“Mm…” Sawyer’s back arched as Troy’s hand slid to his waist.
Troy looked into Sawyer’s peaceful face. “Can you guys be killed?”
Sawyer opened his eyes. “Yes, but it’s extremely difficult.” Sawyer tilted his head. “It’s also a secret, passed only through the pack.”
“I don’t want to know anyway.” Troy shook his head. “You stay here; I’m going to make some phone calls and breakfast.” Troy kissed Sawyer’s nose. He rose from bed and grabbed his sweat pants, eyeing the gorgeous naked man in the bed at the same time. Making his way into the kitchen, Troy started the coffee and pulled out food for breakfast. He took his cell phone out and stepped outside on the front porch, dialing James.
The phone picked up on the second ring. “Pruitt.”
“James, its Troy.”
“What’s up, you sound funny.”
“Sawyer and I were shot at last night. I need to know if you’ve come up with anything.”
“Jesus!” James shouted into the phone. “Why didn’t you call sooner, I could have had—”
“James,” Troy sighed. “It was late last night. Look, please tell me you’ve found something.”
“Not yet, none of your targets have family that misses them. Intel isn’t finding shit.”
“Put Ripley on it.” Troy ran a hand through his unruly hair.
“Keegan? Why?” James sat back and looked at the time. Agent Keegan Ripley would be in by now.
“Because that man is a fucking genius, that’s why,” Troy looked out over the reservation. “He knows his shit.”
“Okay, do you need anything in the mean time?”
“Yeah, the name of the person doing this, so I can put them six feet under.” Troy looked back at the house, wondering if Sawyer had stayed in bed, or was coming out to investigate.
“I’ll get on it Troy, stay alert.” James hung up the phone and stood up, fixing his tie. He exited his office and took the elevator up one floor. Walking down the hall, he ran into the agents just coming in for the day. Keegan Ripley was always early. His job as surveillance had him up at all hours of the night, with his partner Devin Lyons. James knocked on Ripley’s door and heard ‘come in’.
James entered the office and Keegan looked up, smiling.
“Hey, James.”
Keegan’s smile was infectious, the black hair and green-grey eyes mesmerizing. “Good morning. I just got a call from Troy, seems someone was shooting at him and his boyfriend last night.”
Keegan frowned. “Any leads?”
“That’s why I’m here, Troy asked for you.”
“Yeah?” Keegan blushed.
“Yes.” James smiled. “So, what can you do that we can’t?”
“You got a pen and a pad of paper?” Keegan winked and picked up his phone, dialing a few numbers. “This is Agent Ripley. Send some men to Troy Bishop’s building in New York. Talk to all the neighbors and have the manager send me any camera footage from the building and all of the surrounding buildings. Get me the names of all the buildings occupants, as well as their job descriptions. Then get me the flight manifest’s leaving LaGuardia and JFK for Seattle and cross reference those names to the names from the buildings. Call me if anything flags.” Keegan hung up and looked at James. “I’ll get on Sawyer’s information myself and see if anything stands out.”
“Thanks Keegan.” James smiled.
“This is why I get paid the big bucks.” Keegan winked.
“Yeah, I heard they want to transfer you and Lyons to D.C. for a few weeks.” James sat on the edge of the desk.
“Yes, but don’t worry, I’ll always keep in touch.” Keegan smiled wickedly.
“Why, Keegan Ripley!’ James laughed. “Are you flirting with me?”
“Oh calm down, I know your heart belongs to a certain high up official.” Keegan smiled slyly.
James blushed and stood up. “So, if you hear anything?”
“Call you right away.” Keegan smiled and stood up, extending his hand. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“Nope, you either Rip.”
~~Chapter Eleven~~
Troy sat on the back deck, overlooking the ocean as the sun set. John and his boys along with Sam, Dakota, Kellan, Scott and Jude were doing a perimeter check. Since the shooting two nights ago, Troy was worried sick about something happening to Sawyer. He wouldn’t survive it if something happened to him; he’d lost so much in his life already. The job that he did, would probably seem ironic to most people, he took lives. Troy chose to look at it in a much different way. The men he killed were killer’s themselves, or as Troy called them, dream destroyers.
When he was security for the children rescued from pedophiles or porn rings, it made his heart heavy to think that they would never be the same. Of all the awful things he’d witnessed in his job, the worst was witnessing the children in the aftermath. Troy heard a soft huff and turned to see Wyatt wagging his tail at him. He smiled and picked the pup up, cradling him in his arms.
“You are going to look just like your brother’s, you know that?” Troy kissed Wyatt’s head between his ears. Wyatt rested his head on Troy’s bicep and panted.
The back door opened and Sawyer came out on the deck, setting a cold beer down on the table for Troy.
“I see the ankle biter found you.” Sawyer chuckled at his little brother’s growl of protest.
“It never ceases to amaze me that this little guy is a human being.” Troy picked Wyatt up and looked in his eyes. He got a lick across his face and smiled, holding Wyatt over his shoulder. “He’s like a baby.” Troy snickered.
Sawyer smiled as his baby brother growled playfully over Troy’s shoulder. “I’d like kids someday, but I know they’ll be werewolves. I don’t know if that’s fair to them, to be saddled with it.”
“Are you upset with it? Besides the fact that I kind of freaked out, are you okay being a werewolf?” Troy took Sawyer’s hand.
“Well now that I’ve found my mate, things are definitely looking up for me.” Sawyer smiled and leaned over, kissing Troy’s lips. “I’ve always been proud of it before, it’s who I am.”
“Well then, our child will be happy with it too.” Troy waited for the information to sink in and laughed when Wyatt leaned back, looking into his eyes. “Oh, the baby brother caught that, huh?”
“You…you want kids? With me?” Sawyer swore he was hearing things.
“I want to make sure you’re okay with my job, Sawyer. I’m gone a lot and sometimes it’s for weeks at a time. I want you to know what you’re getting into, but yes.” Troy caressed Sawyer’s cheek. “I want kids with you. I want it all.”
“All?” Sawyer’s mouth dropped open. “All as in…?”
“Marriage, Sawyer.” Troy leaned in closer, looking into Sawyer’s eyes. “I want to marry you and have kids.”
Wyatt went crazy, wiggling in his arms and Troy put him down on the deck. Wyatt shifted back to human and looked at Troy.
“You wanna have babies with Sawyer?” Wyatt tilted his head.
“Yes, I want to have babies with Sawyer.” Troy smiled and pulled Sawyer into his lap.
They both heard the sound of a car and Sawyer looked at Troy.
“Are we expecting company?” Sawyer stood up.
Troy swatted Wyatt’s naked butt and took him into the house, depositing him on their bed. “Shift or find some clothes, little man.” Troy mussed his hair.
Troy opened the front door and saw a Land Rover pulling into the spot beside his truck and Troy smiled when Mateo and Josh jumped out.
“Well, holy shit!” Troy smiled and opened his arms. “What the hell are you guys doing here?”
Josh tackled Troy, putting him in a head lock and giving him a noogie. “What? Didn’t Keegan call you? We’re here to back you up, my friend.”
“Must have slipped his mind.” Troy rolled his eyes.
Mateo put his arms out. “Where’s my love?”
Troy smiled and pretended to take hi
s dick out. “Right here, baby.”
“Shit, mines bigger.” Mateo laughed out loud and grabbed Troy. “It’s good to see you.”
“Where are Riley and Mark?” Troy looked back at the Land Rover.
“Motel in Forks. Josh and I wanted them out of danger. We didn’t want them to tag along, but you know Riley.” Mateo sighed.
Troy realized Sawyer was still in the front doorway and he smiled, putting his hand out to him. “Come here, babe.” Troy took Sawyer’s hand in his and put an arm around his mate’s waist. “Guys, this is my boyfriend Sawyer. Sawyer, this is Mateo Esposito and Josh Montgomery.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Sawyer shook both their hands. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“It’s all lies.” Josh smiled. “Unless he talks about how sexy and cool we are. Then it’s all true.”
“Well,” Mateo crossed his arms. “It seems we’re all gay. I didn’t see that one coming.”
“Speaking of not seeing things coming.” Troy saw Sam making his way over to them with Dakota. They were both in wolf form. “We kind of have to show you something, Mateo.”
“Oh, I can’t wait.” Josh snickered.
Mateo arched a brow. “That’s never a good thing when you do that, Josh.”
“Just… um,” Troy looked around. “Come on in.” Troy gestured to Sawyer’s house.
Once Mateo was seated, Troy handed him a beer, then let Sam and Dakota in. Sawyer went to fetch a robe for Sam when he completed the change. Troy watched Mateo’s face as the two wolves sat down in front of the coffee table and waited. Mateo sipped his beer and looked at the wolves.
“Okay, why are there wolves in the house?” Mateo looked at the larger black one with brown eyes.
“That’s Sam.” Josh sat back and crossed his arms.
Mateo looked over at Josh. “Explain.”
Sawyer came back out with the robe and handed it to Troy. His eyes darted around the room nervously. “Are you sure?”
Troy nodded and looked down at Sam. “Do your thing.”
Mateo watched as the black wolf with brown eyes started to shake, seconds later Sam stood and Troy handed him a robe to cover up. Mateo’s mouth hung open. He blinked, licked his lips, then blinked again. “That,” Mateo smiled. “is so fucking cool. Riley is going to shit his pants.”
Josh threw his hands up in the air. “Why am I not surprised?”
Troy smiled. “I knew you’d be cool about it.”
Mateo stood up and looked at Sam. “There’s a story.”
“And I’m going to tell it to you. Let’s just wait for my fiancé to shift as well, shall we?” Sam motioned to Dakota still in wolf form on the floor.
Mateo looked at the black wolf with grey eyes. “No shit?”
“No shit.” Sam laughed.
~~
The whole group went to Nadine and Joe’s for dinner and Sam filled Mateo in on the story of Dakota and himself. The conversation was loud and the beer flowed, as all the men compared stories. Nadine was happy to have so many people to cook for, and Joe and John were happy to have back up like Mateo and Josh. Instead of sitting outside by the bonfire, they took seats around the living room and talked about the threat that still existed. Mateo and Josh were introduced to Scott, Kellan and Jude and the three of them got along right away. Wyatt ran through the living room and sat at Mateo’s feet, wagging his tail.
“And who’s this?” Mateo patted the wolf’s head.
“That is my little brother.” Sawyer chuckled. “Wyatt, that’s Mateo. Do you think you could maybe shift and say hello?”
John grabbed his youngest child by the tail, dragging him over and picking him up.
“You should be in bed anyway.” John hugged his son close.
“So, you are all werewolves.” Mateo looked at Sawyer and his brothers.
“Yes, born into it.” Sawyer smiled. “I have to say, Troy wasn’t as calm as you were.”
“Oh, is that right?” Mateo grinned.
“Okay, that is so not fair!” Troy crossed his arms. Troy’s cell phone rang, interrupting his argument and he flipped his phone open. “Bishop.”
“Troy, thank God.” Keegan exhaled loudly. “It’s Officer Rick Henley, Troy. The bullet that John Quinton recovered and sent to us matched his service revolver. We also have him on the flight to Seattle the day after you left.”
The house shook as an explosion went off. The whole room stood up and Troy looked at all of them as he spoke into the phone. “Thanks Keegan, he’s here.” Troy hung up and looked at Mateo and Josh. “It’s my ex-boyfriend and he’s a cop.”
Mateo grabbed Josh by the shirt. “We need our guns, now.”
“Everybody spread out by twos!” John yelled.
“Nadine, in the basement with Wyatt, right now.” Joe looked at his wife. “Do not come out until I come for you.”
“Call it in, Joe.” John raced out the front door after his sons.
Troy ran out the back door of Nadine and Joes. One look across the reservation and he knew his parents’ house was where the explosion had come from. The house was a big ball of flames. “Son of a bitch!” Troy ran as the wolves spread out, searching for the intruder.
“Troy!” Sawyer shouted. “Wait! Don’t go after him without protection!” Sawyer saw his brother’s running to catch up with Troy.
The fire was raging out of control. Troy’s parents’ house was going down in flames, literally. The thick black smoke filled the night air, making it almost impossible to breathe. Sawyer ran towards Troy’s parents’ house. He stopped mid-run and smelled the air. Over the smell of smoke, he smelled Nick and the other scent. Sawyer followed Nick’s scent and saw what looked like a body on the side of his house. He ran and knelt beside Nick, his pulse was still strong.
“Nick!” Sawyer picked him up in his arms.
Nick opened his eyes and looked at Sawyer’s soot covered face. “He’s here, I tried to warn you. He hit me over the head…”
“Where is he, Nick?” Sawyer picked Nick up and sat him on the front steps of his house.
“I don’t know. I’ve been following him around, seeing what he’s been up to. He caught me following him.” Nick wiped his face. “He’s here and he said something about Troy. That he was going to show him pain.”
Sawyer’s eyes went wide. “Where did you see him last, Nick?”
“By the bonfire. Give me a second and I’ll shift, we can find him together.”
Sawyer didn’t hear anything else, but Troy and pain. He shifted and took off running.
~~Chapter Twelve~~
Troy slid down the embankment behind his parent’s house and ran smack into Rick; the look on Rick’s face was pure rage. His eyes were wild and his hand shook, gripping the gun. “Why? Why did you do this, Rick?” Troy shouted.
“Why?” Rick laughed. “I begged for a second chance! I loved you, and then I find you here, fucking some guy!
“You loved me?” Troy fought back a laugh. “You cheated on me, that’s not love Rick. This is obsession, you need help. You burned down my house!”
“You won’t need it anymore.” Rick sneered.
“You never loved me.” Troy looked at Rick. It was sad, he’d never known love before Sawyer and now he knew how powerful it was. “You don’t cheat on someone you love, Rick.”
“I’m done, finished.” Rick laughed. “They suspended me, pending a psych evaluation. Can you believe that shit? My career is over. I’ve got nothing left.” Rick raised the gun.
“Is this really going to make you feel better?” Troy’s eyes searched behind Rick for the reinforcements. He cursed himself mentally; he’d run without his gun.
“Oh yeah.” Rick smiled demonically.
~~
The smoke was still billowing out of Troy’s parent’s house and the flames were licking up at the sky. Sawyer’s nose caught the scent of the man he’d smelled before and he took off after it. Sawyer ran through the forest, following the scent. It got stron
ger and then shifted back towards the houses. Sawyer’s mind wouldn’t stop racing, Troy was in danger. His mate was in a danger and he had to find him. He let out a loud howl, warning his family and kept his nose to the ground, running as fast as his legs would carry him. Ahead, he could see Troy; his hands were up in the air and a man stood with a gun on him. Sawyer dug his heels in and ran; he let out a loud growl and flew into Troy’s arms, his body covering his mates’.
Half Moon Rising Page 11