Falling for Them Volume 3: Reverse Harem Collection
Page 97
“Is that her?” I asked Zaire.
“I’m assuming so.” He glanced around the room at the other photographs, and I followed his gaze.
“Yep.” I cleared my throat. “So I guess we know why she’s involved with the Pack.”
“Cause she’s involved with the Pack.” Zaire smirked.
“Sick,” I muttered, and Zaire stiffened. I glanced at him in surprise. “I meant her and the werewolf.”
“I know what you meant.” Zaire motioned at the screen, “Search her files.”
“I’m getting to it, Commander Zaire.” I huffed and clicked open a few folders. “Bingo.” I blinked at the nice, clear record of sales. “We’ve got names and addresses.”
“Well, that was easy.” Zaire looked around the room like a trap was about to be sprung.
“Sometimes things just go well.” I turned on Madeline’s printer. I looked up at Zaire while the files printed. “Are you disappointed it wasn’t more dramatic?”
“I guess I expected to have to search for awhile.” He shrugged.
“Actually, we should search the whole place.” I stood. “Just in case we missed something.”
“Alright.” He started to look chipper again.
“Come on, Mama Bear,” I said. “Let’s give Madeline’s other files a look.”
“Excellent…” Zaire froze and scowled. “Did you just call me ‘Mama Bear’?”
Chapter Sixteen
Zaire took me to an Italian restaurant in Tuscor for our date. It was a little town just past Larchwood. We sat a table on the upper floor, which overlooked the main entrance and gave us a great view out the lofty windows set above the front doors. I hardly noticed, though, I was too intent on Zaire.
So was every other woman in the place.
I lifted my brow at the waitress, who had returned for the fifth time in as many minutes, to see if Zaire needed anything.
“Just a little quality time with my girlfriend,” Zaire said with a little irritation.
“Of course.” The waitress flushed and hurried away.
“Harsh,” I noted.
“The woman nearly spilled cold water all over me because she tried to refill a glass that was already full.” Zaire frowned. “I wouldn’t have brought you here if I’d known the waitstaff was so inept.”
“She’s trying to flirt with you.” I lifted my brows as I watched surprise, and then understanding, cross his face.
“No.” He blinked. “Was she?”
“Are you really that ignorant of your… self?” I asked.
“So you think I’m attractive?” Zaire shot back with a grin.
“You know I think you’re attractive.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t kiss men I find unattractive.”
“Still, it’s nice to hear.” He chuckled. “Do you want dessert?”
“No, I’m afraid our waitress will spit in it.” I grimaced.
“I don’t suppose it would be safe for me to order coffee either.” He smiled.
“Probably not.”
“Tempest.” Zaire went serious. “I want to ask you something personal.”
“Sure.”
“Your family, the way they were killed,” he started. “Did you join SCCIT to get revenge?”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “The men who killed my family were sent to jail. The police didn’t know what they were, and jail wasn’t really a good fit for them.”
“They escaped?”
“They shifted.” I grimaced. “They went into the yard, and they shifted. The guards thought some animals had got in, and they called animal control. The hyenas were tranquilized and removed, taken to the local zoo, until the zoo could decide where to send them.”
“And they escaped from there.” Zaire sighed.
“No.” I smiled. “SCCIT got wind of the situation, and they took possession of the hyenas.”
“What did they do to them?” Zaire scowled.
“They killed them, of course.”
“Of course,” Zaire muttered.
“You don’t agree with that?” I was shocked. “They were murderers.”
“And yet every other murderer would have a trial,” he said.
“And these men would have too, if they hadn’t proved that prison couldn’t hold them.”
“Then why hasn’t SCCIT created a prison for supernaturals?” Zaire asked.
“Are you seriously sitting here, arguing the rights of werehyenas with me?” I leaned forward to hiss at him.
“I just…” Zaire shook his head. “Do you think all supernaturals are the same?”
“Absolutely, they’re all monsters,” I said in a low tone.
“Monsters?” Zaire’s jaw started to tick. “How can you say that about a whole group of people? You don’t know every supernatural.”
“I don’t know every shark either, but I’m not going to go swimming with them.”
“Sharks don’t attack unless they think you’re food, or you attack them,” Zaire said. “Everything in nature has its place, its reason for existing.”
“So you think werehyenas have a place in nature?” I asked him. “After I told you they murdered my family?”
“One group of them did that.” Zaire sighed. “You can’t judge an entire race or group by something just a few of them did.”
“I’ve seen a lot of horrible things, Zaire,” I whispered. “And they’re all perpetrated by supernaturals.”
“Because that’s your job,” he growled. “You hating all supernaturals because you’ve seen them do horrible things is like a cop hating all white men because the majority of serial killers are white men.”
“I don’t hate all supernaturals.” I sat back to glare at him.
“Don’t you?” Zaire asked. “It seems like you do. When we were at Madeline’s house, you said she was sick because she’d been with a werewolf.”
“It’s basically bestiality,” I huffed. “You don’t think that’s sick?”
“Now you sound like a racist.” He shook his head.
“I’m racist because I don’t want to fuck an animal?” I growled.
Zaire’s eyes skirted to the side, and I looked over to see our waitress standing next to the table with the check. Her mouth was open, her eyes rounded. She dropped the check and hurried away.
“Not so interested in him now, are you?” I snorted.
“Let’s go.” Zaire pulled out his wallet and threw some cash on the table.
I gaped at him as he rushed past me. What the fuck was his problem? I got up and chased after him, but he didn’t look at me till we were at his car. He was breathing heavily, his pale blue eyes practically sparking with anger.
“You mind telling me what all that was about?” I asked him.
He took a deep breath, and opened the car door for me, “Just get in, Tempest.”
“Fuck you.” I walked away.
“Tempest!”
I kept walking.
“Tempest, God damn it!” Zaire grabbed my arm and swung me around. “Will you stop?”
“Why do you care how I feel about supernaturals?” I asked him.
“I just feel strongly about equality,” he huffed. “I don’t like the idea that our government has a secret organization which targets people because they’re different.”
“Dangerous,” I corrected him. “We monitor people who are dangerous.”
“And you kill them,” he added.
“If necessary.” I nodded. “But I don’t go around hunting supernaturals and just shooting them on sight. I investigate crimes, Zaire. These are not innocent people. If I walked up and found some deer-shifter eating dandelions, I’m not going to chase them down and take them in for questioning.”
Zaire stared at me for three seconds. Then he made a huffing sound. “A deer? Really?”
“They exist,” I muttered.
“So the deer can live in peace”—he grimaced—“but what about lions, and tigers”
“And bears, oh my?” I cut him off
.
“Yes, and bears,” he said in a deeply serious tone.
“I don’t know.” I shrugged.
“What if those grizzlies who saved you were actually supernatural bear-shifters?” Zaire asked. “How would you feel about the monsters then?”
“How did you know about… Kael.” I rolled my eyes. “Kael told you about the bears.”
“Yes.” Zaire looked away.
“And you think they could have been supernatural superheroes?” I scoffed.
“Why not?” Zaire crossed his thick forearms. “If there are supernatural criminals, why can’t there be the opposite?”
“This is a ridiculous argument.” I shook my head. “My past may have made me biased when it comes to supes. Fine, I admit that. Perhaps I’m jaded or maybe I’m still angry. Whatever. It’ll take someone with far more sense and sensitivity than you to get it out of me.”
Zaire’s hand fell away, and his jaw clenched. He closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them, he looked much calmer.
“You’re right,” he whispered. “That was insensitive of me. And unfair. I’m sorry.”
“Let’s just go home.” I sighed and headed back to the SUV.
“Tempest.” His hand went to my shoulder and I froze His mere touch made a jolt of energy flash down my spine. “I don’t want this night to end like this. Please.”
Zaire’s free hand went to my waist, and he eased me back into his chest. He nuzzled my cheek, and when I didn’t move, he wrapped his arms around me. I sighed and leaned back into him, angling my face to his. The kiss should have been awkward, but it was perfect. The heat of Zaire against my back, the light pressure on my waist, the sliding touch on my shoulder, easing across my chest. Twisting tongues and deep moans. I forgave him in a heartbeat.
“I’m so sorry,” he whispered as he eased back. “Say you forgive me.”
“I forgive you.” I turned to face him. “I kind of admire your passion. I wish I could feel the same, that everyone deserves the same treatment, no matter what their DNA is. But I just can’t.”
“I know,” he whispered and pulled me into a hug. “I understand.”
His heart was beating wildly beneath my ear, and again I wondered why it was so important to him.
“How about we get some ice cream before I drive us home?” Zaire asked.
“Good idea,” I agreed. “Ice cream makes everything better.”
And it did. Not the eating of it, but the watching of Zaire eating it. Dear God, I would pay good money to sit and watch Zaire eat ice cream. I started fantasizing about him eating it off me. Then I bought a pint to take home with us.
Chapter Seventeen
“So, the question is, do we act on this information, or do you want to call your boss and hand it over to him?” Blaise frowned down at the list of sold women.
“I would like to take care of this myself.” I held my cup of coffee and contemplated the consequences. The warmth seeped through my fingers and eased some of the tension in them. “But I’m already in trouble. I should probably hand this over.”
“I have something to tell you that may help you make a decision,” Kael said.
I looked over at him in surprise.
“While you two were out getting ice cream.” Kael smirked, “Blaise and I went into town. We wanted to see what that fellow agent of yours was up to.”
“And what was he up to?” I asked.
“We don’t know,” Blaise said, “but whatever it was, it involved Derick Wright. He had lunch with him.”
“Raptor had lunch with Derick Wright?” I blinked, my eyes going wide. “I didn’t even know Raptor ate like a normal human. I thought maybe he brought down wild game and just gnawed on the raw meat.”
“Is this how you process?” Zaire eyed me. “You distract your anxiety with humor?”
“Maybe.” I frowned. “I didn’t know you had a degree in Psychology, Dr. Medvedev.”
“And there’s another joke,” Kael noted. “You’re freaking out, aren’t you?”
“Just give me a second to process this,” I growled.
“Leave her alone.” Blaise scowled at his brothers. “If that’s how she deals, that’s how she deals. It’s not like we don’t have our own quirks.”
“I wasn’t trying to put her on the spot.” Zaire sighed, then looked to me. “I was just concerned. I don’t like you being afraid. We’re here with you. We’ll help you face this, whatever it is. You don’t have to be scared, Tempest.”
“I’m wary, not scared,” I whispered. “I don’t know who I can trust anymore.”
“Well, obviously you can trust us,” Blaise huffed.
“I meant besides you three.”
“Is there no one in this group of yours who you’re certain you can rely on?” Kael asked. “A comrade in arms sort of thing.”
“I work alone.”
Suddenly, I realized how very alone I was. I did nothing but work and at work, I interacted with very few people. I had trained with a group, but then we’d been sent to different locations. One of them, though… I think he had been assigned to Headquarters.
“Bryan Langdon.” I chewed my lip. “I think he might help me.”
“Who’s this Bryan guy?” Blaise scowled.
Zaire gave Blaise an annoyed look. “Really? You’re going to get jealous over some random guy whose name she just remembered?”
“Not jealous.” Blaise cleared his throat. “Inquisitive.”
“Where’s that cell phone?” I asked.
Kael got up and pulled it out of a kitchen drawer. He slid it across the table to me, and they all watched as I dialed.
“Can you connect me to Headquarters please?” I asked the SCCIT operator. “Agent 496478.”
“One moment, Agent,” the woman said.
“SCCIT Headquarters. How may I direct your call?”
“This is Agent 496478,” I repeated. “I need to get in contact with Bryan Langdon. Is he still with Headquarters?”
“I will check for you, ma’am,” the new operator said. Then, “Yes, he’s the Director of Shifter Affairs. I’ll patch you through to his secretary.”
“Director of Shifter Affairs.” I chuckled. “That guy used to steal my french fries.”
Bryan’s secretary snottily told me he was busy. I asked her to let him know who was calling. She put me on hold to make sure he didn’t want to speak to me. When she came back on the line, her attitude had improved, and I was put right through.
“Tempy!” Bryan shouted.
I pulled the phone away from my ear, and the brothers frowned at it.
“Bryan, you remember me.” I laughed as I put him on speaker.
“Of course I do,” Bryan declared. “Dear God, what we used to get up to. Do you remember the Jello incident?”
“Do I?” I huffed. “My hair was green for two days.”
“It looked good on you.” His voice smiled for him. “How you doing, Tempy-Girl? I’ve missed you.”
“I’m good,” I was actually surprised to discover that I’d connected with someone along the way. He missed me? I guess we’d had some fun, scampering through our training like kids, which we kinda were. We were SCCIT’s youngest recruits at the time. “I miss you too,” I said, and was even more surprised to find that I meant it. “I know this is kind of shitty of me, but I called because”
“You need a favor,” he cut me off. “Of course you do. Why call the Director of SA if not for a favor?”
“I actually didn’t know you were the SA Director,” I admitted. “I need help, Bryan, and you’re the only friend I can remember.”
The line went quiet for thirty seconds.
“Damn, Tempest, that’s fucking depressing,” Bryan said somberly. “You know what’s even more depressing? I think you’re the only friend I have too.”
“What?”
“This job,” his voice went grim, “it takes everything from us. Family, friends, everything. I don’t even have a dog.”
“Tell me,” he said immediately. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you.”
“Thank you, Bryan.” I let out a long breath. “I appreciate that. And it may be nothing…”
“You sound spooked, Tempy,” Bryan said, “and I know you don’t spook easily.”
“I’m on assignment.” I made a face at the phone. “Well, maybe not technically on it anymore.”
“You’re with Leighton, right? He’s got a few shifter assignments open.” The staccato sound of a keyboard came through the line. “You in Arizona, Montana, or New York?”
“Montana,” I said.
“The wolves.” Bryan sighed. “I should have known.”
“Why? What’s wrong with the assignment?”
“First tell me what issues you’re having,” Bryan urged. “It’s with Leighton, I assume.”
“Yes.” I shared a shocked look with the brothers. “He tried to take me off the case after I was abducted.”
“You were abducted?” Bryan’s voice went up an octave. “Leighton did not report that. In fact, he hasn’t reported taking you off the mission either.”
“I was grabbed while investigating,” I explained. “Tortured, yadda yadda, escaped with one of the girls.”
“Tortured does not get followed by ‘yadda yadda’, Tempy,” Bryan growled, and the brothers nodded in agreement. “That should have been reported as well. Do you need an extraction?”
“No, actually, I wound up with a good group of guys.” I gave the said “guys” a smile. “They’ve been helping me out. Did the Florence Nightingale thing for me and all. They went back for the other two women.”
“They went back?” Bryan paused. “Tempest, did you brief them on the Sander’s County Pack?”
“I did,” I admitted. “I didn’t want them risking themselves without knowing what they’re involved in. And they’ve helped, Bryan. They did some investigating of their own, dug up info we missed. We found the broker, the woman Wright uses as an intermediary between him and his clients. We broke into her home yesterday, and stole a copy of the sales list.”