Pleading the Fifth

by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

  “Okay, Seth and I should be there by tomorrow night. We check in at the SPD with Nicholas and Casey.”

  “I can pick you up at the airport,” Tristan suggested.

  “Nah, I’m renting a car. We’ll hook up with you there.”

  “I’m looking forward to seeing you guys; I need a good rogue hunt to calm my nerves.”

  Jacob coughed quietly.

  “What?” Tristan asked.

  “What, what?”

  “What was that cough for?”

  “Um, Scott is leaving for a rogue hunt with the guys tomorrow.”

  “Which guys?”

  Jacob looked over at Seth with a raised brow. “Noah, Ross—”

  “Son of a bitch! How come no one told me?”

  “You’re off for two weeks to find a house, remember?”

  “Fuck, I’ve got so much going on with the move and work I spaced it.”

  “Yeah, well this will give you some time apart from each other to cool off,” Jacob pointed out.

  “No amount of time is going to help me in this situation,” Tristan groused.

  “Yeah?” Jacob chuckled. “We’ll just see about that.”

  Tristan furrowed his brows. “Does he have enough experience to hunt rogues?”

  “Careful, it almost sounds like you care if something happens to him,” Jacob said slyly.

  Tristan sighed in frustration. “Look, all of us have special training, Scott doesn’t. It’s a valid question.”

  “Nikolai and Vince Markov trained him with a long sword.”

  “Well then, I guess he’s good to go then, huh?” Tristan chuckled.

  “Yup, see you soon, asshole.”

  “Later.”

  Chapter Two

  Scott narrowed his eyes in the dark. The grey wolves of Denali were making their own rounds of the park. He could hear the alpha’s voice in his head; it was weird. They sounded human when they spoke, but the voices were deep and grating.

  Since the packs had been put on guard duty, the traps had shown up less frequently. Noah whistled quietly, alerting Scott to his presence. Scott came out of his hiding spot and nodded to Noah sending him a hand signal to move behind him. They both made their way around a large tree and settled into position. Scott made an owl noise and Logan and Ross joined them within minutes. The half-moon was in the sky, illuminating the area.

  Vince and Keegan Markov were a mile north and Nikolai was with Hayden five miles to the south. Wayne and Conner Maccon patrolled the eastern side. This was how it was now - with the wolf population dwindling, the packs had to take an active part in protecting them. They were pulling shifts in Washington as well. Right now Sawyer, Troy, Sam and Dakota were patrolling the Olympic National Park with Preston and Wyatt. The chief weapons used were long swords; they made it easier to take a rogue head off without getting close enough to the rogue to be bitten, practically ensuring death. Ex-Navy SEALs Seth, Tristan and Jacob had put their heads together with Ross, Hayden and Noah, who were Delta Force, and made gloves from anti-shark bite material. They allowed free movement without too much weight, but also protected them from the elbow down.

  Scott closed his eyes, opening the mental link. “Hayden?”

  “Yup.”

  “Anything?”

  “Two coming your way, staying low to the ground.”

  “Roger that.” Scott pulled the long sword from its sheath on his back and winked at Ross. “It’s fun time.”

  “Shit, it’s an ambush, more coming out of the woods.” Hayden said.

  Ross got on his radio and called in Vince and Keegan.

  “Western side, ASAP!” Ross urged.

  “Don’t worry, the cavalry just arrived.”

  Scott tilted his head at the new voice in his ear. “Lyons? When did you get here?”

  Devin’s voice came through the mic with a chuckle.

  “In the flesh, baby! Just came off an assignment so I figured I’d enjoy some downtime.”

  Scott almost laughed out loud; only Devin Lyons would think of killing rogues as ‘downtime’.

  “Oh great, pyscho has arrived,” Logan smiled, shaking his head.

  “I resemble that remark,” Devin whispered, scanning the woods. “Yeah, the puppies have come out to play.” Devin whistled loudly. “Come here boy! I gotta treat for you!”

  Scott couldn’t help but laugh. “Jesus, Devin.”

  “I’ll bring them to you, I love being bait.”

  Loud howls reverberated through the forest and then the rogues came into view. Scott flew out of his hiding place raising his sword. The rest of the men fanned out behind him, swords raised. Growls and howls echoed throughout the forest. The fight seemed to rage on for hours and then all hell broke loose when all the men arrived. Devin and Vince worked side by side as Nikolai flanked Keegan. Scott twirled the sword in his hands bringing it down hard on the neck of a rogue. He did a back handspring out of the way of another one, rolled his back over Logan’s and landed on the other side of him. Scott crooked his finger. “Come on, pup.” One of the rogues shifted back into human form and stood in the snow. He eyed Scott up and down and smiled, revealing long canines.

  “That’s all you got?” he said.

  Scott grinned. “Hell no, sweetie. Meet Agent Lyons and Vince Markov.” Scott smirked as the rogue’s face went pale. “Yup.”

  “Run!” the rogue shouted to the rest of his team.

  Devin slid on his knees across the slick snow and took the rogue’s legs out from under him. He straddled him and plunged the sword into the rogue’s heart, giving it a twist the further it went in. Vince sliced the rogue’s head off, splattering blood up Devin’s chest and face. Devin pulled the sword out and wiped the blade off on the rogue’s lifeless body. Grinning, he wiped his face off with the sleeve of his shirt and picked up the rogue’s head by the hair.

  “That’s another one for the mantel,” Devin enthused, showing the head to the remaining rogues who had frozen in place. “I need one more to complete my collection.” Devin frowned as the remaining rogues took off into the forest, Wayne, Hayden and Logan right on their heels. Devin looked over at Vince with a frown. “Well, that sucks, now I have to wait until next time to get the full set.”

  “You don’t really keep them, do you?” Conner asked, a little afraid of the answer. It was a well-known fact that FBI Agent Devin Lyons was a psychopath; no shrink would be in the same room with him and even own employer had wanted him behind put away for everyone’s safety. The man was volatile and unpredictable. The only person Devin would take orders from was James Jacobs.

  “Nah, but it’s so much fun to see their faces when I say it,” Devin winked at Conner.

  “I keep telling them I’m collecting fingers,” Vince laughed.

  Ross looked around at the blood soaked snow. “Great, they made a mess again.”

  “It’d be nice if they just poofed into ash or something, like a vampire,” Nikolai mused, surveying the carnage.

  “Do those even exist?” Devin eyed all the werewolves.

  Noah shrugged. “No clue, I’d say no but then again…”

  “Yeah, well we just realized witches were real, thanks to Sloan and Chance,” Scott pointed out.

  “Yes, but Chance is a good warlock,” Nikolai grinned. “Even if he does use me as his magical guinea pig.”

  Vince laughed. “The picture of you sitting in Chance’s hand is priceless.”

  Nikolai frowned. “That sucked. Talk about vertigo.”

  Wayne’s growl reverberated through the forest, actually shaking the ground beneath them. Scott looked over at Conner’s wide smile.

  “He’s one scary motherfucker,” Scott laughed.

  “So I hear,” Conner grinned. ~~

  The group made its way back to the cabins and Scott showered and dressed. He walked to the main cabin and found most of the men around the dining room table discussing the attack and how many they had actually taken out. It had taken more than a few hours to cle
an up the mess they’d made; in the end, they’d burned ten rogues.

  It’d been nice not to think of Tristan for a few hours. He still couldn’t believe Tristan had been coming on to some nit-wit at the club. How pathetic. It’d been a week since the club fight and Scott was still pissed at the man. How could the fates think Tristan was the man for him? He was a pretentious asshole. Scott was so involved in his thoughts, he didn’t hear Wayne addressing him until a roll hit him in the forehead.

  “What?” Scott looked up.

  “So, I hear the fates have decided Tristan Miles is the one for you,” Wayne drawled. “No shit?” Ross’ mouth dropped open. Scott sighed. “Yeah, and we do not get

  along.”

  “Tristan Miles is one hell of a badass,”

  Noah pointed out.

  “Pfft…he’s a lawyer,” Scott snickered,

  taking a bite of his roll.

  “He’s an ex-SEAL, Scott.” Wayne raised

  a brow.

  Scott almost choked on his roll. “What? I

  thought he was a lawyer in the Navy before he

  got out and got a job in the civilian world.” “He was a SEAL first and then became a

  lawyer. Why do you think Derek Jacobs wanted

  all of those guys in the fold?” Wayne asked. Scott looked at all the guys around the

  table. It was true that Hayden, Noah and Ross

  were all Delta Force, only now they were run by

  James. But Tristan? He couldn’t picture the guy in the uniform. As if reading his thoughts, Noah

  grinned.

  “I’ve got pictures of him in full battle

  rattle.”

  “Yeah, that’s okay,” Scott grumbled. Wayne eyed Devin. “I didn’t realize you

  were joining us tonight.”

  Devin shrugged. “James figured you

  could use me. I have to admit, hunting rogues is

  much more fun than sitting around with a sniper

  rifle.”

  Vince laughed. “How many times have

  you actually used it? From what I hear you’re

  like me, you get more satisfaction sneaking up on

  them and killing them in close quarters.” “Keeps things interesting,” Devin

  waggled his eyebrows.

  “And I thought Vince was vicious,” Conner shuddered.

  “Oh he is,” Devin smiled wide. “We are

  just different kinds of crazy.”

  “No shit,” Keegan laughed.

  After dinner Scott took a walk by Wonder

  Lake. Tristan was a SEAL? How weird was that?

  The more Scott thought about it, the more he

  realized he hadn’t been looking very closely at

  Tristan’s body the night at the club. Tristan had

  been wearing jeans that night with a tight T-shirt,

  but because of the fight Scott hadn’t looked that

  close. He had to admit that the fact that Tristan

  was a SEAL was a massive turn on. Scott sighed

  in frustration. Why did Tristan have to be such a

  prick? Any other time he may have found Tristan

  sexy. Until he opened his mouth, anyway. “I don’t know anything about the fates

  and mates, but it seems to me you’re confused.” Scott turned quickly, fist poised to strike.

  Devin stood behind him with a grin.

  “Jesus, Devin! I could have hit you,”

  Scott sighed as Devin cocked an eyebrow at him.

  “Okay, so maybe not, but still… You know it

  kinda freaks me out that I’m a werewolf, but I’m

  pretty sure you could take me out.”

  “I’m not so sure about that now. The

  Markovs have trained you well.”

  “What is up with that? I know in the beginning you were dead set against Keegan going

  after him. You said Vince was the worst kind of

  crazy.”

  “Keegan told you, huh?” Devin smiled as

  Scott nodded. “Vince is like the really big cat that

  bats its prey around; I on the other hand, just take

  them out. I don’t draw it out.” Devin’s brows

  pinched in thought. “Unless I’m really pissed.” “I don’t even want to know,” Scott

  sighed, looking at Devin’s wrist. “I see they fitted

  you with a tracking bracelet as well.” Scott lifted

  his wrist, showing off his own.

  “Oh, you mean my leash?” Devin

  laughed. “I fully expected it; they can’t have me

  running around loose.”

  Scott eyed Devin, he was a little shorter

  than himself, but for a scary guy, he was pretty

  damn gorgeous. Short, dirty blond hair accentuated bluish-grey eyes and a beautiful face.

  Devin was rough looking, but sensual all at once. “So, no one special to go home to?” Devin moved closer to Scott and looked

  up at the sky. The stars were out and the aurora

  borealis was in full glory, stretching out across

  the sky in waves. It almost looked like the ocean,

  with seaweed flowing back and forth.

  “I always wondered if there would ever

  be someone in my life,” Devin mused.

  “No offense, but it would have to be one

  hell of an understanding person. You’re kind

  of….”

  “Scary?” Devin provided. He smiled

  when Scott seemed embarrassed. “Don’t worry

  about it; I’ve gotten called quite a few names in

  my time. I prefer pyscho, however.”

  “You’re not like that with Keegan

  though,” Scott said. “In fact, you’re very caring

  with Keegan and you take orders from James.

  Why?”

  Devin furrowed his brows. “Keegan looks

  fragile, but he’s actually quick and lethal. James,

  well James is just as lethal. I have respect for

  them both. Keegan keeps his anger in check a lot

  and he’s taken quite a bit of flak for his quirks,

  but he’s strong-minded. Look what he went

  through with Dario Nardozzi and he came back

  fighting. James is just…I don’t know, I respect

  him. They had to overcome a lot and had to

  prove themselves, something about that makes

  me respect them even more.”

  “How did you…?”

  “End up a crazy person?” Devin laughed. “I wasn’t going to say it quite like that,”

  Scott mumbled.

  Devin shrugged. “I don’t remember much

  about my life. I lost my memory a long time

  ago.”

  “What happened?”

  “I was in a car wreck and when I woke

  up, I had no idea who I was. I was found with my

  ID so I at least knew my name. I had no family and no idea what to do. I went to Oxford and did four years before joining the FBI. I went straight into the assassin business. It’s weird, I just don’t feel anything when I take a life, I know I

  should…” Devin shrugged again.

  “Well, you’re killing horrible people,”

  Scott pointed out. “Did they do an MRI?” Devin laughed. “Do you mean did they

  check to see if I have brain damage that makes

  me this way?”

  Scott knew he was blushing. “Sorry…” “Nah, it’s cool. Yeah, they did. There was

  some damage from where I hit the windshield,

  but it wasn’t anything that would cause my behavior. I just don’t do well with someone telling me

  what to do.” Devin put his hand up when Scott’s

  mouth opened with a question. “Except for

  James; like I said, I respect him. As far as the

  shrinks go, they are more sc
rewed up than the

  people they treat and I tell them that when they

  try to shrink my head. You can imagine they

  don’t like being told that.”

  “Have you dated much?” Scott asked. “I wouldn’t call it dating. I fuck men and

  women but I don’t stick around. As soon as they

  found out what I do, they’d leave anyway. I don’t

  have patience for people with weak stomachs,”

  Devin narrowed his eyes at Scott. “Enough about

  me, what’s up with you and Miles?”

  Scott told Devin the whole story, pausing

  when Devin let out a loud laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” Scott asked. “Two alphas mated, this should be fun to

  watch,” Devin laughed.

  “He’s so fucking annoying.”

  “He’s just the man for you.”

  “How do you figure?”

  Devin eyed Scott. “You like strong men;

  you’d be annoyed with a guy who couldn’t take

  care of himself. In fact, I’d go as far to say you’d

  probably kick his ass for being a pussy.” Scott laughed. “Is that how I come off?” “Yup.”

  They both heard Wayne calling all the

  guys in and started walking back towards the

  cabin. As they neared the cabin, they could see

  Keegan and Vince sparring. Scott had to smile;

  Keegan was a quick little fucker. Vince had

  taught his husband everything he knew and he

  continuously tested Keegan’s abilities.

  “They are so cute together,” Devin

  smiled, watching his partner with his husband.

  He heard Scott’s low chuckle and looked over at

  him. “What?”

  “I didn’t think you even knew the word

  ‘cute’.”

  “Shut up,” Devin laughed, punching Scott

  in the arm.

  “Ow.” Scott rubbed his bicep.

  “Pussy.”

  “Asshole.”

  “Yep.”

  ~~ Tristan roamed the aisles of the Safeway in a daze. The last two weeks had been a blur. The one thing that kept haunting him was Scott Delange. The man was gorgeous in every damn way. It was so annoying. He’d gotten reports from Noah about Scott in Denali and he knew the man had come home the day before. Half of him wanted to see Scott, the other half didn’t. Tristan sighed in frustration. Damn fates, why did they have to give him a man he hated and wanted to fuck stupid at the same time?