Chapter 17 Ezra
EZRA
The maintenance uniform looked wrong held up against Reign because I was used to seeing him in jeans and t-shirt.
He couldn’t wear the uniform or take it out of the clear laundry bag that it was sealed in because a smidgen of our shifter scent would attach itself to the fabric.
Nope. It had to be pristine.
We were at the house I shared with my three younger brothers, and I studied the navy overalls that had “Metro Building Services” stitched on the pocket.
It looked authentic, and my brothers agreed, but we kept our distance as Reign stood on the balcony, making sure he didn’t pick up any of our shifter scent.
Tomorrow my mate would walk into Calloway's building alone while wearing this. And I wouldn't be there to protect him.
“Stop staring.” Reign ushered me and my brothers further inside so he could scoot around us. “You're making me more nervous.”
“Sorry.” I was terrified. But I did my best to wipe off my panicked expression.
My mate waved to my brothers, and I followed him at a distance as we left the house, but Boaz called out, reminding us to take a taxi. “Your car stinks of shifters.”
Technically, I shouldn’t be with Reign in a confined space, but I refused to say goodbye at the curb in front of the house. Maynard said I was putting him in danger, and Reign quipped he’d seal himself in plastic. I was glad he’d kept a snippet of his humor.
But we reasoned there'd be nothing of my scent on him tomorrow. Reign would scrub himself in the shower and throw away whatever he was wearing. I’d never been to his place, so there was nothing of me on the walls, the sheets, or the couch.
Besides, humans lived side by side with shifters, so they often had a hint of us on their clothes.
We spoke little on the drive and had the cab drop us a block from my mate’s building. But when we got out, we stayed on the sidewalk that was empty of people at this late hour. Neither of us wanted to say goodbye.
It’s not goodbye. My wolf was adamant. It’s au revoir.
The plan was simple, as all plans should be.
The more complicated they were, the better the chances of a huge F-up.
The Stravons had arranged for a “maintenance issue” to occur at the office building Calloway was using as his base.
They’d messed with the wiring in the ventilation system on the third floor.
It wasn’t a huge problem, but it required a technician to check it out.
And that was Reign. My Reign.
He'd get in, locate Calloway, and then do what he had to in order to put an end to the problem. Stress was choking me, making it difficult to breathe, but it was my mate who’d be in danger. So I sucked up my discomfort.
“Here.” I pulled out a small device from my pocket. “It’s the Airtag we talked about.” I’d shown him how to remove the heel of his shoe and gouge out a place for the tag inside. Reign insisted he had superglue to stick the heel back in place.
He turned it over. “I’ll feel better knowing you can see the little dot on your phone or laptop.”
“You’re more than a little dot, my love.” Gods, I wanted to kiss him and pick him up and run far away. But I had to consider the larger shifter world. And even if we lived in a hut in the woods, we’d never be free until Calloway no longer had a beating heart.
This was our only way of keeping tabs on my mate. Viktor insisted on no comms or phones. We couldn’t afford to tip off Calloway.
He slipped it into his pocket. “Don’t worry. It’ll be underfoot the whole time.” He blew me a kiss, and I caught it, but his lips trembled, and he slapped a hand over his mouth as the tears spilled down his cheeks.
Stop him. If you don’t, I will.
I’d just convinced myself that putting my mate in danger was for the good of all shifters, but my resolve crumbled.
“You don’t have to do this. I’ll find another way.”
Reign wiped away his tears. “There isn’t one. We’ve been over this.” He reached out to stroke me, but I took a step back, worried about him retaining my scent. “It has to be me.”
For a minute I’d envisioned a world where we were free of packs, debts, deals, and treaties and we could live our lives, just us two.
“You’re right.” I raked my fingers over my scalp. “But I hate that you’ll be alone.”
He lifted his foot, showing me the heel. “You’ll be with me digitally.”
I grinned. “Makes me sound like a bot.”
He blew more kisses, and as he walked backward toward his building, I told him he was ready. “Nothing will go wrong. You trained for this.”
He paused. “Really?”
Go to him. He’s scared.
Gods, I hated this life. Being part of a large family, a pack, and a shifter community had many advantages, but in this moment, being a loner looked pretty appealing. I could whisk Reign away and there’d be no one to tell me I was being selfish.
“Yes.” Though I couldn’t touch him, I needed to get closer, so I ran rings around him until my wolf told me he was dizzy, but I kept jogging in circles. “You're the bravest person I know. You're going to walk in there, do what needs to be done, and walk out. And I'll be waiting with open arms.”
He sniffed the air as if scenting me. “Promise?”
“I promise.” I made a heart sign with my fingers, and he did the same. “Remember, the work order is in the pocket of your uniform. You go to the ventilation system on the third floor. Calloway's office is at the east end. Room 304.”
“Room 304,” he echoed.
My eyes were wet as he waved and traipsed down the street. I waited until he went inside and crossed the road so I’d see the lights go on in his apartment. And when they did, they reminded me of beacons, leading people to safety.
Not wanting to meet my brothers yet, I wandered along the street staring into shop windows and stamping in puddles from the recent rain. The bars were busy, but I needed to keep a clear head, not that alcohol affected me as it did humans.
This is wrong. I hate what you’ve done.
It was rare for my beast and me to be at odds. He was thinking with his heart, not his head, and I wished I could do that too.
A reminder on my phone told me I had to get to the meetup point. My brothers and I, along with members of the Stravon pack, were taking up our places in Calloway’s neighborhood.
“Is he ready?” Boaz eyed my swollen lids and tear-stained cheeks.
“As ready as he'll ever be.” I didn’t intend to sound bitter but was certain I did. I couldn’t help it.
“This isn't your fault.” Lake nudged me.
“It is. I’m the one who agreed to train him and who said he could do this.”
“We all agreed,” Thiago reminded me. “Because Calloway is a threat who won't go away on its own.”
“That doesn’t make it easier.”
Boaz reminded us to get into our positions. “We need to be in place by dawn.”
We'd studied the area around Calloway's building.
There was a bar two blocks north, and Thiago and Riggs would be there, nursing their drinks and playing pool.
There was a bakery across the street that was already open at this early hour.
Lake and Maynard would buy baked goods and eat them in the store.
Archer was going to hang out at a bus stop with a view of the building entrance, and Boaz would be in his car three blocks away.
Other Stravon pack members were scattered throughout the neighborhood.
Maynard handed me tattered clothing, and I changed in Boaz’s car because I was taking the place of the homeless guy on the street. We’d taken the actual homeless guy who lived around here to a shelter, and Viktor promised he’d find him a permanent place to live.
I had a gun hidden in the huge trench coat I was wearing, and I’d use it with anyone messing with my mate. The gun we’d given Reign was buried deep in his maintenance bag.
If we got too close, Calloway would sense us, and everything would fall apart. But we could watch, and if Reign needed us, we'd be there in seconds.
“Is everyone clear on the plan?” Boaz asked.
We all nodded.
I had a smartwatch hidden in my pocket, and I’d use it to track the Airtag. If it started moving erratically or if it stopped, I’d be going in. It was my lifeline to Reign.
The pavement was hard and cold, and the flimsy blanket beneath my butt offered no comfort. But even if I’d been splayed out on a luxurious mattress, I’d have been anxious.
“He'll be okay.” Lake appeared, offering the “homeless guy” a coffee and tossing coins in the empty cup at my feet.
My mate shouldn’t have been facing down a killer, but he was counting on us, and I’d be watching that little dot every step of the way.