Coyote's Kiss (2 page)

“I don’t think so,” Luca quipped back. But Jamie’s confidence did worry him a little. He glanced over at Abilene, and she shrugged.

“Abilene, darling,” Jamie drawled. “Why don’t you get out of there while we teach your partner a lesson?”

“How about you get back to your mission? I don’t have all night to wait for you. I do have other plans, you know,” she replied.

Luca grinned—that was his girl. She always had his back.

“Fine, don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Jamie said.

“Watch closely,” Luca murmured. “They’re up to something.”

“Got it. I can’t see Zak or the wolves,” she told him.

Luca had lost sight of his targets, too. He squinted, hoping to pick up some sort of movement. He couldn’t let himself forget that these were trained agents he was up against.

They had either retreated or were trying to find another path to where he and Abilene were hidden. He lifted his face as he breathed deeply. He couldn’t pick up anything other than the dirty metallic scent from his explosives. While that aided him in his mission, the downside was that he couldn’t smell if anyone was approaching.

Ten minutes went by and Luca had to force himself not to fidget. It was taking too long. The teams hadn’t appeared back into view and there was complete radio silence.

The window of time left in which to find him and Abilene was quickly approaching. He hadn’t actually thought that he would beat the Coalition in his first exercise. But now with—he glanced at his watch—a little over half an hour to go, he was certain of victory.

He leaned closer to Abilene to whisper in her ear. She gasped, drawing his attention to the pack of wolves heading straight for them. Luca scrambled for his extra detonator. Several loud screeches made him look up as the birds of prey unit scooped down out of the air.

“Run,” he ordered Abilene as he pushed her toward the right. If she went that way she’d be able to double back and get away. Hopefully into the middle of the training field where there was debris to hide in.

She took off. Luca was sure that she’d quickly be able to find a place to quickly shift. Well, at least one of them would get away. That was a win in his book.

The air around him shook as a long low growl came from behind him. Luca turned his head to see Zak stalking toward him. “Hey, buddy.” Luca raised his hands in surrender and he climbed to his knees. “You’re not really upset about the fireworks, are you?”

Zak lunged forward. Luca had just enough space to leap back onto a large boulder. There was movement to his right, and he ducked in time to avoid Jamie’s large paw coming at his head.

He stumbled, but was able to keep his footing. “Oh, come on, guys!” he cried. “It was just a joke.”

Zak growled in response. Since he was truly blocked off from escape, Luca knew he was beat. He dropped down to sit where he had been standing. “Fine, you win.”

Jamie ambled over to him in his full black bear form. Luca held himself, still trusting that Jamie wouldn’t really hurt him. Jamie’s knock to his shoulder had him tilting over a little. Then Jamie sat on the ground right next to him, giving Luca his weight.

Thrilled to be able to bond with his brother in arms, he patted Jamie’s massive back. “You have to admit it was a little funny,” Luca teased. “You should have seen your face when the smoke bombs went off.”

Jamie huffed, causing Luca to laugh. He glanced up at Zak who was starting to back away while shaking his head. This was only the second time Luca had seen Zak in his shifted form. He didn’t know the entire story, but Abilene had shared with Luca a little about Zak’s past. Zak had been abused by his dad and uncle who had made him fight for his life every weekend.

It wasn’t until Zak had started to let Abilene in and trust her that he’d been able to shift around anyone else. But Zak was still wary about transforming around others so Luca understood. He admired the strong, kind man that Zak had become. Luca couldn’t have asked for a better mate for his partner.

Running his palm over Jamie’s muzzle, Luca was proud to call these agents his friends. They were protective of one another and always supportive. As tough as Jamie appeared he was really a great guy. Big and tattooed, Jamie presented a front to the rest of the world—big bad biker, and you’d better watch out. On the inside Jamie was more of a teddy bear than a black bear. He was in love with a sweet, soft-spoken human whom Jamie worshipped. He was addicted to Coca-Cola and, given too much caffeine, bounced off the walls.

A soft rumble of contentment started at Jamie’s chest as he relaxed against Luca.

“Come on, big guy, let’s get you shifted and call it a night,” Luca suggested.

Jamie struggled up before staggering off into the trees. Luca followed behind at a slower pace to give Jamie privacy to turn back into a human.

The training had gone well, even though he’d been found. He felt as though he’d been able to show the Coalition what he could offer and how they needed to improve. As their enemies grew in numbers, both shifters and humans, the Coalition had to step up their game. That was one of the main reasons that Luca had wanted the transfer to the Coalition. Not only did he feel more comfortable around them, but Luca also really believed that he could make a difference.

Only time would tell, though. A month into the Coalition and the ATF joint task force and they still had a lot of work to do. The unit was working on closing the last case that involved the Coalition and the ATF. The SIP—Shifters in Power—had more members out there in hiding. In the past few weeks the Coalition had managed to round up quite a group, but still the threat existed.

Luca was ready to put that mission behind him. He was just worried that when he was pulled from it he would also have to leave the Coalition. Or join them on a permanent basis. But that was a decision for another day.

Jumping over a boulder, he spotted the rest of the teams. His gaze automatically sought out Abilene to make sure she was safe. Zak had his arm wrapped around her shoulder while he nuzzled her neck. He’d lost count of the number of times he’d found the couple after they’d shifted back to human form in a deep embrace before they were able to make it to privacy.

Luca understood the primal reaction that occurred after shifting and he was glad that he hadn’t transformed that evening. It had been only him and his right hand for far too long. He actually hadn’t gotten laid since before he’d taken his undercover job.
Wow!
When he thought about it that way, the months really added up.

“You up for a drink?” Calvin Hart called out to him as he approached the group. “These old bastards have to get home and into bed.” He waved over at Zak, Abilene, Jamie and Cody.

“We won’t be going there alone,” Jamie replied with a huge grin. “Unlike you sad fuckers.”

Calvin groaned good-naturedly. Luca slung his arm over his buddie’s shoulder. When Calvin had been tending the bar he and Zak had visited while undercover Luca never would have guessed that the young shifter was an agent. He just didn’t fit the typical federal agent stereotype. Calvin was more surfer dude than bad cop. Luca had liked him immediately, though. As Calvin was another of the single agents, Luca also spent a lot of time with him. “I’m in,” Luca told him. “I could use a cold one. You can tell me how Zak jumped like a little girl when the fireworks went off.”

Zak flipped Luca his middle finger but didn’t remove his lips from Abilene’s neck.

“Let’s get him out of here,” Jamie said to Cody while pointing at Zak.

Cody chuckled before grabbing Zak’s shoulder. Luca turned back to Calvin. “I’ve got a change of clothes in my truck. I’ll meet you at the pub.”

“Sounds good.”

Looking forward to a relaxing brew, Luca took off in a jog toward his Chevy Silverado. He’d left it unlocked with the keys under the seat since he hadn’t wanted to carry any more supplies than he needed. Slinging his pack onto the back seat, he took a deep breath. The soft breeze brought forward the salt from the lake close by.

He loved Lake Worth, Arizona. It was a large city with a small town feel. A lot of shifters had gravitated to the area after they’d become public to have the sense of safety in numbers. His own home was only an hour away but being in Lake Worth really made him feel at home.

Like when he’d been younger.

Luca was extremely lucky to have a wonderful large family. Both his parents were warm and loving, and his siblings, while they drove him crazy, also showed their own support. It wasn’t always easy being part of such a close band of coyotes but Luca wouldn’t trade any of them for any amount of money in the world.

Well maybe Sal, his oldest brother. Salvatore Perez was loud, brash, and too damn arrogant. Sal had decided long ago that when their father wasn’t close by he would be in charge. Over Luca’s loud and passionate objections, their dad had agreed.

Sal called every week to check up on him. When Luca had been shot on his last assignment, Sal had dragged his partner with him to make sure that Luca was okay. While it annoyed him the way that Sal ordered him around, he also never doubted that he was loved.

Shaking his thoughts away, he got back to the business of changing clothes. He was dirty and sweaty. He yanked his black T-shirt over his head then exchanged it for a white one. He popped the button of his jeans before unzipping them. Quickly he replaced those with his favorite faded pair. They were loose and comfortable, the denim thin from multiple washes.

Luckily, he had also packed wet wipes and gave himself a quick brush with them so he felt a little more refreshed. He wasn’t looking for a date tonight, but if he happened to see a woman who caught his attention, he didn’t want to stink.

He stuffed his dirty clothing back into the duffel before slamming the door closed. Climbing into the front seat, he reached down to pull out his key ring. He was so ready for a cold one. He climbed behind the wheel and started the vehicle. The teams always went to the same bar when they went out. It welcomed both humans and shifters. The owner and bartenders were fully human but they had gotten to know the Coalition well.

It was a short five minutes until Luca was pulling up in front of the lit-up sign. Calvin stood out front by the door smoking a cigarette. Luca shook his head. Calvin had started that habit while undercover during the last assignment they’d shared. Zak might have been the agent in danger along with Luca, but Calvin had also been involved.

Calvin had posed as a bartender where the SIP went to do their drinking. It had been a good way for Zak and Calvin to pass information back to base. And the two of them were good. Luca had almost always been at Zak’s side and he’d never picked up on the fact that Zak and Calvin knew each other and that both worked for the Coalition.

He climbed out of his truck to stroll toward his friend.

“Hey, man,” Calvin greeted. “Thanks for meeting me. I’ve got too much adrenaline to hit the sack so soon. Man, I hate night exercises. It screws with my whole system.”

“I know what you mean. I still haven’t gotten back on track since I’ve come off my undercover assignment so it’s not too bad for me. Abilene was bitching the other day about it, but Zak assured her that he’d make sure she sleeps like a baby.”

They both laughed at that. Zak had fallen so hard and fast for Abilene that Luca knew it was just a matter of time before they were committed to each other. Maybe even mated.

Even though Zak and Abilene were two different species of cat—Zak being a tiger and Abilene a cheetah shifter—they made a dynamic couple. They were a match in every possible way. Luca hoped he’d be able to find someone like that for himself. He’d never really considered settling down until he’d seen how happy those around him were.

He had some issues, he could admit. Could even be a little childish at times, like during the exercise earlier that evening, but he hoped that someone could see past that and love him for all his faults.

“I’ll buy the first round,” Luca told Calvin as he slapped him on the back.

“Sounds good,” Calvin said. He stubbed out the end of his cig before tossing it into the trash. Luca held open the door and let Calvin walk in first.

Luca followed behind and scanned the room like he’d been trained. The bar wasn’t too busy. Half a dozen patrons sat at the bar drinking from bottles and glasses. Four tables held bigger groups as they laughed and talked. He motioned with his head to one of the tall tables in the back. It would give them a good view of both the front door and the entrance from the hall.

He was never off duty. If there was trouble, he and Calvin would be ready for it. They passed a group of three women who all turned their heads to eye the new meat that had arrived. He checked them out the same as they were doing to him and Calvin.

The full-chested blonde had a ring on her left finger so he scanned her quickly before moving on to the redhead to her right. She was small in stature, probably no taller than five-five, with an ample bosom and a very pretty face. The third woman had dirty blonde short hair and pretty blue eyes but his gaze went back to the redhead as he walked up behind her.

She smiled up at him before slowly dropping her gaze in flirtation. Oh yeah, a drink had been a wonderful idea.

“Hello, ladies,” Calvin greeted as they continued to stroll on.

He received a giggle in response. So they were probably well on the way to being drunk. Luca hoped that they weren’t too blasted. He had no problem with picking up a woman at a bar, but he did want her to remember the night they spent together.

Calvin yanked one of the tall chairs out and sat. Luca did the same. Rosalinda, the pretty Spanish waitress that they’d come to know, was at their side right away.

“What’s it going to be, boys?” she asked.

“Couple of drafts and two shots of tequila,” Calvin requested. “Why don’t you send that table over there a refill also?”

Rosalinda glanced behind her at the women. “You got it.”

“You got the redhead?” Calvin leaned forward and asked.

Yeah, Luca had a type and she fit it perfectly. He enjoyed being dominant in bed and wanted a partner that could appreciate his strength. He had to be careful, though, since he was much stronger than a human male. If he didn’t watch it he could leave bruises. Some women didn’t mind but Luca preferred not to go too hard when picking up a lady at a bar. Alcohol could do funny things to one’s inhibitions and he never wanted someone to regret the time spent with him.