Paris smiled. “Promise.”
She disconnected and then went over everything that had happened. Rider had been respectful, charming, and rather patient. He never put her down or ridiculed her for missing a shot. There was something to be said about those traits. And he certainly was easy on the eyes. Should the opportunity present itself, she might have to do the roll-in-the-hay thing—for relaxation purposes only, of course.
* * *
Rider entered his motel room. Just as soon as he showered, he wanted to find out what Grayson had been up to. Paris had been surprisingly forthcoming. He’d never expected her to tell him the real reason she wanted to learn to shoot. How lucky was it that she was already on the trail of these drug dealers? Having her as an employee of the company was a huge bonus, but he had to make sure she didn’t do anything to draw attention to herself. Rider had dealt with drug dealers before, and they didn’t care who they killed.
After undressing, he stepped under the water’s warm flow. While the motel wasn’t luxurious, the water pressure was good, which helped to make up for what this place lacked in the way of amenities—like a restaurant and a gym.
Rider had just finished dressing when someone knocked on his door. From the werewolf signature, and his lack of excitement, it was Grayson. After a quick glance through the eye piece, he pulled open the door.
Without asking, Grayson came in. “How did it go? Does Paris have any potential?”
Rider laughed. “Potential for what? Beingyourmate?”
“I was referring to her ability to shoot a gun, but you can answer that question too. I’d thought we could both take her for a spin.”
His friend’s cavalier attitude pissed him off. “Paris is not to be toyed with. She’s been through a lot. For now, hands off. She made that quite clear.”
Grayson held up his palms in surrender. “I read you loud and clear.” He pulled out a chair and sat down. “Learn anything?”
“As a matter of fact, I did.”
Rider explained that Paris confessed to wanting to take down the drug dealers.
“For real?”
Rider shrugged. “Could have fooled me, but she was sincere.”
“Did you tell her that we are here for the same reason?”
“I did. I had the sense she would have been able to tell if I’d lied.”
Grayson leaned back in his chair. “Good. Being honest is needed in any relationship.”
“We are here to do a job, don’t forget.”
“I know, but having a beautiful woman by our side might help us blend in better.”
Rider hadn’t thought of that. “You might be right. So, didyoulearn anything today?”
“I drove over to Harrison Industries, and like you said, it’s fenced. I parked fairly far away, went into the woods on the outskirts, and shifted. I then made my way partway up the hill behind the place so I could watch the comings and goings.”
Rider chuckled. “If you’d turned around, you might have seen Paris and me. We were at the top of the hill behind you, but our view was partially obscured by the forest.”
“That’s good to know.”
“What did you see?” Rider asked.
“It’s a boring place. Other than some workers leaving, as well as a few of the company’s delivery trucks of various sizes coming and going, the only outside entity seemed to be the CadEspresso company. They delivered something, picked up a few things, and left.”
“I imagine they were delivering coffee supplies.”
“Most likely. At my company, we have someone come in twice a week to replenish the coffee and tea. They also service the machines,” Grayson said. “How about I call Paris and see if she wants to go to dinner with us—not as a date, but rather to share intel?”
Rider thought that was a great idea. He and Paris hadn’t discussed many details since she really had been serious about wanting to learn to shoot. She’d practiced with several sized weapons, but the larger caliber guns were a bit too much for her.
“I have her number, but I thought you wanted to have a go at me. You bragged pretty hard you could still beat me—wolf to wolf, that is. Don’t even try to take me down in my human form.”