Page 66 of Loving the Wolf
“Jenna! Hannah! Over here,” Kat called out, waving at them from a nearby picnic table. “I’ve been saving a seat for you guys.”
Jenna had met Kat Davenport, Connor’s soulmate, when she’d visited Dallas the first time, and since moving here, Kat had become close friends with her and Hannah. Part of it was her willingness to reveal all their brother’s most embarrassing secrets, but the bigger part was how easy it was to talk to her about nearly anything.
“Hey,” Jenna said, giving Kat a smile as she and Hannah joined her. “Any idea where Trevor and my brother are? They said they’d be here when we got to the compound.”
Kat nudged an open bag of chips in their direction. “They were supposed to be, but they went on a call earlier this morning. It was some kind of shooting, but apparently there wasn’t much SWAT could do to help since the assailants were long gone before they arrived. Trevor and Connor stayed for a while to help out but are already on the way back.”
Jenna let out a sigh of relief. Trevor and Connor might be werewolves and could handle a lot of damage, but they weren’t indestructible, so she couldn’t help worrying every time they went out on a call.
While they waited for the guys to show up, Jenna, Hannah, and Kat chatted about the new apartment as well as she and Trevor visiting an animal rescue to adopt a dog soon and Hannah’s new job. Her sister would be leaving in a few days to start her field training with STAT, which Hannah couldn’t be more excited about.
“What’s going on with Madeleine and those paranormal investigators who helped you guys out in LA?” Kat asked, nibbling a corn chip while they waited for Hale to finish grilling. “Have you talked to them since moving?”
While Kat had been as eager as the rest of the Pack in the part Jenna, Trevor, Connor, and Hannah had played in what had happened out in Los Angeles, she’d also wanted to hear about what Madeleine and the HOPD peeps had done during the rescue.
“Owen is talking to STAT about HOPD doing some part-time work for them,” Jenna said, relaying what the paranormal investigators had told her when they’d Skyped a few days ago. “Nothing dangerous, of course. Just some research and occasional recon. They’re pretty hyped about the idea.”
“And Madeleine?” Kat prompted. “She still working as a private chef?”
Jenna nodded. “Yeah, she’s still doing the private chef gig, but not nearly as much since she’s also started working at Davina’s club, adding a little haute cuisine to their nighttime menu. It turns out that she and Kia not only work together really well but are also becoming besties. Madeleine spends almost all her free time hanging out with Kia and her girlfriend. She’s also picked up where I left off handing out meals to the unhoused in Skid Row and giving me updates on all my friends who livethere. She even got two of my closest friends—Nicole and Ada—into a job training program that includes housing. Madeleine is doing amazing work out there.”
Before Kat could say anything, Trevor and Connor appeared at the table, along with Mike. Trevor slid a paper plate in front of her with a Jenna-sized cheeseburger on it with a side of baked beans and just enough coleslaw so she could lie to herself about having a veggie with the meal. Of course, Trevor’s plate held more food than three non-werewolves would be able to eat, including four Trevor-sized cheeseburgers. On the other side of the table, Connor placed a plate in front of Kat as he sat down.
“What kept you guys so long?” Hale asked, joining them at the table with his own mountainous pile of food as well as a plate for Hannah. “Gage said it was a shooting?”
Mike nodded. “Yeah. It looks like another gang-related turf war might be starting. There was an attack on a large outdoor party near Terrace Grove. A dozen dead, all with ties to the Hillside Riders.”
“So we’re thinking it’s the Locos?” Hale questioned. “Did anyone get a look at the shooters?”
“The Locos makes the most sense,” Trevor said, picking up on the narrative, and Jenna could only assume they were talking about two competing gangs here in Dallas. “All we know about theshooters is that they were five big guys. No one got a look at their faces but said they were wearing tactical gear of some type. At least three of the assailants were shot during the gun battle and barely even stumbled.”
“At least no innocents were hit,” Connor said. “The attacker only went after heavily armed gang members.”
“I don’t think we can notch that up to anything more than pure luck,” Mike said, and to Jenna, it seemed as if the rest of the guys agreed.
Thankfully, there wasn’t much shop talk after that, as everyone started talking about their favorite movies and TV shows of the past ten years, trying to help Hannah come up with a list of things to catch up on. That left Jenna and Trevor free to talk quietly to each other.
“So have you decided which job offer you’re going to take?” Trevor asked as he leaned over and scooped up some chips from the bag on the table.
Jenna took a small bite of her burger, savoring the juicy taste and trying not to smile too much with her mouth full. “I’ve decided to take the job with the effects house on Dyer Street. They do more graphic and CGI work than I’ve ever done so it’s way different from what I’m used to, but they love my work and are willing to train me, which was a major factor in my decision.”
Beside her, Trevor visibly relaxed at hearingthat. While he hadn’t said anything, of course, she knew he felt badly about her leaving a job she had in LA that she not only enjoyed but that paid well. She knew he’d been nervous she wouldn’t be able to find anything even close to that in Dallas. And while it was true she’d never find a job that paid as much as her last one, it was also true that almost everything in Dallas was cheaper than it was in LA, so money here definitely went further. Not to mention the fact that she now had Trevor, which was worth all the money in the world.
As they ate, she and Trevor talked about when she’d start, her work schedule, and how her days off would line up with his and how they would start getting involved with helping the unhoused population here in Dallas. The simple mundane act of planning for future getaways was enough to turn her heart to mush all over again. Yet one more example of what it meant to have a soul mate, she supposed. Or maybe this was simply what it was like to be in love?
A few minutes later, Hannah slipped down to their end of the table to tell them that she was heading inside with some of the Pack to watch a bunch of the Marvel movies on DVD that she’d missed. “Since I saw all the Phase One movies, we’re going to binge-watch all the Phase Two movies starting withIron Man 3up to and includingAnt-Man,” she said, clearly excited. “You two wanna join us?”
Jenna threw a glance Trevor’s way, immediately knowing what he’d rather do from the quirky smile tipping up the corners of his lips.
“Actually, I think we’re going to head back to the apartment and finish unpacking some boxes,” Jenna said, realizing this movie marathon would give her and Trevor hours and hours of alone time. Something that had been in short supply since her sister had moved in with them. “Maybe we’ll neaten up the cabinets some, too.”
“Neatening the cabinets?” Hannah flashed them a broad smile. “Is that what people started calling it while I was away?” Laughing at Jenna’s blush, she leaned over and hugged her. “Go home with your soul mate and have fun. I’ll spend the night at Connor and Kat’s place. You two have fun.”
Trevor was already tugging her up from the table before Jenna had a chance to reply. “You heard your sister. Let’s go home.”
Home.
She liked the sound of that.
