by Tl Reeve
“It’s a menagerie,” Saber said, joining them. “What riled up the wolves?”
“Colin bit Rashid,” Zoe said. “It was awesome.”
“He’s a feisty one,” Bell agreed.
Nicolas rolled over and sat up. He rubbed his little eyes then his bottom lip began to tremble.
“Oh no you don’t,” Rapier said, going to Nicolas. “You’re safe.”
Colin growled again in Keeley’s arms.
“Don’t take that tone with me, young man. I won’t have it.” Keeley glanced over at Rashid, who despite being bitten by her son ate his lunch while sharing with Ella. “I am so sorry.”
He waved her off. “It’s okay. They’re babies. Just shocked me.”
“Yeah, well. After his father finds out, I’m sure he won’t be doing it again.” Keeley gave Colin a pointed stare, and the little wolf whimpered then began to cry. “What a fucking day.” Keeley’s cheeks turned a bright red.
Jasmine laughed. “Well, at least we know you can cuss like the rest of us.”
Chapter Ten
Jenna maneuvered the beat-up pickup truck she’d borrowed from Rapier into one of the last spots at the county court house. This place was a buzz of activity. Jenna wondered if it was always like this, or if it had to do with the temporary relocation of the Sheriff’s department while the old building was re-built.
The rusted door squeaked when she opened it, and she cringed. Yeah, she’d definitely made the right decision—she needed to go back to work and obtain her own things, including a car. Jenna slid from the truck, ignoring the old crumbling running boards which would have helped her. It sucked being vertically challenged. Especially in her chosen profession, in which she was surrounded by men with equal amounts of muscle and swagger.
SWAT wasn’t normally a place females went. Jenna had, though, and she loved every minute of it. She had started as the team’s sniper, called into service only when the situations called for it. Not content to sit on the sidelines, Jenna worked and trained her ass off so she could go on all missions. It took a while, but she’d gained the trust of her teammates, except for one who had been a thorn in her side from day one until she could no longer take it and dealt with him herself.
Yeah, she was a badass bitch with ‘tude who knew how to fire a gun and take down a two-hundred-and-forty-pound perp without breaking a sweat. She’d gladly given it all up ten years ago when Jasmine had gone on the run, choosing instead to go with her sister to provide support and protection.
She’d never regretted her decision. Ever.
Jasmine was settled for the most part now, back with her mate and his family. Fairly protected, which would now allow Jenna to kick-start her life and career. At least that’s the bullshit she kept telling herself.
In reality, she needed to get the fuck out of Osirus’ home and fast before his scruffy lion ended up mating her, or worse, knocked her up. They’d been lucky, and it hadn’t happened yet. But her panther wanted it badly. Her teeth ached every time Osirus came deep inside of her hungry pussy. And, each time, she berated herself for being so stupid. She was leading him on. Giving him false hope for something more. Something she couldn’t give.
Jenna hated how estrus made her feel. She didn’t so much mind acting like a bitch in heat; it was the utter lack of control that drove her mad. Made her contemplate Osirus’ words about being mates. Shit, Osirus. Damn his soul, that bastard made her come to him each night when she could no longer handle the ache deep within her or when her mind was crazed with lust.
A warm body and a hard cock were a thousand times better than using the cold pink plastic of her vibrator. Sure, it had gotten a good workout over the years. Maybe it might be time to toss it in the trash now that she had Osirus. Or maybe she could just use them with him.
Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with me?
Now she was thinking about toys, sex, and Osirus. If she didn’t knock this shit off, she’d be walking into this interview with a wet pussy all the shifters would be smelling for miles. Not a good way to make a lasting impression.
Jenna shook it off. She bounded up the steps, then made her way into the building to the bank of elevators. Once she exited the car, she strode down the hall and rang the bell on the office the Sheriff’s Department claimed. A pretty female deputy opened the door. Her smile was big and her eyes welcoming.
“Afternoon. My name’s Jenna Panthera. I’ve got a one o’clock with the Sheriff.”
“Been expecting you.” The deputy stepped back, allowing Jenna to walk into the busy office. It hummed with activity, and she felt a shiver of eager anticipation scuttle across her skin. It was then Jenna realized how much she truly missed her job.
The female deputy turned to her as they walked down the hall. “I’m Sage Abbott. Would’ve met the other night at the Rafertys, but I had a hot date.” An amused twinkle filled her grey eyes. One thing about Apache County, Jenna was really having a hard time dealing with it, everyone knew everyone and their business. So, it didn’t really surprise her that Sage knew who she was, while Jenna had no fucking clue who the other woman was.
As if sensing her uncertainty, Sage added, “Caden Raferty is my dad.”
Well, that explained why they didn’t see each other at the Rafertys since family get togethers required every Raferty be there, or so it seemed. “How’d you get out of the family dinner? Jasmine said it’s like a have-to or some shit.”
Sage shrugged her shoulders. “I’ve only just recently found out Caden is my dad, so I can get away more than the others.”
Jenna didn’t miss the amusement in the woman’s tone. It appeared the other female liked testing her boundaries with her ‘new’ family. Good for her, not letting them walk all over her.
“Kalkin is waiting for you,” Sage said.
“That sounds pretty freaking ominous.”
“Depends. Is your meeting a good thing or a bad thing?” Sage inquired.
“Good, I hope.”
Sage snorted. “Well, then you should be okay. Although...”
“Keeley and the kids aren’t around,” an unfamiliar male deputy stated.
Jenna didn’t miss the way Sage tensed when the man stopped right beside her, almost to the point of touching her, but not. He seemed overly protective of the other woman.
“Welcome, Jenna,” he said before offering her his hand. “Name’s Logan Wagner.”
“Nice to meet ya, Logan.” Jenna offered her friendliest smile before releasing his hand.
Logan turned his attention to Sage. “You’re with me today.”
Sage’s eyes widened, and her face went white before she gathered herself and cleared her expression. “Ah…no. Kal assigned me to Royce during roll call.”
“Change of plans,” Logan said.
He was so damn cocky and self-assured Jenna could feel his pleasure rolling off him in waves at being confined in a small space with the other woman during an entire shift. Wonder if the Raferty males are aware of what is going on between these two. Jenna found the byplay between the budding couple fascinating. She suspected they were mates, but either one or, hell, both of them, were fighting it. Kind of like her and Osirus.
Ah…fuck me, I just admitted it…
Jenna gave herself a mental shake and focused on the little soap opera going on right in front of her. She wished she’d brought some popcorn to snack on while this drama unfolded.
“I’m not comfortable with that,” Sage admitted.
Logan seemed unfazed by her reply, although his voice had a hint of hard steel when he looked down at his watch and bit out, “And I don’t really care, Sage. If you’ve an issue with being assigned to me, take it up with our boss. We’re due to be on duty in two minutes. I don’t appreciate being late because you’re uncomfortable.”
Logan bobbed his head at Jenna before making his way out the door she’d just come in. Sage sighed, and Jenna couldn’t help noticing how the other woman looked how she felt. Defeated. But, like be
fore, she cleared her features then smiled at Jenna. “Sorry you had to witness that. Some wolves...”
Jenna snorted. “Tell me about it. Lions are way worse.”
“Oh, I know. Wait until you meet Hauser. Talk about cocky on a fucking stick. Anyway, Kalkin’s office is there.” The female deputy gestured to the closed glass door. “Just knock. He’s expecting you.”
“Thanks, Sage. It was a pleasure to meet you,” Jenna said.
“You too.” Sage smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “It sucks being the lone female patrolling.”
Patrolling?
“I’m here for SWAT.”
Sage frowned. “Oh. Well, a girl could hope.” She glanced over her shoulder. “I better get going. Logan is liable to leave without me if my butt isn’t in the Enforcer when he pulls out.” Sage scampered away, leaving the same way Logan had.
Taking a deep, fortifying breath, Jenna made her way toward the office Sage had pointed at. Jenna understood what it felt like to be the only female. During her SWAT training, a good bit of the women who started out with her washed out before they got to the final testing. There were even a few times, though she’d never admit it, she didn’t think she’d make it. Then, joining her team once more she was alone. She figured it’d been why it was easy to fuck with her. She rapped her knuckles against the frosted glass window of the door and waited.
“Come in,” Kalkin grumbled. “You’re late.”
No, she wasn’t. She still had ten minutes, even with her impromptu conversation with Sage. Jenna opened the door and stopped short when she saw Kalkin wasn’t alone. In one of the two seats situated in front of the Alpha’s big desk sat the most beautiful man Jenna had ever had the pleasure of seeing. He was big, with dark, styled hair and a square jaw. The big man looked as if he’d just stepped off the cover of GQ. He reeked of money, from his expensive, polished shoes, to the four-thousand-dollar Tom Ford suit he wore. Jenna wouldn’t be surprised to see a Rolex—no, they were too predictable. The man in front of her most likely wore a Girard-Perregaux or better yet a Jaeger-LeCoultre watch on his left wrist.
Suddenly she had no idea how to act or behave in the attractive man’s presence.
His deep red-brown eyes swirled with amusement as she stepped forward. Jenna would bet the ten-dollar bill she’d carefully tucked into her bra for a treat at YoJo’s after the interview, he knew it too.
Kalkin cleared his throat, and it was hard, but Jenna finally pulled her gaze from the beautiful man to the Sheriff behind the desk.
“Shake it off, girl, you’re going to have to work with him.” Kalkin had a sardonic grin on his lips. He looked positively evil for a second with his icy blue eyes, dark hair, and a black beard with tuffs of grey. “You got a little drool on your chin.”
Without thought, Jenna reached up to wipe her dry chin. He was fucking with her. What an asshole.
Kalkin shifted in his seat, his gaze intense. “If I were you, I wouldn’t let O see you salivating over this scruffy mountain lion. He’d lose his shit.”
The mountain lion in question’s lips twitched in delight.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jenna snarled.
“Right, and I’m the King of fucking England.” Kalkin gestured to the free chair. “Have a seat.”
Jenna sat. “Yes, my Lord.”
“What’s your deal?” Kalkin inquired. “You reek of O, but you got the hot and heavies for Hauser here.”
Hauser was the perfect name for the overly attractive man and the same one she’d bet her ten dollars again, Sage warned her about. “I do not smell of O.” If she didn’t want to have this conversation with her sister, she didn’t want to have it with Kalkin Raferty or the man she had the pleasure of meeting moments ago.
Kalkin gave a weary sigh, his gaze flickering to the ceiling as if he was praying. “It’s really starting to piss me off with mates denying their mates.”
“I’m here for a job interview, not to discuss if I’ve had a change in mating status,” she said, struggling to keep her calm. The man in front of her held all the power. If she pissed him off, he could refuse to hire her in any capacity. It would mean going outside of the county, not something she really wanted to do. But, it might be her only option.
Hauser finally spoke. “This is just a formality, Jenna. You got the job. Your record speaks for itself.”
She turned wide eyes to look at the other man. “I should hope not, its only been a few weeks since I put on the uniform. I’d hope I haven’t lost my edge.”
Kalkin snorted. “The interview is a formality. You’ll have to take and pass a drug screen.”
“That’s not an issue. I’ve never taken drugs in my life,” she assured them. If she’d been lying they’d have scented it.
“You’ll also be required to take a physical abilities test,” Kalkin added.
“Not a problem,” she said.
“Hauser has your personnel file and your commendations from your previous job.”
Jenna nodded.
“He’s also going to be responsible for taking you to the range and seeing how good of a shot you truly are.”
“Easy peasy,” she said, her voice full of confidence. “I’m pretty good with all types of weapons. I’m even better with my sniper rifle.”
“So your record states,” Hauser said, slapping the beat-up blue file against his suit-encased thigh. “Why didn’t you join the military, or even the FBI when they came a-courtin’?”
Jenna shrugged. “I’m a small-town girl, with small-time dreams.”
Hauser laughed and sniffed the air. “Smell that, Kal? Smells like bullshit to me.”
Ugh. What a pretentious prick.
“Sure does,” Kalkin agreed.
Jenna huffed. “If you’ve read my file, I’m sure you already know why.”
Hauser thumbed through the two-inch thick folder, stopping on a yearly evaluation form. “According to your last Commander, it’s because you don’t get along well with others.”
Jenna smirked. “Well, there is that too.”
“You have a couple discipline reports in here. One we’re really concerned about. You want to tell us about them?” Hauser inquired.
Years of discipline helped to keep her face expressionless. Jenna knew exactly which one they were referring to. “Did you not read the reports?”
“Yeah, we did,” Kalkin said, pointing to the folder in Hauser’s hand. “Problem is, those reports, in my mind, are one-sided. I want to know what led you to punch out a fellow team member. I can’t risk having anyone on our team who’ll attack without cause.”
“Trust me, I had plenty of cause,” she mumbled. “The guy was an asshole.”
“Yeah, well so am I,” Kalkin said. “Do I have to worry you’re taking a swing at me?”
Jenna rubbed her sweaty palms up and down her jean-encased thighs. “Depends, are you or any of your deputies going to sexually harass me, Sheriff?”
“Fuck,” Hauser growled.
Kalkin leaned back in his big chair, his gaze never leaving hers. “Did you lodge a complaint?”
“Several. Each one was ignored because his dad was the Mayor and held the Chief in his pocket.”
“How bad?” Hauser asked.
Bad enough it escalated until she couldn’t handle it anymore. Jenna shook her head, refusing to remember the daily terror she lived under. No one had done a damn thing until she knocked Chad on his ass with a left hook when he had the nerve to corner her during a routine training exercise and sexually molest her with their fellow teammates around them. That hadn’t even been the worst of the incidents. One time he walked into the woman’s bathroom, catching her naked and alone. She had avoided being raped only because a fellow female officer had walked in, stopping him.
Since all of her previous grievances had disappeared, it ended up being a he said she said. She’d lost and been put on disciplinary restriction, pulled from her position and forced to go two weeks without pay
and sit at a desk for six months. It was during that time she’d resigned and gone with Jasmine.
She had no guilt due to quitting, even though it wasn’t something she would have normally done.
“Does O know?” Kalkin probed.
Jenna snorted. “Fuck no, otherwise the douchebag would’ve been dead. No one knows, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
Kalkin nodded, but Jenna could tell he wasn’t happy about keeping this information to himself. Male shifters, especially mated male shifters, were extremely protective of their mates. Fuck, she’d done it again and referred to Osirus as her mate. It was a dangerous slippery slope. Next, she’d be acknowledging it to him and marking him for the world to see.
Kalkin leaned forward, placing his forearms on his desk. His face had been serious, and his tone was cold as steel when he spoke. “That won’t happen here. If you have any issues with any of my deputies who dare cross a line, in any way, I expect to be informed immediately.” Jenna gulped, realizing she’d never want to get on the wrong side of the Alpha wolf shifter. “Hauser is going to be responsible for putting you through your paces. He’s become a trusted member of our community…for a pussycat.”
Hauser emitted a soft cough of amusement, and Jenna snickered at the double entendre. “When can you start?”
“Immediately,” she said.
“Hold your horses. Pass your drug test and we’ll go from there,” Kalkin said before pulling out a manila folder from his desk and pushing it across the wide expansion. “You’ll find all the forms you’ll need to fill out, along with the information for the drug test. Get them filled out for tomorrow. Our lab is closed now, but I got you an appointment for tomorrow at eight a.m.”
Jenna snatched up the file, holding it tightly to her chest. “Thank you. I won’t let you down.”
“I never expected you would, Jenna,” Kalkin assured her. “Do you have any questions?”
“Yeah, Sage mentioned something about patrol. I’m applying for SWAT.”
“The county isn’t large enough for a full-time team. Specific deputies have been trained and have the skills to be both deputies and SWAT when required. You’ll be a deputy, but when we need SWAT, you’re on call. Does this work for you?”
