Forrest took his plate out of the microwave and carried it over to the table. “Better. The support team is with them at the safe house and will be guarding them around the clock until we figure out what the hell is going on. The boy is still a little freaked out, but he’ll be okay. McKay was talking to Evie and her husband when I left, trying to figure out their connection to Darby and the other people on the list.”
As he and Caleb joined Forrest at the table, Jake got him up to speed on their earlier conversation with McKay. There really wasn’t much to tell, other than that their boss had people working around the clock trying to figure out what kind of supernatural creatures Darby and his crew were.
“I was listening to the local news on the way back to see if they said anything about you chasing Damien through Blackwall Tunnel and getting into a shoot-out with him,” Forrest said, spearing a meatball. “Want to hear something crazy? The cops didn’t make any arrests and they didn’t find any bodies. After the way you guys described the amount of damage you did to those creatures in the park, it’s hard to believe they’re still alive.”
Caleb cursed. “How is that even frigging possible? I hit Damien so hard with the van he sailed twenty feet through the air, then I drove over that other a-hole and crushed him to a pulp.”
“Maybe Darby showed up and took them away before the cops moved in,” Forrest suggested.
Jake was still considering that possibility when Forrest changed the subject.
“I know this might come as a surprise to you, Jake—and will probably piss you off when I tell you about it—but I think hearing it might help you and Jes figure out what to do,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin and pushing his empty plate to the side.
Jake didn’t say anything as he waited for Forrest to continue. He got the feeling he already knew where the former FBI agent was going with this. From the grin tugging at Caleb’s mouth, he probably did, too.
Forrest took a deep breath, like he was working up the courage to reveal some big secret. “Misty and I started going out a few days after she began working at STAT. It was hard not seeing each other as much as we would have liked, since we rarely worked the same missions. When we heard McKay was putting a new team together, Misty got into the files and put us on the short list of volunteers.”
On the other side of the table, Forrest looked like he was bracing himself in case Jake exploded at the news. When Jake didn’t, he frowned.
“You aren’t pissed?”
“No,” Jake admitted, then added, “but that’s because I already knew.”
Forrest’s eyes went wide. “You did? How?”
“I picked up your scents on each other the first morning we were here, when you and Misty were setting up the video teleconference equipment.”
Forrest winced. “Shit. I didn’t even think of that. So much for sneaking around when you’re on a team with werewolves.” His blue eyes darted to Caleb. “I guess you smelled our scents all over each other too, huh?”
Caleb shook his head. “Nah. Like I said at the embassy, my nose is crap compared to Jake’s and Harley’s. But my ears work great. Which means I heard you and Misty sneak into each other’s rooms to have sex. Trust me, you’re a lot louder than you think—to a werewolf anyway.”
“You heard…?” Forrest’s face turned red.
“Yeah, I heard everything.” Caleb held up a hand. “But hey, I’m not judging here. You do you, that’s what I always say. Although, if you could do it a little more quietly, that’d be cool.”
Forrest had the grace to look a little chagrined for a second, but then he pinned Jake and Caleb with a pointed look. “Okay, we’ll work on that, but when did this conversation become about me? The only reason I brought up Misty and me is so Jake can see it’s possible to be teammates with someone and still have a relationship with them, too. You just have to be willing to make it work. And trust each other.”
“Trust shouldn’t be an issue,” Caleb said, swigging his beer. “Since Jes isThe Onefor you, I mean.”
The words didn’t register for a second, and when they finally did, Jake was sure he’d heard wrong. “What are you talking about? I never suggested she’sThe Onefor me. Why would you even say something like that?”
Caleb looked at him like he was a moron…again. But it was Forrest who spoke first.
“Am I missing something here? I thought you and Jes were already getting hot and heavy, but now it sounds like you’re not sure if she’s the one you want to be with? Are you just messing with her?”
Jake frowned. “I’m not messing with her. I’m sure Jes is the woman I want to be with. I’m just not sure if she’sThe One.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Shit, this is even more complicated than I thought.”
Forrest stared at Jake, clearly baffled AF. “Now, I’m really confused.”
Caleb laughed. “It’s not your fault, dude. It’s a werewolf thing. When I suggested Jes isThe Onefor him, I was talking about her being his soul mate. He’s either terrified at the idea or too stupid to accept reality.”
Forrest still looked perplexed. Jake couldn’t blame him. He was a little rattled himself. While he might know what Caleb was talking about—there probably wasn’t a werewolf out there in the world who didn’t know the legend ofThe One—the thought that Jes might be his soul mate had never entered his mind. Seriously, how could she be? When it came to werewolves, soul mates were supposed to be a one-in-a-million thing. Hell, maybe even one in a billion.
“You’ve heard wolves mate for life, right?” Caleb asked Forrest. When the guy nodded, he continued, “Well, in some ways, werewolves do the same thing. There’s supposed to be one perfect person out there for each of us who we’re meant to be with forever. When a werewolf meets his or her soul mate, it’s supposed to be like catching lightning in a bottle.”
“Soul mates. Wow,” Forrest breathed. “I mean, Misty and I are solid, but I made a lot of dumb-ass mistakes when we first started dating. Would have been nice to know we’re soul mates the moment we met.”
“You’d think so,” Caleb agreed with a snort. “But for some reason, Jake is too busy swimming around in that river in Egypt to notice what’s right in front of him.”
