by Amelia Jade
“Sorry,” she apologized with a shake of her head. “No, nothing today, Daddy. Maybe tomorrow though.”
It was the same line she used every night, and would continue to use. Maddy didn’t think there was much life for her left in King City. Not with her degree. Maybe she would have to work in retail. That idea scared her. She didn’t want to work with people, striking up conversations with strangers every day. That wasn’t her. She hadn’t applied to those types of jobs. Not yet.
The ever dwindling—and already tiny—amount in her bank account meant it wouldn’t be long before she had to do that, but she wasn’t there yet.
“No boy either?” he asked, eyes twinkling.
“Not unless you count creepy men staring at me like I’m some sort of freak,” she muttered. “I don’t think you’d approve of that type.”
He chuckled. “No, I suppose I wouldn’t. Not to worry; you know I’m just teasing you over that.”
She nodded, not wanting to speak as she finished her meal. The other thing her dad did was cook. He was very good at it. Looking up to thank him for it, Maddy’s eyes narrowed as she saw the suddenly sober expression on his face.
“What?” she asked through her food, not caring about the impoliteness. Her father was rarely a serious man.
“Maddy, there’s something we need to talk about.”
Maddy shot upright. Her father never called her Maddy. Never. Ever. No matter how many times she asked, he refused. For him to use it now, whatever he was about to say must be extremely important to him.
“What is it?” she asked nervously. Had he been fired? Did they have to move? Was he sick with some sort of shifter sickness that she didn’t know about?
Maddy knew a lot about shifters, though like most women born with a shifter parent, she didn’t carry the gene herself. No one was quite sure why that was, but it was a long accepted fact that female shifters were few and far between.
Still, she was blessed with a few traits, such as being far more resistant to most illnesses, and generally having slightly keener senses than her human friends. She still got sick, albeit rarely, and she wasn’t superhuman by any stretch, but it was enough for her. But her father was Mr. Invincible to her. What could have him so worried?
“One moment,” he said solemnly, rising from the table and quickly going over to his workbench. He returned, envelope in hand.
“You should read this,” he said quietly.
“Dad, you’re scaring me,” she said, not reaching for the slightly yellowed envelope.
“Madison, this is no time to act like a child,” he said sternly, in the first reprimand she had heard in years. “Read it.”
She was shocked. This wasn’t her father at all. He was on edge and cautious; she could see it now. Definitely not his usual laid-back self.
Swallowing nervously, Maddy reached for the envelope and pulled it across the table toward her. With trembling fingers she made to open it.
“What does it—”
BANG! BANG! BANG!
She jumped in her seat as something thumped ominously on the door.
The growl that came from her father audibly filled the room, and she slid from her chair as his entire attitude changed. The jovial city shifter was gone, and in his place was something else. Something far more…feral. He stalked toward the door, even as a fist, or whatever it was, thumped insistently again. When he got close he killed the lights, plunging the room into shadow.
This was a side of him she had never seen before. The protective bear was out, and she wanted to know everything. The letter was clutched to her chest, forgotten for the moment. Her dad peeked through the door, then backed to the side.
“Thunder,” he called, before moving with a swift stealthiness she hadn’t known he possessed to stand on the other side of the door.
His voice has whoever it is thinking he’s on the other side. But why would he do that?
In case he needed to attack, that’s why.
“Lightning!” came the reply.
Her dad seemed to breathe a little easier as he reached over and unlocked the door. Whoever was on the outside immediately pushed the door open wider and stepped inside. The door obscured her dad from the newcomer, but the instant it swung shut her dad attacked, leaping at the man, his hands going for his neck.
Maddy screamed, thinking her dad was going to kill him. But then the newcomer, also a shifter if his size was any judge, did something and suddenly her father was sliding across the floor toward her.
“I said Lightning!” the man said, stepping into the room, stopping just shy of entering the ring of light near Maddy. “That means don’t attack! You obviously read the letter.”
“You could be someone else,” her dad said, moving to interpose himself between the newcomer and her.
“I could, but I’m not.”
“Show yourself then,” she said, speaking at last.
The man jerked as if stung when he saw her huddled in the corner. The confidence that had seemed to exude dissipated swiftly as he looked at her.
Maddy stared back, trying to understand what was going on. He stepped forward, and she gasped.
Those eyes! She knew those eyes anywhere. Her voice was angry as she stood up straight.
“You!”
Chapter Three
Connor
Oh shit.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
This was not happening. It couldn’t be. The level of coincidence for this to be real was beyond belief.
“Pinch me,” he said softly as Charlie walked inside, leaving Delta to guard the hallway. They were back on a mission, so it was back to codenames. His balaclava was rolled up onto his head to put the target at ease, but the moment they left the room it was coming back down. He felt exposed.
“What?” Charlie hissed.
“Fucking pinch me,” he said, then growled in irritation as Charlie smacked him over the back of the head. “I see your language skills are deteriorating as fast as your intelligence.”
Charlie only smirked.
“Hey,” the woman said sharply, seeming to recover her composure a bit. “What the hell are you doing in my house?”
“Madison, calm down,” the target—her father? He wasn’t sure—said. “These are friends.”
The woman, Madison, snorted. “Sure they are, Dad. Explain to me then why this is the same creepy man who was staring me down earlier today?”
Uh-oh.
The father spun to face Connor, and he could see the anger in his eyes. “Is this true?”
Think fast Connor, think very fast!
The whole situation was going sideways the longer it went on.
“Uh, our intel had pictures of her, sir,” he explained. “I was just shocked to see her on the street as we were getting ready, that’s all.”
It was a lame excuse, they all knew it. But the father didn’t argue the point any further; he knew what was at stake. So when he stood up straight, relaxing his threatening manner, Connor breathed a sigh of relief.
“You got our letter, then?” he asked, pointing at the envelope clutched by Madison.
Madison. What a lovely name.
“Letter? What letter?” she asked, then sheepishly looked down as Connor pointed.
“I’ll get the bags,” the father said, moving swiftly down the hallway.
“What the hell is going on?” Madison asked, stepping forward to confront him. “What bags? Why are you here, and why are you dressed like... like... spies?!”
Connor opened his mouth, but then closed it as Charlie elbowed him hard in the side.
He didn’t know what to do. Despite his earlier lie, their intel hadn’t mentioned a daughter at all. She wasn’t a shifter though. Should he take her? Their arrangement was for one only, not two. He couldn’t leave her behind though, could he? Connor knew that’s what he should do. The tactical side of him was ruthless though—it had no compassion. Connor simply stared at her, not speaking, until the father reappeared.
“You don’t seem very shocked by this,” he said to the father. He already knew the daughter’s name; he didn’t want to know this man’s name.
You are so fucked.
I know.
Shaking his head, he focused back on the present.
“Several of my friends have gone missing,” the man explained. “All of them shifters. I packed these a while ago, just in case we needed to make a run for it. Here,” he said, giving one to Madison.
“No,” Charlie said, stepping forward. “We’re only here for you, sir,” he said firmly.
The father looked at Connor.
He grimaced and nodded.
“Fine, leave then,” the man said. “I’m not going without her.”
“Going where, Dad? Will somebody please tell me what the fuck is going on?”
To her credit, Madison didn’t appear to be in distress. No, if he judged it right, she was pissed.
She’s a strong one, he thought, impressed. Her short hair was bouncing angrily, mirroring the look on her face as she stared back and forth between him and Charlie.
“Guys, what’s taking so long?” Delta’s voice buzzed in his ear.
Connor had to make a decision. Were they taking the girl, or weren’t they?
“We can’t leave her behind,” he whispered to Charlie, pulling him across the room to talk in private. “They’ll just grab her and use her as ransom, which means we’ll then have to go get her from their clutches. It’ll be better if we do this now, our way.”
Charlie hesitated. “That’s…actually not a bad point,” he said with a frown. “But she’s not a shifter. If things get complicated…”
He sighed. “I know, but I think we have to take that chance. It’s your decision though.”
“What?” Charlie frowned. Connor was in command of the mission. “Why?”
Connor glanced over his shoulder at the woman as she stared at them, arms crossed, ignoring her father. If looks could kill…
“I think my judgment is compromised,” was all he was willing to say.
Charlie’s eyebrows rose fractionally. “Oh.” He thought about it for a moment, then sighed. “Just bring her, let’s go.”
Connor nodded, reassuming command.
“Okay, shoes, bag,” he ordered, pointing to Madison and the bag and the pile of shoes by the door. “Running shoes, let’s move. Now.”
The father pulled his daughter along, who at some point stopped resisting, though she was clearly still unhappy.
Exiting the room, Connor took point, followed by the target, Madison and then Charlie.
“Where are we going?” she asked as they entered the stairway.
He turned and made a chopping motion across his neck. They were in full-on extraction mode at the moment. The Agency could be waiting anywhere. Although Connor expected Madison to protest loudly, her father raised a hand to his lips and gave her a pleading look. Madison looked unhappy, but she stayed silent, creeping along as best she could with the rest of them. She didn’t have the preternatural inclination toward stealth that shifters did, but she did a credible job.
You probably learn how to be real quiet trying to sneak out of the house with a shifter parent, he thought wryly, a smile slipping across his face, the features once more obscured by his balaclava.
“Delta, report.”
“Still all clear out front,” Delta said immediately.
Connor breathed a sigh of relief. They were moving earlier than intended, with only a fraction of a plan in place. Normally everything was planned down to the last detail, but with the spotting of the Agent nearby, they didn’t have time for that. Right now, they had to get them to the train yard, and onto the freight train their contact assured them was leaving tonight.
In forty-eight minutes, to be exact. He pulled the sleeve back over his watch and continued down the stairs, ears alert for the slightest noise that didn’t belong to his team. The stairwell looked the same as the one from their last mission. It was amazing how quickly everywhere started to blend together as they went on mission after mission. Subtle differences began to disappear.
He pulled the gray door open at the bottom, ushering Charlie through first, then the others in reverse order. The door led directly outside, into the alleyway behind the apartment building.
“Delta, move out,” he said.
Seconds later the door opened and Delta emerged. They herded their charges toward the parked SUV two buildings down, urging them to constantly move faster. There was still plenty of daylight out, which left Connor extremely on edge. It would be easy for any Agents watching the place to see them. He could only hope they had gotten the drop on them.
Reaching the vehicle, he slid calmly into the driver’s seat, punching the ignition button the instant his foot hit the brake pedal. The V6 under the hood came alive with a throaty purr, and he slammed it into gear, resisting the urge to take off as quickly as possible. The alley would amplify the sound of squealing rubber, alerting anyone who may have missed their flight so far. So instead he simply accelerated at a reasonable pace, before turning into traffic and hoping he could lose any tail in the busy city streets.
The target sat up front with him, while Madison sat in the back, with Charlie and Delta on either side of her. They both kept silent, though there was a noticeable difference between the father’s amiable quiet attitude and the sullen, brewing anger of Madison.
“Almost there,” he said softly, turning onto the side street that would take them to the train yard.
“Why the train yard?” Madison finally asked from the back seat as it became clear that’s where they were heading.
“To get you on a train,” he replied.
She snorted and he could feel the accompanying eyeroll, despite his focus on the road in front of them. “You don’t say,” she said sarcastically. “And why are we getting on a train?”
“To take it,” he replied, his voice tightening slightly as he turned into the train yard, though he hoped it wasn’t noticeable.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, sitting forward.
How the hell did she pick up on that? Even Charlie, his best friend, hadn’t reacted. He did now though, leaning forward.
“Trouble,” Charlie said softly.
“Trouble,” Connor confirmed.
Before he finished speaking a pair of headlights flicked on ahead of them. A pair of expensive-looking black SUVs pulled out from between buildings, at the same time a third set appeared behind them.
“They’ve got us boxed in,” Connor said, slamming on the brakes. Rubber squealed this time as their own SUV came to a halt.
“How the—”
“Quiet,” he said to Delta, silencing him with a look over his shoulder.
Connor felt bad chastising him like that in front of everyone, but he didn’t want their charges becoming rattled at the fact that the Agency always seemed to be one step ahead of them. He needed them calm and ready to do exactly as ordered if they were going to make it out.
The doors on the black SUVs opened and men began to emerge, guns in hand. Connor frowned. He hated those damn tranquilizer guns they had.
“Seatbelts,” he ordered, though everyone was already using one.
“This is the captain speaking,” he started muttering under his breath, throwing the vehicle into reverse and looking over his shoulder. “We would like to notify all passengers that we are expecting to move through some turbulence. There is nothing to be alarmed about, but the cabin may shake and rock a little. Please remain calm, and if you need assistance, please press the overhead button. Thank you for using Bravo Limousines and we appreciate your business.”
Madison was looking at him wide-eyed. “How can you be so calm?”
“Brace yourselves,” he said loudly.
The SUV’s rear end slammed into the vehicle blocking them in from behind, pushing it out of the way. Connor didn’t take his foot from the pedal, ignoring the glass that flew through the cabin as their r
ear window shattered. He just kept them moving. At one point the car bounced up in the air.
“We hit something!” Madison shouted.
“Someone,” Connor corrected grimly, but he didn’t stop.
Reaching the street they had just turned off, he spun the wheel, hit the brakes, and then slammed the SUV into gear once more. Tires squealed loudly as he punched it.
“Calculating route,” he said, imitating the annoying built-in GPS that he had disabled the first day they had the SUV.
Someone snickered, but he was too busy to notice. By waiting until the men had emerged from the vehicles, Connor had bought them some time before they could pursue. He doubted they were expecting him to be so aggressive with passengers on board, and had used that. To his surprise, it had worked. He wheeled around the corner as the road curved, following the outline of the train yard. The car bounced slightly as they crossed a set of tracks, then another.
“Seatbelts off, get ready to get out,” he ordered. “Head for the fence.”
Once everyone had complied he steered the vehicle off the road and onto the gravel shoulder, then onto the grass beyond. Punching the brakes, everyone hopped out before the car had even come to a complete stop.
“Delta first,” he ordered as he and Charlie locked their hands together.
Delta moved back, took one step toward them before planting his other foot in their hands, and then he jumped. Connor and Delta launched him upward at the same time, and effectively threw him over the fence that surrounded their objective, clearing the twelve-foot barbed wire barricade with several feet to go. He landed easily on one knee before turning back.
“You’re next,” he said to the father.
To his credit, the man didn’t hesitate. It wasn’t as smooth of a takeoff, and a much rougher rolling landing than Delta had achieved, but he was clear.
“Catch her,” he ordered, though the command was redundant. The pair of shifters were already moving in to position.
“What?” Madison asked, looking around shakily.
Headlights appeared around the corner.
“No time Madison. You need to go. Now!” he shouted, putting as much command into his voice as he could, trying to use it as a physical device to slap her into motion.
