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Finding the Texas Wolf Page 8


  Either way, he knew he’d enjoy finding out.

  * * *

  Damn that Shifter. Though smiling on the outside, Carmen fumed. She’d planned on having the upper hand, using her considerable sexual prowess to beguile and ensnare Rick Fallin. He might be a covert intelligence operative, he might work for the Pack Protectors, or both, but in the end, he was male. When she set her sights on a man, she knew exactly how to reel him in.

  Except when she tried it on Rick, she found herself wanting him with an intensity that had shaken her to the core. Actually, she’d come perilously close to losing self-control. Talk about backfiring.

  Maybe she’d simply gone too long without taking a lover. That had to be it. Which meant the solution was a simple one. She and Rick needed to have at each other, let loose the desire, and surely both of them would find their clarity of focus restored.

  She would have done it right then in their small cabin, but she didn’t want them to be on camera for anyone and everyone to view. And while she hadn’t taken the time to search for any recording devices, she felt quite certain there were some. An operation as sensitive as this one wouldn’t take chances with their assets.

  Hand in hand, they walked outside. Rick leaned close and put his mouth against her ear, again sending a shiver of longing down her spine. “I feel confident this entire place is under heavy surveillance,” he murmured. “Just so you know.”

  She nodded, her mouth suddenly dry. She couldn’t tell when the tables had turned, and truly didn’t understand why. For most of her long, long life, she’d used sex to control men. She hadn’t really thought it would be any different with this one.

  Until it was. Now she had two intriguing mysteries to investigate. The science of the new virus and Rick Fallin.

  Both promised to be equally pleasurable. For the first time in decades, anticipation filled her.

  As they strolled around the huge yard, they passed several other small sheds just like the one they’d been given to occupy. If any of these had inhabitants, no one came out to greet them.

  Though at first walking around holding hands with Rick felt odd, eventually she began to relax. They had roles to play, after all, and role-playing happened to be one of her specialties.

  Finally, they went past the last of the sheds. Careful to avoid the barn/laboratory, they continued on to where the mowed grassy area ended and the forest began. No one stopped them or confronted them.

  “Do you still think they’re watching us?” she asked. They’d ducked into the trees and walked to the edge of a fast-moving stream.

  He frowned. “I’m not sure. It doesn’t seem reasonable, but I don’t understand why no one is making sure we don’t simply continue walking until we’re gone.”

  “Maybe we’re not prisoners,” she said.

  “Hmph,” he snorted. “I imagine security will be a lot tighter once you see what’s inside their lab. There’s no way they can risk you taking off and selling your information to the highest bidder.”

  “True.” Contemplating pulling her hand free from his, she let it stay. There was something comforting in his touch. While she’d never been one to seek the softness of such coddling, she found she liked it too much to let it go just yet.

  “Tomorrow is going to be a big day,” he said, still keeping his voice low. “I’m wondering if once you get in there and start working with this virus, you can find a way to disable it.”

  Since she knew he had no idea how biology worked, she took pity on him. “Clearly, at least from what you’ve told me, it’s already been developed and used. I’d have much better luck finding an antidote.”

  “That would be helpful, too.” Facing her, he smiled. “I should let you know I have several concerns with how this is playing out so far.”

  She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll try not to boss you around too much. Remember, like you told me, it’s all for show.”

  “That’s not what I’m worried about.” His smile faded and his gaze darkened. “Think about it. As you pointed out just now, they already have their virus. What do they need an additional biologist for? What exactly are they going to ask you to do?”

  “That’s a valid question.” Again, her anticipation was so strong it almost felt sexual. “Whatever it is, this is right in my wheelhouse. Someone like me could work for years without ever coming across something like this. It’s fascinating. Honestly, I can’t wait to report to work in the morning.”

  “You really mean that, don’t you?” His serious tone matched the gravity of his expression. “This is really something you want to do.”

  “It is,” she told him. “This is what I’ve worked for, studied for, reinvented myself for. When I moved to Texas, I went back to school for this advanced degree. I did unpaid internships, whatever it took to increase my knowledge.”

  Wondering why she felt compelled to share all this, she took a deep breath and continued. “Eventually, I planned to work for the CDC in Atlanta. But since we Vampires live so long, when I met Shayla and Maddie, I decided it wouldn’t hurt me to live in Galveston for a few more years. The one thing I have an overabundance of is time.”

  “I see.” He squeezed her hand, his expression thoughtful. “You love your work.”

  “Yes.”

  “That’s one thing we have in common, then. I love my job, too.”

  Since she’d just spilled her guts, she probed for him to reveal more. “What is it you do, exactly?”

  When he didn’t immediately respond, she nudged him with her hip. “Come on, you can tell me. We’re partners, remember?”

  Gazing down at her, he finally nodded. “I work two jobs in one. With humans, I’m in a specialized division of the FBI. One so covert, on paper it doesn’t exist. With my own kind, I’m a Pack Protector. I’m sworn to uphold the safety of the Pack. They were thrilled when I got my other job. They like to have operatives right in the thick of things.”

  “I’m guessing if I ask you to tell me about what a regular day in your life is like, you’re not going to do it.”

  A ghost of a smile flitted around his mouth. “Probably not,” he admitted. “Actually, you’d be surprised at how boring it can be sometimes. Just routine paper pushing.”

  Skeptical, she smiled back. “I don’t believe you.”

  The sound of shouting came from the direction they’d left. As they both turned, several gunshots rang out. After that, silence.

  “What the...” Rick tugged her hand. “Come on, let’s get back. That didn’t sound good.”

  As soon as they left the shelter of the trees, they started running. In a clearing between two of the little sheds, several people stood in a small circle. As Carmen and Rick drew closer, they saw one person on the ground.

  The scent of blood drifted as they approached, making Carmen’s fangs ache. She kept her mouth closed, holding on to Rick’s hand so tightly he had to shake his slightly to make her let up.

  “What’s going on?” Rick demanded. “Where’s Gus?”

  “None of your business,” Landers snarled. Brandishing a pistol, he waved it at the man on the ground, who wasn’t moving. “Damn fool tried to blackmail us.”

  Several of the other men muttered, too low to hear their words, but no one confronted Landers. After all, he was the one holding a weapon.

  At that moment, Gus strode out the back door of the house. “What’s going on out here?” He paled when he noticed the man lying in a pool of blood.

  “Sheldon was trying to blackmail us,” Landers repeated. “He was carrying glass vials of his virus, said it had gone too far and he wanted the CDC to see them so they could work on an antidote.”

  Eyes bugging from his face, Gus pointed at him. “Where are the vials now?”

  “Underneath him,” Landers replied. Then, as he realized the implications of this, he swayed. “I’m not sure if they broke or not.”

  At his words, everyone else started backing away.

  “Put away the gun, Lande
rs,” Gus ordered. “We’ve got way bigger problems to worry about.”

  Carmen finally spoke. “Everyone freeze. No one move. This virus. Is it airborne or must there be contact?”

  Every single man turned to look at Gus. “I’m not sure,” he allowed. “Sheldon handled all that.”

  Since she wasn’t supposed to know that they’d already used it on someone in Houston, she thought fast. “Did you use any people as test subjects? If so, how were they infected?”

  Gus swallowed again. Instead of answering, he turned on Landers. “This is all your fault, you dumb ass. We’re right in the middle of the operation. Roscoe is going to be so mad.”

  “Even worse,” one of the other men said, “is if this virus kills us all. Then what Roscoe thinks ain’t gonna matter.”

  At the mention of the virus, several of them again started backing away. This time, Gus barked out the order for them to stay put. “If we’re already infected, running away is not going to help. It’ll just spread it.”

  “Again, I need to know how this virus is spread,” Carmen interjected, her voice cool and steady. “Air or touch?”

  This time Gus looked at her, his gaze hard and assessing. “The last guy who died from it had a dose put into his drink.”

  She nodded. “If that’s the case, it’s probably not airborne. Therefore, none of you should be in any danger.”

  One of the men cried out, falling to his knees. “Thank you, Lord.” The others all wore similar expressions of relief.

  “We need to dispose of the body,” Gus said.

  “I wouldn’t touch him,” Carmen replied. “If those vials are crushed under him, whoever moves him will be exposed to the virus.”

  Gus nodded, eyeing her with newfound respect. “What do you suggest?” he asked.

  “It’ll have to be controlled, as if working with the virus in a laboratory,” Carmen replied. “I’ll handle it, if you’d like.”

  “I would.” Gus looked from her to Rick and back again. “Once you have, clean up and report back to me. Since this unfortunate incident, your job duties have changed. The man Landers just killed, Sheldon, was the creator of the virus. You’re going to have to take over from here.”

  Unfazed, she nodded. “Well then, I sure hope he left detailed notes.” Though sorry for the human’s death, inside she was delighted at the change in circumstances. She’d have complete and utter control over the laboratory. And with no other biologist working with her, no one would have any idea whether she was working on an antidote or something else.

  “What do you want to do with the body?” she asked Gus.

  Something akin to respect flashed in his eyes. “Burn it. Less chance of contamination,” he replied.

  “All right. I’ll need gloves, bleach, a large tarp and more vials,” she told Gus. “Plus some gasoline or lighter fluid. Will you send someone to fetch this stuff for me? If not, I can go search the lab myself, but since I have no idea where anything is kept...”

  “Tommy, bring the lady what she asked for. Everyone else, back to work,” Gus ordered. “Except you, Landers. You’re coming with me. If we have to explain to Roscoe what happened, you’re going to have to do it. So you’d better start thinking about it, because if he doesn’t like what you have to say, you’re a dead man.”

  Once everyone had dispersed and they were alone again, Carmen eyed the human body and sighed. “Poor guy. All that wasted blood,” she said. “And on top of that, if this man really did create a new virus strain, he was a freaking genius. It’s a shame his life had to end this way.”

  Rick nodded. “I agree. That Landers seems a little trigger-happy. He’s one we need to watch out for.”

  Studying the situation, she nodded. About to ask him if he had any idea who this Roscoe person might be, she remembered the possibility of cameras and decided to wait until later. One thing at a time. Dispose of the body, catalog whatever vials of virus were still intact, and then figure out where to go from here.

  “How safe is it for you to move Sheldon?” Rick asked. “I know you’ll be okay, but what about me? If those vials are shattered—”

  “According to what they said, you’d actually have to touch or drink the stuff to get infected. But just in case, maybe you should stand back, too.”

  He stared at her. She swore she could see his inner struggle. He didn’t want to let a woman do such a horrible job alone, yet no one knew yet if the virus could kill a Shape-shifter.

  “You forget I’m superstrong,” she said softly. “In the interest of safety, I don’t want you anywhere near this guy when I move him, okay?”

  Their gazes locked. Finally, appearing reluctant, he nodded. “I don’t like it, but you’re right.”

  Tommy returned a moment later with everything she’d asked for. Shooting her a plainly hostile glare, he set it on the grass nearby and hurried back into the house.

  After putting on the gloves, Carmen spread out the tarp, rolled poor Sheldon onto it and got busy cleaning up the mess. Luckily for everyone, all of the vials appeared to be intact.

  Chapter 7

  Jake’s words hit Maddie like a punch in the stomach. This was worse than she’d imagined. Far worse.

  “Let me get this straight,” she said, hoping she sounded relatively normal. “You think you actually saw a man change into a wolf?”

  “Yes.” There was not a shred of doubt in his voice. “Not think. I really did.”

  Crossing her arms, she tried to calm her racing heart. “How much had you had to drink?”

  “Nothing. Coffee is all I drink when I’m on stakeout.”

  Stakeout. Crud. If the Pack Protectors were to learn about this, they’d take Jake away for what they called reprogramming. While she wasn’t sure what exactly that entailed, she knew it involved some form of brainwashing.

  And then they’d try to locate the Shifter who’d been foolish enough to risk the discovery of their entire species. His punishment would also be severe.

  “You do realize how crazy that sounds, right?” She kept her voice gentle.

  He shrugged. “I don’t care. If there are actual werewolves walking around among us, people need to know.”

  Once again, she had to tamp down the urge to argue, to explain what kind of chaos would ensue if people believed this. Her own kind, her people would be exposed and their lives placed at risk. Maybe she should wash her hands of this and call her brother, let the Pack Protectors take care of the problem.

  Except she liked Jake. More than she should. In fact, the intense level of her attraction to him had once again resurrected her old hope that she wouldn’t always be alone. That she might have found that special someone. Mates, her kind called them. Members of the Pack believed firmly that everyone had a true soul mate, someone who had been placed on this earth specifically to join with them.

  Sometimes, when she looked deep in Jake’s velvety brown eyes, she wondered if he might be hers.

  Fool. It was way too soon to tell. And she refused to squander the possibility, especially when she thought she could convince Jake to give up on his desire to out her own kind. If she could figure out a way to make him believe it had been some sort of magic trick, sleight of hand, change in lighting and costume. All said, such a thing would make much more sense to a human than a werewolf. She shuddered internally at that word. Shape-shifters despised being called werewolves. It was considered insulting, reducing their complicated natures to nothing more than base instincts and superstition. Of course, Jake had no way of knowing that, nor could she explain. If they ever became serious, true mates, then she’d reveal her true nature, trusting that he’d love her enough to understand.

  Love. Not yet. But perhaps. The possibility shimmered before her, a bright hope for the future.

  She had to give them a chance. Maybe she could be a big enough distraction to cause him to lose focus. Because the alternative—Jake having his memory wiped clean—would mean he wouldn’t remember her, either. They’d be over before the
y even got a chance to begin.

  While she’d been lost in thought, he’d started pacing. “I know you probably think I’m crazy, but I haven’t gotten to be an award-winning journalist by ignoring my instincts. I truly believe this could be the story of the century.”

  “Or you could lose any journalistic credibility you might have,” she pointed out. “Look, I’m not trying to be harsh, but listen to yourself.”

  “I know what I saw.” Judging from the stubborn set of his jaw, he wasn’t going to budge on this. “If I can just get some video or even a few still shots...”

  Before replying, she shook her head. “No one would believe it was real. They’d think you doctored the video. Have you considered that possibility? That what you think you saw was some magic trick or something? Involving a costume and just the right lighting.”

  Expression incredulous, he stared. “Not possible. You weren’t there. This guy dropped to all fours. There were a bunch of sparkling lights, like fireflies, swirling around him. When the lights dissipated, his clothes were tattered and a huge, shaggy wolf stood where he’d been. It was unreal.”

  Whoa. Her heart sank even more. He’d just described exactly what happened when her kind shifted. She went on the immediate attack. “That sounds even crazier. Sparkling lights? Maybe whoever used lights masked the switch. For all you know, someone was filming that thing. It could have all been an elaborate production, of which you were an unknown observer.”

  For the first time since introducing the subject, doubt flashed across his face. “I thought of that,” he said. “I’ve already asked around to see if someone was shooting a movie, even a small independent film. I thought that would go a long way to explaining everything I saw.”

  Her momentary flash of triumph went up in smoke. “I take it you didn’t find anything?”

  “Nope. Not even a whisper. And you know how those film people are. Any media coverage is good coverage.” He met and held her gaze. “Plus, they would have been members of whatever club you say is behind that door. They went in. They came out. Maddie, I’m an investigative reporter. It’s natural that I’d try to explore every potential angle rather than immediately settling on the most difficult.”