by Crissy Smith
Cole shook his head. He pulled out of his parking spot and drove to the exit before he spoke. “Just because this agency is made up of shifters doesn’t mean they’re not assholes,” he warned. “You need to be careful what you tell them until we know we can trust them.”
Jade didn’t like it but she knew her partner was right. “I will. I just want to see how all the different shifter species work together.”
“I’m curious about that myself,” he admitted.
“Really?”
He hummed as he merged with traffic.
Jade waited. Or at least she tried. “Why?” she asked when Cole didn’t continue.
“I watched the video from last night too. Not only do the teams work together but alpha personalities seem to be able to operate together without any problems. I’ve never been around many shifters—my pack and family along with a few other agents—but these are very predatory creatures who function well in their missions.”
“You’re the one that tells me you’re simply a human with special abilities,” she reminded him. “Wouldn’t that reasoning apply to them also?”
“Yes and no. I am human. But I also have a part of me that needs to be in control. The dominant gene that won’t allow me to bow down to anyone who isn’t as strong.”
“Maybe it’s different for wolf shifters?” she offered.
“I don’t think so. One of the teams was made up of my kind. Then you had birds of prey, felines and bears. All aggressive traits. One of the reasons I agreed to this crazy joint unit was to get an inside perspective on how they work. Even if this doesn’t work out in the long run, which I don’t think it will, hopefully I can pick up something that will help me later on down the road.”
She didn’t comment on his insistence that the task force wouldn’t work. He’d been saying that from the beginning. Getting a look at the Coalition and the ATF in training had her believing the opposite. But he did have a point about the other species and their animal parts. She’d been studying shifter behaviors since she’d first been given access. Of course, most of her theories were based on shifters who were criminals, but she still felt strongly that the human shifter did carry over several traits that affected how they handled certain situations.
“Wait— You said you’ve been around other agents who shift. Which ones?” she asked. As far as she knew Cole was the only shifter who worked in the office. Of course the FBI was a huge organization and was everywhere in the United States, but it had a smaller branch in Lake Worth than in other major cities.
“Sorry but I can’t tell you that. If they want to come out I’ll support them—I’ve already let them know—but as long as they want to remain hidden, I will keep their secret,” he said.
Jade leaned back in her seat and crossed her arms. She didn’t like that answer but she knew the tone that Cole was using. He wouldn’t tell her. “You know,” she accused.
He tapped the side of his nose.
“Oh well.” That made sense. Cole could tell whether they were fully human or not without anyone having to say a word. He could scent them. It helped when they were in the field but at that moment it gave him information she didn’t have. That annoyed her.
“You’re about to get your fill of shifters.” Cole glanced over at her. “Stop pouting.”
“I’m not pouting,” she argued. Oh, she was, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of agreeing.
“Sure,” he consented.
She punched his arm. He didn’t even act as though her hit affected him. She’d have to work out more. It was only fair, after all, that she was as strong as possible to protect him as much as he did her since they were partners. Not that she would actually say that. Cole would probably just laugh at her if she did. “You’re not worried that they’ll resent us since we’re Feds, are you?” Since the shifters had announced themselves publicly the FBI had actually come out to denounce them. Jade hated that.
“It’s possible. You’re a human FBI agent. I’ll be making sure no one gives you a hard time. Don’t worry,” he said.
She huffed. “I can take care of myself too, you know.”
“You’re a human going into an organization that is full of predators who don’t have a lot of respect for where we come from. Stay by my side and follow my lead,” Cole ordered.
“Yes, sir,” she replied cheekily. He knew her well enough—if someone challenged her she wouldn’t back down.
“Remember all that you’ve learned,” he told her. “Most will be okay but there will be very dominant shifters who will have no problem trying to put you in your place.”
“That where you come in?” she guessed.
“Yes,” he replied seriously. “I am more up to their speed. Some won’t even question you because you’re my partner. That doesn’t mean we’ll be safe, though. Just follow my lead and we’ll be fine.”
“You don’t think this will work, do you?” she questioned.
“No, it’s not that,” Cole said with a shake of his head. “I just have a lot on my mind. I actually do hope to learn more about how the Coalition works. I think it will be beneficial if our bosses ever get their heads out of their asses.”
She so hated that Cole had to fight to be at the office every day to do his job. “Sometimes I don’t know why you do it,” she told him.
“If I don’t, who will?” he asked. “Besides, it’s better to be on the inside than out and not being able to do anything.”
She could agree with that statement. “So,” she said to change the subject, “did you see how that ATF agent scared the crap out of the bear shifter team?”
“You liked that, did you?” he asked while smiling.
“Of course. Admit it, so did you.”
“I would probably have beaten his ass if he’d done it to me,” Cole said. “But yeah, it was fun to see.”
“If this task force works maybe I can find out some more about the behaviors. Are all coyote shifters crazy like Luca Perez appears, or is it just him?”
“I’ve actually met a few and I have to say that I think this Luca guy is unique,” Cole informed her.
“Huh.”
“You sound disappointed,” he pointed out.
“No, not really. I was just hoping to learn more.”
“Have you decided what you are going to do with all your research?” he questioned. “Maybe write a book?”
“Oh no, I’m no writer. I want to help update the training manual, though. I have a friend who is at the agency and he asked to see a couple of my papers. He thought it would be a good idea so he knew what the shifters could do and not waste time. I mean they are going to be faster, stronger and better at a lot of the physical stuff. He hoped I might be able to come up with a procedure to really utilize their skills. He was also worried that as a human he might put them at risk and wanted to avoid that.”
“That actually sounds like a wonderful idea,” Cole complimented. “I was bored so much of the time. The physical tests for shifters is too easy and wastes available time. But I really could have used more time in other areas like the classroom work. Shifters do think differently than humans and since we couldn’t reveal our shifter sides yet I really had to work hard on passing the written portion test.”
“Well, maybe I’ll come up with something,” she said, pleased that her work might just help.
“I’ll bet you can.” Cole smiled at her. “We’re almost there.”
* * * *
“But why do we have to work with the damn feebies?” Jamie whined.
Luca hid his smile behind his hand. No one liked working with the FBI—or feebies, if he wanted to insult them. The FBI had been the one government branch that hadn’t welcomed shifters into their fold with open arms. Luca had inside knowledge on how the FBI treated their shifter agents since his brother worked in a branch in California.
“If we want to change how people view us but can’t get our own federal agencies on board, how do you think that will work?” C
ommander Green questioned Jamie.
Jamie sighed. “Fine.”
“We’ll have four agents joining us. Two local and two from out east. I expect everyone to work with them. This joint force will be a success,” Commander Green said. “If I get one negative comment from anyone already in the unit that person will be sorry.”
Luca had never been witness to one of Commander Green’s dressing downs, but he had heard about them. The man was a powerful ally, but he didn’t want to get on his bad side.
“They’ll behave,” Cody assured the boss.
Jamie stuck his tongue out at Cody. Beside him, Abilene tried to stifle a giggle but failed. Zak casually leaned forward and smacked Jamie in the back of the head. Luca bit his tongue as Jamie grunted.
“Make sure,” Green told Cody. “The locals will be here today. The other two won’t arrive until sometime tonight so I have them reporting at 0700 hours sharp tomorrow.”
“So what exactly do you want us to show them?” Zak questioned.
“That’s up to you. The locals have one shifter and one human. The others are both human. They need to see how we plan and carry out operations, but I wouldn’t mind them getting some training and fieldwork too. This program is important to ensure that we all can and will work together.” Commander Green nodded to Cody. “Talk it over and keep me informed. I’ll send the agents to you when they arrive.”
“If you bring in the CIA next, I’m quitting,” Jamie called out to him.
“Don’t tempt me,” Green shot back.
Luca waited until Commander Green had left before throwing his pen at Jamie.
“What?” Jamie cried with innocence. He held his hands up. “I was just making a point!”
Abilene snorted, Zak grunted and Luca shook his head. One of the reasons Luca enjoyed working with Jamie so much was because of his playful attitude. Oh, Jamie could be fierce, and when he was working in the field he was good. He was an awesome agent. Afterward, when it was just them hanging out, Jamie made Luca relax and laugh.
He knew he was too serious most of the time. Abilene had been telling him that for years. Now that he was spending time with Jamie and the other agents he could see what she meant. Just because they joked around didn’t mean that they didn’t take their assignments seriously. They just needed the break sometimes.
“Getting back on point,” Cody stated loudly, standing, “what should we do with the agents?”
“Well—” Jamie started.
“Enough!” Zak barked, pointing at him. Jamie sat back with his lower lip sticking out.
“You’re still working with the district attorney this week on the SIP case, right?” Zak asked Cody.
“Yeah, my team’s booked with wrapping this up today. I can attend some late afternoons or evening ops anytime, though, no matter what. I’m really hoping to be finished by the end of the day,” Cody confirmed.
Luca winced in sympathy. It was a good thing that he and Zak hadn’t had to take the paperwork side of the mission. But since the case relied on his and Zak’s testimony, they couldn’t work on the conviction process. They were witnesses. Luca was grateful. Cop work, even with the government, had too damn much paperwork. Cody spent his days signing, submitting and preparing forms. It sucked to be him.
“That might work out better. I want to see how the two locals work together. A human and a shifter partnered up. It should give them an advantage against other teams with only human members,” Zak said.
“It’s different for our team. Both Luca and I are shifters and I didn’t partner with a human before. I like working with Luca since we are so in sync. We have a great success rate with our cases. I wonder how the two Feds do.”
Now that was a good question. Luca was curious also. This might not be too bad a test.
“I’d like to set up an exercise for a couple of nights from now. Test both teams along with ourselves,” Zak said. “We could use more training and still need to work out any kinks on how we operate.”
“Let me do it,” Jamie jumped up.
Luca glanced at Abilene—the expression on her face wasn’t any less concerned than how he felt.
Zak was shaking his head.
“Oh, come on,” Jamie argued. “You know my training drill will test not only them but us too. What, you want to leave the crazy explosives guy in charge?” he asked, pointing back at Luca.
Luca raised his hands. “I said I was sorry.”
“You just wait,” Jamie warned. “You won’t know when, or where, but I will get you back.”
Abilene placed her hand on his shoulder. She always did have Luca’s back. “Is that a threat?” she asked super sweetly.
“No, baby, that’s a promise,” Jamie taunted.
Zak growled, causing Jamie to spin toward him. “I was just kidding,” Jamie told him.
Luca could tell that Zak was only a few seconds away from smacking Jamie again. Which would lead to the two of them either boxing in the gym or rolling around right there.
He was relieved when Abilene patted his shoulder and headed toward her boyfriend. She wrapped her arm around his waist. Zak didn’t hesitate in embracing her back.
“It’s okay. I know his weak spot. I’ve got Brandy on speed dial.”
Jamie groaned as everyone else laughed at his expense. Luca felt more at home with this group than he’d ever felt at his own agency. The ATF wasn’t as bad as the FBI but there were still some assholes around who tried to give him and Abilene a hard time.
The ATF also paired shifters together. A shifter and a human was an interesting dynamic and he was curious to see how they worked. “I think I have an idea about how to test them,” he said.
Everyone in the room groaned.
“I promise to leave my bag of tricks at home,” he stated. He didn’t see why Zak and Jamie were still upset. He hadn’t actually blown them up, after all.
“What are you thinking?” Zak questioned.
“How about we split up into two groups? Have two feebies on one side and the other two against them. We’ll also divide our ranks. That way we can see how they think,” Luca suggested.
“That sounds good.” Abilene grinned at him. “How about a rescue mission? Luca can be the bait.”
“Why me?” he bitched.
“Because if anyone can get along with the Feds it will be you,” Abilene told him.
“Fine,” Luca agreed. “But we need to make it interesting.”
“Let’s figure this out,” Zak ordered.
Luca pulled out his notepad and started to make notes. He loved the planning stages of an exercise. He wanted to add more than just having to be rescued, though. If the team that kidnapped him had more to their mission, it could make things interesting.
Jamie and Calvin were throwing out ideas about how to track him if for some reason Luca was rescued.
“I love being the bad guy.” Jamie clapped his hands.
Oh God, Jamie was going to be a handful the entire time that the Feds were here. More so than he normally was.
Chapter Three
Jade was really trying to play it cool but she was in awe as she toured the building that housed the Shifter Coalition Agency. The newly remodeled structure was state of the art and such an improvement from where she was normally stationed. The FBI didn’t provide anything like the Coalition.
Not only were there large office spaces that the teams shared, but also several conference and integration rooms. That was in addition to a new gym, a cafeteria and awesome locker rooms. She was very impressed. She glanced over at Cole to try to gauge his reaction. Her partner had nodded a few times but hadn’t said anything. She was dying to know what he really thought.
“The other teams involved in this joint task force are waiting for you. Cody Johnson and his team—the birds of prey division—aren’t available as they’re still trying to wrap up the final details of our last case, but the others are in the conference room,” Commander Green said.
So far Jade was
getting a good feeling from Commander Green. He had shaken both their hands and invited to show them around. He had spoken a little about what he hoped to accomplish but hadn’t grilled them about why they’d volunteered to be a part of this new force.
Jade was aware of what most other agencies, especially shifter organizations, thought about the FBI. She hoped to change their opinions, though.
“Did you get a chance to watch the videos I sent you of the training exercises we’ve run?” Green asked.
“Yes, sir,” she replied for both of them. “The teams seem to be working well together already.” She’d viewed the data Green had provided numerous times. She was just a little obsessed.
“I believe they are,” he agreed. “It just shows what putting the right people in place can accomplish.”
“Yes, sir,” she agreed.
“If you need anything please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me,” Green offered. “Here we are.” He led them to a closed door and knocked.
He didn’t wait for the door to open but pushed it himself. Jade peeked through his arm to see a collection of men and a few women standing around. She recognized them from the video she’d watched the previous evening.
Cole was at her back as she stepped farther into the room. “Hi.” She waved. It was only after the big guy—Jamie, if she remembered correctly—snorted that she realized she probably looked like an idiot. Rolling her shoulders, she held her head up high and met Jamie’s gaze.
Jade would not be intimated by him. She knew he was a brown bear shifter but she had a bad ass wolf at her back. He stared her down for a couple of seconds before laughing and grinning. She returned his smile. Cole was standing stiffly behind her. She reached and grabbed hold of his arm. She wanted the other agents to see that they were a team and to keep Cole calm. If he thought anyone in the room was a threat to her he would be aggressive. “I’m Jade and this is my partner Cole.”
The big bear shifter was the first one to approach. He held out his hand to Jade first. She shook and was pleased when he didn’t try to crush her hand. Some men, even humans, liked to attempt to put her in her place. Not that it ever worked. She was an outgoing and strong female. And proud of it.