by Renee Hewett
It was a special concoction that Andrés was particularly proud of. When it touched metal, it made it brittle so it would shatter. If it touched flesh, it would envelop it like handcuffs.
He pulled out two rocks next, sending those to the primed weapons, and gleefully watched both medieval weapons fall to pieces, much to the cultists’ horror.
The two of them were unarmed and unable to wield their weapons, and the third in the back had been knocked out when the factory worker got the better of her. Andrés turned to Dedra and Lenny.
“Shit, Andrés, that was pretty damn cool.” Dedra’s compliment was music to his ears, but they didn’t have time yet to celebrate.
Another item he liked to keep on him was a little Jones family concoction. “This will help.” He dumped the white powder from the tiny vial into his hand and then blew the powder into Lenny’s face.
Dedra dropped Lenny as the goose coughed, choked, then transformed into a very ugly, hairy, naked human.
Andrés monitored the group very closely. The MUFF members were aware of shifters, most were shifters, but the dissenting factory workers’ reactions varied from shock to nausea.
The group all shouted their displeasure.
“What the hell is this!”
“How dare you deceive us!”
“You’ve been torturing human geese?”
“This shit just wanted the inheritance.” Dedra nodded toward her uncle, who was quivering on the floor and holding his hands up in surrender.
It was over.
Dedra saw the way the MUFF cultists looked at her uncle, now realizing that they’d been used as pawns in an ongoing family feud.
Lenny was a bastard son that her grandfather had allowed into the family, but he’d never overcome his jealousy of Dedra’s father, the “legitimate” child, and long ago, he’d divulged family information to a rival family.
Lenny had been lucky then that Dedra’s grandfather only disowned and disinherited him.
He’d managed to get the video of Dedra shifting because he knew the family spots. Who knew how long he’d been stalking her and waiting to get that footage to use against her?
Kailee informed them that she’d learned that someone—Lenny—had been anonymously sending the factory workers articles over email and social media. The articles were false and meant to trigger fear and had done the trick.
Once he planted that seed and saw the factory workers protesting, he’d sent the video and directed Jimmy to MUFF.
And then he hung out, in his goose form, outside of the factory so they’d take him in and he could witness all of it.
Dedra, Andrés, and Kailee had just finished piecing it all together and getting confirmation from Lenny and MUFF when FUC stormed the factory.
The team was led by a bouncy blonde dressed as Rambo, who rushed in and started shouting orders. Dedra saw that Mason and Viktor were following her orders, along with some other agents Dedra hadn’t met.
“Holy shit, that’s the Miranda?” Kailee asked her, mirroring Dedra’s own awe.
“Live and in action,” Dedra murmured, wondering if it was too late in her life to pick up some of those kinds of skills.
Dedra heard Andrés filling Mason in and watched Viktor and a few others place cuffs on MUFF. “What do you want to do about them?” Andrés asked, jerking a finger to the three factory workers.
“I’m not sure.” She looked at Kailee. “What do you think?”
“I’m personally wondering if FUC has some sort of placement for folks like these. People who now know a secret but also owe some debt to FUC for causing such trouble that it demanded FUC resources.” Dedra wondered if Kailee was thinking about her agent when she said that.
Miranda nodded sharply. “Sure thing, we’ll sort all that out. You three, come with me! And don’t try anything. You don’t want to get chased by a saber-tooth bunny, do you?”
“Are you kidding?” Pearlene asked, looking from Miranda to Dedra.
“Welcome to a whole new world,” Dedra said. “It’s going to blow your mind.”
Epilogue
A few days later, Dedra turned off the extra phone and locked it back away in her vault, along with her gun.
She was glad she hadn’t had to use either one. The address book her father left her had just a few lifelines left in it. Favors that could be cashed in. Numbers she could call in a real emergency. But once they were gone, they were gone. So she liked saving them, if she could.
They were her safety net, one family inheritance that she couldn’t share, and she was glad that the day hadn’t progressed far enough that she had to use them.
She would keep them socked away, a reminder that she had people she could turn to still.
She stepped out of her office and saw Andrés.
He wasn’t an old family connection like the ones in her address book, but he was someone she could turn to. He was her people now.
He’d told his boss, Alyce, that he wanted to stay around the factory, in case any others had seen the video or might be interested in an uprising. But Dedra knew the truth. He’d told it to her.
He wanted to see what life was like at her side.
“You sure they don’t need you back there, teaching MacGyver 101?” She couldn’t believe it when she found out it was a real course. She found it even funnier to learn that one of the assignments in the class was almost basket weaving. Andrés said you never knew when you’d need one in the field!
“Nah, it’s one of the most popular classes. They’ll get another professor in, no problem.”
“That’s good. I want to make sure Kailee takes the course.” Dedra smiled to herself.
Kailee had taken a few years post-high school to learn what she wanted to do. And it was this event that had been the catalyst. She was going to take her social media savvy, the skills she’d gained as an influencer on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, and become a FUC agent, specializing in new media techniques and surveillance.
Dedra thought it was just perfect.
“Aren’t you sad that she’ll be an agent and not following in your footsteps?” Andrés asked.
“Nope, because Maddox is very excited to come in and learn the business. He’s talking about bamboo and hemp fibers and all sorts of stuff. I told him that he can learn from me, and when I pass over the reins, he’s free to do whatever he wants.” She was truly excited. Grayson hadn’t promised he’d return to help, but she knew that if Maddox was there, Grayson would be close by.
And that was good enough for her.
“Sounds like the boy will fit right in.”
“Mmm-hmm. Besides, maybe Kailee will eventually settle down, have kids of her own, and bring them around to learn from Maddox.” She had no idea if kids were in Kailee’s future goals, but a mother goose could hope to be a grandgoose someday.
“Hmmm, little narwhals running around? I’d love to see that,” Andrés said, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck. “And if Maddox needs any MacGyver training, I’ll be here for him.”
Dedra reached up, threading her fingers through Andrés’ hair. “And how do you feel about yearly trips to South America?”
“Ah, xuxu, that’s the second-best part of this deal.”
She didn’t have to ask him what the first best part of the deal was. He’d already told her many times over that she was.
“Aren’t you going to get bored?” Dedra asked, pulling from his embrace to take a perch on her desk while she looked at him. He was a man of adventure. Would he really be okay spending so much time in one place while she mentored Maddox and ran the company?
“Not at all,” Andrés said.
“You’re going to be a househusband?” She lifted an eyebrow. “A kept man?”
“Not at all. I’m thinking about opening a shop. Getting into making some practical field gear. I’ll have time to make prototypes that agents can use in the field or different handmade items that take time and experienced craftsmanship to work on.”<
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She saw his eyes glittering with excitement and knew that he really was passionate about the idea. It was good. It meant he wasn’t giving it all up for her; he was just choosing to follow another path with her.
“Hmm… experienced craftsmanship…” Dedra reached out and snared him by the shirt, pulling him close and wrapping her legs around him. “I think that’s something I could use right about now.”
Then she kissed her ocelot man, knowing full well that they both still had tons to teach each other.
Kailee had amends to make.
She’d fooled around and made her agent compromise his morals. He’d slept with his target and had felt guilty.
Then MUFF murdered him.
She was determined to make it up to him. In his memory, she would work for FUC and keep other people safe in his place. Since he couldn’t.
Her whole life she’d been hard-headed, strong-willed, and more independent than was good for her. She’d grown up filthy rich and privileged, and it was time to give back. She had to make something of herself, to make up for her mistake, and make sure it never happened again.
So she enrolled in the Furry United Coalition Newbie Academy.
She’d expected to run into some people who didn’t want to accept her. Some people who held a grudge against her for her agent’s death.
But what she hadn’t expected was for him to show up again, alive.
And keeping a doozy of a secret.
Kailee thought her agent was dead, but she’ll come to learn that he survived! When they do meet again, they’ll both have some secrets. Perhaps unforgiveable ones.
The End
Not quite! There are more FUC Academy books coming. Bat and the Bone by
Alexa Gregory
, plus,
Eve Langlais, the FUC world creator, has a book coming soon called Panda and the Kitty. And don’t forget about the first academy book, Mandy Rosko’s, I’ll be Dammed, featuring a beaver!
To find out more about these books and more, please visit Worlds.EveLanglais.com or stay in the loop with our newsletter - sign up here.
About the Author
Renee Hewett writes short and spicy paranormal romance. She’s lived in western New York, central Texas, and Canada (prairies and central). She writes small town contemporary romance as Jessica Ripley. You can sign up for her newsletter at: http://reneehewett.com/