Shifted Perceptions (Alpha Division) (3 page)

Shrugging it off, I smiled and said, “Sure, and by the way? Thanks for breakfast.”
The gasps from inside the diner had me shaking my head, as I left Stone with my bill. If that didn’t get his attention, I didn’t know what would.

Chapter 5

I easily found the hotel. Stone had been right, it was only two blocks from the diner and on the same side of the street. I didn’t head that way at first, though. I spent the whole afternoon shopping in the small stores, picking out new clothes, as I hadn’t brought much luggage with me. I ate lunch at a cafe and walked some more, before finally heading to the hotel. Once checked in, I found my room and went in, shutting the door behind me.

Closing my eyes,
I leaned against the door and breathed a sigh of relief to be alone. I had been followed, which I knew would happen. I was counting on it, though, I didn’t like it. And that’s why I spent all day running around. Not only did it amuse me to piss off my stalkers, and I did piss them off. I’d heard them sigh in exasperation more than once. But also, I needed them to think I was in the room for the night.

From the diner experience
, I learned that Stone was probably the leader of the group. It confused me, though, because he was human. How a human became the leader of a mix of shifters and humans, I didn’t know. But I planned to find out. The first thing I needed to do was follow him. I’d let his goons think I was safely in my room for a while, before I went hunting.

Opening my eyes to loo
k around my new home for God knew how long, I stiffened, my eyes narrowing in anger. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Paul s
tood slowly from the chair he’d been sitting in, but for his own safety, didn’t come any closer. Smart boy. He took one step toward me. Or not.

“Teij sent me to watch over you.”

Oh, that prick! I loved Teij, but really? Did he have to send Paul? “I don’t need you here.”

He only shrugged
, as his dark eyes studied me. I didn’t miss the way they flickered over my body, and I widened my stance ready to kick his ass if he stepped out of place.

“Teij said to come, so I’m here. Whether you want me or not. I have to follow orders, and you know it.”

I snorted, “You don’t give a shit about orders, Paul.” I saw him wince, but I didn’t care. “How is this suppose to work? They’ll be suspicious if there’s two of us and neither of us will get any closer to that organization.”

“I’m just here to watch your back, nothing more. No one will know I’m here, I promise.” He wasn’t begging me to stay, he was only stating a fact and I knew there was nothing I could do. Yes, I could fight, cry
, and whine all day, but it wouldn’t change a damn thing. Orders were orders.

“I need you to keep me in the loop at all times. I need to know where you are and who you’re with.”

“What am I, fifteen? You’re not my daddy, Paul!”

Paul raised a mocking eyebrow while I fumed. “Orders, Foxy. If you’ve got a problem with it, talk to Teij.”

Dammit! He knew I wouldn’t call Teij. That would only be another ass chewing and he knew it.

My teeth ground together
, as we stared each other down. Paul’s expression was his usual mask of indifference. His dark looks gave him an air of arrogance that I hated. He was always so intense, I couldn’t tell what he was thinking or wanting half the time. All I knew was that he annoyed me like nobody else could.

And damn! I just remembered what I had planned. “Fine! Just try not to be such an ass. This mission is tense enough without you driving me crazy too.”

His eyebrow shot up again and I swear his dark eyes sparkled. “I drive you crazy?” he asked, his voice dropping to a husky drawl.

I rolled my eyes and
set my bags down. I pulled out some clothes and headed toward the bathroom. “I’m taking a shower.”

“Want company?”

“No,” I said, slamming the door behind me. Sighing, I locked the door before setting my clothes by the sink. I turned on the shower full blast and pulled off my tank and shorts, folding them neatly beside my clean clothes.

Next
, I took off my underwear, then reached under a pair of clean panties for the bottle I had hidden. After spraying myself liberally with the scent eraser, I went to the window and opened it, thankful that it opened easily and soundlessly.

The window was tiny, so I shifted into my fox form before squeezing through, landing on my feet outside. I shook myself and ran
, glad that night had fallen. I had to be quick. Paul might believe I’d take a long shower, but not that long.

I figured the easiest way to find Stone was to start where I
first saw him, Melba’s, but I hadn’t made it a block, before I picked up his scent and followed. He hadn’t gone far either. After trotting down one alley, then turning down another deserted road, I found him.

It was a bar, I could tell that much. The parking lot was full of motorcycles and
a few people hung out, smoking cigarettes and laughing. Loud music could be heard thumping from the inside and the smell of beer hung in the air.

The wooden structure looked old, the wood dark with age, but not rotten. The red awning over the doors
looked faded and had the words
Last Call
written in fancy French script. Was that some kind of joke? A run down bar with a high class font? I shook my head and looked for a way to get closer, without going inside.

On the dark side of the building, I found a window, but it was too high up for me to see inside. I
couldn’t find anything to stand on, but neither did I see any people, so I took a chance and shifted. Once human, I glanced through the dirty panes and immediately saw my target.

There were people dancing, playing pool
, and drinking beer, but I only had eyes for Stone. He leaned against the bar, watching over the place like he owned it. And maybe he did, but there was something else in his stance and I finally decided to pay attention to the rest of the people.

Though
they looked to be having a good time, these men looked rough, raw, and ready to rumble, but they weren’t. They were laughing, teasing the women, but no signs of getting rough were visible. No bar fights, nothing. For a group of guys like this, it seemed too... calm.

I looked back at Stone. It was as if his gaze kept them in place. Interesting, I thought before something besid
e him caught my eye. It was the girl. The blonde from the diner lounged beside him, pressing her breasts against his arm, as she leaned in and whispered in his ear. Something inside me tightened at the sight. Were they together? Then I shook myself. Who cared?

Just then
, Stone’s eyes connected with mine. “Shit!” I ducked down and shifted into my fox form just as a commotion started in the parking lot. Hurrying to the corner, I looked around and saw two guys going at it, their fists flying in all directions. Guess Stone’s calming influence didn’t work outside, I mused.

Then the man himself stepped out the door and I still
ed. His presence wasn’t a surprise, but seeing him saunter out in his business attire that stuck out like a sore thumb, threw me off kilter. He looked good. More than good, actually. He reminded me of my favorite dessert, death by chocolate cheesecake. Smooth, Creamy, rich and delicious. And oh so bad for me.

Before I realized it, the fight was over and I had missed the whole
damn thing, because I was mooning over some asshole. I shook my head and cautiously stepped out to get a better look. Big mistake. Because the movement caught Stone’s attention.

He had broken up the fight and sent the two guys home and was just about to go back inside, not a hair or wrinkle out of place, when he turned suddenly. Our eyes met again and
I hesitated. It was only a second, as my mind shut down in surprise, but that second was huge. I blinked, breaking the connection and ran.

Stupid!
What was I thinking, hesitating like that? Did I want him to see me? A part of me said yes. That I wanted him to see me and forget about that blonde bimbo, but that wasn’t right. I needed to get my head on straight. This job was too important to mess it up over an attraction. Yes, I could admit that I was attracted to Stone, but I also knew he was one of the bad guys. He was no good.

As I made my way back to the hotel, I realized I could use that attraction
, though. Just that small glimpse, as his eyes connected with mine, and I could see the answering heat in his gaze. He was attracted to me as well. That could definitely work to my advantage.

I hadn’t really learned anything tonight, though, and that pissed me off. I fo
und where the group liked to hang out, so I guessed that could be useful. I also confirmed that he was the boss man. He was too commanding not to be, and I could see how everyone looked at him. It was obvious they took orders from him, not the other way around. Maybe I should drop by there sometime and play it off as I was looking for a good time. That sounded like it might work. Or I could wait for him to come to me. That sounded even better, but I’d wait and see. If he didn’t come soon, I was going after him.

Once I slipped back into the bathroom window, I shifted back into my human form and turned on the hot water to join the cold I had already set, then jumped into the shower. I had to be quick, so I washed my hair as fast as I could
and thought about Stone again. It was highly possible he didn’t even recognize me. It was dark and he was human. When I was looking in the window, I was probably mistaken anyway. He may not have been looking at me.

And then outside, I was a fox. How would he know a fox could
be the woman he met at the diner? Hopefully my hesitation didn’t raise any alarms.

Not wanting to think about it anymore, I sighed and shut off the water,
no time for anything else. I’d take another shower in the morning anyway.

Once dressed in clean underwear, tank
, and shorts, I stepped out of the bathroom and into another problem. Paul lay on the bed, his arms crossed behind his head. He wore nothing but a pair of low riding jeans that were unbuttoned, showing off a teasing trail of dark hair. Damn! Did he have to show off like that?

“What the hell are you doing?” I asked, placing my hand
s on my hips as I stared him down. And yes, I lingered on his muscular chest. What girl wouldn’t?

“It’s bedtime,” he replied, raising one dark eyebrow. I hated that damn eyebrow. Always mocking me. I just wanted to rip i
t off!

“Oh
, no you’re not! Get out of my bed. If you insist on staying in this room, you can sleep on the floor,” I pursed my lips, though, it took all I had not to lick them, as he lifted a hand making his muscles flex.

He curled
his fingers inward in a come here gesture. “Come here, Foxy.” His lips pulled up in a sensual smiled and I almost did it. My skin felt too tight and my breath caught in my throat. Then he said, “You know you want to.”

Oh
, hell no, he didn’t just say that. I closed my eyes and took a  deep breath through my nose, before looking at him and smiling my most sultry smile. “Sure,” I whispered as I walked closer.

His eyes widened slightly in surprise
, as I crawled across the bed, swaying my hips provocatively, knowing how they looked in the tiny cotton shorts I wore.

Keeping eye contact,
I licked my lips, watching his part with a gasp, as I leaned over him. His eyelids lowered, as my lips inched toward his. Closer... Closer...

I smiled
, just before shoving him hard, sending him rolling off the bed. My laugh died in my throat, as he just as quickly grabbed my wrist, bringing me with him. We hit the floor with an
oomph
and began rolling. I wrapped my legs around his waist and flipped him over, but I wasn’t on top long before he twisted, getting the advantage.

Leaning over me
, he smirked, which only set me off more, so I grabbed his arm and twisted as hard as I could. He shouted out in pain and I flipped him. “Ha!” I said triumphantly, only to cry out as he poked me in the ribs, causing me to laugh uncontrollably.

Next thing I
knew, I was flat on my back, my wrists pinned above my head as he grinned down at me. “No fair,” I said with a huff. Paul leaned over, bringing his face so close to mine our noses touched. His grin faded, as his eyes fixed on mine. My heart pounded and the seconds flew by, though he never moved, never closed the distance I was expecting.

“That wasn’t fair,” I whispered.

“Neither was sneaking out of the bathroom window,” he growled and I stiffened, my eyes widening in surprise. “Did you think I wouldn’t know? Do you think I’m that stupid?” he asked, then snorted as he leaned back, giving me the space I needed to breath. “Of course you thought that.”

He
leaned close again and growled, “My job is to watch your back. I can’t do that if you run off without telling me where you’re going. I get you don’t trust me, but if you can’t follow orders and this mission goes to hell, you’ll be the traitor, not me.”

I knew my face was red and tears stung my eyes. I was so angry at him, but I was more angry at myself. He was right, dammit! And I didn’t want to admit it.

“Fine,” I clipped, as my jaw tightened. “Get off me.”

Paul stared at me a moment longer, then nodded, letting go of my wrists. He stood easily and backed up, watching me
, as I stood and made my way to the bed.