Embracing Fate: A hot paranormal shifter book (Hidden Hills Shifters 4) (11 page)

C
ord checked his
cell for the tenth time in as many minutes to make sure he wasn’t too late for the drop. He had to leave now or chance missing some of the action.

Storm placed a hand on his shoulder. “Piper is surrounded by my entire Clan. I promise you no one can get near her.”

He appreciated that Storm was willing to watch over her, and Cord was confident Piper would be safe. “Thanks.”

No doubt Piper and Cheyenne would have a good time together chatting and catching up. In truth, he was more worried about what would happen if the men didn’t show, leaving Brody’s safety in limbo.

Piper moved close and ran a hand up and down his arm, distracting him. “How did Brody sound when you talked to him?”

Cord had just finished speaking with Dram to make certain her brother was secure and only had a short conversation with Brody. “He doesn’t seem to be worried. This will be over shortly.” Cord leaned over and kissed her. “I’ll call as soon as the men are in custody.”

If he’d didn’t leave now, he might relent and stay. After jumping in his truck, he took off, refusing to even glance in his rear view mirror. Piper’s despair was already bombarding him, eating at his composure.

Last night, he and Jackson had gone over the details of the operation, and he was fairly confident they’d considered every contingency. The men had called once more and said the drop-off would be in a trashcan behind the bowling alley. The big question was once Selena placed the bag full of counterfeit money there, how long would the men wait before retrieving it? Staying outside for hours on end meant he couldn’t be with Piper.

A few officers would be stationed in front of the building in case one or more of the men took off. Between him, Jackson, and Selena, Cord was confident they’d be able to take these clowns down.

Once through town, Cord slowed and approached the designated area with care, keeping an eye out for any of the men. Even though he was in his personal vehicle and not his unmarked SUV, he was to park on Druid Street and work his way toward the alley. Jackson would have his eye on Selena the entire time, but Cord wasn’t worried. He’d worked with her before and seen her handle punks like these with ease.

Once he parked, Cord headed out on foot. He didn’t have to go too far before he sensed both Selena and Jackson. Cord found a good vantage point next to a rather smelly dumpster and settled in to wait. He could see not only the back door of the bowling alley, but also where it led to the parking lot on the side.

“
She drop off the money yet?
” Cord telepathed, fearing he might be too late.

“
She’s been waiting for you.”

“Thanks.”

From behind a car stepped a woman in a red wig. Damn, she did look like Piper. Keeping her gaze focused on the drop off location, once she reached it, she looked right then left before opening the lid and dropping the duffel inside. She turned around and remained still for a few seconds, no doubt trying to sense if anyone was near. She must have been convinced the trio wasn’t close because she edged back toward where she and Jackson were hiding.

Now for the wait.

Because they couldn’t afford to be overheard, all the men were asked to maintain radio silence. Being able to communicate telepathically with Jackson helped prevent being taken by surprise.

Noise filtered out from the bowling alley, but the back door had yet to open. It was always possible the men would come in from another direction. Whenever they arrived, the three of them would be ready.

Jackson was in charge of videotaping the money pickup for use in court and would remain hidden unless needed. Once the exchange occurred, Cord and Selena would rush in and take down the men. If only one man showed up, they would follow him until he led them to the others.

Cord was usually a patient man—at least when it came to the job—but now he wanted to capture these bastards and return to Piper so he could scrub away all her fears.

The sudden grating of a metal door shot him on high alert. He shifted into his cat form, making him nearly invisible in the night. A man with a big belly wearing an apron carried out a bag of trash. Shit. He must be the cook for the bowling alley. Piper had told him there was a small bar inside where they served hamburgers and other fried food.

The cook lifted the lid, dumped in the trash, closed it, and headed back inside.

“
That sucks. Do you think we should move the bag?
” telepathed Jackson.

“
Let’s give it a few minutes
.” Less than thirty seconds later, three men sauntered down the alley.
Hallelujah
. This was going to be easier than he thought. “
It’s them. Get ready.
”

While there was no way to let the officers in front know what was about to go down, they didn’t need the backup. The only foreseeable problem might be if Selena hadn’t already shifted, the light she emitted when she changed might tip off the men.

The one who’d acted in charge the last time lifted the trashcan lid.

“Is it there?” a second man asked, stepping next to him.

“Can’s full.”

Cord wanted to shout out for him to look under the other bag, but he refrained. They couldn’t be that dumb, could they?

The third man came over to check out the situation. Fortunately, he lifted the recently deposited garbage bag. “That it?”

The leader lifted up the duffel and then unzipped it. “Holy shit it is.”

“
You recording this, Jackson?
”

“
Got it
.”

Keeping to the shadows, Cord slinked toward them, ever vigilant in case one of the men spotted him. As the leader replaced the lid on the trashcan, a bright blue flash lit up the alley. Damn it.

“Oh, shit,” the leader shouted. “Let’s get the fuck outta here.”

As if they’d planned for this contingency, the leader and the shorter of the two headed Cord’s way, and the third man sped in the other direction. He didn’t need to shout to Selena about which one to go after as the lone man was almost upon her. While Cord wasn’t fast as a bear, he’d be more imposing. Shifting into his other form, he rose up on two legs and growled.

“It’s him.” The shorter man glanced at the leader.

“Run!”

Damn. The leader tried to dart around him to the left while the shorter guy headed to the right. Cord lunged for the leader, and when he landed on him, the man’s head hit the pavement, and he let out a loud grunt. When he didn’t move, Cord figured he’d be out for a few minutes at least.

The footsteps of the second man were becoming fainter with each passing second, and Cord shifted into his panther form. As he turned to charge after the man, he caught sight of Jackson sprinting in human form toward Selena. Her cheetah butt had hit the ground and the lone man appeared to be getting away. Before the assailant rounded the corner to the front, she managed to jump up and take off. Jackson followed. Oh, boy.

Needing to deal with his own fleeing man, Cord chased after him. A shot sounded and pinged off something metal close to his head. Not only was it dark, but Cord was moving too fast for the man to have much of a chance of hitting him. Pumping his legs hard, he reached the man in less than four seconds. Taking a flying leap, he landed on the man’s back but squelched the urge to bite him. As soon as the man’s knees hit the ground, Cord changed back into human form.

“You’re under arrest.” He pulled his cuffs from his back pocket, dragged the downed man to his feet, and hauled him to a police car parked on the side of the building. Cord secured the man to the handle then motioned for one of the officers to deal with him.

Cord almost smiled when he remembered Piper’s question asking why his clothes didn’t shred when he shifted. He’d hate to think of standing in front of a captured man stark naked with no way to secure him.

Knowing this guy was in good hands, Cord jogged to the back to check on the downed leader. In the distance, Jackson seemed to be lecturing Selena. Cord bet there’d be a good story there.

Just as two officers arrived on the scene, the leader roused. “I’ll let you two handle this man,” Cord said.

“Will do,” the beat cop replied.

Cord went over to where Selena and Jackson were conferring with a third policeman and the final man. “You guys okay?” he asked.

Selena pointed a thumb at his friend. “Ask Jackson. He was the one who dropped the camera.”

Frustration and anger rolled off his friend. “Had to. When this asshole kicked you, I thought you needed help.”

She shook her head. “I can handle myself.”

Cord swallowed a smile. It was clear something was going on between the two of them, but he had more important things to attend to. “If you guys are good, I’m heading out.” He looked at Selena. “We can fill out the paperwork tomorrow.”

“Works for me.”

Cord placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You good?”

“Yeah.”

As Cord headed back to his truck, he called Dram to let him know his babysitting duty was over. As much as he wanted to hear Piper’s voice, Storm’s house was only fifteen minutes away, and seeing the relief on her face when he told her the danger had passed would go a long way to erasing this nightmare for her. Just because these men wouldn’t be bothering Brody for a long time, though, didn’t mean her brother wouldn’t gamble again. Cord had thought about speaking to him, but then decided he’d help only if Piper asked him to intervene.

*     *     *

Piper hadn’t expected
Cord to return so quickly, but as soon as he pulled in front of Storm’s house, she’d rushed out to greet him. Wanting her friends to hear the details of the story, she asked him inside. Cord hugged her, gave her a quick kiss, and then followed her into Storm and Cheyenne’s home. Cord told them about the successful sting operation and how quickly they’d taken down Brody’s attackers. Piper was thrilled, not only for her brother but also for Cord and his friend.

Storm held out his hand. “Congrats. Nice job.”

“Thanks.”

Piper hugged Cheyenne goodbye, and as soon as Piper slipped into the front seat of Cord’s truck, she dialed her brother then disconnected. “Damn, I forgot Brody’s cell is dead.”

“I just spoke with Dram. He said Brody was packing up and that they’d be heading back soon.”

It was probably for the best that she couldn’t speak with him. She would have lectured Brody about his gambling habits. At least now, she wouldn’t have to listen to her brother’s empty promises, which would spoil her good mood.

She tucked a leg under her. “So what do you think we should do to celebrate?”
Sex, sex, or more sex?

Cord smiled. “I’m sure we can come up with something, but before we do, I’d like to continue with that discussion we never had.”

She wracked her brain for what that might be. “Discussion?”

“Remember I told you there were several things about me that you didn’t know—things that might make you change your mind about me?”

After all they’d been through, did he think anything he told her would make her not want him? Only because he acted as if he needed to get it off his chest, did she agree to listen to such nonsense. “Tell me.”

He let out a long exhale. “After my brother was born, my parents wanted to have another child, only my mother was unable to conceive for some reason.”

He’d told her that much before. “Are you adopted then?” That wouldn’t matter in the least.

“No. My mother decided to try fertility drugs. The problem was that my parents couldn’t afford to buy them at a local clinic, so my father found them on the black market.”

She moved a little closer and placed a hand on his thigh, hoping to bring him some comfort. From the strain in his voice, telling the story was difficult for him. “Did something happen?”

“I was born a freak.”

He’d used that word before. “I don’t understand. Aren’t your parents shifters?” She couldn’t imagine two humans having a shifter baby.

“Yes. My mother’s a bear shifter and my father is a panther shifter.”

“So you took after your mother. I don’t see the problem.”

His hands gripped the wheel. “Actually, I took after both of my parents. I can shift into either a panther or a bear at will.”

“So Brody was right when he said you shifted from a panther into a bear.”

“Yes.”

“That’s really cool. Why is this a problem? You can be big and strong or fast and lethal, whichever works best. That would give you a huge advantage when fighting crime.”

He glanced over at her. “It doesn’t bother you that I’m different from everyone else? I’ve never heard of anyone like me.”

“Personally, I like different. It makes you extra special. Is there something other than your ability to shift into two animals that is unique?” She couldn’t imagine why that would even be an issue for him.

“Yes.”

He pulled in front of his garage apartment and cut the engine but said nothing more. She wasn’t about to let him off so easily, but she’d wait until they were inside before she questioned him further.

Cord unlocked the front door and motioned her in. His story about the black market drugs made her wonder about his career choice. “Is that why you decided to join the DEA? To put men like the ones who gave your mother drugs out of business?”