Pack Balance Read online

  Table of Contents

  Legal Page

  Title Page

  Book Description

  Dedication

  Trademarks Acknowledgment

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  New Excerpt

  About the Author

  Publisher Page

  Pack Balance

  ISBN # 978-1-78430-726-4

  ©Copyright Crissy Smith 2015

  Cover Art by Posh Gosh ©Copyright August 2015

  Edited by Sarah Smeaton

  Totally Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Totally Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Totally Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2015 by Totally Bound Publishing, Newland House, The Point, Weaver Road, Lincoln, LN6 3QN

  Totally Bound Publishing is a subsidiary of Totally Entwined Group Limited.

  Warning:

  This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has a heat rating of Totally Sizzling and a Sexometer of 2.

  Were Chronicles

  PACK BALANCE

  Crissy Smith

  Book thirteen in the Were Chronicles series

  She must learn to balance her human nature with his wolf.

  Julie Sullivan made a horrible mistake. She left the man she loved when she learned about his shifter abilities. Now she’s back in Clear Creek and she is determined to win him back.

  Cooper Grainger is working hard trying to find the people responsible for the illegal drug that is killing the shifters of his city. He’s closing in on his suspect when he runs into the one woman who can bring him to his knees.

  But just when Julie and Cooper finally come together to try to get back the time they lost, Cooper’s enemies strike. Cooper must trust his friends and family to keep the woman he loves safe. Julie must accept Cooper as his true self—half man and half wolf. Will they succeed or will evil prevail?

  Dedication

  For Pam, aka assistant, aka big sister. Thank you for all your support and everything you do for me. Thanks for being my traveling buddy and partner.

  Trademarks Acknowledgment

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Jeep: FCA US LLC

  Mercedes: Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft Corporation

  BMW: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft Corporation

  Styrofoam: The Dow Chemical Company Corporation

  Chapter One

  “Stop! Police!” Cooper Grainger shouted as he followed his suspect down the fire escape.

  Of course, the idiot didn’t stop. Instead, the skinny moron glanced over his shoulder at Cooper, stumbling when he saw how close Cooper was. His eyes widened almost comically, and if Cooper wasn’t trying to intimidate the man he would have laughed. At six foot tall and a solid mass of muscle, Cooper felt like he was chasing down a kid instead of the thirty-five-year-old junkie. The drugs and alcohol Kenny had consumed most of his life had taken a toll on his physique. He couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred twenty pounds. He was severely underweight.

  “Come on, Kenny!” Cooper yelled. “You know I’m going to catch you.”

  They were almost at ground level. The four flights down hadn’t affected Cooper but Kenny was rasping and panting. Cooper stomped down in his black, beat to hell combat boots. He wore his usual uniform of faded jeans and a black T-shirt. Tonight he’d included a tactical vest, just in case someone decided to take a shot at him.

  He knew his appearance sent fear into the men and women who were dragging his city into the gutters. He used it to his advantage as often as possible and the full impact when dressed like he was added to his dangerous stature. The creeps that he’d been dealing with lately needed a good scare. Cooper was determined to bring them all down.

  “You’re just making this harder on yourself,” Cooper shouted at Kenny.

  “Screw you, Grainger!” Kenny screeched. He turned his head again, causing him to miss the next step. Kenny shrieked as his arms flailed, and he went crashing down.

  Cooper slowed, watching him fall. It wasn’t far enough to injure Kenny, but it would put an end to his stupid escape attempt.

  Cooper stopped following and stood with his hands on his hips as Kenny lay sprawled on the ground at the feet of his partner. Josiah Burns looked up at Cooper with a familiar smirk.

  “He ran?” Josiah asked in his deep southern drawl.

  “He ran.”

  Shaking his head, Josiah reached down and hauled Kenny to his feet. “Really, man? Every time?”

  “I didn’t do nothing,” Kenny claimed, but his eyes were darting all around nervously.

  Cooper had worked too long in the narcotics department of the Clear Creek, Missouri Police Department not to know the signs of a lying suspect. “Three dead.” Cooper stepped closer to where Josiah was holding Kenny up. “We want to know what new shit has hit the streets.”

  “I don’t know!” Kenny wailed. “I swear!”

  “Then why did you run?” Josiah asked, shaking him.

  “I see cops and I run. It’s like…built in,” Kenny claimed.

  Cooper met his partner’s gaze. The look that passed between them was one that had been practiced over many years. Kenny wasn’t being completely honest and they both knew it. While Josiah just had a really good ability to read people, Cooper used his wolf shifter senses to pick up on the signs that Kenny was showing and trying to hide. The nervousness and desperation was a bitter scent to his nose. They’d busted Kenny many times over the years, and while he did always try to escape, he was more anxious this time. Sometimes Kenny even gave them tips. The fact that he hadn’t even hesitated before taking off told Cooper a lot.

  He growled, leaning his face closer to Kenny’s.

  “Okay, okay. Maybe I heard some stuff,” Kenny said as he held his hands up. “But I don’t have nothing to do with any of it.”

  Cooper didn’t bother correcting Kenny’s grammar. Kenny was actually more together than most of the poor souls that had given their lives over to drugs. “Why don’t you tell me and I’ll decide how involved you are.”

  “Sure, man, I’ll do that,” Kenny promised.

  Cooper didn’t like the way his eyes rolled from side to side. Breathing deeply, he concentrated on the scents around him. Not an easy thing to do with the stink of the dumpster mixed with piss and vomit from the back of the bar.

  There… He could smell someone approaching. He jerked his chin at his partner. “Backup?” Cooper asked Kenny.

  Kenny’s eyes widened even more and his jaw dropped open.

  “Let’s go,” Josiah rumbled as he jerked Kenny to the side of the building and away from the weak alley light.

  Cooper turned toward the sound of careful and slow steps. Crouching do
wn, he prepared himself for a fight if needed. The two men that stepped out of the shadows farther down the alley were not strangers to Cooper. He stood to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest. It looked like he and Josiah would have more of the locals to interrogate. He cut his gaze to the side and smiled at his partner. Josiah smirked while shaking his head. He knew how much Cooper wanted to let loose on these two. The last time they’d had them in their sights, they’d slithered through like the snakes they were. Human snakes—not the shifting kind.

  “Well, well, well,” Kade Montgomery said with a sneer. “If it isn’t our favorite narc cop.”

  “And two of my favorite all time losers,” Cooper replied back.

  Kade and Jordan thought they were tough shit. He and his partner had busted them numerous times. Jordan’s entire family were involved in a number of illegal activities. Every member of the Bradley clan was in and out of jail and Jordan was following in their footsteps with vigor. Cooper had tried to help the youngest Bradley. He’d hoped that by giving Jordan someone he could talk to and offering him a hand in getting out of the hard life he led, the kid would be able to make something out of his future. It had become clear quickly that Jordan had no intention of changing his ways. He wasn’t just mixed up in the family business. He loved it. Jordan was a bully and enjoyed drugs and hurting people.

  Jordan Bradley sniffed. “I’ve been waiting for this day a long time.” He bounced on his toes while he spoke.

  Cooper wasn’t intimidated. Even if he hadn’t been a shifter, which he was, he was sober, trained and ready. “Yeah? Me too.”

  Jordan rushed him, but Cooper easily sidestepped and using Jordan’s momentum, pushed him farther away. Jordan skidded several feet down the alley. Cooper twisted in time to catch Kade’s arm as Kade threw a punch.

  Tightening his fingers around Kade’s wrist, he caused Kade to cry out as he yanked him forward. Cooper made certain not to crush the bones in his grip. He snarled into Kade’s face. Kade paled before starting to shake with fear. Oh, this is great. Kade and Jordan hadn’t known he was a shifter. Cooper grabbed the collar of Kade’s shirt before launching him into the brick wall right next to his partner. Josiah had Kenny on his knees with his hands cuffed behind his back. Josiah bent to secure Kade, grinning at the whining kid. “It didn’t hurt that much,” Josiah taunted Kade.

  Cooper was hit in the back. He grunted but remained on his feet, so he turned and glared at Jordan. It would take more than Jordan’s strength to knock him down. Spinning, he swept his leg, catching Jordan by surprise. A yelp sounded just before Jordan hit the ground. Standing over him, Cooper scowled. He hadn’t even worked up a sweat. Jordan’s head had slammed into the cement and he was moaning.

  “You’ll be joining us at the station,” Cooper said, as he rolled Jordan over. He placed his knee on Jordan’s back, allowing him to reach around and pull out his cuffs.

  “This isn’t over,” Jordan said, before grunting as Cooper tightened the bindings.

  “Oops,” Cooper laughed. “Too tight?”

  “You’re going to be sorry,” Jordan warned.

  Cooper yanked him up and spun Jordan around.

  “You don’t threaten me,” Cooper snarled. “I will tear you apart.”

  “Try it!” Jordan taunted. “You don’t know what you’re up against this time.”

  That was interesting. He’d get Jordan back to headquarters and try to get a little more from him. It couldn’t hurt. Maybe Jordan was just running his mouth, but maybe not. Cooper pushed Jordan forward to meet up with his partner and the two other prisoners.

  “I called for a couple of cruisers,” Josiah told him.

  “Good.” Cooper took hold of Jordan’s shoulder as Josiah and he led their perps out of the alley toward the front of the club.

  Night Moves was a popular local hangout that was doing good business on a busy Friday night. Music blasted out of the open door, mixing with the sounds of cars whizzing by.

  Cooper was getting a headache, all the noise and commotion joining together to make his head throb. It had been a long day. Hell, it had been a fucked up two weeks since the first young shifter had been found in a dark alley from a drug poisoning. Cooper and Josiah were running themselves ragged trying to find who was responsible and make sure no one else died. It wasn’t a simple task.

  Clear Creek was the biggest city in five counties. A lot of the neighboring residents migrated there on the weekends. Sadly, the numbers included young adults who were looking for a party. It was a dangerous time for anyone to be experimenting with drugs in the city.

  Cooper had wanted to work in the narcotics department of the Clear Creek Police Department since he’d first been a patrol officer at the young age of twenty. When he had driven a cruiser, he’d watched good people lose themselves in pills and other drugs. A man or woman who had smiled at him the week before or said a friendly ‘hi’ had turned into someone completely different under the influence. He’d wanted to help those people. Now, fifteen years later, he was fulfilling his dream but he was feeling helpless, instead of like he was making a difference. In the last five years, drugs had flooded in to his city. The current popular illegal substance was the worst he’d ever seen. For some reason, the mixture that was circulating was deadly to shifters. The lab hadn’t figured out what was being put in the drug that was poisoning the shifters, so Cooper and Josiah were determined to find the source fast.

  He halted Jordan at the curb in front of the bar as two black and whites pulled up. The cop car sirens and lights drew attention from the club goers. He ignored the onlookers so he could keep an eye on his suspect. He and Josiah had taken a chance in hunting down Kenny but it appeared to him that Jordan might be the key to finally catching a break. He gripped Jordan’s shoulder as he leaned down close to his ear. “We’ll be talking soon,” he warned Jordan.

  “Whatever,” Jordan muttered.

  Cooper wasn’t buying his tough guy act. For one thing, he could feel Jordan tremble under his hand. For another, Jordan’s voice shook slightly.

  One of the uniformed officers approached and Cooper pushed on Jordan to get him moving. Officer Grant nodded to Cooper. “You want him booked?”

  “Assault on an officer and interfering in an active investigation,” Cooper stated. “Have him taken to one of the interrogation rooms as soon as he’s done.” Cooper could use the charges against Jordan to hopefully persuade him to give up the information Cooper and Josiah needed.

  “You got it.” Grant gripped Jordan’s arm and pulled him toward the squad car.

  “Shit!”

  Cooper turned to his partner when he heard Josiah curse. Kenny was leaning to the side, and Josiah was trying to keep him up while Kenny was convulsing. Cooper rushed over to them and grabbed a hold of Kenny’s arm. “What happened?”

  “He just started to seize,” Josiah told him.

  He helped lay Kenny down on the ground. Kenny was sweating and appeared almost green. His small body jerked, so Cooper placed a hand against Kenny’s chest to keep him down. A few officers had run over to offer their assistance also. Cooper glanced up at the closest. “Get an ambulance here,” he ordered.

  “Yes, sir.”

  As soon as the officer grabbed the mic from his shoulder, Cooper returned his attention to Kenny. Damn, he didn’t know what the strung-out man had taken. He leaned close and took a big whiff of him, hoping to pick up on a scent that could help Cooper determine what mixture Kenny consumed. All he could catch was dirt, piss and stale cigarettes. That wasn’t going to help. He didn’t know how long it’d been since Kenny had showered or taken care of himself. Like a lot of the junkies around town, Kenny didn’t have a permanent address. He just crashed wherever and whenever he could. It made tracking down Kenny harder but Cooper had known that Kenny would show up at the bar eventually, which was why he and Josiah had been staking it out.

  Josiah held Kenny’s head straight as the seizures finally stopped. He looked up and caught
Cooper’s gaze. Cooper could read his partner well. Even though Kenny could be a pain the ass, he was also just a guy who’d hit a rough patch. Josiah wanted to help him, and Cooper was at a loss at what to do.

  “Ambulance is five minutes out. They were on another call a few blocks away that didn’t require transfer to the hospital, so they’ll be right here,” one of the officers said.

  Cooper nodded. They’d get Kenny medical treatment. After, maybe he and Josiah could finally talk Kenny into getting the help he needed. They’d tried before and Kenny had always resisted, but they had to get through to him. Kenny wouldn’t last much longer on the streets.

  The ambulance pulled up to the curb at the same time as a news van. Fuck, I really don’t want to have to deal with the media.

  “Step aside.”

  Cooper froze as he heard the command. No, it couldn’t be.

  He raised his head and standing right in front of him was Julie Sullivan.

  He swallowed hard when his gaze met hers. She was in the process of bending down when she spotted him. For several moments neither one of them moved. Cooper wouldn’t have been able to if someone had been shooting at him. Memories flooded his mind as he took in the beautiful human in front of him.

  “Coop,” she whispered, and he felt her words like a caress over his body.

  “Hey!” Josiah grabbed his shoulder, yanking Cooper out of his shock. “You okay?”

  Cooper pushed himself away from Kenny, Julie and the entire scene. He climbed to his feet, refusing to look back.

  “Cooper?” Josiah stepped in front of him. Cooper didn’t know what his partner saw on his face but he frowned before glancing in the direction of where Cooper was looking. “Julie?” Josiah’s mouth dropped open.

  Cooper would have laughed if his heart didn’t feel like it was going to pound out of his chest. His partner was just as shocked to see Cooper’s old lover as he was.