“I could fill you in over dinner.” There was that twinkle in his eyes again. He knew he had me.
My heart fluttered and heat blossomed in my bloodstream, which surprised me. This wasn’t personal. But my body seemed to want it to be.
One of my promises to myself when I’d left the FBI was to make time for dating. I’d spent my whole life focused on my career and woke up to find myself halfway through my forties and still single. I didn’t have any regrets about my life choices, but I was eager to dive into new experiences. I’d never planned on marriage and family, but I wanted to feel something, to matter to someone for reasons other than my abilities to catch criminals.
Miller Sloan was just another person who wanted me for my professional skills. He thought I might be able to help him locate someone who he clearly didn’t want the government to find first.
But this morning at the coffee shop, he’d introduced himself without knowing anything about me.
My finger was already caressing the trigger on my instinct to brush him off, but I held off. I wasn’t a baby agent trying to move up the ladder in a male-dominated arena anymore. I was a woman with a clean slate. The future could be whatever I chose to make of it.
But this tall, built, older guy with a bunch of secrets had red flags flapping all around him. I should be running the other way.
A smile crept up on me as I nodded. “I’m free for dinner.”
So much for the flags.
I promised myself I’d be careful and remember this wasn’t personal.
We swapped cell phone numbers, and I got back in my car. I had a hot date with my shower and clean clothes.
Miller Sloan shrank in my rearview mirror, not that I was watching. I rolled my eyes and focused on the road ahead. Dinner would be here soon enough.
CHAPTER 5
Miller
When her car disappeared around the corner, I turned to Asher and filled him in on my earlier call with the Alpha of the Salem wolf pack. “That picture you saw on her phone was a werewolf body. Someone killed and maimed one of us while in wolf form.”
“Fuck.” Asher rubbed his forehead. “We’re really close to being outted on multiple fronts here. If they pull DNA…”
“The investigators would already be talking about some strange anomaly in the DNA and they’re not. We’re safe for now.” The yellow streetlights sparked to life. “If I can get Rayne to come with me to Salem, maybe she can help me find who is doing this.”
“But she doesn’t know about shifters. Cole would be a better choice to go with you. He’s our pack doctor. Maybe he can determine how a human overpowered a werewolf.”
“No.” I shook my head. “I’m fine on my own.”
Asher crossed his arms. “No lone wolves in this pack.”
I chuffed. “I’m not part of your pack.”
“You could be.”
This was the second time Asher had offered me a spot in his pack. There would be a comfort in finally having a home base, but I couldn’t make the commitment, not with all the fires I was trying to put out. “You’re a damned good Alpha, and I appreciate you allowing me to run with your pack during the full moon the past couple of months, but I’ll never be able to join.”
In spite of my declaration, Asher clasped my forearm in the traditional pack greeting. He gripped my arm tightly, and his gaze locked on mine. His eyes glowed a bright gold for a moment, that Alpha power shining through. He stared at me as my own wolf snarled from the depths of my soul.
Asher raised a brow, and his voice came out like a low rumble. “You’re an Alpha.”
“No.” I clenched my jaw, forcing my aggressive wolf back into the shadows. “But I would have been if I hadn’t joined the military and volunteered for Operation Moonlight.” Just saying the words put a bitter taste in my mouth. I released his arm and took a step back. “I’ll keep you in the loop once I get to Salem. Hopefully Mathias really does have something of value I can use to force the senator to back the fuck off.”
“Do you think Rayne will go with you?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, but that won’t change my plans either way.” My gaze flicked to his office building. “Be sure to make a contingency plan with the pack in case my attempt to stop the senator doesn’t work.”
“We’ll discuss it.” He went to the office door and turned back. “If you need help, you know where to find me.”
“Thanks, Asher.”
I got in my car and rested back against the seat. First stop would be Salem, and once I tied up the loose ends there and had the leverage to force the senator’s silence, then I’d be headed for DC. Normally, I’d be eager to wade back into the shark-infested waters of Washington, DC, but I couldn’t muster the energy. Politics didn’t excite me the way it once had, and I didn’t have my connection to the military to lean into anymore. All that pride used to be what kept me walking ramrod straight and tall, my pants pressed, shoes shined, and chin shaved. It all seemed pointless now.
Even if I managed to get my hands on something to keep the senator quiet, how long would it last? There would always be someone else, another crisis.
I was so damned tired.
But I couldn’t stop trying. Eventually it would kill me. I could rest then.
The glass door to Wild Sedona Tours opened, and Becca came outside with two wriggly little boys on either side of her. Hawk and Henry giggled and hopped all the way over to her car, and my gut clenched. They were the reason I needed to keep fighting. There were new generations of wolf packs all over the world just beginning to grow up. These boys didn’t ask to be born shifters. They were innocents in a war they didn’t even know loomed on the horizon.
I started the engine and drove out of the parking lot.
Time to get back to work, Sloan.
I’d arranged to meet Rayne at the Red Coyote at seven thirty. The trendy local restaurant boasted Southwestern flavors and unique dishes created by Chef Kaya Blackwing. No one would ever guess that the person creating all the culinary delights was actually a shifter.
Kaya’s restaurant also had some of the best views of the Red Rock mountains. Not that this was a date, but I was trying to persuade an ex-FBI agent to accompany me to Salem to track the person who was targeting werewolves. I wanted to impress her.
It was going to be dicey to keep our secret from her, but if she could help me narrow down a list of suspects so I could stop the hunter, it would be worth navigating the minefield of facts I couldn’t share.
I got out of my car and cracked my neck as I scanned the parking lot. I took a deep breath, sifting through the scents. Exhaust, perfume, humans, and the strong spices of the food had my stomach growling. No sign of Rayne yet. Good. It would give me a chance to give Kaya a heads-up and find a table away from prying ears so we could discuss the situation in Salem.
When I pulled open the oversized glass door, a very pregnant Kaya came out of the kitchen, a crease marring her brow as she came toward me. She must’ve caught my scent the second I came inside. A woman with short blond hair and an easy smile followed her out.
“General Sloan?” Kaya frowned. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”