Dylan made a noncommittal sound.
That was strange. Axel was the best hacker he knew. The lion shifter could break into a secure system, get the information he needed, and get out without leaving a trace. The man was a genius when it came to technology.
"It's nothing," Axel said suddenly. "Forget I said anything. I'm just being paranoid."
"Axel-" Dylan started, but the other man cut him off.
"No." He waved off Dylan's concern. "I'm fine."
Axel scrubbed a hand down his face. Now that Dylan was studying his friend closely, he could see that Axel looked exhausted, red eyes, dark circles, unshaven. The phone calls were obviously a lot more serious than Axel was leading Dylan to believe.
"If you change your mind, I'm here. Anything you need."
"I know." He nodded.
"I'm securing the cabin door," Max called out.
Ian's voice came on over the speaker system. "The before-takeoff checklist is complete. We have been cleared for takeoff. Take a seat and buckle up."
Dylan grasped his seat belt, clicking it into place low on his hips. He leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to relax.
The engines hummed to life, and the plane eased forward as Ian headed toward the tarmac. After a few minutes, the plane stopped before once again picking up speed, moving faster and faster. The aircraft smoothly lifted off the ground, rising high in the sky. Dylan took a few deep breaths, pulling air into his nose and slowly blowing it out.
When the plane evened out, Dylan gave a little sigh of relief. Although he liked flying, he still got a little nervous.
"Agent Flowers," Max suddenly announced from beside him.
Dylan's eyes flew open. He stared up at the black mamba snake shifter in confusion. It was hard to take Max seriously. With his wild pink hair and sexually explicit T-shirts, the man looked more punk rock than professional FPA agent. Today, printed in bold script across his chest, the T-shirt read, Overworked & Underfucked.
"What?"
"I just got a text message from Abram. He wanted to let us know that Agent Flowers is our FBI contact in New Orleans."
"Oh." Dylan nodded. "Okay, thanks."
"Ian said that we'd be landing in a few hours. You should probably try to get some sleep since I doubt we'll have much time once the plane lands."
Leaning his head back once again, Dylan closed his eyes. He tried to clear his mind enough to rest, but it was impossible. The pictures of the Silver Bullet swam around inside his head, turning each image into a nightmare. There was no way he could mentally prepare himself for what was to come.
Chapter Two
Dylan strode into the local FBI field office flanked by Axel and Max. The three-hour flight from New York to New Orleans had gone quickly. When they stepped off the aircraft, a vehicle met them on the tarmac and drove them straight to FBI headquarters.
Along the route, Dylan noticed that the streets were flooded with emergency personnel, both police and military. The city was in a full-blown panic. Dylan could understand the fear and unease. Innocent people had been killed viciously, and the person responsible was still roaming free.
When Dylan turned a corner, his eyes landed on a group of suits huddled together, talking. As they got closer, one of the men lifted his head, looking directly at Dylan. Their eyes met, and Dylan sucked in a sharp breath. He didn't know the man, had never seen him before, but Dylan knew how important the guy was in an instant. With short brown hair, brilliant green eyes, and an angelic face, the stranger was, without a doubt, the most beautiful man Dylan had ever seen. He's my True Match. The realization nearly knocked Dylan over.
The man broke off from the group and walked toward Dylan, confidence in every step.
"My God," Max whispered under his breath. "He looks exactly like the picture-"
"It's just a coincidence," Dylan interrupted, cutting Max off.
Dylan knew exactly what Max was thinking. The man in question, a human, wearing a crisp suit, looked a hell of a lot like a man Dylan had cared about almost thirty years ago. The pictures of their time together still littered his condo, a constant reminder of the man he'd loved and lost. But it was merely a coincidence.
"Agent Emmett Flowers," he said, introducing himself.
Emmett held out his hand, and Dylan took it. Warmth instantly surrounded his fingers, and heat climbed up his arm, sending a tingling sensation through his heart. Dylan leaned forward and inhaled, pulling his True Match's scent deep into his lungs. It was a subtle fragrance of melon, citrus, and tropical fruits accented with a pleasant floral note.
Dylan's mouth watered, and his teeth lengthened, sharpening into razor-sharp points inside his mouth. He was desperate for a taste. His eyes dropped to the Emmett's neck. He stared at the unblemished skin, wishing he could sink his teeth into the man's pulsing vein. Clamping his mouth shut, Dylan swallowed repeatedly, removing the gush of saliva. It took all of his strength, but eventually, Dylan gained control over his baser instincts.
"I'm Dylan Aldian." He reluctantly dropped the man's hand and took a step back in order to introduce the other agents. "This is Max Lumeria and Axel Lee. We're with the FPA."
"I'm glad you could join us," Emmett said. His eyes sparked, the green darkening as he stared intently at Dylan before looking toward Max and Axel. "We could really use the help. Gideon Channing and his pack are reluctant to speak with us about the bombing."
Dylan could understand the pack's hesitancy to speak with a human agent. In situations like this, it was hard to tell the difference between friend and foe when everyone was a potential suspect. It was especially difficult since they didn't know the motive behind the bombing. This could be a hate group targeting paranormals.
"Anything you need, we're here to help," Dylan told him. "I have a relationship with Gideon and his pack from a case I worked a while back. I'll speak with the Alpha after you show me the club. I'd like to have a look around first."
"That would be fine." Emmett smiled, flashing a row of perfectly white teeth.
"Max is a bomb expert, and Axel can do amazing things with a computer. I'm hoping you'll use their expertise during this investigation."
This wasn't the first time Dylan had worked on a joint task force in his career. There were a lot of politics at play when multiple agencies combined their resources and worked together. Dylan didn't want Emmett to think he was taking over, but he still needed to express the fact that they would be working the case.
"I've already spoken with Abram Jackman, and we agree that the FPA should take the lead on this case for the time being. The Silver Bullet is a shifter-owned establishment. Therefore, the case is considered paranormal. I just ask that you allow the FBI to assist in searching for the perpetrator since the motives for the bombing still aren't clear at this time. And we have a lot of resources at our disposal."
It seemed Emmett wasn't a stranger to working on a joint task force either.
"I look forward to working with you," Dylan told him.
"Let's get to it then," Emmett said.
"I need access to the city's surveillance system," Axel interjected.
"One of my colleagues can drive you over to the communications command center."
"I'd like to head over there now if you don't mind."
"I'll make the necessary calls. You'll have full access." Emmett fished his cellphone out of his pocket.
"I need to collect the bomb fragments," Max stated. "If I can put the device back together, I can find the signature. Every bomb maker has one. It's a way for them to take credit for their work. Narcissistic bastards," he added, mumbling quietly under his breath.
"Of course." He nodded. "If you're ready to go … " Emmett turned his attention back on Dylan. "I'll drive you to the Silver Bullet now."
* * * *
"You must be with the FPA," the police officer said as he rose to his feet. "I'm Russell Booker." He held out his hand, introducing himself.
"Axel Lee." He shook his hand in greeting.
"I don't usually get many visitors down here, but with the bombing and all, I knew someone from the FPA would be coming."
"I won't take up too much of your time," Axel promised. "I'm only here to check out the city's surveillance system."
Axel pulled his laptop out of his shoulder bag and put it on the corner of Russell's desk. Placing his bag on the floor beside the large desk, Axel grabbed a chair and took a seat. He powered up his laptop and waited for the device to come online.
"Can you tell me what operating system you use?"
"It's a Linux OS with 6 gigs of RAM," Russell said as he sat back down.
"And a dual quad core 3 gigahertz processor," Axel supplied as he moved his fingers over the keys on his laptop. "With a GeForce 8800 ultra-extreme vid card and a cisco ASA 5500 firewall."