Filed To Story: Secret Shifters Next Door Series PDF Free
have been active near town made the thought of thousands of strangers almost panic-inducing.
Thursday night, Miles called me. I was still on duty, but my client was in a penthouse suite with three or four high-end working girls. I was blessedly out in the hall and didn’t have to witness the disgusting debauchery.
When the phone buzzed, I answered eagerly. “Miles? What’s up?”
“Hey, Tate. I have a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“Do you know anyone who could take over for you on the job you’re on?”
“I know of one guy who’s probably free. I saw him yesterday. He’s a professional. We had a drink last night after I got off duty. Why?”
“Well, there’s been another disappearance?—“
“Steff and Blayne?” I asked, panic rising in my chest.
“No, no, no, another pack about an hour outside town. It’s got us more on edge than before. You know how the Fourth can get out here. Too many faces, too many scents, not enough of us to keep track of everyone. We all want you back, at least until the holiday is over. I know you wanted to be away, but?—“
“I’ll fly out tonight,” I cut in.
“Wait, seriously? Can your guy get there that soon?”
“I’m sure he can. He’s… well, he works for a competitor. Hope that’s okay.”
“Dude, I couldn’t care less right now. Get a hold of him and get back home. I’ll see you in the morning.”
I hung up and dialed my buddy Darren, an ex-Army Ranger, and a good dude. We’d worked together twice before on big security jobs. Ten minutes later, after a quick negotiation on price and an info dump on the client, he was on his way.
While I waited, I shot him a secure email with all the itineraries and files he’d need for the job. He arrived less than an hour later. From the sounds coming out of the penthouse, he had a while yet before the client would be done. Dude must have taken a Viagra or something. I left Darren once he was settled in and confident with the assignment.
I got to the airport less than an hour after that. There was only one seat open on the flight to Colorado—first class, something I never splurged on, but I considered it a good investment. Otherwise, I would have had to wait until the following morning.
I became more and more antsy as I went through security and waited at the gate. It was like I couldn’t get home fast enough. The homesickness had started fading as soon as I realized I was going back. So weird.
After a four-hour flight and an hour-and-half drive from the airport, I was home. Pulling into the driveway, I couldn’t help but glance over at Harley’s house. I didn’t like how I’d left things with her, and I was a little ashamed for having Miles dig up dirt on her. It was pretty obvious she wasn’t a hunter, or working with hunters. Somehow, someway, her arrival in Lilly Valley had been a total coincidence. As strange as that was, it was the only explanation. She’d come here to get away from her psycho, mob-connected boyfriend. And me, being the gallant gentleman I was, had treated her like shit the moment I saw her. God, I was such an asshole sometimes. Deciding it was probably better for both of us if she just ignored me, I went inside and collapsed in bed.
The next morning, I met the guys at the office. None of them looked very laidback. Steffen and Blayne looked tense and more serious than usual. Yeah, they were all on edge.
“Okay…” Miles started, “…we can all have a nice calm weekend, but we have to have our heads on a swivel. There’s
no other way to explain these disappearances except that the hunters are here. We are the only shifters in this town, so if they come here, we are the only targets. Make sense?”
We agreed solemnly. Our typical banter and ball busting was non-existent, but I had to admit even with the heavy atmosphere, I felt freaking great. Ever since I got back in town, it was like a weight had lifted off my chest. I couldn’t explain it, and as we filed out of the office, I found myself walking down the sidewalk to the park.
In all the time I had lived here, I couldn’t remember ever going to the park, but I was in a fantastic mood and wanted to enjoy the fresh air for once. On the way, I noticed that some sort of food festival was going on in the park. There were around twenty little tents set up with different food vendors, with tons of people milling around. It looked like a great place to set up, and people watch. Maybe one of them would be a shitty actor and show himself to be an obvious hunter.
I leaned against a lamp post beside a Greek food tent. The smell of falafel and gyros had my stomach grumbling, but I was a professional, and I kept my composure as I scanned the crowd, looking for anyone that didn’t seem to belong in one way or another.
A young girl caught my eye at one of the carnival game stations. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but I couldn’t quite place it. She was doing her level best to try and win some gigantic stuffed dog. The game was pretty simple. Two dollars got you three darts. There were three balloons in a circle. All you had to do to win the prize was pop all the balloons. Simple enough, but as I watched, the girl pumped twenty bucks into trying. The guy manning the station had a grin on his face. He knew he was making a killing off the kid.
I sighed, and pushed away from my resting place. If there was one thing I hated, it was watching futility play out. Plus,
knowing how these things worked, there was probably some trick to it. That’s how all carnival games were. The house always won. Didn’t matter if it was a sports bookie, Las Vegas casino, or a small town carnival.
The girl had just failed her last attempt to pop the balloons and was digging in her pocket for another round of dollars. I stepped up and slapped two bills down on the counter. “Give me a shot. Maybe I can get you that dog before you pay for this guy’s kids to go to college.”
She glanced up at me, eyes wide and surprised. Her face softened and she appeared to relax. “Oh. It’s you. Sure, give it a shot.”
I frowned, still not sure where I knew this girl from. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”
She rolled her eyes at me. “I’m your neighbor? Duh.”
Harley’s daughter. That was where I knew her from. I’d only seen the two girls for a moment when I confronted Harley the other day. Great. Now I was stuck here for a few minutes. Maybe I could get this over with before Harley showed up. I didn’t need that awkward situation.
“Uh, right. I remember now. What’s your name again?” I asked.
“Jordyn. So, how good are you at darts?”