by Lisa Kessler
Asher looked up with a smile. “Good to see you. Are you all right? Last night was—”
“I’m okay.” I cut him off before I lost my nerve. Answers. I would get them, or I would walk. “Listen, I need to know what’s happening here. My uncle is on the Arizona Supreme Court. He called me yesterday to try to get me to quit my job here and leave Sedona. He said you were mixed up with some dangerous people, and he didn’t want me caught in the crossfire with the police.”
Asher’s expression went from friendly to stoic, but he didn’t interrupt me or start spewing any denials. Not that I’d expected anything else. Asher would listen, and hopefully, he’d be honest with me.
“You’re one of my only friends in Sedona so I didn’t believe him, but last night I was hiding on the floor at Gage’s apartment while bullets came through his window. It seems like those could be the people my uncle warned me about.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “We’ve worked together for years. I think I deserve some answers.”
Asher sighed and started to nod. “I was hoping we could keep you out of all this.”
“Out of what?”
The door opened behind me, and Gage’s broad shoulders filled the entry to Wild Sedona Tours. I crossed my arms, still stinging from how our night ended. I peered behind him. “Where are the boys?”
“Playing at the ranch with Bart and Ben.” He came toward me.
Half of me wanted him to come closer, and the other half wanted to shove him back out the door. I opted for ignoring him instead and faced Asher again. “I’m assuming Gage already knows whatever it is you’re about to tell me?”
Asher nodded, his dark eyes flicking to Gage before he focused on me again. “I wasn’t keeping secrets from you because I didn’t trust you. I consider you a friend, and I didn’t want to put you in danger.”
Shit. My uncle hadn’t been lying. My heart pounded in my chest as I realized Gage was blocking my only exit. I knew better than to be trapped like this, but these were men I trusted.
“What kind of danger?” I asked. “Is it drugs?”
“Definitely not.” Asher shook his head. “It’s a little more complicated than that.”
My phone rang in my purse. I pulled it out to silence it, but my uncle’s name lit up the screen. “I need to take this. Sorry.”
I walked to the far corner of the office so I’d be out of earshot and accepted the call. “Hey, Uncle Mitch. What’s up?”
“Are you still in Sedona?” His voice was hushed and angry.
“Yes. I’m at work with Asher.” I glanced over at Asher and Gage. They both turned my way. “He says he’s not in trouble with the police so one of you is lying to me.”
My uncle cursed under his breath. “If you can see him right now, then he’s hearing every word I say to you on this phone.”
What was he talking about? They would have no trouble hearing my side of the conversation, but there was no way they could hear my uncle all the way over there.
“I take it you’re uninjured?” he went on.
My eyes widened. “Why would I be injured?”
Why would my uncle think I was hurt if he didn’t know about the shooters at Gage’s place last night? The feeling that I was a game piece on a board I couldn’t see came back with a vengeance. I gripped my phone tighter, waiting for him to answer my question.
My uncle shuffled some papers on his end of the line. “You need to stay out of the way, Rebecca. I won’t be able to protect you.”
“From what?” I ground out. My frustration level was peaking. I was going to scream soon.
“There are dangerous things in this world that you can’t even imagine. They’re going to be exterminated.” His tone softened. “I don’t want you to be collateral damage. Come back to Phoenix, and I’ll give you details. I’m free all afternoon.”
The line went dead.
I held out my phone, staring at it as if the Android might tell me what that conversation was all about. When I looked over at Gage, a muscle in his cheek jumped. Had he really heard everything my uncle had just said?
I stuffed my phone back in my bag and went to my desk where Asher and Gage waited. I set my bag down and crossed my arms again. “Could you both hear what my uncle said?”
“Yes,” Gage answered without any hesitation and no sign of a teasing smile.
My brows rose. “How is that possible?”
He glanced at Asher and back to me. “I’ll tell you everything, but not here. I don’t want to get interrupted, and the first tour will be here any minute.”
“Sorry.” I shook my head. “We have three tours scheduled today. I can’t just leave.”
“I can handle it,” Asher said. “Ryker and Serenity are going to come by this afternoon to cover while I’ve got the tours out in the valley anyway.”
I just wanted someone to tell me what the hell was going on. “Fine.” I picked up my bag. When I looked at Asher, I couldn’t hold back a sigh. “Whatever this is, you could’ve told me.” I started to go and looked back. “It hurts that you didn’t.”
Angry tears stung my eyes as I walked out. Whenever emotions got too hot, my stupid body seemed to think crying would relieve the pressure. It was annoying and made some people think I was weak. I was plenty of things, but weak wasn’t one of them.
I guess that’s why discovering Asher and Gage and—hell, everyone I thought were my friends in Sedona had been keeping some kind of massive secrets from me hurt so much. And apparently my own uncle knew something, too.
They all either didn’t think I could handle it or didn’t think they could trust me.
Both options stung.
Gage walked toward his truck. “Come on. I’ll buy you a coffee and we can find someplace private to talk.”
“No, thanks.” I shook my head. “You’re coming with me. I’m driving.”
“Okay…” He came over to my Subaru Crosstrek and opened the passenger door.
I got behind the wheel and started the engine before he was even inside. I glanced his way, grateful the wave of tears had been stifled. “You could save a few dollars and tell me right here. Then you could get out, and I can go home and decide what to do from there.”
He shook his head. “This isn’t something I can just drop and run. Let’s grab some coffee and go somewhere we won’t be interrupted.”
Fine. At least I’d get coffee out of it. We stopped at Sedonuts, and I came out with a Vortex cinnamon roll and a steaming cup of coffee. Gage followed me out with his black coffee and two Red Rock donuts.
The scent of fresh coffee filled my car and helped to dissipate the delicious masculine smell Gage was giving off. Last night, after he’d tackled me to the floor and saved me from being shot, I’d thought he’d been wearing some kind of amazing cologne, but this morning, I realized it was just Gage. He smelled like a mixture of the desert, sandalwood, and a salty sea breeze all at once. It made me want to snuggle in close and breathe him in.
Needless to say, it was making it impossible for me to keep a clear head.
Thank god for coffee.
I took a sip and glanced his way. “Where to?”
“Have you ever been out to Asher’s ranch?”
Another pang twisted inside me. I’d worked for Asher for almost five years now. And although he and Naomi came by the office often, took me to lunch a few times, and I even watched their boys when they needed it, I’d never been invited to their place. I’d heard stories of the remote ranch with amazing views and peaceful wind chimes on the porch by a firepit. I’d never witnessed any of it firsthand.
Was I curious? Yes. Was I willing to go someplace remote with Gage when I still didn’t understand who was shooting at us last night or why? No.
“I haven’t, but now that it’s painfully obvious I don’t know any of you as well as I thought I did, I’m not excited about going anywhere off in the sticks with you.” I took another sip of coffee, relishing the heat radiating from my belly.
“That’
s fair.” He looked out the front windshield. “Okay, how about Bell Rock Plaza?”
“We won’t be alone there,” I said as I backed out of the parking space.
“I’ll tell you the secret parts in the car.” He glanced over at me with the playful smile that always made my heart race. “Then when you run screaming from the car, I can chase you around the outdoor market tents.”
I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “You’re not making me feel better.”
“Sadly, nothing I’m going to tell you is going to make you feel better.” He sobered. “But you were right, you do deserve the truth.”
I drove to the Bell Rock Plaza, silence filling my car. My mind whirled with impossible scenarios. Asher had said it wasn’t drugs so what could it be? Were they all mixed up in money laundering or tax evasion? No one would shoot at them for dodging taxes. Maybe a loan shark? Or the mob? It was all so far-fetched, but I couldn’t come up with anything rational.
When I drove into the lot of the strip mall beside the massive red rock shaped like a mission bell, I didn’t bother looking for a good parking spot. I took the first open space. It would be a long way to the outdoor marketplace on the other side of the lot, but I wasn’t here to shop.
I turned off the car and picked up my coffee. “All right.” I swung my best glare his way. “The suspense is killing me.”
Gage pushed up the sleeve on his shirt, exposing a nasty scar. He’d been in the military. Maybe it was shrapnel. I lifted my gaze to his face. “Is that from serving in Afghanistan?”
“No.” He pulled his sleeve back down. “I got it just off the trail over there by Bell Rock during the full moon almost four years ago.”
My eyes widened. “An animal attacked you?”
He nodded, searching my eyes. “A wolf.”
I’d camped and hiked alone all over the Red Rocks, and I’d never encountered a wild wolf in Sedona. There was a big annual festival, Sedona Wolf Week, to build awareness for wolf conservation, but as far as I knew, there weren’t any wild wolf packs running around Sedona. Maybe I’d just gotten lucky all this time.
“I’m glad you were okay.” I looked up from his arm. “But what’s that got to do with the guys shooting at us last night?”
“Everything.” He broke eye contact and stared out the windshield. “That night, I was bitten by a werewolf during the full moon.” His gaze cut to me, but he wasn’t smiling. “Now I’m a shifter, too. So are Asher and Naomi. Asher is the Alpha of our pack.”
I could not have heard him right. “You… But… That’s not…” I sputtered, struggling with what he’d just said. “But werewolves aren’t real.” I looked deep into his eyes, hoping to see teasing there, but all I saw reflected back was regret. I shook my head slowly. “You’re telling me you turn into an animal when the moon is full?” My laughter had a panicky edge to it. “This is unbelievable.”
“I know.” He nodded. “I wouldn’t have believed it if it hadn’t happened to me.”
“I don’t believe it.” I couldn’t. My brain flipped through other reasons for this foolishness. “What could possibly be so heinous that you think lying to me about werewolves would be better?”
He shook his head. “I’m not lying to you.”
“You know what?” I grabbed my purse. “I need some fresh air.”
I got out of the car and walked away. The passenger door opened and closed behind me, and I clicked the fob to lock the doors without even looking back. I didn’t want to see his handsome face, and I couldn’t take another outlandish lie.
Bell Rock Plaza hosted art shows and outdoor marketplaces in their large parking lot. Today there were tents full of Navajo jewelry, crystals from around the world, cactus candies, custom candles, and soaps galore. Normally it was a fun outing with gorgeous scenery and weather, but right now, today, I just wanted to stay one step ahead of the good-looking man who thought he was a freaking werewolf.
After I reached the end of the tents, I kept walking. Finally, Gage jogged past me and stopped, blocking my path. I turned to go around him, but he caught my arm. “Becca, talk to me.”
“Why?” I glared up at him. “So you can tell me your mother was the Tooth Fairy?”
“My parents died in a car accident when I was two. My grandparents raised me.”
I hesitated, searching his eyes. This was a painful truth, and it sucked the anger right out of me like air draining from a balloon. I sighed. “I’m sorry.”
He shook his head. “I’m trying to give you a straight answer to any question. I have nothing to hide from you. Not anymore.”
Really? I braced myself and asked the big one on my mind. “Who were the guys shooting at us last night?”
“They were jaguar shifters, probably hired to come after Hawk and Henry. We’re not sure yet why they were at my place, but a government contractor in Phoenix called Evolution Defense abducted Hawk from this market, in front of the Katsina doll tent, a few months ago.” His jaw tensed. “They want to experiment on my boys.”
I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Why?”
“Because they were born werewolves.”
I swallowed. His boys always babbled about being wolves and me being human. Never in a million years would I have believed they weren’t just playing pretend.
And here we were again with the werewolves. We’d come full circle. Gage was either delusional, or this was a much bigger secret than I ever dreamed possible.
And Asher covered for me at work today because he knew what Gage was going to tell me. They really were…
They were all werewolves.
“I need to sit.”
He took my arm, steadying me as we walked across the lot to a bench. I stared at the tents in the distance and the people browsing, people who had no idea I was sitting next to a gorgeous guy who also happened to be a werewolf.
A guy who just told me that the men who had shot at us were hunting his children. And the shooters also shifted into jaguars. None of this could be true.
Gage scanned the crowd on the other side of the lot. “This was why Asher wanted you kept in the dark. He thought you’d be safer not knowing about any of this…supernatural stuff.”
I sifted through all the information he’d just dropped in my lap and gasped as something struck me. “That day you brought Henry to the office alone… He cried about a bad man taking his brother, but when you came back with Hawk, I thought he’d been making it up.”
“We got Hawk back before they could do anything to him. He was safe.” Gage took my hand, and the simple touch gave me more comfort than I wanted to admit. I was so alone in the world, and right now it seemed like everything was spinning out of my control.
“What is this Evolution Defense? Why would they want baby werewolves?”
He scoffed. “Because unlike adult werewolves, the kids couldn’t rip out their throats.”
CHAPTER 5
Gage
Becca’s heart rate jumped as she stood up. Shit. I’d scared her.
I sucked in a breath, shaking my head. “Sorry. I know that sounded violent, but these people keep coming for us, and when they target my kids… Well, my anger gets the better of me sometimes.”
I waited, praying she’d sit back down.
Finally, she settled a little farther away from me on the bench, keeping her eyes on the shoppers. “Thanks for being honest with me. This is all…” Her hand waved in front of her as her words faded.
“It’s unbelievable.” I nodded. “I get it. Like I said, I wouldn’t buy into any of this if I hadn’t been bitten myself.”
She glanced my way, narrowing her eyes. “Let’s just pretend I believed all this werewolf stuff. How does my uncle fit into it? He’s not a werewolf.”
“Not as far as I know.” I shrugged. “But I’ve been asking myself the same thing.” I shook my head. “A judge doesn’t seem like the kind of person to believe werewolves would exist.”
“And why would he know anything about Asher?” Her
brows pinched together. “He knew you guys could hear him on the phone.”
I nodded, waiting for her to connect the dots.
She pointed at my chest. “He knows you’re werewolves.” She pondered for a second before going on. “He called yesterday to warn me to get out of Sedona, and today he asked if I was injured, so obviously he knew something about the shooters last night”
“That’s what I’m thinking, too.” I hesitated, losing myself in her dark eyes and breathing in her scent, wishing I could just be with her.
We could do normal things like… I pushed the thought away. I didn’t know what “normal” was anymore. Ever since I’d lost my grandfather, I’d been fighting. First for my country, then for my freedom from Caldwell, and since then, for my pack and my kids.
And now I’d fight for Becca.
If she even wanted me. I wouldn’t blame her for getting as far away from Sedona as she could. At least she’d be safe. From the depths of my soul, the wolf howled—a lonely, painful cry. Losing our mate would be a hole we’d never fill. But I was so fucking tired of fighting.
She patted my knee, the contact instantly breaking me out of my head. “What’s wrong?” she asked.
Everything.
I raked a hand back through my short hair. “I don’t want to drag you into this war. Your uncle might be right about getting out of Sedona.”
“Maybe.” She nodded, her gaze going distant as her fingers trailed off my leg.
I caught her hand. Her eyes snapped to my face as I whispered, “I’m sorry. For everything.”
Her fingernails weren’t manicured like those of the women I’d been seeing lately. Becca’s hands were strong from rock climbing and camping. They were smaller than mine but still strong. Real. Everything about her said she was who she was with no regrets or explanations.
I lifted my eyes. “It was shitty that I had you watch the boys and never saw you for who you are. I was trying to be careful.” I sighed, shaking my head. “We should have told you the truth.”
She slid her hand free of mine. “In your defense, I probably wouldn’t have believed you. I’m only starting to buy into it now because my uncle seems to know about Asher and wants me out of the way.”