“Thanks for the invitation,” I told him. “Brain’s told me a little about your Sophia, and I’d like to get to know her better, too. Since we were planning to drive home this afternoon, I don’t have anything to change into, though. Will this be okay?”
He smiled, “You’re perfect. Nothing fancy, just food and conversation.”
* * * *
Brain
The only two werewolves I knew who could alter their human faces were Duke and Randall, but I was certain there were other shapeshifters with the ability, and no way would Aaron enlist either of them for this. He had plenty of professionals on his payroll, and he’d given me an invoice for the price of every man who went with us, per day, as well as the cost of the plane. We’d pay what amounted to the plane’s cost, and one man’s fee, before we left, with the rest due upon completion of the mission.
We’d have three men plus the pilot, who was also ex-special forces, and would help on the ground, as well.
And I’d be running the control center, managing communications between everyone. It was what I do best, but it still bothered me that I wouldn’t be out there, personally protecting my Buttercup. My wolf didn’t like her being separated from me, and hated that I was letting others be responsible for keeping her safe.
We hung out in the range and shot a while. Aaron sent Ranger and Mac down with a bunch of guns for us to shoot, and they stuck around and made sure we were familiar with each weapon before we handled it. They brought us the best toys to play with, and I could tell Harmony was enjoying herself as much as I was — especially with some of the WWII reproductions, as well as some military prototypes not yet available to civilians.
When Aaron came down, he spoke with Ranger outside the door a few minutes, and then came inside, saying, “I hope you’ve worked up an appetite, because my wife and our cook are in the process of creating a feast.” He looked to Harmony. “Ranger tells me you know your way around a firearm, but my intelligence on you said you didn’t use them?”
She shrugged and told him, “My lifestyle wasn’t conducive to being a responsible gun owner, so I found other, quieter ways of defending myself. A gunshot at three in the morning draws attention, but unless they’re really close, no one hears a homemade taser knocking someone out.”
Aaron nodded and asked, “Mind if I have a look at your taser?”
She looked at me, uncertain, and I told him, “If you want to use the idea yourself, you’ll need to pay her a licensing fee.”
He grinned and said, “Of course. I’m curious to see what she’s come up with, but I also need to know her specific defensive abilities for the op.” He tilted his head, considering us before saying, “I spoke with Kirsten, and she and Sam will be in the dojo Sam uses tomorrow at eleven for a class. She said she can come at nine to work out with Harmony, and figures Sam won’t mind sparring with her a little when she gets there.”
I smiled and looked at Harmony to explain, “Sam and Ethan Levi live in town, and we know them through some other friends.” Ethan Levi is the current mixed martial arts heavyweight champion of the world, and his wife Sam had retired while holding the women’s bantamweight title. Harmony looked at me, speechless, through a dozen rapid heartbeats, and finally said, “Yeah, I think maybe we’ll need to buy some clothes and toiletries, and get a hotel room for the night.”
“Nonsense,” said Aaron, “you can stay in one of our guest rooms. I’m going to be another hour or two here. You can go shopping and then drive up the mountain. I’ll let Sophia know you’ll likely arrive before me.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Harmony
Sophia met us on the front porch as we came up the sidewalk, and once again the thought went through my head that the tiny woman looked like a fairy princess, with hair so blonde it was almost white, and a smile that made me immediately feel welcome.
The house smelled fantastic, as if someone had been cooking for hours, and my stomach growled as Sophia led us to the back of the house.
She must’ve heard it, because she said, “We have some appetizers to snack on in the living room while we wait for Aaron.”
I looked at Brain in question, but he only grinned back at me. Yeah, she’d heard it.
Sophia introduced us to a hunk of a man named Jonathan, and explained, “My overprotective husband wants to be sure I’m safe, so Jonathan’s almost always with me when Aaron can’t be.”
“I smelled two more guys outside,” Brain said, “and I hear two adult heartbeats downstairs, as well as three toddlers’, so I’m assuming Jonathan isn’t the only one here guarding you and your little darlings?”