Free Kingpin Bear (A Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (The Agency Book 4) by Amelia Jade Page A

out.”
    “Deal,” she said. “I want to help, but I’m not stupid. I know that getting in the middle of fighting shifters is not the path for long life. I want to help, but I also want to live.”
    It still astounded her that she wanted to help, that she was willingly putting herself into harm’s way. It was as if her brain were making these decisions for her, without consulting her. Was she letting her physical desire for him entice her into making stupid decisions? Or was she doing what needed to be done?
    “I want you to wear this,” he said, pulling a baseball hat off the nearby rack. “Put your hair up into it.”
    She arched an eyebrow at him.
    “Please?” he said. “For me? It will make me feel better about all of this. Those long brown locks of yours are a little too identifiable for me.”
    She smiled at the compliment of sorts, and took the cap from his hands. “Very well,” she said, tucking her hair up and putting it on. “How’s this?”
    “Perfect.”
    “Don’t get used to it though,” she said. “I like my hair down.”
    “Me too.”
    “I’ll bet,” she replied swiftly, without missing a beat, enjoying the flirty banter far more than she should have.
    Jared shook his head and led the way up the stairs, pulling the trap door aside.
     
     

Chapter Seven
    Jared
    “You’re sure this is the place?” she asked, the car cruising down the street.
    Jared shifted, his big frame cramped in the little two-door hatchback. It wasn’t ideal, but he hadn’t wanted to leave a big shiny truck hanging around the run-down safe house either. So he had bought the old car and hoped he would never have to use it.
    Next time I’m getting the four-door. Never again. This is too small.
    He tried to stretch his legs, hoping that they wouldn’t cramp the instant he emerged from the vehicle. That would not help his already vague plan.
    “Yes,” he said out loud, trying to hide his discomfort from Nadia. “The others who followed him saw him taken into a house on this street. Number 3488.”
    “Okay, I think I just saw a 28-something,” she said. “So keep going?”
    He nodded, flexing his legs and twisting his back to loosen it up.
    “Jared, I’ve been thinking.”
    The urge to flinch at that phrase came to him, but even he’d wanted to, he probably couldn’t have because of his cramped conditions.
    Perhaps the tiny car wasn’t so bad.
    “About?” he asked, keeping the caution out of his tone. Mostly.
    “This plan of yours,” she replied.
    Jared did his best not to sigh in relief. They needed to talk, but now was most definitely not the time for it.
    “What about it?”
    “Um, well, if three of your team were chased away, that means there was enough bad people here to scare them off, right?”
    “Yes. My team is brave, but not stupid.”
    “So why are you being stupid then?”
    He sat as upright in the car as he could, the action banging his forehead off the roof. “Ow,” he said, following it up with several more curses.
    “Stupid?” he asked after a moment, shutting the mild pain out. It was more of a distraction than any true injury.
    “Yes. Think about it,” she said with exasperation. “There were enough people to chase off three of your team. Yet now you’re going to go in there and fight on your own? How is that not stupid?”
    “I’m banking on them not having all come back here, but instead spreading out in search of everyone.”
    Nadia’s eyes came off the road as she looked over at him with an incredulous stare. “You’re joking, aren’t you?” There was a pause. “No, no, you aren’t joking.”
    “No, I’m not,” he said seriously. “Drive four more houses, then stop. That was it back there,” he said.
    Nadia did as he commanded, pulling the car up to the side of the road and killing the engine.
    “And what if they are all back?” she asked nervously.
    He reached out and touched her shoulder, and then without thinking, caressed her cheek.
    “In