The O’Reilly’s took pity on me and had welcomed me into their fold in much the same way. Although Quinn and his family never knew me as a human. I hate saying it like that, but it’s true. It’s different being a shifter; you feel like you never fit in anywhere. Even within the shifter community there is a separation of subspecies. Like hangs with like, for the most part. The first time I felt like I belonged anywhere was just recently when I was hanging out with Ben.
Finding myself at this crossroads in life I felt the need to stand up and say what I wanted. What I needed. And that was my work. I needed and wanted to keep working. I knew what Sal had done by coming at me the way he did. I’d done it myself to many a suspect or witness.
Knowing that didn’t take the sting out of it, though. I also knew that this would be a difficult and long case to tackle, but it’s one that would be well worth it. If I could cut off groups like AWFA before they took root in places like the FBI then maybe we supers stood a chance of not being hunted down when we do finally come out from under the bed.
Granted, there is a big difference between the whole of the FBI and one field office, but I figure we clean up our house and maybe others will fall in line to clean up theirs. I was going to help Sal figure out who the inside man was, but I was going to start tomorrow. Today had wrought enough stress on me.
“If this is what you want, Sam, I’ll stand beside you as your friend.”
“Thanks, Al.” I hugged him.
“Hey, that’s what friends are for.”
“Hey, Sal,” I called out to the hallway.
Sal and the blue suited fellow came back in.
“I’ll help you figure out who Grisly’s puppet-master was starting tomorrow. I want Ben Fitzpatrick released from protective custody. He didn’t see anything except Grisly and there is no reason to believe that the person behind it all has any knowledge of him.”
“Done.”
“I also want to bring Quinn in on this. I won’t work without my partner.”
“Fair enough,” Blue suit said as he nodded his acquiescence.
“You can choose one other person to bring in.” Sal looked at me awaiting my answer.
I looked around and my eyes rested on Alex. He’d be perfect at this. Having been in the private sector he was used to espionage, and that sort of thing wasn’t my cup of tea.
“I want Alex Baltazar reinstated and on this case.”
“No,” Sal and Dark suit said at the same time.
“Hell no, Sam. I don’t want to be a part of this dog and pony show. Shit like this is why I left in the first place.”
“Come on, Alex, with your help you know we can crack this baby in a week.”
“Three days tops, but that’s not the point.”
“Isn’t it? I thought the point of what we do—no matter what uniform we wear—was to stop the bad guys. Wouldn’t you say that a man urging a serial killer to murder shifters is a really bad guy?”
“Of course, but, come on, I have other cases on my desk at my actual job, Sam. Not the least of which is making sure you are safe.”
“If you want to make sure I’m safe, old friend, then help me find out who was pulling Grisly’s strings.”
He sighed and threw his hands in the air.
“Fine. I will give you one week, but that is all I can spare, I do have other clients, you know. Paying ones.” He narrowed his eyes at me so I understood his point.
I just smiled because I knew I was going to be bringing down the bastard behind so many women suffering no matter how long it took. I knew Alex well. Once he was on a case there would be no dissuading him until he got his man, or woman.
“Perfect!”
“I don’t like this Agent Reece. It’s true that Baltazar was a good agent, and I can’t say we haven’t used him as a consultant before, but I don’t want any cowboy hero bullshit on this case. You will be reporting to the Internal Affairs Division on this one. Do you understand me?” Sal said it quietly, but there was an intensity to it that made even my smartass mouth stay tightly shut.
In fact, I simply nodded so as not to make a joke to try and break the tension. It was the sort of tension that was almost necessary. It was a bit like watching that scene in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly when the camera shifts between each man’s eyes. The last thing I wanted to do was make a bad joke and piss off my boss’s boss. That’s never a smart career choice.
“You can work with Kevin here on whatever warrant or anything else you may need.”
“Kevin MacDonald, IAD,” the man in blue offered up his name as an offhand remark, but I’d wondered why he hadn’t given his name before the interrogation.
“Sounds like a plan.”
“I’m going to have to spend tomorrow clearing my calendar for this. Can we get started the following day?” Alex sounded put upon, but there was a gleam in his eye.
“Fine by me.” Look at how kind and flexible I am.
I’m not causing any problems here. No, sir, no problems at all.
“Then it’s settled. Kevin will draw up whatever paperwork you need and we will meet here Tuesday morning at eight sharp, where you three will sign it. Sam will you read Quinn in?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. Go.” Sal dismissed us with a wave of his hand and Alex gave me a fake nasty look.
I followed him out.
Chapter 20
“WHAT THE HELL, SAM? If I had volunteered you for a job you’d have been pissed. Why’d you do it to me?”
“In the spirit of complete and total honesty, I did it because I need your help and this is a big one. You don’t want AWFA gaining foothold in government offices, do you? Besides you love me and they know where I live. I need my oldest and dearest friend’s help”
Alex sighed, “You’ve got me there. Let’s get you back to your house and assess what we can do to tighten your security.”
“Thanks, Al.”
“Yeah, what are old friends for, if not to rescue you in times of distress?”
“Bitch, please. As if I haven’t saved your ass before. Remember the coke dealer in Miami that was carving up those poor saps who owed him too much? He would have totally gone all Scarface on your ass if I hadn’t come in and saved you.”
“Saved me? As I recall, I decked said dealer and had him in handcuffs less than two seconds after you came in.”
“As I recall, said dealer had a fucking Beretta nine mil against your forehead when I diverted his attention by coming in.”
“Details.” Alex winked at me.
“Let’s go. I’ll drive,” I said, grinning.
“What’ve you got, a VW Bug? No, I’ve got it, you drive an SUV. No, wait, a minivan!”
“You’ll see.”
We walked out of the building and into the lot. My baby sat gleaming under a light, where’d I’d left her before all the carnage. I always park under a light; us chicks can’t be too careful in this world. I hit the unlock button on my key fob. Yeah, I’d added some after-market goodies to my girl. What’s the point of having a cherry car if you don’t have a state of the art sound system and remote start? Birmingham winters get cold sometimes.
“That’s your car?”
“How long have you known me?”
“True. I shouldn’t be surprised at this point. Sweet ride you’ve got there.”
“Yes, yes she is.”
“Who did the resto?”
“I did, along with Quinn and his brother.”
“You dating one of them?”
“What?” His question threw me.
“Are you dating anyone?”
“Not really, why?”
“Would you like to go out to dinner sometime?”
“I, um, I don’t know, Al. It might be weird.” This wasn’t completely unexpected.
We’d fooled around a few times in college. Nothing ever came of it; we always stopped ourselves before it got too hot and heavy.
“Fair enough. Will you let me know when you
do, no rush.”
“Um, okay.”
“So, do you want me to make sure your car is secure as well?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never allowed anyone else to touch my baby.” I stroked her dashboard.
“You’re slightly insane. You know that?”
“I do, but tell me this car isn’t worth being slightly insane over.”
“I can’t. You know you don’t have to have an emergency to call me, Sam.”
“I know. I can call you Sam anytime I want. Come on, you know me, Al, I’m not good at keeping in touch because time flies away from me.”
“I understand that. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” More than I’d thought possible.
“Did you hear about McRory’s Tavern?”
“No, what happened?”
“Old man McRory sold it to his youngest who turned it into some weird sort of fish joint.”
The drive to my place was spent catching up with each other and talking about our old hangouts. I really had missed Alex. He’d been the one who helped me through training. He gave me pep talks when things seemed overwhelming, and sat and listened when I bitched about some misogynistic thing I’d overheard from one of our classmates.
He knew my past and knew me before my jaguar.
The truth was that I hadn’t called him because it was difficult for me. How do I talk to the guy who remembered me as a sweet human? When I became a shifter I went through a period of finding myself again. It was painful and difficult, and the Sam I uncovered was not the same girl who started Quantico with Alex. I was more self-assured and at ease in my skin. I was quicker to speak up than I had been.
In many ways I felt that the new me just wasn’t the same person he’d known and, for the longest time, I thought he wouldn’t like the me I was becoming. I wasn’t the same mousy kid that he’d known. I was a predator now. In fact, I was a fearsome bunny chewing brute. I was afraid that if he saw me he wouldn’t like what I’d become, and he was such a dear friend I wanted to keep some happy memories with him, so I left him where it was safe—in my past, until today.
“This really is a sweet ride. You said you rebuilt her yourself?”
“Me, Quinn, and Chad, Quinn’s brother.”
“That’s really cool. You guys did a beautiful job.”
“Thanks. I’m proud of her.”
“You should be. You know something, you’ve really changed.”
Oh, boy, here it comes. The old glad-we’re-friends speech. Why is it that guys find women who can handle themselves so intimidating?
“Yup. I told you about becoming a shifter. It’s really made an impact on me. Not just physically. I’m more confident, freer, and happier even. I do what I want, when I want. I speak up when I want to and I haven’t been on a bad date since because I have been able to refuse all cupid attempts from well-meaning friends.”
“I’m glad to hear you’re happier. I know life hasn’t been kind to you. It’s really good to see you happy. So, tell me about these cupid attempts. Am I right in sensing there was a bad date in there?”
“Oh, the worst. I really don’t want to talk about it.”
“That bad, eh?”
“Well, my last blind date ended with me being bitten by a jaguar.”
“He fucking bit you?” The vehemence and anger the news brought forth in Alex surprised me.
“No, actually. I left the bar where the date was and went walking in the park to relax when I saw this gorgeous black panther. It came right to me and stopped. I reached out to pet it and he bit me lightly and ran.”
“He?”
“Yeah, I have recently met my sire.”
“What’s he like?”
“Not what I had expected. Cocky. Nice, though he was completely wrong in turning me. He understands that.”
“That had to be trippy for you.”
“Well, it wasn’t Ed McMahon showing up with a multimillion dollar check, but I dealt with it.”
“You always do.”
“Huh?”
“Ever since I’ve known you there’s been no obstacle you can’t overcome. No mountain too high and yadda, yadda, yadda.”
“Did you just yadda, yadda, yadda me?”
“I suppose I did,” he said, grinning madly.
“Nice. Just so long as you don’t dance like Elaine,” I teased.
“Please, I’ve seen you dance, Reece. If one of us pulls a Benes it’s going to be you.”
“Not these days.”
“I might just have to take you up on that.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’d like to take you dancing one of these days. If you decide you’d like that, too. No pressure.”
“Thanks, Al.”
“Anytime.”
“So, tell me, how is life in the private sector?”
“It’s easier working for the FBI. At least there you know who the bad guys are.”
“That bad?”
“Well, it’s not exactly what I was hoping for in life, but it definitely pays the bills.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“What does it matter, though? What good is money if you hate what you do?”
“Do you really hate it?” I turned and looked at him.
“Sometimes.”
I realized that was all I was likely to get out of him. I may have changed, but Alex was a stonewaller from way back. His father, Raymond Baltazar, was the same. It didn’t matter how bad things got, Alex wouldn’t complain, instead he’d deflect and joke, like me.
It was just one thing we had in common. We had many more. When we were younger we did a lot of commiserating on our likenesses. Yet, he hadn’t ever asked me out back then. We’d just been pals. I had no clue where this dinner invitation was coming from.
I have always liked and respected Alex and he has always respected me. I can’t say I never thought of him in that way before because I had. Many times. In our younger years, I’d wished many times that he’d make the first move, and now, here, he was actually making it. The funny part was, as many times as I had thought about it, I was not sure what to do now that it had happened. I’m not complaining, though; I think this is one of those really-nice-to-have sort of problems.
We pulled up in my driveway and got out of the car. I walked him around the perimeter and then took him inside the house with our Bureau escort. While Alex talked about plans for safeguarding my car and house I stole glances at him. He was a good looking guy, fun, sweet, kind to all, had the heart of a hero, and the body of a god. I know, bad Sam! I should be focusing fully on the security changes. Luckily, I was always very good at multitasking. I didn’t understand why I hadn’t said yes to the date.
I really liked him. I was attracted to him and I really enjoyed talking to him. While he teased me occasionally, he never doubted me and he always made sure I felt comfortable. Ben kept creeping into my mind and I wondered if it was because of him that I hadn’t said yes.
I was attracted to Ben and I can’t say I’m not. The only problem is that it truly doesn’t feel real. I can’t start a relationship with a guy when I don’t even know if I like him or if it’s just because of the fact he turned me.
I felt a bit rebellious and decided at that moment that I was going to go out with Alex. Everything else be damned. I wanted to have fun. I needed to spend some time with another person.
Hell, I needed to get laid.
“Yes.”
“What? You like the idea of a row of razor wire atop your wall?”
“No. God … that would screw up the aesthetic of the entire house and make it look like a prison yard. I mean yes on the date. I’d love to have dinner with you.”
“Excellent. What day works best for you?”
“This Saturday would be good.”
“This Saturday it is. Tell you what, I’ll plan something out and pick you up at seven. Dress casual.”
“My favorite form of dress.” I wasn’t joking.
I was a T-shirt and jeans kind of gal, always had been. It’s hard to work on cars in a dress. These days I had to wear suits for work and so I did, but on my off time give me a soft comfy T-shirt and a nice pair of good fitting jeans. I preferred graphic tees, ones with funny sayings. Why not have fun when you get dressed?
“I’d say I’m looking forward to Saturday, but I’m too busy enjoying our time together right now to take attention away from it.”
“Smooth. It seems you got some new moves the last few years,” I joked.
“Ha, ha. I’ve always had moves. I just never used them on you because you were off limits. You put me squarely in the friend category and I didn’t mind being there.”
“Are you admitting you had a crush on me?”
“Perhaps. Does that freak you out?”
“Alex, I find it flattering, not freaky. I had a bit of a crush on you myself.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Why do you think I hung out with you so much?”
“My caramel corn.”
“Well, there was that.” Alex made the greatest caramel corn I had ever tasted.
He used to make up a batch and we’d rent The Police Academy movies, laugh, and eat popcorn for dinner.
“That recipe has gotten me pretty far in life. It’s a bit like a magical elixir.”
“Yeah, it is.” I mentally drooled as I recalled the creamy buttery flavor of his popcorn.
“So, let’s discuss the changes I have for you.” He reached out and swept a piece of hair out of my eye.
It was so natural. He even continued on explaining how he’d like to outfit my home without even skipping a beat. Meanwhile, my heart leapt into my throat. I felt butterflies in my stomach and then I looked at my jaguar. She stared at me accusingly. The only one for her was Ben. That wasn’t the case for me. No sire bond was going to keep me from enjoying my life.
I told her then and there I didn’t give a bunny’s ass what she wanted, I was going to be seeing Alex, that I liked him, and she should get used to it. She snorted at me and turned her back. I decided to ignore her and focus all of my attention on Al and my security assessment.
He went through and found the weaknesses in my current system, which was really just the wall that ran around my property. I let him have the lead on where to put the main panels that operated the system, the living room wall that lead into the kitchen, and a smaller panel that went on the wall in my bedroom. I would be able to see every inch of my twenty-five acres on CCTV right from my bed. There was a tripwire on top of the wall that would go off when someone weighing over eighty pounds touched it, triggering an alarm to buzz throughout the house.
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