Chapter 4

Bailey

"Bailey and Chandler, you'll go with Archie and get started on securing the area right away. Luka and Jude, you're with me. We have a meeting this morning with Dean Davenport to explain what the feck we're doing here," Patrick said.

When we arrived yesterday, Ryan Davenport and his brother, Elias greeted us. They were ridiculously handsome, but also had their mates with them. Still, they were nice to look at.

I may choose not to act or date, but I was still a breathing female. I could appreciate a gorgeous male when I saw one. These men had a mysterious vibe with their black hair, fair skin, and standoffish attitude that gave them an aura of mystery.

Okay, not so much Ryan. He was the mayor of Ravenden after all and he at least smiled. But Elias? Oh yeah, he was definitely the dark and mysterious type. The only time he truly seemed to soften that rough exterior was when he looked at the Kim, his mate. It was enough to make this romance movie loving heart melt.

We'd all had dinner together at their sister's diner while Patrick went over a few things, like why we were even here.

Gia was really nice and the perfect host. From her shockingly red hair to her infectious smile, she was nothing like her brothers. Her mate, David, was a lot of fun too. Once we learned that he was a mimic, Jude and Chandler asked him to prove it. So he did. While the "grownups" talked, David entertained us by shifting himself into every object imaginable, even Archie. The often grumpy mole shifter was not amused. In fact, he looked down his nose through his round spectacles and stared at his own image for a moment before saying, "I am not amused."

I thought Patrick was going to put the four of us back on a plane and ship us home to San Marco when we all burst out laughing.

Ryan and Elias had taken it in stride though and even admitted they both wished David had been around when they were still in high school and had a big test or something that he could have stood in for.

It was a fun night and I think we all relaxed a lot because of it.

This was our first mission and kind of a big deal. No one in the internship program expected to see actual field work. In fact, we were explicitly told we wouldn't.

My head was still spinning, and I kept discreetly pinching my arm just to ensure it was actually real.

I was here, on a real Westin Force mission. This was my dream, or at least I thought it was. Maybe this mission would help me see things clearly.

Until yesterday, I had never left Westin Pack territory before. Now, here I was halfway across the country. It was thrilling, but as the excitement waned and the dawn of a new day began, I realized that the smells of Ravenden were quite different from I was used to. It didn't have the comforting, woodsy scents I loved, yet there was something appealing in the air here. I just couldn't put my finger on it. It certainly didn't soothe me like back home. Instead, it made me jittery, nervous even. I wasn't sure how I felt about it.

At least this was a group of shifters. What would it be like to be surrounded by humans?

I shuddered to think about it.

Maybe field work wouldn't really be in my future. There were lots of other positions at Westin Force, though. Maybe I could work for Archie.

I bit back a smirk as I thought it.

Archie was short and plump. He had beady eyes with a long nose that a pair of round Harry Potter like glasses sat on, but instead of a cool vibe they reminded me more of the monocle the Monopoly guy wore.

"We're going to scan the area from here and identify any vulnerabilities. With a secondary highway running right through town, I know there are plenty. We'll address that mess later. Right now, I'm looking at the edges," he explained.

Using his computer, his hands started flying over the keyboard much too fast for Chan and I to see what he was doing. Within seconds, satellite images popped up on the screen.

"This is the perimeter we're working with," he explained, shading the area of Ravenden territory. "Now, we look around the outer rim and try to find any weaknesses."

"Well, this side is all woods. Anyone could hike in."

"True, but that would be miles of hiking. Only here and here," I said, point to two separate locations, "should be of any real concern."

"Why is that, Bailey?" Archie asked.

"Well, the forest here does give it a natural buffer as Chan said, but these here and here look like possible campgrounds that are in close enough proximity to maybe be concerning?"

I felt stupid for even pointing it out. Chan was right. There was a big enough buffer that it shouldn't be that easy to breach.

"Very good," Archie praised, looking genuinely excited by my answer. "That's exactly the level of detail we need for this. What else do you see?"

"Well, the cliffs are a natural buffer. No one is getting up there," Chandler said.

"No, wait."

"Yes?" Archie asked eagerly.

"What's that? Can you zoom in further? It sort of looks like a trail going down the cliff-side. If it goes down, it also goes up."

"Wonderful Bailey! I don't know for sure that's what we're looking at and I can't zoom in any further, so you're going to have to go and physically check it out. Why don't you do that now? Chan and I will continue looking for breeches."

"Are you sure? Bailey seems pretty good at this stuff. I could go check it out and she could stay here and help."

My shoulders sagged. Working with Archie wouldn't be that bad, but I was excited to actually go and do something.

"That's precisely why I want her to go. She already gets it. You need work."

I gasped and then tried to hide my surprise and not laugh at the furious look Chandler shot my way.

It wasn't my fault.

Archie tossed me the keys and shooed me away as he and insisted Chandler consider checking the perimeter from the satellite views.

I waited until I was in the car and driving away before I allowed myself a little celebratory moment.

My stomach rumbled, and I was surprised to find it was already well past noon. While breakfast at the diner had been delicious, I'd been too nervous to eat much.

Still, I knew I needed to go straight to the cliffs, do my investigation, then report back to Archie before satisfying my stomach. Fortunately, I'd planned ahead, though. My clothes had been unpacked last night at the motel to allow me to use my bag as a field kit. I rummaged around and pulled out a protein bar. It wouldn't satisfy any cravings, but it would at least stop the earthquake attacking my insides.

I dropped the bar on the floor of the car and felt around for it while keeping my eyes on the road. In victory, I found it. This time I had no trouble opening it up and devouring it as I found a place to park near the coordinates Archie and I had discussed. I was absolutely positive this was the spot.

Grabbing my backpack, I parked and got out to look around.

Without wasting any time, I went straight to the edge and looked around. It was a little nauseating. I wasn't particularly fond of heights. What wolf was? But this was my job, so I forced myself to peer over the edge.

A wave of nausea hit me and my stomach churned, threatening to rebel against the protein bar I'd just eaten.

"You can do this, Bailey," I reminded myself, and forced my eyes back open.

Carefully, I checked the edge until I found the spot on the satellite that looked like a path going down the side of the cliff.

"No one's going to get up there. No sane person at least," I said aloud.

I chuckled when I realized I was all alone and talking to myself. It was true, though. The path we'd seen was nothing more than an animal trail. A pretty stealthy animal at that. No way was I going down it to test my theory, but I felt pretty secure in the idea that no one was getting up that cliff-side.

Still, I wanted to make an impression, so I took some time looking around and ensuring there were no other concerns with the area.

Finally satisfied, I took a seat on a large boulder and looked out across the valley below. It was so beautiful, and I was far enough from the edge to feel safe again.

Lost in thought, I didn't even notice someone approaching from behind until a throat cleared and I fell off the boulder, clutching my beating chest.

"You're not supposed to be here," a male voice said.

I turned to look at him and gasped. Dean Davenport. I recognized him from the brief Patrick had handed out. He was the head of security for Ravenden.

"Oh. It's you," I said, surprised to see him out here.

He was the most gorgeous man I'd ever laid eyes on. When the wind shifted, his scent hit me like a ton of bricks right between my legs. Holy shit! No smell had ever affected me like this before. My mouth was literally watering, and I feared if I opened my mouth, I just might drool.

"Sure, whatever, but you're still not supposed to be here," he said, as if I wasn't going through some sort of physical crisis right now.

"Says who?" I defiantly responded.

"Says everyone. This is raven territory."

"I'm aware. I'm here on business," I snapped.

The scowl on his face pissed me off. Why would I lie about something like that?

His scent assaulted me once more, but this time I noticed that my wolf responded to it too.

Mate, she cried.

Oh no. this can't be happening. Not him. He's not even a wolf!

Mine! she growled in response.

"What sort of business?" he demanded.

What sort of business? What the hell? He was acting as if he wasn't feeling the mating call at all. Maybe I had just imagined it. But that irritated me even more.

"Westin Force business, not that it's any of yours."

It hurt that he didn't seem to notice or feel something, anything.

I was trying hard not to freak out while he was all calm and collected without a care in the world. It was very confusing.

"So you're part of Westin Force then?"

"Just interning with them for the semester before I start college in January."

There was an awkward pause between us. I hated the way he was still eyeing me suspiciously.

"I'm Dean. What's your name?"

"Bailey," I somehow managed to say.