Chapter 7

“Hey, you okay?” Jayna asked as she gently elbowed him in the ribs.

Becker started. Damn, he’d just about fallen asleep on her shoulder in the back of the big Cadillac Escalade. In the front seat, the two Albanians were quietly talking in their own language while the two omegas occupying the middle row were laughing about something.

He sat up straighter, blinking the sleep—and the early-morning sun—out of his eyes and popping a kink out of his neck. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know you haven’t been getting a lot of sleep lately. Speaking of which, you didn’t have to come out with me on this one, you know. I could have handled it on my own.”

He stretched as much as he could in the tight confines of the rear bench seat of the SUV, careful not to whack Jayna in the head with his elbow. “I know, but I feel better coming with you.”

She smiled, her blue eyes teasing. “Okay, but if you fall asleep while we’re in there, I’m not going to drag your big butt back to the vehicle. You’re too heavy.”

He grinned back. “Deal.”

Becker wouldn’t have cared if he’d had to mainline caffeine to stay awake¸ there was no way in hell he’d ever have let Jayna go on this job by herself.

Two days ago, he’d been so sure his simple plan was foolproof. All he had to do was stick close to Jayna and her pack mates and keep them safe, then text Cooper when it looked like the Albanians or the omegas were heading out to do something suitably nefarious.

The only problem was that the Albanians and omegas were up to something nefarious twenty-four hours a day. Worse, almost any time they went out, they took at least one of Jayna’s pack mates with them. It was like Kos and Frasheri didn’t trust the omegas—or hell, even their own men—to get anything right without one of the pack werewolves being with them. Either that or Kos and Frasheri thought they were some kind of frigging good-luck charms. Then again, maybe the Albanians wanted to ensure that their pack didn’t take off. And since Becker was determined to keep them safe, he went out of his way to go on every job they did, even if that meant going without sleep. And for the last two days, that was exactly what he’d done. Liam didn’t like it, of course, but Becker ignored the pack alpha and jumped in whichever SUV headed out. So far, all he’d gone on were recon missions, so he hadn’t broken the law, and he didn’t plan to.

That might be difficult today though, since this morning, they were hitting a small family-owned jewelry store that had recently bought a collection of rough diamonds from a dealer in New York. According to Kos, the store didn’t employ a lot of guards, so the big mobster was of the opinion that it should be an easy job. Becker wasn’t too sure about that. If they’d just bought a big load of diamonds, they’d likely have extra security on hand. Thank God he’d been able to text Cooper before they’d left. He had a feeling this job was going to go bad.

The two omegas were talking about what they could do with diamonds like the ones they were on their way to steal. Becker ignored them until one of them pulled something shiny out of the pocket of his tactical vest and rolled it back and forth between his fingers.

Well, he’d be damned. The fuckers had skimmed some of the platinum medallions from the warehouse job. He vaguely remembered the officer standing guard the day he and Cooper had gone there saying something about some pieces being stolen, but the other day, he’d heard Kos bemoaning the fact that none of it had made it back to the loft. Clearly, omegas weren’t big on the whole loyalty thing. Made him wonder why the Albanians were even willing to trust them.

Becker glanced at Jayna. She was gazing out the window, unaware that he was watching her. The sun highlighted her naturally blond hair, making it look even silkier, and he had to resist the urge to run his fingers through it. Usually he hated being stuffed into tight places, but right then, being squeezed into the seat beside her was pretty close to heaven. Even though he’d been on the go nonstop since he’d infiltrated the pack and hadn’t gotten to spend nearly as much time with her as he would have liked, he was still having a good time. For now, being under the same roof was good enough for him.

Yesterday, they’d been able to compare notes in the privacy of his apartment on the information they’d been able to get to Cooper, but unfortunately, there hadn’t been a repeat of that magical moment from his first night at the loft, when the sparks had zipped between them. Everything about that moment, from their private conversation to the feel of her warm, soft hands on his skin, made all the risks he was taking seem worthwhile. Controlling himself had been tough though. Being that close to her without kissing her had been pure misery, especially because he’d been able to tell she’d been experiencing the same sensations he was. The delectable change in her scent had been a dead giveaway.

But he’d also sensed something else coming off Jayna—hesitancy verging on downright panic. Something was holding her back when it came to her giving in to the same feelings and emotions that were rushing through his body every time he was around her. Until he figured out what that something was, there was always going to be a wall there. It was frustrating, but he wasn’t going to push.

That didn’t mean he couldn’t daydream though, and sitting with her in the cramped backseat was definitely in the daydreaming category. She smelled so good, it was all he could do not to lean over and lick her like a puppy. He was just wondering if anyone would notice if he scooted closer and buried his face in her long hair when the Escalade turned into an alley, pulled up behind a small building, and stopped.

“The store will not open for another thirty minutes,” the Albanian driving the SUV said in thickly accented English. “The old guard will be in the break room, still drinking his coffee.”

Becker felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as the Albanian repeated the instructions Kos had given them earlier. He and Jayna would be responsible for dealing with the guard and herding any other employees into the break room with him. The Albanians would disable the internal video cameras, then stand guard in front of the small jewelry store. The two omegas would be responsible for getting the female manager—the shop owner’s daughter—to open the safe and turn over the diamonds. That was the part of the plan that made Becker uneasy. He’d seen the glint in the omegas’ eyes when Kos said they could do anything they wanted to the woman as long as she opened the safe. Man, he hoped SWAT got there before the whole thing went down and he had to blow his cover.

“No messing around in there,” the Albanian added as he pulled a black ski mask over his face. “Get the diamonds; then get out.”

Becker grabbed Jayna’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze, then lowered his ski mask and pulled on his gloves. He listened intently as he got out of the SUV and headed for the back door with the others, hoping to hear sirens approaching. If he had heard sirens, he could have convinced the Albanians to give up on the diamonds and get out of there. But no such luck. That didn’t mean anything though. If Cooper had gotten the text in time, his SWAT teammates could have been out there, waiting to take them down the second they went in the building. That would be great for the innocent people in the shop—not so great for him and his goal of helping Jayna and her pack.

He wondered for the hundredth time if the plan he and Cooper had cooked up had any chance of working.

But as one of the omegas kicked in the back door and went in with a howl that bordered on maniacal, Becker decided to put all the what-ifs aside. He had enough problems to deal with right now.

Once inside, the Albanians immediately ran down the hallway to the front of the store, while the omegas made a beeline for the manager’s office. Becker hesitated, torn between following the two werewolves to make sure they didn’t hurt the woman, and sticking to the plan. Jayna gave him a questioning look, clearly worried too. He nodded and jerked his head in the direction of the break room.

He and Jayna rounded up the two female employees and the nice, old security guard in fifteen seconds. The Albanians disabled the security systems and video camera just as fast. Now he had to hope the store manager cooperated.

A woman’s scream echoed from the back of the building, followed by the distinctive sound of material being torn.

Shit.

The two women that Jayna had herded into the break room tightened their grips on each other’s hands, their faces white. The security guard started to get to his feet, but then took one look at the guns Becker and Jayna were carrying and thought better of it.

One of the Albanians shouted something from the front of the store in his own language, following it up with an order to the omegas to stop wasting time and get the damn safe open.

Becker ground his teeth. He should have simply kidnapped Jayna and her entire pack. Then he could have just walked into the loft and shot every one of these idiots—twice.

“Watch them,” he told Jayna, motioning to the security guard and two women. Turning, he left the break room and jogged down the hallway toward the back of the building.

“Get them back on the safe!” the Albanian driver shouted at him from the front room.

Oh yeah, sure. Stop two morons from raping a woman and get them back on task. What the hell was he—a daycare worker for omega werewolves?

Shit. If this was how criminals behaved, it was no wonder he and his SWAT teammates took so many of them down. They were too stupid to live. Then again, maybe this was how Gage felt some days. The SWAT pack could occasionally be a little stupid too. Becker’s current predicament was a shining example of that.

The omega standing guard in the hallway outside the manager’s office glared at him. “We got this. Go back and babysit the old folks.”

What a complete ass, Becker thought as he walked up and punched the guy in the face. The werewolf flew backward and bounced off the wall, bleeding like crazy from a broken nose as he fell to the floor in a dazed heap. He was still moving around though, reminding Becker that it was as hard to knock out an omega as it was to knock out an alpha. He’d have to remember that.

Becker strode into the office to find the store manager on the floor beside her desk, the other omega—the one who liked to play with his platinum medallion—leaning over her menacingly. He’d torn her blouse and was telling her all the horrible things he planned to do to her if she didn’t open the safe. The idiot was so intent on threatening her that he didn’t realize Becker was there until he yanked the guy to his feet and spun him around, then smashed the back of his head into the nearest hard object he could find—the safe panel. Becker pounded his head into the safe a few times before letting him fall to the floor. The asshole was definitely out cold.

Becker turned and looked at the shop manager. She cringed away from him, terror in her eyes as she tried to hold the tatters of her blouse together. He really wished he could pull up his ski mask. Seeing him like this definitely wasn’t helping.

“Do you have an alarm button in this room?” he asked in his softest, least intimidating voice.

The woman stared at him for a moment like he was insane, then motioned under the desk with a shaking hand.

“Would you mind pushing it for me?” he asked.

Now she looked really confused. But she slowly reached under the desk and poked around until a loud alarm started ringing.

“Thanks.” Becker bent down to take the platinum medallion out of the omega’s vest and slip it into his pocket. “By the way, that diamond merchant you bought from in New York sold you out to a really bad guy. You probably don’t want to buy from him anymore.” Turning, he jogged out of the room and down the hallway to the front of the store. “Time to leave. Moron hit the alarm.”

Jayna was heading his way in a flash, the two Albanians right behind her.

“What about the safe?” the driver asked.

Becker shook his head. “It’s a no-go. Our guy smashed the keypad.”

The Albanians muttered something in their native language and shook their heads, as if they’d seen this coming. They stepped over the omega who was still rolling around in a daze on the floor in the hallway and raced out the back door. In the distance, sirens echoed in the air. About damn time. Becker motioned Jayna out.

“What about him?” she asked, jerking her head at the werewolf still trying to get to his knees.

Becker nudged the omega with his boot, pushing him back down. The guy looked like he really didn’t want to bother getting up this time.

“What about him?” Becker said, holding the door open for her.

* * *

“You left them to get arrested?” Liam snarled.

Becker returned the other werewolf’s glare. When he and Jayna had gotten back without the diamonds and the two omegas, Liam had made it no secret that he was pissed. Frasheri, on the other hand, didn’t seem nearly as upset. Instead, he sat at his big desk in front of the huge row of picture windows in his office on the second floor, watching Becker and Liam square off. Even Kos seemed more interested in the power struggle going on than the botched robbery.

“Damn right I did,” Becker told Liam. “Any loyalty I felt toward them disappeared the minute I heard they were planning to swipe some of the diamonds for themselves.”

Kostandin’s eyes narrowed. “Planning to swipe some of the diamonds for themselves?”

“That’s bullshit,” Liam snapped. “He’s making that up to distract you from the fact that he screwed up. Right, Jayna?”

Becker swore silently as Kos and Frasheri looked at Jayna, their eyes questioning. Becker knew she’d back him up, but he still felt like crap for putting her in this position. She didn’t seem uncomfortable though. Beside him, her pulse beat in a nice, steady rhythm.

She met Liam’s gaze unflinchingly. “Eric’s not making anything up.”

Becker couldn’t resist giving Liam a smug look. “If you need any more proof they were dirty, this should do it.”

Pulling the platinum medallion out of his pocket, he tossed it on Frasheri’s desk. The silence that descended on the room was deafening. Even Liam seemed speechless for once.

“Where did you get that?” Kos asked.

“One of the omegas flashed it around before we got to the jewelry store,” Becker said. “When I went back to see what was taking him and his buddy so long with the safe, I heard them talking about taking a few diamonds for themselves, that no one would notice. Let’s just say they should consider themselves lucky to be sitting in a jail cell. If I had my way, those assholes would be in the morgue right now, but the cops showed up.”

That part wasn’t exactly true, but Frasheri and Kos didn’t know that. And from what he’d picked up over the past few days, loyalty was a big thing with the Albanians. They’d never consider Becker or any of the other werewolves part of their inner circle—you had to be a blood relation for that—but they expected anyone who worked for them to be loyal to the family. That included the hired muscle.

Telling Frasheri and Kos that the omegas were traitors fed into the suspicions they probably already had about the unpredictable werewolves. If he played this right, he might be able to drive a wedge between the Albanians and the omegas, maybe even between them and Liam. If the various factions in the loft were focused on who was betraying them, it’d be a hell of a lot easier to take them out one by one.

“Why would you care that those omegas had been stealing from us?” Kos asked.

Becker shrugged. “Pack doesn’t steal from pack. And you’re my pack now.”

Kos raised an eyebrow at that, then glanced at Frasheri. The older Albanian stared at Becker for a moment before nodding.

“That’s it?” Liam demanded, slanting Becker a venomous look. “This a-hole doesn’t come back with the diamonds, he gets two of my omegas arrested, and you’re fine with that?”

Kostandin gave Liam one of those patented flat-eyed looks of his. “Failure on a job is the price of doing business. But we will not tolerate those who steal from us. And those omegas of yours were stealing from us. Eric has simply done what I would have done in his position. Not only am I fine with it, I require it.”

Liam’s eyes flashed yellow. “That’s—”

But Kos cut him off. “And if I discover you knew what these omegas of yours were doing—”

“I didn’t! I swear to you,” Liam insisted. “If you weren’t so damn worried about me stealing from you, maybe you’d stop and wonder why the cops show up every time a crew has gone out on a job the past couple days.”

Becker saw Jayna glance at him, but he didn’t look at her. “Maybe someone’s been tipping them off.”

Frasheri considered that. “Like who?”

Becker shrugged. “A rival crew maybe?”

He and Jayna had talked about suggesting the possibility to Kos and Frasheri but hadn’t had a chance to plant the seed yet until now.

“Or maybe you did it,” Liam accused.

Becker snorted. “Right. I tipped off the cops and told them we’d be hitting the jewelry store so I could get arrested too. That’s brilliant.”

Liam opened his mouth to say something, but Kos cut him off.

“We’re done here.”

This time, Liam left without a fuss, but not before giving Becker and Jayna a look that could have melted the flesh from their bones. Becker couldn’t give a damn what the werewolf thought of him, but if that bastard tried to take out his anger on Jayna, Becker would rip off his head and shove it up his ass.

Becker held his hand out toward the door Liam had left open, indicating Jayna should go ahead of him. He gave the Albanians a nod, then followed, closing the door behind them.

Liam was nowhere in sight, but there was an omega and a handful of Albanians hanging around the hallway, so he and Jayna didn’t speak until they were in her apartment.

“So, I’m guessing we have a plan B now?” she asked softy.

Becker grinned, glad Jayna had picked up on the seeds he’d planted in Frasheri’s office. “Yup. I got the idea when I saw that omega flash the platinum medallion. In between texting Cooper with every tip we can get our hands on, we’re going to start doing everything we can to convince Frasheri and Kos that the omegas are a liability—and vice versa. With a little nudging from us, the Albanians and omegas should be at each other’s throats in no time.”

“And then we can just walk out when the shooting starts.” Jayna smiled up at him. “You’re pretty devious,” she said, then leaned in and put her mouth right next to his ear. “For a cop.”

Her whisper was a warm breeze across his skin. With her sweet mouth millimeters from his ear and her intoxicating scent enveloping him—almost causing him to shift—the urge to turn his head and kiss her was damn near impossible to resist. It took every ounce of strength Becker had, but he forced himself to step back.

Not because he didn’t trust himself, but because he didn’t want to rush her into anything. But before he left, he thought he caught a flash of green in her eyes as she gave him a smile. He was pretty sure that sudden flare of iridescent color had nothing to do with the soft lighting in the apartment and everything to do with her body’s response to him.