Power Unleashed (Miami Scorcher, Book Three)

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An Excerpt From: POWER UNLEASHED

Copyright © SAVANNAH STUART, 2010

All Rights Reserved, Ellora's Cave Publishing, Inc.

Chapter One

Adam Tucker stared at the palatial guesthouse from the front seat of his rented SUV. The Lazos pack was one of the few who had done incredibly well for themselves over the years. Most packs were well-off, but this family lived in luxury. The fact that they owned a private stretch of beach in Key Biscayne spoke volumes. That was in addition to their other holdings across the country. Not that any of that would matter to The Council if they'd gone against their laws.

When the front door opened and Thomas Lazos stepped out, Adam realized he might have been sitting outside too long. Without pause, he got out and strode over to one of the alphas of the pack. More distinctly, the next-in-line to be Alpha of the Lazos pack. "It's been a while, Thomas."

The dark-haired wolf nodded politely and held out a hand. "I wish it was under different circumstances, but welcome to our guest home. My Alpha sends his regards, but--"

Adam grasped his hand and brushed away the apology with a shake of his head. "Your father called. No apology necessary."

"Good then. Do you have many bags?"

He shook his head. "I'll get them later. For now I'd like to get down to business."

Thomas stepped back and held out his arm toward the open front door. They were silent as they strode across the tiled floor and entered the kitchen. That was one of the things he liked about the other wolf. Thomas didn't reek of fear as so many others did in his presence.

Adam understood that as The Council's enforcer, it was only natural that wolves would be wary around him, but it made for a lonesome existence.

Thomas surprised him by grabbing a beer from the refrigerator. "Want one?"

It was instinct to say no to any food or drink offered, but he nodded as he took a seat at the granite top center island. "Sure."

As he popped open the beers, Thomas glanced over his shoulder. "You can start firing away if you're ready."

Adam waited until Thomas slid the beer across to him and took a seat. "It's a formality because the business with the Immortal has already been settled. Asha was on The Council's radar for years and it's officially been ruled that your kill was justified."

Thomas shrugged and took a sip of his Heineken. "I wasn't worried."

Adam hadn't expected him to be. When a crazed Immortal had tried to kidnap Thomas' brother Nick's mate, Thomas had no choice but to kill the Immortal. As a rule, they were a lone bunch and Asha's reputation for abusing human women had been growing. He wasn't going to tell Thomas, but The Council was relieved Asha was dead. Any supernatural beings that couldn't follow the laws of man and nature put all of them in danger from the humans. "So what have you learned so far about the rogue werewolf, Preston Morales?"

"He's in Miami. That much we're sure of. He contacted my brother Stephan's new mate yesterday and told her that if she didn't turn herself over to him, he was going to start leaving more presents for her."

"More?"

"He said Antonio Perez was his first gift to her."

The body of Perez, the human who'd tried to genetically alter werewolf DNA to create super-soldiers, had been found bloody and mangled in an abandoned warehouse a few days ago. It was good he was dead, but there was still a missing human who'd been injected with some sort of serum and now had super strength. No one knew where he was. "What about the human?"

Thomas shook his head. "No leads."

"And your brother can't use his contacts with the DEA?" Stephan, the youngest of the Lazos brothers worked for the DEA and if it hadn't been for him, they might not have found out about Perez's plans.

"No. Since Perez's death Stephan's boss has him and his entire team on indefinite leave until they figure out if their cover was blown. It's not as if Stephan can admit he knows who killed Perez so until then, he's working with us to bring Morales down."

Adam nodded. "Good." Thomas wasn't lying to him. That much was obvious. No doubt the Lazos pack wanted this settled as quickly as The Council. "I'd like to speak to the two she-wolves who were held captive by Perez."

Thomas' entire demeanor changed in an instant. His back straightened and his gaze became shuttered. "Tonight is Nick's birthday. His new mate is having a party at my Alpha's house at six and everyone will be there, including Shea and Paz. It's your choice but I thought it might be easier on...everyone if you spoke to them in a relaxed setting. They're both still adjusting."

Adam could imagine they'd be "adjusting" for quite a while after what they'd been through. The report on Shea Hart and Paz Cabrera was sketchy at best. The two very different she-wolves came from different parts of the country and were just two of the wolves who had been kidnapped and sold to Antonio Perez for experimentation. Out of all the males and females the madman had kept captive, only these two women survived. "That's acceptable."

After draining his beer, Thomas stood. "If there's anything else you need, you've got all our numbers. The house is yours so feel free to choose any bedroom upstairs. Do you want a ride to the party tonight?"

He shook his head and glanced at his watch. He only had a couple hours to get settled in and review his notes on the entire pack. "No. I think I'll be able to find my way."

"All right then. I'll let myself out."

Adam scrubbed a hand over his face once Thomas was gone. Some days he hated his job more than others. He said a silent prayer that the Lazos pack wasn't hiding anything from him. For the most part he kept his distance from all wolves, but this was one pack he wanted to be above reproach. After all the shit he'd seen over the past few decades, he was getting tired of dealing with liars.

* * * * *

Paz glanced at her sister Marisol as the sound of male voices grew closer. "I think we have a visitor," she murmured.

"Do you want to go rest or something?" Marisol asked, concern etched on her pretty face.

It was weird having her little sister constantly checking on her. If Paz hadn't been missing for a year and presumed dead, she might have been annoyed with Marisol's constant concern, but she understood where it was coming from. "I'm not going to fall apart just because we have unexpected company."

Marisol rolled her eyes and threw a dishtowel at her. "I know that. I'm just--"

"Worried. I know. And I appreciate it, but I'm fine." And she was. For the most part anyway. It had only been a few days since she and Shea had been freed. Not a lot of time to actually process everything.

"Okay, I swear I'll stop bugging you...eventually." Marisol placed the knife next to the eggplants she'd sliced and reached for a bottle of wine. "Feel like a drink?"

"Yes, please." Despite saying she was fine, tension prickled the back of her neck. In a few hours she'd be seeing the entire Lazos pack for the first time. Sure, she'd met a bunch of them over the past couple days, but she didn't relish the thought of being in a crowded room.

"Hey, Paz, Marisol." Thomas' voice drew her attention to the archway between the kitchen and hallway. The tall, dark-haired shifter stood halfway in the room but was obviously keeping his distance.

She nodded politely and took the glass her sister handed her. "Hello."

"You got a sec to talk?" he asked.

"Ah--" Marisol interrupted.

"Yes." Paz dropped a kiss on her sister's cheek. "I finished the trifle. I think you can handle the eggplant parmesan by yourself." Without giving her a chance to protest, Paz followed Thomas through the back door onto the lanai.

"So what's up?" She collapsed on one of the wicker armchairs.

He sat next to her on an ottoman and leaned forward. His dark eyes flashed with unease and that surprised her. "Adam Tucker is here."

"I figured as much. So why are you worried?" She narrowed her gaze at him. Paz had been staying with Marisol and her new mate Stephan, and for the past couple days Thomas had been stopping by for obviously made up reasons. Not that she minded the company, just the opposite. But now she wanted to know why he kept making excuses to see her.

He shook his head. "I'm not. As long as we stick to the story, we'll be fine."