by Crissy Smith
Before Pete, they’d had to follow Robbie Carruth until they’d been transferred to the farm. Robbie stayed in the middle of the city to remain leading a much smaller group. Robbie had been followed around by two guys who were beyond stupid. Scott and Bud had tested Zak’s patience at every turn. The three of them and only a handful more now stayed close to the action to keep the others in the fold with what was happening. Zak had been happy to leave Robbie and his morons behind. Instead of spending their days holed up in hiding and only traveling out at night, Zak now spent the majority of his time out in the sun.
That was one plus out of being out in the middle of nowhere. That and Zak enjoyed the manual labor required here. While the group spent their days fixing up an old farm at the edge of town and conditioning themselves, their evenings were free to unwind. Normally Zak would be glad for the break but he couldn’t stand the men who were supposed to be his friends.
The shifter world was up against too many enemies. This faction was just one of many that wanted to create real problems with the humans. Everyday Zak was told how much better he was than any human. Now that the shifters were out in public, it was time to take over. Zak had never heard anything more idiotic. Why couldn’t they all just live together peacefully?
“I need to get into the inner circle,” Zak spoke softly.
“We’ve been working on that. The powers that be still don’t trust outsiders and we’re running out of time,” Luca said.
Rolling his neck, Zak shifted his body so he could get a good view of the corner table. Two men were laughing raunchily while being obnoxious to the waitress. The idiots were even more worthless than the others he’d met.
Zak and Luca, along with three other men, had started with another faction of the group before being moved to this more hands-on division three weeks ago. Since that was what Commander Green had wanted, Zak hadn’t fought when the first guys he’d started hanging with had asked if he would transfer over with a few of them. Still, Zak had no intel on what might be on the agenda. He needed to get a report to the Coalition but didn’t have anything solid.
While this faction was more organized, it also kept things under wrap better than the other Zak had infiltrated. He grew more restless as he didn’t know what would happen next. If anything. Upper management wouldn’t say it, but the SIP was hiding. Sure they used the word ‘regrouping’ but Zak knew that was bullshit.
With the cops and Coalition hunting them, the group had backed off recruitment and grown more secretive.
Rumors floating around that the cops had tried to get a couple of men working on the inside before disappearing caused Zak to worry about his own safety. With the Coalition’s help, Zak’s background check had passed when he’d first joined, but he wasn’t certain if another more extensive run was done that he would still hold up.
Facing back toward the bar, he caught the bartender’s gaze. Discretely he shook his head at the man then pushed away from the bar. Calvin could pass on any information Zak could dig up—when he dug something up. He could see the worry in Calvin’s gaze every night but Zak wasn’t sure how he could assure his partner. He didn’t know if that was even possible. Zak was beginning to doubt his mission. Maybe his work in the SIP had gone as far as it could.
A loud commotion from the corner pulled Zak’s attention. Beside him Luca cursed quietly before shouldering past Zak. The boys had gotten enough alcohol in them and were now ready for a fight. This was usually the part of the night that he and Luca had to wrangle the drunken men out before the others caused too much trouble and the law got called.
Keeping a low profile was important to them all.
By the time Zak closed in, he knew it was too late. By the looks of things one of the other patrons had objected to Pete Browning’s handling of the waitress. As soon as Pete started to feel up the poor woman, the stranger jumped up.
The stranger landed his fist on Pete’s chin, knocking him back before all hell broke loose.
Zak had to watch his own back when two men blocked his path and went after him. Since he was a shifter, he had to be careful of his strength against the humans. He dropped them quickly and in time to duck as another stranger went flying over his head.
“Damn it, Luca!” he hollered.
“Sorry,” Luca said, laughing. He threw another man in another direction.
The obvious glee in Luca’s eyes as he punched someone had Zak shaking his head. Ignoring his friend, he stomped over to where Pete had fallen.
“Pete,” Zak called, reaching down to lift him to his feet. “You okay, man?”
“Sure…man…” Pete slurred, leaning heavily against Zak.
Whistling sharply, he drew the attention of his group. “Let’s go, boys.”
It was chaotic but Zak and Luca got the others into the back of the truck where they would no doubt pass out soon.
“I’ll drive,” Luca offered.
Since Zak knew he’d had too much to drink himself, he passed over the keys of the old pickup. The vehicle belonged to the farm and was the only means of transportation they had access to.
After slamming the passenger door, Zak leaned his head back. When was this going to be over?
Chapter Two
The bright sunlight was too much to handle as Zak stomped down the stairs toward the training center. Normally he watched his alcohol intake but he’d been off his game the night before. Pulling on his dark sunglasses, he felt only a little relief.
“I was just coming to track your ass down,” Luca said, coming from around the house.
Pausing so Luca could catch up, Zak took in Luca’s bright eyes and smile. He wanted to snarl at his friend for not feeling as bad as him but Zak knew it was his own damn fault.
“What are you doing?” Zak asked as Luca reached him.
“Come on.” Luca motioned back the way he’d come. He led Zak along the side of the house, keeping them out of sight from others.
Following behind, Zak glanced around, making sure all was quiet. Being just inside the city limits, there wasn’t much around the property, making it the ideal place for training. A shooting range, obstacle course and even a medical lab had all been set up as soon as they’d arrived. Small groups from all over Arizona had been brought down to the farm to settle as a large troop.
While the larger numbers of the SIP were good for his mission, Zak couldn’t help but worry about what was being planned. Why did they need more members of the terrorist group when no moves had been happening?
“Look.” Luca stopped just around the last corner of the house. A line of trees separated the newer main residence from the rundown building that had been turned into the sleeping quarters for the lower shifters, Zak included. An overhang had fallen against the back railing, giving them privacy from prying eyes. They had the perfect view of the small main house that the inner circle stayed in. An expensive black BMW was parked out front.
Narrowing his eyes, Zak tried to make out more detail about the vehicle. If he could get a license plate, he could pass on that information to Calvin at the bar later.
“We need to run into town to get supplies,” Luca told him. “They want to barbeque tonight to welcome whoever our guest is.”
At least Zak would get to find out who drove the fancy car. He didn’t want to put too much hope on it being the mysterious Mike Timmons who the Coalition had been looking for. Zak had given Cody Mike’s name a month ago, but so far Timmons had remained hidden. Could this be the exclusive Mike Timmons?
“Guess we should be going then,” Zak told him.
They made their way to the same red truck they’d driven the night before. Luca pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them over. “Your turn.”
Nodding, he jerked open the driver door. It took three attempts to get the old pickup to start up but finally they were off to the closest grocery store.
Before he’d been moved to the farm, Zak hadn’t actually ever been in this area. It was so rural and remote that he’d
never had any case that had brought him out so far. There was a small mom and pop shop about fifteen miles from where they stayed. Zak actually liked the older couple that ran the place and hoped to keep them out of harm’s way when the bust came down.
“Did you hear anything about who that might be?” Zak asked, once they were far enough away from the farm that he felt comfortable discussing their business.
“No, as soon as they gave me the shopping list, I was escorted back out,” Luca replied.
“We haven’t had a big cookout since we’ve arrived. I wonder just what’s going on,” Zak commented.
“The group’s been gearing up. I have a feeling this is going to be it,” Luca said as he turned his head toward the side window.
If he didn’t trust Luca, Zak would be concerned with the apparent excitement in his tone. He needed to figure out what Luca’s agenda was. Maybe the two of them needed to have a little heart-to-heart. This trip to the store may be the right time to push Luca on his way of thinking.
Before he could start asking Luca more questions that he probably wouldn’t get answers to, a red and blue flash in his rear-view mirror stole his attention.
“Fuck,” he cursed at getting pulled over. Glancing down, he saw he wasn’t speeding, so why in the hell was he getting pulled over?
“What’d you do?” Luca asked while checking over his shoulder.
“I didn’t do anything,” Zak growled.
“Just pull over,” Luca advised. “It’ll be better to get this over with.”
Snarling, he put his blinker on before slowing down to stop off on the side of the road. He kept his gaze on the side mirror as a Lake Worth Sheriff deputy stepped out of his cruiser.
Zak had to manually roll down the window of the old truck and he smiled as the law approached. “Afternoon, deputy, was I speeding?”
“Please step out of the vehicle, sir,” he ordered.
“What?” Zak asked, not moving. “What did I do?”
The deputy—a human, his senses told him—placed his hand over the gun at his side. “Step out of the vehicle, slowly.”
Shit, he didn’t need this hassle. Peeking quickly at Luca, he noted the same confusion on Luca’s face. Since he really didn’t want to get shot, he carefully followed orders.
“You too,” the deputy said to Luca.
Luca was cursing under his breath, but the human probably couldn’t pick up on it like Zak. Once he stood next to the truck, the deputy pushed his shoulder. “Turn around and put your hands on the back of your neck.”
Fuming, he complied. He wished he was alone and could tell this stupid hick exactly who he’d pulled over. After he finished this mission, he was going to come back with a few of his co-workers and find out what the guy’s issue was.
The deputy patted him down before yanking his arms back and handcuffing him. Zak held in his wince as the metal pinched his flesh.
“He’s clean,” the deputy hollered to someone Zak couldn’t see.
“Thank you, Deputy Johnson,” a soft feminine voice answered. “Check the passenger please.”
When the deputy had walked away from him, Zak leaned back to see if he could spot the woman. Her sexy southern drawl was enough to have his body taking interest.
“Please turn around, Mr. Lewis.”
He startled, not realizing she’d moved behind him. Spinning around, Zak almost bit his tongue. The woman before him was beautiful. She was a good four or five inches shorter than him, so she had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.
Curly brown hair fell in soft waves around light brown eyes and a dimpled chin. She wore black slacks with a tight gray button-down shirt. He looked her over from head to toe, knowing he was coming off obnoxious but he had to stay in character. “What can I help you with, darling?” he asked seductively.
She frowned, which caused lines in her forehead and around her eyes. “Drop the act, Mr. Lewis,” she spoke quietly but firmly. “I’m Special Agent Fox with the ATF.”
She held up a badge showing that she did indeed work for the government agency Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. If they were watching the farm, Zak had more problems than he’d thought. Any investigation the human organization was running would interfere with his entire mission.
He hadn’t sacrificed three months of his life for nothing. “Fox, huh? I’ll agree to that.”
The pinched look on her face wasn’t unexpected. Normally Zak would have been respectful to another in law enforcement even if she was going to fuck up his investigation, but his cover wouldn’t.
Taking a step forward, she pointed at him. He caught a whiff of an unexpected scent as she moved closer. This wasn’t just any agent. No, this was a feline shifter like him.
“I have some questions, Mr. Lewis, and it would be best if you answered.”
Since she was so hostile toward him, Zak doubted that she knew he was with the Coalition. Any check she would have done on him would have just given her what his cover had been set up as.
“I’m not talking to an agent,” he said in his most offended tone. “How do you know who I am anyway?”
“I know more than you think. You all really believe you’re hidden out on that property? We’re closing in and this is your only chance to help yourself. If you cooperate, I may get you out of some serious charges. If you don’t, you’ll find yourself behind bars for a very long time.”
Why this agent’s threat was turning him on Zak didn’t know, but damn his cock hardened to press against the seam of his zipper.
“So what do you say, Mr. Lewis?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zak replied with a shrug. “I’m just hired on as a contractor to work on repairs.”
She didn’t believe him. That much was obvious, but if she had enough to arrest him, he’d already be in the back of the cop car.
“Does it feel good to prey on those weaker than you?” she taunted. Taking a sniff, she backed up slightly. “Powerful cat. Lion?”
“Tiger,” he told her. Shit. He hadn’t meant to give her that. His shifter status was something he didn’t discuss with anyone, including his best friends.
“Hmm, that’s rare. Is that why you think you’re better than humans?”
Even though his cover was being one of the idiots that he hung around with, it pissed him off that she was challenging him this way. He managed to swallow back his snarl but didn’t manage to contain his glare. The growl that escaped surprised him.
Obviously startled by the sound, she froze. His hands were still cuffed behind his back but he leaned forward enough to not be heard by Luca or the deputy standing close by.
“If we were alone, I would make you roll over and bare your stomach to me,” he told her.
She shivered, but her scent changed from fear to being laced with arousal.
Surprised, Zak backed off. He didn’t realize how much he’d let his cat come to the surface until he noticed his vision had grown sharper. He had to take several deep breaths but little by little he regained his control.
Embarrassed by his loss of restraint, he dropped his head.
“Wow,” she murmured. “That’s some power. You’ll probably need it in prison.”
He remained silent, not letting her words affect him this time. Fuck. He was known for keeping his shit together. He’d lost it in front of a federal agent, to make matters worse.
Agent Fox strolled away from him, giving Zak the chance to lean back against the truck. He thumped his head a couple of times at his stupidity. He wasn’t even sure why he’d reacted like that. In the years he’d been in law enforcement, he’d never acted that way. Five minutes in Agent Fox’s presence and it was like he was a pre-teen shifter with no control over himself.
He could hear the agent speaking to Luca quietly but couldn’t make out the words. She must not have gotten any more from Luca since after only a few minutes, she was at the back of the truck.
“Release them, deputy,” she ordered.
>
Zak turned his head to watch her fine ass flex and shake as she stomped back to the deputy’s cruiser. The deputy released them with quick and efficient moves, never uttering a word. Zak glanced over the back of the truck to meet Luca’s gaze. Luca shook his head as he reached for the door handle.
“Let’s go,” Luca said. “We still have the shopping to do.”
He wasn’t sure how he was supposed to think about the upcoming barbeque or who might be staying at the farm with the scent of Agent Fox still in the air. Zak took a deep breath and hoped that Luca didn’t notice his erection, which refused to go soft.
* * * *
“Who are you?” Abilene Fox asked out loud, even though she was alone at her desk. She clicked another link, trying for more accurate information on Zak Lewis than had been provided for her from the main office.
The computer wasn’t finding anything new. She was using every program she had access to and still couldn’t find anything new on Zak Lewis. Something had to be there, she could feel it in her gut. Zak Lewis was more than he appeared.
The power alone that she’d felt earlier was enough to be wary of him. She’d tried to maintain control and come off strong, but it had been close. Her inner cheetah had wanted to let him mount her so they could lose themselves in passion.
Wrapping herself in her professional role, she’d gone on the attack in order not to give in to her primal needs. Probably a good thing she’d restrained her desire. Coldness had shown in Zak’s gaze a few times, sending trails of fear down her spine. Who knew what she was getting into with this investigation? It had seemed they were finally getting somewhere with their inside man until he’d stopped checking in at the appointed times.
Abilene had followed her partner to the farm that the group had purchased, hoping to find out what was going on. Instead, she just had more questions, and Zak Lewis was one of the bigger ones. Luca believed that Zak was on their side, even though he couldn’t tell her why. With Luca’s check-ins coming less frequently, she’d been ordered to make contact by any means necessary. The government didn’t like it when their agents disappeared.