by Olivia Arran
“That’s a wicked looking smile you’ve got going on there,” Grant murmured from beside me. “What’s going on in that head of yours, or should I be scared of asking?” His hand brushed against mine, fingers reaching out to touch.
“Probably scared,” I admitted, snagging his fingers and twining them with mine.
Sarah raised her eyebrows, giving me an approving look.
When Kel returned with his prize and handed it over, Daryl muttered a thank you, then scrubbed, missing the jelly spot completely.
Come on, Lieutenant! Mentally cheerleading Kel, I nearly broke out in a cartwheel when he tried to point out the spot, his finger grazing Daryl’s lips by accident.
I scrunched up my eyes, narrowing my focus. Or was it really an accident? Or did Daryl sway into him on purpose? Hmmm… I pursed my lips in concentration as I studied the two men in front of me.
“Yep, you’re right—I’m scared and I don’t want to know.”
I threw Grant a grin. “Good choice, caveman.” Patrol routes were handed out, then we were off.
Chapter Fifteen
Grant
I found myself crouched down behind a bush later that evening. Not exactly the way I’d like to spend my night, I’d much prefer to be tangled up with Mandy, exploring the dimensions of her queen-sized bed, or chatting over a good meal, but we had a job to do and the sooner it was complete, the sooner we could stop the game of pretending. It also meant I could clear Mandy’s name. And we could all go home. That last point—which Daryl was making repeatedly—wasn’t at the top of my list. It wasn’t even on my list, since I hadn’t yet figured out a solution to my problem.
Beside me, Daryl shuffled where he laid on the ground, trying to coax some feeling back into his legs. I got it; we’d been here for hours, waiting for someone to show themselves.
The empty parking lot in front of us loomed dark and unappealing, the shadows at the periphery on the right concealing Talon and Ridge, while Dante had taken up position on the roof of the rundown structure that abutted the lot along the left.
If the bait worked, which we had every reason to believe it would, then tonight would be a success. I just wished whoever it was would get a move on because I was done freezing my cock off and dreaming of a warm bed. With possibly a hot water bottle, tucked up tight against my nuts.
“Fucking cold. I hate the cold.”
Daryl barely moved, but I saw his lip curl. “Give me sunshine, a white sandy beach, and a Pina Colada any day of the week.”
“With a little umbrella in it?”
“Nah, man. Gotta be cherries, so I can show off my tongue curling abilities.”
I gave him a blank look. “Too much info.”
“You asked.”
“Pretty sure I didn’t.”
“Will you two be quiet?” Dante’s voice echoed through my ear, courtesy of the comms system Ridge and Talon had hooked us up with.
“We’ve got movement at eight o’clock,” Talon said, keeping his voice low.
We were North, which meant that whoever it was was coming in from Ridge and Talon’s side of the lot.
“One car, no visual on the driver yet.”
“Copy that,” I grunted, settling down low to the ground and readying my body for movement. I could hear the low rumbling of wheels spinning on gravel coming closer.
“The car is through the perimeter.”
“We have eyes on it.” I leaned forward to watch as the silver SUV drove a circuit around the lot, coming to a stop at the far side, using the building Dante was perched on as rear cover.
Everything paused while we waited for movement.
A door clicked open.
“That’s not the driver’s side,” Daryl snapped.
“I can’t see from this angle,” Dante snarled. “Do we have an ID yet?”
Daryl stiffened beside me, his voice empty as he reported what we were all seeing. “It’s Kel. He’s exiting the vehicle now, looking around. He’s armed.” He made to move and I pushed him back down.
“Where are you going?”
He rolled away from me with a snarl. “To secure the dirty cop.”
“Another door opening.” Ridge’s voice had us snapping back to attention.
“Fuck, it’s Sarah,” I breathed.
Daryl glanced at me, his eyes widening. “From the back fucking seat. Also armed.” He turned to me. “This is fucked up.”
I ignored him, though I agreed wholeheartedly. “Who’s the driver?” I snapped out. “Anyone got eyes on the driver?”
“Chris,” Daryl spotted the man climbing out after Sarah. “And there’s Don. It’s a fucking party out here,” he ground out.
I almost couldn’t bear to watch, but I couldn’t make myself look away when the driver’s door opened.
Mandy slid out, her weapon raised and eyes alert.
Mandy, who’d told me only a couple of hours ago that she was going to catch a movie with a friend.
Mandy, who was standing in front of me, here because of false information we’d planted for the dirty cop to find.
Information that only someone working for the Purists would be interested in.
Fuck. Why? Had everything been a lie? A ploy to get close to me and extract information, or a way to infiltrate Heartsridge?
I pressed against my chest, trying to ease the sharp pain tearing through me, but it didn’t go away. Wouldn’t stop stabbing at me.
“Move in,” Talon barked out.
My body was moving even as my mind struggled to catch up. All I knew was, it was about time we got some answers.
Chapter Sixteen
Mandy
“See anything?” I kept scanning the area, tension sitting heavy in my gut. I didn’t like this, none of us did, but it was a joint decision and we’d committed.
“Nope.” Sarah shuffled over to me, turning so we were covering each other’s backs. “Something smells rotten.”
“The contact should be here by now. Something’s wrong.” Kel glanced at his watch, then out into the dark night. “Pull back. I don’t—”
“Going somewhere?”
I whipped around as a dark shadow dropped from the building behind me, landing on silent feet.
“I know that freaking voice!” My best friend’s screech was nearly deafening in my ear. “Are you following me, Dante?”
Only years of training prevented me from jerking back. “Dante?”
“Don’t forget us.” From the edges of the parking lot, out stalked Talon and Ridge from one side, and Daryl from directly in front. He’d been the one to call over to us. Grant followed behind his friend, expression carved out of stone and eyes flat, washed clear of emotion.
“What the fuck are you guys doing here?” Chris shouted, spinning around to keep eyes on the Hunter duo.
“We were about to ask you the same thing.” Dante strolled out of the shadows, hands in pockets and head cocked to one side. Training kicked in and had me noting that not one of the shifters were carrying a weapon, not that they really needed one.
“This has nothing to do with you,” Kel replied, his voice providing a steady weight at my back. “You need to leave before you fuck this all up.”
My eyes flicked to Grant again. Why wouldn’t he look at me? What was going on? “Hey, Grant—” The rest of my sentence stuttered and died when he finally deigned to turn his attention to me, his eyes going from flat to burning up instantly.
“Wouldn’t you like our assistance?” His voice was cold and harsh, his body seeming to expand and contract with every breath he sucked in, as if he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs. A shudder passed through him as I stared at him, his eyes completely wolfing out, a ripple flowing over his skin.
“No, we’ll be fine handling this one on our own.” Kel was trying his best to shut this down; he knew we were on a timer and—fuck—this could screw everything up for us. All that hard work, down the drain.
Daryl just looked at him, then shook his hea
d. “Fuck you, universe. You hear me, fuck you!” he shouted at the sky. His head hung low as he turned away, chest heaving.
Dante took over when it became obvious Daryl was done, “What my furry friend is trying to say is that unfortunately Mr. Moonbeam won’t be attending your little get together this evening.”
My eyes shot to Kel, as did the rest of our squad. How much did they know?
Kel hid his shock better than the rest of us, his game face firmly in place. “How do you know Mr. Moonbeam?”
Ridge strode forward, putting himself chest to chest with the Lieutenant. “That doesn’t matter. Tell us who you’re passing the information to.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kel snapped, finally losing his temper. “You need to leave now, this has nothing to do with you.”
“Really?” Grant growled. “Want to tell us a little about the information tap you’ve got going on? The backdoor into a certain system you’ve acquired recently?” He folded his arms across his chest, and I was one hundred percent sure it was to keep himself from punching someone.
Kel didn’t budge. “How the hell—” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m not telling you anything. You need to leave.”
“And you’re sounding like a broken record.” Daryl stormed up to Kel, and Ridge melted away. “Why? Goddamn you! Just give me one good reason that I can take back with me to help clear your name.” The two men were close enough together you could feed a quarter between them and it wouldn’t drop. Eye to eye, jaws gritted, hands clenched. Daryl leaned even closer, forcing Kel to either back up or go nose-to-nose.
He chose the latter.
Daryl snarled. “Why? I deserve to know.”
Everyone was watching the pair duking it out in the middle, like they were in the ring again, but I couldn’t tear my attention away from Grant. He was staring at the sky when I took a step toward him, his gaze snapping down and trapping me where I stood. The fire had banked, leaving behind an anguish I couldn’t understand.
He swallowed, his throat working hard. “We all deserve to know.”
“Grant, please, just trust me. I’ll explain everything after.” I pleaded with my eyes, begging him. “Just trust me.”
He looked like he was going to refuse and my heart sank, hitting rock bottom. Somehow, they’d found out about our contact and followed us here, spooking our Mr. Moonbeam and scaring him off. Somehow they knew his name, but had I jumped to conclusions? Nope. I hadn’t gotten angry with Grant, even when I had every right to be furious that he’d blown this for us.
Grant looked around. “I can’t do this. I thought I could, but I can’t be here.” He clenched and unclenched his fists, eyes darting anywhere but my face.
Daryl turned his head, breaking his stare off with Kel. “Go. The rest of us have got this.” He looked at me and I almost stumbled back at the disappointment in his eyes. He turned back to his friend. “I understand. Everyone back home will, too.”
And then Grant was stalking off across the parking lot, not looking back.
My whole body leaned, wanting to go after him. An invisible string tugged me toward him. Reaching deep down inside, I yanked up my last remaining shred of dignity and buttoned it down tight.
“Go after him, Mandy.” Kel offered, couching it as an order to give me a way to bow out gracefully.
“No. I should have seen this coming a mile away.” He’d walked away without looking back. Again. For some perceived slight, when I hadn’t done anything wrong. Again. Nodding at Kel, then Sarah, I squared my shoulders and readjusted my grip on my gun. “I’m good.”
Daryl cleared his throat, spinning Kel around and trapping his hands behind his back. “Keelin Murphy, I’m authorized to take you in and hold you for questioning. I reserve the right to arrest your lying ass in the future should such evidence arise that allows this. My enforcement powers are granted by the President of the United States and the Shifter Council acting together under the treaty between shifters and humans, governed by the Registration Act.”
Kel didn’t say a word, his face frozen in shock.
Around me, the shifters began to move, closing in on their chosen target. Dante was advancing on Sarah, who had backed away, her firearm lifted and aim holding steady. A knee jerk reaction to a man looming over her in the dark. Any man. It wouldn’t matter.
“Sarah, you don’t want to shoot Dante. I know he’s annoying, but that doesn’t mean you can put a bullet in him.” I pitched my voice low and soothing, holstering my weapon. I’d had the safety on ever since I saw who was crashing our little meet and greet, but I didn’t know if Sarah’s was still on.
“She’s a good shot, Dante. You might want to back it up a little.”
Taking slow, steady steps, I eased up beside the dragon shifter, then slid in front of him, trying to catch my friend’s eye, but they were glazed, caught in memories that refused to let her go.
Instead of trying to push his way past me, Dante shocked me, lowering his voice and asking yet another question I would have to refuse to answer. Tonight just plain sucked. “What’s wrong with her?”
“Nothing. She’ll be fine, just stay still and let me talk to her.”
I took another step, arms held wide open and body relaxed. “Hey, honey, it’s Mandy. I’m not going to let him do anything to you, so you can put away your firearm, okay?”
For another couple of seconds, she froze, blinking rapidly, then she lowered the gun and pointed it at the ground. “Sorry, flashback,” she whispered, her complexion gray and hands shaking.
“I know.”
I risked a glance at Kel, to see how he was getting on. He looked pissed but resigned, obviously having worked out there was no escaping Daryl’s grip. He nodded at me, silently telling me to stand down.
Large hands pulled my hands back and I jumped, not expecting it, an embarrassing squeak escaping. “Same rubbish Daryl told Kel,” Dante drawled. Maybe I should have let Sarah shoot him. In the ass. He frogmarched me over to the side of Kel, where Chris and Don were already lined up, secured by Talon and Ridge.
“You’d better get your hands off her if you want to keep all of your fingers.” Grant’s voice had everyone’s heads jerking up.
“I thought you were going to watch from a safe distance and keep a lid on it?” Daryl sounded tired now. Bone achingly tired.
But Grant wasn’t listening, his attention fixated on the point where Dante’s hands wrapped around my wrists.
Dante made a rude noise. “Have her, she’s yours. I’ve got to go and try to corral my partner without her trying to shoot my dick off.” He gave me a little shove. Strong arms steadied me, then jerked away as if burned, his hands settling on my wrists with the barest amount of pressure. Like he couldn’t bring himself to do this to me. Which was what, arresting me? Good. I hoped the reality burned going down, that he was feeling guilty. Because, when I got two minutes alone with him, he was going to—
A high-pitched whistle whizzed past my ear, punctuated by a grunt. Two grunts.
Daryl crumpled, taking Kel with him.
No!
Suddenly I was face down on the ground, covered in a man shaped blanket and surrounded by the thundering of Grant’s heart booming in my ears. Twisting my neck, I caught his profile out of the corner of my eye, saw the way his expression twisted into one of horror and devastation before landing firmly in the murderous rage camp. “Is the SUV bulletproof?”
I nodded, unable to look away from the men lying in a pool of blood. One man I considered to be my father, not that I’d ever told him that. I’d been an idiot, scared of holding him too close, elevating him too high, only to watch him leave me like everyone else had.
“SUV, now!” Grant yanked me up and into his arms, sprinting across the short space as bullets peppered the earth behind us. Skidding down onto his knees at the back of the car, he reached up and released the tailgate, pushing it open. “Crawl in and keep low.”
I clung to him. “What about
you?”
Talon pushed a shaking Chris into the trunk, who kicked at the rear seats until they folded. “I’m going back for Ridge, the bastard’s got him cut off.
Grant nodded. “I’ll get Daryl and Kel. Don’t forget Don.”
Talon mock saluted. “Like I would,” he replied before crawling to the edge of the SUV, then taking off in a weaving sprint across the lot.
Grant peeled my fingers from his arm. “I’ve got to go.”
He reached up and metal screeched, the tailgate coming away in his hands.
Holy shit, he was strong. I allowed myself a moment to absorb that little fact before snapping out of it.
“Wait!” The revelation with Kel still burned in my gut, churning my stomach. I couldn’t let another person I cared for potentially walk out of my life without being brutally honest with myself, and with them. I forced the words out, words that were too soon, but equally unstoppable. The truth. “You need to come back so we can fix this because I’m falling in love with you.”
He sucked in a breath, a dazed expression on his face. Slowly, a grin worked its way in, shocking me in its intensity. “I made you a promise and I don’t break my promises. I will always be there for you.” His words rang with truth. Even when he was upset with me—for some unknown reason—he hadn’t really left. When all was said and done, he’d stayed to watch over me. His voice dropped to a low husky tone, “I’m falling in love with you too. Hell, I think I might already be there.” I thought he was going to kiss me, but I blinked and he was gone.
Bodies rushed up to me, Talon dragging Don, with Ridge close behind them. Ducking down beside me, Ridge ripped the sleeve of his shirt off, revealing a bullet wound grazing his bicep.
I held my hand out for the torn piece of fabric, taking it from him and wrapping it around the wound. Luckily, it was minor, which meant that as soon as we were clear, he could shift and heal.
“The bullets are laced with something.” Ridge gritted his teeth in a grimace. “It’s interfering with the healing.”