ROMANCE: The Bad Boy Meeting (33 page)

              Keith’s transfer to the DEA had been harder for him then Rachel would ever know. She couldn’t even begin to understand the complications that went into his decision to leave Rachel behind as his partner and lover.

              He wasn’t everything he seemed to be. He wasn’t just an ex-navy seal. He was so much more than that and she could never find out. Keith began to realize that the closer they got, the more likely it was that she would eventually find out his secret.

              Keith was a werewolf.

              He was just over five hundred years old and had a number of alias’. People would eventually discover who and what he really was and he would be chased out of town. He would need to find a new home, a new name and a new profession.

              The military had always been a promising career choice for him. It had allowed him to get out his anger and disappear with ease when he needed to. Keith had appeared on several prisoner of war and missing in action lists over the years. When someone was hot on his tail, he’d disappear in the heat of battle and start a new life somewhere else. It was a pretty good system.

              He’d always traveled alone, not wanting to risk becoming attached to someone. In his five hundred year life he’d fallen in love once. Her name was Anne Marie and she had been the daughter a Mississippi plantation owner. She and Keith (Known as John) had been helping slaves get to the Northern states. They were both accused of treason and conspiracy during the Civil War and attacked by Confederate soldiers.

              Cornered and out of ammo, Keith did the only thing he could do. He transformed into the horrifying creature he really was. When Anne Marie saw him like that, howling and all teeth and claws, she turned and ran into the woods, hiding from him.

              After he took care of the soldiers, he ran through the brush to find his love. She was curled up under a tree, sobbing and screaming when he came to her in tattered clothes. He’d tried to explain that he would never hurt her, but the damage was already done. She didn’t want anything to do with him. She ran back to her father’s house and blamed her trespasses on the devil.

              When the only woman he’d ever loved called him a devil, he felt his heart break. In that moment, he knew that he was never meant to find love. He continued his life of solitude, taking out his anger during war time. He’d been present in every major conflict, fighting for the American’s more often than not. He was German by origin, but it seemed that his homeland was on the wrong side of the coin in most of the wars.

              His latest military escapade had left him severely injured. He’d been the victim of a suicide bombing and was lucky to escape with what few injuries he had. Keith knew that his arm would heal eventually but it would take decades. Werewolves didn’t bounce back from severe injury like other legendary creatures. He would never die of natural causes, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t die at all.

              When he joined the police force in New York, it was a way to keep himself going. He’d never been the type of person who could lie around and do nothing. He’d known wolves who would curl up in caves for hundreds of years and just pity themselves. That wasn’t how Keith liked to handle things.

              He was surprised when he was paired up with such a small, pretty girl. She had big brown eyes and thick eyelashes that only made her eyes even more doll like. Her cheeks were a rosy pink all the time and her short brown hair gave her a stern look at work but when she was off the clock, it gave her a certain youthful charm.

              Keith felt drawn to the pretty girl almost immediately. She reminded him so much of Anne Marie it almost hurt. He had been cold at first but couldn’t help warming up to Rachel. She had an infectious smile and a wicked sense of humor.

              He let himself get close to her and then he lost it when she was shot. He transformed and attacked the addict who had shot the women he was slowly but surely falling in love with. He’d dragged her into the woods and torn her to shreds so that there would be no evidence of what he’d done. It looked like a wild animal attack because it was.

              Rachel had passed out before his transformation and so she had no idea what he was or what he’d done. When she woke up in the hospital and saw him, she hadn’t screamed or tried to get away. She just smiled and laughed.

              It made his heart leap and he realized he couldn’t ignore his feelings for her anymore. When she invited him back to her house, he was happy to comply to anything she wanted and spent his week making love to her and caring for her.

              It had been a magical week, but he knew things couldn’t continue on like this. She would find out everything and he wasn’t sure he could handle that kind of rejection. The offer to work for the DEA was an answer to his prayers. Now he had a reason to separate himself from her. It wasn’t easy but he had to act like she meant nothing to him. He had to convince her that whatever they’d had was a fling and nothing more.

              He sighed and ran his hands through his short hair as he sat on his couch. His lonely apartment had somehow seemed even more lonely these past few years. Keith glanced over when his cellphone went off, surprised to see that his boss had sent him a text. He needed to be in the man’s office first thing in the morning. They had a big mission for him.

              Keith wasn’t the only one to get that same text message. When he walked through his boss's door, he was surprised to see Rachel sitting in a chair. She was sitting up straight, her hands on her lap. She glanced back when the door opened and gave him a strange look. She hadn’t been expecting him to be there.

              “What are you doing here, Keith?”

              “I could ask you the same question.” He said, settling in one of the chairs, though he looked more more relaxed than Rachel.

              He figured Rachel thought she had something to prove. Rachel had been trying to get this DEA job for as long as Keith could remember. She was still fairly young at twenty seven but she had the same goals as people who had been on the force for twenty some odd years.

              The head of the DEA branch was seated across from them at a desk stacked with papers and coffee cups. He was a gruff man with graying hair and a round face. He always seemed a little out of breath and his tie was never on straight. It bugged Rachel but she wasn’t going to say anything before she found out why she had been called in.

              “You’re both supposed to be here. Now, shut up and listen.” He grunted, pulling out a manilla folder from the pile of papers.

              He dropped it on the desk in front of Rachel and Keith, putting his finger on it, “This is everything we have on Robert Cohen. That last runner Keith brought in gave us a lot of information.”

              Rachel’s blood boiled at that comment. That guy was supposed to be hers. Keith didn’t bring him in. He stole him. She managed to keep her cool, taking a deep breath and listening to everything the boss had to say.

              “What he told us completed our profile of him. Not only did he give us the information we needed, he let it slip that Robert is going to be throwing a big party for the high and mighty of New York. The English Ambassador was supposed to go with his wife but we encouraged them to stay at home and let someone go in their place.”
              Keith’s brow furrowed, “Us?” He asked, sounding a little shocked.

              “You got it, buddy.” He said, snapping his finger at him.

              “Sir...Why couldn’t I just go alone?” Keith asked.

              Rachel’s head snapped in his direction and her eyes narrowed but the boss spoke first, “You’ll look more believable if you have a wife. Besides, this isn’t your average bust. This is going to be far more dangerous than anything you’ve ever done before. We can’t have backup standing at the ready. This has to be done quietly.” He said, bringing a finger to his lips as if to make his point more clear, “That being the case, we’re sending your back up in with you.” He said, pointing towards Rachel.

              “Sir, with all do respect, I don’t think I can work with Keith.” She said flatly.

              Keith’s heart broke a little more but he didn’t say a word. He couldn’t let Rachel know that he still cared for her. The large man behind the desk crossed his arm and looked down at her.

              “For someone who's been begging for this DEA job, you’re being pretty stubborn. If you want to work with us you have to be able to work with any and all my agents.”

              She perked up a little and the mention of a possible job and she went quiet for a moment, her fingers curling in the material of her pants. She could do this one job with Keith if it meant getting this job.

              Rachel was quiet for a moment and finally nodded, “I understand, Sir...And I accept.”

              Keith didn’t like this. This was one of the most dangerous cases this department was ever going to handle. He didn’t like the idea of Rachel being in on it, but he couldn’t argue with his boss and she was ready to jump in head first. What legs did he have to stand on if he were to argue?

              Keith picked up the folder and nodded, flipping through it and reading all the information they’d gathered from the man Keith had stolen from Rachel. He’d been a wealth of knowledge, it seemed. Keith snapped the folder closed and nodded, “I’ll go.” He agreed.

              The large man clapped his hand and leaned over his desk to shake their hands, “Wonderful. I’m so glad you agree. Now, can you fake an English accent.”

              Keith smirked and transitioned into a flawless accent. “I certainly can, Sir. I studied abroad in England.” It was a bit of a lie, though not a total one.

              In the 1700’s he’d spent time in London, studying medicine. The constant smell of human blood was too much for him to handle. It made his stomach burn with hunger and increased his odds of transforming. He didn’t stay in school for long but he did stay in England. He enjoyed the culture and surprisingly, the food.

              Rachel, on the other hand, had grown up in the midwest and moved to New York to start her career as a police officer. She’d done everything in her power to ditch her accent but was unsuccessful. There was still a little bit of her midwestern accent tangled up in her speech and she didn’t think she was going to ever get rid of that.

              When she heard his flawless accent, she couldn’t help but be a little intimidated. She cleared her throat and did her best to recreate an English accent but it sounded like something out of a cartoon, “Is this good? Is this right?” It faded into a weird Southern accent and Keith couldn’t help but laugh.

              The boss cocked a brow and set his papers down, pinching the bridge of his nose, “We’ll have to work on that.”

              When they walked out of the office, Rachel was feeling a strange mix of anger and excitement. This was her shot to finally get her dream job. She wasn’t going to let her anger and sadness about Keith get the better of her. She all but left him in the dust as she walked out of the DEA office, her short hair getting ruffled by the chilly Autumn air. She zipped up her jacket and almost made it to her car before Keith stopped her.

              “Hey! Rachel! Damnit! Will you wait a minute?” He grunted, jogging after her.

              She was unlocking her car when his hand came down on hers to stop her, “Goddamnit, just listen to me for a minute!” He snapped.

              Rachel looked up at him, her gaze sharp and unwavering, “What? What do you have to say to me?”

              “I know our past is a little rocky-”

              “That’s an understatement.”

              He pressed his lips together before continuing, “But we need to work together and put all that shit behind us if this is going to work. We both have a lot to lose or gain, depending on how this turns out.”

              “What do you have to lose? You have everything you want.” She said, pushing his hand out of the way so that she could open her car door and get in.

              He wanted to tell her what he had to lose but it was her...And she couldn’t know that. It would complicate things. He pushed the door closed and grabbed her, pushing her up against the car. She gasped and felt a sudden rush of arousal. She wasn’t afraid of him. She couldn’t explain why, but she knew that Keith would never hurt her.

              Keith watched her closely and set his jaw, “I’m done playing games with you, Rachel. This is a dangerous mission and if we’re going to do this together then we have to put this behind us. Now, listen to me and listen well.” He whispered.

              Rachel swallowed but didn’t argue and just nodded, letting him speak without interruption, “You’re going to come to my apartment tonight and we’re going to review this case together.” He whispered. “We’re going to go over every detail until we have it down perfectly. I won’t have your attitude putting either of us at risk.”

              She looked away but nodded, keeping her mouth shut. Keith nodded and released her, turning to walk away. He couldn’t help but smirk as he left. He could smell her arousal. It was intoxicating to know that he still had that kind of control over her.

***

              He wasn’t the only one with the encounter on their mind. Rachel couldn’t get it out of her head the entire day. She went through her work day like normal, trying to put his face out of her mind. It pissed her off to no end that she couldn’t ignore the way he made her feel.

              Rachel slammed her car door as she parked at Keith’s apartment. He still lived in the same one bedroom apartment he’d been renting when they first met. She knocked on the door and when it was opened a sweet aroma filled the air. He was cooking something wonderful and she was eager to try it.

              She cleared her throat and waved at him, holding her copy of the file up. “Ready to get started?”

              “Of course. I made homemade lasagna. I thought it would go well with the wine.” He said, nodding towards two already poured glasses.

              Drinking with him probably wasn’t a good idea. Her frustration with him stemmed from the fact that she still wanted him. If she got tipsy, there was no telling what might happen.

              “Maybe just one glass.” She said, walking over to the dining room table.

              He served them dinner and offered her the glass of wine as they opened the folder and poured over the details. The party was going to be held in a large hotel that was known for it’s famous visitors. It normally would have been impossible to get into but their fake alias’ would get them in without a problem.

              The night wore on and they reviewed all the facts while draining two bottles of wine. Just as Rachel predicted, the more wine she had, the less angry she was at Keith. He looked even more beautiful through her tipsy haze. She wouldn't have said she was drunk, but she was feeling good.

              After going through the information briefly, they started working on Rachel’s atrocious accent. They had a week to memorize their profiles and the layout of the hotel. It was important to Keith that the dispel they bad blood between them. Accent training seemed to be a good way to do that.

              There was more laughter than anything as she got closer and closer to him through the night. She apparently wasn’t very good at imitating accents and they made little progress. It was nearly eleven o’clock when Keith finally gave up, laughing and finishing up his fourth glass of wine.

              “I think you just need to be quiet at this party.” He said laughing and putting an arm around her shoulders.

              She laughed a little and put a hand on his chest, enjoying the feeling of his warmth surrounding her. It had been so long since she’d let herself relax around him. It felt nice to be in his arms again. They’d relocated to the couch at some point, though she couldn’t remember when. Rachel sat up and threw one leg over Keith’s lap, straddling him and smiling down at him, running a finger along the stubble of his cheek.

              “Are you calling me a lost cause?”

              He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, happy to see her take her lip between her teeth and chew on it.

              “In this case, yes. But there are plenty of other things you’re good at.” He murmured, pressing their foreheads together.

              She smiled at him “Yeah? Like what?”

              “Why don’t you show me?”