Wolf's Fall (Alpha Pack #6)(2)

“Yeah? Take this!” The redheaded wolf shifter returned the favor, dipping his sponge into a bucket and then letting it fly, hitting the Sorcerer in the head.

“Oh, yeah? Die, mangy wolf!”

With that, Kalen waved a hand at his own bucket—and the contents shot from it, completely drenching Aric. Who sputtered, cursed, and laughed at the same time.

“You f*cker! That’s cheating!” He wiped soap from his eyes and gave Kalen an evil grin. “You’re gonna pay, Magic Man.”

Aric waved a hand at his own bucket, the sudsy water splashing on the concrete as he used his gift of telekinesis to hurl the entire thing at Kalen. Who immediately used his own magic to stop the bucket midair and send it straight back at Aric. Halfway to Aric, the bucket met with equal resistance and hung suspended between them.

“Stalemate,” Kalen said dryly.

“Yeah. All the water’s gone anyway.”

With the ceasing of their power, the bucket fell unceremoniously to the ground with a clatter. Nick rolled his eyes and stepped forward. “Is that all you two idiots have to do today? I’m sure I can find jobs for you. Like cleaning the staff restrooms, for example.”

The words apparently held no real heat, though, from the unrepentant grins he received in response. Aric answered, “Nah, that’s quite all right. I’m sure we can find something to keep ourselves occupied, can’t we, Goth Boy?”

“You bet, Red.” Kalen plucked at his soggy T-shirt.

Hard to imagine that just months ago, those two were at each other’s throats. Now they were horsing around like a couple of teenagers, all smiles. Who knew?

And how far would it set them and the entire team back once Nick was gone?

Nick shook his head to clear that thought. “Anybody know if the Huey’s fixed?”

“The mechanic’s still in there,” Jax said, tossing down his polishing rag. “He was replacing a couple of parts last time I checked.”

“Okay. I’ll go take a look.”

“You ever seen this guy before?”

Nick studied the tattooed shifter, who was rubbing his goatee thoughtfully. “Scott? Just met him earlier today when he interviewed with me. Why?”

“I don’t know, but Tom really loved his job taking care of our vehicles. Guess it just doesn’t sit right that he left without so much as a ‘see ya.’”

“I thought that was weird, too,” Nick admitted. “But Grant confirmed Tom’s departure and vouched for Scott. He seemed competent enough when I spoke with him before.”

“Never mind. I just thought it was strange the way Tom left without a word. That’s all. And in our world, strange isn’t typically a good thing.”

Nick gave a soft laugh. “True. I’ll keep an eye on him.” And how the f*ck was he supposed to make good on that when he wasn’t planning on hanging around?

Aric nodded, attitude sober now. “We all will.”

Leaving them to finish the SUVs, Nick strode into the hangar, Hammer still dogging his heels. It was rapidly becoming apparent he wasn’t going to shake his friend anytime soon. Damn. He didn’t know whether to yell or be grateful.

Forcing himself to focus, he crossed the expanse of the hangar to where Scott was working by the nose, grease-covered hands fiddling with some wires. At their approach, the man looked over and turned to greet them, pulling a dirty rag from his front pocket and wiping his hands.

“Hey, there. I think I’ve got her fit to hit the clouds again.”

“Good to know.” Nick studied Scott again, taking closer note than he had during their interview.

Scott Morgan was thirty-one, according to the employee profile Grant had e-mailed to him, and had plenty of experience working on aircraft. He wasn’t overly tall, maybe five-ten or -eleven. Slight build, hands that appeared work roughened, as they should. His brown hair was clean but a little shaggy, falling into dark eyes, and his demeanor was relaxed. His expression was friendly. There wasn’t a single thing the least bit disturbing about the mechanic.

Except that he’d replaced their regular man so suddenly, without warning. Nick was falling down on his job when it took his team members to point out a potential concern. The shame nearly consumed him. He wasn’t doing anyone a favor by remaining here as their leader.

Time for that issue later. Nick gestured to the craft. “So, we can take her for a spin?”

“Absolutely. Whenever you’re ready.” Scott pulled out his cell phone. “In fact, I can call Steven if you need a pilot.”

Steven was one of the Pack’s standby pilots who lived in the nearby town of Cody, Wyoming. He and a couple of others filled in to help out Aric when the team needed more than one pilot to go out on a call. The extra personnel was approved by General Jarrod Grant, and sworn to secrecy involving whatever they might witness on the mission. A must when Nick’s team was made up of wolf shifters—and one panther—with special Psy abilities. Their job entailed battling the world’s most lethal paranormal and human enemies, and anyone from the “outside” had to be trusted implicitly.

“That won’t be necessary,” Aric said, entering the hangar and approaching the group. “I can take everybody.” His long red hair, T-shirt, and shorts were still damp, and he wore flip-flops on his feet. He looked more like he belonged in a rock band than at the controls of a helicopter. But he was a damned good pilot, even from before his time in the military.