by Dianna Love
If she didn’t get a grip and keep her face completely void of any reaction, Brantley would have some serious ammunition to use against her.
She would not give him that. She’d just do her best to pretend she wasn’t looking at some Adonis. Could she help that she hadn’t been up close and personal with many men in the last few years?
Witnessing shifters turn into naked men came with the territory of studying them, but this was the first time she’d had such a primitive reaction to one.
And she’d certainly never had this tingling in her core—the same tingling she’d felt last night at Colin’s side—but the freaking buzzing was also back in a serious way.
Determined to put on her future-SCIS-director face, she asked her partner, “Has he spoken?”
“Not yet.”
“When did he shift?”
“Around two this morning. Maybe a little after.”
She’d gone home close to nine. “What happened between when I left and then? Did the medics do anything?”
“I entered with them right after I saw you and took a minute to ask his name. He said he’s Colin O’Donnell.”
She fought a moment of disappointment over Colin giving Brantley his full name, but had to pay attention to what her partner was saying.
“The shifters on the medic staff came in to take his vitals. They said Colin’s body was healed enough to shift, in fact the bones in his right arm had mended, which was a surprise.”
She didn’t say a word about touching Colin, just kept giving Brantley her undivided attention.
He said, “The jackals said at that point he would just be suffering the longer he was held back from shifting. O’Donnell said he wanted to sleep some more, so I told the jackals to check back after midnight.”
That fit what Colin had told Tess about wanting to sleep more and that her people were basically torturing him. She asked, “What happened next?”
“Two of our shifters returned just after midnight. One of them texted me that they planned to give Colin the protein stimulus and they would stay long enough to see that he was able to shift fully into his wolf. Standard Operating Procedure.”
True, but she still had a hard time understanding how Colin, who had sounded so calm and in control, would have done this when he knew he couldn’t escape. He had to know that attacking the jackals would pretty much condemn him to imprisonment.
She asked, “Are there any videos of what happened?” There were no observation cameras that ran continually, but those rooms were outfitted with equipment to film interactions with patients or prisoners.
“No. I didn’t think we’d need it filmed. Did you?”
She shook her head.
He huffed a tired sigh. “All I know other than that is I got a call around two this morning that the jackals had failed to check in on their hourly rounds. That’s when staff looked in Colin’s room and saw the walls painted in blood. A giant gray wolf stood in the middle of the massacre, baring his fangs at everyone.”
“Didn’t either shifter use a stun gun?”
“Yes, one of the stun guns had been discharged. It was set on a full takedown blast. Evidently, that didn’t work. Our sniper on staff was called. He opened a panel in the door and the wolf lunged at him, but our guy shot the wolf with our strongest shifter tranq. Even that didn’t take effect as quickly as expected. Both of our jackal shifters were taken to ICU. I transferred them to their pack house as per their contract if they were badly injured. They don’t trust being around any shifters when they can’t defend themselves.”
She clutched her throat, envisioning the attack and the bloodbath. Colin, or whoever this guy was, would not walk free after harming those two.
Brantley hadn’t taken his eyes off of the naked man as he continued. “I didn’t want to call you sooner since I figured it would take time for O’Donnell to begin waking from the tranq and shift back, if he was going to return to human form. I let you know as soon as he woke and our staff got the mask in place.”
“Liar.”
Colin’s voice boomed even inside the enclosed room.
She flinched and cursed silently, then lifted the microphone. “What?”
Silence answered her.
She cut her gaze at Brantley, who gave her the look he did every time he reminded her that these shifters were barely a step above wild beasts. She didn’t agree when it came to the entire population, but now was not the time for that conversation, especially if this shifter was listening in.
Returning to the microphone, she said, “You clearly heard everything said, so my question is, why did you attack our people, Colin?”
The iron mask lifted to face her. When it did, piercing blue eyes studied her so hard she had the urge to back away.
Not happening.
No one, not even a shifter, was going to make her run.
His skin was still pink along the left side where he’d been burned, and his right arm that had healed last night now appeared swollen. None of that stopped him from curling both hands into fists, which indicated he had use of them.
The gouges in the walls of his room had been enough to show he was physically fit to fight.
Colin spoke in a smoother voice now that he’d healed significantly, but it had an odd quality from being filtered through the speakers. “I have no control over what my wolf does when I’m given drugs I didn’t request or approve.”
She heard something familiar in his voice but couldn’t put her finger on it. How many people had she met over the years? Thousands, especially during her research days. His voice must remind her of someone else.
Brantley snorted at Colin’s comment and muttered, “Typical.”
Colin’s gaze hardened to a frightening intensity and turned to Brantley. “What’s the point in asking me questions when you’re going to lie to her?”
Tess looked over for Brantley’s reaction, but there was none. Her partner sighed and lifted the microphone, “You clearly don’t need me to use a mic, but this ensures that everything we say is on record so no one can claim you weren’t given a fair chance. I’ve run a background check on Colin O’Donnell, which shows that you were a child of the state in Dublin, Ireland. Then you fell off the map for a few years before surfacing three months ago. You don’t even have an Irish accent.”
Colin crossed his arms which only accentuated his guns. He was clearly comfortable in his own skin. If not for the situation, she’d call him sexy as hell, and so dangerous ...
Tess swallowed and forced herself to watch his arms, shoulders and head.
Nothing below the arms. Nothing.
Think about that wrecked room and ripped-up shifters.
That threw a load of ice water on her crazy hormones.
With only a slight pause, Brantley continued. “The thing about that kind of background is that it’s a little too perfect, because we find nothing during the missing years. Where were you?”
A slight smirk lifted Colin’s lips. “Not that you’ll believe me, but I was living on the streets.”
“You’re right. I don’t believe you, so let’s get down to business now that you’re healthy enough to answer questions and no longer taking drugs.”
“More like having them forced on me.”
Tess wanted to have what Brantley said verified.
What if someone had loaded Colin’s IV with too much medication? Why would anyone on staff do that without authorization, though? She hated that her gut was yapping at her to consider Colin’s side of this, that he might not have had control of his wolf due to the drugs.
Brantley shrugged. “We could have let you die.”
“And give up a golden opportunity for a scapegoat? No, that wouldn’t happen.”
Ignoring that comment, Brantley asked, “What were you doing at the food bank building Monday night?”
“Told you I was walking by.”
Even Tess thought that answer came too quickly.
Sighing, she spoke into the mic. “Don’t you und
erstand the trouble you’re in? Being obstinate is not working in your favor,” she said with a hard voice she hoped got through.
All she received in return was a sad pair of eyes shifting to meet hers.
Tapping an index finger against the throat of the microphone, Brantley said, “Just tell us what you know about the Black River pack and we’ll go easy on you. That’s a fair offer.”
When Colin replied, his voice packed sarcasm. “There’s not a damn thing fair about your operation. You’re using jackal shifters as staff. They’re mercs who kill for money. You have no reason to hold me, just circumstantial evidence. But you’re still going to lock me away forever. I’ve got nothing to say to you.”
Tess crossed her arms to hide her own fingers curled into fists. Why couldn’t Colin just give them a straight answer?
Brantley turned to her. “It’s your call. You’re the lead on this.”
Oh, so now she was the lead?
She lifted her head and found Colin staring at her now with a look of concern.
Never leaving his gaze, she told Brantley, “Call in the transport.”
Colin’s eyes seemed disheartened, as if he’d expected more from her. He didn’t even know her. How could he make her feel guilty when he was the one who had mauled two shifters?
For now, they had to move him to a better holding cell, much as she hated it. But no one would agree to keeping him in this facility. While he was gone, she’d do a thorough investigation of what happened last night and withhold any judgment until then. But for now, she had injured staff to worry about.
Colin said, “Don’t do this.”
She didn’t even pick up the mic. “Not putting you into a holding cell to begin with was my decision and now two shifters are paying the price for my trying to allow you to heal. I have a duty to protect everyone in this facility, which includes any contract SCIS staff regardless of your assessment of our shifters. I will not allow another person I know to be harmed by an out-of-control shifter.”
Turning away, she led Brantley out of the room.
A mournful howl rose from the room behind her.
Her chest ached as if someone had reached in and gripped her heart.
What the devil was going on with her?
She didn’t know, but the farther she moved from Colin, the more pain settled in her chest. Not enough to prevent her from functioning, but real enough to make her hurry to put distance between that wolf shifter and her.
After today, she wouldn’t see him again unless he decided to tell the truth about the bombing, which she seriously doubted.
Chapter 10
Cole wore a thin gray jumpsuit he’d been given before leaving the SCIS facility. His beard itched under the metal mask, which they’d welded shut when he was detached from the wall. His ankle chains jingled as he walked out the front door into blinding sunlight. His wrists were cuffed behind him and the mask made it hard to turn his head, but the scenery reminded him of northern South Carolina.
But there was nothing here but an old farmhouse and barn, the guards and a transport truck.
The Guardian’s human in the US government kept him informed of SCIS operations, so this place would be on the Guardian’s list. But if they’d marked it as a research facility, Cole’s team would have no reason to hunt him here.
They’d be looking at holding facilities first.
Way to think positive, Cole.
Just keeping it real.
An armored truck had been parked in front of the house the staff used for access to the underground rooms. The truck had a South Carolina tag, possibly confirming his guess even if it wouldn’t help him.
Of all the things that surprised him, Gray Wolf actually behaving for the moment topped that list.
Maybe because his wolf’s rampage last night had been a pressure release, allowing his animal to run free even if it had been contained in that room.
Gray Wolf had let Cole know just how little control he maintained anymore.
Cole blamed that bastard Brantley for overdosing him with something that was not a protein compound.
Gray Wolf huffed softly, just letting Cole know he was there. That one gesture reminded Cole of the many times over the years he’d been as one with his wolf. Maybe Gray Wolf realized they were heading toward the end and it would come in a cage.
Brantley would get what he wanted.
Cole would like to know for sure Brantley was Cadell, but some of them were gifted at hiding their identities and acting as humans.
Something was going on between Tess and her so-called partner.
If Cole were to guess, he’d say Brantley wanted her out of the picture completely. He’d said that sending Cole away was her decision, meaning Tess was higher on the totem pole than Brantley. For now.
She hadn’t wanted to send for transport.
That much had been clear.
If she knew the suspicion Cole harbored—that Brantley was not human—she’d be running to get away from the guy, but she couldn’t know.
Even most shifters wouldn’t have recognized what Brantley really was.
Gallize shifters could pick up on Cadell magic, but only in their animal forms. This guy hadn’t used magic yet, so Cole might be wrong.
But he would bet his next breath that he was right.
If Brantley was Cadell, he’d wrangled a position that allowed him access to jackal shifters for his dirty work. Having those shifters inserted as SCIS staff now made even more sense.
Gray Wolf wouldn’t have stopped bleeding those two jackal shifters if Cole hadn’t pleaded with him. That had been the last resort when his wolf had ignored Cole’s orders. It had taken shouting telepathically at Gray Wolf that he was going to get Tess in trouble.
Those two jackals had been no match for Gray Wolf even after they’d shifted, and they had Tess to thank for being alive.
Brantley and Tess stood near the box bed for the truck.
Cole swept a look around, as much as the hot, iron mask would allow. No help in sight.
A guard shoved him in the back.
He stumbled, but gained his footing.
The closer Cole got to Tess, the more alert his wolf became until it was pawing hard by the time Cole was marched up to the rear of the truck.
Brantley stepped aside to hand papers to a new pair of jackal shifters and said, “Here are your delivery forms. Let me know if you have any trouble.” He stepped several feet away and lifted his phone to scroll through it.
Tess moved over to where Cole stood between two guards armed with stun guns. He didn’t want to experience those hits if possible. But that didn’t stop him from constantly assessing a possible escape route.
He took in her sad gaze.
Did she feel guilty for sending him to a hole in the ground? She would at some point, because eventually someone would show her his face and she’d realized what she’d done. But it might not be until they brought her the report of his death.
This wasn’t her fault.
He knew she was doing her best at her job. This woman was the most honorable person he’d ever met.
Gray Wolf howled to get out.
Even if Cole didn’t have this mask on, he wouldn’t unleash his monster on any of these people.
I will kill them all.
No, Cole told Gray Wolf. You can’t do that.
Well, maybe Brantley, Cole amended to himself.
They will kill us.
Gray Wolf had a point, but Cole still couldn’t condone unleashing his beast on anyone. He told his wolf, I’m trying to keep us alive right now. Don’t fight me.
His wolf had nothing to say, but then his wolf had always been about teeth and claws, not reason. Cole cut his gaze at the jackals, who were having a hard time hiding their glee at his future.
Fuck them.
If he had the chance, he’d let Gray Wolf deal with those paid murderers.
Would Tess believe him if Cole told her she was paying shifters who lived to b
leed others?
Probably not.
Tess told the shifters, “I want a minute.” She’d spoken with a stern edge that meant she expected to be obeyed.
The jackals moved back, eyeing her with disrespect that had a growl climbing up his throat.
Tess distracted him from his lethal thoughts when she spoke. “I don’t want to do this,” she whispered with that same core of iron in her voice. “Just tell us what you know and I can revoke the order until I have time to do a full investigation on what happened last night.”
Her soft voice climbed inside of Cole and warmed him. But he couldn’t tell her the truth without exposing that he was Gallize, which would expose the Guardian’s teams. Between the shifters and the Cadells, it was getting damned hard to function in this country without exposing their Gallize league.
But he would die to protect the people he considered family.
They would do the same for him.
Before he left, Cole had to do one thing for Tess, to spare her conscience once she discovered that she’d sent the man she loved in college to his death. He had to say it in a way that she would not figure out that he knew who she was until later. “You lost someone important to a shifter, didn’t you?”
His words brought a chilly change to her disposition.
She said, “That has nothing to do with this.”
“Yes, it does. What happened in your past is driving you to right wrongs between shifters and humans, isn’t it?” His guess? Her mother’s death pushed Tess to this point.
Her heart strummed a fast beat. He could hear the pounding and scented something new. Anger. Her face pulled down shutters over her emotions, but she’d already exposed herself.
He’d been right, so he pushed once more. “You seem like you genuinely want to understand shifters. I’m asking because I’d like to know why you’re so interested. Call it a dying man’s last request.”
Whatever tart comment had been about to launch off her tongue got pulled back at the suggestion that he wouldn’t survive this.
If Cole was right about Brantley, he wouldn’t see another day in this world.
She tapped her fingers on her hip in a state of thinking. “I lost a family member years ago in a shifter attack, yes. So what’s your point?”
