Sedona Suspect Read online

  I scanned all their faces before focusing on Naomi again. “This isn’t a social call. I don’t give a damn whether I’m welcome or not.”

  The Alpha walked down the steps toward me. His aura was rich with regal purples. He came to Naomi’s side, his deep voice laced with power. “We have things under control.”

  I showed him my hands. “I didn’t come here to fight with you. I came because this judge is a ticking time bomb. According to my associate, he’s desperate to expose shifters by any means necessary.” I paused, my gaze lingering on the wolf with one darker blue eye. His aura sparked, hinting at strong emotions he didn’t want anyone to see. He was bottling them up. Barely.

  I focused on the Alpha again. “We need to eliminate him. Soon.”

  The Alpha crossed his arms, studying me for a few seconds before he replied. “I know killing is second nature to you, but the world is going to notice if an Arizona Supreme Court justice is murdered. The investigation could lead law enforcement right to my pack’s door. It’s too risky.”

  He had a point, but I also believed allowing the judge to continue breathing was even riskier. However, I was trespassing and pushing for a partnership with a pack that had no reason to trust me. It didn’t help that negotiating was not my strong suit.

  “Let me back up a little.” I offered my hand to the Alpha. “I’m Natasha Sokolov. You probably already know me since Vance is part of your pack now, but we’ve never actually been introduced.”

  His lips curved slightly in a tight smile as he took my hand in a firm grip. “Asher Mateo. I believe you held my wife hostage trying to trade her for my son.”

  All true. Dammit. Coming here was a huge mistake.

  I released his hand. “For what it’s worth, I never agreed with Duane’s decision to take money or accept those jobs from the Transparency Collective, but I was outvoted.”

  Naomi, his wife, rolled her eyes. “So instead of walking away, you did his dirty work for him?”

  “I’m not going to explain myself or apologize.” But my stomach twisted. I should’ve walked away, but I didn’t. I stuffed my regrets into a mental box and shoved it as far from my consciousness as I could. There was no way to change the past. I lifted my chin. “I came here to warn you that this judge is going to be trouble. We’ll have a better chance of stopping him if we work together, but I can see that’s not going to be possible.”

  Without waiting for a reply, I turned and headed for my car. I wasn’t alone, though. Solid footsteps trailed behind me, and the scent was not the Alpha’s.

  I froze at the door to my car and peered back over my shoulder at the wolf with the interesting eyes. “You can stand down. I’m leaving.”

  His brother followed the others up to the house. My gaze flicked back to the wolf standing in front of me. The colors swirling around him whispered of aggression, loyalty, and…loneliness.

  “I’m not going to take your word for that until I see you drive away,” he growled.

  “God, you’re an insufferable asshole.” I spun around to find him so deep in my personal space that I could almost feel his breath on my skin. If he thought he could intimidate me, he could fuck right off. I’d worked with some of the deadliest bastards this world had ever seen, and now they were long gone and I was still standing. “I didn’t catch your name earlier.”

  His brows pinched together. “Dex.”

  “One of the Stewart Brothers?” I glanced at the truck beside my car.

  He nodded. “What’s it to you?”

  I shook my head. “Just like to know who I’m working with.”

  “Working with?” He chuffed and shook his head. “I don’t recall shaking on anything with you.” His eyes shifted to my car and back to me. He smirked. “I think my Alpha just told you to get the fuck off our property.”

  “I don’t remember hearing him say that.” I chuckled. “Maybe it was in the subtext.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched, and I caught myself wondering if he might smile. “Now you have the translation.”

  “You’re a funny one.” I glanced up at the house and back to his blue eyes, keeping my voice low. “If you love your Alpha, you’ll persuade him to change his stance on the judge. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel like it was necessary for our survival.”

  Dex followed my gaze to the house and then focused on me again. “You think you can kill a judge without bringing the feds into our backyard?”

  “Tomorrow night is the new moon.” I pressed my lips together. Was this why Gil had mentioned the wolf pack? They shifted during the full moon so they’d be human tomorrow. “I could maul him. It’ll look like a mountain lion attack.”

  He crossed his arms, his biceps straining at the sleeves of his T-shirt. “Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out. Why do you need our help?”

  Good question. I shrugged. “Maybe to make sure there aren’t any witnesses.”

  He pondered that for a moment. “Do you know where the judge will be tomorrow night?”

  “Probably locked in his fortress in Phoenix.”

  He dropped his hands to his sides. “So…you might need someone to lure him outside.”

  “Maybe?” I hadn’t thought about it. Odd. I usually made plans and fallback plans before I went after a target.

  “And you’re confident you can take him down?”

  I nodded slowly. “I’m good at my job.”

  Dex’s aura swirled with blue and orange. Fire and water. Action and emotion. If we agreed on this skeleton of a plan, he would definitely follow through.

  I took out my phone. “Give me your cell number. Once I figure out a rendezvous spot, I’ll text you.”

  He told me his number, and I saved it in my phone. When I looked up again, he’d taken a step back, putting a little distance between us. He rolled his shoulders back. “See you tomorrow.”

  I crossed my arms studying him. “Why the change of heart?”

  He raked his fingers through his hair as he shrugged his broad shoulders. “Asher has to consider our entire pack.” He lifted his gaze to meet my eyes. “I’m a free agent. No mate and no kids.” He shrugged. “No one would miss me.”

  As I understood it, wolves had one mate for life. The moment they touched their mate’s skin, and they’d just somehow know or recognize them. I couldn’t fathom how it all worked, but apparently Dex hadn’t found his. At least not yet.

  I also found it hard to believe that no one would miss him, but I didn’t press. I opened the door, got into the driver’s seat, and peered up at him. “I’ll text you tomorrow.”

  “See you then.” He closed my door, and I drove away, watching him shrink in my rearview mirror. I focused on the road ahead and gave the car more gas.

  Time to make a real plan.

  CHAPTER 2

  Dex

  Natasha. Over the past few years, I’d heard stories about her from Vance and other pack members who’d had run-ins with her, but she was nothing like I’d pictured. I had envisioned some kind of slick trained killer in black leather with guns and knives on her belt, but she’d driven up to the ranch in a black pencil skirt and an ivory sleeveless top. She could’ve been one of the interior designers I worked with. No one would guess her real occupation.

  That was probably part of what made her such a great assassin. I’d bet that people saw her slender frame, emerald eyes, and long, thick braid of blond hair and instantly underestimated how much danger they were in standing near her. But I knew her reputation, and in spite of it, I had just volunteered to help her do something my Alpha was staunchly against. What the fuck was wrong with me?

  I already knew the answer to that question. I had nothing to lose.

  Last night I turned forty. I crossed a milestone that made it pretty clear I must’ve missed meeting my mate somewhere along the way. Up until now, I’d been expecting my life to change at any moment. I’d touch her skin to skin, and the wolf would recognize her.

  Now I realized the rest of my l
ife wasn’t going to be any different. Unlike my packmates who were raising families, I’d be alone.

  My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I took it out, grateful for the distraction. My brother Deacon’s name lit up the screen. I glanced at the house as I accepted the call. “Hey, Deacon. What’s up?”

  “Hey, old man.”

  I chuckled, rolling my eyes. “You turned forty last night, too, asshole.”

  “You’re still older.” He laughed.

  I shook my head. “By twenty minutes.”

  “Still counts.” Deacon paused. “Everything okay? Did she shoot you?”

  “I’m fine. I think I’m going to head home and grab a shower.” I stared up at the house. Deacon’s motorcycle was parked around the other side of the house. I should go back up and say goodbye to Asher and Naomi, but I didn’t have it in me. I’d just agreed to help an enemy eliminate a mutual enemy, even though my Alpha specifically said he didn’t want the pack involved. I couldn’t face him. Once it was over, I would tell him what I had done. “We’re still meeting at the Wolf Pack Bar at six o’clock?”

  “Yeah.” Deacon’s voice softened, the laughter fading from his tone. “You sure you’re all right?”

  “Yep. See you tonight.” I started for my truck. “Love you, bro.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I ended the call and got in my truck.

  Most people who knew us would say Deacon was the quiet one, which was probably true, at least in public. But when it was just the two of us together, he had no trouble dragging my ass for being moody. He always had a joke or some sage wisdom that got me back on track. The truth was, he was handling this new decade much better than me already. We were older than our other packmates, yet neither of us had found our mate. I had never thought about it until the rest of our pack started finding theirs and having families. Suddenly, we were the odd men out.

  Something about the smoke rising from the blown-out candles last night resembled my future.

  I’d missed it. I was forty and alone. It was too late. I was never going to find the other half of my soul. For all I knew, she was already married on the other side of the country someplace. Humans didn’t have the same instincts as wolves did. They could fall in love with anyone. Fate had chosen my mate, and I had never found her.

  Deacon was nursing his first beer when I got to the Wolf Pack Bar. Madison grinned at me from behind the bar as I approached. Since Ryker and Serenity had become new parents and private eyes for the pack, Madison had taken over running the pack’s bar, and with her marketing skills, it had never been busier. Our pack used the profits to keep up the ranch and build a healthy savings account in case any pack members needed extra money.

  “What can I get for you, Dex?” she asked.

  “Whatever Deacon’s having is fine.” I straddled the stool beside my brother.

  “Blue Moon coming up.” She grabbed a mug from the freezer under the bar and went to the tap.

  I looked at my brother. “We met Natasha today and we’re still breathing.”

  He raised a brow. “Guess she’s not as deadly as Vance led us to believe.”

  Vance used to work for Nero with Natasha, but he was pack now, despite being a jaguar shifter. Asher was building a new kind of pack. We had werewolves, jaguars, and a hybrid skin walker in our ranks. We were stronger together.

  “She must be really worried about the judge to drive out and face us.” It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him I gave her my number, but I didn’t.

  Deacon took a swallow of his beer. “Maybe we’ll catch a break and the serum will kill him like it did the Timberwolves unit they experimented on.”

  Madison delivered my beer, and I lifted it toward my brother. “I’ll drink to that.”

  My brother grinned. Looking at him was like staring into a mirror, except my left eye had a darker blue iris. It was the only way most people could tell us apart. His smile softened as he nudged my shoulder. “What’s wrong with you? You were off during the party last night, too.”

  I shrugged, taking a long pull from my beer. When I set the mug back on the bar, my eyes cut over to Deacon. “We turned forty and celebrated with our pack, and even though they’re all younger than us, you and I are the ones who are single without families. That didn’t knock you around a little?”

  Deacon sobered. “Nah. Dad was—”

  “—thirty-nine when he met mom and found out she was his mate, I know.” I paused. “I’m starting to think mine’s not out there, and it’s getting harder to look at the pack and not be jealous.” I eyed my beer. “Never realized I wanted more until I turned forty with nothing to show for it.”

  Deacon shook his head. “We own a construction company, and we’re part of a strong pack. That’s not nothing.”

  He was right.

  I might be the older brother by twenty minutes, but Deacon was the wise one. I often allowed my darker emotions get their claws into me. And while I was quick to anger, Deacon was eager to forgive. I held grudges, and my brother built bridges.

  I glanced over at him. “How do you do that?”

  Deacon shrugged. “If fate chose someone for me, I just figure I’ll find her when I’m supposed to.”

  “What if I missed her?” Frustration bled into the gravelly tone of my voice. “What if she was one of the homeowners we did a job for? If I didn’t touch her skin to skin, I never would have known.”

  Deacon tipped his head toward Madison as she delivered drinks at the other end of the bar. “What were the chances Cole and Madison would ever find each other? She didn’t live anywhere near Sedona, but she moved here to be closer to her brother and ended up working on the cattle ranch where Cole was the ranch veterinarian. Hell, think about Serenity and Ryker. She was in a coma when he found her, for god’s sake.” He finished off his beer. “When it’s time, you’ll find her. Fate will insist.” He gripped my shoulder. “Forty is too young for a midlife crisis, bro.”

  I chuckled, knocking his hand off. “I’m not having a fucking crisis. I just can’t believe I let forty creep up on me and I still don’t have my shit together. I didn’t think I’d still be alone, you know?”

  “Lighten up.” Deacon grinned. “Besides, you have never been alone.”

  He was right. Even before we drew our first breaths, we were together. I was damned lucky. I smiled in spite of myself and nudged him with my shoulder. “Thanks.”

  “Anytime.”

  We shot some pool at the new table in the corner. Under Madison’s leadership, the Wolf Pack Bar had added two new employees to help Alexandra and Mike, purchased a new pool table, and had brand-new social media accounts that seemed to be bringing in both locals and tourists.

  While Deacon racked the balls, he glanced up at me. “You never told me if you agree with Asher about the judge.”

  I chalked up the tip of my pool stick. “Asher thinks it’s too risky. We don’t want the authorities snooping around. Makes sense.”

  We couldn’t talk freely about pack issues with humans around so we kept things vague. I told myself that was the reason I didn’t say anything to Deacon about giving Natasha my number.

  Deacon lifted the triangle off the balls and set it aside. “What do you think?”

  I lined up my shot and hit the cue ball. The pool balls clacked together, spreading across the table as I straightened. One sank into the corner pocket. I met my brother’s eyes. “I think we need to be ready for things to get messy. A Supreme Court judge, even just a state one, can make our lives hell if he’s desperate enough.”

  But tomorrow night, during the new moon, I might be able to help Natasha put an end to the threat.

  I kept that part to myself.

  CHAPTER 3

  Natasha

  The two-lane highway out of Sedona was dark and deserted as I made my way back up to Flagstaff. Nights like this made me wish I’d bought my own place. Even a condo would be better than my tiny room inside the industrial building that used to be one o
f the Nero Organization’s satellite facilities. Yet I hadn’t even gone out with a realtor to look.

  When Vance had helped the Reno Pack bring down the Nero Organization, I’d thought I was finally free. No more working for Antonio Severino. That sadistic prick had enjoyed displaying me on his arm during political fundraisers and then sending me off to kill the ones who crossed him. But the “freedom” only magnified the fact that I’d been raised in a cage. I didn’t know how to be free. I’d gone from boarding school to being a prisoner at Nero, and then I had been bitten and trained as a jaguar assassin. Living in a dorm room, eating when I was told, killing who I was told, and even dressing as I was told were all I knew. I didn’t have a college degree, and my only vocational skills were getting away with murder and basic computer operations. I had no future. Not in this human world anyway.

  And if this judge exposed shifters to the world, I wouldn’t be safe anywhere.

  A pair of headlights came racing up behind me. I slowed, making the right turn into the scenic viewpoint parking area, expecting the car to speed past. Instead, it followed me in. I narrowed my eyes, studying the lights in my rearview mirror. This lot was usually deserted after hours. I couldn’t take the dirt trail that led to the hidden satellite facility with someone following me. No one was supposed to know the building existed.

  I pulled into a parking spot and got out. Suddenly, I was bathed in red and blue spinning lights. Fuck.

  “Put your hands up,” a man shouted from the shadows.

  I turned around to face the car parked right behind mine. I squinted into the blinding spotlights as I raised my hands over my head and did my best to look like a silly girl. “Is something wrong, Officer?”

  In the bright lights, I couldn’t see the officer or the colors of his aura. He smelled human so I could overpower him physically as long as he didn’t shoot me first. Shifters were strong, but bullets didn’t bounce off us like Superman.