Loyal Wolf (21 page)

“But then sight isn't your best sense,” Ralf said, shooting a glance across the front seat to his superior officer.

Jock gave him the finger, obviously in jest, and then turned back toward Kathlene. “You okay back there?”

“Fine, except that I've just been kidnapped by a shapeshifter pretending to be an anarchist.” If they could jest in this time of stress, so could she—although what she had said wasn't exactly a joke.

“You got it.”

A phone rang in the front, and Kathlene saw Jock check the screen before answering. “It's Drew,” he said to Ralf, then glanced back toward Kathlene. “Our commanding officer.”

For the next few minutes Jock talked about logistics. The rest of the Alpha Force team was apparently nearing Cliffordsville. From what Jock relayed to Ralf, they'd check into their cabins and then happen to be out walking their dogs when Jock and Ralf walked Click. And yes, they'd brought some military weaponry, although they didn't expect to have to resort to that.

“Sounds good.”

A short while later, Ralf turned onto the road that led first to the cabins and, farther on, to the ranch. Kathlene opened her eyes even wider. Even if they hadn't been followed, they were much more likely to be seen by the anarchists now.

Assuming that they all hadn't gathered already at the ranch to prepare for whatever mayhem they were planning.

A lot of cars were parked at the motel complex so the place appeared busy, but Jock said that, fortunately, there had been enough empty rooms to reserve some for the people they were expecting. Ralf parked in the same space as he had before, and they all got out of the car.

“Do you need to arm wrestle me or aim a gun at me?” Kathlene asked Jock.

“You tell me. But it would be better if you appeared angry but accepting of whatever's going on.”

“I'm not much of an actress,” Kathlene said, but she pasted a scowl on her face, grabbed her bag and stalked irritably up to the door of the main cabin they'd rented.

“You two have fun arguing,” Ralf said. “I'll go take care of Click, then bring him over to our cabin to wait for the walk you and I take later, when anyone watching will assume I'm accompanying Click again.”

“Right.” Jock edged past Kathlene and used a key card to open the door. He motioned for her to enter.

She shot him a mock-furious glare, then stomped in. He followed and shut the door behind them.

When they were inside, Kathlene faced Jock. He looked wound up. Edgy. And damned handsome.

Never mind that they were likely to encounter danger from the anarchists sooner rather than later that night.

Never mind that she was supposed to be angry with him for controlling her.

He had, in fact, sought and received her cooperation. In effect asked for her help, to the extent she could provide it to him and the rest of his team that night.

Had, in effect, treated her as a genuine member of his team.

“Kathlene,” he began, “I want you to know—”

She didn't let him finish. Instead, impulsively—or maybe she had planned it all along—she put down her bag, threw herself against his hard, hot body, pulled his face down and met his lips with a provocative, needy, suggestive, and entirely inappropriate, kiss.

Chapter 21

K
athlene was tired of telling herself what a bad idea this was. It was a good idea. A damned good idea. Her active, eager mouth told her so. And her whole body... Oh, yes!

She pressed herself even closer as her entire being concentrated on the feel of his lips on hers, his tongue playing taunting games, his arms locked around her so his body pressed against hers even more.

Did he taste her more than she could taste him? He was human now, yes, but he'd said he had enhanced senses even while not shifted. He was both sweet and salty, addictive and enticing. Really enticing.

What did she taste like to him?

She wished he would tear off her clothes and make love to her right there, on the cabin floor. At least her hair was free, not pulled back the way it had to be when she was on duty. Somehow that made her feel sexier and want more in the way of physical contact. Real, deep, urgent physical contact.

But notwithstanding the urgency, the ecstatic pleasure of that kiss, enjoying sex right now with this man was impossible.

Any moment now, Ralf could come in with Click, and they could even be accompanied by whichever of their Alpha Force coworkers had come to town.

Jock knew that as well as she did. Those who could burst in were people he knew. He should be the one to call this off. Now.

And yet his mouth only pressed on hers with even more urgency. Continuing to kiss and taste and experience the rush of being near him, she knew her sensibility was about to dive out of her brain, maybe causing her to start tearing her own clothes off.

No. She was too smart for that. Too well grounded.

She enjoyed being with Jock, that was all, even while knowing there was no future in it. She might as well take advantage of—

A sound. A song. A cell phone. Jock's.

It broke the spell. He pulled away, leaving her wanting more. Wondering if that was the last time they would ever get to be that close.

He glanced at it, then, with a regretful look toward her, he lifted the phone to his ear. “Yes, Ralf? Where?” A pause. “Good. We'll be right there.” Lowering the phone, he pushed a button. “Ralf has run into the rest of the gang from Alpha Force. We need to go meet them.”

“Of course.” Kathlene tried to even her breathing and make her voice sound calm and cheerful.

“This isn't over.” Jock's shining hazel eyes locked on hers. His chin rose, and his handsome, chiseled features seemed to grow even stronger in apparent resolve. As if, by his saying so, they owed each other a time to finish what they had begun. Again.

Kathlene wished it were true.

She smiled. “I think we have a busy night ahead of us. After that...well, we'll see.”

“Yes,” Jock responded forcefully. “We will.” He took her hand, and the feel of its strength protecting hers somehow made her believe that whatever might come that night, it would end well.

And maybe, just maybe, she could hope for one more night with Jock.

* * *

Ralf had told Jock that the gang had met up in the parking lot outside the reception cabin where the new arrivals had just checked in.

How amazing. They were a bunch of strangers with similar dogs who happened to run into each other and connect because of their pets—or so they all intended it to appear.

That was the scenario Jock described to Kathlene as they left the cabin and strode in that direction in the shadows of late afternoon. “We're all going to become great buddies, thanks to the coincidence of the three dogs, including Click, looking so much alike. Of course the other guys already knew one another and came here together to do a little hunting, but it was a real kick to see another dog so similar that Ralf got to talking to them...et cetera.”

“Et cetera,” Kathlene repeated, smiling at him. She kept pace with him along both the lawns and paved areas of the motel as they headed toward the front. He had an urge to take her hand, ostensibly to make sure she kept her balance on the shifting ground, but actually because he regretted, would continue to regret, that they'd had to cut that amazing, hot kiss so short.

But no need to give the guys they were meeting up with any indication of something between Kathlene and him besides their cover story of prior friendship and their actual alliance to check out, and bring down, the anarchists.

Plus, just in case those anarchists had eyes on them somehow, Kathlene and he needed to continue to appear as if their former friendship was fraying.

Of course he'd seen no evidence of their being observed, but he knew better than to trust anyone around these cabins as being as innocent as they seemed.

Besides, the anarchists might be watching him to try to get hold of the imaginary weapons he claimed to have brought here. And might also be wondering why he was taking so long to bring those weapons to their compound.

So instead of taking Kathlene's hand, he put one of his at the back of her neck as if controlling where she was going.

She glanced at him quizzically, and then, obviously getting it, looked down as if upset.

“I have a pretty good idea which Alpha Force members will be here, but I'll wait and introduce you to them as we see them, okay?”

“Sure.” Her stride seemed to break for just an instant before she continued walking, and when he glanced at her gorgeous face it looked actually, and not artificially, troubled.

“What's wrong?” he demanded.

Her smile appeared rueful. “I'm somewhat aware of what makes your Alpha Force so special. I assume that some of its other members are like you—shifters, right?”

“Right.” He kept his tone light despite his continued scowl for effect. “And one of the good things is that we all get the advantages I've told you about from the elixir you've seen me take.”

“I get it. But...well, are all the people who've come here shifters like you? And do they all shift into wolves?”

“I'll have to confirm who all is here,” he responded. “I know at least one aide was being sent, and aides are like Ralf: nonshifters. I think I mentioned that some Alpha Force members can shift into other types of animals, but as far as I know only wolf shifters were coming here—for ease of blending into the background, for one thing.”

“The wild wolf population around here isn't huge,” Kathlene said. “But there are some.”

“Which makes those potential changes to wildlife protection laws of great interest to us.” He stopped as they reached the front parking lot. “Here we are. And there they are.” He gestured toward the left where a small group of people were hanging out with some dogs—three dogs that resembled wolves, in fact, including Click. “And it looks like we have two more shifters here, brothers—although I only see one aide. Come on and I'll introduce you.”

* * *

Their names were Simon and Quinn Parran and Noel Chuma. Kathlene knew she would have no trouble remembering who was who—even though all her questions hadn't yet been answered. Which were shapeshifters? The brothers, right? And Noel was their aide?

And why on earth did that fascinate her so much?

The men stood with Ralf and Click at the edge of the parking lot, with the three dogs on long leashes availing themselves of the nearby lawn that led to the reception cabin on one side and several of the motel cabins beyond. The dogs did look similar and, if she'd guessed, might have assumed they were all at least part wolf, with otherwise varying canine lines that probably included some German shepherd or deep brown, furry Labradors—all good-sized for dogs, and all in breeds considered smart.

Even if Kathlene hadn't known, she would probably have guessed that the three newcomers might be in the military or law enforcement. Not that they were in uniform. And their hair wasn't military short. But they all appeared muscular and sure of themselves. They seemed to be having a great time talking together. That probably wasn't just part of their cover stories.

The guy introduced as Noel was shorter than the others but looked just as strong. His complexion was dark, and he seemed just the slightest bit deferential to the others.

The Parran brothers did look related. Both had black hair and eyebrows and a light trace of beard. Their eyes were golden, their bone structure sharp. Quinn was the taller and seemed more inclined to talk than his brother, Simon.

Ralf was the one to introduce the newcomers. There weren't many other people coming and going in the parking lot, but Kathlene noted that all the men maintained their cover—despite stolen, brief words between Jock and Ralf and these men. Serious words, judging by their facial expressions.

She didn't join in the exchanges. Wasn't invited to. But she did try to maintain her cover.

“Hey, Jock, these guys came here to do a little hunting, too. They're from South Dakota.”

“As awesome as this area is,” Jock said, “you need to know that there's some politics going on that could affect how fun it is to hunt. Look, why don't we all meet for dinner and we can tell you about it, okay?”

“Fine with me.” Quinn turned toward the dog he had on a long leash and gave a slight tug to get his attention. The dog came trotting over. “Good boy, Saber.” He looked back at the people around him. “If we can't hunt around here, we'll probably move on.”

“Yeah,” Noel said. The other two dogs had accompanied Saber, and Noel bent to give Click a pat on the top of his head. The other dog—Simon's cover dog?—was called Diesel.

Time for Kathlene to interject her role. “It's not that hunting is going to be outlawed around here or anything like that,” she said. “Our county commissioners have been debating whether our local laws comply with some changes made in state statutes. The laws they're passing are to make sure everything's conformed.”

“Deputy Baylor is with the local sheriff's department,” Jock said. “She's an old friend of mine, and we came here for a visit because I hadn't seen her in ages. But we don't see eye to eye on a lot of things going on around here.”

“I get it.” Simon's gaze moved from Jock to Kathlene and back again. “I like this area but yeah, let's get together to chat tonight. I've got a feeling we're not going to stay long, but maybe you can convince us otherwise, Deputy.”

“I'll try,” she said.

That appeared to be the cue for Jock to go off a short distance with Simon. To talk about dinner plans? Maybe, but Kathlene figured they'd go into more detail than they had before, would be all wrapped up in their strategizing about how to handle the rest of this evening, too.

And the night.

The two men looked very serious as they conversed, not surprising considering the circumstances. When they were likely to be overheard, they'd have to keep things light.

But what was likely to transpire was anything but light.

In a minute, they returned to the rest of the group. Kathlene, trying to maintain the cover of friends and new acquaintances meeting without a care in the world, barely had time to make over all three dogs and tell the two newcomers how beautiful they were as she patted them and knelt to give them hugs. She noticed the approving look Quinn shot her way, and Noel, too.

“Here's the plan,” Jock said. “We're all going to my cabin first to toast the evening before it gets here. Later on, we'll head downtown and see if we can find a bar worth trying out. Maybe a couple. Grab some pizza then. Sound okay to you?”

“Sure does,” said Simon. “What kind of beer do you have?”

* * *

They were in the main cabin rented by Jock and Ralf, all of them plus the dogs.

“Here's the actual plan,” Jock said, standing and facing the rest, his expression solemn. The other humans were all leaning on the sides of the two beds. “It's not nighttime yet, but it's still getting late enough that I'm concerned those guys are already starting whatever they're up to. We'll first go on the prowl in the two cars we have here. Just an initial drive through town to make sure all looks well, and we'll pretend to give a tour to you guys. As long as we don't get a hint of anything starting yet, we'll head to that rundown house past the turnoff for the old ranch—and then start our strategy. But we need to be cautious and assume some of the weapons are now in hands that are more than ready to use them.” He paused, then continued, “Oh, and by the way, even though it's not in our plans, if I run into any of our new buddies without being shifted, I'll have to tell them I'm mad as hell that I forgot to pack some strategic parts of the weapons I told them I'd brought along. I already said I carry them in pieces to avoid detection while traveling.”

“They won't like that,” Ralf said.

“No, but I'll beg to borrow some of their wonderful stuff if the occasion arises. I suspect it won't, though, considering what else will be going on.”

Kathlene figured that, as part of their plan, there'd be shapeshifting involved. But she had something else important to ask. “What if you're being observed, Jock? Maybe heading downtown won't look suspicious, but if you come back this way and wind up at that old house—”

“Not a problem,” Ralf interjected. “Jock and I came partly prepared for what could be going on here, but these guys are really ready. They brought some amazing satellite surveillance equipment that'll shadow us and let us know if anyone's peeking at what we're up to, following us or otherwise using electronics to snoop into our gear. If there's anyone or anything out there that shouldn't be, they'll jam it. And it contains metal-detecting equipment, too, so we'll be forewarned about who's carrying what.”

“Really?” Kathlene couldn't help glancing at Jock, who'd taken a seat beside her at the edge of his bed, for confirmation.

“Really,” he said. “Plus, just so you know in advance, they're not the only Alpha Force members around here now besides us. The others have come into the area in smaller groups so they won't be as obvious. But this way there should be enough military—and other—strength to bring those anarchists down if they try anything or otherwise reveal themselves more.” He glanced, as if for confirmation, toward the three men who'd just arrived. Simon must have been the one with the highest military rank since the others looked toward him. He nodded decisively.