For the Good of All (Law of the Lycans Book 7) (6 page)

The captain had smiled and stood up. “That’s for you to figure out. You need to earn this office and the consultant’s fee we pay you.”

Reno snorted at the memory. His ‘office’ at Lycan Link was little more than a broom closet and the consultant’s fee was only regular Enforcer wages. If it wasn’t that he still enjoyed the work, he’d have given it up and spent his days in Kolding’s Pass with his mate, Brandi.

Instead, he was here in Chicago preparing to convince his old friend, Damien, to get back in the proverbial saddle. The job he was about to propose was right up Damien’s alley. The man had worked as something of a mercenary before and those were exactly the kind of skills that would be needed to free the diplomat and his family.

He folded the report in half and tucked it back into his pocket as he recalled the days when he and Damien would have taken on the world together. The best damned Enforcer team Lycan Link had ever seen; how many times had he heard that whispered in the halls?

A grimace passed over his face. Here he was reminiscing like some old geezer in a rocking chair. Just because he wasn’t on the front line, didn’t mean he was any less effective. He’d moved on as had Damien.

And, speak of the devil... Reno checked his watch as Damien slid into the booth. Exactly on time. The man had mastered the art of being perfectly synced with the clock. Quite the change from the punk kid he used to be. When they’d first worked together, Damien had often been purposely late just to see the reaction it would invoke. Damn, they’d had some good fights on the road to building mutual respect and eventually a close friendship.

“Hey, old man, good to see you.” Damien gave a cocky grin but followed his irreverent greeting with a warm handshake.

“Good to see you, too.” Reno smiled at his friend, pleased to find him looking happy and relaxed. Damien’s life hadn’t been an easy one. It was about time the kid got a break.

A waitress appeared to take their order and Reno blinked at the woman’s appearance. Every colour under the sun seemed to have made its way onto her garb. Damien, however, didn’t seem to notice. “Two beers, thanks, Tina.”

“Sure thing.” The woman—Tina—looked around. “Sam not with you?”

“Nope. She’s on patrol but said she might stop by later if she finished early.”

Tina widened her eyes in an exaggerated manner. “Wow! I thought you two were permanently fastened at the hip or something. First time I’ve seen you apart from each other in months.” She folded her arms and shook her head. “You know this ruins the Christmas present I was going to give you. It was a sweater big enough for both of you to wear at the same time.”

Damien scowled. “We aren’t that bad.”

“If you say so.” Tina gave him a wink and wandered off.

“A friend of Sam’s?” Reno asked. “I seem to remember a neon witch from the challenge.”

“Yeah, that was Tina. She’s kind of hard to forget.” Damien half turned to watch the woman as she walked away.

“What’s with all the colours?”

“She says she’s studying to do theatrical make-up but I don’t know.” He turned back to face Reno. “Sam says it’s the third or fourth time Tina’s switched her major.”

Reno grunted and dismissed the obviously flighty witch. “You and Sam, you’re good?”

A smile appeared on Damien’s face and he nodded. “Yeah, we’re good.”

Reno studied his friend carefully and was pleased with what he saw. There was no haunted expression lurking in his eyes, no restlessness. His rogue side appeared well under control. “Glad to hear it.”

“And you and Brandi?”

“Never better.”

Damien cocked his head to the side. “So, what’s the real reason you asked me to meet you here instead of stopping by the house? Somehow I don’t see you wanting to get onto the dance floor to bump and grind with a bunch of strangers.”

Reno snorted. “Not likely.” He paused and waited until Tina set their beers down and left. After taking a swig, he continued. “I’ll get right to the point. Are you interested in some work? The unofficial, covert kind.”

“What’s up?” Damien leaned forward, his arms resting on the table. A look of mild interest crossed his face.

“A Lycan diplomat and his family have disappeared in Central America.”

“Central America?” Damien frowned.

“The Cantala drug wars.”

Damien slowly nodded. “I saw the human side of that reported on the news. Lots of civilians caught in the crossfire as drug cartels battle for control of the area. It’s one of the routes used to transport drugs from South America to the States.”

“Yeah. The whole place is a time bomb. Poverty, drugs, corrupt government officials. We need someone to get this man and his family out before the area completely destabilizes.”

“I wish I could help you but I can’t.” Damien sat back in his seat and looked away, a muscle working in his jaw.

Reno blinked, not having expected to be turned down quite so quickly. “Is it because you and Sam are newly mated or...?”

“That’s part of it.” Damien sighed and shifted his gaze back to Reno. “Sam and the pack depend on me. There aren’t many of us and we need every able-bodied Lycan we can get.”

Reno nodded. The Chicago pack had fertility problems and their numbers were low. He wondered if Sam and Damien would have the same difficulties conceiving that the rest of the pack did. Asking would be tacky though, even by his standards. “Understood.”

“There’s another reason.” Damien exhaled slowly and ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable.

Sensing his old partner needed time, Reno merely cocked a brow and waited. Eventually, Damien spoke.

“You know I was found in an orphanage.”

“It’s part of your official record at Lycan Link.”

“Supposedly my background is a mystery. No idea where I came from or who my parents were. But sometimes…” He shook his head, his brows drawn together. “I have these weird dreams, only they’re not dreams. They’re memories from when I was a child, probably only a few years old.”

“Memories from that long ago are probably pretty distorted by now.” Reno pointed out.

“Yeah.” Damien appeared to consider the point, his eyes intent on the glass he idly twirled in his hands. “That’s what I’ve told myself, but the dreams are always the same. Someone is carrying me, telling me to be quiet. Saying it’s the only way to keep me safe.”

“One of your parents perhaps?”

Damien shook his head. “No. It’s a stranger’s voice. A man. I can smell his fear, sense the danger. We’re travelling through a jungle, splashing through water. It seems like forever.” He looked up, his eyes meeting Reno’s. “He leaves me at the orphanage, says he’s going back to try to save the others. His final words were not to follow him. To never go back.”

“Back where?”

“I don’t know. Something inside me has always had me steering clear of anything south of the border.”

Reno gave him an assessing look. “Your hair is dark but I don’t see you being from that part of the world.”

“That’s what I tell myself.” He scrubbed his face with his hands and then raked his fingers through his hair. “Not much in life bothers me, Reno, but the idea of stepping foot in Central America scares me spitless. It’s stupid to let a dream control you but there you have it.”

“Hey, we all have things that scare us. Me, it’s dark spaces.”

Damien quirked a brow at him.

“Not something I ever advertise.” Reno shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Can you imagine the fun the ACS squad would have had if they’d known? Every meeting some idiot would have doused the lights on me.”

Damien gave a huff of laughter. “And afterwards you would have wiped the floor with whoever did it.”

“Damn right.”

They both took a long drink of their beers, silently agreeing to end the gut spilling.

Wiping his mouth on the back of his hand, Damien leaned back in his seat. “Even if I was able and willing to go, I wouldn’t be much help to you. I’d never make it across the border.”

“Why is that?” Reno downed the last of his drink.

“Fielding might have finagled me a pardon but I’m pretty sure my name is still red flagged in the data base. If I leave the country, someone is bound to ask questions.”

“I didn’t think of that angle.”

“See? You’re getting old, man. The mind is the first thing to go.” Damien smirked and Reno couldn’t help but chuckle as they fell back into their usual relationship.

Picking up his drink, he leaned back in his chair. “Well, if you’re so young and sharp, give me some suggestions for getting our people out of this.”

Tina hummed to herself as she filled orders and gathered glasses. It was almost time for Stone to appear. For all that he’d said their night together was a one-off thing, that had been a week ago. Since then he’d reappeared every night. No explanation. She’d look up and there he’d be, sitting at the bar drinking ice water and watching her with that expressionless look of his. At the end of her shift, he’d escort her home and into the apartment. What followed was the most satisfying sex she’d ever had. Somehow he made her lose complete control until she was begging him to take her over the edge.

Just thinking about it made her hot and bothered.

She exhaled gustily, blowing a puff of air upward so it ruffled her bangs in an attempt to cool her face. Her hair was blue tonight and she wondered what Stone would think. A grin spread across her lips as she imagined his reaction. He had very conservative tastes from what she’d been able to determine. Denim, black and grey were the only colours she’d seen him wear. No fashion sense, poor guy.

What did he do during the day? His clothing gave no hint and he wasn’t forthcoming with information about himself. Not even his first name. Logan? Ethan? She scrunched up her face trying to think of a name that suited him.

“Daydreaming again?” Gwyneth nudged her as she passed by. “Or thinking about your new man?”

“Neither.” Tina wouldn’t give the older woman the opportunity to make a snide comment about her love life. Gwyn really was a bitch of a witch some days.

“Well he’s here again. Taking up prime space and not making me a dime. I’m going to start charging him for the seat and the ice.”

Tina looked up and sure enough, Stone was there. Somehow he’d managed to slip in even though she’d been watching for him. A flutter of excitement stirred inside her and she struggled to keep her voice casual. “You can be the one to tell him the new pricing policy.”

It was satisfying to see Gwyneth give Stone a once over and then back down from the implicit challenge. Tina held in the smile that tugged at her lips. The older woman sniffed. “Well, at least his presence helps keep the rowdies in line.” Grabbing a tray, she headed in the opposite direction.

Biting her lips to keep from laughing, Tina made her way towards Stone in what she hoped was a leisurely fashion. No point in letting him know how pleased she was to see him. Things were going well and she didn’t want to jinx it.

“Hey, Stone.”

He nodded. “Christina.”

The way he said her full name, with a hint of a sexy growl, made her shiver. No one called her that except him. It seemed so formal and yet intimate at the same time. Her mouth went dry as she imagined how he’d whisper it in her ear tonight as he slid inside her.

His mouth quirked. “I like what you’re thinking.”

“How do you...? I’m not...” She sputtered trying to deny the truth but he just looked at her and she subsided, knowing she’d been caught with her mind in the gutter. Face flushed, she asked him what he’d like to drink.

“I’ll have water, thank you.”

She placed his drink in front of him. “You know Gwyneth is thinking of charging you rent for the stool.”

“Is she really?” He looked around until he found the woman and studied her speculatively. “Interesting concept. I wonder what the going rate would...” His voice trailed off and he stilled.

“What’s the matter?” Tina followed the direction of his gaze. He was staring at the table where Damien and his friend were seated.

Without a word, Stone got to his feet and began to purposely walk towards the two men.

Crap and double crap. Tina watched his progress anxiously, hoping he wasn’t planning on causing trouble. He seemed to have an iron control over his emotions but even iron gave way under the right circumstances. She’d seen enough shifters get into brawls before to know it wasn’t something to be taken lightly. And Gwyneth didn’t allow fighting or spells in her establishment. Lycans and witches were expected to keep their unique abilities under control. Any infractions and you were banned for life.

She gulped at the thought. If Stone was banned, she might never get to see him again!

Ice water, that’s what she needed. She grabbed a jug of it and followed at a distance finally stopping at a nearby table. It was empty and she made a show of clearing it. Exactly what business Stone had with the men, she couldn’t tell. The music was too loud for her to eavesdrop and they stood with their backs to her so lip reading wasn’t possible. Still, she kept half an eye on what was happening. If things looked to be getting out of hand, she was there and ready to douse them with her favourite weapon.