Lucy stared at Armand, completely stunned. To hear him say she was of ‘no importance’ cut directly into her heart. Mel reached out and squeezed her hand, but she didn’t respond. It was like she was frozen, only able to watch her future crumble before her.
Everything was going wrong. Who were all these people? Why was Armand being arrested? Why would he deny knowing her? She shouldn’t have returned. The old saying was right; you couldn’t go back.
Officer Baker was speaking. “Come along peacefully, bear. We don’t want any trouble from you; my men are within their rights to subdue you if you resist.”
Armand’s jaw tightened as he allowed himself to be led towards the waiting chopper.
Baker put his hand to his ear piece, appearing to listen to a message. He nodded then spoke to his men. “I’ve just received word they have the accomplice. He was found in town outside a local bar. We’ll drop in there and pick him up.”
“Ryne, they have Daniel! What are we going to do?” Mel’s eyes widened.
Ryne shot her a look and there must have been something in it that only the two of them understood for Mel nodded and gave a tight smile.
“I’m coming with you.” Ryne brushed past Baker and headed towards the chopper.
“But—” Baker started to protest but a rough, animal-like sound erupted from Ryne’s throat and the officer stepped back. “Very well. I suppose it’s your right to hear the charges against a pack member.”
“Damned right it is!” Ryne snarled at the man before climbing into the chopper and taking a seat beside Armand.
Baker and the others climbed in as well and the chopper lifted off leaving Lucy, Mel and the other woman, Ms. Lewis, watching it disappear into the night sky.
“This is utterly ridiculous!” Mel looked around as if she couldn’t believe what had just happened. “Armand and Daniel haven’t done anything wrong.”
“That’s what my report was going to say,” Ms. Lewis frowned.
“Your report?” Mel rounded on her. “What have you been up to? How dare you infiltrate our quiet town, get us to befriend you and then spy on us? Not only spy but break into my home!”
“I’m sorry.” Ms. Lewis winced in the face of Mel’s wrath. “It was supposed to be a simple undercover job, confirming the information Mr. Taylor had already supplied about Armand and Daniel. No one was supposed to get hurt or arrested. You were never to know about any of this.”
“And our not knowing makes it okay?” Mel planted her hands on her hips. “How would you feel if the tables were turned?”
“I…” She looked away and then shrugged. “Probably the way you’re feeling right now.”
“Damned right.” Mel glared at the woman, her lips tight, her eyes shooting daggers.
Lucy cleared her throat as she clutched Caleb to her chest. She’d brought him outside with her in anticipation of introducing him to his father, but instead they’d ended up in the middle of…well…she had absolutely no idea what! “Um…can someone…anyone…tell me what’s going on here?”
“Oh Lucy, I’m sorry.” Mel turned to her and gave her a one-armed hug. “I was so upset I didn’t think how lost you’d be.”
Ms. Lewis looked at her, head tilted. “So you’re the one Armand is head-over-heels for? I’m Jenna, by the way.”
“I…” Lucy looked at her, having no idea what to say. Half an hour ago, she’d have agreed but now she wasn’t so sure.
Mel rolled her eyes. “Of course, she’s the one! That baby is Armand’s and he’s besotted with Lucy.” She took Lucy by the arm and led her towards the house. “I know you’re upset about what Armand said but he was just trying to protect you. I’m sure of it.”
“I am, too,” Jenna added as she followed them into the house. “Armand wouldn’t want the woman he loved to be involved in anything dangerous.”
Lucy glanced back at Jenna, wondering how the woman had the inside track on what Armand would and wouldn’t do. Switching the now awake Caleb to her other arm, she bounced him soothingly while acknowledging she was feeling jealous of the woman. This Jenna person had obviously been hanging around Armand enough to feel she knew him well. But was ‘hanging around’ all that had been going on? Armand’s messages had given no indication there was another woman in his life. Taking a deep breath, she focused on her son who was beginning to fuss.
Mel noticed as well and started to organize them. “Lucy, you go take care of Caleb and peek in on Grace, too, please.” She flicked a glance at the baby-monitor she was holding. “These things are great but not the same as really looking, right? Once you’re done, head back down here and we’ll discuss what happened. Jenna, you and I will…make some coffee.”
From the look Mel gave the other woman, Lucy was pretty sure Mel had reservations about Jenna Lewis as well and more than coffee making was going to happen.
Whatever.
At this point she was so confused she didn’t really care. Armand had been arrested, wild animals were roaming around, someone had broken into Ryne’s house… She headed upstairs only too willing to let someone else be in charge.
As soon as Lucy was out of sight, Melody grabbed Jenna by the arm and dragged her into the kitchen, well out of earshot.
“Now what the hell is going on? Who are you really, why are you here and how do you know about us?”
“One question at a time, please.” Jenna leaned against the kitchen counter, arms folded and answered the questions in succinct terms. “I’ve no idea what’s going on. I work for Lycan Link, I’m actually a pack-raised human. Tonight, I was supposed to be doing my last check on Daniel before submitting my final report. Captain Fielding had arranged for a chopper to drop me off on the widow’s walk—”
“A chopper landed on my roof?” She was momentarily distracted by the news.
“No, not on the roof. It hovered low and I fast-roped down.”
“Fast-roped?”
“Fast-roping is a cross between rappelling and a fireman’s pole. You need leather gloves with—”
“Never mind, it’s not important.” Mel shook her head. “Do you have any idea what’s going to happen to Armand and Daniel?”
Jenna pulled out her phone. “I’ll contact my handler and see if he can shed some light on what’s happening.”
Mel made coffee and searched the freezer for cookies left over from the bake-off, while shamelessly eavesdropping on Jenna’s conversation. From the sound of it, Fielding was going to investigate and report back, but the name Higgins had been spoken rather loudly and was accompanied by cursing.
When Jenna ended the call, she looked at Mel, one brow cocked. “Did you hear all that?”
“Yes, thank you.” Mel didn’t even attempt to apologize, since she wasn’t in the least bit sorry.
“Excellent. It saves me explaining all over again.” Jenna took a cup out of the cupboard, making herself at home.
Mel watched for a moment and then gave a begrudging smile and took out the milk and sugar. “So, what do you propose we tell Lucy? She already saw Armand shift tonight. I pawned that off as her being overtired, but Baker wasn’t watching his words at all. He called Armand a bear.”
“And mentioned the word ‘pack’ and ‘Enforcer’. What an idiot.” Jenna shook her head as she fixed herself a cup of coffee. “I might have to add an addendum to my report mentioning his carelessness.”
“It will serve him right if he gets a reprimand.”
“And whoever gave him his orders.”
“Yeah.” Mel gave an emphatic nod as she sat down, cradling her cup of coffee. Jenna did the same, a temporary truce between them as they assumed the role of a DC, brainstorming possible explanations for the night’s events that would keep Lucy in the dark as to the existence of shifters.
Reno blinked blearily and fumbled for the alarm clock beside his bed. Two in the morning? Too early for the alarm. He’d been in the middle of a dream—a great dream about Brandi and himself—when something had woken him. He rubbed his eyes, his sleep-befuddled mind trying to identify the source of the disturbance.
The noise sounded again and he groaned. Someone at the door. He rolled out of bed, pulled on a pair of sweats and stumbled down the hall. He’d only been home a few hours having just flown in from Chicago where he’d been attending a wedding and visiting his friend, Damien.
“Keep your pants on, I’m coming.” He grumbled as he gave his head a shake to clear his vision, then checked the peephole in the door. Fielding? What the hell was he doing here at this time of night?
He opened the door. “Captain? What’s up?”
Fielding brushed past him and immediately began talking. “Remember that case with the memory stick and stolen codes?”
He yawned and scrubbed his hand over his face, trying to get his synapses firing. “Yeah. That was back last summer, wasn’t it?” Damn, he needed coffee. Maybe there was some left in the pot from the previous night. Another yawn escaped him, and he shuffled to the kitchen.
“That’s the case I’m talking about. They’ve arrested the bear and the hacker that were involved.”
“Arrested?” He turned, the cold coffee sloshing dangerously near the edge of the pot. “Why?”
“That’s what I said when I got a call from one of my operatives in Stump River.”
“Operatives in Stump River?” He quirked a brow, then changed his mind and shook his head. It was too late—or too early depending on your point of view—to get sidetracked on what was likely a complicated situation. “No, don’t tell me.”
“I wasn’t going to.” The captain nodded towards the coffee pot. “Is there enough in there for two?”
Reno eyed the cold sludgy brew. “Yeah.” He nuked two mugs of it while the captain brought him up to speed.
“Remember how Higgins sent out that bullshit news release saying there’d been a security breach, not serious but ‘in an excess of precaution’ access codes were being changed?”
Reno nodded.
“Well, he had a burr up his ass about arresting some of those involved. He wanted to let everyone know we actively pursued that matter and were on top of things.”
“So? Higgins is gone now. Packed up and left with no warning.” Reno removed the mugs from the microwave. “Good riddance as far as I’m concerned.”
“Yeah, well he left a mess behind; half finished projects, shady finances, his own personal squad of Enforcers carrying out orders that never should have been issued.” He shook his head. “Apparently one of those orders included bringing in the bear and the hacker.”
“Why? They weren’t involved except in the most peripheral sense. If anything, they helped by making us aware the codes were stolen in the first place.”
“Exactly. Higgins was an idiot.” The captain nodded and took a sip from his mug. “This is good coffee by the way.”
Reno tasted his own coffee and made a face. Even by his standards, it was old and barely drinkable. “How the hell did Higgins ever get to be director anyway?”
“No idea. He probably put up a good front, made friends with the right people on the Council of Elders, did his best to be seen in the right places.”
“All of which means nothing. He was a pencil pusher. He never worked in the trenches. He was never an Alpha.”
“Initially, the director was more that of a figurehead, you know, a spokesman. Over time the definition changed, more power was assigned to the position.” Fielding leaned back in his chair.
“Over time? You mean during Higgins’ time.” Reno took another sip of the vile brew in his mug.
“Yep. I’ve been doing some research.” Fielding took another drink. “A lot of subtle changes happened during his time. Clauses were added to laws, bills rushed past High Council. I think he was consolidating his power.” Fielding shook his head. “Everyone trusted the front Higgins presented and assumed he was doing what was best for Lycan Link. If they’d taken the time and effort to dig deeper, they’d have realized all was not as it seemed.”
“People are complacent. They don’t want to get involved.”
“Yep. But that’s a topic for another time. Right now, we need to make sure two innocent men aren’t thrown in detention.”
“What do you want me to do?” Reno went to take another drink, frowned at the contents of the cup and set it aside.
“Contact the pack in Stump River and assure them we’re on this and then get a hold of any pack Alphas you know who have some influence. Tell them the facts. We need to put pressure on High Council, give them the correct version of what went on, not the cock and bull story Higgins probably told.”
“Kane Sinclair will be the best man for the job. His opinion carries a lot of weight. He actually asked to be taken off the candidate list for a position on High Council.”
“I remember that. Created quite a buzz. High Council was impressed…once they got over having their noses put out of joint. No one had ever refused the honour before!” The captain finished his coffee in one gulp and stood up. “I’m going back to headquarters to see if there’s anything I can do to get the charges dropped.”
Reno nodded and, after the captain left, wandered into the kitchen. “Might as well make a fresh pot of coffee,” he muttered to himself. “I won’t be getting any more sleep tonight.”
Lucy sat at the kitchen table in Ryne’s house, Mel on one side of her, Jenna on the other. She must be dreaming. Or they were crazy. Or maybe both. There was no way the man she loved, the man she’d had sex with, had created a child with, was an animal. A bear, no less!
“I know this is a shock,” Mel reached out and patted her hand, “but it’s all true.”
“We debated about telling you—very few humans know the truth—however Melody assured me you were trustworthy and would keep our secret.”
“Our secret.” She looked at the women on either side of her. “Are you telling me you’re both bears, too?”
“No.” Mel shook her head. “I’m actually a wolf, or a Lycan as we prefer to be called.”
“And I’m a human, just like you.” Jenna added. “But I was raised in a wolf pack when my mother married a Lycan.”
“Wolves? Bears?” Lucy gave a strained laugh. “It’s like I’m in the middle of a box of animal crackers! Where are the cows and elephants and giraffes?”
“Only the predatory shifters remain to the best of our knowledge.” Jenna replied, her face completely serious.
“Right.” Lucy inched away from crazy person number one, which brought her closer to crazy person number two, aka Mel.
Maybe they were on drugs? She’d been away for a while and sometimes people got involved in bad stuff. They needed help, counselling, except she wasn’t qualified for that yet. For a moment she felt like telling them to stay right there and she’d be back in a couple of years with her degree. It was a ridiculous thought but ridiculous seemed to be the theme of the night.
On a more sensible note, her first duty was to her son. She needed to get Caleb away from here.
She eased her chair back. “Well, it’s been real fun visiting with both of you, but I need to head on my way. Great cookies, by the way.”
They both reached out, each grabbing one of her arms.
“You can’t leave.”
“Armand would never forgive us if we let you go.”
Oh crap, she was trapped! What had she done in another life that deserved this much bad Karma? And Caleb, he was just a baby! She had to stay calm, find a way to escape. Her heart was pounding and she tried to remember to breathe slowly.
“Lucy, I can tell we’re freaking you out, and I really didn’t mean to do that.” Mel stood up. “But I can prove to you we’re not crazy.”
“By turning into a bear?”
“No, she’s a wolf.” Jenna corrected. “Armand is the bear. Remember?”
Mel nodded, fingering the buttons on her shirt. “But I’m only a half so I have some limitations. I can’t change form with my clothes on.”
Lucy felt her eyes widen. Mel was going to strip in front of her? They’d been friends but not that close. Or was she some kind of exhibitionist?
“I’m just going to step into the pantry, if you don’t mind.” Mel gave an awkward smile. “I’m still not into stripping down in front of others.”
“Sure. Take your time.” She gave a cheery smile and waved her on her way. With Mel out of the way, there’d just be Jenna to tackle. Maybe she could overpower the woman and—
“Would you like another cookie?” Jenna passed her the plate as if nothing wacko was going on. “Or more coffee?”
“Coffee? That would be wonderful.” If Jenna stepped away to make more, it might give enough time to bolt for the stairs. She’d barricade herself and Caleb in the room, call 911 and…
A soft yip interrupted her thoughts and she turned to see a pretty, light brown wolf trotting out of the pantry, head held high and tail wagging.
Oh. My. Gosh!