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CHAPTER 1
Six months later
The call came at five in the morning.
Cody fumbled on the nightstand beside his bed and knocked something onto the ground as he reached for his cell phone. "Hello?"
"Agent Johnson," Commander Jacob Green's brisk voice came through loudly.
"Yes, sir?" Cody replied with a wince. It was Sunday and his day off. He'd gone out the night before with Zak and Jamie and had only climbed into bed three hours ago. Sadly, he'd crawled into bed alone but with too much alcohol in his system. If he was being called in, a hangover was not going to help.
"I need you and your team to report to a scene," his boss told him.
Cody sat up and rubbed his hand roughly over his face. "Okay." It wasn't normal procedure to call in one of the teams that wasn't on the schedule. His superior had also never phoned him personally before.
"I'll text you the address," Commander Green said, lowering his voice. "It's going to be a long day."
"Understood, sir," Cody replied, before his boss disconnected the call. Even if he didn't understand yet, he wasn't going to argue with his employer.
He only had to wait a few seconds for the address to be sent to his phone. And that was all he got.
1125 Lake Shore Drive.
No names or information on what he and his team would be walking into. Not normal at all.
He forwarded the text with the addition to report ASAP to his unit.
Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he couldn't hold back a groan. He should have known better than try to match shots with Jamie, but the bear shifter had kept pushing.
Zak had just laughed at them as they threw back round after round.
It wasn't the first time he'd made the mistake of trying to take his buddy on and it probably wouldn't be the last.
Cody needed coffee. Strong and black, and a lot of it.
He walked to his closet and pulled out a clean pair of jeans and a black T-shirt. He tossed them on the bed as he crossed to his dresser. He yanked out a pair of boxers and socks. His boots were still right next to the bed where he'd kicked them off earlier.
Dressing quickly in what he considered his daily uniform — jeans, shirt and boots — he was once again glad that he was part of a field team and rarely had to put on a suit. He preferred to be comfortable when he worked.
Picking up his cell again, he noted that all three members of his crew had replied affirmatively, just as he had expected.
He strolled out of the bedroom and down the hall of his two-bedroom, one-bath apartment. He didn't bother turning on any lights until he reached the kitchen.
There, he flipped on the switch above the sink to light up the room then pulled his travel cup from the cabinet above his single-serve coffeemaker.
He put in the strongest blend and started up the machine. Sixty seconds later, the aroma of the strong brew almost caused him to weep in relief.
Once his coffee was finished, he placed the lid on tightly and headed out. He grabbed his badge, wallet and keys from the side table by the front entrance just before he unlocked and opened the door.
Outside, it was already reaching the high eighties and he knew it would only get hotter as the day wore on. It wasn't even light yet, and the dry air was already stifling.
Didn't matter, he mused. Something had happened and he suspected that it wouldn't be just a long day, but a long few days.
He climbed into his old Jeep and started it up. The air conditioner blasted on, sending warm air into his face. He cursed and wrenched the knob to low.
Before he backed out of his parking place, he typed the address into his phone's GPS and waited. Once the GPS announced the route he should take, he shifted into reverse and drove to work.
It took him twenty minutes to reach Lake Shore Drive. The street was located in the classy part of town. Old money. Big money. No wonder Commander Green had called him in personally.
This was going to be high profile.
Damn, that meant media and gawkers.
He hated that.
And since it was his unit that had been assigned, a bird shifter would be involved in some way.
He turned onto the quiet street, admiring the large houses. This neighborhood was made up of two and three-story structures that spread onto perfectly manicured plots. Even though he'd grown up in Lake Worth, he had never spent a lot of time in this area of the city.
Two blocks down the street, he finally saw the lights from police cars. His GPS announced that he was coming up on his destination. He reached over and turned the program off.
Roadblocks had already been placed limiting access, so Cody had to pull off to the side. He exited his vehicle and made sure that his badge hung in view from around his neck.
City cops roamed about or stood in small groups as Cody stepped around the barricades. He narrowed his gaze as he took in the scene.
Tall, wide iron gates stood open with a ruined vehicle still smoking just inside.
Plainclothes detectives were speaking with his boss. He headed over there first.
Yellow crime tape roped off the smoldering SUV, preventing anyone from gaining access.
"Here he is now." Commander Green waved him forward.
Cody joined the three men.
"Detectives Lawrence and Sanchez, this is Agent Johnson," Commander Green introduced.
Cody shook each of the detectives' hands. Their grips were firm but not aggressive.
"Agent Johnson, it seems this scene will be turned over to you," Detective Sanchez said. He was obviously unhappy with that decision, if his scowl was anything to go by.
Cody didn't say anything. He'd let the man speak his peace.
"While I respect what the Coalition has accomplished in the short time it's been operational, I don't like just handing off a case in my jurisdiction," Sanchez continued.
"I understand," Cody assured him. "And I promise to keep you in the loop. We don't want to step on anyone's toes, but we are more equipped to deal with shifters."
Sanchez's jaw clenched. "Maybe." He paused a few seconds. "And I would appreciate it if you would indeed stay in contact."
"I will," he vowed. He had once been a local police officer and still remembered the feelings he'd had when he'd had to hand off cases. It wasn't good. Had never sat well with him either. And they didn't need to make enemies with the local police.
With a sharp nod, Sanchez turned on his heel and stalked away. His partner followed behind him. Cody blew out a breath and faced his superior.
"What's going on?" he asked.
Commander Green motioned toward the ruined vehicle. "Gregory Stevens has been killed."
"The Cast leader?"
Shifters tended to band together for protection and secrecy. Gregory Stevens was the leader of the local falcon shifters group, called a Cast. Even now that the world knew about the shifter communities, it was still necessary.
He, himself, was a member of the city Flock and had only met Gregory once since Cody's family had always been in a different shifter faction.
The Flock, made up of several different species of bird shifters, was bigger than the local Cast. The Cast consisted only of falcon shifters.
However, the Cast was made up of several high-powered men and women. This was going to be huge.
Cody would have to contact his Flock leader, if Anton hadn't heard yet. Gregory's death would throw the entire Cast into disarray. Which could lead to chaos for all bird shifters in the town, maybe even farther.
His boss grasped Cody's shoulder, hard. "This is a goddamn mess. As soon as this gets out ..."
"I know." Cody balled his hands.
"I have to head in and start making calls. Contact the mayor and chief," Commander Green stated. "Get started. We need to move fast on this. I've already called in our own people. The crime lab arrived just before you."
Cody nodded.
"Gregory's people are over there." Commander Green motioned with his head.
Two dozen men and women stood just outside the scene. Some clutched at others and the wave of despair and anger that echoed from the group touched Cody.
"I'll take care of them," he spoke quietly. "My team should be here any minute."
Commander Green patted his shoulder. "Send all reports straight to me. Until we know who might be involved, I'm coding this confidential for now."
"Got it."
Cody didn't watch his boss walk away. Instead, he gave his full attention to the burned- out SUV. He stepped as close as he could without getting in the way of the agents gathering evidence.
His nose twitched with the horrid smell of seared metal and melted plastic. Scorched flesh mixed with the other scents. He ran his sharp gaze around, hoping to pick up anything that may help give him answers.
Scuffled footsteps sounded behind him, but he didn't turn. Using his enhanced shifter senses, he tracked Ryder and Byron's progress to him until they stood waiting for him to acknowledge them.
"Chloe is trying to get the Cast inside and settled. She said to tell you they'd be ready to interview by the time we get there," Byron informed him.
"Good," Cody responded. It would be easier and give the group time to calm. Chloe was good with people. She'd make sure that procedure was followed and that they didn't discuss anything with one another.
"What kind of bomb?" Cody asked out loud.
"C4," Ryder confirmed.
He inclined his head in acknowledgment. Ryder would know. After years of service with the Marine Corps, he was an expert with explosives.
"Get with the tech, see what you can find out," Cody ordered Ryder.
"On it."
Cody turned to Byron. "I see security cameras." He pointed. "Get those tapes and round up everyone who works in security. Someone had to get inside to set that bomb. Once Ryder's done, pull him in to help you."
"Yes, sir," Byron said and strode away.
Cody crouched where he was. He just needed a minute to put everything together.
Gregory had been an attorney in a law firm he owned. If he remembered correctly, the firm had recently come under fire for taking a case on shifter rights.
That might have something to do with Gregory's death.
If there were any threats made against the man, his security team should know more.
A car bomb spoke in a big way. Made a statement. It wouldn't have been easy to get into the Cast's property. Either the bomber had been talented in breaking and entering, or someone on the inside was involved.
He stood and rubbed his jaw. He hadn't had time to shave and the bristles of his beard sounded rough against his palm.
He had to start interviewing witnesses. And he needed more coffee.
The crowd inside the gate had disappeared when he made his way through. There were more techs taking pictures and gathering evidence as he hiked up the long walkway to the front of the house.
The door stood open and he could hear voices coming from inside. He followed the sounds until he came to a large dining area. He stopped in the doorway and watched.
Chloe had three people sitting at a table, all with cups in front of them. Tears fell from their eyes. Gregory's family. Chloe was trying to offer them comfort, but he knew that nothing would ease the family's grief.
Cody sighed quietly. Damn, this part of the job sucked.
He stiffened his shoulders and stepped into the room.
* * *
Cody's head was pounding. If he drank any more coffee, he was going to start bouncing off the walls.
After three hours of interviewing the Cast members, he wasn't any closer to getting answers. There were forty-three members, all of whom had been called in, and other than the eight security personnel Ryder and Byron were holding Cody had spoken to every one of them.
He climbed the stairs to the second floor where the security offices were located. He heard raised voices as he reached the second floor landing.
"We should be out there finding who is responsible, not in here being held!" The voice was low and ended in a growl.
Cody heard Ryder's low, calm tone but couldn't make out the words. He hurried to the closed door and turned the handle.
Hands on his hips, Ryder stood in front of a large, muscled African American man. They both turned toward him when he entered.
Byron stood right beside the door as an imposing force in case anyone gave the agents trouble. Five other men and two women sat around a large oval table.
One woman blinked up at him in surprise and Cody felt his stomach drop.
Holy hell, he hadn't considered that he might run into her again.
It was hard to tear his gaze away from her face, but he managed. He addressed the obviously upset man.
"Thank you for waiting," Cody spoke calmly, trying to cool the tempers in the room. The aggressiveness of the man and the hostile stares aimed at him had him bracing himself for a fight.
The man in front of Ryder closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.
Aubrey. Just thinking her name made Cody's heart speed up.
She stood and walked to the man. She was at least four inches shorter than him, but confident as she placed her hand on his arm.
"Come on, Mike," she said quietly. "Let's sit and get this over with. We'll find out what happened."
Mike popped his eyes open and glared at Ryder then Cody. "Fine."
With jerky movements, he threw himself into a chair. Aubrey turned to Cody and offered a small smile. "I'm sure you can understand how we feel. We lost a very good man today. We're angry and want answers."
Cody met her intense gaze and his heart stuttered. Gray. Her eyes were a deep, dark gray. She was mourning, the color of her eyes giving away her feelings. He knew how to read her, or had, at one time.
He remembered that when she was aroused her eyes would lighten so much they became almost blue. When she was angry, as she had been the last time he'd seen her, they would color to a sparkling green.
She wore black slacks that hugged her body and a short-sleeved, gray, button-down shirt. Her long black hair was pulled back away from her face.
And what a face.
Flawless pale skin glowed as he took in her familiar face.
Cody's entire body tightened and his cock hardened. Not a reaction he would have expected after so many years.
Ignoring everything else except his job, he inclined his head. "We want answers too."
Her gaze narrowed at his sharp tone, but she didn't say anything. She turned on her heel and returned to her seat.
Cody stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He hadn't meant to snap at her but damn, he hadn't expected her.
"I'm Cody Johnson," he began, once he knew he had control of himself again. "I'm leading this investigation" — he nodded toward Ryder — "along with my team."
Mike crossed his arms over his chest. "Mike Williams. Head of security" — he waved a hand to the others at the table — "and my team."
Cody understood that the man was upset and angry, but he didn't have time to play. He took one of the empty chairs and sat.
"Mr Williams," he challenged. "You can either help us get answers or waste our time. I'll tell you the more time this takes, the longer it will be until we can find out what happened to your boss."
Mike opened his mouth, but before he could speak, another man responded.
"We made copies of the security disks as your man requested. What more do you want?"
"Your name?" Cody asked.
"Joey Michaels, I supervise the night patrol," he answered.
"Good, then we'll start with you. Is there someplace we can speak privately?"
Mike jumped up and surged forward. "We don't have time for this!"
Still on his feet, all Ryder had to do was shift his stance and wrap his arm around Mike's waist to pull the man back. They kept going back until Ryder had Mike against the wall.
The security team were on their feet in an instant, and Cody jumped to put himself between his man and the others.
Mike wasn't struggling. He buried his face in Ryder's neck and started to weep.
Ryder was a big guy, but Mike outweighed him. It took a lot to get Ryder angry. In fact, in all the time he'd worked with Ryder, he'd never seen him lose control.
Ryder hadn't this time, either. He was consoling the other man, letting Mike sob and shake while holding him.
Cody held his hands up to ward off the security team.
"Stop," Aubrey spoke softly, when two security members advanced on him. "Let him be. Joey, go ahead with Agent Johnson. Use the main office."
She waved the others back into their seats. She turned and looked at Cody. "Let's get this done. We have things to do. We have a Cast that needs protection."
Cody wanted to reach for her, something he'd have done before so that he could take that devastated look off her face. But it couldn't be done now. And probably never again.
"Follow me," Joey said, drawing his attention from her.
Cody turned and trailed the man out of the door.
(Continues…)
Excerpted from "Birds of Prey"
by .
Copyright © 2014 Crissy Smith.
Excerpted by permission of Totally Entwined Group Limited.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
