Page 43 of Pack and Forth
Together, they were unbreakable. And Rex would spend the rest of his life cherishing every moment, every laugh and every tear, every triumph and every struggle.
TWENTY-FOUR
Kira stood in front of the full-length mirror, her critical gaze sweeping over her reflection for what felt like the hundredth time. She tugged at the hem of her little black dress, the silky fabric clinging to her curves like a second skin. The daring slit up the side nearly reached her hip, offering a tantalizing peek of her toned, golden leg with every step.
She had to hand it to Gerri - the woman knew how to pick a dress that was both stylish and strategically seductive. Kira just hoped she could walk in these strappy death traps masquerading as heels. The things she did for justice.
With a final twist in front of the mirror, Kira grimaced at her reflection. “Well, if this doesn’t scream ‘honeytrap,’ I don’t know what does,” she muttered to herself, feeling slightly ridiculous in the bombshell getup.
But beneath the wisecracks and eye rolls, Kira’s nerves were stretched tighter than a high wire. This was it - the culmination of weeks of meticulous planning, endless stake-outs, and more than a few close calls. Tonight, they finally had a chance to bring down Franklin Dupont and put an end to his reign of terror over the Paranormal Dating Agency.
Kira still couldn’t believe the depths of Dupont’s depravity. His vengeful scheme to destroy Gerri’s life’s work, to shatter the hopes and dreams of countless shifters, all because the matchmaker had dared to turn him away? It made Kira’s blood boil hotter than a smelting furnace.
But anger wouldn’t serve her tonight. No, tonight called for cunning, precision, and nerves of steel. She and the boys had spent days going over every detail of the sting until they could recite the plan backward and forward in their sleep.
Nash, tech wizard extraordinaire, had whipped up a fake dating profile for Kira that was as enticing as it was bogus. “Kira Moonbeam,” he’d dubbed her, nearly falling out of his chair with laughter at Kira’s horrified expression. “twenty-two, new to the city, and looking for her one true mate. Enjoys long walks on the beach, scented candles, and men who are secretly evil masterminds.”
Rex, meanwhile, had scouted their chosen battleground with the intensity of a general planning a major offensive. Highlight, the hottest new restaurant in town, boasted a wait list longer than a shifter’s lifespan. But Rex, ever the master tactician, had pulled some strings to secure Kira a prime table, complete with unobstructed sightlines and multiple escape routes.
“Um, should I be concerned by how easily you slipped into James Bond mode?” Kira had joked, watching Rex pore over the restaurant’s blueprints for the umpteenth time.
He’d simply quirked a brow at her, his lips twitching with a hint of amusement. “Worried you won’t be able to keep your paws off me in that tux, sweetheart?”
Kira had thrown a pillow at his unfairly chiseled face, ignoring the flare of heat his words ignited in her belly.
And now, here she was, trussed up like a paranormal Mata Hari, ready to go toe-to-toe with a psychopath. She’d run through her role so many times, she could practically recite her lines in her sleep. The naive ingenue, fresh off the turnip truck and desperate for love. It made her skin crawl to even pretend to be that vulnerable and gullible.
But if playing the damsel in distress was what it took to bring Dupont to his knees? Well, hand her the fainting couch and a frilly parasol, because Kira was ready to put on the performance of a lifetime.
A sharp rap on her door startled Kira out of her reverie. She took a deep, steadying breath, squaring her shoulders like a soldier preparing for battle. It was go time.
“Knock, knock,” Nash’s voice singsonged through the door. “Your dashing dates have arrived, Miss Moonbeam. Although I must say, Rex fills out a suit better than--OW! Hey, I was just stating facts!”
Kira bit back a grin, picturing Rex’s long-suffering eye roll as he likely elbowed Nash in the ribs. Those two were a comedy act unto themselves, and she’d need every ounce of their levity to get through tonight without losing her mind.
With a final fortifying breath, Kira crossed to the door on only slightly wobbly legs. She flung it open, striking a pose that she hoped read more ‘femme fatale’ than ‘baby giraffe in stilettos.’
“Well, boys,” she drawled, taking in their equally stunned expressions with a surge of feminine pride, “ready to go catch us a bad guy?”
Nash let out a low wolf whistle, his eyes sparkling with mischief and something deeper, something that made Kira’s stomach do a little flip. “Damn, baby cakes. You clean up real nice.”
Rex, meanwhile, simply stared at her, his gaze scorching a path from her glossy curls to her strappy sandals. When his eyes finally met hers, the intensity Kira saw there nearly buckled her knees.
“Kira,” he rumbled, his voice low and rough with an emotion she dared not name. “You look...incredible.”
Kira’s heart stuttered in her chest, a blush rising to her cheeks that had nothing to do with the layers of makeup she’d so carefully applied. Clearing her throat, she gave them both a saucy wink.
“Save the sweet talk for the victory celebration, handsome,” she quipped, trying to ignore the way her pulse was doing the mambo. “We’ve got a snake to catch, and I’d hate to keep him waiting.”
Rex crossed the room in a few long strides, his hand coming up to cup her cheek. “You ready for this, baby?”
Kira leaned into his touch, drawing strength from the contact. “As I’ll ever be. Let’s do this.”
They went over the plan one last time, checking and double-checking their equipment. Kira wore a small, practically invisible earpiece that would allow her to stay in constant contact with the guys. They’d be stationed at a table nearby, posing as businessmen having a dinner meeting.
At the first sign of trouble, they’d swoop in. But the goal was to get Dupont to incriminate himself, to catch him red-handed in the act of setting up another fraudulent match.
Kira’s stomach churned with anxiety as they made their way to the restaurant. She kept telling herself this was just another case, another role to play. But the stakes had never been higher.