Coyote's Kiss (8 page)

Mitch laughed before reaching back to pat Luca’s arm. “I had no doubt. It went perfectly.”

“I don’t know about that. Ryder fell pretty hard.” Luca sounded worried.

“I checked on him,” Cole said. “He was playing it up. He doesn’t want his ass kicked by Zak when the others return.”

Luca chuckled as if he could understand Ryder’s dilemma. He caught Jade’s gaze and nodded then turned to look out of the window. “This isn’t the way to the Coalition,” he said.

“We’re not going back there,” Jade replied.

“Really?” Luca asked. Was that approval on his face? “That’s where they expect you to go.”

“We know,” she stated simply.

“This just gets better and better,” Luca complimented. “So, where to?”

“Sorry, you may be working for the other side. We can’t disclose our destination until you get a thorough pat down. We have to make sure you’re not rigged with any listening devices or a way to contact the others,” Jade said.

“You don’t trust me?” The way that Luca batted his eyelashes did not fool Jade at all.

“No,” she responded. “But don’t worry. I’ll make sure I’m the one that checks you over.”

“Now I wish I’d planted something just to see how well you’ll do.”

She brushed her fingers over his arm before leaning closer. “I’m very dedicated to your safety, Mr. Perez,” she stated, falling back into her role of agent and rescuer.

“I’m glad,” Luca told her.

Jade knew that they weren’t very far from where they’d hidden the other van. She grabbed hold of the seat in front of her just as the SUV slid to a stop. Luca, not knowing to brace himself, fell into her.

She was really enjoying this operation.

“Let’s go, kiddies,” Cole called.

Jade popped the back hatch open and climbed out. Once on solid ground she could stretch her legs. She reached to help Luca get out since it was harder for him as he was bigger than her.

She didn’t let go when they were both free. Gripping his shoulder, she led him to the van. She opened the back door while motioning for Luca to sit down. Jade followed him in, making sure to remain close.

“You know the plan. Stick with it. If anyone has any problems or sees anything suspicious, call. We’ll be back there in half an hour,” Cole said.

“Got it,” she answered just before Cole slammed the door closed. She turned to Luca. She hadn’t been kidding about checking him over to make sure that the other team hadn’t put a tracker or anything on him. “Do you want me to check you over or are you just going to hand me whatever device they have on you?” she asked sweetly.

Luca laughed. “I have no idea what you mean.”

“Have it your way,” she told him. Standing, she pulled him up with her. As much as she would have loved to tease him a little more, she did have a job to do. She ran her hands down his neck to his shoulders, arms and hands. Crouching, she also checked his boots, legs and waist.

Luca moved side to side, and the evidence that he was enjoying her manhandling of him was obvious. His erection was so close to her face that she could have leaned forward a little and touched it with her mouth.

“Like this?” she taunted.

Luca nodded. “More than you know. I was attracted to you right from the start, but seeing you tonight in action—wow.”

She hummed, pleased with his admission. “Maybe if you’re a good boy I’ll…” Jade pulled a small silver locator chip from Luca’s belt. “Gotcha!”

He groaned. “I didn’t think you’d find it.”

“We’re a lot better than you think,” she told him.

“I didn’t mean it as an insult. That was the best place I could think to hide it,” he said sincerely. He cupped her face, pulling her up to stand in front of him. “I’m serious, I admire you and your partner. You’ve got skills and really showed them off. It couldn’t have been easy to work with new team members for the first time and pull all this off.”

Staring into his dark eyes, Jade felt just a little lost. She hadn’t even known this man for forty-eight hours but she felt a deep connection already. She wondered if that was how other shifter and human relationships started. If the romantic feelings were causing her to become comfortable around him. But the problem with that reasoning was that she’d felt the same sense of ease around Cole the first time they’d met. Even the other shifters at the Coalition. There was just more to the level of contentment she felt around Luca.

Part of her experience with shifters was her research, and all the time she’d spent learning about them she’d never come across anyone else claiming an instant connection. It was all so confusing. Not that it really mattered when Luca started to lean forward.

She wanted him to kiss her. What did it matter why she was so in need of Luca Perez? She just was. Rising onto the tips of her toes, she met his mouth and sealed their lips together.

She jolted with arousal at the first gentle touch. Luca brought his arm around her waist to hold her tight as she opened for him. She moaned as their tongues brushed and she got her first real taste of him.

Jade gripped the front of his shirt, giving in to her desire to surrender to him.

The back door opened and they jumped apart quickly. She didn’t miss Cole’s amused smile. “Find anything?” he asked.

Pumped up with arousal and need, she was shaking, but she tossed the small chip to Cole. He caught it easily.

Cole glanced between the two of them, and Jade tried not to blush. With her partner’s enhanced senses there were no doubt that he could smell the arousal from her and Luca. She refused to be embarrassed, though. The attraction was natural and she believed Luca to be a good guy. Cole would have to learn to accept him if things progressed further between her and Luca. Luckily Cole didn’t comment on what he had to have suspected was going on. Instead he merely nodded. “Let’s go then.”

Jade backed away from Luca to take a seat on the bench. “You’ll probably want to sit.”

Luca nodded, taking the space across from her as the two front doors opened. Adam started the SUV before glancing over his shoulder at them. “I’ll be your chauffeur tonight. Please keep your hands and feet inside the van at all times. Our destination’s about ten minutes away.”

“I think you’re messing up your duties,” Mitch commented.

“Where’re Brady and Cole?” Luca questioned.

“They’ll follow us. We decided that Adam and I would be the best ones for the next part of our plan,” Mitch answered. “Just in case we’re followed.”

Jade nodded. They did need to get going so she didn’t really care who drove them. “Let’s hit it then.”

Adam took off, and Jade and Luca jerked in the back, almost falling to the floor. “Oh yeah, make sure you hang on tight,” he called to them.

She cursed quietly as Adam cackled from the driver’s seat. He was crazy but she liked him. Adam actually reminded her of an old friend she’d grown up with.

The drive to Zak’s house was mostly silent as everyone prepared for the next phase. Luca didn’t ask any questions, which was good since no one would have answered him. As soon as Adam pulled into the driveway, Luca moved to peer out of the front windshield.

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Luca exclaimed.

Adam and Mitch started to laugh. Luca looked over at her. “He’s going to kill you.”

She shrugged. “He has to find us first.”

“Oh, this is going to be so good.” Luca sounded just as excited as her team. “I can’t wait to see his face.”

“Hurry up before someone sees us,” Mitch ordered while opening his door.

Jade climbed to the back door, yanking on the lever to let them out. She went first and as soon as Luca dropped down beside her she put her hand on his shoulder.

“I don’t think he’s going to run,” Adam told her.

“Can’t take any chances. If we lose Luca then we have to deal with Cole. I’m more scared of Cole than Zak,” she explained. And maybe she was pushing her job a little but she just wanted to be close to Luca. Who could blame her, really? But she did release her hold on him. He really wasn’t trying to escape and she needed to get her head in the game. She could worry about what was going on between them later. She had a training exercise to win first.

“Let’s go,” Mitch whispered from the front of the van.

They trooped to the front door. Adam pulled the key from his front pocket. He went straight to the alarm pad and punched in four numbers. Once inside, no one turned on any lights.

“Hang onto me,” Luca murmured. “I know my way around and I won’t let you walk into anything.”

Well, she wasn’t going to argue with him. She slipped her hand into his as he led her through what she guessed was a hall.

“If we go back to the living room we can turn on the lights and no one will see if we use the lamps,” Luca suggested. He strolled along the carpet, obviously knowing where he was going. Plus, he wouldn’t be as blind as she since most shifters had extremely good eyesight from their shifter genes. Jade trusted him to keep his word and not let her bump into any furniture or walls.

“Here we go.”

Luca switched on the lamp next to the couch. Jade looked around her at the spacious and warm room. There were several pictures up on the wall and resting on the mantle. The furniture looked masculine but comfortable. She liked the feel of the space. “This is nice,” she commented.

“From what I understand, this place was a mess when Zak first bought it. He used his nights and weekends to slowly do all the remodeling and updating himself, with the help of his friends, of course,” Luca said.

“I’m going to check out the rest of the place again,” Mitch said. “Just to make sure there are no surprises waiting, but I think we should stay in here. There’s playing a joke and then there’s suicide. I don’t want Zak to kill us.”

“I agree,” Jade replied.

“I can’t believe you all thought of this. It’s perfect. They’ll never think of looking for you at their own home,” Luca told her.

She still had her hand in his so she pulled him to the couch. “It’s a little evil but brilliant.”

Luca nodded. “So what now?”

“We sit and wait until time is up,” she returned.

“Okay,” Luca said. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you and your partner about.”

“What’s that?” She turned on the couch so she was angled to see his face. She liked looking at him.

“I was talking with the other FBI agent, Sam, and from what I gathered things aren’t going real well with the shifters at his division,” Luca said. “I’m concerned they’re being mistreated.”

She sighed. She shared Luca’s fear. But there wasn’t much she could do about it. She could barely protect Cole from the haters. What could she do for other shifters? “I know,” she admitted. “I just don’t know what to do about it.”

“It’s a good thing you’re with the Coalition,” Luca said, smiling at her. “This is what we do.”

“I don’t see how you can do anything. It’s a different agency.”
But wouldn’t it be great if Luca could help the shifters?

“I have an idea,” he said. “I want to talk to the others and Sam again before I take it to Commander Green, but I’m certain we’ll figure it out.”

Jade grew excited. It was so worth putting her career with the joint task force on hold if the shifters could get the help they needed. “I’ll do whatever I can.”

“What about your partner? Would he be willing to help?” Luca questioned.

“I’m sure he would. He refuses to bow down to anyone treating him like shit, but his hands are tied too. He barely kept his job and was transferred to be partnered with me. It’s not been easy.”

Mitch entered the living room with some bottles of water. “What’s up? You two look serious,” he commented.

“I have an idea,” Luca said.

Jade listened to him fill Mitch in on his concerns and what he wanted. When Cole and Brady returned he went over it once again. He was passionate about the subject. Jade loved how his dark eyes lit up as he spoke.

“How are we going to find out where Sam’s old partner is?” Cole asked. He sat across from Luca and Jade in one of the recliners. Jade knew her partner would be up for the mission and was happy to see that he seemed to share Luca’s desire to do something.

“I have an inside man who would be willing to look into the subject discreetly,” Luca informed them.

“Who?” Cole questioned.

“My brother.”

“Your brother?” Jade repeated.

“He’s a special agent in California. He works intelligence gathering so he should have access to the records we need. If not, he would know who does,” Luca explained.

Jade was shocked. She’d had no idea that Luca’s brother was a Fed. No wonder he had accepted her and Cole into the fold so easily. He had inside knowledge that not everyone in the FBI acted like assholes.

“I’d like to speak with him,” Cole said.

“That can be arranged,” Luca said. “I’d like to get a jump on this, though. If Sam’s right, we need to move quickly.”

“You think the others will share your concerns?” Cole asked.

“Oh yeah. Cody, Zak and Jamie will have our backs. And they’re good investigators,” Luca assured him.

“Do you think you’ll be able to pull up anything from the files you have access to?” Cole asked Jade.

“What files?” Luca questioned.

“Because of my work in shifter behaviors, I’m copied in on reports from the field. I haven’t had a lot of time to look through them, though. Right now I’m concentrating on how we can train our agents, shifter or human, from the beginning, so we can utilize all the gifts we have access to,” she explained.

“That’s great,” Luca exclaimed. “If you can look into anything that seems off we can start our investigation there.”

“Let me grab my laptop and I’ll get started. Maybe there’s something there we can share with the others when this exercise is over. It’s not like we’ll do much waiting to see if they find us.”

Luca grinned. “I can guarantee they won’t be looking for me here.” He turned to Cole. “You like to live dangerously, my friend. It probably wasn’t your idea, but you are in charge of this team.”

Cole shrugged. “I have no problem taking the blame. I already like Zak and he might be pissed off but he’ll appreciate our effort.”