“That’s not doodling.”
“It’s starting lines.”
“What?”
Trying to think fast, she rolled her eyes and said, “I’ve been toying with an idea I have to write this…um…fictional story, you know, inspired by some of the things I’ve seen in this forest. I knew you wouldn’t understand, so I lied—about taking notes, I mean.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“You expect me to believe that you honestly think an animal can read?”
Then she wondered why she was afraid of the professor. He was angry, yes, but he’d never truly harm her. He was a professional scientist. Perhaps offense was the best defense.
She stood and snatched up the Falke collar from the desk. “Now I want to know what you are going to do with that cat. I thought we were in this together. You gave me the assignment to regain access to Falke, but here he is.”
“Your efforts were taking too long.”
“Are you trying to oust me from this project? Did you forget that I found the cat first, that I shared the results with you? Me. Why would I jeopardize the project?”
For a split second he studied her face as if he believed her outburst, but then his eyes narrowed.
“You know more than you’re telling.” He held the notebook up as evidence.
She cast a glance at the cat that had started to growl again. “You didn’t answer my questions.
Where’d you get him?”
Whitmore’s laugh sounded a little off, strained. “People shouldn’t let their pets walk around free.
I got him the same way you did.”
He shot me with the tranquilizer right outside the store. Drugged me. I woke up here. What the hell is going on? Whose side are you on?
She glanced at Sindre again, then back at the professor. “So, take his blood and let him go. We can conduct the tests again, regain the evidence we lost and move on. Why have me waste time going through surveillance footage if you already had the cat?”
“Because there’s a saboteur here, and I want to know who.”
“Fine, but why keep the cat? All we need are some blood samples.”
You fucking bitch! She winced at the volume behind the puma’s rage.
“He belongs to someone. We should let it go. He’ll find his way home. The brothers told me he always does.”
“Are you kidding?” Whitmore said. “You think the damn thing can read. And don’t try to convince me otherwise. You’re a terrible liar, Elizabeth. We already know his blood has anomalies enough to change the way people think about evolution. Don’t you see? He’s the fucking missing link!” His face flushed red, and beads of spittle flew from his mouth when he shouted that last statement.
Now she was scared. Terrified. Whitmore was losing it.
“An animal with human patterns of DNA…”
“Professor,” she said, backing up a step. “I spoke with two of the brothers last night. They agreed to give me access to the cat.”
Sindre hissed, attracting the professor’s attention. She also glanced at the cat and gave a tiny shake of her head, then looked back toward Whitmore who watched the aggressive, caged cat.
“They said I could take the blood sample, so if we just take a vial and let it go, there’s no harm done, no reason to move the lab. But they swear there’s nothing different about his blood than any other cougar. He was born in captivity, but he’s as normal as any of the wild ones in the Wenatchee.”
“You’re lying.” Whitmore glared at her again. “I’m not stupid. They wouldn’t let you near him before, and now they’re willing? What changed their minds? I wonder.”
Seeing the look in his eyes, she chose to keep tight-lipped rather than answer that question.
“You’re a liar, Elizabeth Coldwell, and a damned fool. And if I discover that you’re the one behind all of this sabotage, which I suspect you are, I’ll make damn sure you never get your doctorate.
Never!”
He’s psycho, Sindre told her. You need to get the fuck out of here.
Beth swallowed hard. “I’m not lying. Look. Here.” She reached into her pocket to pull out her cell phone. “We’ll call them right now. Kelan Falke. He said I could have what I needed for the tests.
Call him. Ask him. Wouldn’t it be better to have their cooperation than face legal ramifications for stealing their property? It could jeopardize the entire study.”
Professor Whitmore snatched her phone from her hand. “No one ever owns what is inherently wild. Besides it’d be their word against mine. I don’t need their permission anymore. Not when I have the cat. As soon as Tim gets his ass back here, we’re leaving, and once news of this discovery breaks, their claims will be seen as nothing more than small-town yokels trying to get rich off my hard work.”
He gave voice to her worst nightmare. The Falkes would be unable to lay public claim to the cat.
To do so would bring too much media scrutiny to their family, and they couldn’t risk that with babies on the way. Trying to fight the battle through legal means would take too long, be too drawn out. And all the while testing would continue. Tears stung her eyes as she thought of what Sindre might have to endure if she failed to help him escape.
The professor turned partially and looked at the cat, and his face broke into a huge smile. “He’s a beauty, isn’t he? I can’t wait to open him up and see what makes him tick.”
Beth’s breathing damn near stopped.
Get out now! He’s gonna kill me if you don’t get help. Is that what you want?
She dashed for the door, but Whitmore caught her around the waist.
“No,” she cried out.
The cougar in the cage yowled and hissed.
“Where are you going, Elizabeth?”
“Let…go!” She struggled against his grip. Just as she’d almost broken free, he grabbed her hair and jerked her head backward. “Ah-oww!”
For a middle-aged fat guy, he was damn strong.
“You’re not going anywhere. I’m not going to let you run to your lover and tattle. This cat is headed straight back to the university. And if you don’t like it, then I guess I’ll have to—oomph!”
Beth elbowed him in the gut, but it wasn’t enough to make him release her. In fact, if anything it pissed him off, and he jerked her back to the desk using her hair and shoved her into the chair again.
Tears burned her eyes from the pain in her head. Strands of her hair dangled from his fingers as he opened the bottom drawer on a cabinet.
“You can’t kill that cat,” she cried when he came up with a vial of potassium chloride.
“Who said this was for the cat?”
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, she heard from Sindre. I have to change. He’ll kill us both if I don’t get out of here and stop him.
“No,” she screamed at Falke as she jumped up and tried shoving Whitmore out of the way. If she could just knock him off balance and make it to the door, she was sure she could outrun him.
Whitmore cursed when he dropped the vial in his effort to prevent her second dash at freedom.
“Don’t do that,” she shouted at the cat. If Sindre changed and stopped Whitmore, the family secret would surely be out. They damn sure didn’t need to let Whitmore witness more than what he already knew. Right now, all he had was speculation and conjecture. She wanted to keep it that way.
This man wasn’t going to keep anyone’s secret. Not if he would steal a pet and threaten to kill her over it.
Whitmore obviously thought she was talking to him and laughed, even as he seized her by the damn hair again and stopped her dead in her tracks.
She twisted around, grabbed her own hair at her skull and tried ripping it from his grip, but he had too much, too big of a handful. She couldn’t break free, no matter how hard she tugged. And then he slapped her in the face hard enough to snap her head back, and she cried out as stars danced in front of her eyes.
Got it, she heard Sindre say, but didn’t u
nderstand what he meant until her eyes cleared and she saw him paw at the vial that must’ve been kicked near the cage during their struggle.
“Sit down, Elizabeth,” Whitmore said in a too-calm voice. “Be a good little student.”
Her stomach heaved, and her breaths came out in short pants, but he gave her no choice. He forced her to sit hard.
“Good girl. Try that again, and I’ll have no alternative but to hurt you.”
He already had, she thought as he retrieved a roll of duct tape from another drawer.
“I’m not sure why my ace student has decided that it’s more important to have sex than to complete the tasks I laid out for her, but she has.”
“I don’t—” She blinked. “What did you say?”
“You think I don’t know where your allegiances lie? My room is right next to yours, Elizabeth, and I wasn’t born yesterday. I know what a woman in the throes of an orgasm sounds like.” He ripped the tape with his teeth, grabbed her wrists and reached around her, his body inches from her face, as he wound the tape around her wrists.
“It even sounded like there were two men in your room last night.” He gave her a smile that was more sneer than comforting. “The walls are very thin.”
She thought she might throw up. She figured sitting silently and letting him tie her up was the best course. If she was quiet and not a threat, maybe he wouldn’t kill her. So long as she was still breathing, there was hope. She couldn’t help anyone if she were dead. The potassium chloride was standard in any lab, used for a variety of tasks. But one syringe would drop her, or Sindre, like a ton of bricks. Stone cold dead. Chances were Whitmore needed more tests on a live cat before he actually killed Sindre, so there was time.
She watched Sindre cover the vial, now inside his cage, with his big paw. It would help buy some time, but not much. Whitmore wouldn’t reach into the cage for it, but he could always tranquilize the cat again to search the cage.
Sindre’s family would know if he were missing. Right? She wanted to ask, but Whitmore was wrapping the tape around her body, anchoring her to the chair. She glanced at Sindre who lay staring at her. If a cougar could look worried, he certainly succeeded.
She tried to convince herself that Whitmore wouldn’t really kill her. How would he explain her death? Or her disappearance if he dumped her body? Tim wouldn’t help Whitmore, would he?
Never in her life had she been so terrified, and she couldn’t stop the tears that trickled from her eyes. How had she worked with this man for six years, studied under him, and never seen this side of him? He’d always been a little hard edged, but this was all wrong. He’d go to jail for this.
Torsten should be looking for me, Sindre said to her. I was supposed to be right behind him, and that had to be a couple of hours ago. If I shift, we-When Whitmore moved behind her, she mouthed silently to Sindre, Don’t change. Then said aloud, “Please don’t,” looking into the cat’s eyes.
“You leave me no choice,” the professor said.
The cat grew quiet, but his tail flicked in agitation as he watched Whitmore’s every move.
What else can I do? I can’t sit here and watch him kill you.
A tear fell, but again she mouthed, No, please. Don’t shift.
Whitmore came back in front of her and stood looking down at her. He shook his head and made a face of disgust. “I had hopes for you, Elizabeth. You disappoint me.”
“I’m sorry, Professor Whitmore,” she said, trying to stem the tears. “But don’t you see what you’re doing is wrong? It’ll destroy everything you hope to accomplish with this research.”
“Shut up.” He shook his head and ripped off another piece of tape. “You’re wrong, but I haven’t the time to waste dealing with your insubordination.” He sighed. “What the hell am I supposed to do with you now?” He pressed the tape over her mouth, then sat in the other office chair, turned her laptop to face him and went back to studying the video.
She closed her eyes and tried to calm her rapid heartbeats. They’d come after Sindre. His family would rescue him. They had to. She looked at Sindre through her watery eyes.
Or Tim. Tim would be back. Whitmore said they’d move as soon as Tim returned. He must be in the forest, because the ATV wasn’t in the trailer, and she hadn’t seen it outside when she drove up.
When Tim got back, he’d call the police.
If I change, I can get us out of here, Sindre said.
She furiously shook her head. It could be a disaster. It would be a disaster for the Falke family if Whitmore learned what she had that morning.
The professor glanced up from the computer. “What?”
She shook her head again, this time at Whitmore.
He made a face then turned back to the laptop.
Sindre sat on his haunches and stared through the thick wire cage. I don’t know what to do. I think someone will come for me, but…
Her heart ached for Sindre. He was younger than Kelan and Reidar, and probably had never been in this kind of trouble. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was. How this was all her fault for capturing Kelan the first time.
She dropped her head forward and couldn’t stop the tears. Please, Kelan. Reidar. Come for us.
Your brother needs you. I need you.
Chapter Twelve
“I think we need to think about moving into the extra apartment above the store,” Reidar said as they walked toward Catamount Outfitters.
Kelan cast him a glance. “Why?”
“Well, for one, we wouldn’t have had to drive out to our dads’ place to pick up uniforms.”
Kelan nodded. “True.”
“Get ready to hear Axel’s wrath for being late,” Reidar warned good-naturedly.
When they reached the store’s front door, however, it was locked. The Closed sign was still in place.
“What the hell?” Kelan peered in through the glass. “Something’s not right.”
“Let’s check around back.”
Before they turned the corner into the dead-end alley, chaos was evident in the form of Torsten’s frantic tirade. “I don’t know, damn it! I told you everything.”
This isn’t good, Kelan told Reidar who saw Axel raise his gaze and spot them in that same instant.
“You’re late,” Axel snapped. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Hey, chill, Ax,” Kelan said. “We’ve been dealing with our problem.”
“The hell you have!”
Dakota touched Axel’s arm. “Let’s focus on Sindre, okay?”
“What’s wrong with Sindre?” Reidar asked as he and Kelan walked deeper into the alley. Gunnar was in puma form, sniffing around the ground. Axel looked angrier than he’d ever been before. Not even his mate’s touch seemed to have any effect. But it was Torsten’s expression that put a frown on Reidar’s face. “Tor?”
“Sindre’s been kidnapped.”
“What?” Kelan echoed the shock Reidar felt.
“It’s that damn bitch scientist,” Axel accused, forcing Reidar to grab Kelan’s arm to keep him from advancing on the family’s alpha.
But a hand on the arm couldn’t curb Kelan’s tongue. “Watch your goddamned mouth.”
“She didn’t do this,” Reidar said, keeping a firm grip on Kelan’s forearm.
I have to agree with Reidar, Ax, Gunnar told the group. I can’t pick up any scent of the woman, just one other person. A man, a stranger I’ve never smelled before. And see the drag marks? Whoever took Sindre dragged him from the base of the fire escape and lifted him into a vehicle. That little woman couldn’t have done that.
“See?” Kelan said with equal anger toward Axel.
Reidar knew Kelan was acting on instinct, protecting his mate, even though they’d yet to claim her, but Axel didn’t know that, and emotional outbursts wouldn’t do anyone any good right now. It damn sure wouldn’t help them find Sindre.
“Maybe she stayed in the vehicle,” Axel said, glancing at Gunnar who continued to sniff around
an area that showed two tracks of burned rubber. Someone had peeled out of the alley in a hurry. “Got the other guy to help her. We all know she’s not here working alone.”
“I’m telling you it wasn’t her.” Kelan spoke through gritted teeth, and Reidar tightened his grip on his brother’s arm. It spoke volumes that Kelan didn’t try to yank free.
Axel glared at them, an expression the polar opposite of the worry in Dakota’s caring eyes. She stood with one hand on Axel’s arm, her other splayed protectively over a growing belly.
“It’s her,” Axel insisted. “You’re just too fucking blind to look at this objectively.”
“How can you be so sure?” Torsten asked, his gaze locked on Kelan instead of Axel.
“I just know.” Kelan refused to say more.
Torsten shook his head. “That’s not good enough.”
Reidar dared another glance at Torsten and spoke softly. “Because we were with her this morning.” Kelan stiffened beside him. Reidar looked back at Axel and Gunnar who now sat next to him, still in puma form. “We spent last night, all night, in her hotel room and in her bed, right up until about twenty minutes ago.”
“Goddamn it!” Axel pulled away from his mate and spun with both hands diving into his hair out of obvious frustration. “You tell us you’re going to deal with the threat to our family, and that’s the way you two decide to do it?” He turned back to point at them again. “Did it never dawn on you two dolts that she could be using you? Keeping you occupied while her cohorts kidnapped Falke?”
“You don’t know a—”
“Kelan,” Reidar said, stopping his emotional brother in midyell. “Arguing over this is not going to get Sindre back any sooner.”
I agree, Gunnar said. Whether or not the woman is involved is a matter to debate later. We need to find Sindre.
“I agree too,” Torsten said, standing up from where he’d been sitting on the back fire escape.
“Okay,” Reidar said, looking at him. “Fill us in. What happened?”
Torsten’s troubled gaze met his, and Reidar could sense the stress this was putting on his little brother. “Look, all I know is he wanted to take a quick shower before he shifted to Falke for the day, so I headed down before him to open up. He was supposed to follow soon after, and I left the back door ajar for him, but he never showed.”
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