Trouble in a Fur Coat (The Fur Coat Society Book 1)

by Sloane Meyers

  Jack sat in the backseat and let Silver and Storm have the front. Silver kept glancing over her shoulder and smiling at Jack, though. She could hardly wait until they were safely home and she had some time alone with him to truly celebrate being reunited. Silver sighed happily. Despite all the troubles in the lives of shifters right now, she had Jack. What more could she really ask for? And, as an added bonus, her dad seemed to have a newfound respect for Jack. Knowing that her father approved of her lifemate took a huge weight off of her shoulders.

  As the hovercar rose higher, Storm brought Silver back to the present moment by pointing at a small port on the side of the dashboard’s computer screen.

  “There’s a port there that should accept all kinds of data drives,” Storm said. “Why don’t you see if there’s anything interesting on that data drive you took from Mrs. Astor?”

  Silver nodded, and stuck the drive in the port. Behind her, Jack leaned forward with interest. They were all hoping to find something useful—something that would give them an edge over the Astor’s and the destruction they had planned. At first, things looked promising. There were several folders of documents with labels such as “Very Important” and “Top Secret.” Silver clicked on the folders, and started opening some of the documents. That’s when her excited smile quickly turned to a frown.

  “This is all gibberish,” she said.

  Storm leaned over to look at the screen, and frowned as well. On the screen were random letters and symbols, arranged in a seemingly meaningless order.

  “I think it’s some kind of code,” Jack said. “It looks like all the data is arranged in paragraphs, so there is some structure to it. But that looks like a pretty intense code to break.”

  Storm sighed and leaned away from the screen. “We’ll get Grant to look at it when we get back to Chicago. He’s pretty good at cracking codes. He used to do it for fun back when he was in law school. He said it kept the logical side of his brain sharp, or some weird bullshit like that.”

  Silver leaned back too, disappointed. “I guess we’ll have to wait, then. But we’ve definitely found something important. Hopefully it’s something important related to the eye scanners.”

  Jack reached over the seatback and squeezed Silver’s shoulder reassuringly, sending a wave of warmth through her body. “Don’t worry, Silver. Whether or not this particular information is helpful to us, we’ll find a way to stop this threat. Anyone who dares to mess with the Fur Coats is going to quickly find out what we’re made of.”

  Silver smiled and settled in to her seat. Jack was right. They were a strong group, and they were courageous. They would meet this challenge head-on, just like generations of shifters had done before them. Humans wanting to destroy shifters was nothing new. The details of the situation might be slightly different, but Silver had no doubt that the outcome would be the same as it had hundreds of times before over the centuries: shifters would remain, and thrive.

  They were too strong to fail.

  * * *

  Several hours later, the hovercars made it safely back to Silver’s apartment. Silver changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, thankful to finally get to wear something comfortable after hours of being stuck in the dress she’d “borrowed” from Mrs. Astor.

  As soon as Juno knew they were back, she came over to see everyone. Her eyes welled up with tears as she hugged Silver tightly.

  “I was so scared we were going to lose you,” Juno said.

  Silver returned the hug and then grinned. “Turns out I’m not so easy to get rid of.”

  Jack was already at the computer screen on Silver’s living room wall, swiping through news for Chicago and trying to see if there was any information that would link them to the helicopter crash and burning building, which was the headline on every news website.

  “Looks like no one has identified us,” Jack said. “Police are saying they think the helicopter was flown by two individuals from out of town, who have now escaped. It says here that two men from out of state were spotted flying the helicopter in the suburbs a few hours before the crash. Police are looking for any available information on the two men. So far it seems that all they’ve been able to learn is that they were unusually tall and had dark hair.”

  Silver had to laugh. “Yeah, Daddy and Uncle Sawyer are tall. I guess they got the out-of-towner part right, too.”

  Bash came to stand alongside the screen with Jack. “It doesn’t look like anyone recognized any of us, though. There’s nothing in the news that would possibly link to us. And I imagine that if the police knew we were connected they would have contacted us by now.”

  Storm whistled under her breath. “Looks like we actually got away with all of this,” she said.

  “Yeah, but what about the Astors? They know,” Silver said, sounding cautious. She wanted to believe that the group was safe, but she knew Mr. Astor well. He was a spiteful, malicious man. When someone crossed him, he made it his mission to make sure they paid for it.

  Jack kept scanning the screen. “There’s nothing in the news about them, except to say that Mr. Astor was scheduled to speak at the mayor’s safety summit today and police are exploring the possibility that he was targeted. He’s currently in the hospital recovering from smoke inhalation and is in stable condition. His wife is missing and is feared dead.”

  Silver’s eyes widened. “Oh my god, that woman actually went back again to try to save her clothes. What an idiot!”

  “Darwin’s law,” Bash said with a shrug. “Survival of the fittest. And she definitely wasn’t one of the fittest.”

  “Wait, what about the safety summit?” Storm asked. “Did they still have it? I completely forgot about it with everything else going on in the last few hours.”

  Jack kept scanning. “Um, nope. Safety summit was canceled. It will be rescheduled for a later date. That’s all the news says about that.”

  Silver frowned. “Mr. Astor might tell the police about us,” she said.

  “He might,” Jack answered. “Or he might try to get back at you without involving the police. He seems like the type to take matters into his own hands.”

  Silver shuddered. “That man is evil.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jack said, reaching to pull Silver into a hug. “He’s no match for a determined group of shifters. You know that.”

  “I know,” Silver said, tilting her head back and standing on her tip-toes to give Jack a quick kiss on the lips. “But it still gives me heebie-jeebies just to think about him.”

  Before Jack could respond, a loud string of curses came from the corner of the living room. Silver looked over to see Grant huddled over a tablet screen with his brow furrowed.

  “What’s wrong?” Silver asked. He had been intently studying something on that screen for the last hour, almost. Silver had assumed he was looking through news as well, but she had assumed wrongly. He’d been working on the data drive.

  “I thought I had broken the code, but I was off somewhere,” Grant said.

  “Code?” Juno asked.

  “We stole a data drive from the Astors’ condo,” Storm explained. “It has a lot of documents on it that look important, but they’re all in some sort of code. Grant’s trying to figure it out.”

  “I’m going to have to look at this with fresh eyes tomorrow,” Grant said. “It’s been a long day and I think I’m just too exhausted to think clearly right now.”

  Storm nodded. “We should probably all go home and get some rest. Juno, you’ve been pretty quiet. Any new updates on the eye scanners?”

  Juno shook her head no. “They haven’t made any progress, although they haven’t worked on them much in the last day. Supposedly, there was going to be a big push to get stuff done after the safety summit, but since that got canceled I’m not sure. Things might be low pressure for a few days, at least.”

  Grant stood up and started slipping on his jacket, which he had thrown across Silver’s couch. “Looks like we’ve got a few days of breathing room bef
ore things start to heat up again. Let’s use the time to rest and think about our game plan going forward. And I’m going to work on cracking this code.”

  Jack nodded. “I think that’s the best use of time. We’ve all been through a lot in the last few days. We could use some time to recover. Everyone, make sure you don’t go anywhere alone though. Always stay around a big crowd, or use the buddy system and stick together. Let’s try to avoid having another kidnapping to deal with.”

  The group agreed, and then everyone except Jack left. Silver felt her heart skip a beat as Jack closed the door behind him and turned around to face her with a smile.

  “Alone at last,” he said, then crossed the room to plant a kiss on her face. He pulled her into his arms, and Silver breathed in his familiar scent. Now that it was quiet, she realized just how crazy the last twenty-four hours had been. What a day. She had almost been exposed as a shifter, Jack and the rest of the crew had almost died rescuing her, and then she’d seen her father head back to Alaska, trusting that she would be safe with Jack.

  Jack. Just the sound of his name enveloped her with a feeling of safety and security. He was a strong bear, dangerous and fierce when he needed to be. But he was hers, and his goal was to protect her. Silver wasn’t sure how she had spent so many years telling herself that Jack was just a friend. He was so much more. He was her best friend, her protector, her warrior who would fight alongside her to the death.

  “You are incredible,” Silver whispered into Jack’s ear, reaching up to hold the back of his head with her right hand. She loved feeling his strong skull beneath her fingers as she ran her palm through his short hair.

  Jack pulled back and placed his lips on hers, giving her a long, sweet kiss. “That’s funny,” he whispered, his voice husky. “I feel the same way about you. This has been a crazy couple of weeks, and I feel like life is quickly changing. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is that you amaze me. Your bravery in the face of evil men inspires me.”

  Silver felt her heart swelling with gratitude over Jack’s words. She was so often praised for her body—for her ability to dance and move in a spectacular manner. It felt good to be praised for her heart, for a change.

  Not that she didn’t want Jack to enjoy her body, too. She had missed him terribly, and she had big plans for the evening for them both to enjoy each other.

  “Come on,” she said, pulling him toward the bedroom and giving him a sultry look. Jack grinned, but then hesitated.

  “Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” he asked. “You took a pretty good hit to the head. If you just need to rest I totally understand. I’ll still be here tomorrow.”

  Silver smiled. “I appreciate your concern. But I’m feeling great. What I really need now is you.”

  Jack smiled and started walking toward the bedroom with her. “Well, then, I’m happy to help out,” he said.

  No sooner had they made it through the bedroom door than Jack took Silver’s face in his hands and kissed her deeply. The feeling of his mouth against hers was so sweet. Silver felt a shiver of pleasure go through her body as his hands slid from her cheeks down to her waist. He slowly, gently pushed her down to a sitting position on the bed, and then pulled off her shirt. She marveled at how strong his hands were. They were tough and ready for a fight, yet so gentle with her.

  Jack used his index finger to trace a line from Silver’s bellybutton all the way up to her chin, and Silver closed her eyes as she enjoyed the warmth of his touch. He reached behind her and unclasped her bra, pushing the lacy straps of the garment down and off her shoulders before reaching for her breasts.

  Silver moaned gently as Jack cupped each breast in one of his palms, then bent down to level his mouth with her nipples. The feeling of his wet, warm tongue covering her tingling breasts was nothing short of incredible. Silver lived for moments like this with Jack. She let the warm electricity of passion wash over her body, and then reached for Jack’s shirt. She pulled it off and over his head as he continued paying attention to her breasts, and she let her own hands slide down to rest on his strong chest. In the moments where she had worried she would never escape from the Astors, Jack’s face had continuously flashed across her mind. It was hard to believe that she was actually here, now, in his arms.

  As if sensing the sudden surge of her emotions, Jack stood and pushed her down on the bed with an urgency. He tugged at her sweatpants, pulling them off and tossing them aside quickly. Then, with a low growl, he used his teeth to grab the hem of her panties and pull them down as well. Silver could feel herself growing wet as the pressure built within her and between her legs. She wanted him so badly. Needed him so badly.

  “Jack,” she called out. All she could say was his name. But that one word held a thousand meanings. After everything that had happened in the last few days, the only thing she wanted to do was make love to her bear. To lie there with him and know that nothing else in the world mattered. Jack responded to her pleading desire quickly.

  He slid off his own pants and underwear, allowing his stiff, strong erection to spring free. Silver let her eyes glide over his body, taking in the perfectly sculpted abs, burly thigh muscles, and broad shoulders. But her favorite part was definitely his massive dick, which was rock solid with its desire for her.

  Jack put his large, strong hands around Silver’s upper body and dragged her backward so she was securely lying on the bed, then he climbed up and hovered over her for a moment. He locked eyes with Silver, and the look of love in his eyes was so intense that she thought she might literally melt. He smiled, and bent down to kiss her gently on the lips.

  Silver closed her eyes and let the warmth of his kiss spread through her body. In the next moment, she felt Jack sliding into her. He filled her completely and deeply, touching the most sensitive, secret parts of her inner self.

  As he began to slide back and forth, the pressure and desire in Silver continued to grow. She reached up and wrapped her arms around Jack’s neck as he moved within her. His skin was warm and inviting, and she felt the electricity and passion shooting from his body into hers. Her very core became heated and tingling, and she squeezed her eyes shut even tighter as she felt the wave building to a breaking point. A few strong thrusts later, Silver let go and let her release wash over her. Her muscles contracted around Jack’s dick over and over, with each spasm sending a fresh wave of tingling pleasure through her body. She moaned and writhed under his body as he continued to thrust into her, faster and stronger with each passing second until he, too, found his release. He stiffened and let out a loud roar, and then came into her, making their bodies truly one.

  They held each other for several moments as the waves of passion continued to sweep over them, and then Jack slowly slid out of her and snuggled next to her on the bed, drawing her into his arms.

  “How did I get so lucky?” he asked, his voice heavy and full of emotion. He planted a kiss on Silver’s forehead, which was glistening with sweat from the exertion of their lovemaking. Silver smiled and responded by snuggling deeper into Jack’s arms.

  “I know there are hard times ahead, Silver,” Jack said. “But, aren’t there always? It doesn’t matter what life throws at us. We’ll face it together. Even though there are big worries in our lives right now, I’ve never been so excited for the future. How could I ask for anything more than to head into tomorrow with you by my side? I love you, Silver.”

  Silver sighed deeply and tilted her head up to kiss Jack’s cheek. “I love you, too, Jack. Whatever the future brings, we’ll handle it. And if anyone tries to wipe out shifters, we’ll just give them hell together.”

  Jack laughed and squeezed Silver tightly again. “You are Trouble, my sweet. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

  Exclusive Prologue to The Fur Coat Society - Book Two

  Storm Williams groaned as the chimes from her alarm clock sounded loudly. Yesterday had been exhausting, and she needed more sleep. But she didn’t want to call in sick the day after the cond
o fire and raise any doubts as to where she had been yesterday, so she forced herself to get up and get out of bed. One shower, two waffles, and three cups of coffee later, she finally made her way out of her apartment and started walking toward the El. As she boarded the commuter hovertrain, her phone pinged with a text from Grant.

  Hey, are you somewhere you can talk?

  Storm bit her lip. She had a feeling that whatever Grant wanted to talk about wasn’t something she wanted to discuss on a busy train.

  On the train right now. Maybe over lunch?

  Storm squeezed in next to dozens of other sweaty commuters, holding her phone in her hand so she would feel when it vibrated to indicate that she had a new text from Grant. A few minutes later, her phone buzzed and she looked down to see what he had written.

  Lunch sounds good. Noon at Atwood Café?

  Storm smiled. Her day had suddenly become much more exciting. She loved spending time with Grant, and lunch with him sounded like just the thing she needed to motivate her through this long day.

  Noon at Atwood sounds great. Any hints on what you want to talk about?

  She waited a few moments, then looked down when his text buzzed in.

  I cracked the code on the data drive. The information’s not what I thought it would be at all, but it’s really interesting nonetheless. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.

  Storm smiled again, and she felt a little burst of pride in her chest that Grant was asking for her thoughts before anyone else’s. She was also filled with curiosity over what was on the data drive. Hopefully it was still useful to them, even though it apparently wasn’t inside information about the eye scanners like they had hoped.