Bonded (23 page)

“I saw you dancing
with Johansson. You two still at each other’s throats?” Fielding
looked at him while sipping the amber contents of a shot glass;
likely whiskey, Reno decided, having spent more than one night
drinking with the man.

“Jones?” He
chuckled, thinking of the exasperated look on her face whenever he
used the name. “We made our peace...sort of.”

“I thought so when
you two disappeared for a while.” He handed Reno a napkin. “You
might want to wipe her lipstick from your face. Makes you look like
a sissy.”

Reno ignored the
napkin. Using his hand, he wiped his mouth and stared down at the
smear of colour as he relived the feel of her lips moving against
his, her tongue sliding over his. He cleared his throat.
“Thanks.”

“I just stopped in
for a quick drink. A couple of the department heads and I think we
have a plan in place for...” he paused and glanced around, then
lowered his voice to a near whisper, “dealing with the Purists.
There are just a few minor points I need to firm up first.”

“Anything I can
help you with?”

Fielding took a
sip of his drink and studied him over the rim before shaking his
head. “Not really, but thanks for asking.”

“So when will you
have something for my team?”

“Most likely by
next week provided you don’t get sent on another case.” The captain
set his glass down and pushed his chair back. “Well, I’ve said my
goodbyes to Brandi, so I’m heading home. I’ll see you in the
morning.”

Reno nodded and
watched the other man leave. It wasn’t like the captain to stop in
at Clancy’s though he supposed Brandi’s farewell had caused the
exception. Unless there was an ulterior motive. Something had
seemed ‘off’ about the captain tonight, but what? And why had the
man been asking about his relationship with Brandi? Damn, just what
he needed, the captain sniffing around and asking about his love
life, not that he really had one, of course. Maybe some new rules
were coming down about inter-departmental fraternization. Well, if
there were it wouldn’t bother him.

Standing up, Reno
made his way to the bar and ordered another beer. Casually leaning
back on one elbow, he scanned the room. It was still crowded
despite the late hour. Brandi had rejoined her friends at the table
and seemed to be enjoying herself. He quirked his lips, thinking of
how he’d miss matching wits with her, riling her up just to watch
her cheeks flush with temper before she delivered a stinging
comeback. God, she was a spitfire...and smart too. Keeping tabs on
her cases had become his secret hobby and she was damned good at
her job. Lycan Link knew when they sent her in there’d be no
unanswered questions for the human population to mull over, no
unexplained rumours floating around the local coffee shops.

While he’d never
admit it, he always felt relieved when she appeared on a case,
knowing the situation would be covered up and everyone would be
safe. He wondered who would take her place and if they’d be half as
good as she was. Al Zimmerman was decent, though in Reno’s opinion,
the man had ridden his way up the ladder on Brandi’s coat
tails.

“You’re drinking
again.” Damien slid onto a bar stool beside him, his tone faintly
accusing.

“Last one, I
promise.” Reno sipped his drink, mindful of appearances as he
hadn’t been earlier.

“Good.” Damien
paused studying his own drink for a minute before continuing. “I
got a call from a friend—Kane Sinclair. We were buddies back at the
Academy.

“Kane?” Reno
vaguely recalled the name. “Wasn’t he part of the Black
Devils?”

“Yeah. There were
three of us.” Damien gave a reminiscent smile. “Kane, Ryne, and
myself. We raised hell everywhere we went.”

“Sounds like fun.”
Reno took a pull of his beer and wondered why Damien was bringing
up the past.

“We all said we’d
never settle down but now Kane’s an Alpha and being mated next
week. It’s a political alliance. Some girl he’s never met.”

Reno raised his
brows. That didn’t happen very often anymore. It must be an older,
traditional pack. “How’s he feel about it?”

Damien shrugged.
“He’s not too worried. Kane was always the noble one; anything for
the good of the pack.”

“Duty before
self.” Reno nodded. “Sounds like he’s a dedicated Alpha.”

“Yeah. He stopped
some of our more asinine ideas and actually cared about his grades,
though he tried not to show it.”

Reno grunted still
having no idea where the conversation was headed.

Damien sighed and
frowned. “Kane says he’ll do his best to make the mating work, but
I don’t know. He hasn’t even talked to her yet.”

“Any idea how the
girl feels about it?”

“No. Kane says she
doesn’t know. He’s pissed about it but can’t do anything. Guess her
father’s real old school.” Damien sipped his drink again. “Beth
thinks it’s just awful that they’re going to spring it on the girl
like that.”

Reno grunted. “If
she’s an Alpha’s daughter—especially in a traditional pack—she
should know it’s a possibility.”

“Maybe.” Damien
was silent for a moment. “Did I tell you Beth grew up in a totally
human neighbourhood? No pack or anything. She’s more human than
wolf on her outlook on things. I’ve actually been teaching her
about our ways.”

Reno looked at
Damien in surprise. He’d never pictured him having that sort of
patience. Apparently Beth was bringing out some new depths in his
partner. “That’s good of you. Different, but good.”

“Yeah.” Damien
swirled his drink and chuckled softly. “Beth makes me see life in a
whole new way. She thinks a lot and likes to have deep
conversations about world issues. When she gets excited about
something, her eyes sparkle and her cheeks turn red. Sometimes I
disagree with her just to watch her get mad and start spouting
off.”

A companionable
silence fell between them. Damien seemed lost in thought and Reno
kept a casual watch over the revellers on the far side of the
room.

Suddenly Damien
spoke again. “Do you really believe those letters we’ve been
getting represent a threat? Will the Purists eventually come after
us for helping the halves?”

Reno turned to
look at his partner. The kid was dead serious which was unusual.
Damien wasn’t one to worry. “Something in particular bothering
you?”

Damien worked his
jaw back and forth before answering. “The mistreatment of halves.
It’s wrong.”

“Yeah, but it’s
nothing new. You’ve been dealing with it for three years now.”

“That’s just it.
Three years, dammit! Why the hell doesn’t Lycan Link just tell the
Purists to stuff their ideas up their asses?” He punctuated his
comment by slamming his drink down, the volume of his voice
rising.

“Shh! You trying
to give the DC officers some work?” Reno nudged Damien in warning
then smiled at the few patrons who had looked their way, perhaps
hoping for a fight to break out and provide some impromptu
entertainment. When nothing else happened, the people soon lost
interest and returned to watching the activities on the dance
floor.

“Sorry.” Damien
hunched his shoulders and stared down at his drink while speaking
in a quieter tone. “It just makes me mad to think that Beth could
be targeted by the Purists simply because her blood isn’t as pure
as they’d like it to be.”

“We’re working on
it.
You’re
working on it by being part of the team, but it
takes time. The Purists have been spreading rumours for years now,
creating unrest, getting weres to question Lycan Link’s authority
and its more modern interpretation of The Book of the Law.
Headquarters is treading carefully, trying not to offend the more
conservative packs while still moving forward with reform. If they
start striking down the traditional rights of the Alphas there
could be a backlash. Some even think that’s part of the Purists’
strategy.”

Damien ran his
hands through his hair, his frustration obvious. “I know. You don’t
have to give me the lecture. I was there at all the briefings,
remember?”

“You were there,
but were you listening?”

“I was but it
never touched close to home until now.” Damien traced circles in
the condensation that had gathered on the surface of the bar. “You
ever been in love, Reno?”

“Me?” He looked
over his shoulder at Brandi. She was dancing with Brad again and he
resisted the urge to go over there and separate them. Brad was such
a man-whore. Surely, Brandi could see that! “Nah, not really.”

Damien followed
the path of his gaze and smirked. “So you say.”

Reno felt a flush
rising on his face and jerked his eyes away from the couple. “We’re
talking about you, not me.”

“Yeah, well, I’m
in love with Beth and it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. All
my life I’ve been alone, sort of on the outside looking in. But
when I met her I suddenly knew she was the one. She looks at me
like I’m her hero and something inside me comes to life. I want to
protect her and keep her safe, make sure she never gets hurt.” He
tightened his jaw. “With her, I don’t feel like a rogue, an outcast
that nobody wants.”

Reno shifted
uncomfortably. Maudlin conversations weren’t the norm for his
partner. Maybe the kid had had more to drink than he realized. God,
they were both fucked up tonight it seemed. “Don’t worry. The
chances of the Purists ever touching her are slim. They’re still
sticking to the backwaters. And the threatening letters are just a
bunch of hot air. They’ll never amount to anything.”

Damien gave a
faint smile. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’m just crying in my
beer because Beth had to leave. She’s working the night shift at
the local pharmacy.”

Reno nodded. It
must suck to be separated from the one you loved. He turned on his
seat and stared across the room at Brandi again and sipped his beer
thoughtfully. Not that he’d know about that, of course.

Chapter
15

The next morning,
Reno dragged himself into work, fell into his chair and stared
across the room at the bleary image of his partner. Damien was
already working on his computer and looked as if he’d been up for
hours.

“Hey.” He grunted
the greeting and eyed the coffee pot across the room. He’d love to
have some but it seemed too damned far away. His body felt like
he’d been part of a stampede—the ground the cattle had stampeded
over that is.

“What’s the matter
with you?” Damien looked up at him with a quirked brow. He seemed
disgustingly alert. “You look like something the cat coughed up on
the floor.”

Reno couldn’t
summon the energy to even snarl over the comment. Instead, he
rubbed his gritty eyes. “Shit, I’m hung over.”

“You can’t be hung
over from last night. Clancy only serves human strength
alcohol.”

“Yeah.” Reno
blinked trying to focus and forced himself to stand up. Coffee. He
needed coffee. “I have a stash of the good stuff at home.”

“And you decided
to drink it all in one night?” Damien leaned back and clasped his
hands behind his head, an evil grin spreading on his face. “That’s
a dumb-ass thing to do. I thought you old guys were supposed to be
smarter than that.”

Reno didn’t bother
answering. Instead, he focussed on keeping his hand steady so the
hot liquid he was pouring went in the cup and not on his skin.
After successfully completing the tricky task, he took a sip and
grimaced. The coffee was as thick as tar and must have been made
hours ago. Still, it
was
coffee.

Leaning against
the wall, he took another sip and closed his eyes, feeling it slide
down his throat and hit his gut. Said gut protested momentarily but
sheer force of will made it accept the offering. Reno sighed
relieved he hadn’t puked, and opened his eyes. Damien was staring
at him, the teasing grin having been replaced by concern.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I just
couldn’t sleep. Weird dreams.” He ran his hand through his hair and
then scrubbed his face as if the action could erase the memories.
“So I got up and decided to have a drink.”

“
A
drink?
Or the whole bottle?”

“Something like
that.”

“Because of
Brandi?”

Reno shifted his
eyes and stared across the room, tightening his mouth. Sometimes
the kid was too damned perceptive for his own good.

“Reno, you might
bitch and complain but I know there’s something between you. Beth
even noticed last night. When Brandi’s around, you follow her with
your eyes. When she’s the DC officer on one of our cases, you never
relax until she’s out of that particular pack’s territory. You care
about her.”

Sinking into a
nearby chair, Reno propped his arms on his knees, loosely cradling
the coffee cup in his hands. He slid a sideways glance at Damien.
“That obvious?”

Damien gave a one
shouldered shrug. “To me, maybe a few others that know you well
enough, like the captain.”

“Shit.” Just what
he needed, people seeing what an idiot he was and poking their nose
into his messed up life.

“So what’s the
problem? Why fight it? If you have a thing for her, why not go for
it?”

“I did. Twice.
Both times I screwed up. We ended up fighting.” He stared at the
floor thinking of how he’d relived those encounters in his dreams
more than once.

“So? Making up is
half the fun.”

He shook his head.
“It would never work.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m an
Enforcer. A potential rogue. I function well enough within the
structure of Lycan Link but outside of here...” He shook his head.
“We both know that most of us wouldn’t survive in the ‘real’ world.
Our wolves could turn at a moment’s notice. They’d want to
establish a pack of their own or overtake someone else’s yet have
no fucking idea of what to do after the fact. I won’t do that to a
legitimate Alpha or his pack. And starting your own pack takes
money
and
territory, neither of which I have. Nope. My life
is here at Lycan Link.”