by T. S. Ryder
That was something worth looking into, at least. Carrying on with a beautification project after the cleanup was done. First things first, though, he had to pick a day for the big cleanup and start advertising it. And then he'd need all the supplies. Garbage bags, gloves, and poking sticks for the volunteers.
Levi nodded in satisfaction. A month ought to be enough time to get the word out. And he could print out flyers and posters…
His head turned as a scent caught his nose. It was a delicious scent, one that was sweet as cupcakes and spicy as hot peppers. He turned and followed it, keeping his face raised in the air to keep getting more of that delicious scent. It led him away from the apartment buildings. He rounded a corner and stopped. Of course… that was why the scent was so familiar. Levi grinned, leaning against the wall.
Lucy stood staring into a building that had a big 'for rent' sign in the window. Her face was pressed against the glass, hands cupped over her eyes to reduce glare. He admired the side view of her curves. His grin widened. He had never been with such a sexy woman before. Lucy may have never invited a man she had just met back to her place, but he had never followed a woman he'd just met home either.
But Lucy… Well, she was just too irresistible. Humans and Coyotes rarely became mates. Everybody knew that. For some reason, humans were more drawn to other shifters, Wolves, Bears, and others of that ilk. Steven's mate was human, but even she had serious doubts about being with the Alpha. Probably because of the negative associations with Coyotes as opposed to the 'majesty' of Wolves.
The fact that the neighborhood was in such a rough shape probably didn't help, either.
Levi fished his cellphone from his pocket and called Lucy, hoping that Steven was wrong and she had given him her real number. He turned the corner, hiding. His grin widened when she answered.
"Hey, this is Levi."
"Levi. Hi." Lucy's voice was surprised. "I didn't expect to hear from you."
"I said I'd call."
"I know. I just didn't expect that you would. I mean… It's just not something that I… Look, right now isn't that great of a time, can I call you back later?"
Levi peered around the corner again. Lucy looked distressed, walking his way. She jolted suddenly, and he knew she had seen him. He hesitated a moment, then stepped around and waved as he turned off his phone.
"Hey," he said. "Uh… I was calling to see if it was a good time to talk. But I guess it's not, so…"
A small, pained smile crossed Lucy's face. "Sorry."
Levi frowned. When he first saw her, she looked confident, excited even. Now her shoulders hunched and she didn't look in his eye. "Is it because of what we did?"
Lucy turned wide eyes on him. Guilt flashed through them, but she shook her head. "No. It's just… You remember when I said that I was meeting a realtor? Well, just after I left there was some sort of gas leak or something. His office blew up. I was right outside in my car, and it's just really shaken me."
"Aaron Knox," Levi realized. He dragged a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I heard about that. My brother was working with him… Are you okay? Shouldn’t you be in a hospital or something?"
Lucy rubbed her arms and shook her head. "I'm fine. I was in my car. I just… I thought that keeping busy might help, but I think I might need to just go home and rest."
"I'll come with you," Levi replied automatically.
He reached for her, but she shied away from him. He dropped his hand. She probably thought that he was trying to take advantage of her scare.
"I'll call you," she said. "I just don't think… right now…"
She shook her head, clearly at a loss of what to say. Levi stepped back and nodded. "It's fine. But I would like to see you again if that's okay."
To his surprise, Lucy flinched. She looked up at him with a pained expression and nodded. "Yeah. That'd be nice."
Her words rang hollow. Levi mumbled a goodbye and walked away. Well, that was crystal clear. She might have given him her real number, but she didn't want anything to do with him. And she probably wouldn't have been with him in the first place if she had known he was a Coyote.
But what did it matter? She didn’t want him? Her loss. He was already past it.
Chapter Four – Lucy
Lucy leaned against the back wall of the elevator, breathing in deeply as she went up. Being seen going to a precinct wasn't going to help with gaining the Coyote's trust, but given that she was the last person to see Aaron alive, it was a necessity. She just hoped that this wouldn't take too long. Her stomach churned and she felt lightheaded. Unsurprising given what happened, but she really didn't have the stamina to put up with Captain Smith for long.
"Gerritsen," the captain barked as soon as she walked through his doors. "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be undercover."
"I was called in to give a statement about the explosion. I was there when it happened, sir."
Smith narrowed his eyes. "I see. You established contact with the undercover operative before he was killed."
Lucy thought it was odd that he didn't call the detective by name, but kept silent. She had also thought it was strange that she was keeping her own name while working undercover, and Smith had yelled at her for three hours because she had questioned him. He demanded she'd tell him what experience she had with undercover work and threatened to transfer her to traffic. She hated letting him bully her, but she could handle it.
"And what sort of work have you done yourself?" Smith asked, his usual scowl drawn even harsher today.
"I've established contact with Levi Bennet, the Beta of the Coyotes." Even if she wasn't going to take it any further, she had to tell Smith something.
Smith grunted. "What sort of contact are we talking about, Gerritsen?"
Lucy hesitated. There was no way she was going to tell him that the 'contact' she was referring to was sleeping with Levi. As least not if she wanted to keep her job. She swallowed as Smith continued to stare at her.
"He asked me out," she said. Close enough to the truth.
To her surprise, Smith began chuckling. He slapped his knee, the chuckle turning to roaring laughter. Lucy scowled but didn't comment. Let him laugh his head off, it didn't make any difference to her.
"Did you accept?"
Lucy shook her head. "We exchanged numbers, but it would be unprofes—"
"Go on that date with him," Smith ordered. "Hell, go to bed with him if that'll help you get deeper into their circle."
"Sir!"
"Don't be a prude. You're in a prime position to get insider information, Gerritsen. Go out with the Coyote and squeeze him for information. Everybody knows shifters don't know how to control themselves around women they think are pretty. So, you're going to do this – for the safety of the city. Drugs ruin lives."
Lucy's hands clenched. Her nostrils flared. It was bad enough sleeping with Levi when she knew she was going to investigate him, but being ordered to use his feelings for her against him was even worse.
No. She wasn't going to do it. She wasn't going to go out with a man, date him, and get close to him just so she could stab him in the back. That kind of behavior was unethical. She couldn't do it.
"Sir, I'm not going to date a man just to investigate him."
Smith's face turned grave. "You what?"
"There are plenty of other avenues—"
"Don't tell me you're feeling guilty."
So what if she was? Lucy clenched her fists, not responding.
Smith stood. "I always thought women were too weak for this kind of work. Fine. If you don't want to do your job and investigate Levi Bennet, then you can just turn in your resignation. Otherwise, I will make your life a living hell. Do you understand me?"
He'd do it, too. Lucy fought against the swell of anger that rose in her. It seemed that she didn't have a choice.
"Fine," she muttered. "I'll do it."
"Good." Smith shook his head, still chuckling. "Don't blow it. Now get out of my office."
Lucy obeyed, seething internally. She fought to keep herself calm as she went to the detectives investigating Knox's death to give her statement. But she couldn't shake the heavy ball in her stomach. Using Levi… It was the last thing she wanted to do.
If he's a criminal, it will be worth it in the end.
And if he wasn't? How would she justify it to herself in the end? Her mother said this job would cost her her soul. What if she was right?
***
Lucy tugged at the hem of her hot red halter top dress. It only fell mid-thigh, which was higher than almost anything else she owned. With the backless cut and the very deep V, she felt a little bit slutty. Scratch that. She felt extremely slutty.
She had hesitated about wearing this dress, but it was the only date-quality thing she owned. She didn't want Levi thinking that she was a slut – but he probably already thought that about her, given the way she had acted during their first meeting. He would probably think this dress was an invitation to go back to her apartment again.
That was completely out of the question. She may have lost her head with him once, but she knew what to expect this time. And she wasn't going to use him any more than she absolutely had to. Even criminals deserved better than that.
"You look like the biblical forbidden fruit," Levi told her as soon as she stepped into the restaurant where they had agreed to meet. His gaze ran over her greedily. "I didn't think you were going to call me. It's been two weeks."
"I've been busy," she said, not meeting his gaze. Busy trying to think up a way to do as Smith ordered without actually abusing Levi's feelings for her. "Anyway, want to sit down?"
Levi tucked her arm into his and led her to a corner booth. It was relatively shielded from the rest of the restaurant, which was a relief. Already people were giving the two of them knowing glances, and she knew what they were thinking. Looking at Levi, though, she could tell he was thinking something very similar and she felt her body flushing.
"So, how have you been? Found a place for your bakery yet?"
"Um, yeah, I have." It was only just sinking in how long she was expected to stay here, undercover. And she didn't know the first thing about running a bakery. Why had Smith given her this as her cover? "It's this great little place. I can't wait until it's up and running."
"I'll be your first customer. Which reminds me. We're having a community clean-up here soon, and it'd be great if you could come. I think it would be good for you to get your business name out, too," Levi added. He pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket. "Here's all the info you need."
"It sounds great. I'll be there." She tucked the flyer into her bag. "So, is this something you've organized?"
Levi beamed. "Yeah. At first I thought it was stupid, but Steven's promised to let me do more pack-related stuff if I do a good job on this, so I'm going to make it work. I'm tired of being the Beta that doesn't do anything. Steven thinks I'm not responsible enough, but he's never given me a chance… but that's not first date talk. Or is this a second date?"
He grinned at her and waggled his brows, making everything tighten and heat inside of her. Lucy gulped down some water.
"So… I found out that that realtor that I was seeing to help me with my bakery wasn't a realtor at all," she blurted. "Turns out he was actually an undercover cop. I saw it in the newspaper."
Levi's grin faded. He turned slightly and nodded. "I know. It's hard to imagine. But if you think that's a shock, I found out that my brother knew he was undercover the whole time."
Lucy jolted. Her eyes widened before she could stop herself. She stared in shock at Levi. Did the Alpha have Knox killed because of his investigation? The server came for their orders, but Lucy sent her away, telling her she needed a few more minutes to decide what to eat. Her throat dried and she felt sick. But she had to know more.
"Your brother knew he was an undercover cop?"
"Yeah. Cops, they're always assuming that we're crooks."
Lucy flinched. She hoped Levi hadn't noticed.
"We're a pack, but they act like we're a gang. You don't see people treating Wolves this way… but I guess since Wolves tend to live out in the country, keeping to themselves, instead of occupying their own territory even after humans built skyscrapers on it… Well, whatever." Levi shrugged. "We're not Wolves, and it's useless comparing us to them. But anyway, apparently there's this one cop that Knox and Steven were investigating together. Someone who is pushing drugs into pack territory."
If the news that the Alpha knew Knox was an undercover cop was shocking, this was even more so. Lucy's heart hammered. "How do you know?" she stuttered.
"Steven told me. After I wanted to egg the investigating detective's car. You know, I thought I'd driven out all the drug dealers. I harassed them enough that they stopped hanging around, but it seems I wasn’t as successful as I thought." His eyes burned. "I want to go after this guy, make him stop. But Steven wants me to lay low. He thinks Knox was killed by the dirty cop."
Was this the truth, or was her cover blown? Lucy shuddered. "I hate to think that the police would do something like that. They're supposed to be the ones protecting us. Are you sure that's what's going on? It wasn't a gas leak or anything?"
Levi shrugged. "Steven doesn't think so. But that's enough of that dreary topic. What looks good?"
He focused on his menu, but Lucy couldn't take her eyes off him. Did they know she was a detective? Was her cover blown? Were they testing her by telling her about a supposed dirty cop that Steven and Knox were looking into together?
Looking at Levi, she would have no problem believing what he had just told her, about the fact that he fought against the drug dealers that tried to sell on his territory. If that was true, then he had done more for the people around her than the cops… and yet, she was investigating him.
A sudden burst of nausea had her choking back bile. She clapped a hand to her mouth, gripping the tabletop. Her stomach clenched. She bolted from the booth to the bathroom. She didn't even have time to close the door behind herself before everything was coming out of her mouth. The missile just barely made it to the toilet. Lucy bent over. Sweat beaded her forehead as her body heaved.
"Lucy?" Levi followed her into the bathroom.
His hands were on her shoulders, and Lucy was about to swat them away when he gathered her hair up out of her way. Just in time for another missile of vomit. Holding her hair with one hand, he closed the door with the other. Lucy collapsed to her knees, and Levi rubbed her back soothingly.
This was not the way most guys would act when their date started vomiting on the first date. Tears burned her eyes. He was exactly the kind of guy she always wanted. And when he found out about her lies, he'd never forgive her.
By the time she had stopped vomiting, Lucy was pale and clammy. She stayed on the floor, the world spinning around her. Eventually, she glanced up at Levi and smiled weakly. "Guess I ate something bad."
"Uh… Maybe." Levi winced. "Remember when I said chances of you being pregnant were slim?"
Lucy stared back at him. Something curled in her stomach, and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick again. "Are you suggesting that I'm pregnant? Pregnancy sickness doesn’t do this. This is food poisoning or fever or something. Not pregnancy."
"You smell pregnant." Levi ran some cool water over a paper towel and passed it to her. "I'm… not sure what to do now."
"I'm not pregnant."
"You are." Levi's eyes were wide, his expression shell-shocked. The same as Lucy felt. This could not be happening. The shifter knelt beside her. "Look, how about we make sure? We'll go to the drugstore for a pregnancy test and then back to my apartment. Because if you're pregnant, there are certain things you need to know about human-Coyote pregnancies."
Lucy shook her head, wanting to reject everything he was saying. But she had to know for certain, and going to his apartment would help with her investigation, so she closed her eyes and nodded. "We can do that. Let's go."
Pregnant.
Lucy sat in the clean but small bathroom in Levi's apartment, her eyes closed. The used pregnancy test was in the garbage beside the toilet. She wasn't sure what was worse, the fact that she was pregnant after a one-night stand (is it a one-night stand if there is another date?) or that she was pregnant with a suspect's baby.
She had always wanted kids. Before she decided to be a cop, her greatest dream was to be a stay-at-home mom with half a dozen children running around. But she had always thought it would happen in a certain order. Love, marriage, etc. Not like this.
Levi knocked at the door. "Lucy? Are you okay in there?"
"Fine," she called back. Her voice caught.
Even if this was completely unplanned, she could have been happy. Ecstatic. She had a good amount of money saved, and even moving to a new division in the precinct wouldn't be so bad as long as she had a good reason for wanting it. A baby was that reason. And she'd already made up her mind that she was keeping the baby.
But what would she tell her child when they asked who their father was?
Lucy stared at the supplies she had found under the bathroom sink. Levi had all the components to create mercury fulminate. And mercury fulminate was a common component to many bombs. As of that moment, he wasn't just a suspect in a pack-run drug ring.
He was also the prime suspect for the murder of Aaron Knox.
Chapter Five – Levi
Lucy's face looked rather green, but that was understandable. Coyote shifter pregnancies, even when one of the parents was human, progressed differently than human pregnancies.
For starters, the gestation period was typically only sixty-three to seventy days rather than nine months. It didn't give her much time to come to terms with the accidental nature of the pregnancy. And then, even after the birth, the baby – or babies, as Coyotes often had multiples – would take another two months to fully develop. When they were first born they were small, weighing only a few ounces, with their eyes and ears still shut. They would need a warm, safe place to continue growing until they were at the typical human newborn stage. After that, they aged like humans, but getting to that point would be difficult.