***
“Connor.”
“Yessir?” he said, slurring his words as he tried to step in time with his compatriots.
Delta—no, Josh, he corrected—snorted haughtily at the reply. They were out in public. He needed to refer to them as their real names, even though they were still on a mission.
Such was his life lately. Missions are missions. Connor didn’t mind; it was what he had signed up for. He hadn’t expected this to be his first assignment away from Genesis Valley, but when Valen, the owner of the company he worked for, had asked for volunteers, Connor hadn’t hesitated. He was blessed with a natural inclination toward the skills necessary for this type of work. It wouldn’t have been right of him to refuse to provide help for those who needed it.
Besides, right now he got to feign being riotously drunk while his friends hauled him along the streets.
“You’re an ass,” Josh replied, digging his shoulder into his friend’s side.
Connor laughed, his hands hanging lazily around his friends’ necks while they carried him. His head lolled back and forth as passersby gave the three of them incredulous looks. He shook it off. What was wrong with being drunk by six? It wasn’t like it was still the morning!
What they didn’t notice, however, was the way he surveyed the street and nearby buildings through eyes narrowed into slits. If they had, it would have given his act away immediately, because no one could mistake the intelligence and purpose in that stare.
“Noww, my good man,” he replied. “That, from an upstanding gentledick like yourself, is completely expected.” He turned his head, ostensibly to stare at Justin, who was holding up his left side. “Now this man, he, he, he, he’s a goooood man,” Connor crooned.
The pair of them shook with laughter, the movement bouncing Connor up and down slightly, forcing him to focus slightly more on the building across the street from them.
It was a shorter building than the one from two days prior, thank goodness. Five stories of thirty-year-old gothic architecture. Swooping arches around the windows, spires on every corner of the roof, and gargoyles worked into the concrete façade of the building. The bland beige coloring did nothing to help with the slightly dilapidated feel of the building. But the windows were new, and fresh, with bright flags hung over the lobby, which also was kept clean and in good condition.
Connor’s eyes lingered on a window on the fourth floor, second from the left. The curtains were open, but he couldn’t see inside. According to the floorplan of the building, that was the room of their next target.
Maybe “target” isn’t the right word. The thought echoed through his head as they continued along the sidewalk. They weren’t trying to hurt anyone. In fact, they were doing just the opposite. His team’s mission was to find shifters that were at risk, and to get them to safety outside of the city. He resolved to find a better word for them to use.
“You put on some weight or something?” Justin asked, adjusting his position.
“I had pancakes for breakfast,” Connor replied happily, skipping for a step or two before tripping and using his friends to help him stay on his feet while he laughed.
“You’re abusing this,” Josh complained, though he didn’t break stride.
Connor didn’t reply, looking around while blinking rapidly, taking in the various shops, alleys and streets. Although they needed to survey the building, as their last extraction had proven, knowing the area around the building was just as important.
Especially if they manage to get the drop on us. Again.
That was becoming more of a problem lately. The Agency teams—which seemed to be endless in number—were conducting ambushes like the one the night before with increasing frequency. Connor had a few theories on that, but he hadn’t voiced them to anyone yet. No point in causing problems where there might not be any. Whatever the Agency was, they were good.
Connor’s eyes surveyed the streets around them, looking for any potential problems, or things to be aware of. Things such as fire routes, where no parking was allowed. They were perfect places for getaway cars to pull up close to the curb. At the same time, if they had them memorized, they could see when vehicles were parked in them that shouldn’t be. The part of town they were in was very busy, riding a recent wave of popularity with the young adults of the city. Parking was hard to come by. A big SUV or truck in a no-parking zone would be a huge indicator, but only if they knew where to look.
His eyes browsed the crowd, searching for anyone that stuck out. He was hoping they had gotten the advantage on the Agency this time, but he wasn’t sure.
He tripped, stumbling awkwardly.
“What the fuck?” Josh said angrily.
But Connor wasn’t paying attention. His vision was still filled with the image of a short-haired blonde with the most stunning brown eyes he’d ever seen.
“Connor,” Justin hissed, yanking his arm, hauling him to his feet.
His shoulder screamed in protest, and Connor fought to regain control of his act.
She’s gorgeous.
The thought echoed through his head over and over again. He tried to focus, but his gaze strayed back her way. He needed to see her again.
His eyes moved of their own accord, trying to pick her out of the crowd. He came to a halt sharply.
She was staring right at him!
Connor worked his jaw nervously as he stared back at her, unable to recover his composure.
After a lingering moment, the women’s face scrunched up in disgust. She looked away, turning to go the opposite direction, her jaw-length blonde hair bobbing fiercely as she strode away with determined steps.
“What the fuck was that all about?” Justin whispered in his ear as Connor watched her disappear into the crowd.
“I don’t know,” he said, his voice an equal mixture of wonder and surprise. “I don’t know,” he repeated softly.
“Can we get back on track?” Justin asked sharply.
“I think we need to split up,” Connor said as he saw something else. “Justin, inside quickly, Josh, tie your shoe.”
The others didn’t ask, responding instantly. Justin, who was on his right-hand side, ducked into the nearby shop, while Josh dropped to one knee, his size hidden now by the passerby. Connor was the only one who was visible now to the Agent that walked purposefully down the street on the far side. Connor continued to walk slowly down the sidewalk, purposefully ignoring the Agent until he had passed him. Then he moved to the side, up against the nearest building. He watched the Agent take a long look at the building he had been scoping out moments earlier, before the man disappeared down the street.
“Not good,” he said as the pair rejoined him a minute later.
“Yeah, no kidding. I guess we’re moving tonight, aren’t we?” Justin asked.
“Yep.”
They had planned to move the next night. By then Jared, or Alpha on their missions, would have arrived at Genesis Valley and hopefully on the next train back to King City.
“Time to head back and prepare,” Connor said, his mind already thinking ahead to their planned extraction for that night.
His mind might have been focused on the mission, but his bear was active inside of him. It had only one focus.
The girl with the brown eyes.
Who was she?