Mission: Mountain Lion (CIA Shifters #2)

Chapter One

Carter

“Damn, it’s good to be home,” Carter said over his shoulder as he stepped out through the airport’s main entrance. He pulled in a deep breath then let it out slowly. “Real good.”

Seb, his travelling companion, a friend and fellow CIA operative, grunted. “Shame you’re not here under better circumstances.”

Carter shrugged. “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

He’d said that same line or some version of it about twenty times since his mother had called him and told him his sister, Megan, was missing.

He wasn’t sure who he was trying to convince anymore, other people, or himself.

He had assured his mom and his friends that he wasn’t concerned about his sister’s supposed disappearance, but he was secretly anxious.

Megan often avoided their mother’s calls for a while after they’d had an argument, but she had never ignored Carter’s calls before.

They had a great relationship, so the radio silence was disturbing.

“Hey, Carter, over here!”

Carter turned to see his father striding toward them. It had been a few months since he had last seen his dad, but the man looked as full of vitality as ever. However, Carter couldn’t help but notice the worry lines around his father’s eyes as he approached.

“Hey, son,” his dad said as he wrapped him in a bear hug that made Carter feel as safe and protected as he had when he was a young boy. “Good to see you back here.”

“It’s good to be back,” Carter said when they separated. “This is my friend, Seb.”

“Sir,” Seb greeted him respectfully.

“Good to meet you,” his father replied, clasping Seb’s giant paw of a hand. “Wow, they sure do make them big where you’re from.”

Seb chuckled. “You should see the size of my brother. He towers over me.”

“Seb’s a bear shifter,” Carter supplied.

His father nodded knowingly. “That explains it.”

As the three of them made their way to the parking lot, Carter’s father quickly turning the conversation to Megan. “You know, she’s probably just out there, somewhere, clearing her head,” he said, his tone light. “You know how your sister gets.”

But as they approached the family’s old sedan, Carter caught his father’s gaze, and in the depths of those familiar eyes, he saw a shimmer of worry.

It was a subtle hint, a fleeting expression quickly masked, but it was there.

It was the look of a father who was genuinely concerned for his child.

An unpleasant sensation settled into the pit of Carter’s stomach.

Driving back to the family home, the tall pine trees lining the road seemed unchanged, a solid reminder of his childhood. The air smelled fresher and cleaner than the bustling metropolis he’d gotten used to. But beneath that familiarity, there was a lingering tension that kept him on edge.

When they arrived at his childhood home, Carter’s mother rushed out of the house, her apron still tied around her waist. She hugged Carter tightly, her fingers digging into his back as if holding onto him would dispel all her worries.

“Oh, Carter, I’ve been so worried,” she whispered into his ear. His mother shared none of her husband’s propensity to pretend that nothing was wrong.

“Mom, I’m sure she’s okay,” he tried to reassure her. But his words felt hollow even to his own ears.

Breaking the embrace, she looked Seb up and down, sizing him up. “And you must be Seb,” she said with a slight smile, her eyes studying his robust frame. “Carter’s told me about you. You CIA boys sure are big.”

Seb chuckled, giving a small, polite nod. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”

She ushered them inside, and the aroma of a hearty meal wafted from the kitchen. Within moments, the dining table was laden with dishes—a pot roast, mashed potatoes, and a side of green beans.

Seb’s eyes lit up as he beheld the spread. “Ma’am, this looks incredible,” he said, the gratitude evident in his voice.

Carter’s mother beamed. “Eat up! A growing boy like you must be hungry.”

The next hour was a blur of stories, laughter, and Seb consuming an almost inhuman amount of food.

Carter was glad to see him enjoying himself, but given the grim reason for their trip, Carter was struggling to do the same.

For his mother’s benefit, he put on a brave face, but he was pretty sure that he wasn’t fooling anyone.

Later, as the sun made its descent toward the horizon, casting a deep golden hue on the landscape, Carter stood up. “Dad, mind if I borrow your car? I want to go check on Megan’s place.”

His father tossed him the keys without a word, the weight of the situation palpable. Carter caught them smoothly, nodding his thanks. He turned to Seb, who was polishing off the last piece of apple pie. “You going to be okay here for a while?”

Seb grinned, patting his stomach. “I think I’ll manage.”

With a low chuckle and a shake of his head, Carter made his way to the sedan and started the engine.

The drive to Megan’s condo complex was a short one.

He parked the car and made his way to her unit.

Taking out the spare key she had given him years ago, he paused for a moment, pulled in a deep breath, and let himself in.

The unknown of what he might find on the other side of the door weighed heavy on his heart.

The door creaked softly as it swung open, revealing a room bathed in the fading light of the evening sun.

Megan’s condo had always been a cozy sanctuary filled with personal touches.

It was an artistic array of patterns and color, just like her.

But now it was too quiet, the absence of its vibrant owner almost palpable.

Carter stepped inside, his boots echoing softly on the polished hardwood floor. There were no signs of a struggle or hasty departure. Everything was in its place, from the neatly stacked pile of books on the coffee table to the throw pillows on the couch.

But what caught his attention was the blinking red light on the answering machine. Pressing the play button, the machine beeped, and a familiar voice filled the room.

“Megan, it’s Maria. I’ve been trying to reach you for days. Where are you? Please call me back. I’m getting really worried,” the voice trailed off, a note of desperation evident.

Carter’s stomach knotted. Maria and Megan had been inseparable since high school.

They had weathered countless adventures and misadventures together.

If Megan was out of touch with Maria, it wasn’t just her family she was avoiding or unable to call.

His anxiety grew. He needed answers, and he needed them fast.

After checking out anything that might give a hint to her whereabouts and coming up empty, Carter locked up the condo. Deciding his next step was to visit Maria, he headed to his car. Megan’s friend might have insights or information about what happened before his sister’s sudden disappearance.

As he drove, the streets around him became blurry smudges of light and color, his mind racing with the worst possibilities.

The gnawing dread that had been his companion since he’d received the news of his sister’s disappearance grew with every passing mile.

Megan was strong-willed and fiercely independent, but she wasn’t one to leave her closest friends in the dark.

Carter clutched the steering wheel tighter.

Before long, he pulled up to Maria’s apartment complex, a quaint set of brick buildings with wrought-iron balconies.

Shutting off the engine, Carter took a moment to collect himself.

The weight of the situation pressing down on him, he exhaled deeply and stepped out of the car, steeling himself for the conversation ahead.

The soft chirping of the evening crickets provided a haunting backdrop to his growing apprehension.

The twilight played tricks on his vision, and the pathway ahead seemed to blur and elongate.

But it wasn’t the shadows that caused his sudden pause.

An aroma, unlike anything he’d ever experienced, wafted through the evening air.

It was a scent that was at once grounding yet exhilarating—a mix of wildflowers after a spring rain, with the warmth of sun-kissed skin and a hint of something primal, something wild.

Carter’s heart rate increased, and his senses sharpened.

He knew instinctively, deep in the depths of his soul what it meant, but his mountain lion was the first to voice it.

Mate.

This was the scent of his mate. His pulse quickened, a feeling of wonder and disbelief intermingling.

Stepping around a bend in the walkway, Carter’s gaze fell upon her. Bathed in the soft glow of a lamplight, her silhouette was backlit with an almost ethereal light. Her hair, a cascade of dark waves, fell around her shoulders, and her eyes—those mesmerizing eyes—looked right into his soul.

Mate! His inner mountain lion exclaimed again, the excitement in its tone matching the exhilaration that Carter felt. Mate!

Carter tried to calm his racing heart. When their gazes locked, it was as if the world melted away.

Time seemed to lose all meaning. There were no sounds, no distractions, just the two of them caught in a moment of profound recognition.

Every fiber in his being told him this was destiny, that the unseen hand of fate had guided their paths together.

He knew he needed to focus on his missing sister, but in this moment, his thoughts swirled around just one thing.

There was a profound stillness, the world receding and leaving just the two of them, suspended in that shared gaze.

It was powerful—a connection so deep that words could never adequately describe it.

Carter felt a pull, a magnetic force drawing him nearer, but he resisted, conscious of alarming this woman before he had the chance to introduce himself, and mindful of the circumstances that had brought him here.