Bears' Claim [PUP Squad Alpha 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read Free Page A

office, and then Eric got to experience firsthand the nauseating side effects of slip travel.
     
    * * * *
     
    West hid his grin as his rather green-looking cousin stepped into the room. Alex guided Eric none too gently onto the sofa, pushed him down, and handed him a bowl of salt-encrusted crackers. It was obvious that the last thing Eric wanted to do was eat, but Ronan’s quiet “it helps” was enough to get him to do as they suggested.
    They gave Eric a few minutes to compose himself before beginning the mission briefing. West glanced around the room as most of his squadmates and several of Ronan’s operatives took their seats at the large table.
    From the outside, this building looked like any of the other family homes in the small town of Sugarvale, but that’s where the similarity stopped. Inside was set up as headquarters for both PUP Squad Alpha and Deeks Security. This room alone contained just about every high-tech gadget West could ever want. Even Wilson looked impressed, and when it came to tech stuff, Wilson, being a self-proclaimed technogeek, was notoriously hard to please.
    There were several operatives missing—Jason was still on emergency family leave, and it looked like Nathan and Alex were protecting their wives while Brody and Ronan attended the meeting—but the most notable absence was Darian. Considering the conflict he and Eric had earlier, it was probably a good thing, but it did make West wonder about the warlock’s state of mind. He’d had every right to be annoyed at Eric’s careless words, but he’d reacted way out of proportion to the provocation. Many of their coworkers had noticed Darian’s changed behavior, but so far none had been able to learn the reason for it.
    “Eric,” Ronan said, indicating West’s cousin, but addressing the men at the table, “is the mate of one of the women we’ve been searching for. Until four weeks ago, she was working as a nurse under the name of Hannah Long. She disappeared sometime between then and now. We’re not sure of the exact timing, but our biggest concern is that she might go back to using her original name.”
    “Her original…?” Eric asked in a worried voice from his position on the sofa. It was clear that he wanted answers, but he was at least aware enough to realize he was only here as a courtesy, not as an active participant. Fortunately Ronan took pity on the guy and explained.
    “Hannah was born Annie Franklin. Her family was taken into the Witness Protection Program after her father testified against a mobster he’d seen kill somebody.” Ronan glanced at Benjamin, perhaps confirming that Eric had been cleared to hear the details. “The family doesn’t seem to have had any problems once their names were changed. Our big concern is that with her father having passed away several years ago, Hannah would have reason to believe it’s safe to revert to her birth name. The trouble is that the assassinations targeted women all with the same birthday. They’ll be looking for the name on the birth certificate.”
    West could see the fear for Hannah written very clearly on his cousin’s face.
    “We have to find her,” Eric said in a moment of obviously sheer panic. He had to realize that was why they were all here. The squad had been looking for Annie Franklin and several other women since learning of the link between them and the pixie assassinations of three humans just over a month ago.
    “We will find her,” Ronan said in a voice that wasn’t nearly as gruff as it once was. Apparently finding a mate of his own had softened the battle-hardened soldier just a little. He nodded at West and then waited for his report.
    “Hannah’s bank records show that she withdrew all but a few dollars of her savings. She sold her car to a secondhand dealer not far from her home. Nothing in her history indicates an ability or willingness to steal a car, so we’re currently trying to trace all cash sales for that same day.”
    “Does