Page 39 of Butterfly Assassin
“Coffee would be great, thanks.” Frank smiled amiably, and Michael felt obliged to ask for a coffee too.
“How long will they be?” It wasn’t as though they had anything important to discuss or anything.Christ.
Thomas glanced at the clock. “They should be here any time now.”
They’d no sooner sat down with their coffees when the front door opened and voices sounded in the hall.
Michael couldn’t help but ask. “They have a key to your home?”
“Isaac does, as do my other betas.”
Fair enough. Michael’s mum and Frank had a key to his place.
Isaac came into the living room first, wearing a shirt and trousers, and Michael noted how well he filled out his clothes. Of course he did—shifters looked good in anything. And so did Harry, who followed after him, wearing black trousers and a black shirt with a little logo on the pocket that Michael couldn’t quite make out.
But when Aaron walked in, Michael almost choked on his coffee. And it was all Frank’s fault.
After their conversation in the car, instead of giving Aaron the vague appreciation he’d given the other two, Michael found his gaze lingering. Aaron wore the same black shirt and trousers as Harry, but they seemed to cling to Aaron more in all the right places. The material of his shirt pulled taut along his shoulders, outlining the strength underneath, and his package was far too well defined in those trousers. With great effort, Michael tore his gaze away and took another drink of coffee.
Fucking focus.
He sent Frank a glare. Even if he didn’t know what it was for, it made Michael feel better.
When everyone was settled, he set his coffee down and clasped his hands. “So, the plan for tonight is as follows…”
He felt four sets of eyes on him as he explained how he thought things would go down. Frank had heard it all before, so he sat there watching everyone else.
Ideally, Michael would have liked one of the SCTF to go along with them, but a human accompanying two shifters would be weird at best, and they needed this to go smoothly. They’d just have to rely on Isaac and Harry being able to defend themselves if things went wrong.
“Am I going to wear a wire?” Harry asked when Michael finished talking.
“No.” He managed not to laugh, even though Harry sounded like someone off a TV crime show. “I mean, we could do something like that, but we can also remotely activate the microphone on your iPhone to record the conversation.”
Harry’s eyes went wide, and then he quickly glanced at where his phone sat on the table. His thoughts were so easy to read it was almost comical.
Michael sighed. “No, we haven’t been listening to your conversations. We need to obtain your permission to install something on your phone first. There are laws and procedures we have to follow too.”
Looking mollified but not altogether convinced, Harry nodded. “Okay.”
“Detective Archer.” Alpha Thomas’s voice, although relatively soft, still commanded respect, and Michael looked over at him immediately. “I have a slight addition to the plan you’ve outlined. If I may?”
“Please.” He gestured for Thomas to carry on, curious as to what he had to say. No doubt Michael would have to veto it and then spend an hour arguing about why.
“Two of Isaac’s unit will accompany them tonight. They’ll stay well out of sight but within hearing range. Just in case. I don’t know these people, and although we’ve agreed to help in your investigation, my first priority is always my pack, Detective. I won’t leave them to meet with armed humans without backup.”
He stared at Michael, expression hard and ready to argue, but surprisingly, Michael thought he made a good point. Any of the SCTF wouldn’t be able to get close enough to be of any use, not without being seen, anyway. And although he thought this was overkill, Harry only owed a few hundred pounds, not thousands, it wouldn’t hurt to have backup. He didn’t fancy explaining to the alpha council how he managed to get members of Thomas’s pack injured or killed. Some things they couldn’t heal from.
“Fine,” he said. “Just make sure they stay well out of sight.”
Thomas seemed taken aback, obviously not expecting Michael to acquiesce so easily. He recovered quickly. “Of course.”
Addressing Harry, Michael said, “You all set for later? Any questions?”
“No, I think I’m good.” He scooped up his phone. “I should get a text later telling me where to meet them.”
“Okay. As soon as you do, let us know.”
“Yeah, all right.” Harry added Michael and Frank’s numbers to his phone.
