Wild is the Blue

by Cecilia Randell

  Mo’ata focused on her. “Now we watch, and we wait. I send all of this off to the Boss, and Zeynar has his men look into things from their end.”

  “Felix, do we tell your father the rest of why we’re here?” Forrest chimed in.

  “No. If he figures it out, that’s fine. But we’ll wait to involve him officially.” Felix’s cheeks flushed.

  Mo’ata pinned the mercenary with a hard stare. “He doesn’t know you are part of the Order?”

  “He does not, and I would like to keep it that way for as long as possible, so stop mentioning it directly. I only joined after I left home.”

  So many thing became clear to Mo’ata with that statement. Demil’s comments about running away from home, why the Boss had waited this long to use Felix in his position as a general’s son, why the mercenary was so reluctant for everyone to know who his father was.

  Mo’ata was also skeptical of the general’s ignorance. If Felix was correct in his estimation of his father’s intelligence, it stood to reason General Audal knew what his son was up to.

  Felix had a definite blind spot when it came to his father.

  Blue rose and crossed over to the mercenary. Laying a gentle hand on him, she peered up. “You okay?”

  Felix made a biting gesture at her. Blue smiled.

  That apparently meant he was okay.

  Mo’ata looked around at the people gathered near a pond in a Cularnian general’s garden. His prida, his family. Every single one of them had their own pasts, their own fears. They had their own little rituals with Blue, and he knew each held different places in her heart.

  Each of them brought something different into the family.

  He’d once told Forrest that Blue would need more than the normal amount of protectors. He’d been right. But this family wasn’t just for Blue, it was for all of them.

  She was the thread that brought them all together.

  And she was doing a magnificent job.

  JACKSON AUDAL

  He shut off the recordings and sighed. His youngest had a few things to learn if he thought a mere scrambler would stop him from knowing exactly what went on in his own home. And if he thought Jackson Audal didn’t know precisely what his son had been up to since leaving home, he was more than foolish.

  I’ll allow my son his delusions.

  Ekarill, however, was another matter. The man no doubt thought Jackson wouldn’t have placed surveillance in his wife’s solar, to allow her to have her privacy. What he didn’t know, what no one knew, was Mira asked to have the equipment placed in there. His wife had an interesting mind. To her, having her husband know what she was doing and who she was talking to was only proper—because they were family.

  Jackson shook his head. After all these years, there were times he still didn’t understand her Martikan mind-set.

  His chest burned as the words of his youngest came back to him. If this Blue had been born on Cularna, what would he have thought of her?

  And how can I condemn my son for loving a woman not of this world, when I have done the same.

  He shook off the thought. Those were two very different circumstances. His mind would not be changed so easily.

  Pulling the secure message window up on his tablet, he sent a comm off to Merrick and attached the recordings. His eldest had been briefed yesterday and had men tracing Ekarill’s movements. With this new development, maybe they could find out exactly what his old friend was up to.

  Chapter 25

  JASON

  He pushed open the bar’s alley door with his shoulder and swung the garbage bag through the opening, aiming for the dumpster to the left. If he could avoid going out, he would. A front was moving in, and living in Texas for so long for his last assignment had not prepared him for November nights in Denver.

  The bag hit the dumpster edge and fell to the alley floor.

  “Crap.” Jason darted out the door and down the few steps to the pavement. He grabbed the black plastic, swung it into the dumpster, and spun around to head back into the bar.

  “Let go.”

  The voice was female, and shrill with either anger or panic. It was too faint for him to make out which. But, either way, he couldn’t ignore it.

  Even if I am about to freeze my fingers off. Literally.

  He strode for the alley mouth. A man, his stringy hair poking from beneath a knit cap, leaned into a woman cornered against the brick wall.

  “Hey!” Jason called out. “Get away from her.”

  The man stiffened, then twisted his head to stare at Jason. Pale skin turned a sickly yellow under the street lights, and blood-shot eyes to match the ragged hair. Cracked lips stretched in a grin that sent a chill through Jason.

  Or, maybe that was the damn wind.

  “Back off, buddy,” Jason warned as he closed the distance between them.

  The man’s head cocked. “You don’t know what you’re getting in the middle of.”

  The women darted to the side, but the man caught her shoulder with thin hands and slammed her back into the brick.

  Jason didn’t waste time on any more talk. Grabbing the man’s shoulder, much as he had the woman, Jason landed a blow to his jaw. The man’s head snapped back, the grin still in place.

  The woman slid down the wall, away from the fight. The man reached for her, and Jason blocked him. “Head for the bar, tell Tony behind the counter to call the cops for you,” he shouted at her. She ran.

  Jason continued to grapple with the man. Despite his thin frame, he was surprisingly strong, and recovered from the hits Jason landed in moments.

  Something’s not right. Jason was no slouch. He had at least thirty pounds and five inches on this guy.

  The man spun, his foot shooting out and catching Jason’s thigh. Jason staggered and the man used the opportunity to disappear into the street. Friday night at eleven in the university district? Jason wasn’t going to find him.

  He looked anyway. Darting out onto the sidewalk, he scanned the crowded street. Bundled up students, couples hanging from each other’s arms, neon glinting off patches of snow, SUVs with their blinding headlights all met his gaze. No ragged man with crazy eyes.

  A gust of wind caught him, and he shuddered. He’d go check in with the woman, make sure she was all right, get his coat, and show the police where everything had gone down.

  Sliding back into the bar, he made his way through the kitchen and storage room and up to the barroom. Tony leaned against the wood top of the bar, speaking to the woman. As Jason drew closer, he was finally able to make out her features. She’d been in shadow in the alley, and most of his attention had been on her attacker.

  Medium brown hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders. An oval face and short nose. Thin lips. Nicely spaced hazel eyes.

  Jason knew this face. This and three others were in the data Trevon had given him, one of the people suspected of being involved with Miyari and Ekarill.

  Schooling his expression, he joined Tony behind the bar. “Hey, you okay?” He asked the woman. “Jason, by the way.” He held out his hand.

  “Emily,” she said, taking his hand. “And I’m fine, really. I was just telling your boss he has a hero for an employee, but there’s no need to call the cops.” She gave him an easy smile.

  He returned it, and forced a tinge of regret into the expression. “He got away. I’m really sorry about that. Don’t you think you should at least report it? What if he goes after someone else?” He needed to keep her here, keep her talking. Even better if he could get the local cops involved.

  She waved off the suggestion. “I didn’t even get a very good look at him.” Biting her lip, she cast a quick glance toward the door. “Do you have a restroom? I’d like to… clean up a little.”

  Tony pointed her to the back hall then turned to Jason. “What she say true? Was some homeless guy hiding in the alley?”

  “Don’t know about hiding there, but when I found ‘em they were just inside the alley. Wouldn’t hurt t
o call anyway. I could give a report, I got an okay look at the guy.”

  Tony shrugged. “If she’s not going to make the report, don’t know how much they’ll do.”

  “Doesn’t hurt.”

  “I’ll give them a call.” Tony looked him over. “Better go clean up yourself. Can’t have you serving covered in slush and blood.” He grinned. “Though, I’m sure the ladies will like it. Been meaning to ask, you got a girl? Never seen you take any of the ones here up on their invitations.”

  Jason hesitated. “I’ve got a girl,” he finally said.

  “Yeah? You sure?”

  “She’s out of town. At school.” All true.

  “Damn. Good luck with that. Long distance is hard.”

  You have no idea. Jason waved to the back. “Gonna go clean up.”

  As he was coming out of the men’s room, he ran into Emily. The disheveled hair was smoothed down, and the few smudges were gone from her face.

  “You really okay? Want me to call a cab or share-ride for you?” Address, I need an address. Damnit, why does my shift have to last another three hours?

  She opened her mouth, no doubt to refuse once more, then closed it. Her eyes flicked and she gripped the strap of her purse. “You know, I think I’ll take you up on that. Maybe you could help me with something?”

  He leaned toward her and smiled. “Sure thing. What do you need? I am in hero mode.” He hated himself a little right then for flirting, but he—they—needed this lead. If he could just keep her from disappearing…

  “I think I lost something. My ID badge. I can get another, of course, but it’s a pain in the ass. My boss is real particular with things like that.”

  “Want me to go look in the alley for you? I’d hate to have you go back out there in the cold, though I don’t think that guy’s coming back any time soon.” A burly guy pressed past them, and Jason was shoved into her side. “Let’s get you back to the bar, Tony can help order you a car. I’ll go see what I can find, oaky?”

  “Appreciate it.” She hiked her purse and went back to the bar.

  ID badge. Fucking hell, that would be perfect. Get where she worked, he could find her again, track her from there…

  After a quick check-in with Tony, who had taken over the flirting, thank the universe, Jason grabbed his coat and headed back out to the alley. It took ten minutes of shifting through dirty snow and enduring blasting gusts of freezing air, but he found it.

  New Green Solutions, Inc.

  Emily Jameson

  Manager of Administration

  He snorted. That had to be the most generic company name. And her job title? What did that even mean?

  It was the perfect cover. A nondescript job that no one would be interested in asking about, at a company whose name sounded like a thousand others in the area. Jason snapped a few photos of the front and back, then headed inside.

  Holding up the badge, he grinned at her. “Look what I found!”

  She snatched it from him and beamed. “You really are my hero.” Her phone beeped. “And my ride is here.”

  “Come back to the bar some time, I’ll treat you.”

  She shuddered.

  “No more crazy homeless guys, I promise,” he said.

  Giving a noncommittal smile, she moved off into the crowd and out the front door.

  “Thought you had a girl?” Tony asked as he filled a pint glass.

  Jason suppressed a grimace. “As you said, long distance is hard.”

  Tony laughed.

  Jason promised himself a long, cleansing shower when he got home.

  Hair still wet and skin pink from scrubbing, Jason sat at his desk. From the back of the middle drawer, he pulled out the transponder. Rolling it in his fingers, he contemplated his next course of action.

  To call or not to call?

  If he was honest, he had nothing yet. He had a name, and a business. That was it. What would Zeynar do with that, that Jason couldn’t? And, he wasn’t ready to throw away his years of training and his career, not for this.

  Not yet.

  His fist curled around the device. He could call Blue…

  He shoved it back into the drawer.

  I wonder if Zeynar really delivered my note.

  Did Blue like it?

  Will she write back?

  He’d lied to Tony. He wasn’t in a relationship with Blue, not like that, anyway. But the lie had fallen all too easily from his lips, and a growing part of him wanted it to be true.

  All the time he’d missed, with her and with the others. How had Forrest’s exhibit gone? How was Blue doing with her studies? Who was it bothering her? Was it that Blaine? He’d spoken to Agent Borran, his handler, about the boy and expressed his concerns. Maybe he needed to do so again.

  How was Beast, and the cubs? They’d likely be the size of a bobcat by now, or maybe a lynx. They’d been growing so rapidly.

  What movies had the guys watched? Was Forrest still using all his pennies to get the others to cook for him?

  Had Blue and Felix sorted things out? When he’d left, she’d been getting frustrated with how slow the big mercenary wanted to take things.

  His gaze wandered back to the drawer. What if I…?

  Jason groaned and rubbed his eyes. Shoving away from the desk, he turned out the light and went to his bedroom. He needed to get to sleep. Tomorrow his duties began in earnest.

  Chapter 26

  TREVON

  Steering his borrowed pouma mount closer to Blue, he drew in a breath. Yes, he’d not been mistaken earlier.

  She was wearing his scent. Sweet, with a hint of floral and tart citrus. It was perfect for her.

  He hummed in satisfaction.

  Beast eyed him, the pouma, and then turned forward once more, determining they were no danger to his rider.

  Trevon made a mental note to have proper accommodations arranged for the quorin, for when Blue came to his home.

  Snow-capped mountains rose into the sky to their left, the golden light glinting off the top so they look tipped in the precious metal. A cool breeze picked up Blue’s hair and tangled it around her face. A bird of prey circled the sky above them, and the long grasses rustled as the mounts pushed their way through them.

  It was a lovely day. Too bad they were not here only to relax.

  A lone tree stood in the distance, its branches spread in a wide, sheltering circle. “That where we’re headed?”

  “Yes,” Felix replied from ahead. “It’s a good picnic spot. And one of my favorites. I wanted to show Blue some of my childhood.”

  And it’s far enough from home we can likely talk, Trevon finished for him.

  He suppressed the urge to check his comm once more. Nothing from Jason so far. It had only been a little less than a week since he’d gone to visit the Ministry agent, but Trevon’s instincts were stirring, the same ones that had kept him alive countless times. It was foolish to ignore them.

  Nothing I can do at the moment. Instead, Trev turned to Blue. “I like it on you. The scent. It suits. I knew it would.”

  She blushed.

  Damn, he wanted to drag her from that devil-mount of hers and into his arms. Close. He was so damn close to having her.

  When they reached the tree, Felix spread a blanket and set out the food the kitchen had packed for them. He also carefully examined the baskets and dishes as he did so.

  Little late to look for surveillance equipment now, mercenary. Trevon shook his head. Felix really was off his game for this assignment. It was a good thing they were here to attract attention. Otherwise, this whole thing would have been a bust before they even left Karran.

  Just in case it would do some good, Trevon activated his scrambler.

  After Blue, Forrest, and the cubs were settled with plates of food, Trevon grabbed some for himself. He noted Levi also waited. Felix and Mo’ata made no move to feed themselves.

  Blue noticed as well. She pointed at the baskets. “Eat. Does no good to starve yourself. Tell u
s what you found out after.” Then she spooned up a bite of the stew they’d specially requested for her and shoved it in her mouth, her eyes closing in pure pleasure.

  When everyone had eaten, Mo’ata stood again and paced. “We don’t have much,” he started, then proceeded to fill them in on what their Boss had discovered.

  Ekarill had made contact with a smuggler named Trill Cranes, based out of Sturg. She was known for her ability to acquire contraband from closed worlds, specifically Falass. The ladies from the upper families of the guilds enjoyed the rare clothes and perfumes she was able to get her hands on. She also had a network of freelancers she liked to use for her security work.

  It was found that Portia was one of those ladies, and had dealings with Trill, going back a few years.

  Trevon could have kicked himself. He’d run across the name in his hunt for Miyari, but the lead hadn’t seemed to go anywhere. Looks like I should have checked it further. He’d be going back over his previous investigation again after this.

  “Could these be the same men Miyari used? Do we know about this Trill Cranes?” Levi asked.

  “Still being looked into,” Mo’ata answered. “The concerning part is Portia’s connection. If she is in league with Ekarill, we need to figure out how to warn your family, Felix. For some reason they still trust her.”

  The big man grimaced. “They’re used to her. Plus, she’s stuck around, even though I was gone.”

  “Playing a long game,” Trevon mused. “I’ve known women like her. You did well to escape while you could.”

  Blue narrowed her eyes at him and he grinned and shrugged. He wasn’t going to tell her he was some innocent boy, and she was his first. It wouldn’t be true. She was simply the last. He thought that should count for much more.

  Her expression cleared and she gave him a rueful smile, as though she’d heard everything he’d thought. For all he knew of the cubs’ abilities, she could have.

  “What now?” Blue asked, getting them back on track.

  “We keep watching,” the clansman said.