Jay pulled back the curtain and peered out. “Our giant seems to have checked out.”
The cobwebs in his brain slowly disappeared. “I’m not surprised. If he is one of Statler’s men, they’ll rotate to avoid suspicion.”
Jay nodded. “Sarah gets off work in a little over an hour. How do you want to handle this?”
“It’s a given you’ll have to stay in your wolf form, or out of view, especially if she’s being followed. We can’t chance anyone spotting you.”
Jay clenched his fingers, and some of the coffee spilled over the sides of the paper cup. “Shit.” He stepped back to the table and set it down. “This sucks.”
“It’s reality. You knew going in that you’d have to be the invisible man.”
“The giant knows I’m here. What difference does it make now?” Jay grabbed a napkin and blotted the coffee from the carpet.
“We don’t know if he was one of Statler’s men, and until we get an ID on the man following Sarah, I’ll be the front man.”
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 asshole. 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 fuck 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.