"You sure this is a good idea?" Matthew said softly in my ear. Anthony Montoya, or Monty, as he’d requested we call him, and over a dozen of his captains and team leaders were hidden around the room. There'd be no way of hiding the stench of cat shifters from the sensitive noses of Chad and the senator, but by the time they’d stepped into the neat little box trap we'd set, it would be too late.

"I'm not sure that it's a good idea, but it's all we have. You don't even want to know how these guys dispensed of the bodies of the cartel leaders. Just ask Noah, but please make sure that I'm around first. It's always amusing to see how green he gets." I wanted to pull Matthew into my arms to protect him, but I knew better than to enfeeble him that way.

The rest of our team was spread around the room as well. None of us were willing to endanger Matthew or Cain. I looked up at the high beam running overhead. Although I couldn't see Levi where he was hidden in the shadows, I knew he was there with his sniper rifle trained and ready to protect both my mate and my brother should the need arise.

Ezra didn't have the same concern about hugging Cain. They stood near us, embracing while we waited for our guests to arrive. Cain pulled away and looked at me over his shoulder.

"I can hear you worrying from four feet away, big brother. Relax, everything is going to go as planned." He looked around the small warehouse we were gathered in. "This was one of the cartel's early holding stations. Both Chad and the senator will be familiar with it. Until the larger compound was completed, the leaders held their monthly meetings here. As Hector's only remaining heir, it’s completely believable that I'm stepping up to take his place."

Ezra frowned. "Maybe so, but I don't have to like it. What if they know this is a trap? Who's to say they really bought your story?"

Cain rolled his eyes. "You were all sitting right there in the conference room when I called each of them to set up this meeting. You heard every word of the exchange. Chad was relieved to know that things were going to get up and running again and the senator's only concern was when the next influx of funds was coming for him to launder. Heaven forbid he lose his cut of dirty money, right?"

"If Cain says that they bought it, I believe him. And if he says this location is where they would expect to find him, I believe that too," I admitted reluctantly. "I don't like it any more than you do, Ez. But we have to let our mates do their part. As much as it pains me to admit it, this really is the only way."

Matthew surprised me by grabbing my face and pressing a loud, smacking smooch to my cheek. "Good answer, Shakespeare. Just for that, I will permit you to fuss over me for at least an hour when we get home."

"Are you going to let the attack cat stab me with her claws again while I rub your feet?" Flower had a bad habit of getting jealous whenever either of us paid too much attention to the other. Now I understood why female cats were called queens—they demanded complete attention and utter devotion. As long as it was on their terms, of course. I'd learned my lesson about trying to pet her when she wasn't in the mood.

"What's this I’m hearing about an attack cat?" a deep, silky voice rumbled from behind me. I turned to see Anthony Montoya listening with interest.

Noah cracked up from across the room. "Would you believe that Jonah and Matthew have a pet kitten, Monty?"

Monty roared with laughter. "Wolf shifters with a feline companion? I love it. I knew you guys had hopes of being my kind of people and it pleases me to know that I was correct."

I shrugged uncomfortably. "She showed up at my apartment and my mate felt like she needed us."

"Sure, blame it on your mate," Boomer called out. "And then remind me who it was that texted to double-check which one of my sisters would be most responsible to take care of her while we were out of town? Oh, and I'm pretty sure that your mate wasn't behind you asking about her experience with kittens and wanting a resume."

While the guys guffawed, Matthew came closer and gave me a hug. "Did you really do that? You seriously wanted references before you’d let someone watch our little princess?"

"She had a tough start in life," I said defensively. "Besides, now that we've agreed to accept the responsibility of her care, it's only right that we make sure she’s well taken care of in our absence."

Monty chuckled. "I too have a pet cat. But when I leave home, I leave him with an overfilled food dish and make sure that his kitty fountain is topped off. I've always thought that the best part of having a pet cat was that you didn't have to board them when you were out of town."

Matthew puffed his chest out. "My mate is meticulous and protective about the things he cares about, and I love it. Besides, our kitten is much too young to be left to her own devices."

While the cat shifters all cracked up, Ezra flashed me a wink. "You guys tell yourselves whatever you need to. All I heard was that my brother-in-law slash teammate is pussy whipped—literally."

The laughter stopped when we heard tires rolling over the gravel outside and coming to a stop. Showtime. Our guests had arrived. Ezra and I blended into the shadows with the rest of the guys while Cain and Matthew stood front and center in the middle of the room. When the door cracked open, Cain stepped forward as Chad walked in with the senator right behind him.

Chad's nostrils flared as the door closed behind them, his eyes zeroing in on Matthew. "What is that traitor doing here, Cain? Surely your father told you that he's a mole for the FBI? I thought he'd been shipped out with the last batch of omegas."

“He’s unfinished business,” Cain said blandly.

"Fuck you, Chad," Matthew snarled as he stepped forward. "Instead of asking Cain about my presence, why don't you reach down and squeeze real hard. Maybe you'll find the balls to ask me yourself. And by the way? Thank you for dropping the dime on me with Hector. That was ever so thoughtful, you nasty prick."

"Gentlemen, please," the senator said in his best glad-handing voice. "Are we here to do business, or are we not?" His nostrils flared as he took a big whiff. "I smell the fresh scents of other shifters. I thought you said this place would be safe, Cain. Are we not alone?"

"No, you're not," Noah said as he stepped out of the shadows from one side while Monty approached from the other. "I believe you were told to go play in your hotels like a good boy when we last saw each other. After we let you go for Preston's sake, I come to find that you’ve been working with the cartels this whole time? You disgust me, Mr. Tierney. And although you've stayed out of politics these past few years, don't think that I haven't been aware of you still going by the senatorial title."

The former senator's lip curled. "You. What are you doing here? I thought was invited here for a business meeting, not to be accosted by shifter filth like you."

Noah shook his head. "Funny how you have yet to ask about your son or grandchild—actually it’s grandchildren now, in case you're curious."

Chad waved a hand. "Enough chitchat. Are we here to figure shit out or not? I'm about three seconds away from putting a bullet through both of your heads and driving away."

"Funny that you should mention driving away," Matthew snarled in a low growl. "You've gotten really good at driving away lately—driving away from the scenes of hit-and-run accidents."

Chad’s right hand twitched at his side, and I had to trust that Levi had his sights on him, otherwise I would have charged him, taking out the threat to my mate.

"That stupid bitch was poking her nose into places it didn't belong. Don't worry, you'll be meeting her again soon if I have my way. Cain’s right. We have unfinished business. You’re everything I hate, Hutchins, with your nose so clean it’s shiny. Dumb as shit, trusting everything the big boys upstairs tell you. I wish I’d known you were there when I took her out. I regret knowing that I had a chance to kill two birds with one stone, as it were, and take both of you out at once. That’s okay. Your death can still be arranged."

"I'm not going to dignify that with a response, Chad. I just have one question for you—why? You and I went through the academy together and climbed the ranks at the same time. We both swore to fight for justice. How did you devolve from fighting for what's right into hurting your own kind? Please explain it to me, because I don’t get it."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Have you taken a real good look at the pension plan we have to look forward to? We work long hours, risking our lives for what? Pennies. And then half of the guys we put away just walk on technicalities. I found out after I was approached by agents of the cartel that money talks and bullshit walks. You'd be amazed at how your principles can change by adding a lot of zeros to your offshore bank accounts."

The senator made a show of looking at his expensive watch. "I have a feeling that this isn't the meeting that I was invited to attend. Hector knew how to get to the point. If you’re planning on running his business differently, you’ll have to prove yourself first. If you'll excuse me, I have a tee time I can’t miss." As he turned back toward the door, he froze mid-step when two large cat shifters emerged from the shadows and blocked the entrance.

Chad finally took notice of Monty as the rest of the STAHP members and my team surged forward to surround them. "What the actual fuck? This isn’t a meeting, it's a trap!"

Monty slowly applauded. "Very good, you're much more intelligent than I gave you credit for, Agent Deamer."

"That’s Special Agent in Charge Deamer to you, asshole," Chad spat as he stepped back to back with the senator.

"I dunno." Boomer shrugged. “I kinda like the sound of Bad Chad, personally. 'Cos you know what, Chad? You've been a very bad boy."

"So what happens now?" Chad asked with a disdainful smirk. "Are you going to attempt to arrest us? Good luck making any of the charges stick. I’ve got stacks of evidence that prove I’ve been working to expose Hutchins’ betrayal of the bureau going back years."

Monty motioned for his men to move forward as he caught Noah's attention. "I'm going to need you to pull your men back now, Noah. STAHP will take things from here."

"STAHP?" the senator asked in a horrified voice. "Not you guys…"

Chad snapped his head toward Monty. "What the fuck is a STAHP, anyway? I've heard of you guys, but I have no idea who or what the hell you are."

"What we are is your worst nightmare," Monty said in his deep, smoky voice. "STAHP is a secret organization of shifters who are dedicated to Steal, Take, Assassinate, Halt, and Prevent crimes against shifters. We also act as judge, jury, and executioner for shifters who are found guilty of crimes against their own kind. You and the former senator here have both been found guilty and are sentenced to die."

The senator's face paled as he dropped to his knees. "Please… I never did anything! Take him, but let me go. I've never hurt anybody, I'm just a money-man."

Monty looked disgusted. "You were correct the first time. You never did anything. You had full knowledge of our omegas being trafficked and drugs being produced to hurt our shifterkin, yet you did nothing to stop it. Instead, you sat there in your ivory tower and made money off the suffering of others."

"Men, let's back off and let Monty and his men do their thing," Noah said uncomfortably as he motioned for Team ALPHA to step aside.

I tugged on Matthew's arm while Ezra got Cain. "If they're about to do what I think they're gonna do, you're going to want to look away," I warned Matthew.

Noah started turning green, but here in the moment, I was right there with him. It was far from humorous. Noah glanced at Monty. "I know you're going to take them out, but is it necessary for your team to do what you did with the cartel leaders? That was… I mean I'm not judging… I just…" His voice trailed off as he struggled to find the words.

Monty straightened his spine and looked every bit the dignified leader as he stared Noah down. "Listen, my friend. You may not have fully admitted to yourself why you needed us, but this right here? The justice that is about to be served? This is why you called us. Because we aren't afraid to embrace the animal side fully—and by fully, I mean with all that comes along with being an apex predator. The laws of the jungle apply here, not human laws."

Noah gave a slight shudder. "Fine, we won't stop you—but please don't be offended if we don't bear witness."

Monty regally dipped his head. "Do as you must, and my team and I will do the same."

While Noah and the rest of the guys turned their backs, Cain and Matthew insisted on watching as STAHP shifted into a menagerie of cat shifters. I watched in support of my mate. Lions, jaguars, tigers, leopards, heck, I even spotted a puma as they swarmed around their two prisoners. Monty's lion gave a mighty roar then pounced onto Chad. Thankfully, we didn't have to see the rest as a big furry pile of cats attacked.

Matthew shrugged as a finger and a piece of what appeared to be scrotum went flying through the air. "It's not the worst I've seen." The stench of blood, body parts flinging out of the pile and landing around the cats, the sound of breaking bones, the teeth tearing at tendons—it was all too much. I wanted to look away, yet I felt that if my mate was watching then I needed to stand at his side. Ezra apparently felt the same as he stood there beside Cain with a stunned look on his face.

When part of Chad's face came flying from the pile and landed at our feet, it was definitely too much. And there was no questioning who it belonged to, given the prominent mole. At that point, Cain and Ezra both turned around and put their backs to the STAHP crew like the rest of our guys. I slid my hand into Matthew’s, giving it a squeeze as I stepped in front of him and blocked his view. I cupped my other palm over his cheek as I gazed imploringly into his eyes.

"Listen, it's time to look away now. I'm not protecting you—I know that you can handle yourself. But I don't want you to live with this sight for the rest of your life. The sounds and scents are going to be bad enough for our memory banks. We don’t need to witness all the gore."

Matthew wrapped his arms around me and hugged me tight. "You're right, I've seen enough. Sara and all the others they have wronged over the years have been avenged."

I danced him around until I knew his back was facing STAHP, keeping my own eyes tightly shut. "The next time I want to go out to the field, feel free to remind me of this. Maybe not in full detail though? Just say the word STAHP and I'll stop. This right here is a prime example of why I don't go out in the field."