“Well, as far as I’m concerned, he can have them if you don’t want them. As the saying goes, I don’t have a dog in the fight, beyond reminding them to show respect where it’s due. The only reason I’m here is to see Bonnie returned safe and sound, and like they say in the movies, it seems my work here is done.”
Cindy looked deep into my eyes for several moments as she held her silence. When she spoke at last, I heard gratitude, regret, and hunger for something other than food in her voice, “Lyssa is a very lucky lion.”
My eyes roamed across my ladies—all three of them—and I shook my head. “You’re wrong. I’m a very lucky Smilodon.”
* * *
After food, we began the preparations to leave. It didn’t require much effort, but I made a special visit before we said our goodbyes.
The man I now knew to be Oliver Price looked up as I opened his stall, and I watched the color flow out of his face like a river to the sea.
“Please…” he whimpered as he jerked his head back down. “Please, don’t kill me.”
“I didn’t come here to kill you, Oliver. I’m leaving, but I wanted to be sure you understood the conditions of your reprieve before I left. I care not a whit what you do with your life as long as you never inflict harm—whether physical, emotional, or mental—on another living soul. As long as you walk the straight and narrow, as it were, you’ll never see me again. But before you start thinking about your freedom, you should know that my sister is a Magi who is Master-certified in teleportation. All I need is a text that you’re acting up again, and you will see me. I promise you won’t enjoy the experience.”
Oliver jerked a choppy nod. “I– I understand.”
“Good. Now, Alpha Steve will be along after a while to collect you. As he is your Alpha—not to mention the county sheriff—he’ll handle where things go from here. I hope you make smarter choices than you have thus far.”
Before Oliver could respond, I turned and closed the stall behind me as I left. I hope he understood that this was his one and only chance to change his ways. If I had to come back here, he would not survive the visit.
I stepped through Vicki’s portal and stood on Main Street in Precious once more. It felt good to be home. Damn good.
We cleared the street, and I pulled my sister into a strong hug as I thanked her for everything she did and had always done for me… just not the litter box, scratching post, or flea collar that still decorated my room at my grandparents’ estate. After Vicki vanished to her destination of choice, I spent several minutes expressing my gratitude to the members of my hunting party for their time, effort, and excellent work… especially the wolf who made the Achilles tendon strike on the runner. That was sheer artistry. Soon enough, only Karleen, Gabrielle, and Lyssa remained. I met each of their eyes in turn before I swept Lyssa into a one-armed hug and pulled her to my side.
“Gabrielle, do we have an available room at the Alpha’s house?”
She gave me a small smile before she answered, “Why, yes, Wyatt… we do indeed. What do you have in mind?”
I turned to Lyssa and stole a quick kiss on her cheek before I leaned close to her ear and spoke softly enough not to hurt, “It’s yours if you want it.”
Karleen and Gabrielle both beamed as Lyssa turned, pulled me to her in a full-body hug, and assaulted my lips with a kiss thorough enough to leave me a senseless mass drooling on the concrete. When she felt the kiss sufficient, she released me and stepped back.
“Hell yes, I want the room.”
I grinned, then pulled her back in for another kiss. Only this time, I dipped her low for the main event and transitioned into a slow twirl as I rose. As the twirl faded, her eyes looked a little dazed as a dreamy expression dominated her features. Now, who was the senseless one?
“Come on,” I said, steadying her on her feet. “Let’s get you out of the hotel.”
* * *
A short time later, we had Lyssa checked out of the hotel and moved into the Alpha’s house with the rest of us. She fiercely protested paying for her room out of my personal funds, but I kissed her and kept kissing her until she stopped protesting. Karleen and Gabrielle watched with appreciative expressions, while Melody’s expression implied she wanted her own kisses.
Sadly for her, she did not pique even the slightest interest in me. Yes, she was very attractive, but so were most female shifters. Yes, she was a strong woman; I harbored intense dislike and lack of patience for anyone who lived their life as a doormat, regardless of their gender. And she had a wonderful personality. I always enjoyed encountering Melody, but… she lacked something my ladies possessed. Something that almost called me to them. I had no idea what it was, and to be quite honest, I wasn’t sure I’d tell Melody if I did. I liked women, but sharing my life with three of them was more than plenty, thank you very much… no matter how much I loved them and regardless of the fact that I wouldn’t trade any of them for anything in all existence.
After delivering Lyssa’s luggage to her new room, we gathered in the family room… or as some would call it, the den. An L-shaped sectional sofa dominated a portion of the family room, and I sat in the very corner of the L. I watched the ladies determine through some method beyond my male understanding who would sit where and fought the urge to smile in satisfaction when Gabrielle and Karleen both indicated for Lyssa to sit on my immediate right. Lyssa didn’t sit beside me; she snuggled into me as tightly as she could as Karleen did the same on my left. Gabrielle followed suit on Karleen’s left, and I had to admit it felt good to be sitting in my home with my ladies around me.
“So, what’s next?” Lyssa asked after several moments of the four of us just enjoying being close to one another.
That… was a very good question. I hadn’t heard anything from Hauser about the two cases we dropped in the government’s lap, but honestly, I didn’t really expect that I would hear about the case Vicki brought them. That was a Magi matter and not any of my business. Sloane’s situation, though, was very much my business.
“We should follow up with Hauser or Burke about the status of Sloane’s case in Nebraska. I would’ve thought they would update us if they made any progress, but they may be waiting to give a post-case summary.”
Gabrielle leaned forward far enough to look across Karleen to me and Lyssa as she said, “Why don’t we call them and ask? I’m sure Sloane’s slowly going out of her mind after the long silence. Sure… we told her about handing the situation off to Uncle Sam, but there’s been no news since then.”
I shrugged and fished my phone out of its resting place in my thigh pocket. I thumbed through my contacts until I found Hauser’s entry and tapped the button to call her. It rang three times before a woman who wasn’t Agent Hauser answered, “Special Agent Hauser’s phone. Special Agent Burke speaking.”
Ah, okay. My rising concern faded. “Hello, Agent Burke. This is Wyatt Magnusson. I was just calling Agent Hauser to check in and see how everything was going.”
Silence extended on the call for several moments as I heard a door close and footfalls. Burke soon said, “Sorry. I had to find somewhere I could speak. We’re in Podunk, Nebraska, right now. Hauser’s explaining the facts of life to the county sheriff and regional state police commander as we speak.”
I swallowed a laugh with some effort. “Uhm… I’m pretty sure the town’s name isn’t ‘Podunk.’”
“I’m pretty sure it isn’t, either, but when you’ve seen as many of these one-stoplight towns as I have, they all kind of blend together.” A brief pause. “Except Precious. There is zero chance of Precious ever being ‘Podunk, Washington,’ in my mind, and I’ve only seen the town in passing. After all, a damn big and terrifying cat lives there.”
I could hear Burke’s teasing smile at that last bit. “Well, I’m glad to know we made an impression on you.”
Before I could say anything else, Burke interjected, “Oh… hold, please.”
Silence returned for a moment, but I heard Burke whisper t
hat it was me on the call. Then, Agent Hauser said, “Hello, Wyatt. How is my favorite Smilodon today?”
“Wait… you know another Smilodon?” I asked, playing along.
“Of course not, which means you don’t have to work too hard to be my favorite,” Hauser replied, and I heard faint sounds in the background that made me think they were walking, like doors opening and closing and the like. “So, I think the county sheriff and state police here in Nebraska finally understand the situation. They weren’t happy about it, and I had to lie that Sloane is an informant on a federal case to get them to back off. They didn’t want to believe that someone else murdered the Higgins couple and burned their farmhouse to the ground. Do you mind handing over those two along with their confessions?”
“Not at all. Should I make sure they understand their situation prior to the hand-off?”
“No. Please, don’t,” Hauser was quick to say. “If the court gets even a whiff that they may have been coerced or intimidated, the judge will dismiss the case faster than Vicki vanishes in a teleport. Burke and I will come pick them up, and we’ll discuss their options and our recommendations on the flight back to Nebraska. While we’re in town, I’ll take the time to inform Ms. Martinez that she is no longer a person of interest in the case, with any and all warrants, bulletins, or other notices rescinded.”
I heard what sounded like car doors close as I asked, “So, when would you like to retrieve the miscreants to face Nebraska’s justice?”
An engine revved in the background of the call before Hauser replied, “We’re heading to the airport now, and we’ll fly to Spokane. I think that’s the closest airport to you. I’ll give you a call once we’re on the road to Precious. An agent from the closest Resident Agency will meet us at the hangar, and we might have to take him back to the office before heading your way.”
“Alrighty. It sounds good to me. If you time it right, I’ll put you up in the town’s hotel for the night as guests of the Alpha and give you the nickel tour of town.”
“I’ll mention that to Burke, and we might just take you up on the idea. See you in a few hours, Wyatt.”
“Bye, Hauser. Be safe.”
I thumbed the button to end the call and looked to my ladies. Shifter hearing was such that I knew they heard both sides of the conversation.
“I’m glad the matter has been resolved for Sloane,” Karleen said, filling the ensuing silence. “What do you think she’ll do now?”
I arrested my reflex to shrug, mindful of Lyssa’s head on my shoulder. “That’s up to her. For the first time in a while, she’s free and clear to chart her own course.”
Karleen nodded her agreement, and we settled into a comfortable silence. Since Sloane’s situation was resolved, I could check off the most pressing item on my agenda, but I didn’t doubt that something else would rear its head and demand my attention. And probably rather soon. So, I took the soft win of spending the evening with my ladies while I waited for the next ‘emergency.’
24
Hauser and Burke rolled into town late that night. We met them at the hotel, and the wheels went off the wagon when I informed the night manager that they were my guests.
“Uhm, no,” Hauser countered. “Absolutely not. We have regulations against accepting gifts over twenty-five dollars. I know you mentioned it when we spoke earlier, but it’s just not ethical for us… especially when we’re here to pick up criminals for a case. Uncle Sam will cover the bill.”
I sighed. As much as she had a point and I didn’t want to make trouble for them, I considered them friends. One of the few perks of being Alpha of Precious and Godwin County was doing little things for my friends, like… oh… paying for hotel rooms or dinners. I felt like getting Nathanson on the phone to get his okay for what I wanted, but my conscience reminded me that wasn’t fair either. Then, I noticed dark circles under their eyes artfully obscured with makeup, and a more thorough look-over revealed other signs of fatigue.
“Okay,” I conceded in a carefully neutral tone of voice. “When was your last day off?”
Hauser and Burke looked to one another, their expressions indicating the deep thought of long-time road warriors trying to remember the last time they were not working.
“Errr…” Burke vocalized.
Hauser added her own contribution. “Uhm…”
“Wasn’t it right before we went to New York for the Magi case?” Burke asked.
“Yeah, that sounds right,” Hauser answered. “So, maybe three-ish weeks ago?”
Yeah, these ladies needed a couple days. So, while they proceeded to get settled in their rooms, I enacted my nefarious plan. I texted Deputy Director Nathanson, asking if he was awake and available for a call. When my phone rang, I accepted the call and stepped outside the hotel, leaving my ladies to wait for Hauser and Burke to return or send a ‘goodnight’ text.
“What do you need?” Nathanson asked.
“I apologize for contacting you so late, but I wanted to ask you to pass a word to Hauser’s and Burke’s supervisor that they need at least one day off. They just told me they’ve been going non-stop except for sleep since handling the Magi case in New York.”
Silence extended on the call to the point that I wondered if it dropped. At long last, I heard a heavy sigh before Nathanson replied, “We’ve told Hauser about that. She tends to go all out until she crashes from fatigue, and that doesn’t do anyone any good. Neither her nor the agency. Her work has never slipped, even at the extreme end of exhaustion, but it’s rare that she can find anyone else who can keep up with her. I’m now worried she has found a kindred spirit in Agent Burke. What are your thoughts?”
“Well, they’re here in Precious right now to retrieve and transport the black ops agents responsible for the Higgins farm fiasco back to face Nebraska’s justice. The whole team that was pursuing Sloane has been just fine in our jail, and they have no chance of escaping the town where the Huntress lives. Never mind the fact they’re vanilla humans, which puts them at an even greater disadvantage. I’d like for Hauser and Burke to stand down for at least a couple days, and while they’re here, I want their meals, their rooms, their entertainment to be on me. I tried paying for their rooms already, but Hauser cited ethics issues if I did.”
“Yeah, that’s a thing. People in government jobs—regardless of what level—are supposed to be impartial. If they are viewed as having been compromised by you, that won’t be good for them in the long run.” He fell silent for a few moments. “I’ll send word to their supervisor to put them on a mandatory seventy-two-hour stand down and dispatch another team of agents to transport the black ops crew. Hauser and Burke can spend their three days exploring the wilds of Godwin County.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Nathanson chuckled. “You realize that Hauser will be pissed as hell with you, maybe even Burke as well?”
I noticed my ladies exit the hotel and join me where I paced. “Well, they can get glad in the same pants they got mad in, sir.” All I heard was laughter from Nathanson. “I consider them friends, and I value my friends’ wellbeing.”
“Damn, Wyatt,” Nathanson said once he regained his composure. “I have half a mind to apply for the SAiC position of the Paranormal Branch Resident Agency we’re going to put in the consular office the State Department wants to establish in Precious. I get the feeling I’d have a blast.”
Wait… what? I closed my eyes and pushed the tidbit Nathanson shared out of my mind. No one from the State Department had said anything to me about putting a consulate or embassy or whatever the proper term was in Precious, beyond the idle discussion during the meeting with the President. And quite frankly, I did not want to think about it right now, given the past forty-eight hours.
“You’re always welcome, sir,” I chose to reply. “That was my only reason for calling, so unless you have something, I’ll let you get back to your night.”
“All right, Wyatt. You can expect the storm to make landfall as soon as Hauser and B
urke wake up in the morning. Have a good night.”
Nathanson ended the call, and I turned to my ladies as I slipped the phone back into its pocket.
“Hauser and Burke are settled into their rooms,” Gabrielle said, “and they said they were going straight to bed when they came down to thank us for meeting them. They asked about you, but we told them you had to make a call.”
I grinned. “Well, at least you didn’t lie to them. Let’s head home and get some sleep ourselves.”
The walk back to the Alpha’s house passed without incident or excitement.
I awoke the next morning to fierce pounding on the front door of the Alpha’s house. The house was large enough, its walls thick enough, and the door stout enough that it was only my shifter senses that allowed me to hear the pounding in the first place.
My sleepy mind processed that someone was pounding on something right about the time I heard someone shout, “Dammit, Wyatt! Open this door right now! Don’t make me get the ram out of the SUV!”
Well, I guess Hauser and Burke received their stand-down order. Lovely. I did my best to leave the warm bed without waking any of my ladies and pulled on a robe before almost sleep-walking out to the front of the house. I opened the door mid-strike and caught Hauser’s fist before it knocked on my nose.
“You know, I’m pretty sure you’re allowed to sleep in on your days off,” I grumbled in a voice that told anyone who heard me I was half-awake at best. “Come in if you want to, and close the door either way.”
I turned and ambled back through the house to the kitchen with Hauser and Burke following close behind me. I devoted my full concentration—what I had of it so far—to measuring out loose leaf tea into the reusable cup before dropping the cup into the device.
“Do either of you want coffee or tea? I can manage either without a four-alarm fire, but anything more advanced, you’ll have to wait.”
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