The Order of Chaos

by Rhonda L. Print

  I don’t know how long Ian stood in the hall. I was afraid to open my shields to find him, afraid if I ever opened up to him again I would never be able to close the doors I’d worked so hard to build to protect my heart from the pain of his betrayal, the pain of losing him.

  Yet, his words poked at the back of my brain.

  Was he right? Did I love Ian more? Is that why I could consider forgiving Joaquín?

  I hated Ian for planting that lovely seed of doubt in me.

  I walked back to the door and pulled it open, planning to vent my frustration.

  The hallway was empty.

  I looked down each side of the hallway, blew out a breath, then turned to go inside. I heard, no, felt someone behind me. That spine-tingling awareness I was no longer alone. I spun around, but still, the hall was empty.

  “What do you want, Raven?” I called into the shadows.

  Raven is Ian’s vampire ‘brother;, although whether they are brothers by blood or choice I still don’t know. If Ian cares enough about Raven to call him brother, then that’s good enough for me. I guess when you live forever, family is who you make it to be.

  I heard a slight snort of a laugh, then Raven appeared in the doorway down the hall.

  “How do you know when I’m here?” He smiled and glided down the hall toward me. “I only know of one other who can sense me,” he added before I could answer. “Ian.”

  Raven has the unique ability to disappear into the shadows. He can be literally invisible, as long as there is darkness to hide in. I’ve been able to feel his presence since I first met him.

  “What do you want?” I asked again, annoyance clouding my voice.

  “Ian asked me to check up on you,” Raven admitted. “He’s really got it bad for you, Leah.” He shrugged.

  Shit. “I really don’t want relationship advice from you. I’m tired.”

  He raised his hands in front of him. “Fair enough.” He smiled. “I’m just doing what he asked me to.”

  “Well,” I crossed my arms and rolled my neck to ease the tension there, “I’m going to bed. If you want to stand out here all night, that’s your problem.” I turned to walk into my apartment.

  “Hell, if you don’t need me, I have a trip to pack for.” Raven walked past me toward the exit.

  “Where are you going?” I heard myself say before my brain could stop me. I really didn’t want to start a conversation in the apartment hallway so why the hell didn’t I just shut up? Curiosity is a bitch sometimes.

  “Business.” Raven replied casually. “Not much fun but I’ll be gone for a week or so. I’ll just tell Ian to do his own babysitting.” He glanced down the hall, his eyes telling me Ian had not gone very far after all.

  “You do that,” I said then added, “have a good trip.” I stepped inside. Raven could no more follow me in than Ian could. I hadn’t invited either of them.

  That night as I slept fitfully, I could feel the gentle nudge of Ian trying to break through my shields, ask for entrance, ask for forgiveness.

  Chapter Eight

  “Oh my God!” I shrieked as I threw my arms around Donovan. “I never expected to see you here.” It was nearing dawn. I hadn’t slept well so I’d come into the office early to catch up on some paperwork.

  Donovan Rourke planted a hearty kiss on my forehead before stepping back to look directly down at my face. His smile was impossibly bright; I’d teased him all through training that he had a million-dollar smile. His dark hair was as tussled as if he’d brushed it with nothing more than his five fingers, an act he demonstrated as he pushed his hand through it. I had studied with Donovan to strengthen my shields during training. “I requested a transfer down here when my probationary period expired.”

  My mouth fell open. Indignant I asked, “Your probation is over?”

  Sam walked up behind him and interrupted, “Relax, Leah, yours is over too.”

  I turned a shocked expression toward him. “Since when?” I stammered.

  “Since now.” He pressed a badge into my hands. “Congratulations, Special Agent Wolfe. Welcome to the Southwest Division of SINS. Don’t look so stunned. I couldn’t have transferred you anywhere else. You’d have found a way back here anyway.” His grin was broad.

  I looked from the shiny new badge in my hands to Sam and smiled deeply. “Special Agent Wolfe?” I asked, confused at the ranking.

  “Well, technically, Senior Special Agent Wolfe. Your past experience with the department promoted you to the higher rank.” He gave me a satisfied smile.

  “Thank you, Sam.” I was still staring at my badge like a deer in the headlights.

  “Good, now get your ass back to work.” With that he turned and strode into his small office. “By the way,” Sam stopped in his doorway, “that puts Ramirez as second-in-command on this case.”

  “Oh, I’ll just bet he loved that.” I smiled wickedly. I would have loved to be there when Sam laid that one on him.

  * * * *

  SINS had carved out a small office in a section of the police department. It consisted of a few desks, each with a laptop, and a small office Sam occupied. I plopped down in my chair and indulged myself with one quick spin around.

  Donovan’s desk sat directly across from mine and he took his seat, his smile still spread across his face. “Makes training seem worth it, aye?” he asked sarcastically.

  Training had been hell, more of a boot camp than anything else and there was absolutely nothing in the world that could make me go through it again.

  Donovan had worked with Sam before to help track down a serial killer in the Rocky Mountains Donovan called home. Sam had been impressed, not an easy thing to accomplish, and recruited Donovan as an agent.

  “Hell no!” I answered.

  “That’s what I always liked about you, Leah, you’re as subtle as a sledgehammer.” He flipped off his computer and stood. “My shift is over. Want to join me for breakfast?”

  “Can’t. I gotta catch up on paperwork.” I sat down at my desk.

  “Rain check then?”

  “Sure. See ya, Donovan.” He left while I turned my computer on.

  I printed out the myriad of emails waiting for my attention. I would look at them while on watch. Since the VRA had been made into law, the local police departments had been getting calls from concerned citizens. In true human form, hysteria had run rampant and every leaf that blew in with the evening wind was reported as a monster.

  It took me all of five minutes to register my report on the current stakeout. Absolutely nothing going on and it was my turn to sit in that dank, hot-as-hell apartment to take watch. I shut down my laptop and tucked it into its carrying case. I wanted to catch up on some paperwork when I got home tonight. A quick check of weapons, my trusted Glock nestled in its holster at the small of my back, a silver blade in each boot and a small gun tucked in a shoulder holster. I had a few extra clips full of ammo for each gun stashed in my pocket and I was on my way.

  * * * *

  “’Bout damn time you got here, Wolfe,” Ramirez greeted me “I guess I should congratulate you.”

  “That was painful as hell for you to say, wasn’t it?” I snickered.

  “You have no idea.” He quipped with a half-hearted grunt then slammed the door on his way out.

  Ben walked over and gave me a gentle squeeze. “Congratulations, Leah.” He whispered in my ear. “You want me to hang around today?”

  “No, I got it,” I replied, still staring at the door Ramirez just left through. “Anything new happen last night?”

  “Other than listening to Ramirez bitch all night? Oh wait, that’s not new, he bitches every night.” He hitched a hip against the small table in the room and chuckled.

  “I don’t envy you having to do the shift with him. You’re off tonight aren’t you?” I checked the surveillance log.

  “Yep. Sure you don’t want me to hang around?”

  “No thanks, go get some sleep.” I waved him off.

 
Ben left and I turned all of my attention back to the job at hand. Ben and Ramirez took the night watch and I took the day. It gave me time to catch up on paperwork but it also gave me plenty of time to think, and that’s not so great. My mind kept wandering back to my conversation with Ian the night before. Was he right? Had he hurt me more than Joaquín? If so, why? When my brain got tired of tossing that one around, thoughts of Ian would flow through me. I was going to have to bring a damn crossword book if this stakeout lasted much longer. The last thing I needed was time to reflect on my past love life.

  I spent another long day in the abandoned building that smelled faintly of urine and mold and still there was nothing new—no signs of distress, no sign of the vampire that had been described to us by Malvin, who was still being held at the station. A knock on the door let me know Ramirez had returned for the night watch.

  I held my Glock at my side as I checked the peephole, surprised to see Ben on the other side.

  “I thought it was your night off, what the hell are you doing here?” I asked when he closed the door behind him.

  “It is my night off.” He smiled mischievously. “I’m taking you out for a beer.”

  “Are you old enough to drink, babyface?” I teased.

  “I’m old enough to do a lot of things,” he teased back.

  I laughed out loud. “I’ll just bet you are. If you don’t behave yourself I’ll have to tell that pretty little girlfriend of yours.”

  “She’s coming with us.”

  Chapter Nine

  After Ramirez arrived, I headed back to my apartment for a quick shower and change of clothes before driving to meet Ben at Luigi’s. It had taken me almost an hour. The long drive from the city to the small town I love was stalled by traffic. I felt the excitement bubbling in the air as soon as I stepped out of the car. I let the sensation flow into me, took a deep breath of night air, and was rewarded with the flowery scent of sagebrush blooming along the front of Luigi’s. It was a rarity. The sagebrush could easily be overpowered by the nearby cattle farms depending on the direction of the breeze.

  I would have liked to let my shields down, just a little bit, to take in all of the positive energy I could. I didn’t dare. I was afraid to let them down and give Ian a chance to crawl back into my head again.

  I pulled open the door and was greeted by a room full of my family and friends. “Congratulations, Leah.” Wilson’s voice boomed over the noise.

  I could feel the heat coloring my face and knew it must be as red as if I’d spent the day in the sun instead of the nasty-ass apartment we were using for surveillance. “How did you…”

  My question was cut off when Ben walked up, two beers in one hand, his arm slung around his girlfriend’s shoulders and a shit-eating grin plastered to his face. “You didn’t think I’d just let this slide, did you?” He handed me one of the beers. “Congratulations, Leah.”

  Before I had a chance to respond, Alli swooped in and gave me a hug. “You should have told us, Leah. You know how proud we are of you. My daughter, the federal agent.” Tears glistened in her eyes. I knew they were tears of joy but I also knew there was a hint of fear behind them. Alli was the only real mom I’d ever known and I knew she and Wilson loved me as much as if I’d been born to them, as much as I loved them.

  “I just found out myself this morning. How did you put this together so fast?” I wondered.

  Alli shook her head. “It wasn’t me.” She nodded toward Ben.

  “You?” I asked, not quite masking the shock in my voice.

  “You’ve been a mentor to me all through training. I might have quit if it wasn’t for you. I just wanted to thank you.”

  Truly touched I reached up and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you, Ben.”

  “Hey, there’s a party going on in here in case you didn’t notice!” Luigi Sansa stood arm and arm with his wife Sofia, the owners of Luigi’s and two of my very good friends. “Come, come. We have set out a buffet so we can all enjoy the festivities.”

  “You closed the restaurant tonight? For this? For me?” I asked incredulously.

  “Not to worry, Leah. Your friend Ben rented it for the night. Now come and eat.”

  Luigi’s had been decorated for Halloween. Vampires were the theme of the night and pictures and holograms of them hung everywhere. The depiction was almost comical. Long fangs with blood dripping from them, ghostly white faces and slicked back hair. Wolfmen were represented in the frightening posters of old movies and decorations. The half-man, half-wolf with long claws and canine teeth.

  Tony and Rosa, Luigi and Sofia’s children handled the bar and I saw Ramirez, Wilson’s right-hand man and my current partner, sitting at the bar with a drink engaged in conversation with some other officers from the department. I made my way to the bar, ordered another beer and put my hand on Ramirez’s shoulder.

  “Who’s got watch tonight?” I asked.

  “Wilson stuck a rookie detective up there. He knew you wouldn’t want me to miss this.” He added with a touch of the sarcasm that pretty much summed up our relationship.

  “If anyone was ever better suited for the Spook Squad, it’s you, Wolfe,” Ramirez snarled.

  “Spook Squad?” I hadn’t heard SINS referred to as that before.

  “That’s what some of the cops at the station started calling you guys.” Ramirez lifted a shoulder. “I’ll still be riding your ass though.”

  “In your dreams, Ramirez,” I countered.

  My relationship with Ramirez had always been based on the smart-assed comments we hurled at each other on a daily basis. My status as a federal agent wasn’t likely to change that, which was fine by me.

  I talked with some of the cops who came to wish me luck then made my way to the table where Lily Armstrong and Aaron Omusa sat.

  Lily was the dispatcher at the reservation police department and Aaron was a reservation cop. The third bottle at the table let me know that Joaquín was nearby somewhere.

  “Leah!” Lily bounded out of her seat. “It’s so good to see you. I haven’t had a chance to get up to the city to visit. I’m so glad you’re back.”

  Aaron stood and gave me a quick hug. “Congratulations, Agent Wolfe.” He reached for his beer bottle and stepped back as Joaquín approached. “Let’s go hit the buffet, Lily.” Lily smiled nervously then followed him over to the food table.

  “Leah.” Joaquín reached for his drink. Even though I was standing, he still towered over me. If I were to wrap my arms around him my head would rest just at his heart. His body was lean and muscular, not too built like a body-builder, but with muscles that strained under his skin and gave him a hard, sexy body. He wore jeans slung low on his narrow hips, cupping his ass nicely along with his usual cowboy boots. His shirt was stretched tight across his chest. I felt myself blush when I realized I’d been looking at him just a little too long, and then blushed deeper still when I saw the pure male satisfaction glinting in his dark, almond-shaped eyes. “It’s good to see you too,” he all but purred.

  “Your looks were never your problem, Joaquín.” I took a drink of my beer as I sat in the wooden chair at the table. “Did you know about this?”

  “Just found out this afternoon. You look great.” He sat and leaned closer to me.

  I put the beer bottle to my lips and took a long pull. “It doesn’t sound like too much has changed around here.” I made an attempt to keep the conversation less personal.

  Joaquín leaned back. “You’d be surprised.” He took a drink. “You never told me if you are you staying in the city or moving back down here?”

  “Definitely here. You know I’m not a big fan of busy city life. I have a realtor looking for rental places for me now.”

  He leaned in close enough for me to see the shadow of beard growth on his cheeks and chin. “I know a place that’s available,” he breathed.

  I nearly choked on my beer. “Joaquín, I don’t think either of us is ready for that.”

  “Relax; your o
ld place is available. The family that lived there just moved out. The guy got a job offer he couldn’t refuse, bought his own house up north somewhere and moved out about a month ago. Looks like the owner has done some renovating since then.”

  I pulled my phone from my pocket. “Why didn’t you tell me the other night?”

  “I didn’t know you were looking for a new place the other night.”

  “Thanks, Joaquín,” I said as I dialed my realtor’s number.

  Joaquín sat patiently while I made my call, occasionally taking a sip of his beer but keeping his gaze on me while I spoke. I prolonged the call in an effort to avoid the intensity of Joaquín’s scrutiny but finally had to hang up.

  He pursed his lips in thought. “I’m not the same man I was before. I’ve changed.”

  “I really don’t want to go there right now, Joaquín. Let’s just enjoy the party.”

  He placed his hand on mine. “I have, Leah. I’ve changed.”

  I furrowed my brow in doubt. “That’s original.”

  He nodded sheepishly. “I know.” He leaned forward and pinned me with his eyes. “Look, I know you said you didn’t want to talk about it, but it’s true, Leah. I’ve taken some time to really examine my life and I know I can’t apologize enough for what I did to you. I was a bastard.”

  “Well at least we agree on that.” I pulled my hand away from his.

  He straightened in his seat. “I want you back.”

  “It was just dinner, Joaquín. I don’t need this right now.” I sighed.

  “Your body still reacts to mine.”

  “That means I’m horny, Joaquín, nothing more,” I said in exasperation.

  He stood, forcing me to lean back to look up at him. “Oh,” he said thoughtfully, “I think it means more.” With that he leaned down and captured my lips with his. Surprise warred with desire and I couldn’t stifle the small moan that escaped me. Joaquín ended the kiss just as quickly as he started it and walked away. I didn’t need to see the look on his face to know he was gloating. He was right; my body still did react to his.