Enticing Their Mate (Pack Wars #6)(3)
Jay stepped over to the table, jerked out the chair, and sat down. “When are Ford and Tyson coming up?”
“Didn’t you listen to anything the General said? As soon as we figure out what we need to take down Statler, we’re to contact him.”
Jay leaned back in his chair and blew out a breath. Riley worried about him. While he hadn’t worked with Jay on a case in a while, he couldn’t remember his roommate ever becoming unglued. “If you’re not up for this, I can always ask Sam or Brandon to partner with me.”
Jay shook his head. “No. I want this guy, and I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“Our mission is to free the women. Don’t forget that.” Statler’s demise was their secondary goal.
Jay held up his middle finger. “You ready?”
“Let me hop in the shower. I’ll only be a minute.” Riley wadded up the paper bag, tossed it in the trash, and headed to the bathroom.
True to his word, he was cleaned up and dressed in under ten minutes, leaving the slow task of shaving until later. He picked up the rental keys. “I’ll drive. You seem out of it today.”
“Whatever.”
After Riley checked the area to make sure it was clear, he motioned it was safe for Jay to leave the room. To prevent being spotted, his roommate wore a baseball cap and kept his face partially hidden. Once inside the cab, he slid down in his seat. Jay’s job was to navigate since the map to the convenience store was on his phone. According to Sarah, the store was five miles west of the motel.
After a few minutes, Jay sat up. “It’s about a mile ahead on the right. How about pulling off the next chance you get and let me out? I’ll scope out the area and come in from the side.”
Presumably, he would be in wolf form. “Sure.” Riley found a copse of trees about one hundred yards ahead that would hide Jay’s shifting from any possible passerby. “After I’ve spoken with Sarah, I’ll contact you.”
“Be nice to her.”
“I’m always nice.” Just because he wasn’t the friendliest guy in the world didn’t mean he was an *. He knew how to treat a woman. He just didn’t want one in his life.
After he dropped Jay off, he spotted the convenience store less than a mile away. Even though it was five after two, the lot was empty, confirming his target had yet to arrive.
He parked alongside the building and stepped out for a minute to check for any wolf signature. When he was convinced none of Statler’s men were close, he hopped back in the truck to wait. Strolling up and down the aisles for fifteen minutes or until Sarah arrived would look suspicious, and the last thing they needed was for Statler to be aware his new hiding place had been compromised.
Less than ten minutes later, a rather tired Ford Taurus pulled into the lot, and the driver was none other than Sarah Osmond. Here goes nothing. No matter how many missions he went on, Riley always had that jolt of excitement. He loved the danger, but only when innocent people weren’t involved. Sarah might be a trained operative, but she was also a human female, which meant he’d have to protect her.
As she slipped out of her car, she looked over at him briefly and nodded, implying Mackenzie or the General had sent her photos of both him and Jay. She then looked around the area as if she wanted to be sure whoever had been following her wasn’t around. Smart girl.
Time to meet her. Riley pushed open the truck door and his heart rate suddenly sped past the danger zone, his gut contracted, and his dick went ramrod straight. What the f*ck was that all about? Only when his nails began to elongate and the hair on his arms sprouted did dread pool in his gut. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening now.
Chapter Two
After all her years of training with the FBI, Sarah had thought she’d learned how to remain cool even under the most difficult situations, but these last few days had been hellish, especially when one of the captives started running a fever.
As soon as Sarah had entered the convenience store parking lot, she spotted a truck with a good-looking guy in front—if his muscular arm hanging out the window and his strong profile was any indication what the rest of him looked like. Not wanting to be obvious by staring or parking close to him, she couldn’t be sure if he was Riley or Jay—or some passerby.
She could only hope he wasn’t a recent Statler recruit hired to keep an eye on her, but the odds were in her favor he was one of General Armand’s men since she’d told no one that she’d planned to stop at this store after work. As an added precaution, Sarah had driven past the store and then doubled back.
She had to admit their arrival couldn’t have come at a better time, but if the plan involved charging in and taking down all the guards along with Statler, it would never work. Two men, no matter how well trained, would never succeed against all of Statler’s werewolves.
Once out of the car, she kept her gaze straight ahead and entered the store. In case cameras were recording her every move, she smiled at the young clerk. “Afternoon.”
Statler had drilled into all of his employees how important it was to be friendly but not too much so. People from small towns were suspicious of those who were rude, overly quiet, or super friendly. She headed down the snack aisle thinking it wouldn’t look odd if she spent a few minutes trying to figure out what to buy. A few seconds later, the front door opened, and she had to force herself not to look at the newcomer.