“You suck, you know that right?” Gage said sullenly.
Jessie looked at him in surprise. “Why?”
“Dude, that was so sappy, but all the women loved it. Now they are totally going to be expecting us to come up with shit like that all the time.” Alex laughed.
“Please,” Jessie said and rolled his eyes. “You don’t stand a chance. I am the master of romance.”
The guys laughed and congratulated him again. At least part of the day was turning out to be hopeful. Where they were going, Jessie was going to need to have something to look forward to. He already missed Marcus, and Brin.
“Damn, would you look at his sappy face.” Mason laughed.
“Fuck off.” Jessie grinned. “I saw you looking at your phone a second ago. Love the new background screen.”
“Bastard,” Mason said, flipping him off. “Arden put it on there.”
Jessie had not been going to mention the picture of lips on his screen but the bastard tried to make it seem like he was the only one whose heart had been captured.
“Hey, I am not too proud to admit I miss Jolie and Sammi,” Gage said.
“Do you think this is what it is like when married guys leave their wives and go on missions?” Alex asked.
“Yeah, probably why not too many SEALs marry before they get out. This sucks,” Gage said.
Drake and Thane shook their heads. “At least we still have our man cards,” Drake said.
Thane slapped him on the back and smiled. “Well I do.”
The men laughed and settled back in their seats. The flight to San Diego was going to be busy. During their trip, the Commander was going to teleconference them. They had a plan, once they hit the ground they would be off and running.
They needed to do the research and find Joel. This was going to come to an end come hell or high water.
Epilogue
Joel Lipit was well and truly screwed…and he knew it. He stumbled onto something during an investigation that had blown a massive gunrunning ring wide open. He had gotten a tip, but what he found was something he still couldn’t believe. Corruption in the FBI, he had no idea who to trust anymore, considering his boss had been ass deep in the cover up.
So he did the only thing he could think of and went underground until he could figure out who wanted him dead so badly. So far, the two people he tried to contact for help had tried to kill him. Now he wasn’t sure who he could trust.
Joel had relied on one of his questionable contacts to help him hide for the time being. The only thing the guy understood was money, and Joel had plenty of that right now. His brother’s death benefits were keeping him alive right now.
“Did you get it?” Joel asked when Dev, his contact, walked in the door. He was for lack of a better word his snitch. If Joel wanted information on the gangs, he went to Dev. Now the streetwise kid was saving his life.
“Yeah, got the max,” Dev said. “And the dude will be at the diner in a few hours.”
Finally, someone Joel could use to get a message to the one man he trusted, Drake ‘Lobo’ Viser. His brother’s friend and teammate. Joel needed someone who could help him and Drake would, without question, drop everything and come. If only he had programed the man's new cell phone number into his phone before he left. He knew Drake lived in Healing, Wyoming, now, but so far, no one from the town had been able to help him get Drake a message.
The man from the family support on the base finally answered his phone yesterday. He was coming to meet him. Joel would finally have someone that could get Drake the message. He took a deep breath, hopefully this was going to be the last night he slept on the lumpy couch.
A few hours later, Joel put the cap on his head and looked in the mirror. His hair once dirty blonde and long, was now copper and short. He also had not shaved in a few weeks, which gave him a grungy look. Heck, if Brian could see him now he would laugh. For the first time in their life, they would look like brothers.
He put his head down and headed out of the ratty apartment. The diner on the corner wasn’t too bad. The coffee at least was strong. Joel hated weak coffee. Strong and black, able to peel the paint off the siding. That was the only way to drink it.
As he walked into the diner, the waitress waved at him. She knew exactly what he needed, and soon he was sitting in the booth waiting for his contact drinking his coffee. At least some things were going as planned.
He drank three cups before the man arrived. Joel was beginning to think that he had been stood up, but when he looked at his watch, he discovered that he had been early. Joel really needed to get out more.
“Mr. Lipit?” the man asked and held out his hand.
“Yep, sit down. Let me get you some coffee,” Joel said.
“Great,” he said, then they waited for the waitress to leave before Joel asked the man for help.
“Mr. Robertson, I need to get a hold of Drake Viser. He has since retired, but was a part of my brother's unit. He gave me his number but I lost it. It is imperative I get him a message,” Joel said.
“Oh…well, Joel, I am not sure you really need to talk to Drake. I think you need to talk to me and tell me everything you know,” the man said.
Joel shook his head. “What?”
“That’s right. I am not the family support man. I am undercover for the CIA, you are under arrest,” the man said and laughed at Joel.
“What the hell are you talking about?!” Joel yelled and stood. He grabbed his head as it began to swim.
Mr. Robertson looked at the man who called him in shock. He hadn’t said a word, except for hello and sat down. Joel Lipit had started talking to him and before he could answer, he began yelling. Something was very wrong.
When he received the phone call from Joel, he logged it in. A flag had been put on the man's name telling whoever spoke to Joel to contact the SEAL Commander. Mr. Robertson had strict orders to tell Joel to come to the base. He needed protecting. There was a car waiting for them outside with an armed escort.
Joel had to get away. He looked, there were men coming at him. He tried to remember the layout of the diner but he couldn’t, so he did the only thing he could think of. He picked up a chair and threw it through the window, then jumped out after it.
Looking around wildly, he ran down the street. He needed to get somewhere safe. Everyone he called was against him. How was he ever going to stay alive when everyone he contacted tried to kill him. What the fuck was going on?
“Brian?” Joel whispered and came to a halt. His brother was in front of him.
“Bro, you need to get to the base. Drake is on his way,” Brian said.
“No! You aren't real. You are dead,” Joel said and looked around.
“Yeah, and so will you be…soon. Get your ass to the base,” Brian said.
Books by Jana Leigh
Denver Pack Series
Alpha's Mate
Tey's White Wolf
Devon: The Beta's Double Trouble
Cloe: Two for the Bite of One
Reggie: A Wolf's Changing Heart
Blaine: A Wolf's Second Sight
Lacy: Seeing Double
Jordan's Misunderstanding
Trinity: Heart of the Shifters
Argus: Meeting the Challenge
Trace: Following His Destiny
Shea: The Last Hope
Denver Pack Twelve 1/2
Chosen Wars Series
Cat’s Choice
Dante’s Dream
Finally Home – Taming of a White Wolf
Other books include
Dangerous Series
Dangerous Trio
Dangerous Two
Dangerous Finale
Dangerous: Working Against the Clock
Dangerous: Off Limits
Dangerous: All Bark and No Bite
Cassidy Family Series
Playing With Zack
Killing Jared
Holiday Surprise
Drekinn Series
The
Mating Call
Healing Cherri
Mob Moms’ Christmas
Reaching Rissa
Surprise Mating
Taming Team Ten
Boots, Chaps, and Cowboy Hats
Raising a Cowgirl
Deadly Spurs
Fire and Ice
Halfway Between – Coming Soon
Meridian Warriors by Jana Leigh and Zach Collins
Meridian Warriors: Xander and Des
Meridian Warriors Book Two – Coming soon
Shifter Justice by Jana Leigh and Bryce Evans
Perfect Reflections
Infiltrating the Pack – Coming Soon
I would love to hear from you!
Website: www.janaleighauthor.webs.com
Email:
[email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/#!/janaleigh731
Excerpt from Alpha’s Mate
Denver Pack Book One
By Jana Leigh
Quin went into his office and answered the phone that was blinking at him, “Hello Father.”
“Son, what progress have you made with the Rogues?” A gruff voice responded to him. His father, never a man for long discussions, was always quick and to the point. When he was growing up, his mother was the one who dispensed the hugs. His father, though Quin knew he loved him, was more serious. His father also believed the Alpha of every Pack had a greater responsibility than even to his own family. This is where they differed. When Quin finally found his mate, he was going to make sure she knew exactly how important she was to him. His children would know the same love his mother had shown him.
“We had a skirmish last night in a suburb, but so far we can’t seem to find their lair. I hope they will show themselves soon. We have heard their Alpha is a wolf named Roark, but we haven’t been able to find him,” Quin said turning in his chair so he could watch the last of the sun setting.
“You may have to send out more patrols. I heard from Roan in Northern Ireland, and his Alpha in the States is having problems too. He has lost three females and one Enforcer in the last week. You need to watch the Pack,” his father warned.
“I know what is at stake here, father. I will talk to my Beta and the Enforcers. We are planning a retreat next week, but I do not want to leave the Pack unguarded. We may have to postpone, at least while this mess remains. They will understand, even if they are itching to run,” Quin said.
“I agree. Do you need any more people? I could send your brother and a few others to help,” his father asked.
Quin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was the Alpha of this Pack. He loved his father, but he was still set in the old ways.
“Let me talk it over with the others, I will let you know. I may have to have some more help if they try to take one of our females,” Quin replied.
They spoke for a few more minutes, and then Quin hung up the phone, hoping he would be able to give his father a better report the next time he spoke to him. He didn’t want his brothers to come here unless the need arose for that particular action. They were all working on settling their own Packs. All except for his youngest brother Adrian, who was just concluding his training. He hoped to offer the young wolf a place in his Pack. It had been too long since he had seen his family, and he wanted to have that connection again.
He had no clue what the Rogue wolves were trying to do. Taking female wolves was an act of war, soon he would have no choice but to hunt and kill the Rogues if they could not get them under control.
He could hear loud voices in the outer office and sighed again. What else could happen today? It had been a long day already, and he wanted to have a nice quiet dinner and go to bed.
Just before he reached the door, it burst open and his Beta fell in the room. Devon was larger than most of his wolves, so he nearly took up the entire space when he sprawled on the floor. Being the Beta of the Pack, Devon was the strongest wolf. Quin never wanted to find out who would win if they fought for Alpha, he suspected it would be a close fight.
“Get your ass out of my way,” he heard a female growl come from just outside the room.
Quin laughed when Devon jumped up and looked at him with red cheeks. “She caught me off guard.”
“Right, we’ll go with that, if it’s how you want to spin it.” Quin agreed and poked his head out of his office to see who had thrown his Beta through the door. It must have been a large female wolf to do this kind of damage.
He laughed even harder when he saw the small sprite before him. A small blonde woman stood there tapping her foot with impatience. Wow, she was beautiful. Long flowing hair pulled back into a high ponytail and voluptuous curves, the woman stood a good foot below him. It made him feel like he was a giant. Quin grinned and looked at the woman with more interest. He wondered why she was here. He knew every member of his Pack, and she definitely did not belong.
“Listen buster, I have been sitting out here for the last two hours, waiting patiently for the head dog to come and meet with me. I no longer have the time, or the inclination to sit here. Tell your overly important man when he makes an appointment; he should have the courtesy to show up.” The woman fumed, turned on her heel, and stomped to the elevators.
Excerpt from Cat’s Choice
The Chosen’s War Book One
By Jana Leigh
“You will not keep me from her, wolf,” Diavolo snarled, as he twisted Adolfo’s arm back further. “She is mine and will always be mine.”
Suddenly, Adolfo turned on Diavolo and somehow got the Vampire under him again.
“She is not yours, Vampire.” Adolfo growled into his ear, “I will kill you before I allow you to take her.”
Adolfo started to change into his wolf. His face elongated, and his claws came out. He pushed the Vampire further into the carpeted floor.
Then his eyes met hers. “Caterina, run. Go to where we planned, as we have talked about doing. Go there and they will keep you safe. Run now, Caterina, and never look back.”
At first, her legs couldn't move, but then she found herself flying down the stairs. She picked up her purse, car keys, the plane tickets that were sitting on the table next to the front door, and then she opened the door to run out.
She looked back at her long-time friend and guardian to see that he had now fully changed and was holding the Vampire down by his teeth around Diavolo’s throat. Adolfo looked up at her, and their eyes met. She saw then something she had never seen in his eyes before. She looked at his side and saw the blood that was matted in his fur and dripping from his side. She knew at that moment that Adolfo knew he would not survive this fight, that he would not be able to go with her and protect her anymore.
Tears fell from her eyes as she looked into his again. “I love you, Adolfo.”
He just growled his response, but she knew it was him telling her he loved her too.
With that she raced out the door and jumped in her car. She was still in her pajamas and had no luggage with her to take, but she didn’t care; she just needed to get as far away from there as possible. She peeled out of the driveway and sped down the road. As she turned the corner on to the road that would take her to the airport, she heard a howl of pain breaking through the night, and knew her dearest and closest friend was dying—dying to save her from a fate worse than death. She sobbed as she sped along the road. She was alone now, all those she loved were now gone.
She looked in her rear-view mirror to make sure Diavolo wasn’t right behind her. But when she met her own eyes in the mirror, she couldn’t help but cry harder. No, Caterina didn’t see hope when she looked at herself. She never saw hope, and she doubted she ever would. There was no god—there was no hope.
Excerpt from the Mating Call
The Drekinn Series Book One
By Jana Leigh
"Hello?" Calli yelled as sweetly as she could, waiting to see if her friends were close, or if the assholes that kidnapped her were intelligent enough to see she was awake, come in here, and t
ell her what the hell was going on.
In the distance, she could hear her friends cussing. Cherri's voice came out the clearest as she screamed, "Muther fucking assholes, come back in here and show me what kind of men you really are. PUSSIES!"
Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the drug-induced coma. Calli wanted to laugh hysterically. If any of them got free, they were going to kill their captors, or seriously disfigure them.
"Cherri shut the fuck up. Where the hell are we?" Calli yelled and waited while her friends, who were obviously together, argued.
"Cherri, seriously, answer her, you have got to stop the screeching," Rissa said calmly. Calli wanted to laugh, because out of all of them, Cherri was the most levelheaded, unless she was given drugs, it pissed her off since she was a doctor. She lectured them constantly on putting foreign chemicals in their bodies. Like caffeine, Calli had to have at least three cups of coffee in the morning as well as a shot of caffeine in the afternoon. They didn't make it like they used to, she thought. Coffee had been deemed bad for you, so therefore, the days where you could get a double shot of espresso were gone. Now when you ordered a cup of coffee, you were lucky if you got a slight nervous buzz from it.
So many things had changed over the years. When the Breyting, or magical community, came out of the closet, suddenly everything changed. Besides the fact that Central Park was overran with shifters running in the open, the humans thought they could control things. They just didn't realize that they had been around for a lot longer than humans. So they did what any normal race would do, they tried to fight them. That lasted for only a few years until the Drekinn Agency stepped forward and compromised. The damage was done though. Caffeine was labeled bad for shifters just because one stupid dragon had gone crazy on a caffeine buzz. Really, if anyone drank twelve cups of coffee to stay awake for a midterm, they would have reacted the same. However, the college had not appreciated their classroom being torched just because the guy was jittery and misinterpreted the guy next to him handing him a test for an attack.