My face flushed several shades of red and a lump formed in my throat. “Raikidan, what do you think you’re doing?”
He chuckled in my ear. “You said you needed it.”
I exhaled slowly. “Remove yourself from my person.”
“You didn’t have a problem when I was a dog.”
“You’re not wearing any clothes.”
Raikidan chuckled again. “Dogs don’t wear clothes.”
“That’s different! Now, let me go, or else.”
“Or else what?” He challenged low in my ear. “You won’t face me.”
I made a blind attempt to grab his face. “I don’t need to face you.”
Raikidan chuckled and pulled away. When his overwhelming presence disappeared, I stole a glance to see him back in his canine shape.
“Now stay like that.” I went to walk off when I remembered the dog collars. “I almost forgot to give this to you.” Raikidan watched as I rummaged through my bag. “There’s a leash and collar law. You’ll need to wear the collar all the time and if we’re not at the park you’ll need to be on the leash.”
Pulling out a leather collar with silver pyramids from the bag, I faced him and strapped it around his neck. Raikidan sat patiently as I made sure it was secure. I pulled away and smiled. Raikidan looked down in attempt to see it, but to his frustration his head wasn’t the right shape to do so.
I rubbed his head. “Don’t worry, it looks good on you. Now, let’s get going. I don’t want to keep Ryoko waiting any more than necessary.”
Raikidan and I wandered into the garage and looked for Ryoko and Raid. A large blue four-door truck beeped at us and we accepted its invitation. I opened the back door for Raikidan and then hopped into the front next to Ryoko.
“Ready?” she muttered, clearly still in a bad mood thanks to Rylan. I was starting to think she liked Rylan far too much and needed to look elsewhere.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” I replied.
She went to start up the truck but stopped when we heard a loud bark outside the truck. Ryoko and I looked at each other before I opened my door. Sitting outside the truck was Rylan in his wolf-dog form. His head was low and he looked up at me with apologetic eyes. His lip ring was gone, along with his ear chain. It made him look a little more normal, but not completely. Not that it wouldn’t be a problem. We had a story for him if anyone got nosey.
“Change your mind?” I teased. He blinked slowly in response. “All right, let’s go.”
I noticed a small smile form on the corner of his lips and he jumped in. He climbed up on my seat to get into the back and I grunted. I had forgotten how big he was. I should have just opened the back for him. Ryoko looked away from him.
Rylan moved closer to her and licked her on the cheek. “Sorry.”
Ryoko froze and her face flushed. Rylan jumped into the back and settled himself between the other two shifters.
“Oh, I can’t forget.” I rummaged through my backpack and pulled out a studded leather collar. “Raid, you’ll need to wear this.”
Raid sighed. “Do I have to? I hate those things.”
“It’s the law. Now move closer so I can put it on you.”
“Rylan isn’t wearing one.”
“Rylan has one. It just can’t be removed.” I glance at Ryoko. “Isn’t that right, Ryoko?”
Ryoko’s face changed several more shade and she looked out her door window. I refrained from laughing. She had a secret thing for men who wore chokers, and Rylan’s collar with its small chain was close enough.
Raid sighed again and slid half of his body off the seat. Once the collar was secure, I sat back in my seat and waited for Ryoko to start the truck. When she didn’t, I looked to find her still staring out the window with flushed cheeks.
I snapped my fingers in her face. “You going to start the rig so we can go, or what?”
Ryoko blinked and then shook head. “Yeah. I’m just waiting to make sure no one changes their mind last minute.”
“I’m not changing my mind,” Rylan muttered.
“That’s what you said in your room earlier,” Ryoko shot.
I covered my mouth and tried not to laugh, but a giggle came out of my lips. I couldn’t help it.
Ryoko’s face flushed again and she started up the truck. “Let’s go.”
I snickered but stayed silent otherwise as she pulled out the parking spot and headed for the garage door.
Chapter 13
The wind tussled my hair as I sat in the shade of a large oak tree and watched Ryoko throw a flying disk for Raid and Rylan. Raikidan lounged next to me. No matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get him to play like the others. It made it hard to pass him off as a young dog.
The park was busy, and soldiers were crawling all over the place, making me glad the assignment wasn’t a drop. It was a lot less conspicuous, but more complex to pull off. The person we needed to meet up with was nowhere to be found, so Ryoko and I decided to play the surveillance game as Genesis suggested before we left. Unfortunately that wasn’t working out all that well either, since the soldiers weren’t talking much and the civilians were behaving.
Raikidan stretched out and laid his head on my legs. I patted him gently and smiled. “You sure you don’t want to play? I know you’ll do better than they are.”
Raikidan’s eyes drifted over to Ryoko and the two boys. He huffed and stretched out on his side.
I rubbed his exposed chest. “All right, lazy butt.”
He wagged his tail in response. I went back to watching Ryoko play with the boys and noticed a soldier jogging over to her with something that looked like an envelope tucked under his arm. Ryoko tossed the flying disk for Rylan and Raid to chase after one last time and waved at the soldier.
Raikidan rolled onto his belly and became alert as he intently watched Ryoko react to the newcomer. Rylan and Raid ran back over to her. Raid had the flying disk in his mouth, but he abandoned it when he reached Ryoko’s side and began sniffing the soldier’s feet. Rylan also sniffed the soldier, but not for as long, and just sat and watched the interaction with his tongue lolling out.
The soldier handed Ryoko the envelope he was carrying and she looked inside before nodding and speaking with him for a bit longer. When they were done, she walked over to me. I glanced around and found there to be too many people to open the envelope, so I’d have to make sure the first half of the mission was completed tactfully.
“Whatcha got there?” I asked.
“Oh just some plans the military wants us to look at for some projects. Sandren was going to drop them off at the shop later but saw me, so figured he’d just give them to me to hand to Zane to look over.”
I nodded. “Cool. Sounds like they make sure you guys have a lot to do.”
She smiled. “Yeah, that’s the one good thing about it. Hey, do you mind if I store these in your backpack for now?”
I shrugged. “Sure. Don’t see why not.”
“Thanks.”
When she zipped the bag closed, that marked our first task as complete. While I wouldn’t doubt there were some plans for Ryoko and the guys to work on at the shop in that envelope, most of those would contain intel for the Council to see and plan around.
“Hey, you interested in getting a bite to eat?” Ryoko asked. “I know a place that has outdoor seating and allows dogs and even have a few meals that can be made for them.”
I nodded. “That sounds great.”
Raid barked and wagged his tail, and Rylan’s ears perked with interest at the idea of eating. I grunted. Boys.
Ryoko looked at Raikidan when he didn’t react like the other boys. “What, don’t tell me you’re not happy about being fed.”
Raikidan stretched out into the grass and gave no signs of wanting to go anywhere.
I laughed. “Guess he’d just rather sleep.”
“You’re such an old man,” Ryoko teased.
Raikidan lifted his head and looked at her and I laughed when it looked like he was glaring at her.
Raid pawed Ryoko’s leg and whined and she giggled. “Okay, okay, we’ll get going.”
She grabbed two leashes and clipped them to Rylan’s and Raid’s collars. I attached Raikidan’s leash to his collar and tugged. He sighed and reluctantly got up. I rolled my eyes. He really was acting like an old dog.
Ryoko stuffed the flying disk into my backpack before I slung it over my shoulder and we headed toward the west entrance of the park.
“Alaria!”
I stopped walking and turned around when someone called out my cover name. An older gentleman, with salt-and-peppered hair and light skin wearing a jogging suit was running down the path waving at me.
I waved back and waited for him to catch up. “Hey, Myron. Looks like you’ve been getting your exercise in.”
He took a few minutes to catch his breath. “I’m glad I caught you. I stopped by your house earlier but you weren’t there, and your dogs weren’t barking, so I assumed you’d taken them to the park and changed my jogging route. My wife and I are done borrowing your unit and I wanted to give you back your key.”
I smiled when he dug through a pocket and pulled out a small silver disc. “Thanks, Myron. I hope it worked out well for you while your receiving box was being fixed.”
He nodded. “It did, and we really appreciate the help. The missus said she left a special gift in there for you after she let the company know it was being transferred back into your name.”
“Oh, I hope it’s her homemade gourmet chocolate.”
He winked. “You’ll have to go find out yourself.”
I laughed. “Well I should go do that. If they are, I don’t need them melting on me.”
Myron nodded and started heading back in the direction he had come. “Say hello to your parents for me.”
“I will,” I called after him. “And don’t push yourself too hard. I don’t want to hear you were so healthy for your age you gave yourself a heart attack.”
He laughed and continued on. I stuffed the silver disk into my back pocket and Ryoko and I headed for the truck.
“Do you mind if we head to my receiving box first?” I asked her. “The air-conditioning at the building isn’t that great, so if there really are chocolates in my box, I don’t want them to melt.”
Ryoko grinned. “Only if you share them with me.”
I smiled back. “Of course.” Raid whimpered and I chuckled. “Dogs can’t eat chocolate.”
He whined again and I just shook my head. Myron and his wife, Lessa, were both civilians who believed in our cause and helped where they could. They couldn’t do a lot, due to their age, but they were useful, and Lessa always insisted on making some sort of treat for those she was working with that day. If you were real lucky, you’d get her amazing chocolates. I’d seen rebels get into a fist fight over who got the last one in a batch, and I couldn’t blame them. I’d had a lot of chocolate in my time, and nothing could beat hers. They were almost worth dying over.
It only took a few minutes to get to the public shipping building. Ryoko stayed in the car, as the plan needed, and I headed inside the building to retrieve whatever Lessa had left for me. I looked around as I headed to my box. There were several people in here checking their boxes, most of them rebels grabbing supplies dropped off in these storage boxes. At the far end of the small building was a woman sitting at a desk. She, too, was a rebel, who had helped get the supplies into the shipping boxes by overlooking the contents, against protocol. But the company had become suspicious and she feared a sweep by the military, so the Council had ordered all packages to be recovered, and smuggling operations to cease in this particular shipping center, until warning levels went down. Now with everyone grabbing their parcels at once, there were bound to be issues, and that’s where I came in.
I slid the silver disk into the slot of the numbered box matching that indicated on the key, and watched as the digital display did its thing. The door popped open upon access approval, and the machine ejected my key. Slipping the disk into my back pocket, I fully opened the door of the box and pulled out a brown paper bag. I could smell the treat inside before even needing to see it. It was a bag of chocolates.
Smiling to myself, I reached in and popped a small chocolate in my mouth and sighed contentedly. “Lessa, you are the queen of chocolate making.”
My indulging was interrupted when I sensed the presence of a few people behind me. I glanced back mid-chew to find three rather intimidating soldiers standing behind me. Well, they would have been intimidating if I were an ordinary civilian.
“Um, can I help you?” I asked.
“Ma’am, we need to see that bag,” one of them informed me.
My brow rose and I swallowed the chocolate in my mouth. “Um, okay. Why?”
“Your suspicious activity in the park today has indicated you as a security threat to this city. Show us the contents of the bag.”
I could hear Raikidan barking from the truck, and knew Ryoko was aware things were going as planned.
I gave the soldiers a funny look. “Suspicious activity? I just hung out with a friend and my dogs, and I happened to run into another friend who I had loaned this box to. He was done with it, so he gave it back to me.”
“That is the activity we’re speaking of,” another soldier said. “Your dealings with this other party are suspicious, and the loaning of boxes is strictly prohibited.”
I pointed to the woman at the desk. “If you have a problem with me loaning my box to a friend, talk to the company. They got the okay to allow the temporary hand-over, because my friend’s box had been destroyed by vandals at the East Street facility. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“Give us the bag,” the last soldier ordered.
“Don’t give it to him. They belong to you.”
I stared at them defiantly. “No. It’s just a bag of chocolates given to me as a thank you. I’ve done nothing wrong, now leave me be.” One of the soldiers knocked the bag out of my hands and the chocolate spilled everywhere. “Are you kidding me? What the hell is your problem?”
“If you had just cooperated, that wouldn’t have happened,” the soldier said.
“Make them pay!”
My fists clenched and I went to spit out a retort, but Ryoko’s voice stopped me. “What in Satria’s name is going on here?”
The soldiers turned to look at her and I tried to use this opportunity to pick up my bag, but one of the soldiers shot me a warning look to not move. I glared at him but didn’t want to escalate the situation just yet, so I stayed put and let my eyes scan the room when the soldier’s attention left me. The few civilians in here grabbed their box contents, and tried to leave without being caught up in the incident I had created. The rebels, on the other hand, were trying to remain calm and collect their supply drops so the situation wouldn’t escalate too quickly, messing up my planned distraction.
“So, is someone going to tell me what’s going on or not?” Ryoko demanded.
“Ma’am, this doesn’t concern you,” one of the soldiers told her. “Please go about your business.”
“Like hell it’s not my business. This is my friend, and you’re causing her issues for no reason. Seems to me like you’re just abusing your power.”
Just as we had hoped, one of the soldiers stalked over to her. “You will leave.”
With typical Ryoko finesse, she smiled innocently at the man and then grabbed him by the arm and easily threw him right out the door, sending him crashing into the truck. The boys went berserk. Raikidan hit the window in the front seat a few times with his paws as he barked, and Raid and Rylan atte
mpted to bark out of the same rear window.
The two remaining soldiers became wary of Ryoko, and she just pounded her fists together. “You’re dealing with a former Brute class here, ladies, and you picked the wrong people to try to exercise your power against.”
Just then the sound of glass breaking echoed through the door and I could swear the boys’ barking was louder. Oh no.
Just then, Raikidan came barreling into the building with teeth bared, and Rylan and Raid weren’t too far behind, barking their heads off. The three of them placed themselves between me and the soldiers, and their hands instinctively went to their guns. This wasn’t going well now. The guys had been instructed to stay in the truck so nothing would get out of hand. But of course, typical of him, Raikidan didn’t listen, and Rylan and Raid followed. They’d better be following their ringleader to exhibit the pack mentality, or they’re so dead!
I grabbed onto Raikidan’s and Rylan’s collars in hopes it would help the situation, but Raikidan took that as a cue to try to lunge at the soldiers. Luckily Rylan didn’t do the same, and Raid calmed down a bit.
“Calm the dogs,” one of the soldiers ordered while the other looked at the panicking people who were now making calls.
“Hey, we have a problem,” the soldier informed.
“Yeah, no shit,” the other retorted. “Ma’am, control those dogs now, or we’ll take drastic measures.”
“They would be under control if you hadn’t decided to be an ass,” I shot back.
“Control them!”
The raise in his voice made Raikidan react, and he pulled himself out of my grip. I watched as he lunged at the soldier and bit down on his arm. The man yelled in pain and tried to pry Raikidan off, even resorting to hitting him, but Raikidan refused to let go. He didn’t shake his head, so that was good, but he had a grip on this guy that I wished he didn’t.
The other soldier drew his gun, but Raid took action and bit him in the arm. Unlike Raikidan, Raid did shake his head, and the soldier screamed in agony and dropped his weapon. This was getting way out of hand.
Secrets Page 14
