Smiling, she waved at the other three before heading toward Special Agent Otto and Luca.
“Agent Fox.” Otto nodded. “It was a good day. No one was injured and we have sixteen perps in custody.”
“Yes, sir,” she agreed.
“However, according to the Coalition, we didn’t pick up our main suspect. The money man, Mike Timmons, was not on the property when we arrived.”
“Where is he?” she asked.
“Come. I’ve secured us a conference room,” Otto ordered.
Abilene followed behind Otto next to her partner. They turned a corner before going down to the third door. Otto knocked on the door sharply.
It opened, revealing the ATF IT specialist Spencer Fawn. Abilene enjoyed working with the younger man. He was good at his job and a little on the shy side but once she’d gotten to know him she’d found he had a wicked sense of humor. He did take a little getting used to though. Spencer got so into what he was working on, he could stare at his screen for hours. She was glad he’d be part of the team.
“Gonna let us in?” Luca teased.
“Sorry! Sorry!” Spencer backed up.
“Thank you, Agent Fawn.” Otto brushed past the younger man.
“While you work with the Coalition, we’ll set you up here. You packed up your belongings this morning?” Otto asked.
“Yes, sir, they’re in my rental parked downstairs,” she answered.
“Good, you have reservations at a hotel a few blocks away. I want you two to remain close by in case something comes up. Abilene, you’ll work with one of the Coalition agents and sit in on the interviews. Right now no one has asked for a lawyer and I want to keep it that way.”
“Yes, sir,” she agreed.
“Luca will set up the files and keep me up-to-date. I don’t want anyone to see you,” Otto said to Luca. “At this time you’re still dead. Zak Lewis is being interrogated. Until we know where Mike Timmons has disappeared to, watch your backs.”
Both Abilene and Luca nodded.
“I’m leaving Spencer with you to work on any intel you find. Work with the Coalition, but don’t forget our agenda. This group planted bombs all over the state. We need to make sure there isn’t still a threat out there.”
“What about the guns?” she asked. The group hadn’t been short on firepower.
“Yes, we’re checking if they were purchased legally or not. That’s your second priority. You all have a long investigation ahead of you. This is only the tip of the iceberg.”
“Understood, sir,” Luca answered for them both.
A lot of people thought that once the suspects were arrested that the police work stopped. That was never the case. Every one, shifter or human, had to go through the legal system. It sucked but she still had to prove her case—and do so carefully. If any of the guys got off, they could hurt more people.
“Good. I expect you to keep me up to date,” Otto demanded before walking away.
She turned to her partner. “You should sit.”
“I was shot in my arm, not my leg,” Luca said.
“You were shot,” she repeated.
He rolled his eyes but stomped over to the conference table. Spencer was already back in front of his laptop, concentrating on one of the three screens he’d set up.
“You lost a lot of blood,” she said. “You should have gone to the hospital.”
“I’m fine,” Luca snapped.
Holding her hands up, she backed off. “So, what first?”
“I’m typing up everything I heard or saw. Cody is going to have Zak do the same. A lot of the guys will go down with the information we have. Hopefully we can use it to press them in interview. They won’t know where it came from. Probably will think someone from the group is talking. That’s our hope anyway.”
It was crazy that just the mention of Zak’s name in a casual sentence could make her pulse flutter. She really needed to get a lid on her arousal for him. She had work to do.
“Read through this. This is everything that happened after I met with you at the sheriff’s office until I made it to your hotel room. Maybe something in there will help,” Luca told her, sliding some typed pages her way.
“All right.” She dropped into one of the chairs across from Spencer. Pulling the report closer, she bent her head over to get to work.
* * * *
“Zak!”
Aubrey’s voice was music to his ears. He sprang up toward the door. She leaped into his arms so he hugged her tightly as she dangled off the ground.
“Finally,” she chanted.
He couldn’t have agreed more.
She leaned away, grinning at him. “You look good. Lost a little weight, but better than I expected.”
“You, my beautiful lady, are a sight for sore eyes,” he told her before kissing her cheek.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Cody grumbled.
Zak let Aubrey go and noticed Cody struggling to hold several bags of food.
“Aubrey!” Cody called.
“Sorry!” Aubrey rushed over to her mate, grabbing a couple of the items. Jamie bumped into Zak’s shoulder.
“Glad you’re okay,” Jamie told him.
“Of course. I’m too mean to get hurt,” he told his buddy.
“Jackass,” Jamie said fondly before grabbing Zak in a bear hug.
Zak pounded on Jamie’s back, just as pleased to be reconnected with his friend.
Finally Jamie dropped him down to his feet. Cody and Aubrey had placed the bags on the table. Cody turned to him.
Zak opened his arms. “Come on. You know you want to hug me too.”
Cody flipped him off but did indeed yank Zak into a hug. It was quick with hard slaps to his shoulders.
“Now that’s out of the way, feed me,” he demanded. He could smell the sub sandwiches from his favorite deli.
“Sit down,” Aubrey ordered as she started taking out boxes of food.
Zak pulled out the closest seat and did just that. “Thanks,” he offered as Aubrey handed him a plastic container. Even though he could already smell the delicious offering, he couldn’t wait to get a look.
He wasn’t disappointed.
The overflowing turkey and ham club sandwich had his mouth watering. In addition to the main food, there was a scoop of potato salad and a pickle—all his favorites.
Aubrey sat by his side while Cody and Jamie took the other two empty chairs. After the food was passed out, Cody handed everyone a bottle of water, even Jamie.
Zak watched in amusement as Jamie twisted the lid off before taking a long pull. Jamie made a face.
“Why are you drinking water?” Zak asked him.
Aubrey giggled next to him.
“Brandy thinks I drink too much Coke,” Jamie told him.
“Because you do,” Zak agreed. He hadn’t met Jamie’s girl yet but if she could get him to drink more water, he had to get to know her better.
Jamie grunted as he picked up his burger. Double meat, double cheese, extra onions and bacon. It was a heart attack just waiting to happen.
“His diet’s next,” Aubrey stage-whispered.
Jamie growled at her.
Zak had to open his own drink to give himself a minute. This had been the hardest undercover job he’d ever done and he knew it was because of the people in the room with him. Before, when he went away on a job, he hadn’t missed anyone. Now these people, his friends, were his family, not by blood but by choice. He’d gone from not having anyone worry about him to real buddies that put his needs before their own. It made doing his job harder when he had something to lose, people he cared about. He hated that he’d missed out on what was happening in their lives.
He wondered how Abilene would fit into his ragtag group of friends. They were a little much to take. Sure, Aubrey fit right in with them but Aubrey had been in love with Cody for years.
Their relationship had ended painfully before they’d reconnected when Cody had moved back to Lake Worth.
From what he’d seen of Abilene, she would have no trouble holding her own against this group. He wasn’t going to question why he was thinking about her again either. Two times—he’d only met the woman twice, and he was smitten.
Damn if he knew what he was going to do about it.
“You okay?” Aubrey asked.
He glanced down, realizing he’d not eaten anything. “I’m just so damn happy to be home,” he replied honestly.
Chapter Eight
His hand shook as he pushed open the door to his house. Aubrey had assured him that she’d been by earlier and stocked his fridge so he could go straight home. The yard had been cut down within the last week and Zak grinned thinking about his friends taking the time to make sure that he would come back to a manicured lawn.
The house had been a complete wreck when he’d first bought it.
As a matter of fact, Cody had refused to enter. Jamie, the more adventurous one, had called Cody a pussy before stomping inside. Jamie hadn’t been any more impressed than Cody, but Zak had seen the potential—dirt cheap, and all his. Eventually Cody had come around, and both he and Jamie had helped on their days off as Zak had started to remodel his abode. It had taken a long time and he still wasn’t finished, but he was proud of his accomplishment so far.
The door opened easily, and Zak was met with a fresh scent that he didn’t recognize. He dropped the keys to his truck in the dish on the table by the door. After that he bent to unlace his combat boots. He yanked off his shoes and socks so he could dig his toes into the plush gray carpet that covered the downstairs. He was dying for a shower but first he had to prove to himself that he really was home.
He strolled down the entry to the living room.
He didn’t know if Aubrey had cleaned or hired someone but it was obvious now that a lot had gone into his homecoming. His carpet was vacuumed, showing lines still visible. There was also no dust on his coffee table, entertainment center or shelves. He trailed his fingers over the back of the couch as he continued to the kitchen.
The kitchen had been the first room that he’d completed. It had also been the most expensive. But he’d spent the money to make the area one that he would always love. He hadn’t skimped.
Flicking on the light, he glanced around. The black marble countertops gleamed under the fluorescent bulb. The stainless steel appliances were clean and gorgeous. They looked masculine against the dark cherry cabinets. Yes, he was home.
It was still early evening. After ten hours of writing and rewriting his report for the commander he had finally been released to go and clean up.
He started a pot of coffee. Even though he was dog-tired, he just wanted to relax for a little bit. Plus it was too damn early to hit the sheets.
Deciding he could go ahead upstairs and shower, he flipped the switch off. Walking back through the living room, he noticed a new photo on one of his shelves.
He picked up the frame.
The picture was of him, Cody and Jamie standing in front of his house after they’d finished painting the trim. Jamie had white paint speckles in his beard and Cody’s hair was streaked. All three of them had huge smiles on their faces.
Zak remembered when Aubrey had pulled out her smartphone and demanded they pose. He was glad that they had. And he would have to send Aubrey one awesome thank-you gift. He replaced the photo before exiting the room. At the stairs he pressed on another switch so he could see where he was going. The stairs had been sanded and stained so that they matched the other work done inside the house.
There was no creaking under his feet. They were still holding up well. He wasn’t certain what he’d expected but he’d actually been picturing the mess he’d moved into instead of his welcoming home. Upstairs there were three bedrooms and two baths. His master suite and bath, a guest room, office and extra lavatory. He made a beeline for his room.
The fresh clean scent matched the downstairs. His door was already open and yes, someone had cleaned. He’d been in such a rush that he’d left clothes on the bed when he’d packed. He’d been called in after Jamie’s investigation had alluded to a group going after humans. Commander Green had wanted him to move quick before anyone connected him with the Coalition.
Now his bed had been cleared and if his nose wasn’t lying to him, his black comforter had been recently washed. He so wanted to just drop down into his mattress, but he knew he needed to wash away the grime and dirt from the day.
Hell, from the last several months.
It would be the first time in his own shower for far too long.
The bathroom was done in three shades of gray. The tiled walls and white pedestal sink practically glowed. The large standing shower in the corner beckoned him. Pulling open one of the glass doors, he reached in to turn the water on.
Steam started to fill the room as he stepped in front of the mirror. He looked at himself closely. He wasn’t surprised by the dark circles under his eyes but his face was slimmer than it used to be.
Aubrey was right when she’d said he had lost weight.
He enjoyed cooking so he should be able to put the weight back on easily enough. He’d also step up his workouts to ensure he kept up his strength and didn’t lose his muscle. Luckily he had a half-finished basement that held his gym equipment. He needed to finish up down there but he still hadn’t decided what he was going to do with the space. That was why he was keeping his weights there.
After yanking off his shirt, he peered closer at himself. Even in his rough state, Abilene had seen something in him. He didn’t know what that could be but he wasn’t going to question his luck. Next he started to remove his jeans and boxer briefs. He was going to enjoy some new clothes. Once he’d stripped, he headed back to the shower. He stuck a hand inside first to test the temperature then added even more hot water.
Once the water was hot, he stepped inside and moaned as the flow beat down on his shoulders. The heat soaked into his skin, refreshing him.
Wow, I might never get out of the bathroom again.
He leaned forward, bracing his forearms on the tile so that the flow could wash away all the tension in his body. Once he was fully wet, he grabbed the bar of soap off the shelf and started to lather up. Between the temperature of the water and the strength in which he scrubbed himself, his skin was probably going to be red for quite some time, but he needed to get clean—all the way to his soul. Normally he could be in and out in about ten minutes but Zak made his shower last thirty this time. Once he’d washed twice, he slid his hand down to his full erection.