by Tl Reeve
“You smell like Rafe,” Natalie whispered.
He sighed. “Damn it.”
“Go with it, big brother. I’m right here to catch you if you fall.”
“Oh, yeah? And, who will catch you if you fall?” he asked, peering down at her.
“You or Shax. Maybe Rafe because he’s yours.” The confident way she spoke, bolstered his courage.
“Always. I’ll always catch you, too.” He placed a kiss to the top of her head then stepped back. “Come on. We have work to do, and we can’t dawdle.”
She giggled. “You used a Blake word.”
So, he had. “Yeah, he is our dad after all.”
When they stepped out of their room into the hall, Gabriel came up short when he spotted Rafe. He strode down the hall at a sedate pace. The arrogant confidence coupled with the self-assured smirk on his lips when he saw Gabriel, turned him on and pissed him off. The guy was too cocky. Yet, the hunger burning in his gut and the way his dick hardened to the point of pain, kept him from lashing out.
“Should I give you a moment?” Natalie grinned.
“No,” Gabriel said, a little quick for his liking. “I mean, it’s okay.”
“Well, I see the two of you are back to being buddy-buddy.” Rafe stopped in front of them, his blue-eyed gaze bore into Gabriel’s. The arousal there, stole Gabriel’s ability to breathe. “Where are you off to?”
“We were coming to see you,” she said.
“Oh?” Rafe’s placed his hand on the wall above Gabriel’s head while keeping his eyes glued on him. “What did you need to see me about?”
“I found something. I think we can do some recon tonight.” Gabriel swallowed hard. The sexual tension between them grew exponentially. This is what having a mate is like.
Rafe snapped to attention. “Show me.”
“Gladly.” Gabriel followed Rafe down the hall to the angels’ room. Inside, everyone worked hard trying to piece together all the pieces of the puzzle.
Rafe cleared his throat when they entered. “Gabriel’s found something.”
He stepped forward and placed his computer on the long table. “I don’t think the facility is a lab. I think it’s a distribution hub. If I’m right, I think we can follow a truck tonight. I believe if we can find where the supply is going, we can not only get the drug off the street, but also crush the operation.” He filled them in on the details for the operation, bringing all of them up to speed. “It’ll be Natalie and I and Rafe and Shax, since they’re the feds.”
“What do you need the rest of us to do?” Maxwell asked.
“Watch our backs from here. We’ll put a tracker on the vehicle and on each of us. If anything should happen, you’ll be able to find us.” Before the night was over, they’d have at least one PBH lacky and hopefully, some answers.
“You might not get the answers you want, kid,” Hauser said. “Are you okay with that?”
Gabriel nodded. “This isn’t just about Aurin and Bain. It’s about all shifters and all children with abilities. This is about our survival and putting an end to PBH for good. We have seven cases to solve, and this is only the beginning.”
“Then saddle up,” Hauser stated. “It’s time to go hunting.”
Chapter Eleven
Gabriel sat next to Rafe in the blacked-out SUV. The close quarters did nothing to extinguish the burning need for his mate. If anything, it amplified it, which made being in the vehicle awkward to say the least—especially with Shax and Natalie in the backseat.
He didn’t know if it was a mix of all of their lust swirling around him, or the fact the full moon was upon them, but if he didn’t get out of there, now, he’d do something stupid and embarrassing for all of them—mount and fuck Rafe. Already, the tips of his fingers and the palms of his hands tingled with an anxious energy.
Gabriel clenched his fists, trying desperately to stymie the growing tidal wave of desire building within him. Doing anything stupid in those moments would put all of them at risk. He shifted in his seat and blew out a breath. Rafe glanced over at him and cocked a brow. He’d never met another wolf like the fallen angel. He could ignore any and all scents. He’d been more human than shifter. It didn’t make sense to Gabriel, but then again, it wasn’t that unusual.
Charisma’s father, Jefferson had been a dormant wolf all of his life, until he met Jochi and the snow leopard mated him. Then the wolf made an appearance, causing all kinds of havoc for both Jefferson and Jochi. Maybe Rafe was like Jefferson. Or, perhaps Gabriel was overthinking it.
Knock it off, he chided himself as he grabbed the binoculars off the dash. The night vision built into the binoculars aided his ability to see at night. Though his vision was acute, it hadn’t been that good to see through near pitch-black conditions. Gabriel scanned the area and found several workers crisscrossing the property while others motioned for an 18-wheeler truck to back up into one of the waiting bays. Like he predicted, there were now six trucks currently being filled with what he suspected was the drug, Éviel.
“They’re getting ready to move out,” he said, keeping an eye on the trucks. “Looks like my estimations were correct. There are six trucks going out.”
“Which one should we follow, big brother?” Natalie sat forward, peering over Gabriel’s shoulder.
“There is one pup truck. I think we should trail that one,” he answered. “A truck that small is inconspicuous. It’s probably local too.”
Rafe grunted in agreement. “We can have the bigger trucks followed, if you can get us plate numbers.”
“I can when they move. Anything on the trucks won’t match the trailers.” Gabriel scanned the area. A sedan, blacked out like their SUV, pulled into the loading area of the plant. “What the fuck? Who’s that?” He pushed the binoculars into Rafe’s hand.
Rafe took them then put them to his eyes. “How the fuck?”
“Someone want to fill us in?” Shax snarled.
“It’s Kendrick,” Rafe said, handing the binoculars to Shax. “It-it doesn’t make sense.”
“Did you update him about our mission?” Gabriel glanced to Rafe.
The man shook his head. “We wanted to do this as quietly as we could. Your friend Maxwell called in to get us back-up.”
Gabriel frowned. “The call must have tipped him off. Who’s the woman with him?”
“I’ve never seen her before,” Rafe muttered. “Come to think of it, it is a little coincidental we’re here, right? Especially, after finding Halo?”
“I’ve asked myself this question before,” Natalie said. “How did they make Halo? I don’t think one of your kind—angels—would leave a baby alone. Nor do I think it was coincidence she’s mixed with wolf. This had to be planned.”
“I asked Danielle about something like this,” Rafe said. “I asked her if the drug could be used to help create new “species,” of shifters. Or hybrids or whatever what you want to call them. We know for sure what happened to our father and how Bodhi and Hayden came about. What if they’re saving samples? Then using IVF to implant these new shifter-types or ability-types into unsuspecting women?”
“You mean like they did to Emmitt?” Natalie whispered.
“Who is Emmitt?” Shax asked.
“He is Aidan’s biological father,” she answered. “He was raped as a kid and left for dead in his wolf form. For years, he’d been kept as a trained wolf at the wildlife preserve near the New Mexico state line. Hayden connected with him and went back to help the wolf. Anyway, once she brought him to our aunt, he shifted.”
“That’s when we found out about what Henry Worthington and those fucked up PBH scientists did to him,” Gabriel snarled. “They forced him to orgasm over and over again, so they could collect his samples. We suspected, the dead shifter pups found in a shallow grave near the main wildlife building were Emmitt’s pups.”
“We couldn’t prove it, though,” Natalie said. “Their DNA due to how they were murdered muddled the testing and results.”
&nb
sp; “Do I even want to know?” Rafe grumbled.
“No.” Gabriel shook his head. “It’s best if you never find out.”
“It still doesn’t explain why Kendrick is here,” Shax muttered. “We’ve worked with him for ten years. Shouldn’t there have been some kind of sign he was one of the bad guys?”
“Holly lived with our family for ten years before she showed her true colors.” Natalie shrugged. “It’s not as cut and dry as you want to make it.”
“How many fallen angels are there?” Gabriel asked.
“My team,” Rafe answered. “There are five of us.”
“Angels?” he hedged. “Would Kendrick know about them?”
Rafe’s brows furrowed. “We’re not connected anymore. We’d have no clue if there were angels on the mortal plane.”
“Would Kendrick?”
Shax made a frustrated sound. “He would.”
“Could he have given you this job to find Halo?” Natalie asked.
Gabriel lost his ability to breathe. The realization Kendrick could’ve known about Halo twisted his insides. The team hadn’t been there to help Natalie and Gabriel. They were there to recover the tiny angel hybrid. That doesn’t make a lick of sense. He slid his gaze toward Rafe and found the expression on the man’s face matched how Gabriel felt on the inside.
“How fucking deep does PBH go?” Had Gabriel not been paying attention, he’d have missed Rafe’s question.
“As deep as humanity’s depravity,” he answered. “Deeper in some cases. You’re experiencing the tip of what PBH can do.”
Shax hissed. “Fuck this bullshit.”
“We’re no one’s fucking puppets,” Rafe snarled. “We don’t work for them.”
“Never said you did,” Gabriel replied. “We have to concentrate, though. Going off half-cocked will end up blowing up in our faces.”
“I’ll get a full work up on Kendrick,” Natalie said, grabbing her tablet. “I’ll go through Keeley to keep us off the grid.”
“The truck is leaving,” Gabriel said. “Follow it.”
“But...” Rafe sighed.
“One thing at a time.” Gabriel placed his hand on Rafe’s knee. The warmth there spread through his body. “Let Keeley work her magic. One way or another, we will find out how Kendrick is connected to this case, besides being put in charge.”
“Fine.” Rafe started the vehicle and waited as the truck headed in the opposite direction away from them.
While Natalie chatted with Keeley, Gabriel kept the team in the loop with what they found, including the tidbit about Kendrick. Mile after mile, they tracked the truck until it exited the freeway thirty miles east of Peabody. The area had an air of danger about it. Half the lights lining the roads were out. The other half barely lit the street. Darkened corners could hold any number of hazards to unsuspecting pedestrian or drivers. Dilapidated houses lined block after block—a consequence of an economic boom then bust. Some of the structures had boarded up windows, others, shards of glass clung precariously to weathered panes; a stiff gust of wind would send them crashing to the ground.
They followed the truck through the ghetto neighborhood. Graffiti littered the area. To say this wasn’t a typical area he’d assume PBH would work in, would be a misnomer. PBH could and did operate out of some of the most inconspicuous areas. It made sense. In a town like this, they could dole out Éviel by the pallet and make hand over fist in cash.
They turned off the main road and entered a sparsely populated area. The houses were fewer and farther apart. Rafe slowed as the delivery truck started up a dirt driveway. The building at the top of the hill had been obscured by trees starting to lose their leaves with the coming fall, but Gabriel could make out the faint glow of lights.
“Now what?” Shax groused.
“We wait. Then we start digging,” Gabriel said. “We might not be able to get up into the building yet, but we can figure out an address or location. We’ll come back with a warrant and raid the place with local authorities and our FBI agents.”
“We’re feds, too,” Rafe reminded him.
Gabriel chuckled. “You are, but I think this is a job for our guys, don’t you agree?”
Rafe’s lip curled. “Fuck. Are you saying we’re all compromised here?”
“Not in the least, but your boss is until we can prove otherwise. If Keeley can clear him, before we get the warrants, then we’ll let him in on our plan.”
Rafe tapped his thumb against the wheel as they sat there. Gabriel could only imagine what went through the other guy’s mind. It sounded like the team came to rely on Kendrick. He didn’t understand the whole fallen-angel aspect or how they ended up in the FBI. Moreover, he wondered how much they knew about the paranormal world they were living in now. They were, after all, a version of angels who, at one point, before falling, lived in Heaven. It was clear they all weren’t naive. But—
“Do you have anyone besides yourself and Kendrick you trust?” Gabriel turned in his seat. “Have friends outside the job? Community? Anything?”
Rafe’s thumb stilled. His brooding blue gaze locked with Gabriel’s. “We have each other.”
“Must get lonely,” Natalie whispered.
“We keep ourselves entertained,” Shax replied.
“So, if anything happened to your team, and you were all exposed, you’d have no one to turn to?” Gabriel was getting at something. For all intents and purposes, they were dependent on the FBI and Kendrick.
“Are you implying we’re too trusting?” Rafe cocked a brow.
“No,” he replied. “I think you don’t trust anyone except for yourselves and your boss. Who came up with your division at the FBI?”
“Don’t know. Don’t know how they found us. We’re not very approachable,” Shax said. “One day, we were just there.”
Rafe nodded. “A man said they wanted to start a new division to help paranormal beings. Said we’d be perfect. So, we joined up. Called us FA, and it stuck.”
“And you’ve never had any other PBH cases, well, besides the ones you haven’t solved yet?”
Rafe shook his head. “No. Most of our stuff deals with witchcraft and satanism. We help other teams decipher symbols and Latin texts.”
“Virgin sacrifices and such, too,” Shax added. “Those are the worst variety of crimes, because nothing happened there. They’d kill a young girl or boy and vanish into the night. Some have been captured. Others are still out there.”
“Any chance they were actually PBH cases, and you didn’t know it?” Gabriel brought up some of the crime scene photos from the cases Rafe wanted help on. “If they look like these, I’m sure a good majority have been PBH related.”
Rafe gave an exasperated sigh. “Why wouldn’t Kendrick have told us the truth in the beginning?”
“I think he only told you about this mission because we were coming to get our agents. Add in the fact Halo was, “missing,” at the time they left the scene, they couldn’t say no to us. He couldn’t say no to us.”
“Do you know the implications of your statements?” Rafe faced Gabriel. “What accusing a superior agent can do to our careers.”
The corner of Gabriel’s mouth kicked upward. “Do you realize how deep PBH goes? How many people they have on the payroll?”
“Chop off one head, and three more appear,” Natalie said, popping a sucker in her mouth. “It’s why we’ve had a hard time getting rid of PBH. It’s everywhere. It’s a daunting task.”
Shax groaned as he watched Gabriel’s sister.
“Could you please not look at her like she’s a chew toy meant for you,” Gabriel whispered.
“Sure,” Shax said. “When you tamp down on spilling your fucking pheromones. We might not have the sight anymore, but our senses are still enhanced.”
Embarrassment burned his cheeks.
“Don’t be a dick, Shax,” Rafe said.
The big guy shrugged. “Whatever.”
“Look,” Natalie said, pointing at the dir
t road. “It’s leaving.”
The truck continued down the road in direction it’d been heading before turning off. Gabriel popped open his door and started down the lane. He lifted the small tracking gun Jerome had invented a few years ago and leveled it with the rear of the vehicle. He pulled the trigger when he had a clear shot at the mud flap. Gabriel then pulled out the handheld GPS unit. With the exact geolocation they could have an address within seconds. The soft crunch of footsteps behind him, had Gabriel glancing over his shoulder. “I’m good.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not.”
He figured as much. Gabriel and Natalie had dropped some hard truths on Shax and Rafe. Finding out their whole existence in the FBI could be tainted, would fuck Gabriel over mentally, too. It was why they only used Jerome and Maxwell for their intel within the agency. Both men were above reproach.
“It’s all pretty daunting right now,” Gabriel said. “I can’t begin to imagine how you must feel. However, push it out of your mind. We have a job to finish—seven to be exact. We can’t do that if you’re dwelling on this.”
“Fuck you,” Rafe snorted.
“You already have,” Gabriel shot back.
He sighed. “This is a mess.”
“We’ll fix it. It’ll take time.” Gabriel glanced down at the screen. “Got it. Let’s go.” He jumped back into the passenger seat, while Rafe got in behind the wheel. Natalie handed Gabriel the small tablet Jerome gave them for the tracker. The greenlight flashed on the screen as it turned a corner and drove down another street. “Now we can go back to the hotel.”
“Aren’t we going to follow them?”
Gabriel showed Rafe the screen. “Don’t have to. By the time their done tonight, we’ll know their route. We can get our warrants and raid the locations.”
Fancy,” Shax muttered.
“Efficient,” Natalie replied. “Jerome has been building stuff like this for our family for a long time. His equipment has saved countless lives including our aunts, Nico, and Hayden.”
“Any word from Keeley?” Gabriel asked, as they drove away from the building.
“She said she’d talk to Jerome over breakfast. She also told me it was late, and we should be in bed, not traipsing around the countryside.” Natalie laughed. The tinkling sound eased some of the anxiousness filling Gabriel.
