the only one who needed it, because the Guardians could heal a lot quicker from a bullet than he would.
The agent had weaved himself into their lives, and had learned everything he could about the shifters. He also knew to let them go in ahead. It kept his chances of being hit to a minimum. Taze and the other Guardians were leery of humans to begin with, and with the questions surrounding Agent Murdock, they were tightening their lines of communication with the agents.
Tabor was the only trusted one of the agents, but even with his admission of surveillance on Murdock, the pride kept a lot of their information to themselves. Secrecy had been an important role of their kind for thousands of years. After the war with the Gadaí, they’d separated, forming their own prides, packs, and clans, and spread out across the world. It was safer that way.
“Evie, be on alert,” Storm reminded her. She gave a little finger wave and disappeared into a darkened area to the left of the house.
Taze and Storm took to the front door while Agent Tabor and Lucky slinked around to the back. Taze used his enhanced hearing as they approached the porch. Someone was moving around inside, but the sound was a little farther away, ensuring they were inside. He pulled his phone from his pocket and hid the light from the screen as he sent a message to Lucky. They would quietly go inside in thirty seconds. On Lucky’s reply, he began the countdown.
Storm and Taze quieted, listening for any other sounds that might indicate another person in the house. When the clock showed it was time to go, he prayed his hearing hadn’t deceived him. Now was not the time to be confronted with lookouts holding guns. The plan was to go in and take down the dealer and be out before anyone heard even a pin drop.
Storm made the motion for Taze to try the door. Fortunately, the house still had its old hardware and no deadbolts. The entry was easy as he used his strength to break the lock on the handle.
The stench of something chemical burned his nose as he entered a small foyer. Stairs to his right led to the upstairs room where the dealer was hiding out. Tabor and Lucky met them at the base and all four of them nodded their readiness to go after the male.
Each step on the staircase was taken in a precise pattern as to not make a sound. Storm went first and Taze followed, placing his feet exactly where the other Guardian had just been. His beast wanted to shift for safety, but he reeled it in. Now was not a good time to be furry. The animal would get his time to be free once they were home.
The stench became stronger the closer they got. He’d never been around the cocaine they’d been adding to the Khat for the shifters, but he knew the drug was sometimes cut with manmade chemicals, and from the way the other shifters covered their noses, he knew they’d scented it as well.
The door to the lit room was cracked open, but it gave them perfect sight into what was going on inside. The male, probably in his mid-thirties with greasy, black hair, worked over a table with scales and baggies just like the ones they’d found on the rogues. A pile of white powder lay on a paper plate just to his left, and to his right, a pistol lay waiting in case something went down.
Taze’s panther snarled in his head. The male had no idea they were even there, and that was like candy to a predator. He could taste the victory on his tongue, and the other Guardians around him swayed with anticipation.
Tabor held his hand up as he counted down. On his command, they rushed into the room. Taze grabbed the male while Storm removed the weapon. In a matter of seconds, the human male was up against the wall, singing like a canary.
“I didn’t do it,” he choked out as Taze’s eyes threw amber sparks. The animal inside him growled from the lie.
“Is there anyone else in the house?” Agent Tabor asked as he searched the room. “If you tell me no, and I find out there is another person here, you will not like the outcome.”
“Ah, can we just play with him anyway?” Taze wanted to scare the male, and it worked. His eyes widened as