Page 22 of Corbin
The longer she took to say what she thought, the more he realized she didn’t believe him. Again, he decided on as much truth as he could share. “It was all I could do to hold my wolf back after Badger’s taunting. I don’t need him poking at my beast.”
Ares argued,You the beast. I am best. She knows you lie. You lie, lie, lie.
How had Corbin ended up with a magpie wolf?
Jaz admitted, “True. At least the last part.”
Corbin shut his mouth to turn off the backhoe before he dug a hole to China. If Ares would give him peace for a little while, he could manage to keep them in this place. Corbin was dominant, too much for his own good, but he dropped his gaze to the ground.
She snorted. “Just don’t. You’re no more submissive than I am.”
He hadn’t intended to draw her attention. That’s exactly what he’d managed to accomplish.Thanks for no help, Ares.
Not my fault. You the one talking.
Jaz shrugged, then said, “That’s all I need for now.”
Good. Corbin turned around, ready to make his getaway when Adrian called out, “Corbin. Don’t leave yet. We need to talk.”
Corbin sucked in a deep breath. What had happened?
Resigned, he headed back to the porch where Jaz had moved close to Adrian. Adrian and Jaz were talking softly. Whatever Adrian said pissed her off based on the flat line of her lips.
By the time he climbed the steps, the two of them turned to Corbin with a united front.
Leaning against a corner roof support, Corbin folded his arms. “What’s up?”
“My boss needs me to handle something over in Spartanburg. To do this, I’ll need someone with me.” Adrian scratched the back of his neck. “I want to leave Bosse and Ladrón to work with the rest of the pack, so I’m taking you with me.”
Stunned, Corbin enjoyed the second moment of relief today, but he also sensed the offer might have a bearing on Jaz’s mood change. “Uhm, I don’t know what to say.”
Jaz spoke up. “Say thank you because I would normally be going with him, but someone has to be here to keep this group from killing each other.”
Corbin doubted this would be like the kidnapping job where no public cameras were around. If he hesitated now, this newfound trust on their part would shift to suspicion. Trying to sound interested, he asked, “What exactly would this entail?”
Adrian half-smiled when he explained, “We’re going to insert into a security team to observe them. Their superior thinks something odd is going on and needs me to review their operation.” He paused with a thoughtful expression. “Are you worried about the Romanians you said were hunting you?”
“Not exactly. I don’t believe I left a trail here, so I don’t think they can find me unless my face is photographed or filmed in public.” He added, “But before I escaped them, I’d kept my head and face shaved as often as possible. Didn’t get a lot of baths back then.”
Jaz eyed him. “Is that why you won’t let me cut your hair any shorter and you keep a thick beard?”
He’d shown up with the sides of his hair shaved short with the top longer. These days, his scraggly, dark brown hair stayed almost shoulder-length. “Yes.” There was an honest answer for her.
Adrian explained, “You should be okay, then. The security team is primarily at a location outside metropolitan Spartanburg where an old theater is being refurbished. Not an area flooded with traffic cams. I don’t see any reason you would be photographed as long as we’re staying in the background.”
“In that case, thank you for this chance.” He looked up at Jaz and added, “Thank you, both.”
“I’ll fill you in on more details on the way tomorrow, but this team handles bodyguarding and security for a shifter celebrity.”
“Who?” Corbin asked. The Romanian had kept him away from the civilized world for so long that Corbin doubted he would recognize the name.
Adrian smiled, drawing a narrow-eyed look from Jaz. “You might have heard of her in Romania since she’s getting big in countries outside the US. She’s Eirene Givenchy, the famous female shifter singer.”
A fist clutched Corbin’s heart, but he kept his face neutral and said nothing.
Looking at his phone that had chimed with a text, Adrian grumbled, “Not enough hours in the day.” He lifted his gaze back to Corbin. “We roll at 0500. Jaz will have more clothes for you, plus a pair of tinted glasses. I want you to wear the glasses until I feel your eyes won’t give away your shifter status to the humans. Plus, they’ll help hide your identity. Any other questions?”
“No, sir. I’ll be here ready to go in the morning.”
