Luckily no one had been injured. Because of the attempted hit on the benefit for shifter causes, the Coalition had reason to hit the hideout of the radicals hard. It had been too late. Worried about the failure, the men in charge of the terrorist group had ordered Zak and a few others to take off.
Following the small faction, Zak had found himself even deeper in the group. That was both good and bad. He’d overheard a name that was supposed to belong to the ringleader but he had to be even more careful than before and he was always being watched.
“Mike Timmons,” he told them. “I need you to find out everything you have on him. He may even have property in another name. From what I’m picking up, he’s planning something big, but this time they’re not telling us until it’s time.”
“Got it.” Cody had his phone out taking notes.
“What’s next for you?” Jamie inquired.
“More of the same. Sit around doing nothing until they tell us to move. We haven’t been this silent since I first got in. I can feel the group’s desperate and I’m afraid of what they’ll do,” Zak confided.
“We have a name now,” Cody told him. “We’ll get it shut down. You do what you can from the inside and we’ll take care of this.”
Nodding as he blew out one last long drag of cigarette smoke, he hoped Cody was right.
“I have the intel about the guy you asked Calvin to look into.” Cody worked his phone for a minute.
Zak accepted the device and started to scroll through. Luca Perez. Grandparents came over from Colombia legally and started their own business in sugar cane farming. Thirty-four, collage graduate, parents still alive and one younger sister, Amanda. Luca had no criminal background and was on no watch lists.
“What’s your feeling on this guy?” Jamie asked, once Zak had started to offer Cody back the phone.
“He just doesn’t fit. He watches almost as much as I do. There is something going on, I just don’t know what yet.”
“Be careful around him,” Cody ordered.
“The strange thing is that I trust him to have my back,” Zak admitted. He didn’t know why but Luca just didn’t seem to be the same kind of crazy as the others. “I’ll keep my eye on him, though.”
“Good, anything else?” Cody questioned.
As Zak went over everything he knew so far, he was glad it was Cody and Jamie that had met with him. He needed the bond the three of them had formed to continue on.
His best friends were one of the reasons he was still so dedicated to his mission. They wouldn’t be safe until the faction was taken down. Aubrey and others like her would still be in danger. This meet was a good reminder of why his type of undercover work was needed. Once he’d wrapped up his report he gave both men one more hug. “Give Aubrey my best,” he said to Cody.
“I’ll do more than that. I’ll get you back home soon,” Cody promised.
“And I want to meet your girl soon.” He pointed at Jamie.
“Shots on me when you’re home,” Jamie agreed.
* * * *
One month later
Smoke hung heavy in the air as the bass from the speakers thumped loudly. Zak sighed while leaning over the bar top and signaled for another beer. He was dead on his feet and just wanted to go home, fall into bed and catch a few hours’ sleep.
Of course there was no way that he could go home, even if he left the bar. Instead of his small fixer-upper house that he’d lived at for almost a year, his current sleeping quarters were a tiny room on the second floor of a broken-down farmhouse.
A fucking month ago he’d been certain that he’d have this case wrapped up already. Doubt about his mission had really started to weigh him down. There were some bad moments when he wondered if he’d ever get back to his own life.
He hated everything at the moment, especially knowing he’d have to return to the damn room that wasn’t even his. Being out of the loop with his small group of friends was one of the hardest aspects of being deep undercover. Even knowing he was making a difference wasn’t keeping the depression from setting in.
Sure he had stopped three attempted bombings, a kidnapping and a serious assault on some young shifters but at what cost did those saves come? Zak was losing himself in the character that he’d developed. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold on. Each day he spent living the life of a low-level madman for the SIP took a part of his soul.
“Here, take a shot. You look like you’re about to go postal,” Luca Perez said quietly, bumping up against him.
Without lifting his head, Zak grunted an acknowledgment. He picked up the small glass and quickly downed the scorching liquid.
Heat flowed down his throat to burn into his stomach. It felt good.
“Better?” Luca asked.
Nodding, Zak set the empty glass back down. “I’m just so fucking tired.”
“I know. We’ve been at a standstill for days now,” Luca commented.
Luca was the only person that Zak had any trust in at the moment. He’d watched Luca for months, knowing something wasn’t right with him.
Giving Luca enough intel to test him, Zak had unknowingly found an accomplice. Luca had passed every trial Zak had thrown at him and although he still hadn’t shared his exact reason for being there, Luca knew enough to act as a partner for Zak.
Of course Zak hadn’t been entirely upfront with Luca either. He still had to be careful, and working for the Coalition was enough to get him killed if anyone found out.
“What are we waiting for?” Zak questioned out loud. He kept his voice low, knowing that with Luca’s superior hearing the man would still pick up the question.
“I don’t know. It’s seems like the inner circle is closing ranks and becoming more secretive,” Luca whispered, as he turned and motioned the bartender for two more shots.
“You think they’re onto us?”
Luca shrugged. “Doubt it. For being well funded with murderous intent, they aren’t the brightest group.”
When Zak took a quick peek over his shoulder to make sure no one was paying too much attention to them, he was relieved to see the others were still intent on getting drunk and laid. Pete Browning was the ringleader of the small troop that was with him and Luca at the bar. Pete was the loudest of the guys and if there was trouble, he always started it. But he wasn’t the sharpest man. As they worked during the day, he’d also proved to be very lazy. He wasn’t the worst guy that Zak had had to work under.
Before Pete, they’d had to follow Robbie Carruth until they’d been transferred to the farm. Robbie stayed in the middle of the city to remain leading a much smaller group. Robbie had been followed around by two guys who were beyond stupid. Scott and Bud had tested Zak’s patience at every turn. The three of them and only a handful more now stayed close to the action to keep the others in the fold with what was happening. Zak had been happy to leave Robbie and his morons behind. Instead of spending their days holed up in hiding and only traveling out at night, Zak now spent the majority of his time out in the sun.
That was one plus out of being out in the middle of nowhere. That and Zak enjoyed the manual labor required here. While the group spent their days fixing up an old farm at the edge of town and conditioning themselves, their evenings were free to unwind. Normally Zak would be glad for the break but he couldn’t stand the men who were supposed to be his
friends
.
The shifter world was up against too many enemies. This faction was just one of many that wanted to create real problems with the humans. Everyday Zak was told how much better he was than any human. Now that the shifters were out in public, it was time to take over. Zak had never heard anything more idiotic. Why couldn’t they all just live together peacefully?
“I need to get into the inner circle,” Zak spoke softly.
“We’ve been working on that. The
powers that be
still don’t trust outsiders and we’re running out of time,” Luca said.
Rolling his neck, Zak shifted his body so he could get a good view of the corner table. Two men were laughing raunchily while being obnoxious to the waitress. The idiots were even more worthless than the others he’d met.
Zak and Luca, along with three other men, had started with another faction of the group before being moved to this more
hands-on
division three weeks ago. Since that was what Commander Green had wanted, Zak hadn’t fought when the first guys he’d started hanging with had asked if he would transfer over with a few of them. Still, Zak had no intel on what might be on the agenda. He needed to get a report to the Coalition but didn’t have anything solid.
While this faction was more organized, it also kept things under wrap better than the other Zak had infiltrated. He grew more restless as he didn’t know what would happen next. If anything. Upper management wouldn’t say it, but the SIP was hiding. Sure they used the word ‘regrouping’ but Zak knew that was bullshit.
With the cops and Coalition hunting them, the group had backed off recruitment and grown more secretive.
Rumors floating around that the cops had tried to get a couple of men working on the inside before disappearing caused Zak to worry about his own safety. With the Coalition’s help, Zak’s background check had passed when he’d first joined, but he wasn’t certain if another more extensive run was done that he would still hold up.
Facing back toward the bar, he caught the bartender’s gaze. Discretely he shook his head at the man then pushed away from the bar. Calvin could pass on any information Zak could dig up—when he dug something up. He could see the worry in Calvin’s gaze every night but Zak wasn’t sure how he could assure his partner. He didn’t know if that was even possible. Zak was beginning to doubt his mission. Maybe his work in the SIP had gone as far as it could.
A loud commotion from the corner pulled Zak’s attention. Beside him Luca cursed quietly before shouldering past Zak. The boys had gotten enough alcohol in them and were now ready for a fight. This was usually the part of the night that he and Luca had to wrangle the drunken men out before the others caused too much trouble and the law got called.
Keeping a low profile was important to them all.
By the time Zak closed in, he knew it was too late. By the looks of things one of the other patrons had objected to Pete Browning’s handling of the waitress. As soon as Pete started to feel up the poor woman, the stranger jumped up.
The stranger landed his fist on Pete’s chin, knocking him back before all hell broke loose.
Zak had to watch his own back when two men blocked his path and went after him. Since he was a shifter, he had to be careful of his strength against the humans. He dropped them quickly and in time to duck as another stranger went flying over his head.
“Damn it, Luca!” he hollered.
“Sorry,” Luca said, laughing. He threw another man in another direction.
The obvious glee in Luca’s eyes as he punched someone had Zak shaking his head. Ignoring his friend, he stomped over to where Pete had fallen.
“Pete,” Zak called, reaching down to lift him to his feet. “You okay, man?”
“Sure…man…” Pete slurred, leaning heavily against Zak.
Whistling sharply, he drew the attention of his group. “Let’s go, boys.”
It was chaotic but Zak and Luca got the others into the back of the truck where they would no doubt pass out soon.
“I’ll drive,” Luca offered.
Since Zak knew he’d had too much to drink himself, he passed over the keys of the old pickup. The vehicle belonged to the farm and was the only means of transportation they had access to.
After slamming the passenger door, Zak leaned his head back. When was this going to be over?
Chapter Two
The bright sunlight was too much to handle as Zak stomped down the stairs toward the training center. Normally he watched his alcohol intake but he’d been off his game the night before. Pulling on his dark sunglasses, he felt only a little relief.
“I was just coming to track your ass down,” Luca said, coming from around the house.
Pausing so Luca could catch up, Zak took in Luca’s bright eyes and smile. He wanted to snarl at his friend for not feeling as bad as him but Zak knew it was his own damn fault.
“What are you doing?” Zak asked as Luca reached him.
“Come on.” Luca motioned back the way he’d come. He led Zak along the side of the house, keeping them out of sight from others.
Following behind, Zak glanced around, making sure all was quiet. Being just inside the city limits, there wasn’t much around the property, making it the ideal place for training. A shooting range, obstacle course and even a medical lab had all been set up as soon as they’d arrived. Small groups from all over Arizona had been brought down to the farm to settle as a large troop.
While the larger numbers of the SIP were good for his mission, Zak couldn’t help but worry about what was being planned. Why did they need more members of the terrorist group when no moves had been happening?
“Look.” Luca stopped just around the last corner of the house. A line of trees separated the newer main residence from the rundown building that had been turned into the sleeping quarters for the lower shifters, Zak included. An overhang had fallen against the back railing, giving them privacy from prying eyes. They had the perfect view of the small main house that the inner circle stayed in. An expensive black BMW was parked out front.
Narrowing his eyes, Zak tried to make out more detail about the vehicle. If he could get a license plate, he could pass on that information to Calvin at the bar later.
“We need to run into town to get supplies,” Luca told him. “They want to barbeque tonight to welcome whoever our guest is.”
At least Zak would get to find out who drove the fancy car. He didn’t want to put too much hope on it being the mysterious Mike Timmons who the Coalition had been looking for. Zak had given Cody Mike’s name a month ago, but so far Timmons had remained hidden. Could this be the exclusive Mike Timmons?
“Guess we should be going then,” Zak told him.
They made their way to the same red truck they’d driven the night before. Luca pulled the keys out of his pocket and tossed them over. “Your turn.”