Eye of the Tiger (8 page)

“We can get more, though,” Luca pressed.

“With your cover blown, he’s concerned that Zak will be next. He wants to get him out safely while we still can,” Jamie said.

“I understand. Really I do. But we gave almost a year to this investigation. Ending now? Like this? It just doesn’t feel enough,” Luca explained.

“I know it’s hard to let go,” Cody told him.

“You didn’t see the things we did! We have to get them all!”

“We will,” Abilene assured him.

“And we’ll get Zak out safely,” Jamie added.

Looking around the room, Abilene could feel that each one of them believed Jamie’s words. Commander Green was right. They needed to move quickly before Zak got hurt.

Oh, she was still pissed at the tiger shifter but she could also understand why he’d gone through with Luca’s plan. She’d been partnered with him a long time. Out of all their assignments, they’d always gone together as a couple. That way they always had each other’s back. But this time she’d been left on the side. Had only been able to hope and pray that Luca would make it out safely.

Now, she could see that he’d at least had someone on his side. She knew she was waffling back and forth between killing Zak Lewis and jumping him. Luca peered over at her and although he couldn’t read her thoughts, her partner knew her well.

He would ask questions that she really didn’t want to answer.

“Eat your pizza,” she told him, bumping his good shoulder. “Then Jamie and I are going to find our mole while you and Cody plan tomorrow’s raid.”

Chapter Six

Zak packed the rest of his belongings into an old canvas bag before glancing around the small room to make sure he hadn’t left anything. It was the first time that he’d been alone since he’d been called to the main house and given his mission to kill Luca.

Logan had stuck by his side for the entire evening, sharing beer after beer with him. Any sympathy that Zak had had for the big guy when he’d shared his story about the cop he’d fallen for was long gone. The pure delight that Logan had showed over what Zak had supposedly done to Luca made Zak’s stomach roll. Zak wanted out. He knew that getting even deeper into the inner circle was key but he was also certain that murder would trump any other charges the Coalition could come up with.

Hopefully Luca had understood his message. If Luca could get to Cody and Jamie then Zak would finally be done with the entire operation. That was if Luca survived. Zak hated himself for going along with shooting his friend. If he’d had more time he would have done things much differently.

Sitting on the end of his narrow bed, he dropped his face into his hands. Luca had looked so adamant about Zak shooting him that he’d done it. They should have taken Logan out, gone back to the barbeque and called backup from the Coalition or the ATF. Instead, Zak had let his emotions get the best of him. He’d been angry—pissed at Luca for getting caught, mad about the circumstance he’d found himself in and just a little hurt that his two best friends hadn’t gotten him out yet. He wanted to go home, sit on his old couch and drink a beer—sleep in his own bed, maybe find someone to share it with him.

A knock on the door drew him out of his thoughts of ‘should have’ and ‘could have’. He stood and grunted for whoever it was to enter.

He was not surprised to see Logan in the hall.

“You about ready to go?” Logan asked, as he relaxed against the doorjamb.

“Where are we going?” he asked again. Logan still hadn’t told him.

“The group’s breaking up. The majority are heading to the other side of the country. They’re going to have some fun on Capitol Hill.”

“Washington D.C.?” That wouldn’t be good.

“Those assholes think they can suggest a shifter registration like we’re house pets and get away with it?” Logan scoffed.

“It didn’t pass,” Zak reminded him. It had been when Zak first had gone under that the vote whether or not to require shifters to register had been brought up for final tally. After every state had voted against it, the federal government had backed off.

“It shouldn’t have ever been an issue,” Logan shot back.

Nodding, he couldn’t really argue with the guy. Zak hadn’t liked it any more than him but that didn’t give shifters a right to bomb and kill humans. Most of the ones hurt weren’t even involved in the decision to have the shifter-registration program.

“Now that the heat is finally off and everything is settling down, it’s time to make our statement. We’re taking over this country,” Logan said.

Zak really didn’t think Logan, Mike Timmons or any of the other leaders had a full working brain. The United States government wasn’t going to be overthrown by a group of drunk, dirty and desperate men. “I don’t understand,” Zak hedged, hoping for more information.

Logan’s eyes brightened as he stepped closer. “You will. Now that you’re truly one of us, you’ll see the big picture.”

Making sure his expression was skeptical, Zak went to grab his bag.

Logan’s hand came down on his shoulder. “Trust me. After our little ragtag friends cause enough trouble, Mike is going to step in and calm everything down. Work his way inside where he’ll have first-hand knowledge of all the workings. When the time is right, he’ll run for office until he becomes our president.”

Out of all the many ways that Zak saw this going, he admitted that he hadn’t seen the big picture. Smiling, he sidestepped away from Logan before bending to pick up his bag. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

Logan turned to lead the way.

“You still didn’t say where we’re going,” Zak pointed out.

Grinning, Logan lifted an eyebrow. “I didn’t, did I?”

Fuck
. Zak really wanted to punch the guy. Instead, like a good little solider, he followed behind. Signs of the others were all around the first floor. Boxes, bags and backpacks lined the hallway.

Just as Zak stepped off the stairs, a few of the guys came around the corner.

“Hey!” Pete greeted.

“We’re finally getting in on the action!” Seth yelled.

“Hell yeah,” Zak agreed with as much enthusiasm as he could muster.

He high-fived the two men before catching Logan’s wave. “I gotta run.”

There was more noise coming from outside the old farmhouse. The morning light was soft as the sunrise hadn’t been too long ago but that didn’t stop the excited chatter. If Zak didn’t know that these men were stone-cold killers and dangerous, he would have laughed. Some of the younger men were actually bouncing around like they were headed off to summer camp or some shit like that.

“They needed the break but now that we have the Feds out of our hair, we can give them their duties. No one’s going to stop us now,” Logan said from his side.

I am.
He would take them all down and make certain they never tasted the air of freedom again. Shifters didn’t do well in prison but if anyone deserved to suffer, it was this group. Zak tried to shake off his mood. In his line of work, he always met the worst sort of people and usually he would wrap up his case and move on. He wasn’t sure why this time was so different.

It could be the sad teenagers he’d run across that had only been looking for a place to belong or the humans that got caught in the middle of a human and shifter war that hadn’t even known. Now he had another reason to add to taking down the SIP. He would get back at them for Luca too.

Zak hadn’t had the time to go out into the field where he’d supposedly left Luca’s corpse. Logan hadn’t let him. Guilt still clawed at him. What if Luca hadn’t made his escape? Could he be dead? Or worse, lying in the grass bleeding to death?

Shivering, he stomped down the rickety stairs. He might not be able to run away from himself but he could get some distance from Logan.

He wanted to shift. For the first time in over ten years, Zak craved stripping off his clothes and letting the animal take over for him. He was just so damn tired. If he could let go, just for a little while, maybe he could his head on straight.

Even knowing he wouldn’t, it did feel good to imagine letting his tiger play. He could shift and tear apart several of the men, including Logan, before anyone knew what had hit them. His tiger craved blood, and Zak actually found himself shaking with need.

The sound of sirens jerked him from his fantasy.

He dropped his bag before spinning around to see what was going on. Two big black SUVs were barreling down the dirt road at them.

“What the fuck?” Logan exclaimed, racing toward Zak. “We have to get out of here.”

Nodding, Zak scooped up his bag, but before he could move toward Logan, two sheriff’s vehicles came into view from behind them. They were being surrounded.

Barely able to contain his excitement, Zak glanced over at Logan.

Logan had an expression of pure rage on his face as he stared out the agents that had now reached them. There was yelling from the men around the yard, but Zak didn’t take his eyes off Logan. If anyone was going to resist, it would be Logan.

Meeting his gaze, Logan snarled. “Keep your mouth shut and don’t say a fucking word,” he ordered Zak.

Zak would keep his undercover status unless he had no other choice.

“This is the ATF and Shifter Coalition,” Cody yelled from where he’d popped open his driver’s side door. “Everyone in the yard, get down on the ground.”

The men looked around and at one another. Was anyone going to resist? Zak could see the question on their faces. Taking the lead, Zak dropped down to his knees before lying on his stomach.

“If you don’t comply with our demands, we will take that as a threat,” Cody hollered.

More of the guys started to follow the orders shouted at them. Logan remained standing, but Zak made sure that he was still close enough to stop Logan from attacking anyone.

“Please resist,” Jamie said close by. “I would love that.”

Logan looked ready to take Jamie on until the bear shifter got into Logan’s personal space.

“Come on. I dare you,” Jamie taunted.

“Fuck you,” Logan spat. He finally dropped to his knees.

“Not on your best day,” Jamie replied.

Jamie was rough as he grabbed Logan’s wrists, wrenching them behind his back before securing them with zip ties.

Jumping when he felt a foot on his ass, Zak glanced over his shoulder. Cody stood above him but his gaze was at the house. “Secure the rest of the property. Every one of these assholes is under arrest.”

Zak raised an eyebrow so that when Cody looked down at him, Zak would see his amusement. While most people were automatically afraid of Jamie due to his bulk and biker looks, it was actually Cody that they needed to watch out for. Cody had the kind of mind that could figure out any puzzle, and the damn stubborn man never gave up. This ability to go harder and longer than any of the other agents was what Zak respected most about Cody.

“Make sure to check for weapons,” Cody said.

Zak was pushed from side to side as Cody followed his own order. His cigarettes and lighter were thrown on the ground, along with a knife he’d hidden in his boot.

After Cody had emptied all Zak’s pockets, he grabbed Zak’s arms and cuffed him. Zak appreciated the fact that Cody hadn’t used the standard ties that were normal for the Coalition. Instead he’d grabbed a pair of stainless steel handcuffs from one of the ATF agents walking by.

At least Zak knew that Luca had made it back safely. There would be no other reason for Cody and Jamie to be working with the ATF.

Cody hauled Zak to his feet and got right in his face. “Name,” he barked.

Shaking his head, Zak refused to answer.

“I asked what your name is.”

“Zachary Lewis, isn’t it?” was whispered behind him.

He snapped his head over his shoulder at the women who’d come up on him. Damn, it was the same ATF agent who had pulled him and Luca over. If Zak had made all the connections, he would also guess that this was Luca’s partner.

Instead of the well dressed woman he’d met only the day before, this time Agent Fox was drop-dead gorgeous—and dangerous looking.

She was covered from head to toe in black attire. She wore a black T-shirt almost hidden by her flak vest. Her long legs were covered in black utility parts and her black boots appeared well worn. Even cuffed and in the middle of his operation wrapping up, Zak couldn’t look away. His body’s reaction was immediate. His cock sprang to life, pressing against his faded jeans as his tiger pushed up to the surface. The animal hadn’t forgotten about the sexy agent either. Knowing that this woman was also a feline shifter added to the arousal. Zak hadn’t been able to share all of himself with his human lovers in the past. He’d had to hold back his strength and some of his kinks, like biting—things that even when he’d tried to explain, he’d known that they just hadn’t got what he meant.

Agent Fox made Zak curious about what it would be like to make love with a shifter.

“Agent.” He dipped his head, speaking low.

Her eyes narrowed as she stomped forward. “I know it was you that shot Luca,” she said very quietly. “While he might not blame you, I do. And I’m going to make you pay for it.”

He jerked back like she’d slapped him. While he’d been fantasizing about her, she looked like she wanted to kill him. Yes, her hand actually tightened on the gun she held. Well, shit, he needed to get his head in the game. Just because he was unbelievably attracted to her didn’t mean she felt the same.

No, Zak was pretty sure she hated him.

Abilene felt a thrill shoot from her stomach up to her heart as Zak Lewis reared back from her. She might not have been on board with the entire joint set-up, but she couldn’t deny that she was enjoying seeing Zak in cuffs.
Maybe I should give the guy a break
. Hell, she’d been thinking about him as she’d pleasured herself the night before in the shower.

But even though she knew he was with the Coalition and currently being led to one of the secure vans, he still screamed dangerous. One short conversation with him and she found her animal side wanting to roll over for him.

Sure Abilene enjoyed being dominated in bed sometimes she also liked to take charge too. Zak’s entire demeanor hinted that he could give her the first, but what about the second? Some Alpha types couldn’t let a woman lead in the bedroom. She was always disappointed when that happened. With Zak the thought that she might not get to find out made her heart hurt just a little. When had she started to think about tracking him down for more than just the case? Somewhere between her shower and finding out he was actually a good guy? She wasn’t sure.