Chapter 2 - Rand

I knew before Jameson said anything that we were about to get roped into another assignment. Based on the atmosphere in the room, I wasn't the only one whose alarm bells were screaming. Every single Silver Wolf sat to attention, looking at Jameson and Malcolm standing at the front of the room. The tension was so thick, you could have cut it with a knife.

"We've got a job," Jameson said.

"We guessed," I retorted.

"One of these days, we'll actually get to stay retired," Mark said.

"I think we can agree at this point, that's statistically unlikely," Tannen said. "Still, it's fun to dream."

"This one's serious," Jameson said.

"I think we all figured as much," I said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have dragged us into it."

"It's more than serious," Malcolm interjected from where he sat, leaning forward in his chair. "The heads of the council reached out to me directly."

I raised an eyebrow. "They're that worried?"

"Apparently."

Silence lingered after the blunt declaration, all of us processing what that meant.

"So what's the job exactly?" I asked.

"There's a new crime lord beginning to make waves," Jameson said. "They call him the Gray Wolf. He wasn't anything to worry about a couple years ago, but over the last few months, he's suddenly started escalating everything. Biggest heists, more targeted attacks, that sort of thing."

"Why now?"

"A little while ago, his group pulled a job in Aspen," Jameson said. "They were stealing some military-grade gear. One of theirs died. We IDed the body and went to their house. The entire place was filled with anti-council propaganda and contraband."

"But nothing to point us to the Gray Wolf?" I asked.

"Nope. The guy's good at covering his tracks, apparently."

Tannen scratched his chin, frowning as he stared off to the side. "What kind of gear were they trying to grab?" he asked.

"Tactical gear like vests and things like that," Jameson said. "Also, some classified tech."

At the word ‘tech,' Tannen perked up. "What kind of classified tech?" he asked, not bothering to hide his interest.

"Funny enough, the council didn't go into details on that bit," Jameson said with a wry smile. "It's almost as though they want to keep it classified."

"Where's the fun in that?" Tannen grumbled.

"Anyway," Mark said, coughing loudly. "What is it they want us to do exactly? Find out as much as we can about the Gray Wolf and take him out before he has the chance to do something too serious?"

"That's it in a nutshell," Jameson confirmed.

"Well." Klyte clapped his hands. "The sooner we get working, the sooner we can get back to retirement. We have any information on him?"

"Besides that, his last hit was in Aspen? Not a whole lot," Jameson said. "That's part of the problem."

"We'll figure it out," Mark said.

"So everyone's in?" Jameson asked, scanning the group.

I snorted. "It's not as though we're going to say no to the Wolf's Council."

"Besides, it's been too quiet lately," Mark added. "I'm bored."

"That's not necessarily a bad thing," Alek chimed in.

My eyes scanned the room, taking in the expressions of all the Silver Wolves. Every face had the same look of determination. Alek, Sam, and Klyte sat on the couch, muttering to one another. Luke, Jameson's second-in-command, had stood to talk to Malcolm and Jameson. Rand and Tannen both looked lost in their own world.

Off in the corner, Evelyn, the only female Silver Wolf, leaned back against Oliver, who had his arms wrapped around her. I watched them for a moment. They were a cute couple. Practically made for one another. But watching them always left me with a bittersweet taste in my mouth.

Seeing them and so many of the other Silver Wolves pairing off made me think back to Astrid, my old fling back before I had gone off to start monster hunting. We'd broken up because being together would have been too risky for her. It hadn't been the most pleasant of breakups, but it had been the right thing to do.

Still, I sometimes wondered what had happened to her. Whether she had found a new mate.

I pushed the thought from my head. It wasn't going to do anything. Besides, we had bigger fish to fry than an old flame.

Still, as the Silver Wolves began talking strategy, I struggled to focus, my mind going back to a relationship that had ended years ago, and to a woman I'd nearly married.