Coyote's Kiss (6 page)

She glanced over at him. He leaned forward with his forearms braced on his knees, watching her. She shrugged. “I transferred here about six months ago. Cole didn’t have a partner so I took the position,” she answered. Of course, she left out all the shit that Cole had had to deal with. His old partner refusing to work with a shifter. No one else willing to take his place.

“Did you know right away what he is?” Mitch questioned.

“Sure,” she said. “I knew some people had issues but I had already started my research on comparing the shifter traits opposed to fully human ones. I wanted to find out how we can use the shifter gene in the field and hopefully keep agents safer.”

“Cole was research? I bet he loved that.”

“No,” she laughed. “He wouldn’t have allowed that. My research showed that I accepted the shifter agents and the agency wanted to partner up a shifter with a human.”

“I bet that went over well,” Mitch stated sarcastically.

“Yeah, I lost a lot of friends with that, but it’s true. I’ve learned more from Cole than any other agent. He has no problem with humans or shifters. If they are decent to him, he respects them. It’s the humans in charge that are causing the problems we’re having. When the boss isn’t supporting the shifter agents, the field agents know they can get away with it too. It’s wrong and I want to help people see that,” she explained.

“Why? Most of the human agents wouldn’t bother,” Mitch pointed out.

“I know. I had a shifter save my life once. It was before I was here but still… I just feel like I should help others like him,” she said. Jade didn’t really want to get into her past and how she’d first learned about the ability of some humans to transform. It was still painful. “I joined the FBI to help others. Now I find myself having to explain why we should work together.”

“I haven’t heard very good things about the FBI and how they treat their shifter agents. I was surprised when they asked to join the task force,” Mitch told her.

“I was too,” she admitted. “I put Cole’s and my name down before even asking him. I think it’s a great idea.”

“They’re coming back,” he said.

She turned her head and saw that Mitch was right. Cole led Adam and Brady toward the van. She waited until they were all settled back inside. “Well?”

“This is going to be awesome,” Cole told her.

“We’re really going to do this?” she questioned. “I mean really?”

“Oh yeah,” Adam said from the front.

Even Brady was nodding. “This is gonna work. They’ll never expect it.”

“Fine, but remember I’m human, so you’d better keep me from getting mauled,” she told them.

Everyone laughed. Jade could admit that she really thought the plan was smart. She would never have thought of going to one of the agents’ houses to hide out. She wouldn’t have had the balls to suggest it. But there was no way that the ATF and Coalition agents would expect this move. Now came the hard part, though. They had to get Luca away from the others.

“There’s a shopping center a couple of blocks over. Let’s drive over there and talk out the next part. We need to get moving,” Cole ordered.

“Got it,” Adam said before starting the van.

Cole moved to the middle of the van to sit as he pulled out blueprints of the target house and his notebook. Mitch dropped down beside him before yanking out the bags that had been stashed inside. All their equipment was packed inside the duffel bags.

When Adam rolled to a stop he shut off the vehicle before joining them in the back.

“Brady, were you able to overhear anything before we left?” Adam asked.

“What do you mean?” Cole asked.

“While I was waiting for us to leave I might have hung around the hall where the others were planning,” Brady shared.

“You did?” Jade questioned, impressed.

“People don’t notice me. I hang around and they just overlook that I’m there,” Brady said. “It comes in handy.”

“That’s awesome,” Jade complimented.

“They have three mission points to accomplish,” Brady began. “They have to hide Luca. Also, a box is coming into the bus station that needs to be picked up and secured. Last, once they secure the package, Luca will give them coordinates to drop it off. If they get to the location and deliver the parcel while keeping Luca, they win.”

“So if we get Luca, they don’t get the location and we have their hostage,” Jade supplied. “They’re screwed.”

“And they’ll never find us at Zak’s,” Cole said.

She was really starting to get excited. This was their first training exercise with the joint task force and if they could pull this off the other agents would have to admit that she and Cole had something to add.

“From what I gathered, Zak and Jamie are going for the package with a few others. If we can get to Luca before they return, we’ll have a much better chance,” Brady said.

“So we go now,” Cole stated. “They won’t know what hit them.”

“How are we going to get close without being spotted?” Jade asked. “The birds will see us coming if we try to sneak in the back.”

“We’re fast,” Adam added. “But she’s right. They have a cheetah shifter. If they get the warning, we won’t be able to take him. As soon as they see the van they’ll know it’s us.”

“So we don’t use the van,” Cole replied.

Jade knew that look on her partner’s face. It was the same as when they were about to hit a house serving a warrant. He had a plan.

“You want to use our SUV?” she guessed.

“Yes,” he agreed.

“They’ll still see us coming. If we split up and take the front and back, there’s a good chance one of the birds will spot us,” Brady pointed out.

“We’re not going to split up and we’re not going to sneak in,” Cole told them. “We’re going to hit fast and hard.”

Jade, along with the rest of the team, stared at Cole in shock. Cole grinned back. “Come on, they’ll not know what hit them until it’s too late.”

She had to give her partner credit. Cole’s plan was bold. If they could get to Luca before the other team was there, they had it made. “It’s worth a shot,” she said.

“That’s the spirit.” Cole grabbed her shoulder. “We’ll surprise them and be gone by the time Zak and Jamie return. Afterwards we’ll split up and swap vehicles. Adam, Mitch and you will take Luca back to Zak’s in the van, while me and Brady drive the SUV around for a while. We’ll make tracks to the Coalition office first before heading to the FBI building. There we’ll switch out our SUV for another one,” he told Jade.

Jade nodded. “Let’s do this.”

“Okay, let’s get our equipment on and get ready to move quickly. We’ll grab our vehicle from the office. Adam, you and Mitch stay with the van and follow us to the drop-off point. From there we’ll all pile into the SUV and go.”

The exhilaration coursing through Jade made it hard to remain seated. She was ready to go.

Chapter Four

Luca relaxed into the couch at their hideout as Zak, Jamie and Abilene prepared to leave. The first stage of the mission was to pick up a box from the bus station that needed to be taken to another location.

Only Luca knew where the package would have to be delivered, but he couldn’t tell the team until they returned with it. Luca was playing the hostage and was already having fun with his friends. Even when Jamie had suggested tying him up. Luca knew that the others would never allow that. He did promise not to attempt escape, though. The training exercise was designed to use all their skills and he didn’t see the ATF and Coalition failing.

Even with Sam and Patrick, the human agents, they had a better chance of completing the mission than the unit they were up against. Luca had to credit Cole and Jade with intelligence and passion for the work, but he was certain that they would fail. He’d been working with the Coalition for a while now and they were the best agents he’d had the pleasure of watching. They used their shifter senses so seamlessly that even he was learning more about his animal side. Which was one of the reasons he’d been considering a transfer. By having the Coalition, all of the shifters got to hone their skills in both human and shifter form. Luca wanted to soak up as much as he could from the others. Cole and Jade just didn’t have the same experience.

Not that he would mind spending more time with Jade. He’d enjoyed talking with her the day before and the questions she’d asked about the previous missions had shown him that she was truly interested in the joint task force. She wanted to help the FBI shifter agents. He was curious in finding out more about why.

“So you think you’ll get rescued?” Ryder asked him as he joined Luca on the couch. Ryder was part of Cody’s birds of prey division. Luca really liked the young agent, even if he was a little scary when it came to hand-to-hand battle. Ryder was dangerous, so Luca was glad that they were on the same side.

“Not really,” he admitted. “What about everyone else?”

“They don’t seem too worried. They’re taking off now to go collect the package. When they get back we’ll drop it off and have two points done. All we’ll have left is keeping you close,” Ryder informed him.

“Are they taking the two FBI agents?” Luca asked. He hoped so. Unlike Cole and Jade, whom Luca didn’t mind, working with the feebies that had joined them just that morning was already getting on his nerves. The two humans kept to themselves and didn’t speak with any of them. They appeared to be just as bigoted as Luca had heard the rest of the FBI could be. If Cole and Jade surprised all of them, these other two didn’t.

“They’re leaving one with us and taking the other,” Ryder said.

Luca hoped that by separating the two he might actually find out that they were all right guys.

“I’m going to shift and keep watch on the roof,” Ryder told him. “Don’t get taken on purpose. No matter how hot you think the Fed is.”

Luca had to laugh at Ryder’s comment. It wasn’t really a surprise that people had picked up on his attraction to Jade. Abilene hadn’t managed to get him alone, but Luca knew that as soon as she did he was in for a lecture from his partner.
Like he needed it.
He was fully aware that Jade was human and worked for an organization that didn’t allow mating between humans and shifters. If he wasn’t careful she’d call his brother, and Sal would love to stick his nose into Luca’s business. “Just be careful,” Luca replied.

Ryder walked off, leaving him alone in the living room. The house that they were using was one of the Coalition’s safe locations. According to the rules of the mission the other team already knew his location. They would come for him. He didn’t know if they knew about the package. Maybe they would go that route. Try to get both him and the parcel. That would be bold.
And stupid.
He’d be disappointed if they attempted both. There was no point in taking on more than they needed. The only reason to go after the box would be pride. But the feebies were arrogant so maybe they would try.

“We’re taking off,” Zak called from the doorway. “We’ll be back in less than two hours. Be ready to move then.”

Luca nodded. “You got enough men staying?”

“You’re covered. We’re split in half. I don’t expect them to go after the package, but you never know. We lose it, or you, and we’re screwed,” Zak replied.

Luca stood and walked over to his friend. “Stay safe.”

Zak grinned. “I’m just ready for the fun to begin. I know how the wolves work. The Fed might surprise me.”

He knew that Zak was loving this. Luca motioned to his partner waiting by the front door. “Keep her out of trouble.”

“But that’s how I like her,” Zak said. He winked at Luca before strolling away.

Luca laughed, shaking his head. The door closed behind the agents as they left. Glancing over, he noticed the human feebie watching him closely.

“Hey, man,” Luca called out. “Want to join me for a cup of coffee?” he asked Sam.

Sam looked undecided for several seconds before finally nodding. Luca waved for Sam to follow him into the kitchen. Luckily the house was already stocked with a few supplies, which included coffee, creamer and sugar. Luca started a pot then turned to lean against the counter. Sam remained standing in the doorway.

“I don’t bite,” Luca said. “Well, not without permission—and only women.”

Sam didn’t even crack a smile at Luca’s joke. He did move to an island bar stool and take a seat, though.

“So, I take it you didn’t volunteer for this assignment?” Luca said.

Sam’s head snapped up and he glared at Luca. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Luca shrugged. “It’s obvious that you don’t want to be here.”

He surprised Luca by sighing. He started to shake his head. “It’s not that, really. I know it seems like it, but we have a lot of pressure coming down from our boss.”

“What kind of pressure?” Luca questioned.

“Just some…stuff. I don’t want to get into it, but we’re dealing with it.”

Luca didn’t like the answer, but he knew better than to push. He turned to pull down two mugs. “How do you take your coffee?” he asked. He went ahead and added a small amount of sugar to his own. He looked around when Sam didn’t answer.

“I don’t have a problem with shifters,” Sam told him. He’d lifted his head to meet Luca’s gaze. Luca believed him. It was weird, and he might end up being totally wrong, but he didn’t get a bad feeling from Sam.

“Good to know,” Luca said. “Coffee?”

“Black’s fine,” Sam replied.

He poured steamy coffee into the two cups before sliding one carefully across the counter.

“Thanks.” Sam smiled as he picked up his beverage and blew on it.

Luca continued to watch him. He was average looking in his blue suit and tie. Nothing really stood out about him. He probably made a good Fed but Luca didn’t get the same dedicated and intense feel as he did from Cole and Jade. Actually, Sam appeared the complete opposite of them. When Cole and Jade walked into a room they demanded attention—Cole with his alpha dominance and Jade with her warm, sweet allure.

They were a power couple in the government and would go far if they didn’t get mixed up in the shifter issues. Although, Luca didn’t believe that Jade would be able to avoid it. She was spunky and obviously cared about her partner. Cole was a little harder to read. He didn’t talk as much as Jade, and while Luca had been filling Jade in on all the previous training, Cole had just sat back and watched. They had a very interesting partnership. It was obvious in the way that Cole allowed her to speak for both of them that he respected her. Luca could see the tight connection between the two of them.