Shifter Under Cover

SHIFTER UNDER COVER

Pepper Valley Shifters #3

by

C.A. Tibbitts

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2015 C.A. Tibbitts

Cover artwork by C.A. Tibbitts

All rights reserved. This book may not be used, reproduced, or transmitted in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the author, except for brief quotations for review purposes.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and all actions and storylines are the product of the author’s imagination.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Epilogue

About the Author

Author Links

Other Books By C.A. Tibbitts

CHAPTER ONE

Forrest walked out of the Pepper Valley Police Precinct after it was determined that Mary Simpson was an innocent accomplice in the abduction of Reilly Tago, the newborn son of Griffin Tago and Daniela Celinho. It appeared as though Alexander Adams, shifter clan lead of Colorado Springs, was the lone abductor and apparently one sick sociopath. While Adams seemed to be correct in his assumption that the Tago/Celinho baby would have increased shifter abilities due to multiple shifter generations…what kind of sociopath took a baby from his family?

He thought about how horrible it would be if someone took his sister's toddler, Maisie. My sweet ,innocent niece, with the red curly hair and dimples in her cheeks.

Hey, you ready to go? Wheels up in three hours.

Forrest turned and nodded at Terry, his shifter division boss at the D.E.A. While the tough blonde man was an excellent team lead and mission profiler, he was just a human. However, Terry had been his boss for almost a decade, and they had a shorthand that made their friendship comfortable. It wasn't Terry's fault he was born human. I'm going to drop by my sister's first. I need to see my niece.

Don't be late, kid.

Terry always called Forrest 'kid', which was funny, given they were close to the same age. Then again, Terry looked about forty, and Forrest looked twenty due to his slow-aging shifter genes. In all honesty, Forrest knew he could lead his own team at this point, but he had no desire to be the boss. He had enough worries without adding some new operatives to his list of responsibilities. He had always carried the weight of the world on his shoulders, whether he needed to or not.

He drove his rental car down the road to Fiona's and Jace's house on the outskirts of Pepper Valley, Colorado, at the end of Finn Scott's property line. It was originally his sister's home, but since Jace had finally felt worthy enough to step up to his responsibility as Fiona's mate, not to mention being Maisie's dad, the couple now lived together and were planning a wedding. Jace had been his undercover partner for a few years as well, and while no man would ever be good enough for his sister and niece, he could live with Jace being in their lives forever.

Forrest stepped out of the car and felt a tug on his pants leg. He smiled and picked his niece up off the grass, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. Where are your momma and daddy?

Maisie pointed up above them, her green eyes following her finger, before exclaiming 'twee'.

Forrest glanced up. It seemed his niece had just learned a new word, and she could not verbalize the 'R'. Yes, tree. But what about-

Maisie Blackmore! You get…Stump! Fiona ran out the door and wrapped her arms around him.

Ump! Maisie repeated.

Don't teach her to call me that, squirt, Forrest grumbled. He was unsure exactly why his sister had first started calling him 'stump' as a nickname. He seemed to recall Forrest leading to trees, and then somehow to 'stump'. He hated it, in fact, but he supposed most people hated their nicknames. Forrest. I'm Uncle For-rest, he drawled, hoping his niece would repeat it.

Fo-wess, Maisie repeated, her dimples showing.

Close enough. He smirked, kissing her cheek.

Fi? Are there any clean clothes? Jace walked out of the house in a pair of red plaid boxers, pausing when he saw their guest. Hey.

I haven't had time to get them out of the dryer, Fiona admitted.

Nice underwear. Forrest smirked. As shifters, and fellow operatives, he and Jace had spent a lot of time seeing each other naked. Shifters, especially males, did not have the hang ups that most American humans did regarding nudity. Jace was a little different, since he had deep scars from years of physical abuse by a stepfather during his childhood. It could be Forrest's imagination, but it really did look as though Jace's scars were fainter than they had been. There was something to be said about the advanced healing of mates by their love and commitment.

Kiss my butt, stump, Jace responded with a chuckle.

Really? Forrest raised a brow. He sat his squirming niece back down on the ground. Are you determined to have everyone call me that? He gave his sister a steely-eyed stare.

Fiona took her daughter's hand. If the stumpy shoe fits, she replied with a shrug.

Forrest chuckled and smacked her on the ass as she turned away.

Fi jumped and yelped, before giggling.

You got a beer for your stumpy brother then? Muscled, standing at 6'3", with reddish brown hair, and green eyes, he wasn't exactly the epitome of 'stumpy'.

I dunno. Do we have beer, Jace? Fiona helped her daughter up the few porch steps.

Probably. Jace disappeared back inside the door.

Forrest had realized quickly that you were never a guest at Fiona's, you were family, and as such, if you wanted something, you got it yourself. He followed the family inside the house and narrowly avoided stepping on a pink dollhouse just inside the doorway. Wow, kids are messy.

Oh, thanks. Forrest was surprised when Jace brought him a cold beer from the fridge.

Sure, Jace gave him a brief smile. You headed off on another mission?

Yeah. Forrest took a long drink. You wanna come?

Nope, I'm done. Jace smirked. In fact, I have an interview at the Army base next week. A civilian position.

Good for you. Forrest heard a high-pitched wail and turned to see what had happened. It looked as though his niece had tripped and fell on the corner of that damned dollhouse.

Come here, Maze. Jace squatted down and held out his arms. His niece toddled over and sniffed into her dad's embrace, quieting quickly.

Forrest was glad that Maisie had a good loving set of parents; that was one less thing for him to worry about. He finished off his beer.

How long will it be this time, stump?

Forrest turned to look at his sister. I don't know.

Will you be back for the wedding? Please, Forrest, I want you to be there. Fiona slid her arms around him.

I will do my best. Forrest kissed the top of her head. His sister, though quite the spitfire, was petite with very pale freckled skin, and bright red hair.

Did you tell dad goodbye? She peered up at him, already knowing the answer before she even asked the question.

I'll call. They all knew that was a lie. To tell the truth, he wasn't sure when he started distancing himself from his dad. It seemed to be as far back as he could remember. And since he was 38, it had definitely been more than a few decades.

He worries about you, you know. Fi moved across the room to wrap her arm around her mate.

It made Forrest happy to see his sister's family look so loving and complete. He had no doubt they'd have another kid soon, or a half a dozen at some point. He wondered briefly if he would ever have his own family, but he had no real prospects at this point. If he was interested in anyone, it was Adeline Lahey. The blonde was gorgeous and curvy, which was unusual for a shifter. Most female shifters were slender, which made her all the more attractive to him. He had asked her out numerous times, but she always said no. Addie had once dated a jock in high school for a few months, but he had never seen her date anyone else. Of course, he spent a lot more time gone due to his job than at home.

Forrest leaned in and kissed his niece's cheek, who now played coy, her face buried into her dad's bare shoulder. Maisie, be good for your momma and daddy, and practice saying Forrest. He smirked at his sister and soon-to-be bother-in-law.

Be careful, Forrest. I mean it, Fiona shook a finger at him.

Always, Fi, Forrest smiled and headed for his rental car. He glanced at his watch as he took a seat behind the wheel. Shit, late as usual.

CHAPTER TWO

Sorry! Forrest rushed into the small private jet, his duffle bag slung over one shoulder.

You are making a horrible first impression. Terry said with a chuckle. Oh, I mean, I'm so surprised you are late.

I'm afraid your first impression of me is a distant memory, Forrest smirked, stuffing his bag into the small coat closet. He heard the staircase door close behind him.

Not me, jackass. Terry rolled his eyes.

Not me either.

Forrest turned toward the voice. Holy cow!

Addie gave him a small grin, giving him the 'Addie wave' with her left hand, curling one finger down at a time starting with her pinky to her index finger.

You two know each other? Terry raised a brow in surprise. Is Pepper Valley that small? he asked.

Small enough.

Addie's voice was just the slightest bit husky, and he wondered what it would sound like calling his name in ecstasy. What the hell? Down boy! He dropped into an empty chair and hoped neither of his fellow passengers noticed his sudden erection.

Adeline has-

Please call me Addie, Mr. Reins.

Terry.

Addie and Terry smiled at each other, and Forrest's hands curled into fists. He had never wanted to deck his boss before this moment. I have no claim on her. He forced his hands to relax as he clicked his seatbelt into place when the engine revved and the plane began to taxi toward the runway.

Anyway, Addie just finished her training, so she's coming along, Terry continued.

Ehm… Forrest stared hard at his boss.

Terry gave him a large, tooth-filled grin.

Ugh! Forrest knew that grin. That grin meant it came straight from Washington, and Terry thought it was a shitty idea but they had no choice in the matter. So what were you trained in?

Addie turned that beautiful smile his way and his heart skipped a beat. Product development with an emphasis on undercover. I'm a regular Walter White.

Who? Forrest raised a brow.

Breaking Bad? Addie replied, getting a shrug from Forrest. Seriously? Do you ever watch television?

Rarely, Forrest admitted. I make time for a few shows, but that isn't one of them.

It ended last season.

Okay. So you’re a drug chemist. What's your specialty? Forrest tried to concentrate on her words, but those pouty lips of hers had him thinking about other things.

Meth, cocaine, ecstasy. She grinned.

Fuck yeah, he mumbled. A little ecstasy was exactly what he had in mind…minus the drug.

Uh…anyway, this is pretty long term. You're going in as a couple. Addie will make the product, and Forrest will make the sales, Terry continued, despite the constant interruptions.

Excuse me? Forrest said to the 'couple' part of the comment. He looked at Addie, but she looked as surprised as he did. He'd never went undercover with a female before, and definitely not as part of a couple.

You heard me, stump. Terry smirked.

I told you to lay off my fuckin' nickname. Forrest wasn't one to fly off the handle. Well, that wasn't exactly true, but his boss had to know he was begging to be hit at this point. Lay that sort of surprise on him, and then call him his hated nickname?