“I’m calling in my token.”

“Please hold.”

Silence followed.He turned on his blinker and made a left.The street was lined with older warehouse buildings that had been converted into small studio flats along the river.He slowed down and turned right, passing under the automated gate that opened at his approach.Less than a minute later, he was parked in the underground parking lot that covered the first floor of the upscale apartments.

“Token number.”

“5833 Alpha Bravo Tango 62.”

“Token confirmed.What information do you require?”

“Lorne Timberwolf and Isabella Wyland.”

“Lorne Timberwolf and Isabella Wyland.Confirm.”

“Confirmed.”

“Information will be relayed to the email on file within the next twenty-four hours.Is there anything else?”

“Negative.”

“No other information required.Your token has been spent.You have two remaining credits.Have a nice morning, sir.”

Hyder sat back in his seat and stared out the front windshield.The Operator, or whoever in the hell the woman was on the other end, was part of a private military group that he had joined after his discharge.He had been approached anonymously.There had been a single, neatly typed note tucked among his papers.He was given the token number.If he completed ten missions, he would be given tokens to use as he pleased—no questions asked.

He had completed his missions and gotten the hell out.It took a lot to scare him.Whoever was behind this organization scared the shit out of him.That was why he had held onto the tokens he had earned.He had three.Now he was down to two.The last one would be held in reserve.If Wyland’s determination to get a human ended badly, he might need to disappear.That was when he would use it.

Chapter12

Tracy double-checked her pack.She didn’t know how long they would be gone, so she had prepared for ten days.Van and Peterson were quietly chatting with her brother in the dining room where they had slipped in to grab a quick bite before they headed out.

Worry made her stomach tighten.Last night had been incredible.That wasn’t what was bothering her.It was the only thing giving her some measure of comfort this morning.

Well, that and I didn’t wake alone,she added.

While she hadn’t woken to an empty bed, there had been a barrier between herself and Mitchell that she hadn’t felt last night.She tried to put it down to the fact he had a lot on his mind.She thought about how she would handle the situation if their roles were reversed.Fear caused a knot to form in her stomach.

I would run like hell and hide in the deepest part of the forest!

What had shifters shown him so far?That theywerehunting humans?That they didn’t have an issue knocking them out and putting them in a cell to be studied like some kind of virus?A low groan slipped from her.

“What’s wrong?”

She looked up, startled when Mitchell spoke.Her hand flew to her throat as her heart hammered.She had been so lost in her dismal thoughts that she hadn’t heard him approach.

“Nothing… everything,” she confessed without thinking.

His eyes shimmered with amusement.“Is it 'nothing is wrong', or is it 'everything is wrong', or something more like 'I don’t know'?”

She turned, stepped into him, and wrapped her arms around his waist.Her apprehension began to soar until he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.She rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes, savoring their connection.

“Can I choose all three?”

He chuckled and rubbed his chin against the top of her head.“Only if you share why,” he teased.

“Tell me everything is going to be alright,” she pleaded.

He pulled back, cupped her chin, and tilted it until she could look into his eyes.They were filled with a dark, intense emotion.He tenderly caressed her jaw with his thumb.