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FAYE WOKE FIRST AND stared at the ceiling for several seconds before closing her eyes.

“Thank you, Jesus, for bringing me home safe. I appreciate it. Now if I can retire early, I’d appreciate it,” she prayed. She rolled over and rested her arm on Jarcee’s wide chest. Her man preferred to sleep on his back and she loved looking at him. She leaned up on one elbow and held her the side of her face in her palm while staring down at him. Two and a half days without him seemed like an eternity.

She burned for him. If it hadn’t been for her dreams she would’ve been committed into a psychiatric ward, things had gotten that bad. Agent High hadn’t been around when she arrived last night but gave her the day off. Coward. She had a few words to say to him about how he left her hanging in the wind.

One of the nurses allowed her to read her chart and she discovered High was the person keeping her in the hospital running the same tests over and over. She’d told her C.O. and he promised to look into it.

Leaning forward she went to place a kiss on his belly and heard it growl before her lips made contact. Faye jerked backward, eyed him and smiled.

“Hungry I see,” she said.

“For you,” he murmured as his stomach rumbled again.

Last night, when she returned food had been the last thing on their minds. They’d gone to bed and made love most of the night. She felt great.

“I’ll fix something.”

He opened one eye.

She laughed. “I can cook breakfast.”

“Okay.”

Faye chuckled at the doubt in his tone. “I’m going to cook my man a big breakfast and spend the day doing whatever he wants to do.”

Jarcee smiled but didn’t open his eyes.

Faye leaned forward and traced the lines on his face gently. He’d kept his promise to her, hadn’t interfered but it cost him. It looked like he’d lost weight as if he hadn’t been eating. When he met her at the airport last night, in addition to being happy to see her, she read relief and hunger in his gaze.

She’d been so glad to be in his arms, she wouldn’t release him for several minutes. Tears rolled down her face as they left the airport and drove home. This morning she’d take care of him while he rested, regained his strength.

In the kitchen, she pulled out what she needed to cook his meal. There were no eggs or any meat at all. She’d never seen Jarcee eat a meal with no meat.

The grocery wasn’t that far, five minutes top. She’d get eggs, bacon, something for lunch and dinner while she was out. Maybe steaks to throw on the grill and fixings. Pleased with her plans, she hit the shower and dressed, expecting Jarcee to be awake by the time she finished.

“I’m going to the grocery store, babe. Be right back,” she called over her shoulder as she left their bedroom.

“Huh?”

Laughing at his grunt, she left for the store.

###

FAYE PICKED UP A T-bone steak and a large rib-eye trying to decide which to get for Jarcee. Her man could eat. She tossed both into the basket.

“Faye?”

She turned and inwardly groaned as Beth from the office walked toward her. “Where have you been? We didn’t hear anything from you. If you don’t want to work, you should’ve let us know.” She looked over her shoulder. “Nelson, I’m over here,” she called out.

Faye wished she was anywhere but here. Agent High was supposed to contact them to keep her cover relevant. Something else he failed to do. “Sorry, I got caught up in another project, had to go out of town.” She tried to move along but Mr. Nelson walked up, frowning.

Faye wrinkled her nose. Cheap cologne and liquor didn’t mix.

“I didn’t know you were still here. Thought you’d moved on,” he said in a disapproving tone before glancing in her basket. “Groceries? Seems you’re setting up house.”

“Yeah, well. Thanks for the opportunity, I understand.” Eager to be free of the two, she pushed her basket forward.

In a bold move, Beth blocked her path. “Are you coming to the office to get your things?”

Faye hadn’t been there long enough to have anything of value. “No, just toss anything out.” She pushed the cart.

Beth placed her hand on the basket and moved her hand when Faye looked at her as if she’d lost her mind.

“I just think you should reconsider working with us, Faye. You left Mr. Nelson in a lurch when you disappeared. He has several customers lined up,” Beth said, glancing at her boss.

“No thank you.” Faye stopped feeling bad or trying to be nice. Beth crossed a line by standing in the way. She pushed the cart hard, knocking Beth back.

“Hey!” Beth said.

“Oops, sorry,” Faye said, surprised by how hard the basket hit the woman since she hadn’t pushed very hard. She paid for their groceries and headed outside, hoping never to see the two again.

She’d just placed the last bag in the trunk when Beth and Nelson pulled up behind her car. Beth was driving and Mr. Nelson stepped out the car. Faye closed her trunk, opened her car and tossed her purse inside before turning to face him.

“Look I’m not going to work for you. I told Beth already.” Prepared to tell him in words he’d understand she glared at him for making her go there.

He pointed a gun at her. Get in the car.”

Surprise raced through Faye as she stared at him. Who gave this inexperienced fool a gun, she wondered looking at the way he gripped the pistol as if it was someone’s neck he was choking. He stood sideways as if he needed to look to Beth for courage or instructions. One thing for sure, she wasn’t going anywhere with them.

“What’s this about?” She’d talk until she got close enough to disarm him.

“Get the fuck in the car,” he hissed, pointing to the car with the weapon. The gun had been pointed at her chest but had dropped incrementally and now a bullet would hit him in the foot.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” This was the reason gun-control needed to be dealt with. If he wasn’t careful, he’d shoot Beth.

“No.” He jerked the gun up and looked around the parking lot to make sure no one watched. “You need to do what I say, get in the car.”

“I can’t do that,” Faye said, looking around to see if anyone was looking. An SUV drove slowly in their direction.

“What? I’ll shoot you, I swear I will,” he threatened but she sensed his fear.

He took a step forward.

She kicked him in the leg. He flew backward and hit their car. The gun went off and hit someone’s window. Beth got out the car and ran to Nelson.

Faye moved quickly and put her foot on top of the gun Beth had tried to retrieve.

“Bitch please,” Faye said in a low voice. “Tell me what the fuck is going on before I fuck you up. Don’t think I won’t use this gun on both of you.”

Beth’s eyes widened and then she started crying.

“Everything alright?” the two men in the SUV asked as they pulled up behind the car blocking her in.

“These assholes threatened me with this gun.” She moved her foot so they could see. “Wanted me to go with them somewhere in their car.”

“You hit him? We saw him fly backward.” One of the men said.

“No. I kicked him.”

They looked at her and nodded. “Do you want to press charges?”

“Are you cops?” There was nothing on the truck to make her think they were.

“Yes, we are.”

She looked at Beth and then at Nelson. “Yes. They stopped me in the store and again out here. She won’t tell me what’s going on, maybe they’ll tell a judge.”

One man lifted a struggling Beth with ease and placed plastic zip-lock ties around her wrists. The other took a kit from the back of the SUV and worked on Nelson. He placed something on his leg and by the time he finished, an ambulance had arrived. The whole matter was solved quickly and efficiently.

The officer gave her his card and asked her to come to the station within an hour.

“I have to fix breakfast and eat so it’ll be more like two hours.”

“That’s fine.” They moved Beth’s car so Faye could leave.

###

JARCEE AND FAYE SAT in a room listening to Nelson tell the investigator he wanted Faye to reconsider working for him, that’s why he threatened her at gunpoint.

Jarcee’s low growl rolled through the room. He’d been angry since she returned home and explained what happened. They hadn't eaten yet, he’d been hell-bent on reaching the police department and taking matters into his own hands. She reminded him of her job and the need to keep a low profile, especially since she’d just returned last night. That stopped his growling but not his determination to get to Nelson and Beth.

When they arrived, they’d been admitted to the Chief’s office immediately and allowed to listen in on the questioning.

“He’s lying,” Jarcee said.

“Yeah, that’s obvious, but why? Where did they want to take me?” Faye murmured.

“Where did you want to take her?” the Investigator asked.

“Back to the office, to talk,” Nelson said.

“Then why not talk to her instead of pulling a gun on her and threatening her?”

“Look, I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that. I apologize.” He sounded as if he was in pain.

The door opened and an attractive woman entered the room. She was tall and muscular with a bronzed complexion and long, dark hair she wore pulled back in a bun on the back of her head.

“Hi, Nelson, how are you?” she extended her hand.

He wore a confused look as he shook her hand. “Hi, have we met?” he asked.

“Yeah, you sold me a house last year. When I saw you come in I wanted to come and greet you.” She looked at the Investigator. “He sold me a house. Were you and Beth together then or were you with someone else? I can’t recall.”

“Beth and I’ve been together for ten years,” he said.

“But she’s just 25,” the woman said.

“Yes. We started early.” Nelson smiled.

Faye’s stomach turned.

“So you were headed to Canada? Or where were you going this time?”

“Canada for sure. This is the last trip, we’ll stay this time.” Nelson looked around. “Where’s Beth?”

“She’s in the other room talking.” She released his hand and stared at him hard and long. “You’ve been working this area for two years?”

He shook his head as if clearing it and looked at her. “What?”

“The real estate company, you’ve been there for two years?”

“He told me they’d been there five years,” Faye said, surprised he lied.

“No. Two years,” he said.

“Why did you want to take Faye to Canada? It’s too cold up there.”

He stared at her and didn’t speak.

“Her fiancé’s going to kill you.” The woman said calmly in front of the cop.

Faye’s mouth dropped open. Fiancé? She looked at Jarcee hoping he wasn’t offended by this tactic to get Nelson to talk. He nodded his agreement. That’s when the rest of the woman’s comments registered. “You can’t do that, Jarcee,” she said. “You can’t.”

He looked down at her and pulled her close.

“Who’s in Canada, Nelson? Who do you take these women to?” the woman asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

“Yeah, you do. Beth says you’re helping someone in Canada, that he pays you for the women you send, especially women who can handle full-bloods.”

Faye couldn’t believe what she heard. Did this woman just mention the wolf-nation? Was that what this was about? Her and Jarcee? She looked around. Was this a real police station?

“Beth says that’s how you make your money. In the past six months, you’ve taken four women to Canada, they thought it was work related. Thought you were taking them to some conference, something to help their careers until they arrived and discovered they wouldn’t be leaving.”

“Lies,” Nelson said.

Faye froze. He had offered to take her to a symposium. She felt nauseous. Jarcee wrapped her in his arms and rocked her gently.

“Hey, that’s what Beth said. Just telling you what we were told and the reason you’re going to prison.” She stood and looked down at him. “A man who sells women is less than maggots in my opinion.” She left the room.

Nelson stared at the table as the Investigator left behind her.

“Who was that?” Faye asked awed by the woman. She’d met a lot of female officers in her career. None of them wielded the kind of confidence and bad-assery as this woman.

“Asia.”