by Crissy Smith
She’d ordered Luca to get away to seek her out or there was a chance that he’d be pulled. Luca hadn’t been happy but had said that he’d do his best.
Abilene trusted her partner.
As Luca had been telling her for months that Zak wasn’t involved in the planning against humans and had his own agenda for helping Luca out, she’d made her move to approach Luca when he was with Zak.
Now she was even more suspicious. The file was just pissing her off.
“You’re still here?”
Glancing up to spot one of the deputies, she couldn’t help but smile. Jenny Green was a friend from her high school days, and Abilene was happy to reconnect while on assignment.
Logging off from the computer, she looked up. “I was just heading out. I wanted to do a little more research but my brain is fried.”
Resting her hip against Abilene’s desk, Jenny frowned. “You’ve been putting in a lot of time. You haven’t found anything?”
“No, I wish I knew for certain that my partner was safe. I just can’t get over the feeling that we don’t know what these people are capable of.”
“You said your partner’s been inside a while, right?”
“Yeah, he’s not getting close enough, though,” Abilene admitted. Luca’s involvement was strictly need-to-know. The deputies that she was working with didn’t even have his name, just that she had an inside man.
“I’ll keep my eye out and let you know if I hear anything,” Jenny told her. “I’ve got patrol. I’ll see you later.”
“Bye.” Abilene waved to Jenny, distracted in gathering her belongings. Swinging the strap of her leather messenger bag over her shoulder, she headed toward the door.
With determined strides, she strolled out of the department heading for her vehicle. The parking lot wasn’t very well lit but Abilene had no trouble seeing with her shifter vision. Halfway to her beat-up old Jeep, she stopped.
An itch between her shoulders started slowly until she was certain someone was in the parking lot with her. Turning in a slow circle, she surveyed the darkened area around her.
Only a few vehicles remained so it should have been simple enough to spot anyone hanging around. Instead Abilene could only feel herself being watched.
Thoughts of Zak Lewis floated through her mind. Stiffening, she had to wonder if it were possible. She took a long, deep breath, concentrating on the smells around her.
A freshly mowed lawn, fireplace, the creek about a mile away drifted up along with the scents of the others that worked at the department. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.
But Abilene knew better than to depend on aroma alone.
“I know you’re there,” she called out.
“Of course you do,” Luca stated, stepping out of the shadows. “I trained you myself.”
Relaxing, she grinned at her partner. “You got away.”
“Zak is covering for me, but I don’t have long.”
“What can you tell me?” She wanted to get Luca back before anyone missed him. Her partner’s safety came before everything else.
“There’s a big party tonight for some unknown guest. I got the license plate of the car that’s parked up front.” Luca handed her a small, folded piece of paper.
“I’ll get on this right away,” she promised.
“I’ll try to get to the bar in the next couple of nights.”
“Okay, let me find out who this is and I’ll drop by tonight. If I don’t see you, I can go back tomorrow.”
Luca nodded. “What did you think about Zak?”
How could she tell her partner that she didn’t see the same thing he did? “I’m not sure he’s the guy you think he is.”
“He comes across as tough, but I’m pretty sure he’s the one that got those teenagers out a couple months ago.”
“What’s his angle?” she asked, pressing her concern. If Zak was the person responsible for rescuing the younger shifters, she’d have to give him credit for putting himself in danger. But why would someone who willingly joined the small terrorist faction do that?
“I don’t know, but he’s a good guy.”
“I’ll keep it in mind,” she conceded. That’s all she could really give Luca at the moment. She’d had such a strong reaction to Zak Lewis that Abilene didn’t know if it was professional or personal that had her suspicious of the tiger shifter.
“Thanks.” He winked before stepping back toward the shadows. “I gotta go.”
“There’s nothing else you can give me?” she pressed.
“I wish there was,” he told her just before the shadows swallowed him.
“Check in more often!” she called out.
Luca had already disappeared. Staring after him, Abilene couldn’t help but worry. She hated being so limited in what she could do for him. “I’ll get him a name,” she promised.
Determined to do just, that she started back in the direction of her official SUV to get to work. The motel room that she was staying in had free Wi-Fi and she’d run a search before showering. Maybe she could look a little more into Zak Lewis while she was at it.
Chapter Three
Even the usual guys who tended to get drunk every night were on their best behavior as the barbeque got under way. Zak had offered to man one of the grills so he could easily see everyone who entered the area. Being in the center of the hub, he was also able to overhear all the speculation about who might be joining the group.
Luca had needed to get away for about an hour and had asked Zak to cover for him. Since Luca needed the farm truck to get wherever he was going, Zak had sent him after more ice. It was the only thing he’d been able to think of at the time. He’d thought of that only because every time Aubrey had a gathering at her house, he always got sent for ice.
He’d actually figured out that Aubrey did that when he was getting at his wits’ end being so close to an overwhelming amount of strangers. Not only was his tiger solitary but so was Zak. Zak didn’t trust easily and bonded with people even less. Cody and Jamie had been his friends for years before he’d let them in. Aubrey was actually one of the few people that he’d instantly felt a connection to. So he had Aubrey to thank for his guise of getting Luca out. He hadn’t asked what Luca was up to but hoped it was important enough to put them both in danger. Luckily Zak had an eye on anyone who would notice that Luca was missing if Luca took too long.
Flipping the burgers cooking over the fire, Zak nodded as Seth Grant stepped up in front of him. Seth was one of the youngest shifters and he rubbed Zak the wrong way. He wasn’t innocent like the other teenagers who Zak had gotten away from the group’s clutches.
It hadn’t been easy to convince the youngsters to trust him. The teen boys had been tricked into joining the SIP. Luckily, Zak had been working with Jamie to figure out a way to protect them. He’d send one of them out on an errand. Jamie would be there to pick them up and move them to safety.
He’d taken a chance that no one would realize what was happening. Luca had. That was why he had first started to trust Luca. He’d not ratted him out. But Luca was the only member of SIP that paid attention to the errand boys.
“Hey, Z, the food almost ready?” Seth asked, leaning against the table Zak was using to hold plates and condiments.
“Just about,” he replied.
Seth grinned. “The sooner we eat, the quicker we can head into town. That waitress that Pete was messing with last night has been talking shit. A few of us are going to teach her a lesson. You should come.”
It took every ounce of control inside him to keep from slamming his fist into Seth’s mouth. Not only was Seth going to go after a woman with a bunch of assholes but the men were shifters and she wasn’t. There was no way she’d be able to fight back.
“Why bother? If you start trouble, we won’t be allowed back in the bar. And I for one don’t want to lose the freedom to go drink,” he tried.
“Nah,” Seth said, shaking his head. “She won’t tell anyone about what w
e’re gonna do to her.”
Fuck. Zak wanted to hurt this punk. “She’s just a human,” he said in disgust. Hopefully Seth would think his revulsion was with the human and not where it truly belonged, which was with Seth.
“She needs to know not to mess with us,” Seth replied. “Everyone does.”
Trying to think of any way to talk Seth out of his field trip, he jumped when someone bumped into his back.
“I got more ice,” Luca told him, dropping several bags under the table.
“Hey, Luca, I was just telling Zak about our plans tonight,” Seth interrupted, gaining Luca’s attention.
Zak let himself drown out the conversation between Luca and Seth, hoping that would stop him from giving Seth the beating he needed. He’d have to find a way of warning the waitress without putting his cover in danger. There were times that Zak had to sit back and not interfere, even though every part of him wanted to stop something from happening. He couldn’t stomach what some of these guys thought of as fun. He had to do what he could to protect the human woman. Hopefully between him and Luca, they’d figure something out.
“Let’s just wait and see what happens tonight,” Luca was telling Seth. “If we finally get a mission, we can’t take the chance at getting busted.”
“Sure, I’ll let you know,” Seth finally agreed. “So the food, man?”
Turning back to the grill, Zak started to curse as he noticed the burgers had been on too long. Guess the first batch is going to be well done.
Luca laughed as he grabbed the spatula out of Zak’s hand. “I got this. Why don’t you grab us a couple of beers before we start on the next package of hamburgers?”
Glad to get the break, Zak didn’t waste any time leaving the grill and heading off toward the drinks.
“Hey, Zak.”
Zak stopped and closed his eyes. He’d only been a few feet from the beer cooler. He took a deep breath before turning around.
Chad Oliver stood off to the side watching him. Chad was inside the inner circle of the group and was pretty high up in the organization. Zak had tried to befriend the man but every time he got close to Chad, he worried for his cover. Chad just had a way of looking at Zak like he knew all of Zak’s secrets. There should be no way that Chad would even think Zak wasn’t what he appeared, but the chance of his cover being blown was always a concern. Chad just had something about him that made Zak know he had to be more careful around him. He was a powerful shifter and not someone Zak was certain he could take on by himself.
“Hey, Chad, how’s it going?” he asked, hoping to sound casual.
Chad waved him closer. “If you have a moment, I would like to speak with you.”
Trying to hide his surprise, Zak merely nodded and followed as Chad turned to lead them away from the crowd. He wasn’t sure what this could be about. Zak had stopped trying to get into the inner circle through Chad weeks ago. He was too suspicious, and Zak was too uncomfortable around him.
Unease worked up his stomach to his shoulders and neck as he found himself being led to the main house. As they walked farther away from the activities, Zak concentrated on bringing his cat closer to the surface in case he needed to protect himself. Unlike most shifters, Zak hardly ever shifted. Past experiences had taught him that he couldn’t be trusted in his animal form. While most felines would have loved to transform into the rarest large cat, Zak wished he’d been born as something much more controllable. But luckily he was able to call on his tiger side to aid him, even in his human form. He could increase strength, scent and even sight if he really concentrated. Sometimes he could even feel the animal at the surface, giving Zak the instincts the tiger relied on. Not a lot of shifters had the ability and it was just one more thing that was different between him and other shifters.
He couldn’t think about that now. The old, worn steps of the house groaned under his feet as he carefully stepped up them. The door opened before he and Chad reached it and a young woman Zak didn’t know other than by sight motioned them forward. Inside, he walked into a large living room with a couple of couches and several chairs. Even though the inner circle had taken possession of this building, Zak was amused to see that the furniture was not any better than the old farmhouse he’d been sleeping in.
Two older men sat in chairs and didn’t even rise when Zak stepped into the middle of the room.
“Please have a seat, Zak,” Chad offered, pointing at one of the couches.
Sitting on the edge, Zak ran his gaze over the two strangers as covertly as he could. The first one obviously had money. He was almost swallowed up by the torn fabric chair, his expensive suit and shiny black shoes screamed that he didn’t belong. This money man was far from where he should have been. Excitement washed over Zak. If this guy was who the Coalition had been looking for—the mysterious Mike Timmons—he might finally be able to get some reliable information leading to an end of the SIP.
It had to be the man financing the terrorist group. Who else would show up dressed like he was going to the bank or a lawyer’s office? Zak’s torn jeans and snug T-shirt were the regular uniform of what the men wore. Either Money Man wanted to make an impression or he was just an idiot.
The second man wasn’t dressed as classily as the first. This one’s dark brown suit didn’t fit his large frame. His pants were too short and the arms of his jacket were too tight against the bulk. ‘Bodyguard’ was the first thing to come to mind.
Breathing in deeply, he picked up that the bodyguard was some kind of bear shifter. The scent was distinctively similar to Jamie’s.
Zak couldn’t get a good whiff on the Money Man.
“I asked you to join us in hope that you can help us with a problem,” Chad stated as he sat on one of the other couches across from Zak.
“Sure, you know I’ll do anything I can to help out the cause,” Zak replied easily. He knew it couldn’t be good if he had been called in on his own. This might be some kind of trick.
“We have a spy,” Money Man spoke for the first time.
Shit! He’d been found out. Why hadn’t they just shot him? Zak knew they had no problem killing people. They’d done it before. “A spy?” he repeated, hoping to buy him some time.
“One of our sisters has informed us that the ATF has managed to get an inside man into our ranks. As you can imagine, this is bad news for us,” Chad said.
Holy Fuck, the ATF. And suddenly all the pieces began to fall into place. Luca’s agenda was now crystal clear. Plus Agent Fox hadn’t pulled them over just to mess with them. She’d been giving Luca a message. He’d probably left earlier to meet with her again. “Are you sure? I don’t mean to insult anyone but that’s a huge breach in our security,” Zak stated, knowing he had to say something, while in reality his mind was whirling.
“We’ve confirmed it tonight. The deputy that is working closely with the ATF agent was able to give us a description and we’ve narrowed it down,” Chad assured him.
“What do you want me to do?” Zak asked, even as he ran through the possible ways to get Luca out.
“That’s why we’re coming to you,” Money Man said, leaning forward. “I don’t believe I introduced myself properly. My name is Mike Timmons.”
Zak tried his best not to show any recognition to the name. He must have done a good job because Timmons frowned.
“I’m sorry, sir?”
“I’m paying for all this,” Timmons told him.
“Oh.” Zak sat up straighter before bowing his head slightly. “My apologies. I wasn’t given your name before.”
“I told you we’ve been able to keep your name out of everything we’ve done,” Chad said to Mike, sounding put out.
“Just a little test.” Timmons waved away Chad’s displeasure. “Now, I’ve been told that you’ve become friends with the man that has infiltrated our group. This both concerns me and gives us an edge.”
This won’t be good.
“On one hand, Luca Perez might have recruited you to his side. Tha
t would mean that you are also an enemy to us. Or if he hasn’t, you are the closest and can prove your loyalty. In fact by helping us out of this situation, you will be given the chance of moving up in our ranks.”
“Of course,” Zak replied. “I’d hope that I’ve proved myself already but I’ll do anything for my beliefs. I’ve given up everything to follow this group. I know in my heart what we’re doing is important.”
Chad beamed at Zak. God, he couldn’t wait to take these fuckers down.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Timmons told him. “Let me introduce you to my right-hand man.” Timmons motioned to the bodyguard. “This is Logan Smith. He’ll aid you in your mission.”
“Mission?” Zak inquired.
Logan stood, motioning Zak to follow suit. Zak rose to his feet and took his time looking from one man to another.
“What’s my mission?” Zak asked again.
“You’re to make Luca Perez disappear,” Timmons answered.
“Disappear?” he pushed. He needed Timmons to order him to kill Luca. He didn’t want to leave any opening that might allow Timmons to slip through a conviction.
Logan drew a gun out of a harness under his jacket and handed it to Zak. The cold metal felt familiar in his hand. It didn’t surprise him to be handed a weapon as the faction had several. “You’re to use that gun,” Timmons supplied. “It is untraceable to any of us and can easily be rid of.”
Zak nodded. That should be enough to bury Mike Timmons. “I’ll take care of it.” He would have to come up with a good plan to get Luca out safely while ensuring the others thought he’d been killed.
“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t expect you to get rid of an ATF agent on your own. Logan will assist you and is to inform me as soon as it is finished. After that, we’ll discuss your move into leading some men in our next endeavor.”