In the Company of Wolves (SWAT, #3)(16)

She slowly edged to the right, but he angled to intercept her. She moved faster, still afraid to take her eyes off him. He moved with her, taking a longer stride, and she gulped at how much ground he was able to cover with those muscular legs of his. What the hell? Why was she thinking about how hot he was? He intended to arrest her and send her to prison for the rest of her life!

Maybe he saw the panic in her eyes or smelled it in the air. Whatever it was, he picked up the pace and in three strides nearly cut the distance between them in half.

The hell with this!

Jayna turned and took off running straight down the middle of the one-way road. She had to dodge around a few angry drivers, but it was better than trying to race through the crowd of people on the sidewalk. She crossed over the next street against the light, running even faster.

Boots thumped the pavement behind her, but she wasn’t too worried. No way in hell could a guy as big and muscular as Officer Hunky catch her. She’d been a fast runner before going through her change, but now she was a freaking gazelle.

Four blocks later, she darted through an alley, then sprinted down the sidewalk on the other side. She glanced over her shoulder and nearly screamed in surprise. The SWAT cop was only a few yards behind her, running with an easy stride and that same lazy grin on his face. With the wind in her face, she hadn’t been able to pick up his scent.

She dug deep and put on every shred of speed she had, not caring who saw. Liam had told her to never run this fast in public, but she doubted Liam had ever been chased by a mountainous werewolf cop who was apparently half-cheetah as well. Screw the rules.

The farther she ran, the more industrial the area became and the fewer people there were on the street. As a criminal running from a cop, that shouldn’t have bothered her, but as a female beta running from an alpha big enough to eat her, it terrified the crap out of her. If she couldn’t get away from him, maybe she should head back into a more crowded area.

She glanced over her shoulder again to see the blue-eyed SWAT cop in the exact same position he’d been in before.

“You’re pretty fast, but I’m faster,” he said. “And since I could do this all day, you might as well stop so I can talk to you.”

Stop so they could talk? He must think she was stupid.

Jayna should have called his bluff and kept running, but she was so pissed off, she stomped on the brakes, forcing him to dodge to the side to avoid crashing into her. She got some satisfaction from the fact that it took him five feet to bring himself to a full stop, and even then he still almost fell on his ass. But he quickly got it together and spun around to face her. She backpedaled as he came toward her.

He immediately stopped and held up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you—or arrest you. I just want to talk.” He lifted the bottom of his hoodie. “See? No gun.”

There might not be a gun, but there was a mesmerizing expanse of muscles there. Thank God he lowered his shirt or she’d still be staring at them.

“Why aren’t you turning me over to your cop friends right now?” she demanded.

He shrugged. “To tell the truth, I have absolutely no idea. But let’s talk anyway.”

The answer was so unexpected—and so honest—that she couldn’t help but believe him. She knew it was stupid, yet something told her the big SWAT cop really wasn’t there to bust her. But just because she thought he wasn’t planning to slap cuffs on her in the next five seconds, that didn’t mean she was going to be friendly.

She folded her arms. “Okay. So talk.”

He looked around at the surrounding buildings with their broken windows and boarded-up doors, and she knew he was thinking this was a crappy place to talk. But it wasn’t like she could invite him back to the loft with her. That would go over so well with her alpha. And she was sure the Albanians would just be delighted.

This is one of the alpha SWAT cops I mentioned. He wants to chat, so could you give us some privacy?

Officer Hunky turned his blue eyes on her. “My bike is parked just a few blocks from here. I was hoping we could go for a ride and find another coffee shop.” When she didn’t answer, he added, “Just to talk, Jayna. I promise.”

Her heart stopped. “How do you know my name?”

He winced, as if realizing he’d let something out of the bag, then ran a hand through his dark blond hair. “Um, yeah. I know your name—at least the name on the debit card you use to buy your lattes. But no one else knows. Not even my pack.”

Again, she didn’t know why, but she believed him. Still, it freaked her out that a man she’d known for all of thirty seconds knew her name—and her debit card number. She was about to ask how the hell he knew when he interrupted her with that charming dimpled grin of his.

“By the way, my name is Eric Becker. And I can give you my credit card number if it makes you feel better.”

She suddenly found herself forgetting her anger and instead thinking about how nice his name was. He looked like an Eric—big, strong, and handsome. And let’s not forget that great smile. Suddenly, Jayna couldn’t remember what it was she’d been concerned about just a few moments earlier.

“So, you okay with the coffee shop idea?” he asked.

If she said no, then what? He obviously knew where she lived, so even if she could get away from him, he’d only go to the loft and wait for her to show up.