Chapter Six

ARI

Before dawn Ari’s phone buzzed. He only woke up and rolled away from Eoghan when the noise persisted. It took him a few seconds to register the continuous buzzing but by then, the racket had ceased. He groaned as he realized that he was slightly sore from the exertions from the night before. Still, it brought a smile to his face and when he reached for his phone, all the wonderful sensations and images came to the forefront of his mind. He couldn’t believe it, but bottoming had been wonderful. He was so happy that it had been with Eoghan who’d treated the entire night with care, delighting his body as he’d brought him to the heights of pleasure. He was very glad he’d waited until the right man came along, the very same man who’d professed his love to him.

When Eoghan’s phone also began to buzz on his bedside table, his lover stirred and looked over at him. His black hair stuck up on top of his head, adorably mussed as he pushed himself up on both elbows and swiveled his head between his phone and Ari who was watching him with what he knew had to be an amused smirk.

“What’s going on?”

“Don’t know. I think it’s texts.” Ari looked down at the phone and began checking the string of text messages, blinking his eyes several times as he tried to clear the sleep from them. He had to make sure he was seeing right. Sure enough, there were some messages from Deputy Chief Priest but others from Marshal Carly Rusch. All of them seemed to refer to the same incident and all of them asked for return calls as soon as they received the messages. They didn’t go into detail.

Get a hold of your partner and call me right away, Brown!

It was from their boss. Ari sat up straight, letting the sheet fall to his waist before looking at Eoghan. “Something must have happened,” he said. “This can’t be about Marshal Rusch and her partner setting a meeting with Oscar Garcia.” He noticed Eoghan was reading his own phone and not paying any attention to him.

“Holy shit!” Eoghan said, springing out of bed with his phone in hand. In the low, predawn light of the room, Ari couldn’t help but admire Eoghan’s naked body silhouetted against the soft light behind the window curtains.

His phone buzzed in his hand—a new text from Priest. When he looked up, Eoghan was standing in profile, texting someone back.

“Oscar Garcia is dead?”

Eoghan looked up and then climbed back on the bed. “The chief says she was contacted by the Agency who was notified that on their way back to Hawthorne, he ran his car off the road and rolled it.”

“He was driving, this says. What the hell, Eoghan? That’s impossible. He was three sheets to the wind, looking unconscious when Walters’ werewolves carried him and the Walters boy out of the brewery. Why didn’t his granddaughter drive them back to Hawthorne? She was crying but in better shape than he was, assuming he woke up once they got him to the car.”

“I don’t know if he was actually unconscious,” Eoghan said. “We both saw him in a fireman’s carry, but unconscious? I don’t know. I agree he shouldn’t have driven unless he was sober but werewolves metabolize food three times faster than we do. After I was nearly killed by one, I’ve stayed away from their kind, but other marshals talk. From what I understand, it’s the same with liquor for them. They sober up quickly. Still, maybe he was a passenger. Nothing in the texts say anything about Carmen, his granddaughter or what happened to Edward Walters.” Eoghan frowned.

“What is it?” Ari asked.

“I’m wondering if the wolves who carried Oscar Garcia and Edward Walters out were even Alvin Walters’ men at all. I’m gonna take a piss and then call Priest.”

He headed for the bathroom as Ari looked down at his phone again. Carly texted that Deputy Chief Washington called her and her partner early that morning, relaying much the same information they’d just received. They’d been told that Garcia had been killed in a car accident but also said her chief knew nothing more than that.

Eoghan walked out of the bathroom with the phone on his ear and black lacy underwear covering Ari’s favorite eye candy. “Yes, ma’am. We’ll call you as soon as we know any more.” He paused. “Yes, ma’am. I promise. We’ll be careful.” He paused. “And thank you, ma’am.” He swiped the phone and looked over at him.

Ari smirked at him, and Eoghan smiled when he left his phone on the bed and walked over to him. He dropped a soft kiss on his lips, sliding his hands over Eoghan’s soft, lacy underwear.

“You look fucking sexy in these,” he whispered against his lover’s lips.

Eoghan smiled against them. “Thank you but they’re not for you. Not now, babe. We’ve got work. They’re all I had in my clean bag.”

Ari snorted and reluctantly let go of his ass but not before giving it a firm squeeze with both big hands. “What did Priest say?”

“She said Deputy Chief Washington will be overseeing this mess since he’s in this neck of the woods. I guess Priest is required to stay there in L.A. Personally, I think she’s making a mistake. It’s not like it’s a huge responsibility or anything…only all of California.” He glanced over at Ari and smirked. “Haha. That deserves a little laugh, right?”

“Nope,” Ari said, smirking right back.

“Fine. Anyway, Priest said Washington is already on the way to Bishop to meet us. He’s been on the road since five-thirty and wants to meet at Ma’s Coffee Shoppe in Bishop along with Carly and Evan,” Eoghan said.

“Okay, we’d better shower and get over there as soon as possible,” Ari replied, heading toward the bathroom.

“I don’t think we have time for showers, Ari,” Eoghan said.

Ari stopped and pivoted, rolling his eyes at him. “Are we going to come into contact with any werewolves today? Because if the answer is yes, then I need a shower. My ass smells like come and so does your dick along with the rest of you.” He waved his hand up and down to indicate all the places Ari’s come had painted his body when Eoghan had fucked him senseless last night. “Under a black light, you’d light up like the Northern Lights, my man.” He pointed at Eoghan’s cock. “Unless you want them knowing exactly where that’s been and what we are to each other with overwhelming certainty, I suggest we take showers”

Eoghan made a shooting gesture with his finger gun. “Right you are, sir.” He practically ran to catch up with Ari’s long strides on his way to the bathroom.

By the time they got to Ma’s Coffee Shoppe, it was almost six-thirty, but they were fully showered and shouldn’t smell too ripe to any werewolves they might come into contact with over the next few hours. The hostess led them to a table at the back of the restaurant where three people sat. Surprisingly, it was the youngest of the three who stood up and introduced himself as Deputy Chief Harlan Washington.

“Nice to meet y’all. Please call me Harlan. These two are my marshals,” he said in a deep Texas twang. “That’s Carly Rusch and that there’s Evan Chastin.”

“Chastain, boss,” the marshal corrected. He smiled and reached for Ari’s hand, shaking it in a friendly manner.

“Ari Brown,” Ari said. He glanced at Eoghan. “This is my partner, Eoghan Sapphire.” He turned to the woman with the mousy brown hair. She looked older than the thirty she’d admitted to when talking to Eoghan. He shook her hand and watched Eoghan shake all around.

“Let’s have a seat,” Washington said. “We ordered eggs and toast. Anyone else?”

“How are the biscuits and gravy here?” Ari asked.

Washington smiled. “The best in town. We always come here when we drive to Bishop.” He waved a waitress over and they gave their orders. Everyone was quiet as she walked over to the serving station and picked up the coffeepot. After filling their cups, she went off to take other orders.

“Carly here filled me in on the trouble from last evenin’. You two came out of it relatively unscathed.” Washington gestured at Ari’s eye. “That from the scuffle?”

Ari nodded. “Yeah. We both jumped in not knowing they were werewolves.”

“Well, that was right stupid,” Washington drawled.

“Boss, they didn’t know the Mountain Rambler was a werewolf establishment,” Carly said.

“We both know we screwed up, Chief,” Eoghan said. “But that’s behind us. Can you tell us what happened to Oscar Garcia? That’s why we’re all here.”

Ari shook off the tension he’d been feeling from being called stupid, happy that Eoghan jumped in when he did.

The chief nodded at Eoghan and then turned to Ari, reaching across the table to shake his hand. “Sorry ‘bout what I said.” After Ari shook his hand, he turned to Eoghan. “All business, huh ? Well, that’s okay with me. So, we got a call from the granddaughter, Carmen, this mornin’. She was in tears. Said her granddaddy was behind the wheel last night when they was run off the highway by a big semi. They ended up in a ditch and rolled over. Oscar got his neck broke and she survived by some sort of a miracle. Maybe it were the baby. They say them werewolves are real strong when they’re carryin’ young. Don’t know.”

“They got run off the road by a semi?” Ari asked. “What did the driver have to say for himself?”

“The fella didn’t stick around,” the chief said. “Damned bad luck.”

“Yeah, I’m not so sure about that,” Eoghan said. “Garcia was pretty plowed when he fought with us. Regardless of how quickly werewolves metabolize alcohol, the accident probably could have been avoided if he were fully sober. Maybe he didn’t see the semi or was just slow to react. Perhaps he cut it off. Or the driver of the truck ran from the scene because he was carrying something he shouldn’t have been. Under the influence maybe. I’ve heard of long haulers taking uppers to stay awake on the road. Who knows. Maybe it was totally unintentional or maybe it was something worse.”

“That’s a whole lot of maybes there,” Carly said. “It’s more likely that Alvin Walters decided to take out Garcia instead of going to war with him. Perhaps he wasn’t being honest when he said he’d sit down with Garcia once he sobered up. You said he was pissed when you talked to him last night. How pissed? Do you think he was serious?” She looked back and forth between the two of them.

Ari exchanged a glance with Eoghan who nodded.

“Yeah, I think so,” Eoghan said. “Garcia kidnapped Walters’ youngest grandson, then tried to convince or shame or threaten Edward into doing the right thing. What reason could Alvin Walters possibly have for deliberately trying to kill Oscar Garcia? I mean Garcia is…was an asshole.” Eoghan looked over at him. “My partner and I both heard the way he talked to Carmen and Edward. We didn’t know who they were at the time, but we heard the exchange. Yes, he was a total asshole, but I don’t think he met with them in Walters’ establishment to try to start a war. The two men were close…at one time at least. I think Garcia’s decision to meet at the brewery was no accident. Perhaps he thought if he couldn’t convince Edward to marry his granddaughter, he’d move on to try to convince Alvin to put pressure on him.”

“By being up in his face?” Chastain asked.

“Who knows?” Ari said. “In any case, now we have to try to hold this peace together, right, Chief?”

“You got that right,” Washington said. He looked up and smiled when he saw their waitress arriving with the food and they all dove on their breakfasts, ceasing conversation for a while.

Ari admitted the biscuits were good even though the gravy couldn’t hold a candle to his mama’s. He finished off his chicken fried steak with relish while watching Eoghan with his bowl of chocolate granola and pistachio milk, knowing he should have ordered that. There’d be hell to pay when he wanted a long nap later, but for now, it was all good.

After Washington finished his toast and eggs, he pulled out his phone and called Alvin Walters. He arranged a meeting with him in Hawthorne at six that evening, telling him he’d be expecting Edward to be there with his favorable acceptance of the marriage between his grandson and Carmen Garcia. All of this…to avoid a war no one wanted. Ari figured this was a nice way of reminding him what he’d promised to do the night before. Clearly, talking with Garcia was impossible, but perhaps Alvin would come back to the table and talk with the Alpha’s family. When he hung up, he smiled.

“Well, that went better’n I’d hoped it would. At least he’s gonna talk,” Washington said. “Let’s hope Garcia’s family thinks the same.” He scrolled through his phone.

“I think we’d better hope their new Alpha thinks so,” Eoghan said.

Washington looked up, looking momentarily at a loss for words. “Well, yes, that’s true. Hopefully, they’ve got a new decision maker by now.”

“And if they don’t?” Ari asked. “I can’t imagine the Garcia family wanting to do anything to move the peace along while they’re grieving. They may even side with Carmen if they’re suspicious of Alvin and hold him responsible for Oscar’s death.”

“We’ve got to get someone from Hawthorne to the table tonight,” Washington said. “I’ve already got Alvin coming and he’s not going to like it much if no one from the other family is there to talk. He’s making a big gesture by havin’ the talk on Hawthorne Pack lands. I really hope they pay him honors.”

“Let’s hope it’s honors they pay him with, and not fangs and claws,” Carly said behind her coffee cup.

The chief side-eyed her. “Let’s hope so, darlin’.” He looked back at his phone and pressed a button, then put the call on speaker. It rang a few times before a young woman answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello, is this Carmen Garcia?”

“Yes, who’s this?”

“Sorry to bother you, ma’am, but this is Deputy Chief Marshal Washington from the I.S.R. in Nevada. I’m callin’ to express my condolences and check in on you. Were you injured last night, ma’am?”

“No, baby and I were lucky.” Her voice caught.

“I’m glad to hear it. Now, I know you’re goin’ through a tough time, ma’am, and I hate to be bothersome, but can I ask a favor. I’d like to invite you and your new Alpha to meet with me, my marshals, and Alpha Alvin Walters from Bishop this evenin’ there in Hawthorne.”

“You want to meet with us to discuss my marriage to Edward, I suppose,” she said. Before he could answer, she said, “That’s fine. We’ll meet you. Where?”

“Thank you, ma’am. I told Mr. Walters we should meet at the El Capitan Diner. Do you know where that is?”

She snorted. “Hawthorne is a one-horse town, Deputy Chief. Of course, I know where it is. There are only about five restaurants in the whole town. I gotta tell you, the food’s not great. What time should I be there?”

“I’m not expecting five-star dining, ma’am, and we’re meetin’ at six.”

“I’ll be there with my bro—with my new Alpha at six, Deputy Chief. Thank you for calling.”

“You’re welcome and I hope you’ll pass on my deepest condolences to your whole family.”

“I will. Thank you. See you this evening.”

The phone disconnected, and Washington looked up. “Well, that’s steps one and two. Hopefully, we’ll be able to accomplish all that we need to at the meetin’.”

“I admit, I’m happily surprised they all agreed to meet,” Eoghan said. He glanced over at Ari, who made sure to send him back encouragement and love all in one look. He smiled.

“I just hope the new Alpha in Hawthorne doesn’t suspect Alvin of killing Oscar,” Eoghan said. “Assuming he doesn’t and is willing to give little Galen Walters back, this might turn out to be a successful and bloodless meeting after all.”

Ari wasn’t so sure about that, and he really hoped they wouldn’t be walking into some sort of trap; he didn’t want to see anyone get hurt.

“Marshal Brown and I should check in with our chief,” Eoghan said, pushing away from the table. He and Ari both stood, followed by the others.

“That’s fine, son. Do you want to ride into Hawthorne with us or get there on your own?”

Eoghan glanced over at Ari before looking back at the chief. “If it’s all the same, we’ll meet you there, sir.”

“No problem at all. See y’all at six.” They all shook hands, and Eoghan pulled out money to give to the chief when he held up his hand. “Never mind about that. I’ve got it this time.”

“Thank you, sir,” Eoghan said before they headed out but were stopped by Washington’s voice.

“Fellas?”

They both turned. “Yes, sir?” Eoghan asked.

“After this works out in everyone’s favor, I’ll be happy to discuss the furtherance of your chief’s other agenda.”

“Sir?” Eoghan asked.

The chief smiled. “Did Arizona tell you that she and I used to work together down there in L.A. before I got my promotion?” He didn’t wait for an answer before going on. “That is, we worked together several times over the years. We even worked together after I got my first assignment as a brand-new chief based out of Phoenix. Worked a lot with Flagstaff, and your chief, Arizona Priest, is a good friend.”

Ari couldn’t believe it. “So, you’re telling us that she sent us up here to Bishop to deal with this problem with another—”

“Let’s leave it at that for the time bein’, son,” he said, cutting Ari off. “One problem at a time, okay?”

“Yes, sir,” Eoghan said. He glanced at Ari and the two of them walked out of the restaurant.

Ari said quietly, “I can’t believe it. Do you think he knows about the Agency problem and she sent us up here to deal with this so we could plead our case with Deputy Chief Washington?”

Eoghan smiled at him. “I wouldn’t put it past her. He said they were good friends and he clearly knows King John Townsend if he headed up the Arizona office for a while.”

“I wonder why he’s in Hawthorne, Nevada,” Ari said. “I bet there’s some reason he was moved from his position in the capital of one state to a flyspeck of a satellite office in a neighboring state.”

“You’re right and what do you want to bet it had something to do with rubbing someone at the Agency the wrong way,” Eoghan concluded. He pulled out his phone and Ari reached out to stay his hand.

“What are you doing? You can’t talk about this on your regular cell.”

Eoghan smirked at him. “We really do need to bring her up to speed on this case and our meeting.”

“Oh,” Ari said, feeling stupid. “Okay.”

“And later, after we’ve had time to talk to Washington, that’s when we’ll talk to her about this.”

“Okay. Makes sense.”

“Thanks,” Eoghan said.

“After you call her…what do you wanna do?” Ari looked at his watch. “We’ve got a whole day to kill.” He grinned. “In Bishop of all places.”

Eoghan grinned back. “Yeah, not a lot to do here, that’s for sure.”

“Well, we could go visit a mine or something.”

“A mine?” Eoghan chuckled.

“Aren’t there any? I thought I read something about that.”

“No. I think there used to be, but not in recent history.” He held out the key fob as they approached the Charger and then got in. Ari climbed into the passenger seat.

“So, what should we do?”

“How was that giant chicken fried steak you ate for breakfast?” Eoghan asked with a grin.

“Ugh,” Ari groaned, banging his head against the headrest several times before rolling his head and looking at Eoghan. “No jogging, please.”

“Fine. We’ll go work out then. We agreed to work out and change our lifestyle, right?” He started the car.

“The last time we decided to do that, it didn’t work out so good, remember?”

“I remember but I somehow doubt we’re going to run into any mermen in Bishop,” Eoghan said, grinning at him. “We could go hiking or something. How would that be? I think there’s plenty of trails around here.”

Ari reached over and took his hand, squeezing it. “Yes, you’re right.” He looked side to side to see if anyone was looking. No one was around. He leaned close and kissed Eoghan, smiling when he pulled back. Eoghan was also smiling.

“Good. Let’s go back to the room, change, and call the boss to give her an update. And I tell you what. If you’re really nice to me the rest of the day, I might even be tempted to let you see me naked.”

Ari laughed as Eoghan pulled out of the parking lot, happier and more carefree than he’d been since waking up in his lover’s arms that morning.