He gave her a squeeze with his arms. “Don’t worry; you’ll get your chance to rip him a new one. We just need to catch him first.” He gave her another kiss and released her. “Gather what you need. We’ll leave in ten minutes.”
As Kaya went into her room to gather supplies, Sy placed a call to a few DarkStalker comrades in the area that he could trust with his life. Everything needed to go off without a hitch, and while he couldn’t have Aidan or Dani, he’d make do with the best available to him.
For now, his main aim was to capture and question Kevin Howard before Kaya started showing symptoms. The last thing either one of them wanted was for GreyFire to catch word of Kaya’s sickness. Erika might be holding down the fort, but chaos could break loose any moment, which Kevin Howard could then pounce upon.
Chapter Thirteen
An hour and a half later, Sy and Kaya were sitting inside a borrowed car across the street from where Kevin Howard should be staying. Sy glanced to the clock on the car’s dashboard and then over to Kaya. “It’s seven forty-five p.m. He should’ve checked in by now.”
Kaya looked at him. “For nearly a year, Kevin has routinely called me after every meeting he’s had with a human company. Usually it’s around seven thirty p.m., but not always. Give him some time.”
Sy didn’t like waiting, and it didn’t help that his cougar was pacing around inside his head. Cougars were usually patient when it came to their prey, but it was different with Kaya involved. The cat part of him was starting to think of Kaya and her wolf as his, and he knew something was wrong and just wanted to make it right.
If only it were that simple. At least his people were in place and ready to go at his signal.
Kaya’s cell phone rang. She glanced down at the screen and said, “It’s Kevin.” She clicked the receive button and said, “Hello?”
In the confines of the car, it was easy enough for Sy to hear Howard on the line as he replied, “Hey, Kaya. I’m just checking in. Sorry I’m late, but after the meeting, some of the humans wanted to go out for something to eat.”
How could this man be so calm and normal? Sy was starting to understand how the bastard had fooled Kaya.
As if sensing his irritation, Kaya put up a hand and Sy forced himself to listen to her reply. “No problem. I always work late anyway. So, did everything go to plan?”
“Yes. I think I found a few more investors for our next research trial. I’ll email the documents to you by tomorrow morning.”
“That’ll work. However, I’d like to go over some of the information from the last few weeks with you in person, if possible. I won’t leave Seattle until tomorrow afternoon. Can we meet at GreyFire’s apartment tomorrow around lunch?”
Howard didn’t miss a beat. “Sure, that shouldn’t be a problem.”
Sy clenched his fists. The bastard. No doubt he was counting on Kaya’s symptoms starting to show by then.
Kaya laid a hand on his leg. As she stroked his thigh, it helped to ease some of his anger. “Okay, sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow, Kevin. Good night.”
“Night.”
Kaya clicked off the phone and Sy asked, “Do you think he’ll run?”
She shook her head. “I doubt it. He’s probably counting on me to cancel tomorrow because of not feeling well. Even if I’m still able to function by around lunch tomorrow, he’ll show. If he, indeed, wants to step in and take over GreyFire’s leadership, he needs to be extra careful not to set off any red flags. He’ll carry on as he’s done for the last how many months he’s been planning this.”
“The bastard can act, I’ll give him that. Do you have any idea when he’ll show?”
She squeezed his thigh. “He sounded like he was on a headset, which means he’s probably in the car and should be here before too much longer. Are your people ready?”
He laid a hand on top of hers and stroked her thumb with his own. “Yes. I have two people across the street in human form, and two in cat form hiding in the trees at the back of the apartment tower.”
“Good.” Kaya tossed her phone on the dashboard and then leaned against his shoulder. He moved his arm so he could wrap it around her. She sighed. “I’m starting to feel a little tired, Sy, and that’s not normal as I’m usually a night owl.”
He squeezed her shoulders and forced himself to remain calm for Kaya’s sake. “Just hold on for a little while longer, little wolfie.”
Kaya frowned up at him. “Wolfie? Please tell me that’s not a new nickname. Because if I hear it again once I’m healthy, I will kick your ass.”
Despite the possible outcome of Kaya dying, Sy couldn’t help but laugh. He decided to lighten the mood a little. “I think we need a real rematch; you and me in the woods, no-holds-barred. If I win, I get to call you wolfie whenever I like.”
“And if I win?”
“Oh, you think you’ll win?”
Kaya punched him in the stomach and he faked a great injury.
She frowned. “Oh, buck up. With your slab of solid muscle that masquerades as a stomach, you didn’t feel a thing. Unless you’re starting to go soft, Murray.”
He grinned. “There’s definitely nothing soft about me right now.”
Kaya blinked and he scented her arousal. He decided to not go further down that avenue as he didn’t need to be distracted by thoughts of Kaya naked and straddling his lap inside the car.
To forget that mental picture, he said, “Okay, in the off-chance you do best me, what do you want?”
Kaya sat up a little and assessed him for a second before she said, “I want you to wear an ‘I Heart Wolves’ t-shirt to the upcoming celebration Kian and I are planning for our two clans.”
He grinned. “You really are evil, aren’t you?”
She brushed a hand against her chest and looked down at her nails. “Of course.”
“Well, if you are intent on being evil, then so shall I.” He moved his hand from her shoulder down to her side. “Until that rematch, I don’t have to play fair.”
Before she could move, he tickled her side and Kaya’s laughter made both his human and cougar halves purr in contentment. He was finally realizing what he and Kaya had had before was nothing compared to now. They could be planning take-downs one minute, and he could be tickling her the next. Their teenage selves had been more interested in finding some trouble or sneaking into the forest to make-out. Whereas now, he loved how they could handle life and its responsibilities together as a team.
Did Kaya feel the same way as him? That they could tackle anything as long as they worked together? Once the threat of both Kevin Howard and Kaya getting sick was taken care of, he’d ask her.
For now, he was content to tickle his wolf-shifter. The laughing and teasing was something he had missed over the years. After the army, he’d been tougher and more secretive than before, careful to hide his deepest wish to find a female he could love and who could also be his best friend. Someone with whom he never had to hold back and who would just let him be himself; not just with his easygoing side, but his serious, intelligent side too.
Kaya had been that person before, but even more so now. Her trust in him to capture Kevin Howard was proof both sides of her, both the wolf and the woman, trusted the older, more mature version of him.
If he was honest with himself, he could admit he was very much falling in love with her again, and the thought of her possibly dying if he failed was unacceptable.
He stopped tickling her and moved his free hand to her cheek. He turned her head to face him. She had a slightly irritated look on her face, but it disappeared as her eyes met his. She whispered, “Sy, what is it?”
~~~
Kaya had fully planned on scolding Sylas Murray for taking advantage, yet again, of one of her weaknesses. But as she met his eyes, she drew in a breath at the mixture of intensity and tenderness. The last time she’d seen that look, it had been right before Sy had told her he loved her.
But before he could say whatever was on his mind, Kaya
noticed the dark-colored sedan Kevin had borrowed from GreyFire’s inventory last week. She reluctantly pushed away from Sy’s warm body and said, “That’s him.” She watched as the car pulled into the underground car garage under the apartment building and then looked back to Sy. “Get him for me, Sylas.”
He nodded, leaned over to give Kaya a quick, possessive kiss, and then grabbed his small bag of supplies. Before he opened the door, he said, “I know you’re starting to feel tired, but if I need back-up, can I still call on you?”
“Of course. Have someone let out a cougar howl and I’ll come running.”
He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but then he was gone.
It was up to Sylas Murray to give her clan the best chance of surviving this ordeal. A week ago, she might’ve resented it. But now, she was glad for the help. Especially since the pounding in her head was making it hard to concentrate on anything.
Judging by what the GreyFire researchers had found out about the virus, she would be out with a high fever before morning. She had long accepted that she would die one day, but she hoped Kevin Howard had information about a cure. Otherwise, Kaya would die just as she’d found someone she could see as her mate.
And yes, both the woman and the wolf wanted Sylas Murray as her mate.
It’d taken ten years and two stubborn heads, but time had, indeed, made them fit better together. As much as Kaya trusted Erika to watch over her clan, she could see herself trusting Sy more. With him, she didn’t have to hide a weakness like with her other clan members; if she fell ill, Sy would step in and not think less of her for it. If she needed a hug and a shoulder to cry on, she knew he would hold her close and murmur in her ear before finding a way to make her smile.
The bastard would probably use her ticklish weakness against her until the day he died.
She smiled at the thought of them being seventy years old and Sy still tickling her, maybe with a few grown pups watching on, embarrassed by their parents’ behavior. It was a future she’d started to think she’d never have. Provided she could beat this virus, it might just be possible. Especially since she felt pretty sure Sy felt the same way. His look before leaving had spoken volumes about his feelings.
If she were honest with herself, Kaya was more than half in love with him again. Not just the memory, but rather the man he’d become.
For now, however, she needed to focus and try to keep her pounding headache in check for as long as she could in case Sy needed her help.
Glancing across the street, she watched as Sy and two of his team members disappeared into the apartment building.
She kept her ears open for any cougar howls. She might be incapacitated soon, but for now, she was still in good enough shape to help her cougar-shifter if things went bad.
Chapter Fourteen
The keycard Kaya had provided worked without any issues, and Sy and his two clan members slipped inside the apartment building. Like most apartment towers in Seattle, you needed an electronic keycard to first get into the building, and then take the elevator to the correct floor.
As the elevator doors closed, he was grateful it was empty because he, Ginnie, and Matt together would scare just about any human, especially with Sy’s current mood.
Kaya could die, and the man upstairs was the reason.
His cat wanted to rip out the wolf-shifter’s throat, but the man half of Sy knew they needed Howard alive. At least, for now. Kevin Howard would face the Shifter Department of Justice soon enough.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened to the fifth floor. He motioned for Ginnie to guard the elevator and for Matt to go with him. Sy took out the sedative injector from his bag of goodies, and then he went down the left corridor to find apartment number 5D.
He found it, motioned for Matt to stay out of sight of the peephole, and then knocked. He heard someone approach the door and say, “Who is it?”
Sy resisted the urge to smooth his borrowed power company uniform. “I’m with Seattle Energy. There’s been a reported gas leak in this building, and I need to do a quick gas reading and ask you a few questions.”
He expected Howard to open the door, but it remained shut. “I smell some kind of feline-shifter. Why are you here?”
Sy kept his cool. “Seattle Energy has started a new program, employing shifter-liaisons part-time to help ease both sides. Too many of Seattle Energy’s human employees are afraid to even talk to one of us.”
Howard paused, and then said, “True. I’m surprised Seattle Energy waited this long to do something about it. The cable company needs to follow suit.” He heard the lock start to turn. “Have your credentials out when I open the door.”
Oh, Sy had his “credentials” ready; his injector was in his hand under the clipboard.
The lock clicked open, but the door didn’t move. That didn’t surprise Sy. Considering the years Kevin had patiently waited to find a way to take over the clan, he’d expected the man to have some caution and intelligence.
He signaled Matt to loosen his clothes and be ready to shift. Then Sy slowly turned the doorknob and opened the door an inch. He could smell the male wolf-shifter, but he couldn’t hear anything. Either Howard was right behind door, or hiding around a corner.
Kaya had drawn the apartment layout for him earlier, so he knew what to expect. Sy tightened his grip on the sedative injector, and kicked opened the door.
The next ten seconds were like a blur. Howard in wolf form jumped from around the corner and tried to take out Sy’s neck. But the split second before he could make contact, Sy used his metal clipboard box to whack the shifter on the side of his head. Since Sy needed to stay in human form to use the injector, he whistled and Matt jumped into the room in his cougar form just in time to tackle the wolf to the ground.
As the pair wrestled on the floor, Sy gave another whistle. Once he heard Ginnie running down the hallway, he watched Matt and Howard on the floor, waiting for his opening. While a cougar didn’t stand a chance against a pack of wolves, a lone wolf was no match for a healthy, adult cougar.
He heard Ginnie stop behind him and shut the door to keep the shifter fight away from prying eyes. They both watched Matt wrestling on the floor. Howard’s moves were sluggish; the wolf was getting tired.
Then Matt managed to pin the wolf on the floor and keep him in place by fastening his jaw around the wolf-shifter’s neck. Sy rushed forward at the same time as Ginnie. He grabbed the wolf-shifter’s leg, pressed the injector against his skin, and filled the wolf with a sedative.
After about thirty seconds, Howard went limp. Sy said to Ginnie, “Open the balcony. The other two should be waiting in the trees outside.”
She moved to the back door and he gave Matt’s side a pat. “Good job, Matt. Once the other two come in, they can watch over the wolf-shifter while you get dressed. I need you to help me search the place for Howard’s laptop and any other promising clues.”
While he kept the wolf-shifter pinned under his body, Matt released his grip on Howard’s jaw and gave a low chirp just as two adult cougars trotted across the floor. Sy stood up and looked at the two DarkStalker cougars that had just entered the apartment. “Okay, while it’s unlikely he’ll wake up, I want you two to watch over the wolf while Ginnie, Matt, and I search the place. Make a sound if he moves.”
The two cougars nodded and Sy turned to Ginnie. “I want you to search the kitchen.” Matt finished shifting back to his human form. He was naked, but shifters didn’t pay much attention to that. “Matt, take the bedroom. I’ll search the living room.”
His clan members nodded and Sy went to work.
~~~
Kaya sat in the car, rubbing her temples, and resisted looking at the clock on the stereo console for the hundredth time. Even in her slightly unwell state, her wolf was pacing and itching to go join the fight to capture Kevin Howard so they could try to find a way to save GreyFire. An alpha’s duty was to protect the pack.
But the human-half of Kaya knew better.
Taking a sick wolf into battle would end up getting multiple people killed.
She only hoped Sy was successful. His reasoning about how Kaya showing up unannounced at Kevin’s door could make the wolf-shifter suspicious, and possibly reach out to his contact at Markgen before talking with her, made sense.
This would be the first real test of how her wolf handled letting the cougar-shifter briefly take charge, and also to see how Sy handled stepping in when needed and handing the reins back to her afterward. If he couldn’t transfer the power and decisions back, she would die a little inside because she’d have no choice but to push him away.
Her wolf snarled; she didn’t like the idea of letting the male cougar-shifter go.
Kaya smiled at that. Her wolf had refused more than a few wolf-shifters from her clan, but seemed intent on keeping the feline nearby. Oh, how her uncle would’ve had a heart attack at that revelation.
Movement at the apartment tower’s entrance caught her eye. A tall woman with red hair peeked out, looked around, and strode with the grace of a cat toward where Kaya was sitting in the car. The woman unlocked the doors with the electronic key lock, opened the driver’s side door, and slid in. She closed the door and said, “I’m Ginnie from DarkStalker. Sy’s waiting with Kevin Howard, and he sent me to drive over to collect them.” She looked Kaya in the eye. “May I drive your car?”
Ginnie’s brown eyes were steady, belying her role as a soldier or sentry for DarkStalker. Neither half of Kaya sensed a threat, and since her head was pounding even worse now, she nodded and said, “Go ahead.”
The woman nodded, turned the key in the ignition, and pulled the car into the street.
Two minutes later, Ginnie stopped in front of the building entrance and exited the car. Rather than risk being caught on any of the security cameras, or worse, losing her balance when she stood up due to her pounding head, Kaya stayed inside.
The rear door opened and despite the mixture of feline and wolf scents that bombarded her nose, it was Sy’s masculine scent she picked out first. She turned in her seat and he met her eyes, a triumphant look in his. “Hey, Kaya. Guess what the cat brought in?”
Reclaiming the Wolf (Cascade Shifters Book 1) Page 12