“No.” I pushed the send button and waited as the phone rang. “It still keeps me up at night, Amber.”
“Hey?”
Taking a deep breath, I looked at the floor and let my voice be light, airy, breathy. “D, how ya doin’, baby?”
D moaned. “Getting hard listening to you.”
“Mmm, you say the sweetest things. A girl could get used to that.”
“Fuck, girl. You can kill a guy with just your voice.”
I turned and faced the doorway instead of Amber. She still got to see my profile but I didn’t have to do an acting job to her face. “D, I think we both know that I can kill a guy with even less than my voice.” I purred. He sounded like he was in pain. “Baby, I need you to get your brother on the phone.”
“Ah, Lynn, he’s, umm, not in right now.”
Grinning, I reached over and started pulling wallpaper from the wall completely bored with talking to the man. It was rather sad that the entire time I’m doing a half-hearted attempt at phone seduction I felt the need to redecorate but in truth, it was very telling as to how uninterested in D I was. The man was a box of rocks with a penis. If it had two legs and a pulse, even that was optional when taking vampires into consideration, D wanted to fuck it. He’d spent the greater part of six years trying to work his way into my pants. I spent the same time frame thinking of ways not to lose my temper and kill him.
“I understand. It’s hard on you with him being dominant and all.” I picked hard to get a piece of wallpaper off that was stuck. “That’s like so weird that the second born would wear the pants in the family. I mean don’t get me wrong, you’re ... umm, you’re you.”
“Lynn, Owen doesn’t rule me,” he said, tension filling his voice.
I glanced at Riston, who was staring at me with a not-so-friendly look on his face. I pointed at the scrapper on the counter behind him. I covered the phone and whispered, “I need something to do so I don’t fall asleep talking to this ass. I’ve heard his pick-up lines so many times that they’re almost background noise now.” His eyes widened and for a minute I thought I saw him smile. Picking it up, he handed it to me.
“D, I wasn’t sayin’ he rules you. I’m just sayin’ that you listen really well. I have this puppy that’s giving me a hard time and if you could teach it to listen like you do I’d be forever in your debt.”
Riston snorted. I bit back a laugh.
“Hold on, I’ll get him.”
“Thanks, D. See, I know who is really in charge.” I bit my lips to keep from laughing and ended up having to hold the phone up, run to the sink, blast the water to hide the giggles that came from me. Amber leaned down and ruffled her hand through my hair laughing as well. It was something she did when she was convinced I was toying with her.
I glanced at Riston, impressed he was taking all of this as well as he was. My guess was that he thought it was a joke as well. If he started ruffling my hair I’d have issues.
“Lynn?”
At the sound of the deep voice on the other end of the phone, I held up my hand to silence Amber. She stopped. Running my hand over my mouth, I laughed once more before standing tall. I dumped the dumb blonde routine. “Owen, how are you this fine day?”
“Owen?” Riston asked. I ignored him.
“Lynn, come on, don’t be mad. I tried to get everything you needed. I did. But....”
“Owen, Owen, Owen, making your brother screen your calls is low. Even for you. Now, stop kowtowing and tell me exactly what’s going on. I used you for this because you guaranteed it could be done in the time frame I needed it done and because you’re always talking about wanting to keep what happened to my father and his men from happening to anyone else.”
I walked to the kitchen window and stared out at the large backyard. “You came to me, Owen. When you heard I was working for the powers it was you who made first contact. You couldn’t wait to see Jack’s little girl in action. You saw it, want to fuck with it?” I let out a throaty, scary laugh. “I think your work is exceptional and your attention to detail unrivaled. That’s why I’m talking to you on the phone and not standing before you, handling the matter in person.”
“But, Lynn,” he pleaded. “I’m having trouble moving your supplies through all the channels. That’s all. It takes a lot to bribe them. I’ve got to get the stuff moved around under the human government’s noses while I’m also trying to avoid detection from our own kind. You ever try moving a shipment the size of yours past the DEA and the powers? Yeah, it ain’t easy or cheap.”
My temper flared. My power rose fast. “Owen, I get that you think because this project is so important to me you could exploit it, take it for all its worth. But did you stop and think that I’m going against the powers and the council to the underworld on this. If I’m willing to take on them, men who wouldn’t think twice about killing me, what makes you think I’ll hesitate to take on you?”
“Come on. I was friends with your dad. Lynn, you need me. You can’t move this....”
Lifting my hand in the air, I let out another wicked laugh, seeing the image of Owen in my head, pinned to the wall high off the ground. I knew it was really happening. That my magik had reached out and took hold of the man. Amber would no doubt assume it was part of the act. “I’m sorry, Owen. What were you saying? You were friends with my father? Hmm, you like to tell me how very much like him I am so I’m guessing he’d have beat the shit out you by this point too.”
“Damn straight,” Riston said, catching me off guard.
I shook my head, a bit confused and kept talking to Owen. “So, you think I need you because I can’t move what? Ooo, scared of heights?” I laughed again, enjoying toying with him a little too much.
“Put me down, Lynn. Put me down!”
I lifted my hand higher knowing that it in turn lifted him as well. “No. I like having your attention. Now, are we understanding each others’ position on the matter? I want these men equipped with that they need and I can and will kill to assure that happens.”
“Yeah, Lynn, just tell me what you need.”
I growled. “I sent you a very detailed list. If you lost it, I’ll kill D now just because he annoys me. While it’s a shame since he’s only guilty of thinking with his dick, its par for the course in our line of work.”
Owen gasped. “Lynn, I know you aren’t one to fuck with but even you wouldn’t kill D just for that.”
“Normally, I would just fax you a friendly reminder that you assured me it would be done. This isn’t normal. I can’t explain, even if I tried. I know that these men have been abandoned by the powers who are too concerned with everything else. They think its one team. A few men, no great loss should something go wrong. They’re wrong. It would be a great loss to me. Even setting my feelings aside, they guard one of the largest portals to hell known to us. Yes, for the most part it’s remained quiet or at least we think it has. They could be kicking the shit out of things on a daily basis for all we know. And after the day I had here I’d believe it. Hell, the ice cream man is a fucking demon.”
“Really?” Owen asked. “That’s weird, what kind of demon?”
“Something that isn’t lactose intolerant,” I bit out. “Owen, I don’t know what kind of demon he was. The point I was trying to make is what better place for the enemy to send armies through than the section that is not only one of the biggest but one that’s team of protectors is fractured, forgotten and vulnerable because they have no backup?”
Taking a deep breath in, I let out a tiny laugh. “They do now. They have more back-up than they’ll want or need. At present count I’ve got over a hundred other teams ready and willing to come in and help them if what I suspect is coming actually shows up.”
“Over a hundred teams?” Owen and Riston asked in unison.
I lifted my eyebrows but didn’t question that. “Yes, and I’m pretty sure I can get another hundred within a day or two if needed. People bitch about team leaders all the time but I’ve found the
m to be very easy to deal with.”
“It’s the legs,” Amber whispered.
Laughing, I shook my head. “No, I don’t think so, hon. I think it’s because they are all a little skeptical that the powers are up to no good.” I thought about it a minute. “Okay, the legs probably don’t hurt my chances of getting them to say yes. So far every team I’ve asked has set up and went on call so I’m not complaining.”
I could feel Owen’s fear as I lowered him to the floor. “Get a pen, Owen.”
“Ooo, I want to talk to Owen when you’re done.” Amber laughed kicking her foot out to catch my attention.
I shook my head and laughed. “Are you ready?”
“Yeah, I’ve got it in my email somewhere. Just refresh my memory and I’ll hunt that email down. “
I pulled my power back into myself and covered my eyes as I thought of things they’d need. “Get M16’s, oldies but goodies. FAMAS’, for sure. Not a ton but I know one, possible two of the men in the unit are left-handed and I’d like to keep everybody happy. Send some AK’s too. They tend to be boys’ favorite toys. I want some M60’s. I’ve got a few of my guys with me on this and Branson likes his lawn mower if you know what I mean. I told him to learn to aim.”
“How did he take that?” Owen asked, chuckling.
“He told me that I was still bitter about our break-up.”
Owen snorted. “You never went out with him.”
“Yeah, I reminded him of that too. On second thought, if the ass wants to keep claiming we were an item when we weren’t, send PKM’s instead. He hates those.”
“You are an evil woman,” he said, laughing.
“Aww, thanks. Damnit, that will bug me. I was going for the evilest woman on earth. Send what you can get me for sustained firepower. I want some M85’s as well. At last check, they had three members able to snip. I can’t find any information on their fourth. The one record I was able to find indicated that he was deceased so, I have no clue who replaced him. I’ll snip if I have to but that is my weakest area and that’s why I need the accuracy the M85’s provide. I’m beginning to think that if it has a membership with us and a penis, it has a thing for .50 cal’s, so send me some of those as well.”
“What do you need in the way of camouflage for the snipers?” Owen asked.
I shook my head. “Here’s the weird thing, Owen. I went through every shipment rooster from these guys and I mean every. They never once bothered with sniper camouflage.”
“What do they think they’re invincible?”
I laughed. “No I don’t think invincible is it at all. I think invisible covers it.”
“Invisible? No one can do that.”
Going to the fridge, I opened it and pulled out a bag of cut veggies, lunchmeat and condiments. It had been all I’d had time to grab on my way into town. “It is possible to do that, Owen. You need to have the right genetic make up for it. My dad and a few of his friends could pull it off. I’ve been told that I can but someone I trusted empathetically told me not to try it until he could show me. He told me I’d get stuck like that and my stupid ass still believes him after all these years so I just hope for the best.”
Riston snickered and I joined him. I wasn’t exactly sure what part of my conversation was funny to Riston but the very thought of the memory of RJ making me swear I’d never try to make myself invisible without him there to guide me had me smiling. The man had known me well when I was little. Well enough to know that if he scared me then, it’d stick with me later in life.
“So, do they walk around looking like a floating rifle?” Owen asked.
I snorted. “No, when my dad would vanish, he and everything he had on him and with him would go too. I do know that he couldn’t do it wounded but that’s a story I don’t want to see anymore of today.” I shuddered at the memory of my father bleeding I the snow.
“Shit, that’s deadly. I never knew Jack and the guys could do that. Now I know why they scared the hell out of me. Watch your back, Karri.”
I thought about them all. “Yeah, I guess they were deadly but I felt safe with them. Though, as I learn more about them I start to wonder why and how they managed to come across as gentle giants to me. And I appreciate your concern but I don’t think these men will hurt me, Owen. I’m here to warn them and see to it they’re safe. If, in the end, they decide to kill me for it so be it. I’ll die with that nagging feeling finally gone.”
“Do you have a handgun wish list, Karri?”
“Mmm, baby, stop talking dirty to me. Of course I have a handgun list.” I pulled bread out of the drawers and searched for paper plates. Amber opened the cabinet behind her head and handed them to me, grinning from ear to ear. “I’d like to get this out in the open, if a 9-mm comes in here with anything other than Sig Sauer marks on it we will have issues. I get these guys are like two thousand if you combine their ages but they can come the way of the Sig or lick my left ass cheek. They, in my opinion are the finest manufactures of handguns in the world.”
Owen snorted. “Watch what you offer up there. They are males.”
“Hey, if they’re hot I’ll lick theirs too.” I laughed as I washed my hands. “Okay, kidding on the last comment. Toss Dessert Eagles in there. Again, big and boy toys. Eagle’s make me feel like I’m lugging a bowling ball. That’s just me, I guess. Oh, don’t forget RPG’s. They make me all warm and fuzzy inside when I see them blow shit up. No one understands why I’m horny as hell after leveling groups of the bad guys. Pfft, like it’s not obvious.”
I laid the plate out on the counter and went to work on fixing lunch. Amber hopped down to help. As she went to cut the bread I grabbed her arm. “Amber, cut Riston’s thin like mine, he has to watch his carb intake if he wants to stay awake.”
“Huh?” she asked.
I began picking through the bag of veggies. “Okay, sorry about that, now I want fatigues across the board. For all I know they each have a thousand pairs. I don’t care if that’s all they wear. They could use them as pajamas for all I care. Until I see what they have here, I’m operating with the assumption that they have nothing.”
Amber went to put bologna on Riston’s. I grabbed her hand. “For goddess sake, don’t put that on the man’s sandwich. He’ll bitch for a week about the smell. Eat a piece and try to kiss him. He’ll love that.”
“Karri?” she looked at me with wide eyes.
“Hmm?”
“Nothing,” she said smiling.
Shrugging, I focused on Owen. “Get me full sets of fatigues for all members. My list has their measurements according the database.”
Owen made an odd noise. “But, what if they’re different now? Will you still be pissed even though I can’t help they changed?”
As Amber pulled the ketchup out and went to dump it on Riston’s sandwich I grabbed the bottle and held it in the air. She jumped up and down trying to reach it. “Okay, give me that. Everyone likes ketchup, Karri.”
I pulled the phone away from my mouth. “Unless you want a lecture on how a salami, ham and cheese sandwich is sacred all unto itself, do not put anything on it. Just leave it plain.”
She rolled her eyes. “Do you want to do this?”
“Move,” I said, bumping past her. I opened the veggies and went to work, picking out only the celery, green peppers and cauliflower. I dropped them onto his plate and shoved it at him without bothering to look at him.
I rubbed my brow harder. “Owen, we’ll use the team leader as an example only because his measurements are the only ones I can remember off the top of my head. Unless he lost so much weight that he’s now emaciated and incapable of supporting his lycan frame and has had his legs chopped off at the knee then he’s still six five, two-hundred and thirty-two pounds give or take a bit. Shoe size, thirteen, his inseam and other measurements are on the original list. If you fuck that up and leave him digging to get his pants to stop cutting circulation off to his cock I’ll shoot you and then let him do it too. Don’t forget what I
said about the sizable pant waists and gun belts.”
“Come on, Lynn,” Owen said, sounding desperate. “Cut me some slack on that and I can push this through faster.”
“No, I want at the very minimum a fifteen percent stretch factor for them. If you can get me twenty-five percent I will personally hand you the heads of your enemies as thanks. And I mean that literally. If they need to do a partial shift they can do it without worrying about walking around naked.”
“They’re shifters.” Owen snorted. “None of us care. It happens.”
“Owen, if I was with you when you needed to shift, at least partially, would you be slightly uncomfortable with the idea that I’d be able to see everything you have or may not have to offer the rest of the night?”
“Hell yes.”
“Right, I don’t want any one of them to hesitate to do what they need to do to stay safe. If I can provide them a tiny bit of maneuverability with the ability to maintain their modesty then I will. I have the luxury of knowing the men on my team who are shifters sizes by heart.” I smiled as I thought about Seger and Matty. “I also keep extra clothing for them. Trust me when I say that the first time Seger ended up with nothing to wear and he realized that his new team leader was female, he shifted back into a wolf and stayed that way the rest of the night.”
“What the hell did Matty do?”
I laughed. “Matty doesn’t have a modest bone in his body. He stood tall, smiled and said that he was fairly sure I’d seen a naked man in my life but if I had any questions then he’d be happy to answer them.”
For a second, it sounded as though Riston growled. I glanced at him, only to find his face a mask. Shaking my head, I continued talking to Owen, “Yeah, Matty also laughed because it was a cold night when he first got stuck being naked in front of me.” I snickered. “It certainly wasn’t very flattering for him to be that cold if you know what I mean.”
Riston stiffened and I gave him a questioning look. He smiled. It looked a bit forced. I ignored him. “I still have to practically dress Matty myself because he thinks it’s funny that I’m not comfortable with just how carefree he feels in his birthday suit. And I’m sure Branson is still holding out hope that I’m the one woman in all the history of lycan half-breeds that got the shifting gene just so I’ll be stuck walking around naked all night in front of him.” I snorted. “As if the costumes I have to wear to be a walking diversion for them cover anything. Please, dental floss covers more than they do.”
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