Family

by Crissy Smith

  “Food’s here,” Kieran interrupted. James and Caden glanced at the door, which no one had knocked at.

  Dakota was used to Kieran hearing the elevator and the cart being rolled to their suite. She crossed the room and had the door open seconds after the hotel employee knocked.

  It only took a few moments to get their dinner set up and the employee to leave.

  “We’ll take off, so you can enjoy your food in peace. But please call if you get a lead on our case.” James passed Kieran a card.

  Kieran accepted the small rectangle of paper before slipping it into his pocket. “See you at the office.”

  “Sure thing.” James motioned to Caden to follow him.

  “And, James?” Kieran called out before the human agent could open the door.

  “Yeah?” James didn’t even turn around.

  “Wear jeans tomorrow,” Kieran ordered.

  James shook his head. “I look damn good in my suits.”

  Dakota waited until James and Caden had left and the door behind them was closed before walking to the table. “I don’t know what I think about those two.”

  “James is a good agent. He’ll be an asset to the office,” Kieran said. He already had the dome off his dish and was pulling the plate filled with the steak, potatoes and vegetables to him.

  “Sit down and eat,” she ordered. “You don’t need to stand over your laptop and watch the search run.”

  He chuckled but complied. Dakota sat across from him. “How do you know that James is a good agent?” There was no way that Kieran had had time to run a search on the agents. Hell, he’d probably talked someone into doing it for him.

  “Caspar told me,” Kieran said around a mouthful of rare steak.

  She should have known. Caspar wasn’t going to assign Kieran anyone the boss wasn’t one hundred percent sure of. “And Caden? I don’t think I’ve heard him say one word.”

  “He scored the highest from his group in his training class, but that doesn’t mean it’ll transfer over to real life. Caspar wants to make sure he doesn’t get himself killed in his first month,” Kieran shared.

  “And he put him with you?” Dakota was starting to doubt their boss’ sanity.

  “Trial by fire,” Kieran told her. “If he’s not going to be able to hack it in Vegas, Caspar needs to know now if he needs to be transferred to another division.”

  Yep, Caspar was losing his mind. Kieran was the worst choice to evaluate a shifter. “He could have been put with my team. We’re uneven with three when most teams are just two people.”

  Kieran shrugged. “Do you want a new partner?”

  When Dakota had been assigned to the Vegas office, she’d been partnered up with Caspar’s nephew, Dean. The two of them had worked for years as the top field team until Dean had decided to follow his true passion and been asked to be put in the lab. Dean had hated field work while Dakota thrived on the investigations.

  Since Gabe and Dare had been the team that had backed them up the most, she’d been put with them after Dean had moved to the lab. She liked both Gabe and Dare, but she wasn’t as close to them as she had been to Dean. Before she’d met Kieran, Dean had been her best friend. Now she only saw him once a week or so. They worked different shifts, so it was hard to line up any time to see each other.

  “A new partner? I don’t know.” Dakota hadn’t really thought about it. She was just wondering about the new agents while talking out loud.

  “I’m pretty sure that it’s my fault you don’t have a new partner,” Kieran told her.

  Dakota paused with her fork full of lasagne halfway to her mouth. “Explain.”

  “He knows that if he sticks you with a partner who puts you in danger, I’m likely to kill them,” Kieran answered. He never stopped shoving his food in his mouth as he talked. Dakota frowned. He shouldn’t be that hungry. Hadn’t he eaten that day. Wait, what? “What?”

  Kieran finally looked up. “If you got hurt because your partner was stupid, I’d kill your partner. That would probably lead to a whole bunch of paperwork that I wouldn’t want to do. Then Caspar would have to nag me to do the paperwork. It would become a whole thing.” He waved his hand.

  For a brief moment, Dakota had absolutely no idea how to respond to Kieran’s statement. The way he spoke, so casually, about killing another agent should have scared her. “You… I…” She dropped her fork. “You already threatened Caspar with that!” she accused. Holy shit, she knew that Kieran was different from other agents, but this was over the top even for him.

  “I didn’t threaten,” Kieran defended himself. “I merely informed our boss what would happen if you were hurt in the field.”

  “What about Dare and Gabe?” she asked.

  Kieran tore into a hot roll before he began to butter it. “They’ve proven that they have more than half a brain. They’re okay, for now.”

  “Okay for now,” she repeated. Dakota sat back and watched her lover as he stuffed half the roll in his mouth. This was outrageous and yet she wasn’t mad. Maybe Kieran was starting to rub off on her just a little too much.

  There was a beep from the laptop and she jumped up. She needed to think about sacrifices and blood and weird symbols. That she could deal with. Kieran’s declaration needed to be pushed to the back of her mind. Way back. Jeez, they were a screwed-up couple if he went around killing people who caused her to get hurt and she was turned on by that fact.

  Kieran’s laptop screen was blinking with the notification that a result had been found.

  “What is it?” he asked. He hadn’t slowed down one bit.

  “Jeez, didn’t you eat earlier?” she questioned.

  “Forgot,” Kieran said. “We got in a fight, drove around looking for wild dogs, visited, like, twenty bars then had to chase down a purse snatcher. When Remy wanted to get dinner, I had him drop me off here to change clothes instead. I was all dirty. I don’t like to eat food when I’m all dirty. You know that.”

  “Yeah, sure.” She was only half-listening to Kieran’s explanation. The report that she’d clicked on already had her complete attention. It hadn’t actually been Kieran’s case but one that he’d come into later after a couple of agents had gone missing.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Dakota jumped, not having realized that Kieran was up from the table and standing behind her.

  He slid his palm down her back, soothing her.

  She hit Print so she could read the entire report without answering him. He was reading over her shoulder, anyway.

  “This was years ago,” Kieran murmured. “Right after I came out of training. Remy hadn’t even been assigned to me yet. I think Angel did most of the research while I tried to find any trace of the agents. I don’t remember much of it.”

  Could it be a copy-cat or something more sinister going on?

  As soon as the printer finished spitting out the pages she needed, she grabbed them then moved to the couch. She read as Kieran used the laptop to refresh his memory of the case.

  Halfway through the first page, Dakota was glad she hadn’t gotten more than a couple of bites down. Her stomach roiled as the gruesome details of the murdered agents were revealed. Whoever had written the report hadn’t spared any detail.

  “Jesus Christ,” she muttered. “This is bad… Really bad.” There were too many similarities between Kieran’s early case and what was currently happening. She needed to call Caspar. She had to warn Damon. This was going to be a fucking mess.

  * * * *

  Kieran didn’t like it when Dakota left for early morning meetings. They were supposed to be tucked away in bed with her in his arms, the mountain of blankets and pillows comforting them as they peacefully dreamed.

  Instead of sleeping, Dakota had run around like a madwoman, organizing meetings and putting together reports of what she suspected. Kieran couldn’t sleep without her, which meant that at nine in the morning, he was wandering around on the bottom floor of the casino. He didn’t gamble, hated cro
wds and didn’t have anything better to do.

  He reached out and grabbed the hand that nearly touched his shoulder. Just because he was tired didn’t mean he’d let his guard down. Kieran squeezed the slim wrist in his hold.

  “You could break my wrist and I still wouldn’t utter a sound,” Alex growled into his ear.

  “I should, I really should,” Kieran threatened. “And you should know better than to come up behind me.” He let go of Alex.

  “I actually thought I had a chance of sneaking up on you,” Alex told him. He strolled forward until he stood before Kieran.

  That comment from anyone else would have been hilarious, but Alex meant it. He’d been working hard to hone his skills after finding out how powerful Kieran was. Alex didn’t like knowing there was anyone out there stronger than him or Jackson. Alex’s entire life was dedicated to protecting Jackson. If Kieran hadn’t been a friend, then he would have been a real danger.

  Knowing that he’d never beat Kieran using his Walker powers, Alex had begun to learn what he could improve. He’d even gone through some sort of Navy Seal training.

  “Right before you went to grab me, you shuffled your feet,” Kieran told him, hoping to be helpful.

  “Really?” Alex frowned. “I didn’t know I did that.”

  “You were adjusting your stance to be able to make the grab,” Kieran said. “If I’d been anyone other than me, you’d have succeeded.”

  Alex nodded, obviously paying close attention to Kieran’s advice.

  “Stop hesitating,” Kieran said. “Think about what you want to do then do it.”

  “Okay.” Alex glanced around. “Where’s Dakota? Why are you even awake right now?”

  “She had to go into the office,” Kieran answered.

  “And she left you here on your own?” Alex questioned. “Does she hate me?”

  “I promised her I’d stay out of trouble,” Kieran offered.

  “That’s why you’re prowling like a caged lion?”

  Kieran scoffed. “I don’t prowl. I think I’m offended by that.”

  Alex nudged Kieran out of the walkway toward the coffee shop. “Let me buy you a drink. Then I need to get some last-minute work done before I head to bed myself.”

  “Fine,” he agreed, following Alex. He did like the coffee down there. After he finished his coffee he was going to go back the suite so no one else could accuse him of looking for trouble. Luckily the line was short and he soon had a steaming cup of house brew in his hand.

  Alex’s phone chimed and Kieran waved him off even before Alex started to make his excuses to having to leave. It wasn’t easy being head of security for the empire that Jackson had created. There was even less time for Alex to have any kind of life than it was for agents working with the Organization. Kieran was going to have to remind Jackson again that Alex needed time off.

  Alex hurried away with one hand holding his cup and the other up to his ear as he barked orders into the phone. Someone was in trouble. Kieran settled himself into a small table located in the corner. He could see the entire entrance and all the other patrons from his seat.

  He narrowed his gaze at the young woman who was openly staring at him.

  Usually just the sight of Kieran was enough to have a stranger scurrying away, especially when he scowled, like he was now.

  The young lady smiled.

  What in the hell is wrong with her?

  He had a wall at his back and no one could come up behind him. That didn’t stop his urge to look over his shoulder to see who she might be pleased to see. He resisted, barely, and picked up his coffee to ignore her. Maybe if he pretended she wasn’t there, she’d stop.

  Less than three minutes later, the girl was standing next to his table.

  “Go away,” Kieran growled.

  “I’m Kayla,” she responded.

  “Don’t care,” he replied.

  “No, you’re supposed to say it’s nice to meet me,” she told him. “Ask me to sit with you.”

  “You’re way too young for me,” he said. “Are you even old enough to be in the casino? Why don’t you go talk to the barista?” Kieran waved to the college-aged kid behind the counter.

  “But I want to talk to you, Kieran.”

  He straightened. “I didn’t tell you my name.” Kieran was suspicious now. Was this one of his father’s spies? His father couldn’t get into the hotel without being recognized so he’d sent this girl? He took a deep breath and pulled in the same familiar scent as his mate. That couldn’t be right. There were differences, but this girl was a jaguar shifter.

  She sat down and peered at him. “Put it together yet?” she asked.

  His mind still on his father, Kieran was ready to do battle.

  “I don’t need you to tell me your name because everyone here knows it. And Dakota’s. When I saw my aunt with you, I was intrigued. I can’t scent you so I find that strange but maybe it’s an agent thing…”

  Kieran’s mind was spinning with all the words the girl spewed. Aunt, lack of scent—what the hell was going on?

  “Listen, little girl—”

  “My name’s Kayla,” she replied patiently. “I’m your girlfriend’s niece. I came to meet the aunt who’s never been around.”

  “That’s not her fault. You should go home before you get involved in things that you have no business knowing about,” he advised. Kieran wasn’t sure how Dakota would take the sudden appearance of her niece. Did Dakota even know she had one? Probably. Kieran just wasn’t certain how close tabs she kept on her family.

  “Like the Organization?” Kayla asked.

  Kieran didn’t respond. He darted his gaze around to make sure that no one was paying attention.

  Kayla leaned forward. “You work there too?” Kayla sounded excited. “I tried to ask my dad about it, but he didn’t know anything. He said they don’t ever talk about it.”

  “And yet you seem to know,” Kieran pointed out.

  “My favorite cousin was first born. He told me that he’d be leaving when he was ten. I was eight. He told me what he knew, but a ten-year-old doesn’t really explain the way things work too well. After Greg left, I found some journals in my grandpa’s library from an ancestor who was one of the first agents in our family.”

  Kieran nodded to encourage Kayla to keep talking. He’d been hesitant to ask Dakota about her family and this was free information. He still didn’t know how he was going to tell Dakota that her long-lost niece had shown up, but he’d worry about that later.

  “I’ve tried to contact Greg, but he’d been in some kind of school that wouldn’t allow me to talk to him and now he lives in London,” Kayla told him. “I went through the ledger and found Dakota’s name. It’s taken me a couple of years to track down where she is but I finally got a lead when I saw a news report with her name on it. She looks just like my grandma and I knew she was my family.”

  “How old are you?” he asked.

  “I turned eighteen over the summer,” Kayla replied.

  Jeez, so young. “And where do your parents think you are?” There was no way Dakota’s family was aware that Kayla was tracking her down.

  Kayla shrugged. “On a road trip for with some friends. It’s supposed to be my high school graduation present.”

  “You should get back on the road and take that trip,” Kieran advised her.

  The way Kayla slumped and crossed her arms over her chest really did show how young she was. “I want to talk to my aunt.”

  There was no good option here. Kayla wouldn’t leave until she’d met Dakota and Dakota wouldn’t be able to give Kayla the answers she was seeking. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I just want you to introduce me,” Kayla said. “I tried to walk up and just talk to her, but I chickened out. Does she even know she has a niece? Or nephews? My brother doesn’t remember much about her.”

  “I can…talk to her for you,” Kieran offered. “But I’m not making any promises.”

&
nbsp; Kayla bounced in her chair. “You will?”

  “That doesn’t mean she’ll want to see you,” Kieran reminded her. He didn’t want to hurt the child, but what Kayla was doing would get her in a lot of trouble. He honestly couldn’t say what Dakota would do, but reporting her niece was a good possibility. Dakota was a true agent. “Where are you staying?”

  “My friends and I have a small vacation house north of here,” she said. “We thought it would be easier than staying in a hotel. We can’t get into the casinos anyway.”

  “Okay. Give me your number and I’ll give you a call after I talk to Dakota.”

  Kayla excitedly wrote her number on a napkin with the coffee shop logo before shoving it at him. “Thank you!” She raced around the table and hugged his neck before he could stop her. No one touched Kieran. Ever. He wasn’t even sure how to respond.

  Luckily, as quickly as she’d hugged him, she was letting go.

  “I’ll wait for your call,” Kayla said before scurrying away, leaving Kieran to question what he’d offered. He needed to find a way to talk to Dakota and keep her calm. He really couldn’t see this situation going well. And he couldn’t blame Dakota one bit.

  She’d been marked from the second she’d been brought into the world. There’d been no doubt about what her future held. Dakota’s legacy had been determined centuries ago.

  He’d once asked Dakota what she would have done if she’d been given a choice. She’d peered at him in confusion before admitting she’d never thought about it because it had never been and never would be possible. She’d be an agent until she died.

  With his thoughts returning to the darkness he wished to keep away, he stood from the table. He tossed his near-empty cup in the trash as he passed by the receptacle. Kieran marched directly to the elevator that would take him back to the suite. He had his own investigation to look into. He hoped that would keep his mind off everything else that was happening.

  * * * *

  Dakota’s hand shook as she passed around copies of the report she’d typed up. It had taken hours, but she was happy with all the information she’d been able to gather. She’d drunk so much coffee that she was practically buzzing. Still, she’d managed to get through the morning without giving in to her exhaustion.