Wolf Pack (16 page)

“Come here.” He motioned her closer.

Kendra walked up to him and allowed Cole to place his palms on the sides of her neck.

“I want you to be careful,” he said.

“I will,” she promised.

“I mean it, Kendra,” Cole told her sternly. “With Shawn’s top two guys out there still, and us knowing the locations of the rest of the rogues, whatever plan they had for coming to Lake Worth is falling apart. We’ll try to get to the bottom of what they’re up to but Core and Costanzo have nothing to lose.”

It felt good to have someone worrying about her. Taylor was her one constant but he would be leaving her soon. Cole’s caring really warmed her heart.

She rose to her tiptoes and brushed her lips over his. “We have an entire weekend full of plans that I intend to keep.”

“We’ll probably both be working.” He frowned.

“Yes, but we’re still going to be together,” she reminded him. “I’ll be fine.”

“Just make sure,” he ordered then kissed her.

Kendra wrapped her arms around his neck. When she pulled away, Cole kept his eyes closed. “I hate not going with you.”

She rubbed her hand over his chest. “Do your job. I’ll be surrounded by pack, Marshals and your agents. Find something to finish this.”

“Okay,” he agreed.

Kendra stepped back and turned. She jerked when she saw Zak propped up on the conference room doorway. She hadn’t heard the door open.

“That was so cute that I won’t even make any comments like Cole always does,” Zak teased.

“And I appreciate that,” Cole responded.

“Ready?” Zak asked her.

“Let’s go.” Kendra squeezed Cole’s hand as she walked away.

* * * *

Cole was busting his ass in coordinating the arrival of the rogues back to the Coalition, organizing the intel coming in from the field and matching all that up with the information coming out of interviews.

The entire office was a buzz of activity and he stopped to rub at his tired eyes.

All three sites had been searched and the rest of the rogues plus Shawn’s pack had been located.

Commander Green was sticking close to try to help but the Coalition was stretched thin at the moment. Cole worried that because all their resources were tied up something might be missed.

The suspects arrested earlier that morning were back in the holding cells so that Cole and the other agents could start debriefing and housing the newly rescued shifters. He’d been on the phone constantly to both Zak and Kendra so at least he knew they were okay.

Actually, no injuries had been reported. The smallest cave hadn’t even had guards. Just a couple of women and children who’d been too scared to leave after their husbands and fathers had been taken away. Cole’s heart broke for the situation these shifters were in.

Rebecca’s information had turned out to be good so at least the missing rogues had been found and were safe. No one had located the two members of Shawn’s old pack that hadn’t already been brought in to the Coalition.

Cole strolled over to the mini-fridge and grabbed a bottle of water. He’d only gotten three hours sleep before the case had exploded into action and he couldn’t drink any more coffee. It was late afternoon and he still had several long hours ahead of him.

Luca stepped up next to him, yawning. “Damn, I’ll be glad when this case is over.”

“Yeah,” Cole agreed. “We do need to find the two missing shifters from Shawn’s pack.”

“We will,” Luca said. “They can’t do too much without their resources.”

“Once we finish the interviews, Commander Green is going to move the case to a lower priority as long as we don’t have any more of a direct threat. He wants us to close this down,” Cole told him.

“You’re worried,” Luca stated.

“What if we miss something? Kendra has an entire pack that is possibly in danger,” Cole said.

“Which means that you have a pack to look out for,” Luca replied.

That was true. As Alpha, his first priority was to protect those he was responsible for. Kendra was even more important than anyone else. He had to find the two missing shifters before they could even think about closing down this case, no matter what the commander said. He’d have to work around Zak, who was actually in charge.

But Zak would understand. His feelings for Kendra were as strong as what Zak felt for Abilene. He knew he was moving fast but that didn’t mean his feelings weren’t true.

Normally at the start of a relationship Cole took things slow, never investing too much. But Cole was already so much more invested in Kendra than he’d ever been before. He needed to speak to her about all the things in his head. How had one case changed everything he’d ever known or how he felt?

“You okay?” Luca bumped his shoulder. “You zoned out.”

“Sorry.” Cole shook his head. “I was just thinking.”

“Oh?” Luca teased.

“Yeah, yeah,” Cole responded. “I was thinking about all the things I need to talk to Kendra about.”

“Want some advice?” Luca asked.

“Sure.” What did Cole really have to lose by listening to what Luca had to say? Plus Luca was happy in a relationship with Cole’s best friend.

“Don’t worry about what you haven’t talked about,” Luca said. “The connection between you and Kendra is as real as I’ve ever seen. Enjoy things as they happen.”

That actually made sense. So he and Kendra didn’t know every detail about each other. Cole had no plans to go anywhere.

“The first van is arriving,” Jade called out. “They’re being brought in the back door.”

“Guess we better get back to work,” Luca said, then sighed.

“Yep,” Cole agreed. “No rest for the wicked.”

* * * *

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Cole said as he walked up behind Kendra and started to rub her shoulders.

She moaned as she dropped her head forward. “There’s still a lot of paperwork to do,” Kendra muttered.

“It’ll be here in the morning,” Zak interjected. “I agree with Cole. We all should get out of here.”

“Thank God!” Jamie threw down his pen. “I might be able to spend an hour with Brandy before I fall asleep.”

Luca looked at Jade. “You’re going to have to keep your hands to yourself. I’m too tired to be your sex thing tonight.”

Jade snorted. “I think I can manage.”

“It’s settled then.” Cole grabbed Kendra’s hand. “We’re out of here.”

He helped Kendra pack up her things before he took her bag and slid it over his arm. “I need to go by Jamie’s to pick up the dogs. Do you still want to stay at your place tonight?”

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Taylor moved the weekly meeting to the morning so I’ll be able to sleep in if I don’t have to drive back out there.”

“We’ll stop by my place after we pick up Cocoa and Chloe. I’ll grab enough for the weekend,” Cole told her.

He waved at the others as he and Kendra walked toward the door.

“Don’t forget the barbecue tomorrow,” Zak hollered.

“We have to work in the morning,” Cole reminded him. “I have to spend my time off with you too?”

“Yes!” Several voices answered at the same time.

He chuckled. “Fine.” Cole placed his hand on the small of Kendra’s back as he led her through the office. Most of the agents that had worked with them throughout the day were already gone and the night shift was getting started.

In the parking garage, he opened the passenger door for her. She climbed up into the seat but grabbed his arm when he would have backed away.

“What? Is everything okay?” he asked concerned.

“Yes.” She pulled him close and kissed him. “I needed to do that.”

“You won’t hear me complain.” He winked before he closed her door.

He strolled around his truck to get in on the driver side. Cole started up the vehicle and turned the heat on low since the night air was cool. “Do you need to make any stops while we’re in town?”

Kendra covered her yawn. “Are you kidding? I plan on napping while you drive. I don’t care what you do.”

Cole smiled. “Okay.” He backed out of his spot before putting his truck in drive. Jamie had moved into Brandy’s house but it wasn’t too far from the office or his own place.

He drove down the quiet roads, keeping an eye out for any illegal activity around him. It was second nature to him and they did still have Shawn’s pack members out there somewhere. He didn’t think they’d be stupid enough to target Kendra but they could get desperate enough. She was one of the few who knew where Trent was stashed.

However, there was no evidence that any of the suspects knew of Kendra, so it didn’t seem to be common knowledge that she was the agent in charge of relocating him. But they’d found Trent once so he’d still be cautious.

He turned onto Jamie’s street and there was still no sign of trouble. He relaxed a little. The porch light was on, although he’d beaten Jamie home. Cole parked behind Brandy’s car, leaving the spot next to her vehicle empty for the bear shifter.

Glancing over at Kendra, he saw that she’d actually fallen asleep during the short drive. He opened his door quietly while leaving the truck running for her. He was halfway up the sidewalk when the front door opened.

Brandy waved from the entrance. “Jamie called and said you were on the way.”

“Yeah. Thanks again for picking the babies up,” Cole told her. “I’m taking them to Kendra’s for the weekend so you should have a few days off from babysitting duty.”

She laughed. “Like I said, I don’t mind at all. And I took your advice.”

Cole lifted an eyebrow.

“I talked to Jamie and we decided to get both a dog and cat. We’re going to the shelter the next time we have the same days off. We figured we’d get them together so we know they’ll get along,” she explained.

“That’s great.” Cole really meant it too. He whistled, and Cocoa came running while Chloe followed at a slower pace. “I’m glad you’re going to do it.”

“Me too.” She hugged him. “And if you need me to pick them up this weekend I have no problem driving out to Kendra’s. You’ll have to send me the address.”

“Well, let’s hope that I don’t have to call, although I appreciate the offer,” he told her. “Sorry to just grab them and run but Kendra fell asleep in the car. It’s been a long day.”

“Jamie sounded exhausted when he called but he said things went well.”

“Yes. Thank God,” he agreed.

“Then get out of here and enjoy your night. I’ll see you and meet your woman tomorrow at the barbecue.”

He smiled. “Thanks.” He motioned the dogs forward. “Let’s go.”

Cole followed the dogs to the truck and opened the back door. Chloe jumped in first with Cocoa right at her heels. If they were only driving to his house he’d let them in the truck bed because they loved the open air, but with the longer drive to Kendra’s he felt more secure having them inside the vehicle.

Kendra didn’t wake even when he climbed back into the truck. He drove to his home carefully. The dogs were lying on the back seat, and he glanced over his shoulder after he’d pulled into his drive. “Stay,” he told them quietly.

He grabbed his mail before jogging up to the front door. After he’d unlocked it he tossed the mail on the side table and headed directly to his bedroom. Cole yanked down a duffle from the top of his closet then started to stuff jeans, shirts, socks and underwear inside before getting the belongings he needed from the bathroom.

He cast one last glance around the room to double-check before he headed to the kitchen to pack up the dog dishes, food and some toys. His hands were full but he managed to make it out to his truck to toss his stuff into the back.

“Good dogs,” he whispered when he was back inside the vehicle.

Kendra was still leaning against the window, and he couldn’t resist brushing his hand over her hair. Just looking at her, Cole couldn’t figure out how he’d gotten so lucky. “Let’s get you home,” he murmured even though he knew she wouldn’t answer.

Cocoa perked up to lean his chin over Cole’s seat. Cole patted his head then checked on Chloe, who’d also closed her eyes. Well, it appeared his girls were worn out. Cole started toward Kendra’s house.

The drive was nice and quiet. Even though it was early evening there weren’t many people on the road. As he drove farther out of the city toward the forest, Cole let his mind wander. If he decided to become Alpha he’d take this route home every day after work. He wouldn’t give up his house in the city due to his late hours and the fact that his friends were close by but he’d probably spend more time out in the pack lands than in his own home.

Living in the Alpha house wouldn’t be a hardship but Cole couldn’t see himself ever being truly comfortable there. He glanced over at Kendra. Since he couldn’t see himself leading an entire pack without her by his side he should probably talk to her about the house too. She loved her home, and even though it was close by Taylor’s place Cole wasn’t sure she’d want to move.

Too bad her residence wasn’t big enough for Alpha housing. Every pack he’d visited always had a large main house that the Alpha lived in so he could welcome guests. Cole really liked Kendra’s place and did feel comfortable there.

A Pros and Cons list. That was what he should do. Once he had that done maybe he could talk to Zak. The tiger shifter seemed like the one to go to on this. Any of his new friends would be more than happy to listen but Cole had a feeling that Zak understood him better.

“Where are we?” Kendra asked while she straightened in her seat.

“Almost home,” he told her.

Kendra peered over her shoulder into the back seat. “Hey, babies.” She reached over and petted Cocoa, who was eager for some attention.

“Chloe expects you to go to her. She doesn’t move for anything she doesn’t want to.”

“Well,” Kendra laughed. “I guess we’ll have to wait until we get home.” She ran her hand down Cole’s arm.

Was it wrong that he enjoyed the same type of attention as his dogs?

“You must be exhausted too,” she said.

“I am, but it feels good. It’s not often that we deal with an investigation on such a large scale and to get the rogues to safety really makes me feel like we did our best.”

“Yeah,” Kendra agreed. “The paperwork is going to last for weeks, though.”