by Eva Gordon
“Okay, so now you say, thank you Nikolay Sokolov, Team Greywolf alpha, for saving my life.”
Emma sighed. “Fine, thank you, Nik.” She narrowed her eyes. “Besides Lev, I didn’t know Rylee hired another Russian lycan.”
“I was recently recruited.” He cocked his head. “Emma York, Cloak, correct?”
“Yes, but around here call me Andrea Fulton, my alias.”
Nik looked around to make sure they remained alone. “I like Emma better.”
She shook her head. “I should have noticed the man on the hill.”
“You were focused on riding, yes?” Unfortunately, so was I.
“I thought you might have been my would-be assassin.”
“Me?” If he wanted anyone dead, he’d be stealthier.
“You ignored protocol. We were supposed to meet at the designated café.”
Is this American gratitude? “Good thing I changed my mind.”
“So why did you show up here?”
“I suspected someone would try to kill you before the competition and my instincts were correct. How you say in America, follow your gut?”
“You could have given me notice,” she retorted.
“A little appreciation. I left an important lead to travel across the world to bring you back to headquarters.”
“Sounds like you had better things to do.”
“As a matter of fact…never mind.” Because I saved her pretty ass, I missed finally capturing the elusive Saskia.
“Why don’t you go back? I’ll track my would-be assassin.”
“I have orders to bring you in ASAP.”
“Not happening. The man who almost killed me might be connected to my father’s murder.”
“The man who hired the assassin to murder your father, as well as this assassin, is dead. End of case.” He wrinkled his brow. “Or is it end of story?”
“Maybe, maybe not.” She rubbed her brow. “This person might be another assassin in line to take me out. It wouldn’t be the first time. I have enemies within my espionage world.”
“Even more reason to get you to headquarters.”
“Tell Rylee I’ll see her in a few days.”
He scoffed. “Your assassin is long gone.”
“He still wants me dead. He’ll come to me.”
“Are you mad, woman?” His wolf had a strong need to protect the haughty but beautiful agent. If he had to handcuff her and take her back in an oversized suitcase, he would.
“Fine. I need to stop at my hotel to change.”
“Do you have a car?”
“No, I drove in with my trainer.”
“I have a car.” After his jet landed, Rylee had a car waiting for him.
The big handsome werewolf could easily haul her off. No one escaped a werewolf. Fortunately, her father had taught her a few tricks. Time to put them to good use. She went into her room and showered, while he waited in the bar. Probably drinking vodka. She noticed her phone had a message.
Rylee texted. “Nik is meeting you at Fireside Café at three p.m., but he might be late due to traffic.”
So Dagger was Nik. In her line of work, she trusted no one. Especially agents who didn’t follow protocol. He saved her life, but perhaps, he was not the real Nik. Could he be a double agent for the GRU? Maybe he had an ulterior motive? Yet, he did a poor job of hiding his Russian accent. She texted back. Will do.
Emma opened her suitcase and took out the vaporo, aerosol spray that hid scents from werewolves. She smiled. The better to get away. She’d leave her boots and riding breeches on the bed to keep her scent in the room. Rylee might be pissed, but she would only be delayed a day or two. If the assassin returned to the stables to finish the job, she’d be ready. Avoiding Nik so he didn’t interfere was the problem. Rylee had some nerve sending a newbie after her.
Emma hadn’t earned her nickname Cloak for no reason. She reached into her suitcase and took out a disguise, that of an older woman with a cane. She’d simply take the elevator and call a cab. She put on the hairpiece and formed the latex to her face and looked in the mirror. This should work. She pulled on some clothes and with the cane, she moved out into the hallway to the elevators.
Walking slowly through the lobby, she glimpsed Nik in the bar where he sat nursing a cup of coffee. Hmm. No vodka. So much for stereotypes. When she exited the hotel, she noticed a man in a black sedan near the hotel entrance. He watched as people came in and out. Was he waiting for her? Hmm. Maybe I won’t have to go back to the barn.
The man could be here to pick up a client, not such a strange thing. He rolled down his window to stare at her. Dark glasses, a curly federal agent earpiece. This man was not a limo service. He turned his gaze from her. She was an old woman after all, not agent Cloak.
Her small purse held her gun. Did he even know who hired him? Nonetheless, it was a start.
Emma used her cane, tapping it on the hood to get his attention. “Excuse me, are you looking for passengers?”
“Watch the paint, lady.” He sneered. “I’m waiting for a friend.”
“Oh. The lobby is empty, except for a young woman, a rider that must be going to a horse show.”
He narrowed his eyes and got out of his vehicle. “Yes, that’s my friend.”
She shrugged. “Oh, well I’ll have to call a cab.”
Emma drew her weapon as he turned to head toward the hotel. “Arms up and slowly turn around.”
He laughed and turned. “What the fuck, grandma?”
“Place your right hand on the car and with your left hand drop your weapon.”
He sneered, but did as told and lay down a Glock. “Who the hell are you?”
“Who sent you to kill Emma York?”
“Never heard of her.” He moved closer and she whacked him in the groin.
“Oof!”
“We’re taking a walk. Inside. The bar. One wrong move and I’ll kill you,” she lied. More likely she’d shoot him in the kneecap or finish neutering him. They needed him receptive and conscious to talk. Once inside her room, Nik could use his alpha mind trick and have a chat with him.
Holding his groin, he slowly made his way to the hotel entrance.
Chapter Two
Nik poured another cup of coffee and returned to his seat at the bar. Where was Emma? The lobby was empty except for an old woman leaving the hotel. Very odd. The woman used a cane, but she didn’t appear to need support. He stared out the glass door. What was going on? The old woman walked behind a man, and Nik caught the glint of silver beneath her purse. A gun. The man limped and reluctantly entered the lobby. He recognized the man’s scent. The assassin.
What the…? His fangs erupted, but he quickly focused on remaining human.
“Hey.” She winked and tilted her head toward the elevator.
Despite her mask, he’d recognize Emma’s bright blue eyes anywhere. “Babushka, looks like you found your caregiver.” Excellent disguise, but why hide her scent?
“Grandmother works better, Mr. Obvious. This way, sonny,” she said as she directed him toward the elevator.
Before the man could protest, Nik pushed the assassin in and then had him a headlock. He was a big man, but his attempt to disengage from Nik, who was bigger and a werewolf, proved impossible.
“What the fuck do you two want?”
“Boris here has some questions. Isn’t that right, Boris?”
Why does she call me Boris? “Yes, Baba Yaga, I have a few.”
They entered the room, and Nik took out handcuffs from his pocket. The very ones he thought of using to bring Emma back to headquarters. He motioned for the assassin to sit and handcuffed his wrists behind the chair. Nik met the man’s eyes. “You will not move. Understood?”
The man nodded, completely under his mind control. “Understood.”
Nik guided her to another room and narrowed his eyes. “You don’t smell like Emma.”
“Hopefully, I don’t look like her either. And I don’t look like the witc
h, Baba Yaga, either.” She crinkled a smile and took off her mask.
“I heard you are quite the disguise artist, but how did you hide your scent?”
“The vaporo. My father gave me a bottle in case I needed to get away from the big bad wolf.”
Nik frowned. “I’m not the big bad wolf.” He folded his arms. “And why call me Boris?”
“Sorry, inside joke.”
“Explain, inside joke.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “It’s a name my former partner and I used for suspected Russian spies.”
“Hmm.” Who was this partner of hers?
“Boris is a Russian spy who we imagined wore a furred hat and black trench coat. Kind of bumbling.”
His brows furrowed. “I never bumble, I always get the job done.” He tried not to react to her insult.
“Not very comforting,” she smirked.
“You do not trust me?” After he saved her?
“Rylee might have vetted you, but I didn’t.”
“When we return, vet me all you want or better yet, find another partner.”
Emma sighed. “Sorry, I have a suspicious nature. It’s how I have survived all these years. Thank you for being here.”
“You are welcome.”
She removed her gray wig. “Why don’t you use your alpha mind to make him talk?”
Nik was not completely placated. “Why didn’t you tell me your plan?”
“I didn’t know he would show up so quickly, and besides, I didn’t want to go to headquarters empty handed.”
“He could have killed you.”
“Not a chance.” She smirked. “As you can see, I disarmed him and brought him inside for interrogation. By myself.”
“You are a lucky woman,” Nik said. And too cocky for her own good.
“Skilled not lucky.”
“Lucky I’m with you.”
“I have plenty of tricks.” She pulled a syringe out of her purse. “Truth serum.”
“Okay, smart ass. Time to get answers.” Nik entered the living room, picked up a chair and planted it in front of their prisoner. “What is your name?”
He closed his eyes as if fighting Nik’s mind control. “Freddie Novone.”
“Were you sent to kill Emma York?”
“Yes.”
Emma leaned in. “Why?”
“I don’t ask, lady. Not when the contract pays a million dollars.”
Nik frowned. She must have really pissed off somebody. “That’s a lot of money to kill you.”
Emma gave Nik a sardonic look and then turned back to the hit man. “Who hired you?”
“He never said his name.”
“Who do you normally work for?” asked Nik.
“I do freelance work. I’m hired by many clients, from local mobs to the Mexican cartel. I don’t ask who, I just make sure it’s not the cops.”
“Describe the man who paid you to kill me.”
“He spoke like him, heavy Russian accent. Although may not specifically be Russian. Somewhere from Eastern Europe.”
Emma shot Nik a look then returned her attention to Freddie. “Okay, so what did he look like?”
“Heavy and six foot, but young maybe thirty-years old. Buzz cut. Like I said, he spoke with a Russian accent.”
“Or Eastern European,” Nik said.
Emma took out a picture and placed it in front of his face. “Do you know this man?”
Nik narrowed his eyes. “Answer the question.”
“No. I’ve never see him.”
She then took out a picture of the man who had attempted to murder the king’s wife and daughter.
The assassin shook his head. The smell of his sweat permeated the entire room. “No. Never seen him.”
Nik furrowed his brow. “Sleep.”
The man’s head slumped forward.
“Emma, whoever hired your assassin might have been a middle man.”
“A middle man from your neck of the woods.” She threw him a guarded look. “No offense, but the Cold War is still on going.”
“Especially now, this room is very cold.” He raised his brow. “Perhaps, they are not after you because you are Mr. H.’s daughter and new lycan spy, but because you are a CIA agent.” He sighed. “If Russian intelligence wants you dead, I will find out.”
She shook her head. “It’s too much of a coincidence that Project Sabertooth knew I would be at the horse show, under my alias.”
“Time to take you back to headquarters. There we will get more answers.”
“Agreed,” she said.
“What do we do with him?”
“I’ll call the FBI and let them know a professional hit man is waiting for pick up.”
“Good plan.” Nik took out his mobile. “I’ll let our pilot know we are ready for pick up.”
Emma followed Nik out of the airplane and along the path leading to the lycan’s working cattle ranch. A herd of buffalo quietly grazed on a nearby pasture. “Looks the same.”
Nik sang. “Where the buffalo roam, where deer and squirrels play.”
She laughed. “It’s antelope play.”
“I see you’ve been here before.”
“Ever since I was twelve.”
“That is young for a human to learn of our kind.”
“My father asked me if I could keep a secret. Naturally, I said yes, but then he told me if I revealed it, we’d both be executed.”
“You must have been frightened.”
“Yes, but my curiosity was greater than my fear. When I was five years old, I woke to a rustle outside my window. I saw my father follow a huge wolf into a forest behind our house. Boy was I surprised when I found out about the clandestine lycan society.”
“You don’t mind being forced to work for us?”
“I’ve always been team wolf.” She glanced at his handsome face. Mesmerized by his alpha aura. He was not allowed to use mind tricks on fellow team members. Nonetheless, I’m attracted to him. She sighed. “Although, I’m not sure I can continue. The person trying to kill me might be within the CIA. I’d hate to compromise the LIA.”
“Are you sure you have enemies within the agency?”
“One never knows. There might be a mole for the Keep or any other deep government group not keen on having ties with a secret society of lycans.” She shrugged. “A field agent can acquire enemies not involved in wolf politics. The list is quite long. Pissed off terrorists, Russian agents, and maybe werewolves who want to cut all ties to humans.”
“I’ve had my share of enemies as well, although, none knew my true nature until it was too late for them.”
They entered the empty house. She looked around. “Hmm. No welcoming committee.”
Nik sniffed the air. “The caretakers are in the barn and the rest are below.”
“Good to know.” They stepped into the elevator. Emma pressed the button for the ground floor. It dropped fast and then slowed down. Ten more floors to go.
Before the door opened, Nik pressed stop. “You must stay safe and not be the new Ms. H., Rylee will understand.”
She shivered. “Of course she’d understand. She is giving me time to think about being Ms. H.”
“Good, then you will do what is best.”
“Why do you care?”
He stared at her for what seemed forever and then broke his gaze. “Just giving advice.”
“Appreciated, now push the button.”
What kind of fool showed his feeling for a human? He could have easily willed her to quit, but that was not allowed. His wolf desired to stay with Emma. She was the most attractive woman he’d ever met, and her scent, when not hidden, was that of a spring rose. Sweet, succulent. No. Regrettably, the packs wouldn’t approve of a relationship with a human, unless she became his pet. Not possible. Especially, with the new Ms. H., the human spy within the CIA tasked with watching out for lycan interests. Besides, he must return to hunt Saskia. The elevator finally stopped on their floor.
They stepp
ed out and Cricket met them. “Hi, Emma, nice to see you.” She looked up at him. “Hey, Nik.”
“Long time no see,” he said.
Emma smiled at Cricket. “How is married life treating you?”
“It’s tolerable.” She winked. “Come on, Rylee is waiting for you.” The petite she-wolf, the same height as Emma, small for a werewolf, opened Rylee’s door.
“Ma’am. Emma and Nik are here.”
Nik sniffed three times and Rylee did the same. Alpha to alpha greeting. Emma lowered her head, knowing her place within lycan society. How could she tolerate the low status? He had never been part of a pack until recently. Pack culture bothered him as well, but he too went along.
Rylee smiled. “That will be all, Cricket.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Sit,” she said.
They did. Rylee narrowed her eyes at Nik. He understood. She scented his attraction to Emma. “After you called, I had Jesper look up your assassin, Freddie Novone. He’s on the FBI most wanted list. I’m sure they were pleased to get the call. He is, as he said, a professional assassin hired mostly by the mob and some foreign governments to silence enemies in the United States. Nik, you got all the information from that asshole he could possibly have given you.”
“Do you recognize the description of the man who hired him?” asked Emma.
“I’ll have a sketch artist work on him and then we’ll see if our computer can search for facial recognition. Knowing he is Russian or Eastern European helps, but only if he is human.”
Nik frowned. “You think he could be werewolf?”
“Possibly. A few from the Chess Piece gang did escape.”
“Why would they want to expose themselves to the LIA?” asked Emma.”
Rylee frowned. “Good question. They are outnumbered.”
“What if Saskia recruited them?”
“Even if she did, Saskia would never risk getting back at us by gaining a few recruits. Our intel tells us she knows we are after her.”
Nik sighed. “I was close to a lead in Prague, if you hadn’t…never mind.”
“Sorry, Nik. Our first priority was Emma’s safety.”
“I understand, but if you don’t mind, I must return to Prague.”
Emma wrinkled her nose. “Saskia, the blood wolf vampire.”
