Page 65 of Covert Affections (Shadow Agents/PSI-Ops #5)

Chapter Fifty

Jesse

Jesse continued to glare at Robert.

The wolf-shifter stood there, looking smug.

Bill, who was in yet another outfit that made no sense and barely fit him, grinned from ear to hairy ear at Jesse.

“You seem surprised to see us, Puss-N-Toots. What’s wrong?

Your shifter senses connecting to nature with dial-up?

That it? Funny. Gus has been giving me an earful about you lately.

Says you’re some kind of hacker genius. Frankly, I ain’t seeing it.

You’re more of a two soup cans and some string kind of guy. ”

Jesse snarled, his anger aimed at Robert more than Bill.

Robert lifted a brow, appearing almost bored with the conversation. “I’m guessing he’s running on empty, which means his senses are off. Lack of sleep will do that to a man.”

“How do you know my sleeping habits?” demanded Jesse, turning and facing the men fully.

“Call it a hunch,” said Robert before sneering. “I’m curious about something.”

“You wondering about if the chicken or the egg came first?” asked Bill.

Robert gave the man a brief glance. “No.”

Bill scratched his belly. “Then we ain’t curious about the same thing. Carry on.”

Robert’s attention snapped back to Jesse.

“I know your scent now. Been catching it all over the place. Funny how I’m finding it in the same areas I’m smelling other shifters—if you call them that.

They smell like they’re rotting. And I’m sure they’re responsible for all the killings lately. Buddies of yours?”

“Those fucking assholes aren’t my friends.” Jesse clenched his fists. “I don’t kill for sport, and I sure in the hell do not hurt women!”

“No, you just let the woman you’re married to think her time with you was a fig newton of her imaging center ,” said Bill as he picked lint from his exposed belly button.

Robert studied the little man with narrowed eyes. “Do you mean a figment of her imagination?”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Bill shrugged before flicking the bellybutton lint at Robert. “The important thing here is that Kitty-Scat is being a shit husband, and Lindy-Lou deserves better.”

“What the hell do you know about being a husband?” questioned Jesse, his shifter side pushing at him to change and eat the little fucker.

He resisted, but only because he’d seen what Bill ingested for lunch on a daily basis since they worked at the rescue together, and Jesse wanted nothing to do with it.

Bill chuckled, his belly jigging beneath his shirt.

“Depends on if I was having a residual drug hallucination or if I really did end up at an all-night chapel in Vegas after a bender in Reno with Hot Lips. I’m guessing it was just the LSD showing its ugly head again because I ain’t no one-woman kind of guy, and she sure as hell ain’t a one-man kind of gal.

Trying to fence her in would go about as well as trying to rope the wind.

Been thinking a lot about her the last few days. ”

Jesse couldn’t imagine what woman, if any, would ever marry Bill.

Wanting to keep the thought out of his head, Jesse pulled off his gloves, shoved them in his back pocket, and crossed his arms over his chest, unsure what the men thought they were doing this morning.

Was it some sort of intervention, or did Robert really think Jesse was running with the hybrids?

Bill mimicked the pose and then frowned. “My arm muscles don’t bulge like that when I do it. How come?”

Robert blinked several times, as if trying to make sense of the man. “I think you need to have arm muscles to start with for it to work.”

Bill offered a curt nod, undoing his arms. “Makes sense. Now, what are we gonna do about Lindy-Lou?”

Robert’s expression said he had the same question.

Great. It was a fucking intervention.

Jesse didn’t need this today. He had enough to worry about. “ We aren’t doing anything. Stay away from her.”

“What are you gonna do about it if I don’t stay away from her?

” demanded Bill, crossing his arms over his chest again, this time farting as he did.

He scrunched his face. “Sorry. That slipped out. I’m still finishing up the hummus supply them hippies from the commune left behind.

My pipes ain’t ever been cleaner, but damn, the skin on my asshole is gone.

Reminds me of the last time I made my special Wild Bill Outlaw Wings .

Blew the hair right off my asshole. Mmm, now I’m hungry for wings.

Gonna have to talk to Lindy-Lou about making some for the bar.

I’m pretty much the head chef there now. Not sure if you heard.”

Jesse didn’t want to know about the man’s bowel movements or his asshole. And he sure in the hell didn’t want to ever be covered in the man’s shit again. No amount of showers would ever make Jesse feel clean enough again.

Robert canted his head. “You put a call in earlier this morning about a mountain lion in town.”

A muscle jumped in Jesse’s jaw. “No, I didn’t.”

“Bullshit,” said Robert. “I know it was you.”

“There was a mountain lion in town?” asked Bill.

“No,” said Robert, his jaw clenching with barely contained aggravation.

Bill groaned, his face scrunching in confusion. “Then why would Kitty-Scat call in and say there was?”

“Why indeed?” Robert’s smug smile returned.

Jesse wanted to punch the look off the man. He grunted. “Fine. I called. Happy now?”

“I will be when you admit why you did it,” stated Robert.

Frustration filled Jesse. “Because I couldn’t check on Lindy myself and her car hadn’t moved from the car wash for two hours. I was worried.”

Bill lifted a hand. “Kitty-Scat, if she had to wash away drug residue, it takes time. Cut the girl a break. Them drug sniffing dogs they got nowadays are good. You gotta be sure you didn’t miss anything.”

Robert lifted a dark brow as he stared down at Bill. He tapped his badge lightly.

Bill rolled his eyes. “Your body cam thingie ain’t on. I saw you click it off. And it’s my word against yours. I can look like a confused, frail old man when I need to, Deputy-Downer. Ain’t no judge in the world gonna convict me of anything if I’m sweet and old.”

“You’re exhausting.” Robert’s voice carried a wariness that said he’d had more than enough of Bill’s antics for the day.

It was something Jesse was familiar with.

A wide smile slid over Bill’s face. “Thank you.”

Jesse didn’t want to deal with either man this morning. “Why are you here?”

“I work here,” said Bill with a huff.

“Not you,” returned Jesse, his gaze sliding to Robert.

Bill thumbed toward Robert. “Oh, he’s here about the dead bodies found on the edge of the property and about your rig.”

Jesse’s brow knit. The crime scene from a week ago wasn’t on the edge of the rescue’s property. “The bodies from the dump site in the woods? And what about my truck?”

“Not the bodies from the woods,” said Robert, pulling out his phone.

He messed around with the screen and then held it out to Jesse, displaying a map of the area.

He zoomed in on Charley’s rescue. He nodded to the phone.

“New bodies were found here on the west side of the property. The part that runs along The Flock’s land. ”

“The same land that PSI now controls?” asked Jesse.

Robert nodded, pulling the phone back toward himself. “They’re who found the bodies.”

“If they did, my system would have alerted me,” said Jesse.

“System?” asked Robert, crossing his arms over his chest.

Bill grinned. “Told ya Gus said he was some kind of techno expert. Again, I ain’t seeing it. Pretty sure he’s only an expert at digging holes to bury his feelings in and fucking things up with Lindy-Lou.”

Jesse grunted, choosing instead to address Robert rather than Bill’s comment. “I might be monitoring activity with PSI and my employer.”

“You mean Dynamic Douchebags?” asked Bill.

“If you’re still on their payroll, that means you’re still the enemy.

I don’t constipate with the enemy, Kitty-Scat.

” He turned to go, but Robert caught him by the scruff of his neck.

Bill swatted at the man’s hands. “Listen here, Law-Dog, I’ll kick your ass with both hands tied behind my back if you don’t let me go. ”

Robert groaned and spun Bill around to face Jesse. “The word you’re looking for is conspire . Not constipated. And you’re staying right here. I read all about the trouble you can get yourself into when you’re not supervised.”

Bill stamped his foot like a child and then stuck his tongue out at Robert. “Fine. I’ll stay. But I don’t trust him.”

“That may be so, but he isn’t the one killing women,” said Robert, his voice saying he was sure of his statement.

“How do you know?” Jesse’s pulse quickened with the question.

“Kitty-Scat you better never go on one of them true crime murder docos because it kind of sounds like you’re upset he don’t think you did it.

” Bill cupped the side of his mouth and leaned toward Jesse.

“Word to the wise, don’t go talking like that around the fuzz.

” He then waggled his bushy brows in Robert’s direction.

“They’re always looking for ways to bust us.

I can pull off old and feeble. You can’t. ”

Robert ignored him, his attention on Jesse. “After our last talk?—”

Bill cleared his throat, interjecting, “Less of a talk and more of a fight and roll through my shit while naked.”

“It’s like you want me to handcuff you and tape your mouth shut,” said Robert, his voice deepening.

“Not really,” replied Bill before motioning to Jesse. “Carry on.”

“Are you finished?” asked Robert.

Bill pounded on his chest with his fist and then farted. He smiled. “Am now. Go ahead.”

Robert shook his head somewhat, his attention returning to Jesse. “I did some digging into you.”

“And what did you find?” asked Jesse.

“At first, a lot of nothing. Then some smoke and mirrors bullshit that I’m guessing either you or your current employer put out there,” responded Robert.

Jesse shrugged. None of this was groundbreaking news. “And?”