by Meg Ripley
“When I enlisted, I was so excited to be a part of something bigger than myself,” she said quietly. “I wanted to make Dad proud. And I can’t lie: I wanted those medals, too. I wanted to see new things. Do new things—maybe even things no one else had done before. I had such big plans, but now I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself. Anything with the Army is out, and I hate that.” She felt the sting of tears again, but this time, they weren’t the tears of joy from seeing her family gathered in the living room.
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. The first thing you need to do is take some time for yourself, Leona. I know that’s hard for you, but you deserve it. Take a vacation. Go to the beach or the mountains or wherever suits you. Do what makes you happy without worrying about anyone else. Then, when you’re ready to come back, I might have an idea for you.”
She felt the spark in her own eyes as she looked up at him, something that she hadn’t felt for weeks. “Tell me.”
“When you get back,” Sarge insisted.
Leona pursed her lips and tipped her head. “Come on! You can’t leave me hanging like that. At least give me something to think about while I’m on this vacation.”
“A vacation you’ll never take if you think there’s a better option,” her uncle pointed out. “All right. Fine. Have you heard of the SOS Force?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
Sarge put the lid on the whiskey bottle and replaced it in the cabinet. “They’re an elite troop of shifters who are called in to handle serious gripes between clans, and they serve the whole country. It’s a small force, but all of them are Special Ops.”
Her heart and stomach bounced off each other in excitement. “Are you kidding me? That’s perfect! How do I get a hold of them?”
Sarge straightened. “I don’t know all the details, but I’ve got a phone number.”
“That’s fantastic! I’ll take it down and go from there.” Her skin prickled with anticipation at the thought. A military team that served the shifter community was the perfect place for her. No one there would question her injury.
“I know you’ll do great,” Sarge agreed, putting his arm around her shoulders as they headed for the door of the study. “And Leona?”
“Yes?” She looked up into his long face. Age had been getting a hold of him. There were wrinkles around his eyes and mouth that she didn’t remember seeing there before.
“Your father would be very proud of you.”
She pressed her lips together for a moment. “Thanks, Sarge.”
2
Hudson rocked back in his desk chair, looking away from his computer and out the window. He hadn’t even noticed the hours passing as he’d worked, but that was part of what had made him so successful. When he rested, he rested thoroughly. When he worked, he didn’t know how to stop himself.
His company, Taylor Communications, certainly reflected his work ethic. He’d heard all the headlines about it being the fastest-growing tech company on the market, the ratings touting it as one of the best places to work, and the accolades from world leaders about his efforts to spread technology to less developed parts of the world. Those honors reached far past any goals he’d set for himself when he’d first decided to get into the business, but still he knew there was something missing.
But, upon checking his watch, he knew he’d have to think about it another time. He was already late. Hudson rose from his desk and headed out the door. The rest of the floor was already empty, his secretaries and assistants having already left for the day to return to their families. No one was there to see him take the express elevator down to the lobby, hop in his car, and speed across town.
The building that housed the SOS Force’s headquarters was much different than his own company’s business. A squat concrete building on the edge of Washington, D.C., it could’ve passed for a small warehouse or maybe an attorney’s office. The only thing that really would’ve given its true identity away was the heavy security in the form of electronic locks that required both retinal scans and fingerprints. He and the others had added a bit of extra protection in the form of a parking garage in the basement so none of their cars would be recognized out in the open.
The other three were already there, their cars in their spots. Even Drake, who’d been in the process of moving, was in attendance. Hudson knew he’d better get his ass into the conference room.
“There you are,” Flint said from his seat. His feet were on the table and his fingers were clasped behind his head, looking smug at not being the last to arrive for once.
“I got a little tangled up at work,” Hudson said as he grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and sat. “I’ve been working hard on this whole issue of getting cell service to some really remote areas of the Middle East. You know me; I just got started and I didn’t stop.”
“Yeah, we do know you, but we put up with you anyway,” Drake joked.
“I’m surprised to see you here instead of on a screen,” Hudson replied. The Special Forces Medical Sergeant was in the process of moving with his young daughter to Eureka, California, where he’d found his mate in the Alpha of a bear clan. “What brings you to town?”
“I’ve got a few things I still need to button up here before I can really settle down permanently in California,” Drake explained. “But the house is pretty much finished, and Lindy has adjusted incredibly well. She’s already making tons of friends, but now my sister is talking about joining us out there. That means Lindy won’t have a single thing to miss here.”
Hudson shifted in his seat. He was happy for his friend, and thanks to the technology provided by his own company, they could have a secure link to chat on no matter the distance between them. But something was making him feel restless. He got up and paced the room slowly.
“I love all the chit chat,” Garrison intoned from his end of the table, “but could we get started? Some of us have things to do tonight.”
“Another date?” Flint asked with a short laugh.
Before the dragon could reply, Drake cleared his throat. “We got a call earlier today about a clan in Illinois that’s having some trouble with an adjoining clan. Apparently—” He was interrupted by a steady beep.
With a sigh, Hudson stood up and strode across the room to a monitor, which displayed the footage from the surveillance cameras he’d installed around the building. Most of the time, the SOS Force never needed them. The building was so nondescript and out of the way that they didn’t even get salespeople showing up. It was simply an extra measure, since they didn’t exactly want to advertise their whereabouts.
None of the cameras showed anything unusual except the one over the door. Drake, Hudson, Flint, and Garrison always entered through the garage, but there were two regular doors that would serve in case they took public transportation or needed to make a hasty exit. A woman was standing at one of them.
“Looks like we’ve got some company,” he mused, his brow pinching as he studied her face. A far cry from the blurry, black-and-white security footage of the past, she was nearly crystal-clear as she stood waiting at the door. She almost looked familiar, but he couldn’t put his finger on her identity. And whoever she was, she clearly thought she was in the right place. “I’ll take care of this.”
“I can do it so you can get caught up,” Garrison volunteered.
“No. It’s fine.” He was already feeling confined in the conference room anyway, so he headed out into the hall.
Hudson grumbled to himself as he made his way toward the front of the building. He wasn’t the type of guy who got anxious. Even while on active duty in the Army, he was always content. They’d had long stretches of sitting around waiting, which he’d passed by mulling over ways to improve the bulky equipment the government insisted on using. And when the shit hit the fan, he simply dove into action and did what he knew how to do best. It was exciting to work with communication and surveillance equipment that allowed him to give the U.S. Army a picture of not ju
st what was happening on a particular street corner, but in an entire country.
It was this thought that made Hudson wonder once again what the hell was wrong with him. He had all the medals he needed to let him know he’d gone a good job while in the service. He’d taken advantage of his G.I. Bill and gone to school, excelling in his technology and business classes. Even once he and the others had started up the SOS Force, he’d still found the time to continue to grow his company, which had started out as little more than a dream and caffeine-fueled nights of ideas. He had everything a man could want.
He’d have to deal with his existential problems later, though. Hudson reached the front door and pushed a small button to the side. “What can I do for you?” It was the most generic question he could ask without giving anything away about what actually happened there.
The woman looked straight into the camera with confidence. “I’m here to apply for a job,” she said evenly.
“I’m sorry. I think you have the wrong place.” He let go of the button and watched the monitor, expecting her to walk away.
But she remained exactly where she was. “No, I don’t. This is where I’m supposed to be. It took a little time to find you, but I did.”
He tipped his head to the side, studying her through the screen. She couldn’t see him, and he had the advantage, but her confidence was throwing him off. He pushed the button again. “We’re not hiring at the moment.”
She nodded as though she expected this. “That’s just because you don’t know what you’re missing yet. But I think the SOS Force could use me.”
Hudson’s heart froze for a moment. The conclaves situated around the country all knew about the SOS Force. They couldn’t be a complete secret, or else no one would ever be able to come to them for help. But for someone to stand right there on the doorstep and announce who they were wasn’t something he was comfortable with. He flicked the locks and opened the door.
Even that quick action didn’t startle her. She looked at him with that same calm visage he’d seen on the monitor, as though she’d been looking at him the entire time. She even gave him a small smile. “Sergeant Leona Kirk, U.S. Army Special Forces.” She offered him no salute or handshake, still just standing as calmly as ever on the doorstep.
His throat tightened. Hudson felt a twitch at the end of his spine and a tingling on his neck, and he fought the lion inside him that was suddenly so desperate to shift. He had no idea who this woman was, but she was definitely affecting him. He pressed his tongue against the tip of a tooth that was slowly sharpening itself to a point.
Hudson glanced around, checking the street outside for any sign of foul play. No one had ever just come up to their building like that, not even someone who was lost and looking for directions. Something had to be off here. The first thing he could do about it was get this woman off the street so he could figure it all out. He held the door open a little wider. “Come in.”
She did so without hesitation, but Hudson noticed that she quickly took in her surroundings. She was still completely relaxed—at least as far as he could tell—but she was behaving the way anyone who’d been training to head into dangerous territories would. You never let your enemies—or potential enemies—know when you were bothered or by what. And of course, if she really was with the Special Forces, then heading into a plain concrete building in the nation’s capital was pretty tame compared to anything else she’d done.
He shut the door behind her. “Would you care to tell me what you’re doing here?”
Those deep brown eyes met his, and Hudson’s stomach turned to liquid. “I already told you. I’m looking for a job.”
“And just what sort of job do you think you’ll get here?” Damn it. This woman was creating the kind of reaction in him that he’d always heard about but never actually experienced. Finding a fated mate was the kind of thing shifters of all kinds spoke of, and he knew from Drake and others that he was close to that it did really happen. But when you hadn’t experienced it yourself, it didn’t quite seem real. Whoever this woman was, she was proving him wrong without doing anything but showing up.
“Hopefully one that’s challenging, engaging, and exciting,” came her simple reply.
He studied her face, though he was peripherally aware of her entire body. Her blonde hair shimmered with a myriad of gold even under the LED light fixtures. She had it drawn back tightly from her face, but that only served to highlight her astounding cheekbones. The woman was muscular, her strength evident even in her modest clothing of a simple V-neck t-shirt and jeans, but she retained the curves of her gender. He swallowed as yet another shiver of energy rippled over his skin. “As I said, we’re not hiring.”
“I understand,” she replied. “And I even understand why you’re not willing to admit who you really are. But any place that has this much security has to be housing something pretty important. Maybe it would be better if I just let you have this.” She reached into her pocket.
He was ready, just in case she wasn’t who she said she was, but he didn’t need to worry. Sergeant Kirk simply pulled out a familiar piece of paper that he recognized as a DD-214. Hudson took the paper from her and glanced it over, noting her separation designator. “You were injured?” She definitely didn’t look injured.
A slight dip of her head acknowledged this, but she didn’t offer to go into any details.
That, at least, Hudson could understand. He’d been one of the lucky ones, getting out of the Army simply because he was ready to pursue his own life instead of being forced out by a life-changing injury. Shifters healed fairly quickly if they had the opportunity, but that didn’t mean it would be any easier on them. Nothing was easier for a shifter when they had to deal with humans who didn’t understand. “And what makes you so confident you should be here?” It would be so much easier to just dismiss her and send her out the door, but a part of him didn’t want to let her out of his sight ever again.
“I’ve heard a little about what the SOS Force does and was given your address by someone in the know. As you can see, I’ve got an honorable discharge for my injury, but I can’t just stop. I’m not going to get a job as a pencil pusher and be happy. I think you could use me, and I could use you.” She kept her gaze solidly on him.
She had no idea how much those words were getting to him. But he was trained, just as she was, and he could keep his cool as long as he needed to. Hudson lifted the paper slightly as he spoke. “I’ll keep this on hand, but I can’t promise anything. And of course you know that even a paper that looks this official doesn’t mean anything until we have you thoroughly and officially vetted.”
Sergeant Kirk showed her first sign of irritation in the way she lifted her chin, but she quickly regained her composure. “I understand. I took the liberty of writing my phone number on there. Feel free to call me when you’re ready.” She turned on her heel toward the door.
Hudson strode forward to open it for her and she left without turning around to look at him or saying anything further. He watched her go until she reached the street and turned down the sidewalk.
He closed the door behind him and leaned against it for a moment. Surely, that didn’t just happen. But it most definitely had, and no matter how much the logical part of him wanted to deny it, he had a lion inside him that was fighting madly to get out and follow that woman. She was intoxicating, from the way she looked to the way she sounded. He’d wanted to shift, to show her his true form, maybe even to sink his sharp teeth just far enough into her neck to let her know what he thought about her. But she was gone, and this wasn’t the way he was supposed to be thinking when he was on the job. He launched himself off the door, made sure it was locked, and headed back to the conference room.
“You finally done flirting?” Flint cracked when Hudson came back into the room.
Hudson shot him a glare. The Special Forces Weapons Sergeant had hit too close to home, even though Hudson had done his best not to show Kirk any signs of what she’d done
to him. “Believe it or not, asshole, she knew exactly who we were and wanted to work with us.”
The other men stared at him in shock for a moment. “You’re shitting me, right?” Garrison asked, leaning forward with his elbows on the table.
“I’m afraid not. She’s a Green Beret, honorably discharged from the service for an injury she wouldn’t discuss. But she basically left her DD-214 as a resume, and if it’s accurate, then she’s one hell of a soldier.”
“Let me see.” Drake took the form, giving a low whistle as he looked it over. “That’s quite a record, and it looks like she’s got plenty of chest candy.”
Hudson felt his face flush at the mention of medals, even though he knew it had nothing to do with Sergeant Kirk’s stature. “Yeah, and she’s good enough that she knew exactly who we were and where we were. Hell, she probably even knows my name.” The thought of his name coming from that woman’s lips distracted him for a moment.
“A new team member might be just what we need,” Garrison mused. “It’s been just the four of us all this time. She might bring something new to the table.”
“Wouldn’t hurt to have some extra backup now that Drake is gonna be off fucking around in California,” Flint cracked.
“Such a comedian,” the doctor muttered. “I hate to say this, but since we’re talking about letting a woman join, we’d have to be careful. None of us could get involved with her. I wouldn’t want something like that to interfere with our work.”
“No, of course not.” All the men agreed, even Hudson, but he knew that wasn’t going to be easy for him. He’d already stood close to her, felt the way his body reacted to her presence. He pinched his wrist under the table to get himself back to the matter at hand. “But we can worry about all that later. You said we had a call come in?”