Bad Habit (Wolf Investigations and Securities Inc. Book 2)
Wolf Investigations and Securities Inc.
Book 2
Bad Habit
By Crystal Dawn
2016 Copyright by Crystal Dawn
Cover by Eagle Eye Covers
Editing by Eagle Editing
This is a work of fiction and characters are entirely a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to a person living or dead is merely coincidental.
Wolf Investigations and Securities Inc.
Book 1
Bad to the Bone
Tyne wants to mate Moe, but his curvy girl resists him at every turn. Sure, they live together, but he wants the whole package. Their life is complicated enough, but dark forces attack and Moe is in danger.
Moe wants Tyne and she loves living with him. Why can't that be enough for him for now? She knows he's the one, but she wants to live life and see the world before she settles down. When her life is at risk, will she change her mind about what really matters?
Two strong willed people need to embrace what the goddess has given them or risk losing it all. Can they come together in time?
Prologue
Twila looked in the mirror happy with her progress physically. She no longer looked like the bag of bones that had escaped slavery looking haggard and drained as hell. Her curvaceous body was back in all its glory. Did she resent losing all those years to a sadistic and disgusting asshole? Hell yes! But it needed to go into the past and stay there so it wouldn’t ruin her future.
She couldn’t deny her attraction to Trail, nicknamed Bad Habit. He was just not the path she intended to take. The male was a man whore, moving from female to female without any loyalty to any of them. Twila had been used before and she had no intention of ever being used again.
Trail had never cared for his nickname, but now it was killing him. To be honest, his reputation didn’t help either. Even though Tyne had warned him years ago, he didn’t see why being a female pleaser would hurt him with his mate. He’d been wrong and now he had to work to overcome everything to claim his mate. Twila was everything he ever wanted complete with a body to die for. There was plenty for his hands to hold and they itched to grab her plentiful breasts of her wide hips. Even the slight padding on her stomach appealed to him. His hard lines loved her soft curves.
Even if she pretended not to feel anything for him, he could see the truth. Now if he could only use that to his advantage. He’d need a whole lot more than luck to sway his stubborn and emotionally injured mate into accepting him.
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Bad Habit
Chapter 1
Managing
The phone rang and Twila answered it right away. “Wolf Investigations and Securities Inc. Twila speaking. May I help you?”
“So professional.” Moe said giggling in the background.
“Just checking on you.” Tyne admitted. “Do you need anyone killed?” The reference to Trail was unmistakable.
“No, he’s been behaving himself. Mostly, he’s been out on jobs so I don’t have to see him much.” She explained.
“Okay.” Tyne said with a sigh. “I’ll let you speak to Moe before she wrestles the phone away from me. She’s kicking me out of my own office for girl talk.”
“Talk to you later, Bro.”
“Thank the goddess he’s gone now and you can tell me all about it.” Moe offered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Trail really is out on the job. I’ve hardly seen him this week.” Twila insisted.
“There’s more than what you’re saying. How are you feeling? Is he still wanting to mate you? Have you had sex yet?”
“Dear goddess! I can’t believe you’re asking me that. We’ve not been having sex, we’ve barely seen each other. Yes, he still claims we’re mates.”
“How do you feel about it?”
“After what I’ve been through, I just don’t know. The male is sexy and gorgeous, but a man whore.”
“I’m sorry Sweetie. If it helps, I’ve heard he’s no longer flirting or messing around with any females. From the looks of things, he’s serious about you. The question is, how do you feel? His feelings shouldn’t influence yours.”
“It’s impossible to ignore how he says he feels and honestly, I’m drawn to him. I just don’t feel like I can trust him.”
“That’s what you need to get to know about him before you decide. You sure you can handle the office up there?”
“Yeah, I live above the office on one side and Trail’s on the other. We never see each other unless we go out of our way to.”
“Tyne and I appreciate the job you’re doing. How’s the work on the warehouse going?”
“They are having issues with groundbreaking.”
“Frozen dirt can do that. Keep us updated and if you need anything, let us know.”
“I will.” Twila said and as the line went dead, she stared at the phone in her hand.
Since she’d moved to Wilde to help her brother out, she’d not done much except work and hide in her house. No effort had been expended in making friends or finding her way around. Moe’s cousins were the only ones she had any personal contact with and that had been their doing. She’d been invited to a few girl get-togethers. They’d been fun and she liked Moe’s cousins because they reminded her of Moe.
The door opened and the bell she had placed there rang. She’d had it installed to alert her to customers if she was in the back office working on the books or taking a break. Because she was the only one in the office, lunch and breaks were informal and often interrupted by customers or security personnel that worked in the field.
Trail supervised them, but she often issued equipment or information to them when he wasn’t available. Because she’d been on the phone in the back, she had to make her way to the front desk to greet whoever had come in. When she got to the desk, she saw it was Trail waiting for her. Her heart began to pound and her blood heated. He was dressed in leather and it fit him like a glove. His body drew her eyes and they slowly worked down his chest and froze on the hard on clearly outlined in his pants. She gulped. While her breath froze in her chest.
“Trail,” She gasped as she was finally able to breathe. “What are you doing here?”
He sat on the edge of her desk, his eyes running over her like she was a tasty treat waiting to be sampled. “I work here.” He drawled.
“Maybe so, but you rarely come in the office.”
“Business has been good, but that keeps me busy. I’ve thought about you a lot and needed to see you.”
“You came all the way back from what? Anchorage? Just to see me?” Her disbelief hung in the air.
Trail shot her a lustful look that set her on fire. “Why do you keep denying what is between us? We both know it is the ultimate bond and can’t be denied for long.”
“So you say. I think a male like you doesn’t have a fated one. You are loose and see no reason to change. Going from one female to the next is what you enjoy. I refuse to be used that way.”
“Twila, you’re a wolf. Our natures are sexual,” he explained softly. “Some never find their one, but we seek relief along the way. As long as promises aren’t made and the goal is clear, it’s our way to indulge. It doesn’t make you any less mine.”
“I need to be sure and I don’t know how to do that.” She admitted.
“How can you ever be sure when all you do is avoid me?” Trail sighed heavily then he turned and walked away.
Twila felt the loss immediately even though she tried to brush it off. What he made her feel was more than any ot
her male had ever made her feel, but what did she really have to compare it to? She got back to work and being busy helped the time go much faster in the afternoon than it had in the morning.
Her day was done and she closed the office and tiredly trudged up the steps. She carried a phone with her because she was on call for emergencies. It was the misfortune of them having a small crew and getting the business going in a big way right off the bat.
Once she got in her apartment she took a hot shower. She scrounged in her small refrigerator finding little to throw a meal together. Twila considered going wolf and eating in the great outdoors, but while she’d been a slave after she’d been abducted by a nasty old male, she’d been forced to hunt in order to eat. Right now she wanted to indulge her human side and eat the food she’d had so little of in all those years.
She was more relaxed now so she dressed and walked to the nearest tavern. It was owned by an odd female who had once tried to claim Naqi, the local pack alpha, who was Joey’s mate. Joey was Moe’s cousin and a white wolf. Twila liked all the white wolves she’d met so far, here and where Tyne’s headquarters were in Missouri.
Entering the tavern, she was hit by the smell of food, beer, and smoke. The smoke was from a combination of smoke from the fire and customers smoking pipes, cigars, and cigarettes. Moving into the section that had seating for those just ordering food, she sat at a table for two.
A waitress approached and handed her a menu and took her drink order. The waitress was back in record time. “I’ll have the special with the soup and give me the same to go.” She wasn’t going to leave without some food to take home just in case.
The soup came quickly. It was a cheesy potato soup and it was good. Twila ate as fast as she could without burning her tongue. The steak came just as she finished her soup. It was deer of some kind and perfectly cooked. The baked potato was double stuffed and she ate with a great deal of satisfaction. Her to go order was ready and she paid, grabbed it, and was on her way out when something caught her attention.
It was his scent and she looked into the bar side of the tavern. Trail sat at a table with the owner, Twila couldn’t remember her name. The female was draped over him and they were talking quietly. Right before her eyes the female leaned over and kissed him. Twila left quickly. What a fool she’d been to even consider giving him a chance. Thank the goddess she’d waited or her heart would have been broken in two.
Funny thing was, she had a pain in her chest that just wouldn’t go away. Maybe she should consider getting an assignment away from him. Tyne could switch her out with someone else to a position far away from here. Rushing up the stairs, she entered to see the phone she’d forgotten to carry with her, lit up like a Christmas tree. Oops!
The message was from an investigator under fire. She immediately called Trail. “Trail here.”
“Sorry to interrupt your fun, but Greg is in trouble. He’s at Elk Corners and he’s under fire.”
“I’m on it. Keep in touch in case.”
“You want me to call in someone else?”
“No. I got it.”
“Okay.” Now came the hardest part. She would have to sit and wait hoping for the best while Trail helped Greg and hopefully they would both be alright.
She sat up a while and decided she needed to call Trail to check in. Hopefully they were just fine and Trail had forgotten to let her know. The phone rang and rang and rang before he finally answered. “Is that you Twila?”
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Greg’s been shot and we’re pinned down. You need to send someone to help us out.”
“Okay. Help is on the way.” She told him, but she knew no one was nearby. The nearest agent would be an hour or more if she could reach him.
In her view, she had no choice but to go in person. She was a fully field certified agent and lives hung in the balance. Quickly, she changed into her black combat suit and armed up fully. Even with her wolfish night vision she took the night vision binoculars just in case. There were vehicles for agents to use left at the store so she picked a truck with a big cab in case. Once she was ready to go, she put the coordinates in the GPS and away she went.
Twila could admit she was scared shitless, but she had to do this. An agent was injured and Trail, well she cared about the asshole no matter how much of an asshole he’d showed himself to be. She got near the coordinates before she pulled over and began to hike just off the road. Gunfire sounded just over the rise and she hurried. Concern rolled over her and as she got almost on top of one of the gunmen, she slowed down and eased up to him.
The male, he scented human, hadn’t the slightest idea she was there. She darted him with a tranquilizer. Twila wasn’t a killer, not except when there was no choice. Once he was down, she removed his weapons and restrained him. Seeing some bushes nearby, she dragged him into them. He would be out for a while and it was unlikely he would be found before she came back for him.
Watching carefully, she saw the humans had surrounded Greg and Trail. There were at least six but maybe as many as twelve counting the one she’d taken out. She circled around looking for the next target and finding him easily. He was talking on a radio.
“Kurt? Stop shooting so much. You’ll draw attention on us before we can take out the dogs.”
“Stevie, you ain’t no damn fun.”
“It’s Steven and this ain’t for the fun of it. It’s a matter of survival for all humans.”
“Yeah, I get it.”
“You’d better.”
The radio went off. “Damn son of a bitch. I ain’t going on any more hunts where he’s in charge.”
Twila slipped up behind him with the ease of an experienced predator after clueless prey. As much as she wanted to hurt him first, she just knocked him out with a dart and secured him. She dragged some branches over top of him and moved on. So far, her targets had gone down fast and her time between captures hadn’t been long.
It was time to move on and she handled the next two targets easily. The next two were a problem because they were together. One of them was Steven. “Now the bastard won’t fire at all. Len hasn’t been shooting either. Kurt is probably with Len filling his ear full of complaints.”
“Probably, Boss. I’ve got to go water the weeds. Be back in a sec.”
“Hurry up.”
Now was her chance if she was quick and careful. The man was taking a leak and politely, she waited until he was done and was zipping up his pants. The dart struck and he swatted at it like he might a bug. Maybe he was harder to take down because he turned around and saw her. Twila thought she might have to knock him out manually, but he fell to the ground.
“Hey, Ben? What’s taking so long? Are you stroking off while you’re at it? I’m going to check on you if you don’t hurry.”
She quickly restrained the man and dragged him off before tracking Steven’s movements. He turned to watch his targets, and she darted him. He also swatted at the dart. “Damn mosquitos are out. Do they even have those damn things here?” The male took two steps and fell over.
Twila restrained him and gagged him too. She was worried about this one. Now she circled around to take care of the other half of the men trying to kill Trail and Greg. After the next target, Trail join her. “I knew something was going on. You shouldn’t have come on your own.”
“There was no one else near enough and I’ve done just fine. How is Greg? These guys are human, but they knew Greg worked for wolves. They are haters and anti werewolves.”
“Where did that bit of intel come from?”
“I heard them talking and the leader called us dogs and said we needed to be taken out for the good of the human race.”
“Fucking racist. I thought those guys had backed off. Might be a new group. Let’s finish them off and get Greg to the doctor. I’m not sure if Tyne knows what he’s doing hiring humans in our group. Greg’s going to be off work for weeks and may not come back at all.”
“Why did they target him?”
Twila wondered.
“They hate humans who help us or work for us more than they do us. They call them sympathizers or dog lovers. If they get their hands on them it ain’t pretty.”
“Greg got lucky then.”
“Yeah, but he’s in a lot of pain and he ain’t feeling too lucky.”
They took out two more that were working together then two singles. “I think these are the last two.”
“I agree.” Trail agreed. “What did you mean when you called me?”
“What do you mean?”
“About interrupting my fun?”
“I ate at the tavern. I saw you had your hands full.”
“That female tries shit with every man in there. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“I’m sure they all kiss her, too.”
“She jumps them and they have to peel her off. Ask Naqi, she’s a menace on two legs or four. It’s not that easy to avoid her either. There are only two places in town to have a drink or eat.”
It might sound like he made perfect sense, but she knew what she saw and it was exactly what she’d expected out of him. “It doesn’t matter. You’re single and available. Don’t let me slow you down.”
“Dammit female. It wasn’t like that. Ask anyone who was in there. Naqi knows how that female is, she almost ruined his relationship.”
“We’ve more urgent things to do than stand around arguing. Let’s get Greg to a doctor and then come back for these assholes.”
“You’re right, but this conversation isn’t over. We need to take one of them with us to question in case they get freed before we get back. You help Greg to your truck and haul ass to Naqi’s house. He’ll know who to get for Greg. I’ll deal with these assholes.”
“Okay, but be careful.” Twila couldn’t resist adding.
“Watch out. I might think you cared.”
“I can care and not want to join with you.” Twila answered hatefully and went off to find Greg and help him to her truck. Had she been human, half carrying the huge human man would have been impossible. Even as a wolf, it was a long way. When she finally got him in his seat, she felt bad about leaving Trail with so many enemies and all by himself.