Zoe and Chloe exchanged looks, then laughed.
“You don’t even know how to Skype,” Zoe pointed out.
He chuckled. “Okay, you got me. But I’ll figure it out.”
“We’ll hold you to that,” Zoe said. “Or we’ll start burning up your phone with text messages, and we know how much you hate typing with those monster-sized fingers of yours.”
Running over, Zoe and Chloe hugged him, telling him to be careful while he was in London.
“Do you want us to wait for you to get back to go pick out our puppy?” Chloe asked when she and Zoe pulled away.
Damn. He’d completely forgotten. They were supposed to go to the shelter and adopt a rescue tomorrow. It was all the girls had talked about since they’d moved there.
Jake shook his head. “I don’t want you and the cute little furball to wait on me. You two go and pick him—or her—out.” He glanced at his watch again. “Crap. I have to pack.”
Crossing the living area, he headed down the short hallway that separated the bedrooms from the rest of the apartment. His was the one at the farthest end and also the biggest of the three. Painted a light sand color, there were two dressers in addition to the king-size bed and two night tables.
Grabbing his weekender from the closet, he stuffed it with a little of everything, not exactly sure what he’d need. Before he’d left the office, McKay mentioned he and his teammates would get weapons once they got overseas, but beyond that, he wasn’t sure if they’d be running the mission in tactical outfits or business suits. He’d just grabbed his toiletry kit and toothbrush, trying to think if there was anything he was missing, when his werewolf hearing picked up hushed voices from the kitchen.
“What do you think about inviting Austin and Colt over for dinner tomorrow night?” Chloe asked softly, as if she thought that would keep him from hearing. “We could order pizza or cook them something. As a thank-you for helping with the couch and stuff.”
“They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach,” Zoe pointed out. “And since Jake won’t be home, the guys would definitely be cool with it.”
Jake shook his head as he picked up his bag and headed out of the bedroom. “You two know that I’m still here, right? And that I can hear every word you’re saying?”
Zoe and Chloe were leaning back against the granite-topped island that separated the kitchen from the living room, grinning like they were the funniest people in the world.
“Yeah, we know,” Zoe said.
“And that you could hear us,” Chloe added. “We just wanted to give you a reason to Skype a lot while you’re gone.”
He snorted and dropped his bag on the floor, then walked over to wrap his arms around them in a group hug.
“Be careful while I’m away, okay?” he said. “And don’t do anything crazy.”
“We will,” they promised in unison.
“You be careful, too,” Chloe said.
“And come home soon,” Zoe added.
Jake picked up his bag but didn’t head for the door. Instead, he stood there wondering if working for STAT was a good idea. Because right then, the alpha werewolf in him didn’t like the notion of being separated from his pack.
But then Zoe and Chloe were hurrying him out the door so he wouldn’t miss his ride, and all he was left with were doubts.
Chapter 2
London
When her new teammates walked in the door of the small medical clinic in the basement of the American embassy in London, Jes immediately knew which one Jake Huang was. When she’d talked to Nathan McKay on the phone earlier, he’d described Jake as a charismatic man who commanded any room he stepped into. McKay was right.
Asian American with jet-black hair and dark eyes, Jake was easily six five. It was obvious he was extremely well built under that leather jacket, muscular more in that lean Tarzan kind of way than the bulky look of someone who lifted a buttload of weights. As he crossed the room, Jes couldn’t help noticing the graceful way he moved.
Like an animal—a predator.
Then again, he was a werewolf.
He extended his hand. “Agent Ridley. Jake Huang.” He glanced at the other people with him—two more werewolves; a tall, dark-haired guy; and a woman with lavender eyes and hair to match. “Harley Grant, Caleb Lynch, Forrest Albright, and Misty Swanson,” he said, pointing to each as he introduced them before turning back to her. “It’s nice finally meeting you, though I wish it could have been under different circumstances.”
