“Move.” The guy said as he pushed her toward the door. She stumbled forward almost tripping as he pushed her again. Twila was trying to figure out how to take the guy out but the smoke was getting to her. It must be getting to him too.
She started to cough. It was exaggerated but the smoke was making her nose burn. “Stop it you dumb bitch.” He moved to push her again and she twisted and grabbed his hand knocking the gun out of it. “Now I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”
“I don’t think so.” Twila said as she let her wolf shine in her eyes.
“You’re one of those fucking dogs. I didn’t think they had females.” The guy tried to get away but Twila was done with him. She stepped up to him and punched him hard on the chin. He dropped to the floor completely out cold.
“Twila, you okay?” It was Naqi and she was disappointed it wasn’t Trail. What did that mean?
“Yeah, but he’s not.” She giggled. “Girl power!”
“What? Females are crazy. I thought it was just the ones I was involved with.” Naqi mumbled with a shake of his head. “I’m having you taken to Joey. She won’t believe you’re okay until she sees you.”
“Alright. Who do I go with?”
A younger version of Naqi stepped up with a naughty grin on his face. “Just come with me. I’m Yoskolo.” He led her to a car and they got in.
“So are you related to Naqi?”
“Yes, I am his younger cousin.”
“There’s a family resemblance.”
“Thank you. My cousin is a strong leader.”
“Yes, he is.”
“He picked a good mate too. It is too bad I didn’t meet her first. I would have swept her off her feet.”
“I’m sure you would have.”
“Do you have a mate?”
“We haven’t mated yet.”
“Trail?”
“Maybe.”
“He cares for you.”
“How do you know?”
“The way he looks when he speaks of you.” Yoskolo said. “If you decide against him, come see me.” He pulled into Joey’s yard and escorted me to her door. “I must get back to Naqi. We have work to do.” Twila imagined torturing information out of terrorists was hard work.
“Come in and have a seat. I’ll get you a drink.” Joey insisted.
She came back a few minutes later with a tray. It was hot tea and it smelled good. Joey added honey before she gave Twila her cup. Joey fixed her own cup adding honey to it as well. “You’ve certainly had some excitement lately.”
“I know. I wish I knew why I’m so interesting to those guys.”
“They think you’re human and an easy target. The racists are trying to send a terrifying message that no one’s safe. Those people are too cowardly to attack anyone they see as strong. I know Trail was attacked, but that fool used a car to do it. It made him feel protected because he was surrounded by metal. He learned quickly it wasn’t any help.”
“Well even with little ole me they resorted to fire and guns.” Twila offered.
“These are weak men who fear what they don’t know.”
“You’re right, but we need to take the fight to them instead of being a target for them.”
“How do we do that?” Joey asked. “We don’t even know who they are.”
“I have a possibility. One of the people wanting a job at the office is a computer whiz. She said she doesn’t want to work at the office, she wants to contract jobs instead. I can give her the names of everyone that we know is involved. Tyne has a list of all the ones we’ve captured. I’ll give them to her, and see what she can do.”
“That actually sounds like a plan. It also helps that she’s not connected to you or Tyne’s company yet. If they find out what she’s doing and trace her back, it’ll be a dead end.” Joey explained.
“Her name is Lesley Cameron and she says she can’t be traced.”
“Anyone can be traced, but if she’s good, these guys won’t be the ones to do it.”
“I feel better now that we have a plan. I hate just sitting there like a target waiting for what comes next.”
“What plan might that be?” Naqi asked appearing out of nowhere.
“It’s nothing risky.” Joey appeased.
“Tell me.”
“Okay, Mr. Bossy Pants.” Joey agreed. “Twila, it was your idea so you tell him.”
Naqi stood there looking at her and tapping his toes impatiently. “Stop with the tapping if you want to know what’s going on.”
Naqi growled, but quit the aggravating tapping. “I’m just going to outsource tracking the group to an expert. My plan is to give her the names we have and see if it will lead us back to the group. Lesley says she can get any information if it’s out there.”
“That’s all? It all sounds too reasonable. What will you do with the information once you receive it?” Naqi questioned.
“I’ll share it with Tyne and the rest of you guys.”
“Are you sure that’s all you plan?”
“Right now.” Twila offered. “Why are you guys always so suspicious?”
“Dealing with white wolves makes a male that way.” Naqi admitted. His gaze fell on his mate and it was possessive and full of love. “They are always up to something and tend to go off on their own.”
“Not always.” Joey objected.
“You have shown more responsibility since our pup was born.” Naqi admitted.
“I’ve always been responsible, unlike some others I know.” Joey insisted.
It was looking like the disagreement was escalating. “I’ve always been responsible. Ask pack members who took care of them.”
“In your personal life?” Joey asked.
Naqi turned red. “I hadn’t found you yet.”
“And when you did?” Joey asked. Ooh. This was about to get ugly. Naqi had resisted the need to mate. Not enough to keep from having sex and knocking Joey up when they spent several days in bed dealing with her heat. But he’d resisted biting and bonding to her.
It hadn’t worked out for him. He’d gone crazy with the need to mate her and ended up searching her out. In the end, fate had been too much for either of them to fight. Twila looked up and now they were kissing. This must be the making up part.
“Excuse me?” Twila said but they didn’t break the lip lock. “Fine, I’m going to the spare room.”
Twila left and they didn’t even notice. She closed the door hoping to spare herself from any sounds she didn’t want to hear, but it was a wasted effort. Joey was a screamer and Naqi was a howler. Thinking about it, Twila flushed. It would be the first thought in her mind when she saw them in the morning. It was more than she’d ever wanted to know about them and there was no way to forget it.
She settled into the guestroom and lying down on the bed. Eventually, she fell asleep. At some point, she felt the bed shift but she was too tired to care. When she woke the next morning, she was alone so it must have been a dream. Her nose twitched. The scents of coffee and bacon lured her from the bed.
A shower and changing into some fresh clothes she found in the bedroom, made her feel much better. Now it was time to try to put last night into perspective and join those eating breakfast. She would pretend Naqi and Joey hadn’t made all those noises last night. Sex was only natural, right? Right, but that didn’t mean she needed to hear it.
Entering the dining room, she saw Joey right away. She sat next to Naqi and Trail was on her other side. Twila sat next to Trail, they were friends now after all. “Any news this morning?” She asked of no one in particular.
“More names for the list.” Joey informed.
“Any survivors?” Twila wondered.
“Two, they are already enroute to Tyne.” Naqi offered. “None of the lower level males seem to know much. They only have one contact and they have a code name. They may not be the sharpest knives in the drawer, but whoever organized them did a good job.”
“They are following the basic rules o
f extremist hate organizations. Keep the top people insulated. Limit information between levels. Use people of little importance in risky missions.” Trail explained.
“So we have almost nothing?” Joey asked.
“We have a pattern forming. We’ve taken out a couple dozen of their low level people, which means they either need to recruit more or risk the next level of members.”
“That’s something, but we need more.” Twila decided.
“How will we get more? We don’t know where these people hide. Naqi and I think they sent some of their new members here and they are not from here. Maybe if we can figure out where they call home, we’ll know where the organization is based at.” Trail explained.
“Did Naqi or Joey mention my plan?” Twila asked looking at Trail.
“Yes, it was mentioned. It sounds like a good way to get started, if the expert truly is an expert.” Trail noted.
“She has a doctorate in Computer Technology, actually taught classes at a New York college, and has written two bestselling books about hacking and tracking using a computer. I researched her online and rumor has it that she created a super program to trace information online. That’s what we need.” Twila offered.
“Okay. Once you get to work, contact her. We’ll take anything we can get. I’m tired of being a sitting duck.” Trail admitted.
“We all are. Let’s finish eating and I’ll get to work.” Twila suggested. A good breakfast always got her going so she finished her second plate and was ready to get to work. “I’ll see you later.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Trail asked.
“I’m walking to the office.” Twila informed.
“Tyne said you are to be escorted to and from the office and stay with Joey until we set up better security at the office.” Trail directed.
“Okay. It makes sense but if I don’t go now, I’ll be late.” Twila pointed out.
“I’m ready to take you there and then I have three appointments and two interviews. If I run late, will you get those started for me?” Trail asked.
“Certainly. I’d be happy to help.” Twila said and she meant it. It made her feel good that he trusted her with this.
Trail led her to the door were they said goodbye to Naqi and Joey. Once they got to the office, Twila got a good look at it and growled. “It’s a disaster. I’m glad the interviews aren’t in person. They’d turn around and leave.”
“Intimidation was part of their plan, but we’ll build it back better.” Trail assured.
“I’ll have to start cleaning it up right away. Getting extra help will be a blessing.”
“I need you to promise to be careful since I won’t be here. Naqi will have males checking on you, but they won’t be around all the time.” Trail explained.
“You know me, I’m always careful.”
Trail snorted. “That’s why I’m worried.”
“Seems like you’re picking up some bad habits too.”
“I blame you.” Trail observed. He leaned in and kissed her softly and Twila was so shocked she just let him. His spicy male scent wrapped around her and she wondered for a moment how she could ever resist him. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
“No, I could even get used to it.” Twila admitted.
“I have to go or I’ll be late but lock the door and only let people you know inside.” Trail directed as he left.
Twila looked at the ruined couch, the broken windows, the smoke damage, and all the other ruined items and let out a heavy sigh. Going to the closet, she pulled out the vacuum cleaner, the broom and dustpan, and the extra-large garbage can. By the time she had all the glass swept up and dumped, she realized she hadn’t made any coffee. She started the coffee and checked the schedule. The first interview was scheduled in five minutes and Trail wouldn’t be back in time to do any of it according to the text message she’d just received.
Chapter 4
Help Wanted
How so much could go wrong in starting a new office, Trail didn’t know. The reason most of the things had gone wrong was because something was going right. That made sense, didn’t it? He laughed at himself, with no mirth. Tyne had picked a perfect place to start another office. The need for what they provided had been even greater than any of them had expected.
That had caused an abundance of work and a shortage of personnel to provide services. Sure, success was normally what a business sought, but too much too quick could be dangerous. That was the situation he found himself in and it worried him. Twila was capable, but leaving her alone when she was at risk had been hard. Now he wouldn’t make it back before the interviews began.
Trail found it unacceptable, but what choice did he have? When he finally made it back, Twila was in the middle of the third interview. Even though he could hear her asking questions still, he didn’t interrupt. At this point, she might as well continue. It wasn’t like he didn’t plan to hire them anyway. The only way he wouldn’t was if some horrible defect was discovered. That was unlikely this far into the process where they had been investigated thoroughly.
As she ended the call, he stepped into her space. “Sorry you had to handle all that.”
“It was no problem.” She offered.
“Three down? Are they all acceptable?”
“I have concerns about number two.”
“What are they?” He asked wondering what had transpired to bring out any concerns.
“You’ll think it’s silly, but I think he’s a plant.”
“Why would I think it’s silly and why do you think he’s a plant?”
“Just because I can’t explain why. He’s quick to answer, his answers are too perfect, but most of all because he wants to know everything about the company and about the employees. The man never stopped asking questions even when I told him my time was up.”
“Those are all things that would make me take note of an applicant, but all those things could be explained by intense interest. We will keep an eye on him.” Trail offered. He intended to keep an eye on all of them. “Did you give them a starting date?”
“I did the first two. One starts in two days because they are already in Alaska. They traveled here hoping they’d get the job. The other starts in a week. I’m leaving number three up to you.” Twila admitted.
Trail was impressed with his mate. She had done what she felt comfortable doing and left the rest to him. He felt that was an intelligent decision. She refused to let her need to do more, cause her to take on something she didn’t feel comfortable doing. Not everyone used the caution she had shown.
It’s a relief to know help was on the way, but it would be a struggle to make it until they arrived. Nothing mattered to him more than seeing his female safe. If that meant he would let her help, that’s what he would do. That seemed to make her happy and that was a positive point too.
“Can I take you to lunch? This time we’ll go to the polar bear.” Trail asked.
“Only if you tell me about it.”
“You want to know about the bar?” He asked.
“Yes, why the Polar Bear?”
“Jon Jonssen established the tavern and little has changed since those days. He was, as all his descendants seem to be, a polar bear shifter. I don’t know much about their family, except that his mother’s side trace their roots back to a tribe, a local tribe that either was eradicated or went into hiding. His father’s people came here from somewhere else.”
“Viking?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t believe the journey was straight here. They were Americanized first.”
“Were they shifters too?”
“I don’t know. Because they have been attacked and killed by several groups in the past, they have become very quiet and don’t give out any information.”
“If it’s anything like those yahoos we’ve had to deal with, I can understand.”
“The original tavern was built in the fifteen hundreds. Jon himself was a victim of a hunter only thirty years ago.
The man was never caught. No one believes it was an accident. Polar bears have always been protected around here as are wolves because of the shifters. There are plenty of other animals to hunt.”
“That’s a terrible way to lose your father or grandfather.”
“I can attest to that.”
“Your dad was shot?”
“Half our pack was hunted down and killed. They ate them too. I believe they knew what they were. They were caught and fined. Back then hunting laws weren’t strict. They probably wouldn’t have been fined, if a young one hadn’t gotten away. A poisoned bullet was in their shoulder.”
“Was it someone you know?”
“Yes, it was me.”
“Dear goddess, Trail. I had no idea. You’ve been through so much.”
They stopped talking because they arrived at The Polar Bear. A young waitress met them at the door. “I’m glad you came by, Trail. We’ve all missed you.” She shot him a smile that suggested more than friendship. His cool reception hinted that he’d tried to keep her at bay.
“This is my mate, Twila.”
“Your mate?” She doesn’t smell bonded.
“We’ve met recently and we wanted to get to know each other first. That’s why we both moved here.” It wasn’t the full truth, but Twila let him slide. She understood what he intended to do.
“Until you’re bonded, you’re fair game.” She said.
“Only if I want to be. I don’t. Twila is my fated mate, Cherie. There will be no other.”
Cherie dropped the menus on the table and stomped off. “Nothing like seeing the ex at her workplace.” Twila commented.
“I didn’t know she worked here. She’s a blast from the past I’ve not seen in twenty years.”
“That female didn’t act like she hadn’t seen you in that long.”
“Cherie had a crush on me but she was too young. For me, she was like a little cousin. Always underfoot and wanting something I couldn’t give her.”
Another waitress approached them. ”Trail. It’s nice to see you. None of us knew you were back in town.”
“I’ve not been back long and I’ve been working. Today I decided to take some time off to bring my mate here hoping to see old friends like you, Shownie.”
Bad Habit (Wolf Investigations and Securities Inc. Book 2) Page 5