“Then what is it you want?”
Alex angled his head so he could stare up at Agent Valley with one big golden eye. “Yeah. What you want with Boss?”
Valley startled, a shiver visibly running through him. “He never ceases to give me the heebie jeebies.” Then, seeming to catch what he’d implied, he lifted his hands. “I’m sorry, no offense meant. I’m still getting used to the idea of the supernatural even existing. Never mind going for a walk with one of them.”
Liam grunted, but didn’t excuse his former boss. He was one of those supernaturals now. And though it felt as natural to him as breathing, and he wondered how he had existed without knowing the supernatural before, he did understand what Valley was saying. It took some getting used to. Hell, he’d been far more freaked out the first time he’d met Alex.
“How are you handling the transition?” Agent Valley tucked his hands into his coat pockets.
Liam would never tell Valley the truth. Since he’d been freed from Milly and then freed from the control of his own wolf, there was a good deal of peace in him. For the first time in his life he knew where each step took him.
Rylee. Always Rylee.
And being a werewolf meant that no matter where she went, or what she was up against, he would be there to protect her.
“The transition has been fine. Easy.”
“I thought when you’d run off, back home, that you’d lost it altogether. There are numerous cases where that has happened.”
Alex gave a low growl. “Fatty stupid head. Boss is strong.”
Agent Valley glared down at Alex, who glared right back up at the agent. Liam had to bite his tongue to keep from smiling. Instead, he cleared his throat.
“Agent Valley, I have to go.” He didn’t want to say he had to shift forms in order to catch up to Rylee and Pamela. “So if you have something of importance to share with me, I suggest you do it now.”
His former boss drew his eyes away from Alex and refocused on Liam.
“If you don’t want to work for us directly, that’s fine. But as a former FBI agent, I’d ask you to keep us informed of the goings-on that you observe.”
Liam’s eyebrows shot upward. “Goings-on?” He damn well knew where this was headed and he didn’t like it. They were in the backyard now, and Jack watched them from an upper window. He probably thought that they couldn’t see him, but the flutter of the curtains as the old Tracker stepped up to the window caught Liam’s eye.
Agent Valley flapped his coat with his hands still in his pockets. “We need to be kept up to speed on what is happening in the supernatural world. I have only one other contact, and between you and me, that makes me nervous. I can’t be certain the information is correct when it is only from one source. You are our best bet for additional information, as Rylee seems to be at the center of so much; hell, she’s nearly always in the thick of things. Will you help us?”
Liam crossed his arms over his chest. Rylee would be beyond livid if she found out he was secretly feeding information to the FBI and Agent Valley. Loyalty, though, was something Liam understood all too well. As loyal as he was to Rylee, he had a loyalty to those he’d once worked for too. And a part of him recognized that Valley was right. The Arcane Arts division of the FBI needed help and information badly.
He took a deep breath, the decisions weighing in his mind. He stuck his hand out, and Agent Valley shook it.
“Good man. I’ll expect you will have something for us on a regular basis, say once a week?”
Laughing, Liam shook his head. “You’ll get what you get and nothing more. Everything I can send you will be via snail mail. Electronics aren’t all that favorable around me anymore.”
Agent Valley frowned. “That will take too long; we’ll be behind the eight ball right off the start line.”
“That’s all I can offer.” He waited, knowing Valley would take him up on it. Liam also knew that, in a pinch, the AA division could be useful for Rylee; might even have information that she could use in her salvages. That was how he justified it; how he soothed the niggling thoughts that he was making the wrong decision.
“Fine. We’ll try it.”
Maybe it was some perverse pleasure he took in making his old boss uncomfortable, but he didn’t look away from him as he shifted. The wolf in him clamored up, eager to break free of the bonds of the human flesh that held him.
Agent Valley’s eyes widened and his face drained of color. “Mother of God have mercy,” he whispered as he stumbled backward.
Alex looked from Liam to Agent Valley and snorted. “Pussy.”