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Pack Wars Complete Box Set: Paranormal Menage Werewolf Military Heroes

Page 98

by Vella Day


  “Appreciate it.”

  No sooner had they stepped into their dingy room than Riley’s phone chimed indicating he had a message. Plucking it from his shirt pocket, he tapped his screen. “It’s from the General.” He scanned the message. “Fuck.”

  Jay waited a beat for Riley to deliver the news, but he stuffed the phone back in his pocket and tossed his suitcase on one of the two beds.

  “What did it say?” Jay asked, his impatience too evident.

  “Our contact person, Sarah, sent more info. Apparently, two of the captive women who’d escaped the old compound were found dead a few hours ago. She said it was on the news.”

  “Shit. How many does that leave us to rescue?”

  “Ten. Sarah said she’d overheard one of Statler’s men talking about them needing to ship the rest of the women out in three days.”

  To be sold into slavery.

  And abused.

  Jay slammed his hand against the motel wall and the entire place rattled. “I should have made sure I really killed the fucker in Gulfport when I had the chance.”

  “If you had killed him, the General wouldn’t have learned where Statler was holding the women.”

  “There is that.” Jay’s cell dinged. “Fuck me. Doesn’t anyone sleep?” He wasn’t in the mood for more bad news. He located his cell in his jacket pocket. “It’s a text from Mackenzie.”

  His cousin now worked for the Pack as one of their computer experts and must have dug up something she thought was important or she wouldn’t have disturbed him. He debated leaving it until later, but it could be vital to their mission.

  He swiped the screen and smiled at the icon of the hot looking Sarah Osmond. “Kenzie forwarded us an email from Sarah. She said her shift ends at 2 p.m. tomorrow and asked that we meet her at Nelson’s Convenience Store a little after two. She would have met us here, but she believes someone’s following her. There’s a map attached.”

  Riley grabbed his toiletry kit and placed his suitcase on the floor. “I don’t like it. First some goon who we think was sent by Statler comes to a virtually empty motel with no luggage and now this. Can we be sure Sarah didn’t tip him off?”

  “No way. She’s undercover for Bill Hampton at the Bureau. You can’t get any more solid than that.”

  “Then how do you explain the big fellow? The police assured us our entry into the country would be kept secret.”

  “Dunno.” Jay was too tired to be carrying on this type of conversation. “Look, she’s being followed. Can we table this discussion until after we speak with her?”

  Riley headed into the bathroom. “Sure.”

  Sometimes he wanted to strangle the man.

  * * *

  Once Jay fell into bed, Riley headed outside to begin his surveillance. He started with a perimeter check to see if anyone else had joined the giant, but so far it appeared as if the man had come alone.

  Riley remained outside for a couple more hours, but he never detected more than one shifter signature in the man’s room or anywhere else on the property for that matter. By the time the sun peaked over the horizon, Riley was satisfied all was safe and called it a night.

  He slipped into bed and tried to sleep, but he was too wound up. Questions kept rattling in his head—the first of which was whether Sarah was some kind of double agent. Just because she had hair the color that matched the most beautiful sunset and a body that looked like she could love a man hard, he couldn’t afford to trust anyone. His job was to save ten women and take down one of the most evil Colter leaders the Pack had ever dealt with. While he hadn’t been involved in the Colter battle for long, from what Jay had told him, they were the epitome of bad.

  * * *

  Around one that afternoon, the key card slipped into the room door lock and Jay stepped in. “Wake up, sleepy head. I had to drive five miles to find us something to eat.” He tossed the paper bags on the scarred wooden table, along with two cups of delicious smelling coffee.

  “Wasn’t really asleep.” Riley’s thoughts had refused to calm.

  He yawned and slid out of bed, his eyes feeling like sandpaper. After running a hand though his mussed hair, he realized he needed to cut it soon. However, his first order of business was coffee. After opening the lid, he chugged half of it. From the bag, he removed an egg sandwich and ingested it in four bites. “Thanks.”

  Jay pulled back the curtain and peered out. “Our giant seems to have checked out.”

  The cobwebs in his brain slowly disappeared. “I’m not surprised. If he is one of Statler’s men, they’ll rotate to avoid suspicion.”

  Jay nodded. “Sarah gets off work in a little over an hour. How do you want to handle this?”

  “It’s a given you’ll have to stay in your wolf form, or out of view, especially if she’s being followed. We can’t chance anyone spotting you.”

  Jay clenched his fingers, and some of the coffee spilled over the sides of the paper cup. “Shit.” He stepped back to the table and set it down. “This sucks.”

  “It’s reality. You knew going in that you’d have to be the invisible man.”

  “The giant knows I’m here. What difference does it make now?” Jay grabbed a napkin and blotted the coffee from the carpet.

  “We don’t know if he was one of Statler’s men, and until we get an ID on the man following Sarah, I’ll be the front man.”

  Jay stepped over to the table, jerked out the chair, and sat down. “When are Ford and Tyson coming up?”

  “Didn’t you listen to anything the General said? As soon as we figure out what we need to take down Statler, we’re to contact him.”

  Jay leaned back in his chair and blew out a breath. Riley worried about him. While he hadn’t worked with Jay on a case in a while, he couldn’t remember his roommate ever becoming unglued. “If you’re not up for this, I can always ask Sam or Brandon to partner with me.”

  Jay shook his head. “No. I want this guy, and I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “Our mission is to free the women. Don’t forget that.” Statler’s demise was their secondary goal.

  Jay held up his middle finger. “You ready?”

  “Let me hop in the shower. I’ll only be a minute.” Riley wadded up the paper bag, tossed it in the trash, and headed to the bathroom.

  True to his word, he was cleaned up and dressed in under ten minutes, leaving the slow task of shaving until later. He picked up the rental keys. “I’ll drive. You seem out of it today.”

  “Whatever.”

  After Riley checked the area to make sure it was clear, he motioned it was safe for Jay to leave the room. To prevent being spotted, his roommate wore a baseball cap and kept his face partially hidden. Once inside the cab, he slid down in his seat. Jay’s job was to navigate since the map to the convenience store was on his phone. According to Sarah, the store was five miles west of the motel.

  After a few minutes, Jay sat up. “It’s about a mile ahead on the right. How about pulling off the next chance you get and let me out? I’ll scope out the area and come in from the side.”

  Presumably, he would be in wolf form. “Sure.” Riley found a copse of trees about one hundred yards ahead that would hide Jay’s shifting from any possible passerby. “After I’ve spoken with Sarah, I’ll contact you.”

  “Be nice to her.”

  “I’m always nice.” Just because he wasn’t the friendliest guy in the world didn’t mean he was an asshole. He knew how to treat a woman. He just didn’t want one in his life.

  After he dropped Jay off, he spotted the convenience store less than a mile away. Even though it was five after two, the lot was empty, confirming his target had yet to arrive.

  He parked alongside the building and stepped out for a minute to check for any wolf signature. When he was convinced none of Statler’s men were close, he hopped back in the truck to wait. Strolling up and down the aisles for fifteen minutes or until Sarah arrived would look suspicious, and the last thing they needed was for S
tatler to be aware his new hiding place had been compromised.

  Less than ten minutes later, a rather tired Ford Taurus pulled into the lot, and the driver was none other than Sarah Osmond. Here goes nothing. No matter how many missions he went on, Riley always had that jolt of excitement. He loved the danger, but only when innocent people weren’t involved. Sarah might be a trained operative, but she was also a human female, which meant he’d have to protect her.

  As she slipped out of her car, she looked over at him briefly and nodded, implying Mackenzie or the General had sent her photos of both him and Jay. She then looked around the area as if she wanted to be sure whoever had been following her wasn’t around. Smart girl.

  Time to meet her. Riley pushed open the truck door and his heart rate suddenly sped past the danger zone, his gut contracted, and his dick went ramrod straight. What the fuck was that all about? Only when his nails began to elongate and the hair on his arms sprouted did dread pool in his gut. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening now.

  Chapter Two

  After all her years of training with the FBI, Sarah had thought she’d learned how to remain cool even under the most difficult situations, but these last few days had been hellish, especially when one of the captives started running a fever.

  As soon as Sarah had entered the convenience store parking lot, she spotted a truck with a good-looking guy in front—if his muscular arm hanging out the window and his strong profile was any indication what the rest of him looked like. Not wanting to be obvious by staring or parking close to him, she couldn’t be sure if he was Riley or Jay—or some passerby.

  She could only hope he wasn’t a recent Statler recruit hired to keep an eye on her, but the odds were in her favor he was one of General Armand’s men since she’d told no one that she’d planned to stop at this store after work. As an added precaution, Sarah had driven past the store and then doubled back.

  She had to admit their arrival couldn’t have come at a better time, but if the plan involved charging in and taking down all the guards along with Statler, it would never work. Two men, no matter how well trained, would never succeed against all of Statler’s werewolves.

  Once out of the car, she kept her gaze straight ahead and entered the store. In case cameras were recording her every move, she smiled at the young clerk. “Afternoon.”

  Statler had drilled into all of his employees how important it was to be friendly but not too much so. People from small towns were suspicious of those who were rude, overly quiet, or super friendly. She headed down the snack aisle thinking it wouldn’t look odd if she spent a few minutes trying to figure out what to buy. A few seconds later, the front door opened, and she had to force herself not to look at the newcomer.

  “Sarah? That you?”

  Her heart skipped a beat at the mention of her name. She spun around to tell him this was supposed to be a clandestine meeting, but her mouth wouldn’t work. All she could do was soak in his essence. His voice had to be, hands down, the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. Trite phrases like sex on a stick and as warm and rich as cognac didn’t do him justice.

  The incredibly divine man with the perfect ratio of muscles to height strode toward her, his eyes focused on her and her alone. While she usually wasn’t into a man with dark hair that brushed his shoulders, on him, it looked good. And those hazel eyes and sun-kissed tan skin made her melt.

  He mouthed the words play along.

  Her tight muscles relaxed slightly. He had a plan. Good. At least one of them did. She tossed him her best smile and nodded, hoping it could pass scrutiny with the clerk. She held out her arms for an embrace. “Hey, fancy running into you.”

  He closed the gap between them and hugged her, his lips brushing her ear. “Pretend we’re former lovers.”

  Seriously? He had to pick lovers as their cover? When she squeezed him tight, the pressure on her chest woke up every latent desire in her body.

  Stop it. I’m on assignment.

  She leaned back. “Long time no see.”

  “I know.” Not even looking at the items for sale, he grabbed a bag of chips off the shelf, and she, too, picked up a small box of donuts. With her gaze on him, the two of them walked to the counter to pay.

  “Will that be all?” the clerk asked rubbing his hands down his pants. What was that about? Hopefully, he wasn’t planning on shooting them or calling for help.

  “Yes,” she said as calmly as she could.

  Sarah dug a hand into her purse to retrieve her wallet when Jay, or perhaps it was Riley, placed a hand over hers. “I have this.”

  She’d play along. Lovers indeed. “Thanks.”

  Once he paid, she grabbed her goods and walked out with him. “We totally have to catch up,” Sarah said loud enough for the clerk to hear, though why this man would care she didn’t know.

  “I parked on the side.” This time, his tone had turned curt. When he placed a hand on her waist to guide her toward his truck, her pulse raced.

  Okay, this reaction had to stop. For the past few months, grabby, nasty werewolves had surrounded her, and just because this was the first man who seemed nice didn’t mean she should go all gooey on him.

  She refocused on her surroundings. He’d been wise to park his truck out of sight of the main storefront where cameras might be watching their every move.

  When they reached his truck, he held open the passenger side door. “Hop in.”

  She didn’t want to. Besides, wasn’t he supposed to be with Jay Wagner? “We can talk out here.”

  “Oh, fuck. I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. You have no idea if you can trust me. I actually worked with Bill Hampton, your boss, for a couple of assignments.”

  At the mention of her undercover status, the blood drained from her head and she grabbed the door. “That so?”

  “I wish I could prove to you that I’m not working for Statler, but I can’t.” He chuckled, but it held no joy. “You have no idea how far from the truth that is. Name’s Riley Bishop, by the way. Jay Wagner is around here somewhere.”

  She looked behind him but didn’t see anyone else. The other man was probably hiding. “It’s not that. I know who you are. I’m just… paranoid.”

  He dragged a palm down his well-chiseled jaw. “I get it. I really do.”

  “Thank you. Is there someplace we can go for more privacy?” Crap, that sounded like she wanted to seduce him. “I mean, I need to give you the lowdown, and I don’t like being out in the open.”

  He flashed her a smile that caused her body to think more unprofessional thoughts. “Sure. How about following us back to our motel?” he asked. “To be safe, stay in your car until I’ve scanned the place, okay?”

  “Sure.” She appreciated his concern for her welfare. While she didn’t believe her shadow was close by, she’d take extra precautions.

  Just then another man, equally as arresting as Riley, emerged from behind the building. Whoa.

  “Here’s Jay now,” Riley said. “Though he was supposed to remain hidden.”

  While she was thrilled the FBI was working with the Pack, interacting with two such virile and attractive men might not be good for her concentration. Both men had sleek-looking bodies, and Riley, she’d noted, had an intelligent air about him. His gaze was piercing and his focus admirable.

  Riley’s hair was longer than Jay’s, as was the scruff on his face. Whether it was his usual undercover look, or he’d been too busy to shave, she didn’t know, but it gave him that bad boy look. Once she interacted more with Jay, she might believe he, too, was a lady-killer. Jay’s eyes were closer to green than hazel and his skin, while tan, wasn’t as dark as Riley’s.

  I’m here to do a job, not get laid.

  Putting some distance between them might help her figure out how she was going to handle this unwanted attraction. “I’ll be right behind you,” she said then rushed back to her car.

  * * *

  When cutting through the woods toward the convenience store, Jay hadn
’t detected any other werewolves sneaking about, but that didn’t mean the clerk wasn’t being paid to let Statler know if any new faces appeared in town. After Tyson and Ford Summerville had infiltrated his carefully picked pack of men, Statler’s level of paranoia had probably tripled.

  As Jay approached their rental, he slowed, mesmerized by Sarah’s reddish-gold hair, intense cobalt blue eyes, and dynamite body. And those lush lips were made for kissing. Her photo had not done her justice. On the next step, a wave of lust hit him so hard, it not only shocked him in its intensity, he began to shift.

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  He looked toward the store to check for cameras or anything else to distract him. Within seconds of not having Sarah in his sight, his fangs and nails retracted. Eventually, his pulse slowed, but not enough to push away his feral urges.

  Needing to regroup, he jumped into the passenger side, not daring to glance her way. When he twisted in his seat, he caught sight of her retreating rear—and what a nice ass it was, too—and the lust ramped up again.

  Riley hopped in and started the engine. He was looking a bit green, also.

  “Everything go okay?” Jay asked, wanting to take his mind off the possibility that he’d just found his mate.

  “Yes. She’s following us back to the motel.”

  “Now?” That was a stupid comment. Time was of the essence.

  Checking his rear view mirror, Riley backed up and pulled out of the lot. “We need the intel.”

  “I know.”

  The problem was that Jay wasn’t certain he could focus for long if he was in the same room with her. She was human. Not that he had anything against her race, but the timing couldn’t have been worse to find his mate.

  They drove in silence for at least three miles. While his roommate was never chatty, this was terse even for him. “What’s bugging you? Don’t you think she’s on the up and up?” Or had Riley felt the incredible sexual draw, too?

  “She’s fine.”

  Not wanting to let on that he was dying on the inside, Jay let the topic drop for now. “Did she tell you anything in the store?”

 

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