Seduced by a Shifter(6)

“Kaylie, please.” Vince winced. “You’ll get me killed, or worse, exiled from the pack.”

Settling in for a great show, Ben watched the interplay of his pack members as he lowered himself onto the thick carpet next to Jack. He popped the last bit of food in his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. These people were his friends, his family. Their dynamic didn’t shift, yet somehow remained heartfelt and lively, reinforcing Ben’s bonds to his pack and their warmth. Roaming, as some of his kind did when seeking a mate, was not in the cards for Ben. He’d miss his pack too much to be happy anywhere else.

It wasn’t until Kaylie mentioned his name that he pulled himself from his thoughts. Her words, though, had him sputtering with disbelief.

“Except Ben. I’ve seen him naked.”

Now the center of attention by curious eyes, all except Dean’s, who appeared ready to slice his throat open, Ben choked. “Christ, woman. I was all of eleven, coming out of a shift. And you shouldn’t have been there anyway.”

Jack chuckled, slapping a paternal hand on Ben’s shoulder and squeezing fondly. “I remember that. Kaylie was spending the night with my Joanie and Ben lived next door to us. When Grace Anderson called me in a panic, I hopped the fence to find the poor boy stuck in mid-shift and his father snoring away on the grass, naked as the day he was born. Once I got Ben settled and calmed down, I turn to see the two girls, eyes wide in shock, mouths open like gaping fish, as they peered through the fencing.”

Unrepentant, Kaylie shrugged. “We were curious.”

“Curiosity killed the cat,” Dean narrowed his eyes at Kaylie, but the gleam of heat and something more was unmistakable.

“And satisfaction brought it back. How many times do we need to have this discussion?”

“Until it sinks in.” Dean laid a hand on Kaylie’s thigh and she leaned down to press a lingering kiss on her husband’s forehead.

“Now that my work of mayhem is done,” Kaylie said, “I’m going to put our son to bed and let you get on with your meeting.”

Amid a chorus of good nights, Kaylie passed Ben and, ignoring his retaliatory gaze, whispered under her breath, “Good luck.” Now, instead of thinking how he could get his hands on some naked baby pictures of Kaylie to plaster around town, Ben instead wondered just what had transpired before his arrival.

“As always, I thank you for coming. I do realize this meeting was on short notice and plan to be brief, as you all have other things to do.” Dean looked at each of his leaders as he spoke, shifting the group easily from playtime to business. “This meeting and subsequent result is at Zan’s request, so I will let him explain.”

Intrigued, Ben reached for another sandwich and a soda, setting his eyes on the former secret ops shifter.

Zan didn’t hesitate. “An acquaintance of mine has requested my help. Our help. Pack help, obviously.”

“Acquaintance?” Ben raised a brow. Given Zan’s background, an acquaintance could mean anybody, or anything. And not necessarily of the virtuous kind.

Zan zeroed in on Ben. “Suffice it to say we’ve worked with each other in the past to mutual satisfaction.”

Ben just raised his second brow. “And you think that’s going to make me feel all warm and fuzzy?”

“Stop.” Dean sliced a hand through the air. “Zan. Quit being so dramatic. And Ben,” he added, freezing Ben’s smug smile in place. “Be quiet and let Zan speak.”

After a halfhearted sneer, Zan restarted. “All right. Here it is. Rome Felix is a government agent in the middle of an investigation. His only witness was put into hiding until the trial, only the arms dealer got a judge to dismiss the case based on insufficient evidence and this witness of his has been located. Rome has asked for permission to bring his witness here for protection until the investigative team can reorganize their case.”

“And…” Caleb prompted.

Zan smiled, and it wasn’t pretty. “Rome wants to use his witness as bait to lure his prey here. It’s a damn good bet this Valen person will never see the inside of a cell unless an irrefutable crime as been committed. Like attempted murder.”

“So what are we supposed to do?” Eddie asked, sipping water. “I mean, we’re not the protective services.”

“No, but we’re the next best thing.” Zan looked at each shifter in turn. “We’re stronger, faster, and have keener senses then any human. We’re a small-town community and can spot outsiders in the blink of an eye. We have the ability and know-how to protect Rome’s charge, because we know how to protect our own. I’ll be bringing in two from my former crew to handle the assignment, but I’ll need all of you to keep your eyes and ears open for anything unusual or for anyone asking a lot of questions. And maybe some protection duty from a few of you.”