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CHAPTER 6

"Score one for the man, he remembers me," I whispered sarcastically, walking across the room like I owned it. My path had me brushing by him, and yeah...he still smelled great too.

Asshole.

My wolf didn't say anything, but her attention was undividedly on him and his posture. I just hoped she remembered to keep up our stealth mode.

I'm not an idiot, she told me.

I stopped next to the desk and glanced at the papers. They were dishevelled, but that wasn't my biggest problem right now. My biggest problem was what Darius was doing here?

"Big night?" I asked , keeping my voice low and popping myself up on the door-desk and leaning back on my hands in an attempt to mask what I was doing, which was snooping. I saw the names of a few familiar businesses, some shipping manifests.

"What are you doing here?" Darius demanded, his whisper strained. But he was staring at me with an intensity that was making me uncomfortable, a muscle in his jaw twitched.

"You first," I countered. I didn't think he would attack me, especially since it seemed like he was trying to keep quiet as well. Maybe he wasn't here as part of this gang, but that's what I was trying to determine.

"I don't have time for this," he clenched his teeth and came to stand beside me. I withheld a flinch, but it was unnecessary, he turned his gaze from mine and started looking through the paper strewn desk once more.

"You've probably already alerted your boss. I don't want to fight you Raven, but if I have to..."

Huh? Ooohhh, that was funny, actually. He thought I was part of the gang. His tone also said he thought he would easily beat me. But he didn't know how much things had changed.

I'd like to see him try, my wolf said a little wistfully. What?

"Oh no," I smiled at him, showing my teeth and he blinked at me, "we wouldn't want that. I think we could keep this," I gestured at the papers, "our little secret, yes?"

Darius' face went from wary to suspicious, which, I supposed was fair. I did use the opportunity to glance at the papers. Particularly the shipping manifests. I just needed...there! The corner of one of the documents had a stamp. An eagle on a sword, just like Rob said, and attached to the papers with a paper clip was a chain, and a pendant with the same symbol.

I pounced on it, but it was too late, Darius grabbed it first.

"What are you doing?" I demanded. My anger snapping into place.

"Finding answers," he growled. "Unlike some people, I'm loyal to my commitments."

What?

They know we're here. You have seconds, My wolf told me urgently.

I thought we were cloaked?

We are, he isn't.

Well shit.

"Unless you have a better reason to be here than I do I think it's time to peace out," I told Darius, making a grab for the papers, and pendant in his hands. He pulled them from my reach, his face hard.

"Don't pick fights you can't win," he snarled.

"You should take your own advice," I snapped back.

The door burst open and werewolves poured inside. Three of which were holding guns pointed in our direction, the fourth had changed into a massive gray wolf with golden eyes, stalking us now with hackles raised.

Dammit. This was supposed to be a clean job.

I dodged the first bullet, flying behind the door-desk and tipping it on it's side, scattering papers everywhere. A second bullet tinked the metal. The room burst into action, my speed and dexterity just a hair faster than the others.

The wolf snarled and guns fired. I popped my head around the side of the door-shield, hoping they'd be looking for me up top instead, and took stock of the room.

Two of the gunmen had scurried back out the door, using the frame as cover from Darius, who was now holding a gun of his own. The third gunman was down, but I had no idea for how long. Werewolves healed hella fast, but it all depended on where the wound was and what was in the bullet.

The wolf was circling Darius, trying to either get around to his back, or to make him turn and leave him vulnerable to gunfire from behind.

I pulled the little P365 from its holster on my back. The least I could do was to keep Darius from being surrounded.

I'd come to terms with the night of my parents' death. Sort of. Or, at least, Uncle Rob had convinced me to track down those involved and take a more personal revenge. Darius had not been there that night. Someone from his pack had been though, and I was getting close to discovering who. And God help them when I did.

One of the gunmen, a slight fellow with a terrible moustache, leaned in the door.

I shot him between the eyes.

Yeah, he probably wasn't coming back from that one.

More coming up the stairs, my wolf warned.

Right. It didn't look like we were getting out that way. And I only had ten more rounds on me. I glanced behind me.

The window looked fragile enough.

The rest of the room burst into chaos. Reinforcements had arrived. I peeked out and shot another leaner, this time only hitting the shoulder. Then I turned and immediately shot the window. It cracked, but didn't fracture, so I shot it again, this time getting the desired results.

"What's going on in there?" Anthony demanded, his voice urgent through the headset. "You've got three SUV's coming in hot."

"Bit of a problem," I told him. Then I rolled to the side, coming up well away from the door and my cover, but just below the window. "Window!" I yelled to Darius, who was still standing in the middle of the room. The wolf was down in front of him and a few more bodies had joined the moustached wolf in the entrance way. He was also covered in blood, with no way to know who's.

To his credit, he didn't hesitate, he dashed for the window and I shot, rapid fire, toward the door, backing up until the gun clicked on an empty clip and then jumping through the opening I'd created.

I landed on Darius, my leg twinging painfully as my weight came down wrong. I grit my teeth and tested it. Sprained, not broken. Thank God.

Darius was breathing heavily and was possibly a little stunned from the two story fall and the bullet or two that had definitely hit him. I wasn't going to waste that opportunity so I snatched the papers and pendant he was still holding clenched in his left hand. They were crumpled and covered in blood, but with any luck Rob could still get what he needed from them.

I patted his cheek until those dark eyes focused on me and I was sure he was coming around.

"You'll want to get out of here quick," I told him, when I was certain he'd make it and was capable of his own escape. "There's about to be a party, and not the good kind."

"Rave..." he got out, but I was already gone, dashing into the shadows, as best I could with my damaged leg, my wolf ensuring I would stay well hidden and dodge any guards making their way back to the warehouse.

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