Beautiful Moves (Shifting Steel Book 3)(61)

“Fine. Tell us what you see,” Cain rumbled, as he threw his hands up in defeat.

Iris giggled with maniacal glee, her pregnant belly shaking.

“I think I’m frightened,” Tony commented.

“You should be,” Wolf replied, though silently he said a prayer of thanks.





11 Jackpot




Wolf

“It’s called Skype, Abuela, not skape,” Marisol explained as they sat in the back of the cargo van.

“Netscape. Skape. Skype. I don’t know.” Abuela shrugged.

“This is from the woman who can use the internet like a pro,” Trip chuckled.

“It has everything. Did you know you can look at grandfather Tlaloc ‘s mountain ruins from space? I never imagined.” Abuela shook her head in amazement.

“She calls the internet amazing, when she and Marisol are descended from an Aztec rain god,” Char whispered in disbelief to Wolf.

“Coso thinks we’re descended from Isa the Wolf, the Paiute god of creation. But I don’t think it really matters much. We all exist. That’s all the explanation I need,” Wolf replied with a shrug.

Wolf overheard Coso talking with Bastian. The desert alpha had a lot of theories about why the unusual women had found their way into Shifter circles. Wolf didn’t know if he believed the clandestine talk about reinvigorating the Shifter breeds. If anything, Wolf believed kindred souls gravitated toward each other. People like Ella, Iris and Marisol, needed others who understood them. Ella wasn’t a blooded Shifter, but no matter what happened, she was family, and would always be welcome.

“Alright kids, we’re here. Time for business,” Cain announced as he parked in the lot beneath the Palazzo hotel.

“I remember my part. I get out and make the cameras fuzzy,” Abuela related.

“Yes, but don’t zap the phones you’re carrying. And don’t permanently knock out the hotel’s cameras,” Marisol reminded her grandmother.

“Yes, mija, I know. We don’t want the jackals to become suspicious. I do have a measure of control over grandfather’s gifts,” Abuela teased.

The old woman had more than a measure of control over her skills. Wolf had seen Abuela and Marisol in action. They could control more than electricity. The women could wield all the powers of the ancient Aztec god. Making a few cameras go fuzzy was child’s play.

“Everyone check your phone. Make sure your Bluetooth earbud is working, and you’re signed into the Skype conference call,” Wolf instructed as he pulled up the app on the tablet.

“Got it.” Iris fit her earpiece then adjusted her hair to cover the small bud.

“I’m going in.”

Abuela straightened her hotel uniform, grabbed her giant purse and the package she was assigned, then got out of the van. With her phone clipped to her waistband, Wolf had a clear view of her walking through the parking garage and into the hotel.

“Our turn.” Trip smiled to Marisol and Iris.

Trip was the only Shifter going into the hotel, at least until the signal was given. The brother was considered unusual, even among Shifters breeds. It was comforting that he would be close to the women. Still, Cain looked like he was ready to come unglued as he kissed Iris, before she waddled out of the van. Wolf sympathized. He felt so close to Ella. He wanted to rush into the hotel, kick some ass, and retrieve her.

“Now we watch, and wait,” Bastian spoke through their Skype connection.

Both Bastian and Coso were monitoring the action from the other vehicles parked in garages around the Palazzo.

Char, Cain, and Wolf’s betas, gathered around, staring at the split screen on the tablet. Abuela was already inside the hotel, heading toward the employee corridor. She touched the badge sensor and the door instantly unlocked, as if she had official access. They watched her reach the security room and again repeat the move.

“Excuse me. This area is for authorized staff only,” the security guard said.

Wolf had a good view of the male from Abuela’s phone. He could also see the security monitors in the room.

“Oh, I new. I lost. Lo siento. Hotel muy grande,” Abuela exclaimed in heavily accented, broken English.

Abuela was old, but she possessed all her faculties, which made this farce even more amusing.

“How did you even get in here?” The guard waved toward the door.

“Open,” Abuela replied.

“Dammit. You all need to make sure the door latches behind you,” the man railed at the other guards in the room. “What were you trying to find?”

Abuela set her stuff on the counter opposite of the monitors, then sat down in one of the office chairs, with a tired sigh.

“I find housekeeping,” she replied.