Lion’s Claim (Shifter Chronicles Book 6)

by Crissy Smith

  Logan had met the tiger shifter a few times, since he was good friends with Jamie, but it was hard for him to be around another large cat who was so dominant. “Why’d he tell you?”

  “He’d met Mac Gordon during his assignment and Mac saved his life. Zak says that Mac’s solid and if he’s involved in the case, then there’s a good reason.”

  Logan thought about everything he’d seen last night. He’d had a feeling that Mac knew more than he’d been admitting, but he’d also known in his gut that the bear shifter wasn’t involved in a kidnapping. “I would agree, but there’s something going on in that bar. Probably with the entire town. I didn’t find any sign of the woman who’d gone missing. I have more questions than answers.”

  “Zak said the same thing when he’d visited the Den,” Jamie said. “He never did get Mac to trust him enough to tell him what, though.”

  “I’ll find out,” Logan swore. “I’ll get to the bottom of it and find Samantha.”

  “I got a little more on her as well,” Jamie said. “Cody Johnson was there when I spoke to Zak about Mac. He decided to take a little flight and flew over the troop.”

  “He didn’t get caught?” Logan asked, immediately realizing what a stupid question that was. While he’d not met Cody, every Coalition agent knew who he was. There was even talk about making Cody the next director of the Coalition. The man was extremely talented. Even though many thought of the birds of prey species as being lesser than the larger predators, Logan knew better.

  Jamie snorted. “They didn’t have a clue he was there.”

  “Good.”

  “He did overhear some interesting conversations, though,” Jamie said.

  “Oh?”

  “I wasn’t actually certain that Frank hadn’t done something with Samantha himself. It was just so tidy. His story.”

  “I had the same thought,” Logan admitted.

  “Well it seems Frank is really looking for Samantha and while she remains missing he’s making her brother pay…with blood.”

  “Shit,” Logan spat.

  “Yeah. We even considered saving him, but we sent out a few more spies and they called in that Samantha’s brother actually sold her to Frank for a higher position in the troop.”

  “The fucker.”

  “Exactly,” Jamie said. “They’re only hurting him for now, so we’re just watching, but if they try to kill him, the rescuer will swoop in.”

  “Anything else you can tell me?”

  “This isn’t the first time that Samantha has taken off on Frank. If she’s running and has the help of Mac Gordon, I don’t know if we’ll find her.”

  “We may not want to, you mean.”

  “Yes,” Jamie agreed.

  “I’ll think about it,” Logan said. “I’m not done with Brookside, though. I want to know what is going on.”

  “Just be careful. We really don’t know what is going on.”

  “I will be,” Logan assured his friend.

  “I’m sorry about this.” Jamie lowered his voice. “I wish I hadn’t called you. I don’t want you getting into trouble.”

  Logan couldn’t agree with that statement. Not that he planned to get in the middle of trouble, but he wasn’t sorry about Jamie calling him. The flash of a beautiful, black-haired, green-eyed woman was in his thoughts. No, he didn’t regret getting the call.

  “Logan?”

  Shit! He’d gotten lost in his thoughts again about Annabelle. “Sorry, was thinking about something.”

  “Something or someone?” Jamie asked.

  “What?” There was no way that Jamie knew about Annabelle. Was Jamie having Logan followed as well?

  “Relax,” Jamie said with a chuckle. “I remember the beginning when I first met Brandy.”

  “Oh,” he mumbled. Logan had a feeling he was blushing, so he was really glad he was all alone in his kitchen.

  “I take it you met her in Brookside?”

  “Yes,” Logan admitted.

  “Well at least she knows about shifters or is one.”

  “She is. Not sure what type, but a feline.”

  “I’m happy for you.” Jamie sounded it, too.

  “Getting ahead of yourself,” Logan said. “I don’t know anything about her or what she’s into.”

  Jamie sighed. “Can I give you some advice?”

  “Uh, I guess so.”

  “Trust your instincts.”

  Logan laughed. “That’s it?”

  “It’s not as easy as it seems,” Jamie assured him. “Your training, job, friends, something might try to get in the way. You’re a powerful shifter, trust in what your animal tells you.”

  “Okay.” Logan still didn’t understand. “I’ll do my best.”

  “If you need anything just give me a call.”

  “Thanks,” Logan said. “Keep me informed on what the troop is up to.”

  “You got it.”

  Once Jamie hung up, Logan tossed his cell on the table. He stared back at his monitor.

  Annabelle Sanchez.

  He double-clicked the attachment to open it.

  Logan lifted his mug and took a sip of cold coffee. “Ick.” He spat the chilled brew into the cup and rose. Disgusting.

  Crossing the room to start another pot and clean his mug, Logan thought about his next move. He had to return to Brookside. That much was obvious, but should he go under the guise of still searching for Samantha or should he warn Mac and Annabelle that the troop was looking for her?

  Maybe he’d play it by ear? Logan set his mug in the sink and turned on the hot faucet before pulling the coffee pot closer. The familiar routine of pouring water, adding beans and turning on the machine calmed him. He shut off the water tap to stare out of the window above the sink. The view wasn’t fantastic. He was on the third floor, overlooking a park.

  Everything might be changing, but Logan was used to having to roll with the twists and turns of life.

  The aroma of fresh, expensive coffee brewing filled the small room. He glanced around the apartment’s small but tidy kitchen. It wasn’t much, but he kept it spotless, filled with more food than he’d be able to eat and expensive décor. A far cry from the hole he’d once had to suffer. The roaches that had crawled on every inch of the avocado-green kitchen of the trailer were just one portion of the filth he’d lived in. Logan knew he’d paid too much for the place he currently resided in, but it was in one of the best buildings in the town. He didn’t care about the money. He was never going to have to beg, borrow and steal to survive ever again.

  He walked to his computer and sat. The file had opened. Was he really going to read all about Annabelle? Invade her privacy?

  Yes, he was.

  Logan began to scroll through the information.

  A foster child.

  Annabelle had grown up in group homes and temporary houses from age three to fourteen. At fourteen, she’d run away from the residence she’d been sent to and no one had heard from her again until she was eighteen and a legal adult.

  She’d been questioned about her whereabouts for four years, but she’d refused to answer, instead only asking for her birth certificate and social security card. The government hadn’t had a reason not to comply with her request.

  At eighteen, she’d begun her life.

  Logan had a feeling he knew where she’d spent those lost four years. Mac Gordon had to have had a hand in Annabelle’s disappearance. Which didn’t seem strange when he’d met the bear shifter while looking for another young woman.

  The links were starting to come together and Logan didn’t know what to think about it. Was Mac running some kind of halfway house for lost shifter girls?

  Logan opened the Coalition database and typed in Annabelle’s parents’ names. She had to have ended up in the foster care system for a reason.

  He frowned when the results came up empty. Logan typed the names again but received the same response.

  That couldn’t be possible. He switched to the FBI and
tried again.

  Nothing.

  He had to log in to the CIA. As he waited for the website, he stood then crossed to the coffee pot. Logan pulled down a clean mug from the cabinet and poured some of the brew before taking the cup back to the table. His page had loaded, so he returned to work.

  Annabelle’s parents had to have left some sort of footprint in the past. A driver’s license, a tax return—something.

  Entering information into the CIA form was always time-consuming. He’d possibly cut down on the headache by using his less than legal means. Just a quick call and he’d have everything he could ever want on Annabelle and everyone related to her. He might even get the answers to what she was doing now.

  No. Logan wouldn’t go that route. Not only would it put him in debt once again, but it would also put Annabelle within reach of a scarier existence. No. Logan would dig the information out the old-fashioned way. By working the case.

  After barely sleeping the previous night and a long, boring day of working the bar, Annabelle finally had the results of what Carter had been able to find about Logan. It had taken much longer than she’d expected. Carter had been thrilled, but the difficulty of hacking into the Coalition’s system had gotten Annabelle annoyed. She wanted to know what Logan was up to and find out how to get him to leave them alone.

  Finally, Annabelle had the pages in front of her that might give her the Intel she needed to use against Logan.

  Annabelle locked her bedroom door before sauntering to her favorite chair. She dropped down in the recliner and tucked her legs under her to open up the manila envelope Carter had passed her.

  The first page was a full-sized photo taken the day Logan had graduated from the Phoenix police department. He’d been much younger, with innocence in his gaze that she hadn’t seen in person. The years that had passed had been kind to Logan. He’d filled out in all the best ways. His face was fuller, with deep lines around his eyes and mouth. She wasn’t sure they came from smiling, though. Logan seemed to be more the brooding and scowling type. Still, he looked mouthwateringly good in that uniform.

  Instead of putting the picture in the envelope, Annabelle set it on the small table next to her. She’d decide what to do about it later. The next page had information about Logan’s childhood. He’d grown up in a small town in Texas, close to the Mexico border.

  Logan had been a decent student, making grades that were enough to get him through school, but not much better. His father had spent time in and out of jail. Hell, even his mom had a record. Annabelle closed her eyes. She had a feeling that Logan’s early years might have been as bad as her own. She’d somehow not considered that he was more than just a Coalition agent.

  He was also a man who had a past.

  From the numerous trips he’d made to the hospital between the ages of five and ten, Annabelle suspected that Logan might know exactly how it felt to be alone and scared.

  Opening her eyes again, she scanned Logan’s teenage years, not wanting to see any more of his pain until he’d turned eighteen.

  The last few months of high school, he’d buckled down and brought up his grades enough to be accepted into the police academy. He hadn’t stuck around Texas, though. Instead it appeared that he’d jumped on the first bus out of town and had never looked back.

  He’d excelled at the police academy.

  Logan had been at the top of the class during the entire training. By the time graduation had come, Logan already had an offer to work in Phoenix, but he hadn’t accepted. Instead, he’d gone to California to join the Los Angeles Sheriff Department.

  Then, he’d accepted one of the first posts for the Shifter Coalition.

  Since he’d become an agent, Logan had gone after shifters who’d broken the law. From the case summaries she read, it seemed as though Logan took his job very seriously and he didn’t quit. In one investigation, he’d tracked the criminal shifter for over six months.

  That did not bode well for them if Logan found out about them. From all appearances, he was strictly by the book. There was no way he’d look the other way when it came to people disappearing. Even if it was for the best.

  Some of the shifters they’d helped had spotty backgrounds. Mac always made sure that they helped the innocent, but that meant there were times when it went against the law.

  Annabelle shook her head. She hadn’t wanted to admit she’d been hoping to find something that told her she should trust Logan. Her attraction to him wouldn’t keep her from being able to protect her family.

  Logan was nothing but trouble. The evidence was in her hands. Annabelle shoved the printed sheets of paper into the envelope before standing. She shoved the package into the desk drawer and wandered to gaze out of her bedroom window. From there, she had the perfect view of the back of the property.

  The woods behind the bar called to her and she saw her favorite tree from where she stood. Not all felines climbed, but her animal, a margay, was one of the most skillful of any species. The instincts that came along with her shifter abilities were strong in both human and cat form, but when she transformed, she never managed to stay out of the trees.

  Annabelle released the catch on the window, unlocking it and pushing the pane up. Mac hated when she crawled out of her room this way, but Annabelle rather enjoyed it. She undressed quickly, scattering clothes along the floor before jumping out through the small opening.

  Trent whirled around and cursed when she surprised him by landing only a few feet away from where he leaned against the back door. “Damn it, Annabelle!”

  She merely grinned in response. Sure, she hadn’t known he was out there, but she’d have fun sneaking up on the ex-cop. “Sorry,” she lied.

  “No you’re not.” He waved his hand at her. “And I thought Mac told you to stop doing that.”

  Annabelle shrugged. “It’s faster this way.”

  “Tree calling you?” he asked, instead of continuing to lecture.

  “Yeah,” she replied. “It’s a nice night.”

  “It is,” he said. “But you still need to be careful. Mac is still worried about the fox troop showing up.”

  “I know.” She pointed to her favorite spot. “I’m just going right there.”

  “Okay.” Trent peered around the empty backyard. “Go ahead and shift and I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

  “You don’t have to. I might be out there a while.” Her branch was the best place to think. Sometimes she even fell asleep.

  “I don’t mind,” he said. “Not really tired, but I’m off duty until tomorrow afternoon.”

  Trent wouldn’t bother her, she knew, and he often spent hours outside on his own. Annabelle thought it had something to do with his hyena nature but hadn’t ever asked. Trent had joined the group after she’d already arrived, but she’d been a teen and hadn’t been told his whole story.

  That was the way things went with their little family. All of them had a reason for living out in the middle of nowhere in a town where they were surrounded by shifters or those who already knew and accepted them.

  She had a feeling that Trent’s past was full of pain and suffering. He went looking for trouble, which drove Mac crazy, but Trent never put anyone other than himself in danger. Mac let Trent have as much free rein as anyone, but Mac also kept a close eye on him. It was as if Mac was waiting for the day that Trent walked away from them. Annabelle hoped she was wrong, but in her gut she knew that Trent was just biding his time until he found whatever he was searching for.

  The selfish part of her wanted to keep Trent with them, though. He was so gentle and kind to her.

  “Go.” He waved his hand. “It’ll be fine.”

  Since he was giving her the chance to shift and still remain safe, avoiding a lecture from Mac, Annabelle was going to take him up on his offer. “Okay, but if you want to go inside at any time, it’s fine.”

  Tent shook his head.

  He was apparently done talking.

  Annabelle closed her eyes so she
’d be able to concentrate on the animal within. There was always a part of her that remained aware of her feline. Feeling the thread that ran between her human and feline sides, she mentally tugged at the connection. Warmth filled her as she began to transform.

  There was no pain. Not since she’d learned to call her cat instead of losing control over her other form.

  The snap of bones were loud and she arched as her body changed. She ignored all the noise around her until she was on all four paws and fur covered her. The chill of the night diminished with the thick coat covering her body.

  Margays were unique to the shifter world. Even natural margays were uncommon. Annabelle didn’t remember her mom or dad, any family really, so she’d researched their natural instincts and habitats to learn about herself.

  The first time she’d read about how her species preferred to stay in trees and, unlike many other felines, remained nocturnal, she finally felt the missing pieces in her soul connecting.

  Annabelle had devoured every bit of information she’d found about the species. Mac had helped when he’d been able to, but not a lot was known about them. Studies were still going on and as much as Annabelle would love to travel to southern Mexico to see the natural cats, she didn’t want to leave her family.

  It had been a tough choice.

  Everything inside her screamed to go and learn about her animal half. She should be solitary, that was ingrained in her species, but Annabelle craved the bonds of family. Even if that meant having to let go of finding out where she might have come from.

  Annabelle stretched her forelegs out in front of her before arching her back. It felt so good. She loved shifting.

  Trent smiled down at her when she looked up. Annabelle padded to him to wrap around one of his legs then the other. She marked him with her scent as a brother, a sibling of sorts, to show him love.

  “Good kitty.” He leaned down to pat her on the head.

  She swiped a paw at him, but he moved deftly out of the way.

  “Now go have fun.”

  Annabelle kneaded his leg with her sharp claws.

  Using his other foot, he pushed her off. The shoelace of his boot was undone and she swatted at it. When he jerked his leg away, she pounced and followed that little piece of string.