Page 33 of Tracking the Alpha
Tanis went inside the building just as discomfited as the first time she’d entered the place. It had been immediately after their arrival, which annoyed, seeing how she’d spent more than four hours in a less-than-comfortable plane, followed by a bumpy ride in a military truck that took another two hours. The last thing she’d wanted was to meet with the dick who ordered her kidnapping. She didn’t have a choice then, just like she had no choice now.
The ops room location hadn’t changed since her last visit. This time only the major sat behind the long and scarred wooden table. He glanced up from his laptop screen, his expression flat, just like his brush cut.
“Sit down.”
“With pleasure.” At least the chairs facing the table were comfortable, plush club-type seats that her body appreciated.
She leaned her head back and pretended to nap as the major tapped for a few minutes before slapping down the lid of his laptop. “Okay, I’m ready for your report.”
“Not much to tell. I managed to track your wolf. Came close to it twice. The first time, I almost got him with one of my snares, but he somehow just missed it and bolted. Took me a few days, but I ended up locating its den and was just about to incapacitate its furry butt when a bunch of your soldiers began firing off their guns, spooking it. Once I resupply and give the wolf a chance to calm down, I’ll go back out and track it. End of story.”
The major’s lips pressed into a line. “You’ve been trying for six days and have nothing to show for it.”
“Hunting isn’t a quick and easy sport. It takes time and patience, especially when dealing with a beast as clever as your wolf.”
“You said you found its hiding spot. Where exactly?”
“Cave by the creek.”
The major shuffled some papers and slid a black-and-white map of the area toward her. “Mark the spot.”
“If you insist, but it won’t do you any good,” she countered, grabbing the proffered pencil. “The wolf won’t return.”
“You can’t know that.”
Tanis raised her gaze from the mark she’d made. “Its den is compromised. It will find a new place to hole up.”
“Maybe. We still intend to check it out.” The major slid the map into his pile of papers. “The general says you’ve requested some goats.”
“Or a cow. Anything sizeable on four legs that I can dangle as tempting meat.”
“Pretty sure the cook’s got some beef in the freezer.”
The offer made her laugh. “You think I’ll be able to draw it out using frozen, processed meat? You do realize wolves have a very refined sense of smell?”
“Something from our supplies would be quicker and easier than what you’ve requested.”
“Do you want me to actually capture this thing, or are you really that intent on wasting my time?”
“You’re supposed to be a professional hunter,” the major snapped in reply.
“I am, and I’m telling you we need proper bait. So unless you’re going to give me a soldier to dangle, I’m going to need something alive, of a decent size, that I can stake out somewhere?—”
The major interrupted. “If you tie it up, the target will know it’s a trap.”
Did Stevens realize what he revealed with that simple phrase? “A wolf’s not going to realize what a rope around its neck means. It’s going to smell or hear the goat, or whatever we use, and its hunger will bring it.”
“Why does it have to be tethered?”
“Because goats can bolt and I’m fast on my feet but not that fast,” she huffed.
“Can you follow a cow?”
She almost giggled at the question. “Probably. They’re slower than a goat. You think you can get me a fat and lazy one?”
“I’ll make some calls.” The major leaned back in his seat. “Now that we’ve settled that, I’d like to go back to something you mentioned. You said you heard the soldiers last night.”
“I heard gunfire,” she corrected. “I assumed it was your troops.”
