Freelance: Mercenary Shifters (Mercenaries For Hire Book 1)
Freelance
A Mercenary Novella
By Becca Vincenza
Freelance
A Mercenary Novella
Freelance
Copyright
Also by Becca Vincenza
The Rebirth Series
Standalones
Chapter 1
Dominic
Chapter 2
Eden
Chapter 3
Dominic
Chapter 4
Eden
Chapter 5
Dominic
Chapter 6
Eden
Chapter 7
Dominic
Chapter 8
Eden
Chapter 9
Dominic
Chapter 10
Eden
Chapter 11
Dominic
Chapter 12
Eden
Chapter 13
Dominic
Epilogue
Dominic
Coming Soon
Hired
Contracted
Authorized
Stuff about the Author
Freelance
Finally free from her overprotective shifter parents, Eden is ready to discover what it means to live like a human. However, a night out at a club brings her face to face with a shifter mercenary claiming she’s his mark. The human world isn’t all she’d hoped it would be, but it will take a lot more than some hitman to make her give up her freedom and go running home.
Dominic has completed every job he’s ever accepted, gaining respect and notoriety as a mercenary. He lives by his motto: Mercs don’t ask questions; money gets any job done. When he discovers his next mark is human and his mate, he realized there might be something more important than his reputation.
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 Becca Vincenza
Cover done by: Melissa Haag
Editing: There for You Editing
Proof Reader: Melanie Williams
All rights reserved. The book may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The books are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Also by Becca Vincenza
The Rebirth Series :
Damaged
Healed
Stolen
Standalones :
Hexed Hearts
Chapter 1
Dominic
A droplet of condensation rolled down the glass onto the scarred bar top. The tumbler was still filled with the whiskey I had ordered. The amber-colored liquor should be burning my throat, warming my belly as I roamed the bar for my latest conquest. Instead it sat in the glass, untouched, much like I was.
Fuck, I needed to get laid.
Badly.
“You got that prowl look on your face. Not the best place to be picking up the ladies.” Lucas, a friend and colleague of mine, slapped his hand down on my shoulder as he took the barstool next to me. He raised a finger to Moss, the bartender, who nodded in return.
“Who says I’m here for a fuck and not for a job?” I growled, grabbing my drink and dumping it back. Maybe four more of those and I would actually feel something.
“One in the same, my man.”
Moss dropped off Lucas’s drink and stalked off, knowing better than to stick around us. Lucas’s dirty blond hair and ridiculous eyebrow piercing should stand out in this dark alley bar, but he didn’t. People knew of us. Stayed the fuck away from us. The dark lit, backwards bar tucked away in the middle of nowhere was made for people like us—the unsavory types. As it was meant to be.
An overhead light flickered on for a moment, revealing the water rings and crumbs on the worn bar’s surface. I leaned back on my stool to study Lucas. The furniture creaked under my weight but held. The place might be shitty and run down, but everything in here was made sturdy for the clientele. Paranormals, shifters like me and Lucas, came in two sizes: extra-large and super-sized.
“Why are you here, Lucas?”
Three types of people came to the Leviathan. Mercenaries like myself and Lucas. Here was a sort of no-man’s land—not quite a safe-haven, but a place we could exchange and pass off information. More importantly it happened to be a hot stop for drop offs; deals made by those who knew the location of the seedy bar, and its true purpose. So the second being our customers. And third were women who often were scouting for the worst type of men to spend a night in their bed. The kind that didn’t ask questions … well, mainly they asked one.
Lucas often ended up here looking for exactly that. Yet his focus was on me.
Taking an all-important sip of the drink that Moss dropped off to him, he kept his gaze directed at me. He was still silent a moment after he finished swallowing. Odd behavior from the often vocal Cajun. Quentin was the one in our trio of friends who was the silent, brooding type.
“During our last job you seemed distracted.”
I grunted, not sure how to answer him. How the fuck do I respond to that one? Truth was I was unfocused. Having a job, coming home from it left me buzzed with a sated energy. It was a calming sensation for my animal. Yet he wasn’t satisfied. I wasn’t.
“My friend, brother, if something is bothering you—”
“What? Going to be my fucking shrink? I’m fine. Just need to find some more treasure. Maybe get away from your swampy ass.”
Clapping his hand on my shoulder, he grabbed his drink. He knocked it back with a grimace. He laughed once, a loud, cheerful sound that only he could make in a place like this.
And I thought I was fucking insane.
The floorboards creaked a couple feet to the left from us. I tried to pull in the scent of the person who had enough balls to get this close to us, but he was still a little out of my reach with all the surrounding smells. Both Lucas and I were apex shifters—big, dangerous, and top of the food chain shifters. The kind that even other shifters were wary of.
As he lowered the glass, his gaze shifted to the man behind me. The footfalls were quiet; not shifter quiet but a trained sort.
Hmm, interesting. Closer now I could smell him better. Human. My, my. Well, this evening certainly took the turn for the fucking odd.
“Well, my friend, looks like you have client. We’ll talk soon.” Lucas winked, heading toward a shifter woman wearing a short skirt and a shirt to match. He was a womanizer and never had problem finding a lay.
An average, nondescript man walked over to me. He had plain brown hair, cut in a basic short style that didn’t stand out. Even his eyes were a bland brown hue, which made him easily forgettable. I eyed the human.
“My employer will give you a call.”
Fuck, even his voice was neutral and basic.
“And if I don’t want the call?”
“My employer will give you a call.”
Setting the disposal phone down, he walked to the other end of the bar, and I kept my sights on him. He sat quietly, didn’t even draw the attention of the bartender or look at the woman who had a leg wrapped around Lucas. He didn’t do anything but stare straight ahead.
I’d thought Moss, the bartender, was a quiet man. But the plain man at the end of the bar was in his own league. Moss at least seemed like he had thoughts running through his head. The plain man, he seemed empty. It set my animal on edge.
“Moss.”
The tall shifter turned his head in my direction, but didn’t move from his spot. His bright green eyes—which prompted his nickname—flashed with his animal. There was no doubt he was an apex shifter, high on the food chain, but I was the highest.
“Do you know him?”
Moss glanced at the plain man then back to me. With a quick shake of his head, he confirmed what I already knew: this man was a stranger to these parts. The wood creaked under me as I shifted my weight.
Ring. Ring. Ring.
When the cell’s screen flashed with a phone number, the man didn’t react in any way. The phone continued to break the hum of odd quiet of the bar. Moss glared at it.
Snatching the cell off the table, I pressed the talk button. Who even had phones with fucking buttons anymore? Apparently, the plain man and his utter boringness.
“What do you want?”
Fuck, I was tense. I needed an outlet.
“I have a job for you.” The voice was modified with a voice-changer that sounded like something straight from a bad suspense movie. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. This was already annoying, but in truth, a job might just be the distraction I needed. It had been a while since I had done anything solo.
Plus, I was bored.
“Go on.”
“I need you to kidnap a woman.”
Unease touched me for a moment. Odd. No job was too dirty for me.
Moss’s bright green gaze pinned me and I sensed his judgement. The mysterious bartender had no right to judge me.
“Go on.”
***
The whole cloak and dagger aspect of my job was the tedious part that annoyed me to no end. Clients who hired shifters usually did it with extra protection to maintain their anonymity. All their efforts were pointless, though. I didn’t have a nose like a wolf but I could still track my prey well enough. And any client who didn’t pay would most definitely become by prey.
But because of my client’s caution, I found myself at a post office. Pulling out the small metal ring I’d been given, I slid the attached key into the PO Box and twisted the lock. It opened easily.
A curvy little human walked up to a box not far from me. She smiled softly when I glanced her way. I gave her a small nod before removing the folded piece of newspaper, the only object inside. It weighed more than it should have, and I saw an envelope tucked inside. It probably contained documents about my job. Usually, I had no qualms about the jobs I took. Pay me the right price, and I would do what was needed. No matter what it was. This one was making me edgy though.
I rolled up the paper and strolled out of the post office, giving the human one last glance before walking out. She looked welcoming enough. I could go back in there and easily sweet talk her into a quick fuck in the back of my truck … but the idea was unappealing to me. Which made no fucking sense. My animal crawled under my skin furthering to discourage me from the sexy human.
I shook my head. Whatever. If my animal didn’t want her, then I didn’t either.
As I walked out of the post office, the newspaper was still rolled in my fist. My black Ford Super Duty truck had been parked at the end of the building. I waited until I’d climbed inside and slapped the newspaper down on the leather seats to pull out the envelope. Tearing open the top, I dumped out the documents.
The first document was information about her build, her looks, and where she might frequent. I snorted. She looked like a regular, “just turned twenty and was learning how to live without her over-protective parents around” type of girl. The notes stated she had been going to clubs … shifter clubs. That was odd. Humans tended to steer clear of shifters.
Over a half a century ago when the paranormal council decided to come out of the shadows, humans had been wary. The short period of time didn’t soothe the centuries of evolution. We were predators; they were prey, even though no shifters I knew actually ate humans.
So perhaps this little human was a groupie? Had an adventurous side? From the list of clubs she frequented, it was very possible.
There was a list of different clubs, and the address of her apartment. Only a fool or a newbie would try to take her from her home. Still, it was good information to have. I went through the rest of the documents until I found the instruction sheet.
Gods, whoever wanted this girl was being annoying particular about it.
She wasn’t to be harmed in any way. Strange.
The client wanted me to hold her for a couple days until they contacted me for the trade. Annoying, but I supposed that was the point of the kidnapping.
They included a fucking emergency number if she needed something. Her, not me.
I would be contacted by the disposal phone I was given. Fuck, need to find that. Pretty sure I left it at the bar. Maybe Moss kept it around.
I rummaged through the rest of the notes, taking another look at my mark, which I shouldn’t be doing in the post office parking lot. Fuck, what’s wrong with me? I shook my head, a fog settling over my mind. As I pulled in a deep breath, I caught a slight scent.
What is that?
Hunger roared in my veins as if I had been starved for months. No, fuck … years even. My cock jerked in my pants. I glared down at the ravenous bastard.
Yeah, got it. I needed to get laid.
I shook my head again. I needed to take a very cold shower, probably take care of myself in there while I was at it, and then focus on my job.
The drive home was painful. Not only did my dick remain painfully hard, my animal moved restlessly, heating my blood. It needed something. The obvious answer—a lay—didn’t fit because it hadn’t been interested in the curvy human. My finger tapped against the leather steering wheel while my other hand was clenched painfully into a fist as I tried to think of anything else but a hot, welcoming body beneath mine.
As soon as I pulled into the parking garage connected to the apartment I used while in the city, I climbed out of my truck, readjusting before I walked over to the elevator. My heavy boots clomped loudly against the concrete floors. Some of the tension and hunger I’d felt started to ease.
Huh.
Taking a calming breath, I relaxed my fists.
Oh fuck. I forgot the documents in the truck. What the hell was wrong with me? I had never been so off my game. I headed back to the truck. When I opened the door, I caught the sweet scent that had filled the cab. Hmm … don’t remember that. The scent made me eager to find its source, if only so I could reconstruct it.
I shut the door, relocking the car as I shoved the documents between the folds of the newspaper. I left the empty envelope on the passenger side of my truck. My mind was on two things: shower and a quick jerk off so I could actually think. Lengthening my stride, I cursed my animal.
Should have fucked that lady from the post office. Too late now.
The elevator doors shut together and lifted me upwards.
I’d deal with this problem, then go on the hunt for my new target.
Chapter 2
Eden
“Eden, are you even listening to me?” my father’s gruff voice filtered over the line.
I sighed quietly, making sure to do it far from the speaker on the phone. He probably would hear it anyway, but at least I tried.
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Then what I did I just say?”
“That you wished I hadn’t moved out of the compound. That it isn’t safe for me out here. That there are humans who still don’t care for the shifters of the world, and that they might see me as a target. Never travel without Bonnie. So on and so forth. The same thing you tell me every time you call.”
His worry wasn’t completely unfounded. There were a lot of protestors even nowadays. Hunters—humans who used their fear as a defense mechanism.
I thought of yesterday when Bonnie, my friend and bear shifter roommate, went out to shop. There were protestors
outside of the shifter government building. They had angry snarls and picket signs. After having being raised with shifters, I knew how to tell them apart from the humans. However, to an untrained eye it would be harder. They came in all shapes and sizes, but for the most part they were built bigger and had an air of danger to them. Under extreme emotions their eyes would flash with their animals.
“You know why I say these things, child.”
“I know.”
He missed me. Both he and my mom had told me countless times. They wanted me to come back home and live on the compound with them. I worried my lip, guilt eating away at me as I thought of my strong, capable mother. She, like my father, was a bear-shifter. She was strong with a tightly toned body; her bright blue eyes and hair, the color of dark chocolate, made her absolutely stunning. But I remembered the tears that had filled her eyes when I’d told her and my father that I wanted to move out.
Not just move out, but leave the compound. I loved home … missed it with every fiber of my being, but I wasn’t truly happy there. I didn’t quite belong there, yet I was learning I didn’t fit in the human world, either. I released a tiny sigh.
“Your mother misses you … Brady misses you.”
My top lip curled back into a sneer he couldn’t see. Ugh, Brady. The bulking Kodiak shifter who worked with my father. He was training to be on the council like my father, but more times than not, I wasn’t entirely sure he knew how to spell his own name. Either way, Brady would not be the reason I returned home.
My parents hoped that I would get back with Brady, my ex-boyfriend, who was originally set up with me because of my father. Getting back together with him would mean I would be close to home. But I needed to experience how humans really lived.
“Daddy—”
“You said you would try it for a couple months, a year at most, Eden. And your mother and I worry. The protestors …” And he was going to tell me all the same things again.
My father was on the council as the bear representative. When shifters came out to the world, the human government couldn’t control them and decided to work with the shifters. In the time that they’d come out, the shifters had created a governing council that worked in conjunction with the human government. My father had been elected to be the bear shifter representative. My parents could never get pregnant and they were supposed to be adopting a shifter like them, but faith had other plans.