Shifter Wars Complete Series

by Sarah J. Stone

  "We go with what we have. We stake out Emmanuel and see where he gets us."

  "And you know where he's going to be?"

  "One way to find out," he said, smirking once again and polishing off his drink. "Ready for another stakeout?"

  ***

  Hours later, we were posted outside of Emmanuel's apartment once again. We'd been sitting in Jack's car for quite some time, and so far there was no trace of Emmanuel. I watched the sun descend on the western horizon, the brilliant orange casting on the glass of the buildings around us. The spot where we were parked gave us a solid vantage point from where we could observe anyone leaving the building, whether through the service exit or the front doors. Not only this, but with a little craning of the neck, we could almost make out activity in Emmanuel's apartment. I couldn't see him moving around, but his lights were on.

  "Didn't that dragon, um, Mr. Ax, tell Emmanuel to keep a low-profile? Wouldn't it make sense that he would just be in his apartment all night?"

  "Possibly, but he's the only lead we've got, unless you want to go poking around asking about dragons."

  I didn't know much, but I knew that would be a bad move.

  "What kind of a name is ‘Mr. Ax'?" I wondered out loud.

  "It's a fake name, for one. Have you ever met a dragon before?"

  "No, aside from the one who I saw at Grand Central."

  "They're…odd, to say the least. Shifters like you and I, with somewhat normal lifespans, can't really relate to beings like them who live for hundreds of years. They have their own way of doing things that only makes sense to them. Names are one. They tend to take their names from ancestors who lived thousands of years ago. So, they have names that sound kind of strange, like ‘Fluurys' and ‘Stulanix'."

  "I wonder what the name of this one is."

  But Jack didn't even venture a guess. Instead, I watched as his jaw worked underneath his cheeks. Did he know this dragon? I wanted to ask, but he didn't seem too keen on discussing his past.

  Before I could think for too long about it, however, I saw the lights in Emmanuel's apartment flick off.

  "He's leaving!" I said, pointing up.

  Jack’s gaze followed my finger to confirm what I'd said, then turned his attention to the front doors.

  "You watch the alley," he said.

  "Got it," I said, narrowing my eyes as I stared at the lobby, as though I had -ray powers or something.

  Minutes passed, and I wondered if he was just going to bed or something. But just as I was about to lower my guard, Emmanuel stepped out from the alley, looking around as though suspicious of being watched. Just as before, he was dressed in a flashy suit, though no women were at his side this time.

  "So much for discretion," I said.

  "That dumb motherfucker has no idea what he's doing," Jack said, his toned edged with anger, as though frustrated at Emmanuel's stupidity. "Going against the orders of a dragon like that…"

  Once Jack "confirmed" that Emmanuel was in the clear, a long, black car pulled up to the sidewalk and he stepped in. We watched as the car drove off down the road, and Jack waited a few beats before pulling out and following him. Jack maintained his distance, not wanting Emmanuel to realize he was being followed yet again. We drove over bridge and ending up somewhere in Astoria. Eventually, Emmanuel's car pulled up to a nondescript brick building and he stepped out, looking around once again before disappearing inside.

  "What is that place?" I asked, looking out of the front window and noting that the sky was purple, nearly black by this point.

  "Either a meeting place or a club. Knowing the type of shit that Emmanuel gets up to, I'm assuming it's the latter."

  Jack slid into a parking space a few blocks away and looked me up and down, casting a disapproving glance at my professional clothes.

  "I'm going to need to teach you a thing or two about dressing for the occasion," he said.

  "Sorry," I said. "Next time, I'll remember that I might end up at a secret club at some point."

  "That would be good." He opened his door and asked, "Ready?"

  "About as much as I'm gonna be," I said.

  Then, we were off.

  CHAPTER 6

  JACK

  It wasn't easy getting past the two guards at the front without giving away the fact that me and the girl I was with–the one dressed like she was going to her first job interview—were Sapiens. Well, it would've been hard if I didn't happen to have a wad of hundreds in my pocket. It killed me to blow this much cash on sneaking in, but I knew it was the only way we were going to stay on top of Emmanuel. So, one bribe and one flash of my bear claw—to prove that I was a shifter and not just some clueless human who'd wandered in- and we were allowed access.

  The club was a goddamn headache right out of the gate. Lights flashed, shifter girls in barely anything darted here and there, and hip-hop music with heavy bass thumped so hard that I felt like my bones might rattle out of my body.

  "So, what's the plan?" Nadia asked, yelling at what seemed like the top of her lungs, but still able to just barely raise her voice above the noise.

  "You see Emmanuel anywhere?" I yelled back.

  We scanned the thick crowds. At first, we couldn't spot any trace of him. But soon, both of our eyes fell on a private booth in one of the back corners, a booming laugh sounding out across the club that we instantly recognized. Nodding to one another, we made our way in that direction.

  We drew closer and closer, and I swiped a drink off a passing cocktail waitress's tray as we moved.

  Hey, I had to keep up appearances.

  As we approached Emmanuel's direction, we finally laid eyes on him. He was sitting in a massive, half-circle booth, a beautiful woman on each side of him and a pair of ice buckets full of champagne bottles within arm's reach. The rest of the private area was packed with various men and women, the women all dressed to impress while the men made their various moves. Personally, I'm more of a "quiet dive bar" kind of guy, so this scene was a part of shifter culture that I never really saw up close and personal.

  I tried to figure out my next move. Emmanuel didn't know either of us by our faces, so there was a chance we could get close unobserved. Finding out anything, even the slightest shred of information about what Emmanuel was planning, would be a help. There was something going on that was bigger than him, and I needed to find out just what it was.

  Taking one more glance at the scantily-clad girls packed into the private area, I turned my attention to Nadia and her outfit once again. I was wearing my usual jeans, T-shirt, and boots, so I could at least somewhat fit in. Nadia, on the other hand, with her pantsuit outfit and librarian's hair, stuck out like a sore thumb.

  "We're gonna have to do something about this," I said, gesturing to Nadia's outfit.

  "What?" she shouted back in response. "What do you mean?"

  Reaching behind her head, I found the hair tie holding her hair into the mousey ponytail and pulled it off. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders, draping over them in a sexy, messy style.

  "Lose the blazer," I said.

  "Um, okay," she said, pulling the drab, gray blazer off and revealing a white blouse.

  It was better, but not quite there. Next, I pointed to her midsection.

  "Show some skin," I said.

  "Are you serious?" she demanded.

  "You want to fit in or not?"

  Realizing that I was right, she untucked her blouse, pulled it up, and tied it just above her navel, exposing a very tight stomach and curves that I wasn't expecting. Then, taking some initiative, she unbuttoned the top few buttons of her blouse, showing off breasts that had previously been hidden, the dark blue of her bra just barely showing.

  She cleaned up–or, dirtied down, I might say—very nicely. I was a little more distracted than I'd like to admit.

  "Perfect," I said as she tied the arms of her blazer around her waist.

  "Hey, my man," a tall, dark-skinned tiger said, approaching us and giving us a sk
eptical stare-down. "You here for Emmanuel's celebration?"

  I noticed his eyes give Nadia a slow, quick scan.

  "My girl is," I said. "But I don't know him. What're we celebrating?"

  The man stepped back and slapped his thigh, a big smile on his face.

  "You mean your girl didn't tell you all about the man of the fuckin' hour?"

  He pointed to Emmanuel, who was now holding a champagne bottle in each hand.

  "That's Emmanuel Martin! Just made fuckin' overseer of West Harlem, and we're celebrating. Man's moving up in the world. Might be a good idea to get on his good side while the gettin's good."

  He gave Nadia another appraisal.

  "And I can think of a few ways you might do that," he said, rubbing his chin.

  Nadia had missed the first stare, but this one was too obvious for even her to not pick up on.

  "Ah, we'll keep that in mind."

  "Just sayin', you might be lookin' at a future member of the Tiger Three right there, if my man plays his cards right."

  The man then grabbed a champagne flute off of a nearby waitress's tray and handed it to Nadia.

  "My name's Alain," he said, looking over Nadia one last time. "I'm the head of Mr. Martin's security entourage. Have fun tonight, but not too much fun, if you know what I'm saying." With that, he walked off.

  Damn. He’s built like a god freaking tank. There's another reason to not blow our cover.

  "We gotta get in close," I said to Nadia, who was taking a small sip of her champagne.

  As much as I was out of my element, she was even more so. She was the type used to balls and ritzy dinner parties. Places like this clearly just weren't her scene. Nadia nodded in response to my statement, and we began weaving through the tightly-packed crowd.

  I still couldn't get over just how fucking stupid Emmanuel was being. Promotion or no, he'd been given strict instructions to lay low. Either he had more pull with the dragons than I realized, or he was setting himself up for some major blowback.

  "Let me do the talking," I said to Nadia, speaking close into her ear as we drew closer to Emmanuel.

  We sidled through the crowd, and soon were standing over Emmanuel. He turned his attention to us, his coal-black eyes making a quick sweep over Nadia, then settling onto me. I returned the favor, noting his garish, wide-lapelled suit, his angular, square head, and his slim frame.

  "Something I can help you with, my friend?" He screwed his features up as though trying to figure out if he knew us from somewhere. "Or, something I can help you with?" he directed toward Nadia

  Nadia blushed, her shy disposition at major odds with the message her clothing was sending.

  "You don't know me," I said, allowing a big, stupid smile to form on my face, "but my friend Amber here says she knows you from way back."

  Emmanuel took another look over Nadia, both to take in her figure once more, and to determine if he recognized her. I got the sense that Emmanuel was the type to go through so many women that he'd probably have a hard time recognizing the ones he was with last night.

  "Oh, sure!" he said, spreading his arms, the two girls still hanging off of him. "Amber...so good to see you again! Come, both of you, sit! I can always make time for lovely young ladies, not to mention, the men who are so kind as to bring them to me."

  He snapped his fingers and the two girls scooted over, making room for me and Nadia at both of his sides. We took our seats, and as I sat down the heavy stench of Emmanuel's cologne assaulted my senses.

  "Congratulations on your promotion," I said.

  "Thank you, thank you," Emmanuel said, taking a long pull from of his champagne bottles. "It has been a long journey, but I have finally arrived in a position that I think will utilize my, how do you say, God-given talents, you know?"

  I racked my brain for an angle to take with him. He likely wouldn't be a hard man to get to blab about whatever plans he had in mind, though I was positive that even a braggart like him would know to keep his associations with dragons on the down-low.

  "That's a tense region right there next to the wolves," I said. "I don't know if I could handle the pressure of keeping that area in check."

  "Yes, yes," he said. "You are right. It will be a challenge to keep under control. But…" he trailed off, as though realizing he was on the brink of saying something he ought not to. "…I think things with the wolves will be taking a most agreeable turn, and I will just leave it at that."

  I raised my eyebrows, knowing that a man like Emmanuel couldn't resist.

  "Really?" I said. "I know that things have been tense, but I didn't think anything would come of it."

  "Perhaps something might, perhaps it might not," he said. "Why, you have some interest in the matter?"

  I looked around, feigning preparing to tell him something secret. "I'm a bear and I've been sent here to speak with you about possible moves onto wolf territory."

  Emmanuel's eyes lit up. "A bear, you say. This is somewhat surprising. I know that your kind prefers to stay neutral in the affairs of other species."

  "Normally, you'd be right," I said, leaning in close. "But the wolves have been rubbing our border the wrong way in the last few months, and my brothers and I have been considering the possibility of a…'joint operation' to keep the wolves in check."

  "Go on…" Emmanuel said.

  "We…have it on good authority that the wolves are planning a move on your territory. I think they figure that with the area changing hands, it might be a good time to strike."

  Even I was surprised with the speed at which the bullshit was coming out of my mouth. "I've been sent here to…get a sense of how interested you might be with working on the bears. It could be something that is in our mutual best interests."

  "That…is something that I might be open to," Emmanuel said. "But there are, well, matters that even you bears are likely not aware of. Extenuating circumstances, as they call them." He looked around. "I think this is a matter we might want to discuss in private. That sound like something you are interested in?"

  "Absolutely," I said.

  "Then why don't you and your lovely companion head into the back? Tell the man at the door Emmanuel Martin is interested in your ‘special presentation.' He'll know what to do. I have some matters to take care of. Once they've been addressed, I can meet you there. I'm very interested in getting to know you better, my friend. If you understand what I'm saying."

  Just like that, he was on board. I'd have to do more finessing to get him to bring up the dragons, but I was convinced that dangling a little more power in front of his face was just the right angle at which to approach this.

  "Looking forward to it," I said.

  "See you in a moment," Emmanuel said, turning his attention back to his friends and women.

  Nadia and I got up, squeezing through the crowd and making our way to the guarded door at the back of the club. I told the guard what Emmanuel told me to say, and with a curiously knowing look on his face, he let us through.

  The hallway beyond was cramped, narrow, and long. The bass thumped through the walls and floors as we walked, and it took a moment for me to adjust myself to being able actually to hear myself think.

  "That's a good look for you," I said, flashing a grin at Nadia.

  "Hey!" she said, covering up her bare belly with her hands.

  I mean, I wasn't lying.

  "I don't like the sound of this," she said. "It seems too easy."

  "Same here," I said, continuing on, "I'm sure that Emmanuel is all about getting an edge, but something struck me as off about him. Keep your guard up."

  We continued on, and tried the doors lining the hallway. All were locked, and I wondered exactly where he intended for us to go. The only other door was one at the far end of the hallway. It seemed like as good of a destination as any. Once we arrived, I turned the knob and pulled the door open a few inches. Before I opened it further, however, I heard the door that we'd entered from open. Turning around, I watched as the
massive bouncer who'd let us in stepped through and positioned himself in front of the door.

  "What you waiting for?" he asked. "They're waitin' for you."

  Right then and there, I knew something was definitely wrong.

  Before I could react, someone on the other side of the door yanked it open, revealing Emmanuel and two enormous, hulking bruisers at his side.

  "Welcome, my friends!" he said, flashing a sinister smile of pearl-white teeth. "So anxious get to know you better."

  CHAPTER 7

  JACK

  "You think I'm some kind of idiot?" Emmanuel asked, crossing his arms over the chest of his garish suit. "You think I didn't have tabs on the Sapiens who've been tracking me for the last several hours?"

  Several hours…I thought. That means he's only found out about us recently.

  "Figured it was worth a shot," I said, my body tensing as I prepared for a fight.

  "Well," Emmanuel said, "I admire the balls on you, though not as much as I admire the assets of your partner."

  He cast a lascivious grin in Nadia's direction.

  Goddamn, there's no way this girl's ready for a fight. I thought.

  Normally we’d have our sidearms, but we left them in the car for this op; I figured they wouldn’t let us bring heat in so close a VIP like Emmanuel

  The two bruisers stepped toward us, one cracking his massive knuckles in his massive hand as he sneered down at us.

  "But I do have a proposition for you. I wasn't lying about that," Emmanuel said.

  "Oh?" I asked. "This is gonna be good."

  "You go back to your boss and tell them that there's no case, that you'd simply read into clues that didn't add up to anything. Close the case, leave me in peace, and I'll let you two walk away with your lives."

  "You know there's not a goddamn chance I'm gonna do that," I said, clenching my fists.

  "Well, as you said, it was worth a shot."

  Emmanuel turned and started off toward a back door. "Kill the man, save the girl. I have special plans for her."

  I didn't even want to think about what those might've been.

  With that, Emmanuel was gone and the two men were bearing down on us.