"She?"
"Yep. Some hotshot profiler out of Seattle, who I suspect is looking to further her career on the back of this case."
Sawyer shrugged. "Maybe siccing this woman on the hunters wouldn't be such a bad idea. They need something else to focus on besides us."
Damien shook his head. "Bad idea if you ask me. Those bastards are touchy as hell and the last thing we need is them spilling their guts."
"No Fed is going to believe any wild stories about people who shift into animals. They'd consider that ludicrous."
"Still. We can't take chances like that right now. There's been a lot of blood shed around here lately and the shifter community is getting nervous. In fact, I'm expecting a liaison from Deception Falls later this week."
"The bears are coming here? Now that sounds like a bad idea."
"Agreed, but also out of my control. Diego offered to go to them and they refused. You know how stubborn they can be about their privacy."
"Fucking bears." Sawyer paced across the room and back again. "What about the Fed chick? Didn't you warn them?"
Diego threw up his hands in obvious frustration. "We did everything we could. Danger apparently doesn't sway stubborn. So, we've got to do the best we can with what we've got. That's where you come in. Were counting on you to distract and defend if necessary."
Sawyer closed his eyes and breathed deep. He kept trying to get back to normal and for one reason or another, it never worked out. There was so much going on in his head he wasn't sure how effective his help would be, but if the pack needed him what choice did he have?
He twisted his head side to side, cracking the bones in his neck to relieve some of the constant tension flowing through his body, followed by his fingers. "I'll do what I can. But shit, this is a mess. And one hell of a distraction from the real goal. I'll do it, but you need to remember one thing."
"What's that?" Damien asked.
"I won't wait that long. One way or another, it has to end."
Damien narrowed his eyes. It was obvious he did not like ultimatums. But Sawyer had an end game and as far as he was concerned it was top priority. Whatever trouble this woman thought she was going to stir up, it couldn't be that hard to deal with her. He'd find a way to shut her down immediately and then the real work could begin (and maybe he could get these nightmares out of his head).
"You get rid of the Fed and I'll make sure you get first crack at them." Damien held his hand out and Sawyer grabbed it, letting the man pull him into a quick embrace.
"Consider it done. She'll be gone by nightfall."
Damien turned and headed for the door. Sawyer snagged a shirt from the back of a chair and shoved it over his head. "Oh, hey. If she's already on the island, where is she?"
"She's waiting on your furry ass at the diner." Damien looked back with a big grin on his face. "And I'd reconsider that shirt. I don't think she'd be impressed." Before Sawyer could respond, his front door slammed shut.
Puzzled, he looked down to see the shirt he'd chosen was his worn out "DTF" shirt Creed gave him on his last birthday. A slight grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. That dumbass shirt had turned out to be one hell of a chick magnet. It had shocked him just how many women were apparently down to fuck.
He shoved his hand in his hair and scratched his head. But maybe not so much with an uptight, probably boring as hell Federal agent who likely needed a crowbar to get her legs apart.
He removed the shirt, getting a whiff of said garment and his own stench and groaned. He then headed into the bathroom for a quick shower. This stupid plan called for a different approach.