Page 90 of Rogue Wolf

“No, it’s not.” Channing glanced at her as he picked out a good parking space. Close enough yet far enough away.

She sighed. “I was being sarcastic.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to tell.” Channing finally parked a ways down the street. “The perfect distance, as Onai instructed.”

“I’m right here, Channing. And yes, it’s as good a place as any.” Onai tapped a finger on his thigh.

Channing snorted. “Trying to do it right, that’s all.”

“You are.”

Everyone was on edge and tensions mounted by the second. For her, it was almost unbearable.

They were cutting it close. Her gaze kept darting to the digital clock on the dashboard.

She swallowed hard as she noted the time. Ten minutes before midnight.

Like a close shave it was. And no safety blade in sight.

She shivered.

“Cold?”

“I just want this done with and Kodiak back,” she said, looking at Channing.

“Are you in yet, Ash?” Onai asked, impatience biting into his words from the passenger seat.

“Hang on a minute…” The shifter muttered a little under her breath then made a triumph sound. “There! Yes, I’m in. Their security is shit.”

“I bet it is. We’re lucky I upgraded ours,” said Channing.

“Don’t get too excited, pup,” Onai said. “That vampire messenger got way too close to the clubhouse for my liking. You’ll need to get back to work on our system and make those sensors extra sensitive.”

“Do you know how hard it is to calibrate the security cameras to detect vampires, which can’t be recorded? Fucking impossible. So, cut me some slack.” Channing slumped, and even in her anxiousness, Tamaska’s heart went out to him.

She liked the kid. Young man. Young shifter? Blowing out a breath she counted to ten, and tried to get herself back on track.

“No way.” Onai ruffled his hair. “You’ll get it fixed. Every pack member’s life depends on it. What would’ve happened if the vampire had made it past the gate and all the way to the front door? More lives could’ve been lost today. It was lucky that Tamaska happened to see it.” Then he lowered his voice. “And you saw her. So you’re getting there. Kodiak has faith in you. Me..? Meh.”

“I got to her in time to help,” Channing said, outraged at the last part. “No one got hurt, not even Tamaska.”

“You did.”

“And,” he adds not looking at Onai, “I saw her, and raced to help. So there’s that.”

“I know,” said Onai. “And I’m gonna tell you what Kodiak would, we need to improve. All of it. We’ll have round the clock patrols, but I want you to review the system when we get back and make sure it can see farther down the driveway, maybe some kind of movement detector? Like…”

Tamaska shifted. “What about super fast movement, car or more, as well as just the fine tuning? He did get there and stop whatever that vampire was trying to get me to do.”

And she knew how that sounded. She didn’t want them to stop her at the last minute. They couldn’t. Not when they were out of time. Not when Kodiak relied on her. “I was able to resist, but he saved me.”

“He doesn’t need defending, do you, Channing?” The shifter growled in answer to Onai. “We can all work to improve things, attitudes, training, security. Can’t be too careful, you know.”

“You sound like Kodiak.” Channing clamped his jaw shut. “Consider it done.”

Tamaska’s stomach tightened painfully. He sounded like Kodiak? A reasonable, non-spiky version she didn’t know? Then again, maybe she brought it out in him. That and the stress of everything.

And with them, things had moved so fast and now…now… He could die.

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