Page 39 of Flesh and Fury
“You don’t have any checked baggage?” she asked, smiling pleasantly at Ari as she fell into step beside him.
Ari hefted his duffel. “Only my carry on. We travel lightly. We were told we could obtain weapons once we were on the ground. We didn’t want to have to deal with packing our gun cases for the flight and any complications carrying would cause.”
She nodded in understanding. Traveling as a civilian meant that TSA wouldn’t be that understanding if they were carrying.
“Where do they have you staying?” she asked.
Eoghan reached into his pocket and pulled out some paperwork. “The Marriott on Tech Center Drive. I understand it’s close to your office.”
“Good. That’s less than a half hour from here. We’ll take you there,” Rana said, smiling again.
“Not much of a talker?” Ari said, turning to Red Crow, not expecting an answer.
“No,” he said as they exited the terminal.
Ari didn’t register the insult as he spotted the old Blazer parked at the curb. He smiled to himself; their friends from the Tahoe shifter reservation also drove an old olive-green Blazer. As they walked toward the vehicle, the doors opened, and two figures stepped out. Surprisingly, Alo Uwaite was the first one Ari recognized. For a second, his jaw dropped but a moment later, Alo grinned widely at him.
“Uwaite!” he shouted, running to the police deputy who opened his arms and scooped him up as if they’d been long lost bros. It had been a few months since they’d seen each other, and Ari had to admit, it was good to be in the company of allies in this bullshit called life on the road. Even with Eoghan at his side, it got lonely sometimes.
“Hey, Ari, how you doin’, buddy?” Alo slapped him on the back after setting him back on the ground.
“What are you doing here in Colorado, brother?” he asked. He held out a hand and shook the one Alo offered. Joe came around the front of the truck with a grin on his face. He held out a hand to Eoghan who grabbed him and gave him a half-hug, slapping him on the back as he shook his hand, thenpassing him off to Ari to do the same. When they all came up for air, Ari turned to find Rana watching them curiously.
“Sorry, we know them a little,” Eoghan said, laughing at the look of surprise on her face and the ever-frowning Andy Red Crow.
“That’s good to know,” she said, smiling. “Two Trees said you all knew each other but not how well you got along.”
“We heard you know them a lot, enough to endanger all shifters with your reckless bullshit,” Andy said.
“Andy!” Rana warned.
Ari lost a little of his good humor as he turned to the frowning police chief. “No need to worry, Rana. Your friend Andy here heard a fairy story,” Ari said, frowning at the big Native American who stood nearly as tall as he did. He had no idea what this guy would shift into. But whatever it was, Ari knew he was probably a top of the food chain predator, if not a very young one who’d just inherited responsibility for a large and wealthy reservation with the gambling on their rez.
Regardless, it didn’t give him any cause to be a jerk and it was incumbent upon his elders—of which they seemed absent—to teach him rules and manners in shifter and human society…especially since they ran a gambling concern. With humans coming onto the reservation to drop dollars into the tribe’s account, he couldn’t imagine anything worse than an Alpha shifter who didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground. Or who made stupid decisions because they weren’t thought through like an adult. Both of these were scary ideas when it came to making alliances and judging by the look on his lover’s face, Ari was sure Eoghan had the same notions about the young shifter as he did. Andy Red Crow would learn how to be all these things, but it was going to take him some time and a firm hand guiding him…time which none of them had, not with what was coming at them.
“Would you like to discuss this in your office before we go to the hotel or is it safer to talk about this at the hotel?” Eoghan asked Rana.
“I suggest we go to the hotel. There shouldn’t be any prying eyes there and we can discuss things at length,” she said, turning back from Eoghan with an open and placid expression, very different than the way she’d been looking at Andy. He had a feeling she recognized his shortcomings and was a mentor of sorts.
“That sounds good,” Eoghan said.
“Folks, you have to move these vehicles away from the curb,” a uniformed man said. He pointed to the Chevy Blazer but also to a black F-150 which was covered with road grime and dried mud. Ari hadn’t even noticed the truck parked behind Two Trees’ Chevy with all the excitement of seeing their friends.
“Why don’t you two come with us,” Joe suggested before turning to Rana. “Would that be okay with you, Chief?”
“Sure, why don’t you two follow Andy and me?”
“Sounds good,” Alo said. He met Ari’s eyes, pointing to his duffel. “You have any other bags?”
Ari smiled. “Nope. This is it.”
“Okay then,” Joe said, unlocking the hatch at the back. “You can store them here for the drive to the hotel.”
“Thanks,” Eoghan said, as they hefted their bags into the space.
They climbed in, and Joe started the truck, pulling out behind Andy Red Crow who’d gunned the powerful engine of his truck and sped past them.
“I’m pretty sure I don’t like that guy,” Alo said.