by Paige Tyler
Knox frowned. “The plan was to have two people outside the gym and two inside. If you pull them off the detail, there won’t be anyone to guard the perimeter. Officer Bennett hasn’t shown yet, and I can’t be in two places at once. What’s so important at the mansion anyway? I thought Mrs. Lloyd was working late.”
The prosecutor worked late every night. Hell, she hadn’t even seen her daughter all dressed up for the dance. The poor girl had to send her mother a selfie. But even if she’d come back early from the DA’s office, Theo didn’t need to pull assets from the high school because there were more than enough with Jennifer already.
“Don’t worry about your cute backup. She’s at some meeting at the SWAT compound,” Theo said. “And as for moving my people around, first rule of the private security biz—always dedicate the most assets to the person paying the bills. Everyone else is secondary.”
That was so stupid it took Knox a moment to process it. “I thought Lloyd was paying us to protect his wife and daughter.”
“Is that what you think? But since you’re so concerned, I’ll leave Ethan outside.”
Mouth twitching, Theo walked off, leaving Knox standing there wondering what the hell his boss meant by that cryptic comment. Theo was all about the politics of the business—and the money—but that still didn’t explain what he’d said.
Knox considered going after the jackass when a familiar and delectable scent smacked him across the face, wiping everything else from his mind.
“Wow, someone certainly cleans up nice.”
The warm, sexy voice sent tingles up and down his back and Knox turned to see Rachel standing there looking absolutely mouthwatering in a slightly longer version of the classic little black dress, toned legs sculpted by a pair of black, strappy platform heels, and shoulders left bare of everything but her shiny blond hair.
Knox had to bite his tongue to keep from growling—this time in appreciation. Unfortunately, that plan didn’t work so well since the fangs that were still partially extended sliced into either side of his tongue. He grunted and nearly reached up to shove a finger in his mouth to check the damage but stopped himself. Rachel gave him a smile, as if she knew exactly what she was doing to him.
“I was starting to think you weren’t going to show up.” He stepped close enough to get a good sniff of her—without being too obvious about it. “Theo said something about a meeting with your team at the compound. Are Diego and the rest of your pack still giving you trouble about working with me?”
Rachel laughed and moved even closer. Knox was certain he saw her nose lift a little, like she was trying to get a good whiff of him, too. Maybe it was the strobe lights mounted above the gymnasium, but he thought he saw her eyes flash bright green. He wasn’t sure if that was good or bad. What if she didn’t like the way he smelled?
“Nothing like that,” she said. “Sergeant Dixon normally holds roll call in the morning, but with the four of us working the protective detail, we’ve missed most of them. He had one this afternoon to catch us up on everything we’ve missed the past few days.”
Knox nodded, remembering what team meetings were like in the SEALs. With the navy deploying them so much, commander’s call was the only chance to even see the guys outside his own platoon.
“Anything interesting come up?” he asked, making conversation so he’d have an excuse to stand there and gaze at her.
“One or two things.” She glanced around, immediately locking on Addy and Aaron, where they were standing by the refreshment table. She studied them for a few moments before turning back to fix those beautiful eyes on him. “The chief has asked Gage to put some of my pack mates on the jurors in the Marshall trial and a few of the key witnesses.”
Knox didn’t see anything wrong with that idea.
“Gage also mentioned TSA thinks those other two hired killers have both fled the country. They found the owner of a small single-engine Cessna who confirms taking two guys who match their description across the border to Monterrey hours after the shooting at the mall. They booked the trip a few days in advance, so the pilot didn’t even think about it until the cops showed up to talk to him. The reason he remembered them at all was because there was supposed to be a third guy, but he was a no-show.”
“That definitely sounds like them,” Knox said. “Those guys were hired to come in specifically for this hit and they would have had an evac plan in place before they agreed to the job. They were getting the hell out of here whether they succeeded or not.”
“That doesn’t mean Marshall didn’t hire other assassins as part of a backup plan,” Rachel said. “As long as this trial continues to go badly for him, we have to assume Marshall will keep trying.”
“No doubt,” he replied. “Anything else interesting?”
“Depends.”
“On what?”
“On whether you’re interested in a job that involves you actually acting like a werewolf.”
Well, that was cryptic. “What kind of job?”
“There’s a federal agency known as the Special Threat Assessment Team—aka STAT—that knows about werewolves,” she explained. “After some of their agents helped us out with the vampires in LA, they realized how beneficial it could be to have people with our talents on their team. They’ve asked my commander if he could suggest a few possible candidates. Since you were a SEAL, he thought you might be interested.”
Knox wasn’t sure what stunned him more—that the federal government knew about werewolves or that the SWAT team commander knew about his military background. What else had Rachel told her pack about him?
“And how exactly did your sergeant find out I used to be a SEAL?”
Rachel’s oh-so-kissable lips curved. “He had background checks done on every member of DAPS the day he found out my pack mates and I would be working hand in hand with them. He was impressed with you and not simply because you’re one of us. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about all the people in your organization. I don’t know if you know this, but there are some real dirtbags in that company.”
Yeah, he knew. Theo liked to hire prior military, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t picked up a few bottom-feeders. Even in his short time working there, Knox had already figured that out. But ultimately, he didn’t work in human resources and currently had other things to worry about.
“Aren’t you the one who said you couldn’t tell your family you’re a werewolf because you were concerned about how the world would handle knowing our secret if it got out?” he said. “Isn’t that kind of a moot point now that the feds know?”
She regarding him thoughtfully. “Having people in the government know about us isn’t something any of us wanted, but they know, so there’s nothing we can do about it. We have to trust that the few people who have the knowledge won’t abuse it.”
Knox wasn’t sure if he liked the idea of trusting the government with such sensitive information. They tended to have a way of screwing things up. But like Rachel said, what could they do?
“Is anyone in your pack considering the offer from STAT?” he asked, really only worried about one particular member of the DPD SWAT team leaving for a new job—her.
She shook her head. “No. Being in a pack means we don’t walk away from each other. Gage has only been asking alphas who aren’t in a pack if they’d be interested.”
While Knox understood the concept of approaching werewolves who weren’t already in the pack, he couldn’t help picking up on the unspoken part of that statement—that Rachel was part of something she’d never walk away from. Something a former hunter like him could never be part of.
Rachel scanned the school gym again, taking in the collection of red, pink, and gold balloons, fresh roses on each table, and dozens of kids on the dance floor moving to the rock beat before looking back at him. “Is a job like that something you’d consider? The pay they’re offering
is good and you’d get to travel a lot.”
He hesitated, trying to figure out why she was asking. Did she want to get rid of him that badly? “Do you think I should consider it?”
Rachel opened her mouth to answer, but something across the room caught her attention and she closed it again. Knox turned to track her line of sight and saw Ben standing on the far side of the gym. He was holding up the wall and trying hard not to look like he was staring at Addy and Aaron. While Aaron was currently standing on the dance floor near his girlfriend, the punk spent more time talking to his other too-cool-for-school friends hanging around them than paying attention to Addy, much less dancing with her.
“That is just sad,” Rachel said. “I hope Addy realizes what a big mistake she’s making before it’s too late.”
Knox was pretty sure the girl wouldn’t figure it out. He’d been at the Lloyds’ when Ben had shown up, wrist corsage in hand. The kid might be firmly in the dreaded friend zone, but that didn’t keep him from trying to get out of it. While Addy loved the corsage and immediately put it on, then thanked him with a hug, she was clueless about how much the kid liked her. She also didn’t notice that when she met up with Aaron at the dance, the bozo didn’t have a corsage or any other gift for her.
Since then, Knox had spent the past thirty minutes keeping an eye on Addy and her date. Knox hadn’t talked to Aaron yet, but he’d already decided he didn’t like him. Addy was too good for the jerk, but apparently she didn’t know that yet.
Knox and Rachel wandered around the perimeter of the dance floor, past the refreshment tables full of punch, sodas, chips, cake, cookies, and nachos, then the crowds of kids too nervous to dance, and finally the other adults there to perform their chaperone duties.
“Man, this brings back memories,” Rachel said when they came to a halt on the other side of the dance floor.
“Let me guess,” Knox said, knowing the answer to the question before he even asked. “You’re one of those bizarre people who actually enjoyed high school, right?”
Rachel grinned. “Heck yeah. I loved it. Didn’t you?”
He let out a short laugh. “That would be a no. We moved between my sophomore and junior year, and I never felt like I fit in at either high school. Your dad’s military. Didn’t you have that same problem?”
“When I was in elementary and middle school, yes. But my dad retired from the army when I was in high school, so I was in the same one all four years.”
“That’s cool then. Did you play any sports or anything like that?”
She nodded. “Sure did. I was on the softball and volleyball teams, and I was a cheerleader for the football team. Oh, and I was in the science club, too.”
He did a double take. He hadn’t seen that coming. “You were a girl jock and a nerd? I didn’t think that was even possible. Isn’t that like crossing the streams or something?”
“Crossing the streams?” She looked confused. “I have no idea what the hell that means. And while some people might have described me as a girl jock, I was never a nerd. I just loved biology.”
Knox considered providing a quick pop culture lesson on the Ghostbusters movie at the same time he glanced at Addy to make sure Aaron wasn’t up to anything. They were still standing there talking. Deciding the Ghostbusters thing would probably be a waste, he asked a more relevant question.
“You weren’t one of those strange kids who actually enjoyed dissecting things, were you?”
She made a face. “No, I didn’t enjoy dissecting things. No one but serial killers would. But it was part of the AP class curriculum, so I had to do it.”
A big group of kids suddenly decided the part of the gym beside him and Rachel would be a good place to hang out. Unfortunately, they couldn’t see Addy and Aaron now.
“We’re going to need to find someplace else to stand so we can keep an eye on Addy,” Knox said.
Rachel nodded. “Lead the way.”
Taking her hand, he weaved his way through the crowd. Addy and her date were still on the dance floor, and the girl only seemed to have eyes for her boyfriend as Knox and Rachel moved into the crowd of teens dancing. He realized then that the dance floor was probably the best place for him and Rachel to keep watch. When they reached an unoccupied corner, he halted and turned to Rachel.
“What do you think about dancing?” he asked. “That way we can blend in a little better.”
Knox wasn’t sure if she’d be cool with the idea or not, but she smiled, her eyes swirling with that iridescent green color. He had no idea if that meant she was pissed at him or not, but when she began dancing to some pop song he wouldn’t have recognized if his life depended on it, he decided she wasn’t.
He didn’t think much of the fast beat because that meant they had to dance with some distance between them, but at least dancing gave him a valid excuse for staring. That’s what people did when they danced, right? Looked at each other?
Knox did his best to keep his eyes focused on Rachel’s face, but if they dipped down occasionally to take in the hint of cleavage or the way the dress molded to her hips as she swayed back and forth, he wasn’t to blame. It wasn’t his fault she was so damn beautiful in the thing.
He caught himself before his eyes wandered too low, but when he forced his gaze back up to her face, he found her looking at him curiously. Crap, had she caught him?
“Is there something wrong with my dress?” she asked.
Knox shook his head, trying to figure out what the hell to say to get himself out of this mess. “No, not at all.”
“Okay. Then why are you looking at me like that?”
“I…um…was just wondering about that stuff you said before about taking AP science. If you took classes like that and loved biology that much, how did you end up becoming a cop? Why not go to college and become a world-famous scientist? You know, the next Jacques Cousteau? Or Jackie Cousteau, I guess.”
Rachel laughed, her body sinuous and hypnotizing as she moved to the beat. Then her scent hit him, coming off her in waves as her body heated up, and it was all Knox could do to keep from leaning forward to lick her bare skin. He silently groaned, the image of him running his tongue all the way from her cleavage to her neck making him harden immediately.
“I did go to college—the University of Tennessee,” she told him. “But it wasn’t for biology. I might love that kind of stuff but didn’t see myself doing it for a living. Instead, I went with every intention of getting a law degree.”
“Law?” Knox was so stunned he stopped dancing. “You went from wanting to be a lawyer to riding patrol with a gun on your hip?”
“It wasn’t anything that monumental,” she said. “I took a few classes where we got to spend time in the local station, observing the booking process, how the DUI process works, processing warrants, use of force procedures, stuff like that. It was an unbelievable learning opportunity for me, but it was also the thing that changed my life.”
“What do you mean?”
“I got to meet some amazing cops,” she explained. “One of them offered to take me out on a ride along and I was hooked. When I finished my prelaw degree, I went to the police academy instead of going to law school. I became a cop, then a werewolf. The rest you pretty much know.”
The music slowed, and Rachel stood there, as if waiting for him to slip off the dance floor with her. Suddenly, Knox didn’t want the moment to end. Taking her hand, he tugged her close until her body was pressed against his. The feel of her breasts, hips, and thighs touching him made him tingle like he’d just touched an electric fence.
He glanced at Rachel to see her gazing back at him, the green glow in her eyes even more vivid. “I kind of got the feeling dancing wasn’t exactly your thing.”
He shrugged and slid one hand around her back, finding a nice resting place on the curve above her ass. He told himself to be good and not let his h
and wander lower, even though he really, really wanted to. Especially when Rachel wrapped one of her arms around him, gripping his shoulder and pulling him even closer.
Why do we have to be in a high school gym full of teenagers right now?
“I don’t mind this kind of dancing,” he murmured softly, his mouth mere inches from her ear, her scent enveloping him like a drug.
Knox was ready to lose himself in her—until he saw Addy and Aaron dancing a few feet away. That would have been fine if it wasn’t for the direction the boy’s hand was moving between their bodies, like he was trying to cop a feel of his girlfriend’s chest. As for Addy, her blue eyes were huge. She looked about three seconds from a full-on panic attack.
Aaron must have felt Knox staring at him because the punk jerked his head up, his eyes locking with Knox’s. They stared at each other for a few heartbeats before Aaron’s face went pale and he dropped his hand away from the place it had no business going. Knox continued to glare at him until Aaron got the idea and took a step back, putting a good six inches of space between him and Addy.
Knox grinned at him, silently promising dismemberment if he caught the twerp doing something like that again, then turned his attention back to Rachel as they moved to the music in their little corner of the floor. He realized then that his whole body was vibrating at the feel of having her in his arms. It must be some crazy werewolf thing because he’d never felt anything like this in his life. Maybe it was like plugging two overcharged batteries together the wrong way, getting instant heat and sparks. Then again, he’d never been around a woman like Rachel, so maybe that was the real reason.
Either way, he didn’t miss the easy rhythm they’d fallen into. They moved like they’d been together for years. At least, that’s what he told himself when lowered his head to bury his face in the waves of shiny blond hair resting there. Damn, she smelled so frigging good!