Heartsridge Shifters: Grant

by Olivia Arran

  The Chief lifted his hands from the table, before pressing them back down again. “Fine. I received a text message from someone with information regarding the dirty cop. He had information that he shouldn’t have had access to, as proof that he was in contact with someone in our department.”

  “What was he offering you?”

  “The cop’s identity.”

  “It could have been the cop who sent you the message.” In fact, we knew it was.

  The Chief inclined his head in agreement. “We considered that possibility, but why would he offer to give up his own name? What advantage would it give him? We’d already shut down the leak and beefed up security. No way he had access to anything above his pay grade anymore.”

  “Yeah, you might think that’d be the case,” I mused, leaning back in my chair and letting the new information run through my head. Nita had mentioned several times over the last couple of days that whoever this cop was, they were excellent at hacking.

  Kel spoke up, “We knew it might be a trap, and we were prepared for that.”

  “Prepared?” Dante laughed, not bothering to hide it. “You had no idea we were there until we showed ourselves.”

  “So, you were meeting Mr. Moonbeam to find out the identity of the cop behind your security breach.” When Kel nodded, I carried on, “And you took the whole squad to this meet, why?”

  “What do you mean, why?”

  “What makes you so sure that one of your squad isn’t the dirty cop?”

  Kel started to rise from his chair, but the Chief pulled him back down, then turned to face me, “We can’t be completely sure, of course, but Kel’s squad checked out. We ran background checks on all of them and they came back clean—no hidden accounts, no windfalls in known bank accounts, no skeletons in their closets, nothing for blackmailers to use.”

  “That you know of.” Talon folded his arms over his chest, not looking impressed.

  “It was agreed that the meet would take place and the contact would be brought into protective custody. If one of the Lieutenant’s squad had tried to interfere, they would have outed themselves in front of the whole squad.”

  Kel stretched in his wheelchair, his demeanor pissed. “Plus the fact that the first thing I’d be asking the guy for would be the name. No chance to escape, and my guys knew that. Not one of them showed any sign of not being all in. They want to find this guy and tear him a new one as much as I do.”

  Good cops hated dirty cops, it was a universal fact.

  I weighed the pros and cons, trying to decide what to share with them. The biggest question on my mind: was Kel in the clear? I glanced at Talon and Ridge, then Dante.

  If Kel was the one we were looking for, then revealing our knowledge of the security breach would compromise our mission.

  I couldn’t tell them, not until I knew for sure that Kel was clean and in the clear.

  More fucking lies. Although… “You received a text message from Mr. Moonbeam?” At the Chief’s confirmation, I continued, “What if I told you that I can guarantee that Mr. Moonbeam didn’t send that message?”

  “How can you be sure?”

  My eyes tracked Kel’s face. “I can prove it. If his phone was hacked from the station, you’d be able to tell who in the department did it?”

  Kel’s brows bunched together in frustration when I avoided his question, but he answered anyway, “We would.” Retrieving his phone from beneath his blanket, he placed a call, barking out orders down the phone. Minutes later, he fell silent, his hand tightening into a fist in his lap. “Understood. This information doesn’t leave your possession.”

  Kel ended the call, a muscle in his jaw twitching.

  Of course, I’d known they would find the proof, but he obviously hadn’t believed me.

  “Who?” The Chief leaned forward in his chair.

  I reminded myself of the possibility that Kel could be the dirty cop. “Call the person back and put it on speaker,” I ordered when he didn’t answer. No way to keep secrets.

  Kel looked like he wanted to argue, but at the Chief’s insistence, he complied, setting the phone on the table between us. He ordered the person on the other end of the line to reveal the name of the person who’d not only hacked into the phone and sent a message, but had also taken the time to retrieve and read all prior messages. Who had known about the conversation between Michael and the supposed Mr. Moonbeam. Who knew that we suspected the entire squad.

  The line crackled, the speaker picking up a nervous cough. “Sir, the system shows authority granted by the Chief of Police using his personal access code.”

  The Chief of Police jerked in his chair when we all looked at him. Reaching out, he ended the call, before drumming his fingers on the table. “Well, that’s a whole mess of paperwork for me to look forward to.” He didn’t look away under our scrutiny. “If you want to interrogate me, fine. But make it your first priority to find this asshole and bring him or her in. Everyone’s a suspect.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Unknown

  I nervously checked my phone, sliding it out of my pocket to see a blank screen mocking me. Eying the rest of the squad, I chucked my empty coffee cup in the trash, my expression matching their disgruntled ones. None of the squad was happy about being thrown out of the meeting, but I was a little more upset.

  I needed to know what those shifters knew. Where the hell had they come from last night? I’d almost had a heart attack, only my quick thinking and years of keeping a mask in place allowing me to keep calm and go with the flow.

  And, more importantly, where the hell was this Mr. Moonbeam?

  Sweat trickled down my spine, my shirt sticking to my clammy skin. He has my name! Did he turn up, only to be scared away by those meddling shifters? Has he already rearranged his meeting with Michael?

  It should have been easy. Make contact, retrieve the information, have the sniper take the guy out.

  Easy. I’d already made contact with the real Mr. Moonbeam while masquerading as this Michael person, reminding him that when we met, it wouldn’t be safe to speak the information out loud, in case satellites were listening. That the data needed to be encrypted, to keep it safe.

  The paranoid fucker had believed me, too. Satellites. Like the government didn’t have better things to be doing than listening in on someone as insignificant as Mr. Moonbeam, or whatever his real name was.

  Get the data, swap the name. My friends had offered to deal with this for me, and maybe I should have let them, but it was one insignificant human and an opportunity to close down the internal investigation looking for me.

  A chance to prove their faith in me wasn’t unfounded. That I was worthy of the gift they were offering. Some mornings I woke drenched in sweat, the hunger inside me almost too strong to control, to hide from everyone else. From my squad. From these people who thought they knew me.

  They knew nothing. Strength and respect would be mine. I would join the elite race and no-one would ever disrespect me or turn me down. I would have everything I wanted. My lips curved as the thought inspired images of what I would demand. How people would serve me. What I would make them do for me.

  “What are you smiling at?”

  An elbow in my side brought me back to the real world with a jolt. I thought about ignoring my teammate, but that wouldn’t be in character. I had to always be in character. And I was good at it. “I’m just thankful the Lieutenant is okay.”

  “Aren’t we all. That was a close call out there today.” My teammate shuddered and I nodded.

  “I’m going to get another coffee. Do you want one?” A chorus of voices gave their orders and I nodded good-naturedly. Because I was good at this. It was why I’d been chosen to infiltrate, singled out above all overs.

  If my cover was blown, they’d get me out. I’d receive my reward early. So, it was no skin off my nose. I moseyed on out into the hallway and checked my phone again.

  << Review intel and reattempt acquire target. Friendl
y are watching. >>

  I smiled, tapping in a message. << Understood. >>

  The reply came seconds later. << Warning: intel may be compromised. Act with caution. >>

  I frowned, thumb hovering over the keypad. Compromised? Intel referred to the backdoor I had hacked into the Heartsridge system. I think I’d know if they’d found me. My hacking skills were unparalleled, one of the reasons my friends had initially approached me. My fingers flew over the screen. << Source? >>

  << Confirmed trustworthy but unable to verify information without suspicion. >>

  It shouldn’t surprise me, but my friends had people hidden all over, even behind enemy lines. We never knew about each other though, much safer that way.

  << Will proceed with caution. >> I signed off and tucked my phone away, walking toward the vending machine.

  I always felt calmer when I had a clear set of instructions. Find Mr. Moonbeam and eliminate him. Complete the download of data from the shifter town. Eliminate anyone who got in my way.

  I smiled at a passing nurse while picking out correct change for the machine, widening my grin when she smiled back. Goals. They made life worth living.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Mandy

  We were arguing over who should do a sandwich run, rock-paper-scissor style, when the door finally opened and Kel wheeled himself out, followed by the Chief, Grant, and the rest of the shifters.

  “Damn, what the hell happened in there?” Sarah muttered from where she stood next to me.

  All of the men had matching blank expressions, which meant something was seriously wrong.

  “I don’t know, but you bet your ass I’m going to find out.” I approached Kel as he was saying goodbye to the Chief, the low mutters cutting off when I arrived within hearing distance. Nice. Cutting Grant a glare—I hadn’t forgotten his little freak-out last night, but I’d been willing to put it to one side since he’d rescued Kel for me—I claimed the handles of Kel’s chair and started pushing him toward his room.

  He sent me a look. “I can’t tell you anything.”

  “Is there anything to know?” I replied, keeping a smile on my face until we got to his room, relying on Sarah playing crowd control and buying me a couple of minutes.

  Kel held up a hand and I stopped, frowning when he grabbed his pants and started yanking them on.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  I had to bite the inside of my mouth when his cheeks pinked up on his reply, “I thought I’d go see how Daryl is doing.”

  I wheeze escaped me, despite my teeth trying to chew through the side of my cheek.

  He turned away and picked up his shirt, discarding his hospital gown. He managing to get one sleeve on. “It’s diplomatic and good for interspecies relations.”

  “Sure thing, boss.” I tugged his shirt off and handed him a black vest, stretching it down over his hurt arm until he was dressed. “That’s the best you’re going to look.”

  He glanced down. “Not very professional looking.”

  “Daryl’s seen you sweating and splatted out on the floor. Usually after he’s put you there,” I pointed out. “Anyway, there’s a good chance he still won’t be awake.”

  Kel swallowed hard. “His alpha’s here though, right?”

  I patted him on the back. “They’ll fix him.”

  He looked down, scooping up his wallet, keys, and badge. His gun had been secured upon arrival at the hospital. “Good, good.”

  “You know you can trust me, right?”

  His head jerked up, a wariness I’d never expected to be directed at me entering his eyes.

  I gritted my teeth against the sharp sting of hurt. “Fine, I’ll stop bugging you about your love life. What do I care if you never get laid again.” I turned on my heel, determined to storm out of the room, when his hand caught my elbow dragging me back.

  “First of all—” he winced, “—my love life will always have nothing to do with you. No offense, but you’re like a daughter to me and it’s just weird to even think about discussing it with you.” He peered at me, giving me that parental look he was always so proud of. The hurt faded, just a little. “Secondly, I’m sorry for my reaction. I wasn’t really in my own head at that moment and it hit a nerve.”

  I scrunched up my nose. “So, you’re saying it’s not me, it’s you?”

  His parental look widened into a grin. “Something like that.”

  Slowly, I grinned back at him. “Aw, man, you breaking up with me?”

  He snorted, wrapping his good arm around my shoulders and tugging me in for a half hug.

  “Okay, fine,” I huffed. “Go see Daryl and then we’ll talk.” I pointed at the wheelchair until he eventually sat down. “Right, then. Off we go to see your favorite wolf.”

  I ignored his scoffed denials, instead watching the way his eyes lit up the closer we got to Daryl.

  Daryl’s room was crowded, all eyes turning our way when we pushed open the door. A pretty woman with short auburn hair was leaning over him, her mouth pursed as she muttered under her breath. Behind her hovered a large man who looked ready to beat up anyone who dared think of touching the woman in front of him.

  I checked the bed again, not trusting my first glance. Yep, there laid a very human looking Daryl.

  “Oh, thank God he changed back,” I whispered, giving Kel’s good shoulder a light squeeze.

  “I’m going to need access to a lab,” the woman declared, turning around with a supersized needle in her hand.

  Everyone in the room cringed and leaned back.

  She smirked. “Wusses, the lot of you.”

  Owen cleared his throat, looking a little sheepish, while Bree gave me a mini-wave from where she stood at his side. “You’re a little scary sometimes, Emma,” Owen grumbled.

  “And you’re supposedly a big, bad shifter, Owen,” she shot back. She blinked at me, her lips forming a small circle. “Hello.” Then she appraised Kel, and I was forgotten as she strode up to him, peering at his bandage and snapping out questions.

  “That’s Emma, she’s the town doctor. The big lug hovering behind her is Brent, her mate,” Bree said, sidling up next to me.

  When Emma glanced up, I pointed at Kel, who was looking overwhelmed at the intense attention he was receiving. “I’m Mandy and this one here is Lieutenant Keelin Murphy. He’s kinda my dad person.”

  Kel’s head whipped around.

  Okay, that was the first time I’d put it like that. Out loud. With witnesses. My eyes widened and I started searching for an escape route.

  A hand landed on my arm, the calluses that came from handling a gun on a daily basis familiar. “That sounds about right to me,” Kel said, his eyes bright and glossy.

  “Kel … Ooooh, you’re the one who’s been driving Daryl crazy, aren’t you?” Bree had a knack for putting it out there.

  “It’s none of your business how crazy Kel makes me, so butt out, sparkles.” Daryl’s voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper, but it was there.

  Kel flushed, his neck ruddy and cheeks on fire. He looked at the ceiling. Then the floor. Then eventually the bed. He didn’t look away.

  Bree stared at Kel, then tilted her head. Then scratched her chin. Then pursed her lips.

  I’d never seen her lost for words and I tried not to laugh.

  Eventually she found her tongue, “I’m just so happy right now!” She was almost bouncing on the spot.

  Owen came up behind her, snagging her around the waist and hugging her close. “That makes me really happy. Now, do I get to know why my mate is so ecstatic she can barely speak?”

  Bree’s mouth opened, but Daryl answered for her, struggling to sit up in the bed, “No. And I need you all to leave so I can speak to the Lieutenant.”

  “Lie back down.” Emma rushed over. “You’ll re-open the wound.”

  “Is he not healed yet?”

  Emma didn’t bother to turn from where she was fighting Daryl for control of his pillow, but answered Kel
anyway, “He’s healing faster than a human, but slower than a shifter at the moment. A human would have died from his injuries, but he’s not out of the woods yet.” She waggled a finger in her patient’s face. “No, Daryl. Stay.”

  “Did she really just tell a wolf to stay?” Bree mused out loud.

  Brent howled with laughter, shaking his head. “It’s her bedside manner.”

  “Honey?”

  “Yes, sweetheart?” The big bear shifter grinned, looking like a man who’d won the lottery.

  “Find me a lab to work in. Once I figure out what he’s been poisoned with, I’ll hopefully be able to make up an antidote.”

  “On it, sweetheart. If it’s a lab you want, then a lab you shall have.” He swept an arm out in front, bending at the waist in a mock bow. When she waltzed past him, he turned back to Daryl. “You will not move a muscle. If you upset my mate, I will make your life a living hell.” Then the pair departed, taking everyone else with them.

  Okay, then. Brent was kinda scary when it came to his mate. I wondered if all shifters were like that?

  I hovered, hanging back. “Are you sure you want to be left alone with him?” I jerked a thumb at Daryl, who was giving me a drugged-out grin and the middle finger. “You be nice to my dad person.” I gave him my best cop glare.

  “I’ll be fine.” Kel patted my hand then wheeled himself over to the side of the bed.

  “Okay, then.”

  I left them to it. Whatever it was.

  “Daryl’s awake.”

  The way my declaration was received told me I wasn’t the first person to bring this news to the gang, though everyone looked pleased. Looking around the private waiting room, I spotted a spare chair over by Sarah, and was about to make my way over when Grant came up beside me.

  “Can we talk?”

  They were the three little words women around the world dreaded having to hear. “You talk, I’ll listen.” I was struggling to keep track. Was I still upset with him? Had we made up this time? I stared up at him, taking in the disheveled appearance and fine lines grouped around his eyes and mouth. He looked tired. Worn out. What was I angry about again?