it to my heart. This is exactly what I hoped would happen when I left a message on the office phone instead of calling Rafe directly. I know Deke gave me his number, but after the way we left things last time, I wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear from me.
“How did you get this number?” I type out and send before I get nervous and delete it.
No answer.
“Just kidding. I was teasing. I’m glad you texted,” I type quickly.
Still no answer.
And then my phone rings. I fumble with it and almost drop it before I answer.
“Hello?” My voice is breathless like I’ve just run a marathon and then up a flight of stairs. Which is exactly what I’ll tell Deke if he asks why I’m out of breath—that I just got back from a run.
“Babe,” he drawls, low and deep, and I feel it in the pit of my belly.
“Hey,” I say with a smile in my voice and collapse slowly backwards onto my bed. “You got my message.” I’m too excited to tease him about it.
“Happened to be in the office.”
“I hoped you’d get it.”
He makes a low rumbling sound. A chuckle? I can’t tell. I bite my lip before I blurt out that I’ve selected him for my rebound fling. So much for playing my feelings close to the chest.
“Thought you were calling Rafe about a career day not me,” he chides gently.
“I was. But maybe I wanted you to get my number.” My insides scrunch with my boldness. It’s not like me. It’s like I’m braver around Deke. Or my feelings are too strong to hold in.
After a pause, he says in a rougher voice, “I already got your number. The night I gave you a ride.”
“Oh right, you’re one of those tech guys who can figure everything out.” It’s my turn to chide. “Why didn’t you call me?”
“You didn’t give me your number directly. And you’ve already got a stalker.”
“You’re not a stalker,” I say quickly. I don’t like the dark, almost painful tinge to his voice. “So, I get the feeling your biker peeps don’t like me.”
“What?” Deke asks after a pause.
“Your peeps. Friends or posse or whatever.” I dance around calling them a gang. They seem tighter knit than friends, more like family. Brothers. I remember what Charlie said about them being in the service together.
“Why do you think they don’t like you?”
I squint at my ceiling fan, thinking back over the last two meetings with Deke’s buddies. One case of clam-jam, one of flirtus interruptus. “They seem to have a problem with me.”
“It’s not you they have a problem with.” Deke clears his throat. “We’re not supposed to mix with civilians, that’s all.”
“Why not? You’re not even in the military any more, right?”
“We’re still in a dangerous business. We go out on missions a lot. Dating isn’t really allowed.”
“How about casual hook-ups?” I blurt.
Deke coughs, like I just made him choke.
I twitch my inner thighs together, trying to alleviate the needy pulse between my legs.
“You know. If you wanted to collect that favor.”
Silence.
Deke’s quiet so long I wonder if he’s still there. “Deke?”
“Sadie, it's not a good idea.” His voice is rough, and I realize he sounds sad.
“Because you have a record?” I ask as gently as I can.
Another pause. “How did you find out about that?”
“I have my ways.” I want to joke about being a badass super spy, but it sticks in my throat.
“Yeah. I’m dangerous.”
“You were special ops. Of course, you’re dangerous. Kinda the job description.” I try to sound playful, but he’s getting more distant. I’m losing him. I barely know him, and it already hurts.
I swallow, and it feels like there are knives lining my throat. “Can I at least call you?” I ask.
“Yeah, Sadie. You can call me.”
Chapter 5
Swiss Alps, Four Days Later
Deke
The wind whips over the rocks and cleaves a path through our camp. The frozen breeze slices through my thin jacket. If I were human, I’d be shivering, but my shifter blood keeps me warm. Snow crunches under my boots as I make my way to Sierra One, the highest sniper position in our mission. Lance is already there on his belly, peering through his rifle scope down at the fancy ass chalet. We’re deep in the Swiss Alps, high above our target.
My radio crackles, and Rafe’s voice says, “Sierra One, this is TOC. You got eyes on Tango?”
“TOC, this is Sierra One,” I respond. “No movement yet.” Several hundred yards below our stakeout perch, the mansion is lit up like a candle, each window emanating a soft warm glow. Nestled in the side of the mountain, surrounded by snow-dusted pines, the castle looks like it’s part of a Christmas village set. One of those kitschy toy ones grandmas put out around the holidays, with mounds of cotton balls to make fake snow. Except this place is real. Twenty-five thousand square feet of luxury housing, inhabited by the most successful black market arms dealer in the world. Gabriel Dieter, a guy who makes a living being pure evil.
“Should we move in closer?” Lance asks me softly, his eyes still trained on the target.
“We’d better not.” The mission is surveillance only. Getting close could cause us to engage when we’re just here to watch.
Of course, my wolf hates that. Just being on a mission brings on blust lust. My wolf wants to tear down the mountains, howling, take on the mansion security—guards, dogs, lasers—find Dieter and rip the Tango’s head off. Mission accomplished. Which is why my alpha’s concerned I’m not stable and sane.
“Movement, front left. Near the pool,” Lance reports.
I lift the radio to my mouth. “TOC, we have movement. Eyes on Tango.” I report the subject’s movemen
ts. Gabriel Dieter is set to meet with a contingent from an unknown terrorist force. We're here to spy on the meeting, record Gabriel’s movements and get any evidence we can of his illegal arms deals.
But first it looks like the man's going to use his fancy schmancy outdoor pool. Dieter walks out of the glass conservatory. He’s a tall man, fit. A head full of dark hair with no sign of going grey or his body going to seed. Of course, anyone would be fit and toned if they had enough money to hire an army of cosmetic surgeons. Evil pays.
“Deke,” Lance calls, and I realize my chest is rumbling with a growl. My wolf wants off the chain. I slide my hand into my pocket and touch my phone. It’s become a habit, and it all started with Sadie’s call a week ago.
She’s taken to texting me every other day. A smiley emoji, a joke. “Happy Monday,” she sent an hour ago, along with a picture of a cheerfully smiling sun. “Hope you have a great week.” I shake my head at her optimism.
Reading her texts helps focus me. Just swiping a thumb over the smooth phone screen is enough to instantly calm my wolf.
I gotta get a grip. What would Sadie think about the things my wolf has done? What he wants to do? That thought sobers me.
“Movement in the house. Far right wing. Base of the turret.”
I grab a pair of binoculars and check out the side of the mansion Lance is referring to. A door opens and black clad men are pouring out, each armed with tactical gear. Boots, knee pads, helmets and balaclava masks over their faces. And giant guns.
“Fuck.” I swivel and get eyes on Gabriel Dieter again. The business mogul stands beside the pool, water dripping off his muscled chest. He raises a hand and waves right at me.
“Bastard.” I toss the binoculars in the bag. “He knows we’re here. Move out.”
Lance is already on his feet. He has his rifle, I have our bags. We turn and race up the mountain.
The radio squawks. “We’ve been made,” I holler into it.