The Mercenary and the Shifters (The Turning Stone Chronicles) by C.D. Hersh Page A

unblinking.
    “Fine,” she finally said.
    “We’re doing things my way. Got that?”
    “I’ll pack my bag.”
    Her non-answer irritated him. She was apparently as stubborn as she was beautiful. Just like someone else he knew in Cleveland.
    Crap! Dealing with one gorgeous redhead was tricky enough. Now there were two.
    “Rhys and Eli are on their way,” Alexi said when Mike entered the kitchen. “It will take them a day to get here.”
    “And your arm?” he asked.
    “One of our people is coming to take me to get it checked. We’ll follow you to Cleveland as soon as we can. In the meantime, Rhys and Eli think it would be best for you and Mary Kate to try and stay under Falhman’s radar. We don’t want him bolting before we get there.”
    “I don’t think that’s wise,” Mary Kate said.
    “I agree,” Mike said. “We need to find him before he leaves.”
    Mary Kate shot him a surprised expression.
    “Yeah, I know.” He was already agreeing with a shifter. Bolstered by Mary Kate’s support, he pressed the issue. “In fact, we need to know where to find this guy.”
    “The two of you can’t take him. Homeland Security, the FBI, and the Cleveland Police Force have tried and failed.”
    “Then we’ll tail him. I’ve got men in Cleveland who can start right now. He won’t have the kids yet. Maybe we can even catch him in the exchange with his rogues.”
    “We need to consider it,” Mary Kate said. “The rogues won’t be able to sense the humans. They could help us with surveillance, at least until the rest of ye get there.”
    Alexi tucked a strand of long, black hair behind her ear and studied the floor. After a couple of seconds, she stepped to the counter and wrote something on a piece of paper. “Okay. Here’s Falhman’s address. Have your people tail him. But don’t make contact.”
    Mike took the paper and dialed his cell. The call went to George’s voicemail. Mike left instructions. “No answer,” he said as he pocketed the paper. “I’ll call when we get to the airport.”
    “Be careful,” Alexi said. “Falhman is dangerous and he won’t hesitate to kill.”
    “Neither will I,” Mike said.
    “Just kill the right shifters,” Mary Kate said. “We’re not all Falhman.”
    Mike’s gaze cut around the room at the three women he knew were shifters. They were not fully human either. He couldn’t shake the feeling knowing that gave him.
    Mary Kate mounted the motorcycle and wrapped her arms around Mike. His muscles tensed and hardened at her touch.
    He was strong. And sexy. And stubborn like her. Her heartbeat raced when he reared against her as the bike jolted forward. Unfortunately, he was human.
    Eli frowned on human-shifter relationships. But if Mike proved himself helpful in rescuing Baron and Hugh Jr., Eli might make an exception, if she asked.
    Earlier, during the fight, she had sensed something between them—a spark born of the camaraderie of the battle. But after the children had been taken, it disappeared, consumed, she supposed, under his raging guilt.
    She noted how easily he handled her bike. The old girl was temperamental, and he had just the right touch. She tightened her embrace. His heart pounded beneath her fingertips. She’d never ridden this way before, hugging a male. Normally she controlled the wheel. Controlled how fast she went and where she went. The rumble of the bike beneath her and Mike’s strong body in her embrace exhilarated her, emotionally and physically.
    When they turned on the carriageway, Mike’s voice buzzing by on the wind, pulled her from the sensual road she’d started down.
    “You okay?”
    “Fine,” she said. “Why?”
    “You’re gripping me so hard I can hardly breathe. Am I going too fast for you?”
    She whacked his back. He jerked and the bike rose on the rear tire. “Put the pedal to the medal, Yankee. Ye can’t go fast enough to frighten me.”
    Mike gunned the engine. The bike jerked and the speedometer clicked