Miranda's Mate (13 page)

Miranda exhaled raggedly, not sure which was more important: her job or Garen.
Oh, please,
her inner voice snarked.
Let’s get real here.
Heart a lead weight in her chest, she understood in a gut-wrenching flash of realization that Garen meant everything. If something went horribly wrong today and he booted her out of Company ranks, she’d never see him again.
Can’t have that. Failure is not an option.

Near the small of her back, a familiar sensation nagged. Her tail was trying its damndest to swish back and forth. Because sitting wasn’t working, she rose to her feet and swiveled her head to relax the iron bar of tension that had settled just between her shoulder blades. Most of the time her human form was comfortable, but not today. Stress sometimes had that effect, though. It brought her closer to the primal parts of herself, the parts that could morph into flashing canines at a moment’s notice. Her lips curved into a predatory smile until she caught a glimpse of herself in an ornate mirror. The lupine cast to her features was disturbing enough she took a couple of uneven breaths and forced the more rounded planes of her Miranda face back into place. Patting her cheekbones to try to ensure her face
stayed
that way, she wondered again just what Garen had in mind for her today.

In her secret places, she couldn’t believe he’d be the author of her destruction if she turned in a less-than-stellar performance.
No, he’ll just tell me to clear out my desk and have a nice life. What kind of life can I have without him, though?

She caught the sound of distant footsteps. Miranda recognized the pattern and cadence of those steps and folded back into her seat. Garen was coming. Because being around him was excruciating—particularly after their last bout of sex—she’d adopted her Army persona and was doing her damndest to be a good soldier and follow orders. Besides, if she were on her feet, there was a chance she’d simply throw herself into his arms and latch her mouth onto his. Seconds later the door opened with a metallic, whooshing sound as the electronics activated.

“Ah, right on time as always, Miss Miller.” Garen cut an impressive figure as he fixed his steely gaze on her. He was impeccably dressed in his usual dark suit, white shirt, and blue tie. The planes of his face were finely chiseled, but today he looked tired. Lines creased his forehead and day-old stubble peppered his cheeks. She wanted to gather him into her arms and smooth away the worry lines with kisses.

I’ve got to bury that part of myself and damned fast.
The worst part was she thought she saw longing akin to her own in the depths of his blue eyes.

“Yes, sir.” Miranda rose gracefully to her feet, prepared to receive her orders.

Instead of handing her a sheaf of destroy-these-once-you’ve-read-them instructions, he turned and headed for the outer doors of the building. Looking back over one shoulder, he quirked an eyebrow. “Coming?” he inquired.

Momentarily nonplussed, she started after him, and then returned for her forgotten briefcase. As she moved, her shoulder harness dug into her, and the cold metal of the gun she carried scraped against her skin. She felt fur sprout as a protection and shook herself to stop the transformation.
Not now. Not needed.

By the time she caught up with him, Garen stood on the sidewalk in front of the vintage waterfront building that housed The Company. A white Lexus SUV, one of a fleet of company cars, stood at the curb. He held the door open and gestured eloquently. She didn’t need words to understand he expected her to get inside. She swallowed, throat suddenly dry. Garen’s actions were so out of character she had no idea what would come next. Normally, he gave her written instructions, added a few verbal ones on top of them, and sent her on her way.

What the fuck? I didn’t prepare for this.

A different inner voice snorted.
Yeah, preparation’s my middle name. Not much to do but get in the car.

A brisk wind blew strands of hair into her face. She peeked inside the car. No driver. The implication hit her, and she had to force herself to pretend nothing was wrong. Garen obviously planned to take her somewhere, and it was just the two of them. Had he forgotten his promise to treat her like any other agent?

“Miranda.” Garen looked oddly at her. “For chrissake, get in the car. I don’t have all day.”

She hesitated. “Where are we going? Usually, you give me—”

“I’ll discuss your assignment once we’re moving.”

Her wolf side didn’t like any of this. Garen sounded cold, distant. Only his eyes looked familiar, and they were glazed with pain. Her wolf urged her to take off running. She shushed it.

“Are you going to get in?” Irritation and something else she couldn’t quite name underscored his words.

“Of course. Sorry.” Miranda shot him a sunny smile and slid into the passenger seat, taking care to flash as much thigh as she could manage. Maybe, if he was ambivalent about dragging her off to a private rendezvous before her final assignment, she could up the ante a bit.

What the hell am I doing? Every time I fuck him, all I do is want him more. What am I, a masochist?

No, a glutton for punishment
, she thought glumly.

Garen laughed and ran an index finger up her exposed thigh. “That’s the spirit, Miss Miller.” Shoving her door shut, he came round to the driver’s side and got in.

They travelled for a while in silence. Miranda noted they were heading north on the expressway that would take them across the border into Canada. She hoped they weren’t going that far. Between wrestling with her attraction for Garen and being hyped up about whatever her final assignment might be, she wanted to spring into action and get the show on the road.

Garen hummed a tuneless song; it got on her nerves. Lust rolled off him in waves. She did her best to ignore the frank sexual vibrations, but it wasn’t easy. The musk of his arousal filled the car and ignited her senses. Miranda had her hands full managing her wolf side, keeping her fight-or-flight energy in check, and surreptitiously rubbing her thighs together. She couldn’t wait for the car ride to end. If it lasted too long, she’d jump his bones and be done with it.

“Where are we going?” she asked at last.

“Somewhere quite special.” Half turning, he bared his teeth at her in what was supposed to be a smile.

Guess he’s not going to tell me.
She tried to think what else she could ask that might yield a clue or two, but came up dry. The silence made her nervous and amped up her lust. Miranda reached under her jacket to readjust the Beretta digging into her ribs.

“You seem antsy, Miss Miller.”

She shrugged. “I want to get this over with so I can concentrate on San Ysidro.”

“You’ll be paired with Ted today. He’ll meet you near the target. It’s up to the two of you to work together to bring down your objective.”

Red flags flared in her mind. “But we always work alone,” she protested. “I need information about the target.” She bit her lower lip.

“Correction, Miss Miller. We
usually
work alone. Ted has all the information you’ll need.”

“I don’t like this.”

“Understood. The reason you don’t like it is about control. You’re uncomfortable because you don’t have more.”

She snorted. “No kidding. I’ve never worked with Ted before. It would have been better if—”

“Uh-uh.” Garen glanced sidelong at her. “I gave you a choice. You insisted on being treated like everyone else. Just because you’re used to working a certain way, doesn’t mean you always get to choose. Flexibility is key to being successful in the field. Consider today a test of your ability to think on your feet and work with unknown quantities.”

He took an exit that led them into wooded countryside typical of the Pacific Northwest. The day was overcast, and she glanced at the digital clock on the console. Four o’clock. Days were short late in the fall, so it would be dark in less than an hour. She hoped she’d be done with whatever Garen had in mind before the sun came up. A single night without sleep was tolerable. More than that and her mind became dull and sluggish.

Doesn’t take long to kill someone
, she reminded herself.
That’s what I’m out here for.

“We’re close to your meeting place.” Garen pulled off onto a dirt road and seemed to be hunting for something. He slowed down and speeded back up several times.

“What are your expectations of me?” she asked formally.

“That is part of the last test,” he said. “There are no expectations. Your performance today will determine your future.”

You mean if I even have a future with The Company,
she finished for him, taking care to remain silent.

The car lurched to a halt. “We’re here,” he announced. She waited for him to come around to open her door, when he added, “Goddammit, Miranda. Be careful.”

She swiveled to face him. His eyes were pinched with concern. She reached to stroke the side of his face, knowing touching him was a mistake. “You promised not to do this.”

He laid a hand over hers, capturing it next to his jaw. “You’re not making it any easier.”

“No, I suppose not.” She bent across the console and brushed her lips across his. He wound his arms around her and deepened the kiss, releasing her abruptly. The harsh sound of their mingled breathing filled the small space.

“Neither of us can dance on two floors,” he said gruffly. “Get out. I hope to God I’ll see you after this is over.”

“Aren’t you coming, at least until I meet up with Ted?” Alarm sluiced through her. She pushed her door open, grabbed her very unnecessary briefcase, and stood.

“No. Close the door.”

The minute she did, he jammed the car into reverse, fishtailing it until he was headed back the way they’d come. Dust and gravel splattered her. She sneezed and then brushed off her clothes.

“What the fuck?” Miranda stared after the taillights of the Lexus. Her lips still burned from their kiss. “He’s just going to dump me out here. Christ! Ted’s not even here yet.” She shifted from foot to foot, wishing she weren’t wearing high heels. A message from the animal side of her brain made her glance sharply around and take stock of her situation. Death caught the unwary. She wasn’t planning on it catching her. Not today, anyway. It would be better to wait for Ted within the shadowed forest. She hadn’t said anything to Garen, but what little she knew about the other agent gave her the creeps.

The deeply rutted road was lined with stately evergreens. Feeling exposed, she faded into their dimness and continued to evaluate what she had to work with. Her unseen tail swished from side to side. Light waned from the day. Could she risk shape-shifting? One of the rules Lucifer had established was they shifted at night—and only at night.

While she considered that, the sound of a car engine filled her ears. Since Garen’s car had been the only one on the deserted road, and she hadn’t seen any houses, she assumed this new car was probably Ted.

Miranda dropped back fifty more paces where the tree cover was even thicker. Head cocked to one side, she listened intently. The car’s engine was still running, but the vehicle had come to a stop. Shrugging, she kicked off her shoes. Her feet would be cold, but she could live with that. The rattle of automatic weapon fire jarred her. She flattened herself against the dank ground.
Christ, did The Company simply send assassins to finish me off?

Stop! Garen wouldn’t do that to me.

Deciding this qualified as the sort of emergency she could justify to Lucifer, Miranda dropped the guard she always kept over her wolf side. Usually, she stripped her clothes off first but didn’t think she could spare the time. She felt her spine lengthen and her limbs move under it. Thick, gray fur with black markings took the place of her skin and hair. Within less than a minute, her tailored suit lay in tatters on the damp earth.

She pushed her gun out of the way with a paw. She’d forgotten to engage the safety, but there wasn’t much she could do about it now. She growled low in the back of her throat. It was the wolf equivalent of laughter. As far as the wolf was concerned, the gun was nothing but a silly prop. She had teeth and claws and speed. Who needed guns when you had all those things?

Miranda stepped away from her torn clothing. Her lips skinned back, baring her fangs. She loved her wolf form. She’d spend more time in it if she could. She scanned the woods, senses on full alert. Above the smells of metal and gasoline and cordite, she smelled a man. Ted? Whoever it was hadn’t quit discharging automatic weapon rounds. Did that mean his assignment was to kill her? What about the mysterious target Garen had mentioned? Did it even exist?

No wonder he left so fast. Fucking pussy.
Anger vied with outrage. Sadness wasn’t far behind. Had she truly meant so little to him?

Another spate of machine-gun fire split the air. She clamped her jaws together. Keeping down, belly almost scraping the ground, Miranda circled round. She wanted to see if it was Ted shooting and what his position was. For all she knew, their target had beat Ted to the draw.

Miranda rethought her strategy and went for speed. It didn’t matter who was shooting. The only thing that mattered was they wanted her dead. She was certain whoever was after her wouldn’t be expecting a wolf, so she streaked across the road sixty yards ahead of a Mercedes roadster and lost herself in the forest on the other side. Because the driver was facing the other way, it was likely he never even noticed her.

Panting, she dug her claws into soft dirt and came to a stop. She’d recognized the car. It belonged to Ted. Unless someone had killed him and stolen his car, he was the one shooting at her. A sick outrage pounded her.
At least this explains why Garen made up that cock-and-bull story about pairing me with Ted.

None of them ever actually worked
together
. Murder was always an individual assignment. She’d assumed it was to protect The Company in case something went terribly wrong. That way there were no potential witnesses.