by Eva Gordon
“I’m happy you recognized me without my business suit.”
“This is Boris Orlov, my wolf tracker.”
Bolton nodded, but didn’t shake hands. “Well, Boris, I doubt we’ll need your services.”
Emma didn’t want to insist he stay, so she played it cool. “Boris could certainly use a warm vacation before he heads back to Siberia.”
He smiled at Nik. “You can board my yacht and go to the nearest airport.”
Nik furrowed his brow. “If you don’t mind, I’d prefer to stay and assist Jane.”
“Unless you are a bench scientist, there is nothing for you to do.”
Was Nik not using mind control? “Actually, if you need to locate wolf packs, you might reconsider,” said Emma.
“I have. We have what we need.”
Emma smiled. “I can’t believe you are studying wolf genetics.”
Bolton returned his gaze to her. “I’m impressed with your work.”
“You know of my studies?”
“I researched your study on the evolution of the dog and wolf genome. But the fact you discovered the mysterious human endogenous retrovirus found in only select packs of wolves in Northern Europe is more than a coincidence.”
“Actually, I collected specimens from all over the world. When I found the retrovirus, it piqued my interest and I wanted to learn what it meant.”
Bolton tilted his head. “Interesting.”
Relief coursed through Emma, her cover had been posted everywhere he might look. Yet, she sensed he still thought her study suspicious. Was he baiting her? “It is indeed and also fortunate. I didn’t expect to run across the J.C. Bolton. Not that I’m asking for funding to research this anomaly, but perhaps you might consider it. I could, of course, write a formal grant.”
Bolton waved his hand. “Not necessary. Let’s discuss this by the pool.” He glanced at Nik. “You can stay for drinks.”
“Most generous, sir,” said Nik.
Emma released a quiet breath. He was really good at his cover. He must have come to his senses and realized it was best if she stayed to infiltrate the group. Otherwise, he would have compelled Bolton to do as he was told or he didn’t want to play it that way unless necessary. She lifted her backpack. “I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”
“One of my attendants will take you to the cabana and fit you with a bathing suit. A bikini might be nice.”
Nik visibly stiffened.
Nik followed Bolton to the poolside bar while Emma went to change. Like every Bond movie, four beautiful women wearing tiny bikinis lay by the swimming pool. Two of them were topless. Bolton had been divorced three times and had a reputation as an international playboy. According to Emma, he had no children, despite the fact each wife had been twenty years his junior. Probably sterile.
The bartender was an attractive brunette wearing a halter-top, and extremely short shorts that showed off her long legs. She wore high heels. Sexy. His wolf didn’t mind the hot women, yet none measured up to Emma. No way in hell would he leave her alone with the playboy. These women probably came for the easy money.
Bolton turned to him. “Would you like vodka?”
Nik shook his head. “I’ll take a plain orange juice.”
The bartender chuckled. “I can make you a mimosa.”
“No alcohol, just fruit juice.”
“Orange juice it is.” She turned to Bolton. “And you, sir?”
“I’ll take a Mojito. Actually, make it two.” He pointed his chin toward Emma. “My guest, Jane, will have the second one.”
Nik followed his gaze. His wolf roused from his lair. Desire ripped through him like a tidal wave. Emma wore a tiny red bikini that barely covered her private parts. Long legs, svelte but sweet curves and the top pushed up her cleavage making him salivate. His protective wolf took over. Surely, there had been a more decent bathing suit. There is no way I’ll leave her alone with this sex maniac.
Bolton grabbed the two Mojitos and walked toward Emma with Nik following him like an obedient lap dog. Part of him was turned on, and the other ready to cover her with the guest towels. “Come sit here, my dear.”
She wiggled her ass toward the chair. Nik bristled and narrowed his eyes. Had Emma been trained as a sparrow? He didn’t imagine Emma was a woman who obtained secrets by seducing and even sleeping with the enemy. Surely, Rylee didn’t expect her to go that far?
Bolton smiled. “I thought you might like a Mojito.”
“Thank you.” She took the drink and sipped. “Yum.” Her tongue licked her luscious lips. “Very good.”
Nik stared at his orange juice. Now she was flirting. Why did her behavior provoke his possessive wolf? She was his comrade, nothing more.
Emma turned to him. “Why don’t you take your shirt off and get some sun?”
“Good idea.” He stood and removed his top. Good thing Emma encouraged him on the plane to use her makeup to cover his Team Greywolf tattoo. The women looked at him and shouted, “Woohoo!” One whistled the classic wolf call.
“You must belong to one hell of a gym.” Bolton narrowed his eyes. “According to your file, you were in the Russian army.”
“Yes. Special Forces.”
“Although we don’t have a job in the lab for you, how would feel about working as a soldier? For me?”
“I’m done with fighting. I prefer wolf tracking.”
“You’ve probably lost friends or nearly died yourself,” said Bolton.
“That is correct.”
“And a recovering alcoholic?”
“No, just a health enthusiast.”
“Good. Exactly the type of men I’m looking for.” Bolton sat back and formed his fingers into a steeple. “What if you became stronger than you already are?”
The perfect chance to find out the truth about his experiment. Unfortunately, the created wolf-men would find out he already had great strength.
Emma interrupted before he could answer. “Boris is retired from soldiering. Isn’t that right, Boris?”
“How well do you pay?” Nik asked.
Bolton laughed. “More than any soldier could ever dream of making.”
“Would I live here on this beautiful island?”
“My elite mercenaries are sent on missions to guard my interests, but when not working they stay here.” Bolton smiled. “Think of it as a vacation with occasional part-time work.”
Nik suspected his men had to stay here in case they lost control of their shift. He smiled and glanced at the beautiful women by the pool. “Sounds intriguing.”
Bolton laughed. “Feel free to swim with my other guests.”
Emma pointed her chin toward the women. “Go on, Boris. I think they’re really into you.”
Bolton’s phone vibrated and he stared at the screen. “I need to take this.”
“No problem.”
Emma leaned in to say something, but Nik moved a finger to his lips. She nodded and sipped her drink. Bolton walked toward the bar, out of hearing range. But not out of a wolf’s hearing range.
Nik pretended to admire the swimming beauties while listening to Bolton’s conversation.
Bolton’s face reddened. “About time you got back!”
A woman with an American accent said, “I'm in.”
Bolton ended the call and put it in his pants pocket. He must have texted the woman earlier since their conversation was cryptic.
Before he returned, Nik whispered to Emma, “Something about a woman being in.”
Bolton sat and pointed to the women. “Why don’t you think about my job offer while you swim with the ladies?”
Nik grinned. “Who can argue with that?” He stood and took off his pants leaving only black boxers. “Talk later.” He winked at Emma and walked toward the fawning women.
Emma did her best to remain focused as Nik let the topless women massage his back and perhaps other parts. She’d always been in control of her emotions, but for the first time, cold jealousy shaded the warmth
of the Caribbean. He was not Danny so why should she care? Besides, Danny had been too devoted to her to even flirt. She sipped the Mojito, then turned and smiled at Bolton. “Tell me, why are you of all people interested in wolf genetics?”
“I think you know why.”
“Chimera research?”
He slowly nodded. “Yes.”
“I figured you might use the retrovirus to create a new dog species or perhaps experiment on another mammal. As in making dogs even more human like.”
His head tilted as if weighing the evidence she was real. “Why are you so interested in this specific human endogenous retrovirus found in wolves?”
“I have a hypothesis that somewhere in our evolutionary history, a human virus infected wolves.”
“Interesting.” Bolton met her eyes. “I sense we have met before.”
“At a conference, perhaps.”
He shook his head. “No. Somewhere else.”
Emma kept her cool. “If we have, it was only at a distance. Until today, I’ve never met you.”
“You just seem familiar.” He waved a dismissive hand. “Could have been tagging wolves. Canada?”
Her files mentioned a study of a wild wolf population in the Canadian Rockies. She proceeded with caution. “Hmm. Possibly.” She changed the subject. “Do you keep any wolves here?”
“A few frozen ones. I had permission to cull some.”
More like poaching. “Why not keep them in a zoo-like environment?”
He scoffed. “Less cleanup. I’d hate to feel like I am running a kennel. Besides, if they are frozen, I have access to DNA without being bitten.”
Emma scoffed. “Sounds heartless.”
Bolton laughed. “Don’t tell me you are one of those bleeding animal lovers who don’t wear fur or eat meat.”
“I love animals and believe in keeping wolves as the keystone predator.”
“No one has donated more to wolf population causes than I have.”
“You have an odd way of showing your love for wolves.”
“How about I show you the lab? You will be impressed.”
Feigning enthusiasm for the killer, perhaps Danny’s murderer, she nodded. “That would be great.” Would the tour include the newly minted werewolves? Maybe it was time to communicate with Rylee? Disobeying her orders about not infiltrating might not go over well, but then again, how else would she send vital information regarding the werewolf experiments?
Nik approached with two women, one on each arm. He grinned. “I’ve made a decision.”
“So what will it be, Boris?”
“I’ll work for you.”
The two women smiled as if they had convinced him.
“Good. You will be an excellent addition to my team.” He turned to Emma. “Dress and I’ll give you the grand tour.”
“What about Boris?” Emma asked.
“Let him enjoy his new friends.”
The women giggled. Nik gave her a quick look.
“Yes, have fun.” Emma smiled.
Bolton glanced at his watch. “I’ll meet you back here in say, ten minutes.”
“Okay.” She walked by Nik and felt his heated gaze as she returned to the cabana to change.
Nik sat in the Jacuzzi with the annoying women. His wolf gaze stalked the black golf cart taking Emma toward the big white dome. Wolf-men were in there. How good was she at faking it? His kind could detect a lie a mile away, but were these werewolves capable of detecting untruths? In his kind, only the alphas had the ability to mind control. Did they even have an alpha?
After nearly thirty minutes, he decided to check his phone. She’d promised to text. He stood. “I’m sorry lovely ladies, but I’m going to get dressed.”
The brunette whined. “Aren’t you having fun?”
“I am, but I will probably need to meet with Mr. Boss soon.” Once the wolf-men detected he was a werewolf, would Bolton buy the story that he hid his nature from Emma? He dressed and then checked his messages. None. She either was too preoccupied with the tour to text him or she was in big trouble.
Chapter Nine
Emma followed Bolton into the large modern lab facility. The research building included glass offices and open space lab stations equipped with chemical hoods, imaging, and various PCR and DNA analysis machines. Men and women dressed in white lab coats glanced at her and then returned to their work. Naturally, the lab of billionaire pharma giant J.C. Bolton would be impressive, but this place had not been built in a day or even a year. The lab must have been running for a decade without being noticed. Although, Bolton could be part of a government project, the kind that didn’t exist. Were there other chimeras besides wolves? “How long has this lab been around?”
Bolton laughed. “Long enough.”
Evasive. Fine, I’ll figure it out on my own. “Either way, it’s quite impressive. Who knew I’d find a lab like this in the middle of the ocean?” Did he carry out werewolf experiments here? Was this the level four biosafety lab that created biological weapons? Certainly not a place he’d share with visiting scientists. Odd, could his lab be related to the more than a dozen biotech scientists who’d gone missing over the last five years?
He opened another door labeled Animal Lab. “Here we keep other chimera possibilities.” Emma entered and stared at cages of animals from dogs to primates and even birds of prey.
“Come, let me introduce you to some special men.”
“The men you want Boris to join?”
“Yes. Our super soldiers.”
“Are you serious? Have you really injected these men with some sort of retrovirus?”
“I have, and trust me, they are the next evolutionary step.”
They walked down a long hallway toward a glass elevator and entered. “Third floor,” he said.
The voice activated elevator proceeded and she glanced at the view of the lab and outer atrium. Paradise or Frankenstein’s nightmare? A race of Frankenwolves?
The doors opened. “Here we are.”
This area wasn’t set up like the biotech lab on the first floor. It reminded her more of a law office. In the far back was a lounge area. Two bulky men in black uniforms sat having drinks.
“Ed, Lee, this is Dr. Jane Walker.”
They nodded. “Ma’am.”
The men were brawny with the easy-going confidence of Special Forces. Almost like lycans. “Hey.”
“Ed and Lee are super soldiers.”
A hint about their new nature? She smiled. “I don’t doubt it.”
“These men took the SERV chimera drug.”
“You mean HERV?” She referred to the rare human endogenous retrovirus he found in a few of the wolves’ genome.
They sat in a booth, close to the bar where his men sat. “Actually, my partner named the bioengineered drug, Stallo’s Endogenous Retrovirus.”
Coldness chilled her core. No one but lycans knew about the werewolf’s ancestor, a powerful wizard and the first partial werewolf, Stallo. She kept her poker face. “Is Stallo one of your scientists?”
“No. Apparently, the retrovirus was part of his human genome, millennia ago.”
“I don’t understand. How do you even know of such a man?” There wasn’t a doubt. His partner was either a werewolf or a human such as Svetlana, mate of the criminal werewolf.
“We don’t know how it happened, but this so called wizard took something. Perhaps some radioactive isotope and transformed himself into a werewolf.”
Knowing the answer, she turned and did a double take at the two men who sat nursing their drinks. “So these men are now…genetically modified to their very DNA?”
“Yes. They are, for all intents and purposes, werewolves.”
“You are joking, right?”
“No. I am not,” said Bolton.
“That’s impossible.” Lycan society had kept their kind a secret for so long, what would they do now? This would start a war.
“On the contrary, what we discovered is a breakthrough
to enhance the average soldier by giving him the ability to shift. Imagine, how much safer it would be for our soldiers, police officers and even private citizens if they could count on wolf strength and senses?”
Based on his record for creating biological weapons, he probably intended to keep the formula to himself and use the men as mercenaries for hire. “Wolves are strong, but not invincible to bullets.”
He laughed. “You think they turn into normal wolves.”
“Of course not, that would be biologically impossible,” she lied.
“Ed and Lee shift into a werewolf.”
“Werewolf?”
“A bipedal wolf with the attributes of a real wolf.”
Emma raised her eyebrow. “Do they have a wolf’s sense of smell?” She suspected they didn’t or they would have scented her mask.
The baldheaded one, Ed, shook his head. “While we are in human form, we have the same human senses, but in werewolf form, our sense of smell and night vision are superior.”
Good to know real lycans had a slight advantage over these newly created ones. If they could scent her and Nik, they’d lose their cover and most likely their lives. Emma smirked. “Does shifting require a full moon?”
Bolton laughed. “No.” He stood. “It’s time for a demonstration.”
“That’s quite all right, no demonstration required.” She needed to text Nik.
“Why not, Dr. Walker?”
She adjusted her glasses. “To be honest, this is creepy.”
“I promise they won’t bite,” scoffed Bolton.
She glanced at the men. “Is that true?”
“Don’t worry. We don’t lose our human mind. We still think. We can even watch a football game if you want,” said Ed.
Lee laughed. “Although, with our large claws we’d break the television remote trying to change the channels.”
“Is it easy? I mean the transition.” Emma asked.
Ed smirked. “Piece of cake.”
“If you say so.” She stepped back, although there was no place to run to and hide.
Bolton loomed closer. “How would you like to try the drug?”
