by Rayne Reilly
"If I didn't have to go, trust me I wouldn't. What happened today, I will never forget. Seeing him choking you..." Jake's voice went hoarse with emotion. He paused and swallowed before clearing his throat. With both hands, he brushed the hair off her face. She noticed that his eyes were glistening with unshed tears. He cupped her face. Tilting his head, he leaned down to kiss her mouth tenderly with closed lips. She kissed him back and felt a pang of emotion in her chest.
As Jake pulled back he smiled, "You can stay in here or at my desk. Whatever you wish, but please stay here. I will be back as soon as I can."
Dayna was beginning to regain her composure. The little cry relieved some of the stress that had built up inside her. A thought entered her mind as he turned to leave.
"Do you mind if I question Don while you're gone?"
"Are you sure?" he asked, concerned.
"He can't hurt me now. I want to see if I can get anything else out of him."
"Fine. But make sure you let one of the other officers know so that they can observe. If you want someone to talk to, I'm sure Lincoln's mate would appreciate some company. Just ask at reception where she is."
She nodded and watched him leave, closing the door quietly behind him.
Chapter Twelve
Later that evening when the sun had set, Jake and the other shifters met to carry out their plan to capture Axel. Jake, Lincoln and one of the other officers undressed and shifted into their animal forms and headed to the den that they had found earlier that day.
Keeping their distance and attempting to stay upwind, they hoped that their scents would mingle with everything else in the air and not alert Axel. Jake and Lincoln were about ten feet from one another. Both had sharp night vision but Jake's surpassed even Lincoln's.
He saw Axel approach the den first. Jake's large paws moved deftly through the forest as he watched Axel in his human form walking toward his hiding spot. Lincoln followed Jake closely but made a little more noise as he moved. Jake worried that Axel would hear him and he stopped to look at Lincoln. Lincoln ignored Jake-cougar giving him the eye and moved toward Axel. One of the other male shifters that accompanied them was a bear. The fourth man remained in human form so that he could place the cuffs on Axel once he was subdued. He remained far enough back behind the men that he would not be detected.
Axel's head jerked up as the sound of a twig breaking resounded near him. He crouched to the ground to listen. Jake didn't want to risk him getting away and ran swiftly and gracefully to where Axel was crouched. As a man, Axel was formidable, standing at least as tall as Jake but far more bulky. Whereas Jake had a sleek and muscular physique, Axel had broad shoulders and the arms and torso of a bodybuilder.
Axel stood up again. By the time Jake reached him, Axel had changed into his werewolf form. He was a big man and an even bigger wolf. His muscles tensed as Jake leapt at him. He half caught the cougar, and spinning in a fluid motion flung Jake in the opposite direction. Jake's cat like reflexes enabled him to land on his feet unharmed.
While Axel was distracted taking care of Jake, Lincoln hit him hard in the side catching him off balance. The two werewolves toppled to the ground, snarling and clawing at each other. Jake sprang at the writhing mass of wolf and was able to add his weight to Lincoln's assault. Axel had been holding his own, but now with the cougar on top of him as well, the wolf began to struggle.
Officer bear-shifter was next to pile into the fray. Now Jake became aware that the wolf, for all its massive strength, was overwhelmed by the three of them. He felt the wolf starting to give up the struggle. The officer that remained in his human form appeared, clutching the special handcuffs. He joined the other men as they pinned Axel down and placed the cuffs upon the now exhausted werewolf's wrists. Axel slowly shifted back to human form, his head hung low and snarling his objection. He realized this was a fight he could not win.
Axel seemed just as surprised as Lincoln had been when he saw the shifter van. He didn't speak as he was secured into the back of the vehicle. Within minutes, everyone had clothed themselves yet again. Lincoln turned to Jake.
"Good job back there. It feels good to have him at last. I just hope The SAC deals with him this time. That's where he needs to go."
"They will...I will see that he gets there. He should never have bypassed the shifter justice system in the first place. Where he's going, he won't be walking away soon."
Jake turned to look at the van and back at Lincoln. “Thanks for being good about working with me,” he offered. “Shifter Bounty Hunters are not known for working with law enforcement.
"This wasn't about being a Bounty Hunter. This was about being a good mate. You know how this works. Mates and family come first."
"I don't know that...not yet. But I am starting to get the idea."
Jake had some idea. Especially after today.
"Haven't you told her yet?" Lincoln raised a brow as he spoke.
"Who? About what?" Jake asked in surprise.
"Dayna. That you care about her. She's your mate, right? She's all you've talked about the last few times I've seen you...it's pretty clear that you care a great deal for her."
Jake nodded and bit his lip.
"I do care about her even though we've only just met. I'm not sure she's ready to give up her job to be with me though."
Lincoln put his hands on his hips and stood tall.
"When your mate finds ya, you can't walk away from that. You may have to fight for things to work out for you...but you can't deny the pull. It takes you and you can't settle until you embrace it."
"I couldn't agree more. Thanks for the advice," Jake smiled and headed to his car to drive back to the police station.
***
When Jake reached the station, Axel had already been taken inside and placed in a shifter cell. He went to find Dayna before doing anything else. She walked up to him with a look of relief on her face. "You got him!" she said happily. She hugged him tightly. He loved her hugs. Each time she put her arms around him, he felt a surge of arousal and excitement. His inner cougar purred at her touch.
Jake held her close, rubbing her back gently before stepping back to speak to her. She looked up at him expectantly.
"Can I question him?" she asked.
"I don't know if that's a good idea. We have procedures for dealing with our own kind."
"Then let me watch you interrogate him. Don gave up very little to me when you left. Tim is back in there speaking to him again... I feel so useless right now..." She sounded a little annoyed.
Jake pressed his lips together. He didn't see anything wrong with her watching him interrogate Axel but he also knew that The SAC were sending someone in and once they got there, humans would no longer have the power to do anything with Axel.
"Fine. Let's go. Let us hope that we don't get caught. The SAC agent won't take kindly to you being there."
Dayna folded her arms and tapped her foot for a moment. Putting a finger in the air she said quickly.
"What if I watch from the other side of the window rather than go into the room with you? Neither of us will be breaking any rules then... Okay?"
Jake nodded once and led them both to the area that held Axel. She stood where he couldn't see her and watched as Jake questioned him. Axel was antagonistic toward him and Jake was glad it was him in the room with the murderer and not Dayna.
"Who are you working with?" Jake asked in a deep voice as Axel struggled to free himself from his restraints. He growled and shifted but the restraints remained intact. The fact that human-Axel was naked when he shifted back to his human form made Jake a little uncomfortable because he knew that Dayna was watching things unfold in the interrogation cell.
"I'm not telling you anything," Axel said fiercely.
Jake folded his arms and watched Axel for a few minutes without saying another word. When Axel refused to calm down, Jake spoke calmly and clearly.
"An SAC agent will be here shortly. You will not be released by anyone
again. They don't like shifters like you. My officers have filled them in on your case. I assure you, you will talk. If not to me, then to the agent that comes to get you."
Jake unfolded his arms and stood.
Axel stopped struggling. The reality of what Jake told him slowly sank in.
"No...you can't. Look...I'll give you names. I'll tell you everything I know," he pleaded.
Jake turned to walk out of the room ignoring Axel’s plea's.
Dayna met Jake in hallway again. She let out a laugh.
"You did good in there. Something tells me he'll give us what we need now," she said.
"I knew he would. Shifter rehabilitation facilities are not where shifters want to be...trust me. He won't be getting released again," Jake said confidently.
Tim approached them and looked at Dayna.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked.
She nodded and looked back at Jake.
He smiled, "Use the room down the hall."
He watched as his mate walked away. A feeling of uncertainty filled him once more. Would she be leaving Pleasantville now?
Chapter Thirteen
Dayna sat across from Tim at the large wooden table. The two had slipped into an interview room to speak in private. She worried about what Tim was going to tell her. Would she still have a job now that she had spoken against Don and essentially the FBI? She folded her arms across her chest. She tried to hide any feelings of uncertainty and hoped that her face didn't betray her. She was never going to compromise her principles for anyone.
Tim pulled out another piece of nicotine gum and shoved it in his mouth, chewing for several moments before speaking again.
"I interviewed Don one more time, as you know. He's talking a little more freely now that he knows Axel has been captured. He admitted everything just as you told me he had with you. He's cocky enough to think that there's no way to root out the corruption in our organization. It isn't safe for you to return to your old job right now."
Dayna's heart sank. Okay, so she didn't want to leave Jake, but she still wanted her job...she hadn't quite figured out how she could work around being with him and having her career. But seriously? After all she'd been through they don't want her back?
"But I want to get back to work...," she objected.
Tim put up a hand to interrupt her.
"I spoke with the director earlier today. And because of everything that's happened, he has given his approval for a Special Task Force. One that will work with The SAC to ensure this type of thing doesn't happen again, in addition to weeding out the corruption that still exists.
"What do you mean a Special Task Force? What does that have to do with me?" she asked, feeling frustrated.
Tim rolled his eyes at her lack of patience. She hated it when he did that, it was one of the things that drove her crazy about him. He did it to her a lot. He cleared his throat before speaking again.
"He wants you to head up a task force made up of shifters and humans,” he explained. “Shifters who want to root out the corruption and criminal activities both in the shifter world and in our own human world. He doesn't think you should return up-state.
“Instead your role would place you out west. Our Portland, Oregon office is looking forward to helping you with whatever you need. You will set up a team that will help shifters and humans to work together against crime and injustice. With a task force in place we have more resources available to us. Shifter rehabilitation and experts within the shifter community are what the director feels we need. We stand a better chance of ending the unfair treatment of both humans and shifters by working together. Don and his group had a good idea in bringing shifters on-board, only they did it to profit from crime. You will be doing it to stop crime."
"Me? Why didn't he put you in charge?" she asked smoothing some hair off her face and letting her hands fall to her lap.
"He knows how I feel about shifters. Besides I'm old...they want fresh blood in there. You will be running the unit and hiring whoever you want to work with you. You will also liaise with The SAC.
"I would be in charge of the Task Force? Seriously?"
"Yes. That's what I just said," he answered sternly.
Dayna put a hand to her mouth and tapped her lips. An idea struck her and filled her with excitement. Maybe this wasn't going to be so bad after all?
"So I could hire whomever I wish?"
"Again...like I said...," he paused rolling his eyes again, "So what do you think?"
Dayna's mind was reeling with the offer that Tim put forward. She was being offered a position that she could have only dreamed of having. Of course she wanted to work with shifters to end the corruption....but what about Jake? She had to think about him. What would he say about the FBI and The SAC working together?
"I will think about it," she said, tilting her head as she spoke.
Tim's eyebrows shot up and he let out a puff of air.
"Don't take too long. I have to let the director know by tomorrow. We're transporting the suspect and he will be dealt with by us. You would head out west within a week or so and start setting things up."
She nodded and smiled as they both rose from the table. Tim turned to her as they headed out of the room to the hallway again.
"Call me before eight tomorrow morning. I have to let him know by then."
He waved as he left.
Dayna turned back to where Jake was standing in the hallway and caught a puzzled look on his face. He waved her over. She noticed he was standing next to a tall, well-built dark haired man and a slender blond woman. She smiled as she approached the group. Jake put a hand to Dayna's back and motioned to the man next to him with his other hand.
"Dayna...I want you to meet Lincoln and Michelle."
Dayna looked at the couple more closely, "Oh...Hi...I owe you a big thanks for helping Jake get Axel," she said, shaking Lincoln's hand.
It was strong and warm like Jake's, but she didn't feel the same jolt of energy she felt when Jake touched her. She remembered that Jake had said Lincoln was a werewolf shifter. She felt her face go red when she realized he was also the man she'd hit with her car almost a week ago.
"I...I'm glad you're okay ... I'm sorry about what happened with the car...hitting you..." She didn't finish. Her face grew even hotter when Lincoln laughed loudly.
"It's okay. It all worked out in the end!"
He had his arm around the blond woman.
"Meet my mate, Michelle," he said, motioning with an outstretched palm toward the tiny lady next to him. Michelle extended her hand toward Dayna and smiled.
"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Dayna said taking her hand and shaking it.
Jake interrupted, "They are headed back up north. Now that everything is taken care of here."
"Safe travels," Dayna said stepping to one side and tucking her hair behind her ear with one hand. She wanted to speak to Jake as soon as possible to give him time to think about things.
Lincoln nodded and thanked Jake one more time for everything. She sensed that the men had become friends over the course of their time together. Lincoln gave Jake a bro-hug. Taking Michelle's hand in his, the two left the station.
Dayna turned her attention to Jake now that they were alone again. Touching his arm she felt an electric charge pass between them. He looked at her with such emotion that her heart melted on the spot.
"Can we talk privately?" she asked him.
He nodded and she could see that he was not looking forward to what she might have to say. They both expected her to be leaving Pleasantville soon. She hoped that what she wanted to say to him would change all that.
"I was thinking of leaving and going for a celebratory drink. I've put in a lot of overtime lately. The station will be fine if I leave a few hours early.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
Jake took her hand and led her to his car outside.
They headed a few streets over to a bar called Clancy's. Stepping
inside for the first time since she had moved to Pleasantville, she was happy to be walking in next to Jake. Many peopled smiled and waved as the two walked side by side to a small table near the back. Jake went to get each of them a drink while Dayna waited.
When he sat down again, his face bore a serious expression. His hand gripped his glass and he looked her in the eyes while he spoke.
"When is Don being transported back up-state?"
"Tomorrow," she said.
Jake looked disappointed as he nodded and glanced down at the table. He turned his gaze back to her, his posture stiffening.
"Did you want me to take you to your cabin so you can pack?"
"Why would I want you to do that?" she asked innocently.
Jake looked at her in long silence.
"What's going on?" He asked with a puzzled look on his face.
Dayna smiled and put a hand on his forearm.
"I'm not going up-state tomorrow...The director doesn't want me up there. He says it's too dangerous for me to continue working there with the state of things in the FBI being what they are."
"Seriously? Just like that...they want to take away your job? What will you do?" his voice sounded concerned.
She smiled and sat back in her seat.
"Well, they have offered me another job."
Jake's expression changed to one of surprise. He leaned forward in his chair to hear what she had to say. Dayna felt nervous telling Jake about the task force. What if he refused her offer? Would she move across the country on her own or would she stay in Pleasantville?
She hesitated.
Jake's forehead furrowed as he sat waiting for Dayna to tell him her news. She lowered her voice so that no one else would overhear her. She took a drink before she spoke again.
"The director has decided to start a Special Task Force with the FBI and SAC working together. He wants me to head it up. I am in charge of the recruitment and the running of it."