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  Giselle inhaled. She empathized with Brooke. Jade had been her closest friend in the clan. They fought like sisters and loved just as hard.

  When Jade found her mate and moved out, it had taken a toll on Giselle. Fortunately, Giselle had made a fantastic friend in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, she couldn't talk about her new friend or suggest that Brooke get involved in the kind of activities that she and Zoe did.

  I'm pretty sure no one would approve of my friendship with Zoe.

  Giselle folded her arms. "I get where you're coming from. I was pretty close to Jade, and it hurt when she left. We only knew each other for a couple of years. I can't imagine what it's like for you with Rowan."

  Brooke sipped her drink and hummed in agreement. "Thank you. All Mara could tell me was that I needed to move on." Brooke rolled her eyes. "Talk about stating the obvious."

  "Well, why don't you? There are lots of gorgeous girls here tonight. There always are, but you never seem to pay them any mind."

  Brooke scoffed. "Seriously? They're all smitten by you! I don't stand a chance. I'm a dragon shifter in a sea of wolf shifters that all want the top wolf shifter lesbian. Casanova Giselle."

  Giselle winced. Brooke was deadly accurate. But Giselle didn't want that type of life anymore. Over the last few weeks, she'd become disenchanted with it all. Flirting with strangers and bedding them didn't satisfy her like it once did.

  I wonder why that is? A voice whispered in her mind.

  Giselle shoved it away and exhaled. "That may be true, but I'm not chasing after the girls anymore. So, the field is wide open. You could become the new thing. You're freakishly hot, and you're a dragon shifter. That's rare and powerful."

  Brooke cocked her head. "You know, I have noticed that you've been staying out less and less over the last few weeks. What's up with that?"

  Giselle shrugged. "I'm tired of doing the same thing. But don't worry. You and I will be single friends until you finally find your mate."

  "You don't think that you could have one?"

  "I don't know that I want one," Giselle said, her voice low. She'd been burned so bad that she found it hard to imagine life committed to one woman. Putting that much trust in one person sent a chill down her spine.

  "You know, that's the most transparent you've ever been with me."

  Giselle winked before moving to the next customer. "Don't get used to it."

  * * *

  An hour later, long after Brooke had left, the door to the Titanrun opened and in walked the one woman that dominated Giselle's thoughts whenever she had a moment to spare, which as a bartender, was pretty much all day.

  Long, dark hair framed a striking face, and the dark brown eyes that sought Giselle's sent a delicious shiver down her spine. Once Zoe spotted Giselle, she winked before making her way to one of the couches at the back.

  "Fuck me," Giselle whispered.

  Zoe Dagiel was nothing like Giselle's usual type. She was tall, well-muscled, and anything but a party girl. So, when Giselle found her newest friend dominated her nighttime fantasies, she was shocked, to say the least.

  Zoe was tender-hearted, despite her hard exterior. And the way she looked at Giselle and listened to her talk made the younger woman feel like she was the only person in the world.

  Enough with the clichés.

  Giselle took a deep breath and read the clock on the wall behind her. She knew the drill. In fifteen minutes, Zoe would head outside to the parking lot. Giselle would then follow, and they'd discuss their plans.

  When Giselle first started working with Zoe, it was all about trying to bed her new friend, while getting the dose of action and adventure that she desperately missed. Life in the Whiteheart clan had gotten quiet as everyone settled into their work and relationships

  By Giselle and Zoe's third meeting, it became clear that Zoe was immune to Giselle's best lines, and that Giselle, oddly, didn't want the thrill of a night with her new friend.

  Oh, she wanted to sleep with her, but for some reason, hours spent talking, especially after an operation, were what Giselle looked forward to most. They never spoke about anything too personal, but just being around Zoe filled Giselle's heart so much it felt like it might burst.

  No one night stand had ever made Giselle feel so alive and happy.

  Fifteen minutes later, Giselle made her way to the Titanrun's parking lot and hopped into the gray truck. She faced a smiling Zoe, and her heart melted a little.

  "Hi," Giselle whispered.

  "Hi." Zoe's dark eyes glinted as she cocked her head. "Why are we whispering?"

  Giselle shrugged. "Just being weird," she said in full voice. "How are you doing?"

  Zoe rested her head against her seat and stared out the window. "Okay. Just tired."

  "As usual."

  "Yeah. But I've got to keep going."

  Giselle nodded. "Be careful not to overdo it. The next time you pass out on the road somewhere, it probably won't be this sexy wolf shifter that finds you."

  Zoe's eyes turned to slits, and Giselle flipped her perfectly coiffed short hair back and bared her teeth as she growled sexily.

  Zoe burst out laughing, and she wrapped her arms around her middle. "You're so silly."

  Giselle placed a hand over her heart. "Are you telling me that didn't turn you on? I must be losing my touch."

  Zoe grinned. "Thanks for that. I needed it."

  Giselle nodded and clenched her hands. The temptation to reach out and take Zoe's hand in hers was too strong. There was no denying it. Giselle was seriously attracted to Zoe. And not just her body, but her mind.

  For so long, Giselle had closed herself off to such a connection, but she hadn't forgotten the reasons behind it. She wouldn't open herself up to such pain again.

  Besides, there was no reason for a gorgeous, smart, kind woman like Zoe to get involved with a bartender who had quite a reputation when it came to one night stands. Add the fact that they were from rival clans, and the odds were stacked against them.

  A sadness filled Giselle. Even if she somehow found a way to let Zoe in, Zoe would probably not want to be with her. Zoe was loyal to her clan, and she had standards. Standards that Giselle was sure she didn't meet.

  Enough with the self-pity. There's no need to ruin a perfectly good night.

  "What's up?" Giselle tucked her right foot under her left thigh. "I assume we've got a job coming up."

  "We do." Zoe sat up, and her face took on the serious quality Giselle hated to see. Zoe had far too much on her plate, and Giselle prided herself on taking her mind off all of that. But their relationship was based on work, and there was no getting around it.

  "It's been a week since we hit the last warehouse. Aren't we cutting it a little too close?"

  "We are, but for a good reason. My father has a shipment of a dozen women coming in. He plans to sell them as organ donors."

  Giselle's nostrils flared, and a wave of anger washed over her. Sometimes, she forgot that her late nights with Zoe were about more than spending time with her crush. The Darksong Alpha was toying with people's lives and growing more powerful with each passing day.

  "I thought you guys were done with the trafficking business?"

  "So did I, but my father wants to make up for all the money we lost him by raiding his stashes. Trafficking pays better than just about anything else."

  "Fuck." Giselle ran a hand through her hair. "No wonder you look so worn out. You probably had to sit in meetings and hear all about his plans."

  "That's not why I'm worn out. My father suspects we have a mole. This shipment is off the books and in a brand-new warehouse. Only his lieutenant, the two new guards he's hired, and I know about it. It's going down in three days, so we have to get those women out of there before then."

  Giselle inhaled. "Okay. I'll borrow Mara's truck, and we'll go to the warehouse and get them in a couple of days. Your contact will be able to get them across the border like he usually does with our other spoils."

&
nbsp; "It's not that simple." Zoe frowned. "We usually carry out at least a week of surveillance to figure out the guards’ weakness. If we go in this fast, things could get ugly. I need you to think about what you're walking into. The stakes are high, Giselle. What would we do if the guards were armed?"

  "I'm not scared." Adrenaline rushed through Giselle's veins. "It's time we upped the ante a little bit. Going in blind will give me a chance to show off my skills. I know how much you'd like to see them in action."

  Zoe chuckled when Giselle wiggled her eyebrows. "I knew you'd be in, but I had to make sure. Do me a favor and let’s just stick to the usual plan. The whole reason things have gone smoothly is that we work as a team. If you go off the books, there's no telling what could happen. I don't want to lose my partner in crime so soon."

  Giselle grinned. "No need to worry about that. I won't do anything to ruin what we have going. I always look forward to our little heists. This will be a welcome bonus."

  "I wish I could be as excited as you. My father suspects we have a mole. That puts me in more danger than before. Although we tried to vary the timing and location of our hits, he still caught on to the fact that they all happened close to the Darksong territory. And now, he's taking on more extreme jobs to make up for what we did."

  Giselle mentally slapped herself for being so damn shortsighted. Zoe was dealing with a lot. The last thing she needed was for Giselle to be self-centered and focused on the adventure she looked forward to.

  "I'm sorry you have to deal with all of that."

  Zoe smiled warily. "It's just another part of my life. I'm used to playing both sides. I'm just getting tired is all."

  "Then maybe we should take a break from our usual heists. We'll make this our last one and get some of the heat off you."

  Zoe exhaled. "Perhaps you're right. Between what we do, and trying to expand the business in new directions so that my father eases up on the illegal activity, I haven't gotten much rest."

  "I'd like to say that it shows, but that would be lying. You look as stunning as ever. The only reason I know you're tired is that your energy's a little low."

  "Again with the flirting."

  Giselle shrugged. "I'm not flirting. Just calling it as I see it."

  "Well, don't. I might fall for you if you keep calling me beautiful when I feel like something the cat dragged in."

  "You are beautiful." Giselle stared at Zoe. Her heart beat faster as Zoe's eyes bored into hers. There was so much that Giselle wanted to say, but she knew that it would only add stress to Zoe's life.

  No woman wanted to hear, "Hey, I think I like you, but I don't want a relationship. Can we have sex so that I can get you out of my system? Maybe even become friends with benefits?"

  "I’d better get going," Zoe said, sitting up straight. "I'm too tired to do any more thinking."

  Giselle nodded and smiled, even though a stabbing pain shot through her chest at the way Zoe brushed her comment aside.

  "Cool. I'll wait for your call. I know there's a lot of background stuff you organize that I don't know about. In the meantime, make sure you get some rest. You're going to need to be in top form for our mission. Especially with the stakes being this high."

  Zoe nodded. "You're right. Perhaps I'll take the day off tomorrow."

  Giselle wanted nothing more than to ask if they could get lunch together, but she bit her lip and smiled. "Make sure you do. I don't want to worry about you. Just don't have too much fun without me."

  Zoe chuckled, and the sound sent the butterflies in Giselle's belly into a tailspin. "No need to worry about that. I always have the most fun when I'm with you."

  Giselle nodded and hopped out of the truck. She watched Zoe drive off into the night and groaned when she realized that she still had a massive grin on her face. Zoe had just admitted that she loved spending time with Giselle.

  Perhaps the younger woman's feelings weren't entirely one-sided.

  Cool it, Romeo. You're not relationship material. Zoe deserves that and more.

  Giselle stuffed her hands in her jean pockets and walked back to the Titanrun. A single thought played over and over in her mind:

  What if I could become what Zoe needs?

  3

  "Hey," Jax called as Zoe walked out of her father's office as quickly as she could.

  They'd just spent the last half hour getting yelled at because a bunch of teenage bear shifters from another clan had snuck into their territory and caused damage to a single shop.

  Zoe thought that they had much bigger problems to worry about, but Reirder Dagiel's pride was as big as his body. In his mind, the fact that a bunch of drunk teenagers decided to play a prank in Darksong territory was an attack on the entire clan.

  "Hey yourself," Zoe said, before pursing her lips.

  "Not too happy about that little meeting?" Jax asked.

  Zoe glanced behind her and picked up her pace once she saw the rest of her father's key men file out of the room. If any of them heard her voice any dissent, her thoughts would quickly make their way to her father's ears.

  Zoe knew she was on thin ice. Just because she'd told her father that she would find a mate didn't mean he'd let the matter rest. Her Alpha was like a dog with a bone when something was on his mind.

  So much for my day off.

  Zoe had slept in that morning, fully prepared to fulfill her promise to Giselle and take a day off. But her father had called an emergency meeting and thwarted her plans.

  There was nothing new about that. Zoe's father’s abuse of power loomed over her life like a giant shadow. Unmovable, and inescapable.

  Once she and Jax left her father's house, they strolled along the fence of the farm.

  "I thought that was a perfect waste of time. We could all have been doing something important. But no, his highness needs everyone to know exactly how he feels at every moment of the day."

  Jax snickered. "Wow. You hit the nail on the head. It's like he wants us all to be extensions of himself. To think what he thinks. Feel what he feels."

  "He's a narcissist, and I'm getting tired of seeing him run this clan into the ground."

  "Morally, you mean?"

  Zoe nodded. "I keep trying to create more legitimate businesses, but he keeps hanging out with his underground buddies and coming back with more contracts and ideas for sicker things."

  Jax froze mid-step. "You hear anything?"

  Zoe's heart skipped a beat, and she caught herself. Her father's latest shipment was supposed to be a secret. In case she and Giselle got caught, she wanted Jax to have complete deniability.

  "No, but look at the number of arms we've been trading. They don't disappear into the night sky you know. They fund wars. Both human and shifter."

  Jax's shoulders slumped. "I know, but this is our way of life. Until Reirder dies, we're stuck. Unfortunately, he's as healthy as an ox and too paranoid to be assassinated."

  Zoe's eyebrows shot up. "You've thought about my father dying?"

  Jax scoffed. "I was obsessed with the idea as a teenager. Then I grew up and realized he wouldn't bite the dust for at least another seventy years. Until then, we have to find a way to survive; holding on to what little of our self-respect remains."

  "It's not easy, is it? Doing things that you hate for a man you despise to keep you and your loved ones safe."

  Jax shuffled his feet. "No, it's not. And your father has done a damn good job of discouraging people from leaving. The stories of the little hunting parties that Maddox organizes when a person defects still pop into my mind whenever I think of running. No one has made it out alive."

  Except for Molly.

  Zoe's phone rang, and she looked down at the caller I.D. There was no name, but she instantly recognized the number. She bit her lip. Zoe needed to answer the call, but that would mean getting rid of Jax and making him even more suspicious.

  Zoe looked into her best friend's eyes and then over his shoulders. "Um, do you mind? I need to get this."


  Jax's face hardened, and he raised his chin. "I'm your lieutenant. Since when do you need me to step aside for a call? You're hiding something, Zoe, and it's starting to worry me."

  "Please, Jax. Just give me a few minutes. Okay? We'll talk later."

  Jax folded his arms and snorted. "So, the fact that I've kept your secret for decades, not to mention saved your life on more than one occasion, means nothing to you? You're just going to keep lying to my face?"

  Zoe gritted her teeth and took a deep breath. Her chest ached, and her fingers trembled. She hated to see the look of betrayal on Jax's face.

  Her best friend was usually an upbeat, high energy guy. That's why they worked so well together. His energy balanced her more serious nature.

  The fact that he was bearing his emotions this way meant that Zoe had been doing a poor job of keeping her missions a secret.

  "I don't want to lie to you." Zoe looked straight into Jax's eyes

  His face softened. "Tell me what it is you're doing. I can help, and you know you can trust me."

  "Not with this, Jax. This is the kind of thing that—"

  "Save it." Jax stomped off, leaving Zoe with a bitter taste in her mouth.

  "Hello," she said answering her phone.

  There was no point in dwelling on how upset Jax was. She'd make it up to him somehow. Now that her father was on to her, she'd have to slow down the frequency of her heists. That would give her plenty of time to spend with her best friend.

  "I got your text," a low male voice replied.

  "And?" Zoe's eyebrows raised expectedly.

  "And I can't do it. It's too short notice to organize transport for human cargo."

  Zoe drew a sharp breath. Without a transporter to take the girls to Molly's across state lines, she couldn't secure their freedom. Her father would track them down, beat them, then sell them again.

  "I'll double your price."

  Zoe paced along the fence. Without a transporter, all her plans were moot. Something about knowing that they were trafficking women again didn't sit well with Zoe. She needed to pull off this one heist, no matter the cost.