Bas left the conference room with a determination that he hadn’t felt in a long time.  He was going to get the reprieve he needed, and he was determined to get his beast under control.  Jacks had surprised him by not giving him too much shit and not asking a lot of questions.  Jacks could be a total douche at times, but Bas knew that the man was always looking out for the Team’s best interests.  He also knew that Jacks was right; he needed to get a handle on what was going on with his bear. At least with his new assignment, he would have a bit of a distraction.  Work was easy; you followed protocols and achieved an end result.  What did and didn’t happen were controllable, and right now control was what Bas needed most.  Feeling so out of control was foreign to him. 

Bas went to his room, file in hand, and started planning.  Shelby Thomas certainly was a beautiful girl with blonde hair, blue eyes, and it seemed she was sporting a stripper’s rack.  All in all, this assignment wouldn’t be half bad, at least the scenery would be pleasant.  Looking further into the information that Wyatt and Jacks had put together, Bas was puzzled. This chick was twenty-five and yet she had never worked a day in her life. Thinking to himself, just how did that shit happen? 

Her finances showed that she didn’t even have a checking or savings account.  What she did have though were many credit cards and loans. The woman liked to shop often, and only at the best stores and shops.  Her debt was in the hundreds of thousands, and all of it linked back to a company named Junkyard Hogs.  The sole proprietor of the business named as one Sky Thomas.

Weird. Bas looked closer, flipping through the papers in the file. He found it odd that was the only mention of this Sky person.  Deciding it was time to expand, Bas hit his computer and did some searches on Sky Thomas and Junkyard Hogs.  He discovered that Junkyard Hogs was a well-known custom motorcycle shop.  It has been based out of Chicago until about three years ago, when the entire place burned to the ground, under what was thought to be suspicious circumstances.  However, it was then later attributed to a simple gas leak. 

That right there deserved a little more attention.  The business had been standing and running for over twenty years without any problems.  The paperwork stated that a simple gas leak caused the damage and the owner held a pretty sizeable insurance policy. Why wouldn’t the owner rebuild?  The place was insured heavily, but Bas couldn’t find where the owner had received or requested payment.  It looked like they just up and abandoned the place. Why would someone do that?

The accounts for the business were still open and active.  All Shelby’s credit cards got paid through one account that was nearly empty.  It looked like Shelby Thomas was in for a surprise.   Even paying the minimum payments on all those cards, she had about six months before the account closed due to lack of funds.   Damn, he hoped this chick wasn’t his fated mate.  She seemed to have some control issues.  On paper, she also looked like the perfect person to make a plant.  She had so much debt and no income. That situation alone would make her an easy mark for a bribe if the right people approached her.  People did all kinds of messed up shit for money.  

Bas didn’t believe in living beyond your means.  He grew up with less than nothing and never wanted to repeat those circumstances again.  All the guys on the Teams received a decent paycheck and room and board.  That didn’t mean you stopped saving for a rainy day.  You never knew when you were going to need it.  When Ryleigh joined the Team, she increased their wealth tenfold, but still, Bas didn’t believe in living frivolously.  He liked nice things, but he just didn’t see the need in having everything and anything.  This Shelby chick never seemed to stop buying.  Bas didn’t know if he could ever get used to that.

Then again, maybe it would all be worth it to keep your animal sane and your life intact.  Bas didn’t know.  Jacks, Dalton, and Wyatt seemed happy, and he was pretty sure they would be willing to pay any price for their mates.  Bas just didn’t like the looks of this Shelby chick on paper.  She didn’t do anything but buy stuff, extremely expensive stuff.  Bas didn't doubt that if someone offered her a crap load of cash she would turn on a dime and sell her soul to the highest bidder if her shopping fix got threatened. And from the looks of it, that was going to happen soon. 

At least one thing was playing in his favor. Looking at the picture of Shelby Thomas, Bas felt nothing but a mild attraction for a pretty face and banging body.  She didn’t spark an interest in his beast, and according to the mated members of the team, if she were his fated mate the attraction would be instant and intense.  It looked like this chick was meant for someone else if she was even truly a fated mate.

After spending several hours going over the data, Bas decided it was time to give his brother a call and let him know he would be in the area.  He also wanted to see if he knew anything about this Shelby chick.  Not much happened in Defiance, Kentucky without the Ruthless Bastards MC knowing about it.  They owned the town. If a stranger was there then they would have already checked them out for any possible threats. 

Sitting down on his bed, Bas dial his brother. The phone only rang one time before he heard, "Holy Shit, as I live and breathe. Big brother has finally decided to grace me with a call.”

Bas liked to think that he was close to his brothers, but the truth was, they were acquaintances merely related by blood.  Growing up, their old man decided it was better to keep them away from Bas and his Shifter genetics.  The three younger brothers were all one hundred percent human.  Bas had never told them about his bear and never planned on it.  They were safer that way.  But he still liked to hang out with them from time to time and relive the few pleasant childhood memories he had of the times they spent with each other.

Chuckling Bas said, "Give it up, Link. You know you love hearing from me."

"Sure do, cuz that means your tight ass has decided it’s time to cut loose and live on the wild side for a little while.  When should we be expecting you?"

Typical Link, cutting straight to the chase, Bas thought to himself. 

"Oh man, come on. I don’t only call when I’m planning a visit.  Shit, didn’t I just call you on Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day?" Bas laughed. 

The day mentioned was Link’s birthday, but none of them ever called and said “Happy Birthday” to each other.  No, what they did was find the weirdest holiday for the day they were born and wished them a happy that day.  It was lame but also funny as hell.

"Yeah, I almost forgot about that.  So, what’s up, you coming down?"

"Yeah, I have a case I’m working that is going to put me smack dab in the middle of your area."

"Anything me or the Club should be worried about?"

“No man, just some chick NAC is checking out. She may have ties to something we are working on, but nothing that should bring you any trouble."

"If you have a name, I could check into it for you, even have the guys do a little digging," Link suggested.

"I’d appreciate it. The chick’s name is Shelby Thomas, but no need to look further. If you don’t know her, I’ll be there sometime tomorrow to check it out for myself.  I just wanted to give you a heads up."

"Sorry man, don’t know a Shelby Thomas. There is a chick here working for Tuck right now that goes by the name Pixie, and I think she has a cousin with her. But I just got back into town after a long job, and I haven’t gotten all the ins and outs yet.  I can ask around, though."

"Yeah, let me know what you find out.  I should be there around noon tomorrow sometime. Maybe you can save me some leg work.  After all, I think you still owe me for that information I spotted you on that cartel that was thinking about doing runs through your area."

"Cartel my ass! Those fuckers consisted of five junkies looking to put up a meth lab.  Fuckers didn’t even know what they were doing.  Almost got my ass blown up breaking that shit up."

"Doesn’t matter you still owe me,” Bas joked.  “Gotta say though, watching those fuckers scatter like cockroaches, tweaking, running around your ass like you were light bulb was some funny shit.  Didn’t plan on them forgetting to turn off the stove when they made a run for it.  I freeze framed the look on your face and have it right next to my bed. It makes me laugh every night.  Never knew big bad Lincoln Frost would be afraid of touching some scrawny tweakers.  I’m surprised that you didn’t go there in full battle rattle.  Maybe Tuck should start supplying you guys with HazMat suits instead of leathers."

"Whatever, asshole. Tweakers are no joke; you never know what you're gonna catch if one gets a hold of your ass. Some shit just doesn't wash off."

"Yeah, I get that,” Bas said still laughing but trying to hold it back. “Are Collin and Zander in town too?"

"Yep, it will be a complete family reunion. Why don’t you bring Peyton and her man down with you and then the whole family can be together.”?

"No can do this time, bro.  You’re just going to have to deal with me this time. Maybe next time I can bring Peyton and Wyatt down."

"Sounds good see you tomorrow, Bas."

"Yep, see you then."

Hanging up, Bas laid back on his bed.  It was really late or really early depending on what you were thinking.  He had a little over two hours to get his shit packed and meet up with Cash and Ryleigh for the flight.  Bas was surprised that Jacks was letting Ryleigh out of his sight, even just for a day or two and he hadn’t been in on the whys of this trip.  He knew she was going to meet up with Mia for some medical testing that could not be performed at Alpha’s base, but hadn’t been privy to what that testing involved.

Everyone had been walking around on eggshells waiting for Ryleigh to go into labor. But when first five and half months passed and then six, they were all pretty confident the baby she was carrying was human.  Maybe that was why Jacks was okay with her leaving to get these tests run at this stage of her pregnancy, because she still had several more months to go. 

Bas wasn't sure how he would handle all that, especially when and if he had to stay behind while his mate left.  But Bas was pretty sure he wouldn’t be handling it as well as Jacks seemed to be.  At least Cash would be with her at all times, and now Bas wouldn’t be that far away either if shit hit the fan.  There were still too many people interested in Ryleigh and the women of The Holly Group.  Bas hated to think about what would happen if something did go wrong with this trip.

Letting his eyes drift shut, one question was still on his mind: who was Skylar Thomas and what did she have to do with all of this?  Her name appeared in the file, and it was apparent that she supported Shelby Thomas. Link had mentioned that Tuck was working with a girl named Pixie.  Where they the same person? The file did say that she built bikes, so it was a distinct possibility.  He wondered what she looked like, imagining a big, sturdy, manly girl.  Bas hadn’t met many female mechanics, but he couldn’t imagine them as being attractive in any way

He couldn’t see the Shelby chick ever getting dirty and working on bikes.  She exuded princess like no other.   He also wondered why this Sky person was taking care of her and had been for so long.  Family was family. He would do anything for his blooded or chosen, but they would never take advantage like the chick in the file seemed to do.  Then again, why did he even care or want to know?  Pixie wasn’t his target, so what she looked like didn’t matter.   Letting it go he decided he would soon find out.

He didn’t have time to think about useless shit or the odd woman in the file.  Skylar wasn’t his target and didn’t play into any of what was going on with NAC or The Holly Group.  Deciding sitting around wasn't getting him anywhere, Bas rubbed the tiredness out of his eyes, sat up, and got out of bed.  He didn’t have time to sleep right now.  He needed to make sure his go-bag was prepped and ready for his assignment. It contained everything he would need for the upcoming mission. 

Bas went to his closet and pulled out some things to take on the trip.  He also pulled out his go-bag. It held everything he would ever need; a first aid kit, weapons, clothing, GPS, money, and identification and credentials.  All good soldiers had go-bags, and this one had saved him more times than Bas could count.  He hadn't used it since the last mission.  Bas knew the contents were sound but he still added a couple of t-shirts and a few pairs of socks and some clean underwear just to be safe.  No one wanted to run around in dirty drawers and smelly socks.  Then he sat down and once again got to work looking into one Shelby Thomas.