Read In the Shadow of the Wolf 3 - Splintered Lies Online
Authors: Diane Adams,RJ Scott
The meeting lasted hours, Nick and Rob argued over things they already knew and tried to hash out things they didn't. The pair barely noticed Joe slumped in a corner chair, head in hand. They ate the lunch Sam set at their elbows without pausing. Afternoon was fading to evening as they reviewed the facts.
"Okay, so we know the tests were being done on homeless kids, on unwed pregnant mothers, until it escalated to the kidnappings, Mark's sister being one of them. There should be something that ties them all together." Nick pushed a hand through his hair and looked at the papers. Rob sat back in his seat. As the last of the sunlight disappeared from the room Nick's wolf prowled inside his head, demanding to be outside scenting the evening air in preparation for a hunt, or heading out for long run, anything to get out of that damned room..
They were about to break for dinner when Rob's phone rang. He grabbed it off of the desk, thumbed the screen, and put it to his ear. Nick knew it was Jamie by Rob's instant smile. Only his lover had the power to send such a warm emotion flooding Rob's normally restrained features. He said his hellos and then the smile faded until it left his face altogether.
"Text me the address J—no—stay there. Wait for us." Rob glanced down at his watch. "We're twenty minutes out, maybe more over rush hour. Stay in the car." He ended the call and stood in a flurry of motion.
Nick's mind was a thousand miles away as he watched Rob drive across town at just above the legal limit. Dan sat tense beside him riding shotgun.
Sitting in the back next to Joe, Nick expected Joe to keep his distance. Instead their shoulders brushed and Joe slumped against him. Nick's breath caught when Joe's hand came to rest on his thigh. Not a caress or a signal, just the weight of his hand and the warmth of his touch seeping through the material of the jeans.
"Tell me again exactly what he said," Nick asked Rob.
Rob turned around in his seat to talk to Nick and Joe. "Jamie got a call at the rescue about a cat. A guy said he had a cat that belonged to a friend who was renting a room next door. He mentioned he was worried he hadn't heard from the girl, a wolf, ever since she got pregnant and went to a home for unwed wolf moms."
"And Jamie went to pick up the cat?" Nick said.
His voice tight with a combination of worry and anger, Rob continued. "Of course. Jamie wouldn't turn away a cat. Thing is the guy had the neighbor's address but said he didn't want anything to do a shifter prostitute. Jamie took the address."
Nick and Joe winced. It didn't take a genius to know what that meant. Nick decided to err on the hopeful side anyhow. "So, he's calling you to have us check it out?"
"No." For a second Nick thought Rob's curt answer was all they were going to get. His jaw set, Rob whiteknuckled the steering wheel, cutting off a car in the next lane to get to the exit ramp. Speeding up the ramp at twice the legal limit, Rob told them what they expected to hear. "Jamie's there, with the cat. His plan is to knock on the front door but he says something isn't right. The place he's at is some kind of home for unwed mothers but it looks empty, just the one girl, the one cat, and a pile full of containers with Ardenvale's name on them in the kitchen."
"Crap," Nick breathed, sinking back against the car seat. He and Joe exchanged a glance that spoke volumes.
Ardenvale? Unwed shifter mom? A prostitute maybe no one would miss? A baby? Getting Jamie out was priority; that idiot kid was going to end up dead before he hit twenty-five, but his rash actions had provided an unexpected break in their case. It could just be a coincidence; a missing pregnant wolf girl might not have anything to do with the shitfest they were in the middle of. The girl may have been taken in by some do-gooders trying to make the world right, but if they found the base of operations for the wolf suppression experiments, it might crack everything wide open. Nick shrugged out of his jacket and then reached under the driver's seat and recovered his gun. He slipped the holster in place and then shrugged the jacket back on. No sense in advertising he was armed just yet. He was staying human; it was Joe's role to be wolf backup.
A glance at Joe revealed his friend stripped to the waist. Joe's back muscles flexed as he leaned forward to remove his socks and stuff them into the shoes he'd toed off. When he sat up, hand on the waistband of his pants, Nick felt a flutter of badly timed interest low in his belly. Joe's strong hands lowered the zipper of his pants. The low sound of need escaping his throat broke Nick's concentration. He shook himself, reclining against the back of the seat, reminding himself that it wasn't the time or place for everything he felt; first the job, then he could think about the personal.
Reminding himself of that didn't help when his eyes met Joe's. The look in the brown depths neither accused nor condemned. Instead the intense sorrow there drew Nick in, increasing his need to heal his friend. When their lips met Joe didn't pull away. Unlike their previous anger-filled encounters, dominated by anguish and even blame, this kiss roused such tenderness in Nick it threatened to break his heart. His fingers slid along Joe's jawline, angling his face into the kiss. Joe didn't resist. Their tongues touched briefly, lips lingered, and when they parted Nick settled back into the seat, a silent promise to Joe burning in his heart.
Nick would never again let Joe get away without a fight. Nick's eyes met Rob's surprised ones in the rearview mirror and his gaze narrowed, daring Rob to say something. He didn't, returning his attention to getting them to the other side of the city as quickly as possible. Though Nick didn't look again, he remained hyperaware of Joe stripping beside him. Once he shifted Joe curled up on the car seat, but instead of lying nose to tail as Nick expected, Joe's head came to rest on his thigh as a warm and welcome weight.
Joe's pelt was thick under Nick's hand. He petted the soft fur behind Joe's ear absently, staring out the window, watching the city flash by and wondering what they'd find when they finally got there. His mind supplied unwelcome images from the bust of the first part of the ring. He replayed the horror of how the wolves were tortured, chained to bare concrete floors, and tormented until they broke. He worried about what new nightmare they would walk into. Joe whimpered softly and Nick soothed him with a whisper and a touch, grateful to know he wasn't the only uneasy one; he and Joe were in this together. Rob had a different goal, and for his sake Nick hoped they'd find Jamie hale and whole.
"Here it is." Rob's voice pulled Nick out of his thoughts. Joe sat up beside them and they peered out the passenger side window. What they saw there was the last thing they expected to find. Set in one of the older parts of the suburb, the house at the address was three stories high and at least a hundred years old, if not more. Completely restored, the building looked warm and welcoming, nothing like the original test site. A discreet sign in the front yard stated "Second Home". The lights were on inside and there was no sign of Jamie. The fact that the building was neat, strong, and well-lit made Nick uneasy.
"That's creepier than if it was creepy," he muttered, watching over Rob's shoulder as he drove down the street looking for an inconspicuous place to leave the car. They were forced to settle for the deep shadow of a stand of trees overhanging the street. Rob's car blended into the dark and he turned off the interior light before they quietly opened the doors and crept out into the night.
"Stay here, Dan. Call it in at the first sign of trouble."
Dan looked disgruntled but held his tongue evidently accepting that he was going to be the one left behind.
"Do you have a backpack?" Nick whispered to Rob but his attention was on the far end of the road—his human eyes struggling to pierce the dark. His hand rested on Joe's head. Rob didn't answer with words. He popped the trunk and, reaching in without looking, grabbed a bag that he tossed to Nick. Nick caught it one-handed and slipped the backpack straps over his shoulders. It contained a pair of one-size-fits-all sweats and a gun, the weight resting against his back a familiar comfort. When they worked in pairs of human/wolf the unshifted partner always carried a pack in case the other needed to shift back into human form.
"Did you see Jamie's car?" Rob's voice was pitched too low for anyone more than a few paces away to hear, but his fear for Jamie's safety was easy to identify. Nick and Joe shook their heads. Rob sighed. "Maybe he had enough sense to park out of sight. I suppose it's too much to hope that he got lost on the way here."
"You should stay here," Nick said. "Leave this to me and Joe. You don't have to risk your career too, we can handle it."
A wealth of emotion passed between the men. Nick already knew Rob wouldn't put his career ahead of the man he loved, but worry about how everything would play out demanded the offer be made.
As he expected, Rob shook his head. "No way in hell." He checked the gun at the small of his back and Nick did the same. Personal weapons, no badges, they were going in off the record as civilians. There was a good chance they'd all be in prison by the end of the night. If it meant the end of experimentation on wolves, the unborn, and saving Jamie's life, being locked up would be a small price to pay.
Rob headed for the front walkway, Nick and Joe held back, keeping to the deep shadow of a huge oak in the yard. They waited until Rob banged on the front door before they moved. If Jamie was inside they were sure all attention would be on the second intruder of the night. The pair skirted the edge of the yard. The place was too quiet yet Jamie wasn't at the door welcoming them in. Something smelled wrong. The plan was to enter through the back, hopefully the basement, as cellar doors were a common fixture in such old homes.
They found them as they'd hoped, the latch secured with a common padlock. Nick frowned at it before retrieving a small flashlight and Leatherman from his pocket. With a grin at Joe he opened it to the screwdriver and went to work on the rusty hinges. In minutes he had freed one end of the door. He tucked his tools back into his pocket and opened the pair of doors on the remaining hinges, wincing at the creak they gave as they opened. Comforted by the pitch-dark of the basement, Nick nodded at Joe, satisfied they were going to enter undetected. He held the doors as Joe eased down the stairs and closed them as he descended in turn. Someone would have to look closely to see the hinges had been tampered with and Nick was banking on the dark keeping their secret for them.
He stood silently at the bottom of the steps while Joe explored the dark room, making certain they were alone. A soft woof confirmed what Nick already suspected and he brought out his flashlight again. The room had every appearance of being the basement of a normal home. Washing machine, dryer, water heater, and plastic storage boxes stacked against the far wall. Each plastic box was labeled but even peering up close Nick couldn't make out anything other than a coding system he didn't understand.
He didn't see anything in the small circle of light to suggest something horrific was happening in the house. The two made their way to the steps and this time Joe let Nick go first. They could see the stairway was empty and Joe couldn't open the door at the top in wolf form.
They came out into a darkened kitchen. The hood light on over the stove revealed the room was empty. Nick paused trying to determine what to do next. Voices drifted into the kitchen from the front of the house, Rob's was low and harsh. He sounded angry but the words weren't clear. Nick crept closer to the door of the kitchen debating whether he should intervene when Joe tugged his pant leg with sharp teeth. Nick looked down at him and Joe cocked his head toward the back of the kitchen before trotting on silent paws in that direction. Nick followed him and moments later found a set of backstairs.
"Ha!" His voice quiet, Nick ruffled Joe's fur. "Good boy."
Joe nipped his hand without breaking the skin in obvious protest at being treated like a dog. Nick chuckled. "Sorry, man."
Joe led the way up the stairs. They searched the floors one at a time. They found several rooms that looked like they'd been inhabited recently but without any signs of current occupants. On the third floor Joe came to stop in front of a door and glanced back at Nick. He halted next to Joe and listened to the low murmur of voices until he identified Jamie's voice. Nick reached for his gun and the doorknob at the same time.
They entered the room low and fast, teeth and gun bared for violence but inside they found only Jamie and a young woman alone sitting on the edge of her bed. She held a cat and he held a tiny infant. They both looked toward the door wide-eyed, and the woman gave a startled yelp.
"Geez, guys, you scared the crap out of us," Jamie admonished. He turned back to the girl reassuring her with soft words. To Nick it looked like Jamie had as much talent with skittish underage prostitutes as he did stray cats, a real social worker type. Beyond that he ignored the pair and made a quick sweep of the small room, checking behind the door that led to a closet and another opening to a small private bathroom. Nick had noticed that all the rooms had private bathrooms, something he found a little odd. Lost in thought considering what the implications were of having toilet facilities available to every bedroom occupant, he was startled when the girl suddenly gave another little squeak. Thinking she had definite mouse tendencies, Nick turned to find Joe had shifted, and oblivious to his stark naked condition stood in front of Jamie, a hand cupping the baby's head. He looked stricken.
The girl stared unabashed at the sight of Joe in all his glory; even Jamie had a brow cocked in appreciation of the view. Nick didn't blame them; Joe
au naturel
was something to see. It wasn't a sight Nick intended to share with the world, but in the few seconds it took to slide his arms from the straps of the backpack so he could give Joe some pants, the door to the room swung open and Rob stepped through with his hands on his head and his face in a tight grimace. His expression alerted all three men to trouble.
Joe shifted immediately, dropping to all fours in a heartbeat. Jamie moved, holding the baby protectively and putting himself between the girl and whatever was coming. Nick's arms were restricted by the straps and slowed him just enough that his gun was still pointed at the floor when the senator, dressed for another formal function, followed Rob into the room, a gun pressed against the base of Rob's skull. They were flanked by two more armed men in black suits. Nick figured they were the best dressed killers in the state.
Rob looked furious but his eyes sought Jamie as soon as he was in the room, measuring and assessing his young lover's condition. His shoulders relaxed marginally at Jamie's unharmed state. Nick thought his friend's relief a little premature. It didn't look like any of them would get out of the room unscathed. Joe growled low and dangerously, but apart from one of the guards pointing a gun directly at the wolf, he was largely ignored. Senator Vaughn-Hyland looked at Nick and gestured to Rob with his free hand.
"Put your gun down or I'll finish him."
Nick caught and held Rob's gaze and unspoken between them was an agreement that the timing was wrong. Too many guns pointed at too many people. With an internal curse he carefully laid the gun on the floor and pushed it away with a foot. The backpack followed, dropping on top of the gun with a muted thump. He stood poised for action, eyes watchful. He, Joe, and Rob could take the senator and his two human goons despite the guns. If only there weren't the three other occupants of the room. Jamie, the baby, and the girl tied their hands more effectively than any physical bonds.
"Better." The senator looked from one of them to the other assessing the situation. "Now, this unfortunate turn of events begs the question of how to handle things from this point. You—" He nudged the gun into the back of Rob's head.
Despite the baby in his arms, Jamie growled, his eyes narrowed, and he took a step forward, a blink from shifting. Only the slight shake of Rob's head restrained him. Jamie's eyes were no longer those of a harmless youth, but those of a pissed off wolf, narrowed dangerously and fixed on the senator's throat. Nick could see the calculation in Jamie's mind. The very same scenarios Nick had run in his own head. Could the senator pull the trigger and kill Rob before Jamie shifted and tore out his throat?