McAllister Justice Series Box Set Volume Two

by Reily Garrett

  Luc admired Megan’s composure under pressure as she hustled back to the cabin to retrieve supplies. Current circumstances were not within her realm of experience.

  When she returned, her gaze scanned the perimeter. “Shit. I am so out of my league.”

  “You think you are? Wow. How long will the wolf be out? It can’t weigh more than eighty pounds.” Luc ambled over and pat Leyna on the head. The fight had lasted less than two minutes, yet it felt like hours since he’d left the warm bed.

  “A half hour.” Megan examined her shepherd’s injuries. “I’ve got a longer lasting drug here. Find something to use for a muzzle and tie it up.”

  “Are you nuts? What if it’s rabid?”

  “Then I’ll deal with it. But instinct tells me we’re not dealing with a diseased animal.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “It’s wearing a collar, and not the type DNR or any agency I’ve worked with employs. Is the other one dead?”

  “Yeah. No doubt there’s a GPS chip embedded in these bastards. Unfortunately, we’ve no way of knowing if it’s satellite or cellular, though I’d suspect the latter. The good news is, with heavy cloud cover and our location, there’ll be no reception either way.”

  “Damn it. We’ve got to autopsy the female and study this male.” A small rivulet of tears coursed down Megan’s cheeks. “It’s not normal behavior for them to attack like this. I’ll bet the fucking madmen experimented on these poor creatures.”

  “Jesus. I’m out in the boonies playing copilot to the wolf whisperer while searching for futuristic mechanical invaders.”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Give that one a shot and I’ll tie him to the back porch once I configure a muzzle.”

  Mere hours before, Lucas lay spooned with Megan. In counterpoint to snuggling to her warmth, he now stood on the porch and watched her study the drugged and bound wolf. She existed as a coalition of contrasts, each aspect of her character fitting a specific niche designed and nurtured by nature.

  After remaining quiet during her guardian’s ministrations, Leyna stood possessively nearby, intermittent growls rumbling in her throat. She hadn’t tolerated being cooped up in the house with Megan outside. Constant barking and scratching at the door had contributed to the atmosphere’s continued tension.

  Lucas knelt to slide a calming hand on the dog’s back while Megan repositioned her unconscious patient.

  “This one’s had recent surgery. There’re no stitches, but this cut near the occipital condyle was made with a knife. Yet it’s not a straight incision.”

  “Her what?” If he hadn’t watched her examine the animal’s head, he wouldn’t have had a clue to which end she referred.

  “The back of her skull—someone performed surgery. On his brain? Holy shit.”

  “And now, a return trip to fantasyland.”

  “No, I’m serious.”

  “I know. That’s what gives me the creeps.”

  “I can draw some blood but have no way of testing it. I’m also not sure what to test for or where I could send the sample.”

  “Between Caden and Lexi, we’ll figure out where after the guys get here.”

  “I need to examine the dead wolf.”

  “Can you determine if it’s rabid?”

  “Not without lab tests.”

  “How far do wolves normally roam?”

  “They can go thirty miles in a day and have a range up to six-hundred.”

  “Either they’ve been roaming for a while or were dropped off somewhere in the mountains.” Neither scenario boded well. “I’ll ask Matt to see if there’s been any recent animal attacks. Can you estimate how long ago they did the surgery?”

  Megan leaned closer to examine the wound. “Judging by the healing present, I’m thinking between two and five days. But that’s just a guess.”

  Lucas pushed to his feet and started for the screen door. “I’ll get the other one, but we’ll work on it away from the cabin, then I’ll bury it. And I’ll stay with you while you work in case there’re any more monstrosities waiting to greet us.”

  Of all the undercover work he’d done, Luc had never encountered or imagined himself in the twisted and sick scheme that now threatened their lives. Fate had not only dropped him into a world he didn’t understand, it threw in the added bonus of protecting a mule-headed woman. After failure with his partner and getting shot, he wondered if history would repeat itself.

  * * * *

  Sunshine’s fading dalliance with naked tree limbs mottled the tall grasses around the cabin when Matt, Caden, and Lexi arrived. Lexi’s dog, Hoover, bounded forward to greet Leyna, sniffing at her wounds. A commiserating whine and answering snuffle imparted commiserations.

  Megan stood beside him on the porch and scrutinized each guest’s steps. “None seem to have balance issues.” She wasn’t sure she could pull the trigger unless in fear for her life. Shooting Luc was a reflex.

  “So I see. Please don’t dart any of my family. They’re all human and possess good reasoning skills,” Lucas murmured, moving closer to put his arm about her shoulders.

  “Sorry the path has grown over. You two had quite a hike with supplies. If you’d have waited, we would’ve helped.” Matt scanned the surrounding area.

  “We’re not invalids,” Luc grumbled. “Did you three attract any company along the way?” Lucas nodded toward the back porch before adding. “We did. I’ve got something to show you.”

  “We each acquired varying degrees of shadows which took a while to shake.” Lexi briefly knelt to examine Leyna’s injury. “What’d you get into now, Luc?”

  “C’mon inside. We’ll enter the fifth dimension.” Luc pivoted to hold the front door open.

  Caden followed Matt inside and deposited their supplies on the kitchen table. Neither offered voice to the exhaustion weighing down their frames.

  Lexi shifted her knapsack off her shoulder and left it on the couch before glancing around the interior. “Not half bad. You could fix this place up and have a great weekend getaway.” Hoover’s low growl snapped her attention to the back door. She grabbed her dog’s collar when it lowered its frame to a crouch.

  “Luc?” Matt and Caden reached for their handguns.

  “Easy, dudes. Unless you want Megan to dart you both. She’s trigger-happy as hell.” Cursory explanations elicited his brothers’ varying degrees of epithets and expletives. “C’mon out back.”

  A low squeak from rusted hinges accompanied fresh air spilling through the widening doorway. Sunlight glistened off the rough coat of the black wolf, muzzled and huddled in the corner.

  The presence of the sleeping creature instigated mixed reactions. Lexi stepped forward, drawn to touch its coat. “He’s beautiful. What did they do to him? Is he going to be all right?”

  “I honestly don’t know.” Megan’s imagination supplied specific steps needed to perform its recent surgery. “The other one is dead but had the same surgical scar as this one. They implanted something in its brain, but damned if I could find it.” Shaking her head, she added, “According to the research Jackie sent, the chip is a polymer that dissolves when the temperature drops, as in when the animal dies. I just didn’t know what kind of time frame was involved.”

  “Is this wolf gonna die, too?” Lexi nibbled on her lower lip and briefly closed her eyes before looking to Megan for answers.

  “I’ve no idea. I can’t determine if the chip contains nanos, if so, how many and their targeted response.” Megan’s grumbled helplessness echoed in all their expressions.

  “Hell. Let’s go in and figure this shit out. I’ll explain what’s happening in the real world,” Matt murmured, sidestepping the sleeping wolf.

  Inside, Matt added another layer of confusion to the growing paradox. “About our shadows today, we didn’t run their plates through the database since that might’ve tipped them off.”

  Caden finished putting away food supplies and surveyed the rest of the cabin. “N
ot as big as I remembered.”

  Luc pulled a chair out for Megan while Matt pulled several papers from a folder. Lexi dropped into one of the remaining chairs after retrieving her laptop, its soft hum an ominous prediction of events unfolding.

  “Let me guess. You asked Lexi to peek into the DMV records?” Megan chuckled and wondered if any digital file was safe from the white-hat hacker.

  “Absolutely not! They would never ask me to do anything illegal.” The feral smile illustrated the fun obtained from snooping. “I did that on my own.”

  “Ethan squired Kaylee to a safe place and will watch Billy’s back.” Caden stopped beside the bed and lifted a questioning brow to Lucas.

  Luc’s not-so-subtle throat-clearing and glare at Caden brought subdued chuckles from his brothers.

  “Once they lost their tail, Ethan texted me their tail’s tag numbers to see if they’re all from the same group.” Caden grinned at Luc, then winked at Megan.

  “So was it ClickChip or the feds tailing you?” Drumming her fingers on the tabletop released a fraction of Megan’s frustration. It seemed the brothers communicated as well with gestures and glances as with words.

  “I pulled records before we left since we probably won’t get a connection up here. I haven’t had a chance to look at everything yet.” Lexi opened a new folder. A few clicks later, she whistled low. “They’re government registered, in a roundabout way, which means we’ve each had a fed tail.” Lexi pulled up several more screens. “I obtained more information on the chip when Reinhardt accessed the basement computer today. I’ve downloaded everything on that hard drive.”

  “Time to see the whole picture and blow this conspiracy to hell.” Caden nodded to the rest.

  “Billy’s the explosive expert, don’t venture into his territory.” Matt held up his hand. “First off, the undercover guard from ClickChip, Charles Kilregard, came to visit me as I got off work today. Wanted to know if Megan Chauner was safe. He demanded an interview.” Matt snorted as he toed out the last chair and Caden sat. “I told him I’d never met the girl.”

  “Did he show any signs of difficulty keeping his balance or allergies?” Megan asked.

  “No to the balance issue. He did have a black eye. Blamed it on clumsiness,” Matt murmured. “Could’ve been from when he got into it with Morfran.”

  “You think he’s been made?” Lucas and Megan asked simultaneously.

  “Could be that our ace in the hole has been compromised,” Lexi muttered. “The question is, who’s his partner and has he also been marked in some way?”

  “Tell us more about their intentions for the chip, Lexi,” Caden directed his inquiry to the computer nerd.

  “Okay. I see reports where they implanted them into the wolves’ heads to see if they could access what the animal sees. It seems they got some type of signal, but it didn’t last as long as expected.”

  “How is it transmitted over distance?” Luc crossed his arms over his chest then huffed out a sigh.

  “Apparently, signals were sent to a drone keeping surveillance. Then they lost the drone.”

  “Do they know where we are?” Megan’s gaze shot to the window. She’d thought herself safe being secluded in the hills.

  “No. The drone lost track not long after the animals’ release. They may know their electronics, but they don’t know much about wolves and their behavior.” Lexi smiled as she pulled up a map of Portland and the bordering area. Using her mouse, she highlighted the path that ended abruptly at the lower elevations. “This is where they lost the signal.”

  “There’s a lot of area to cover between there and our location. Wolves don’t normally attack humans. It must’ve been a test.” Caden looked to Matt before continuing, “But what kind?”

  “They could’ve been experimenting to see how far a visual signal traveled, or how aggressive the particular species would get,” Megan suggested.

  “We also learned that they experimented on some of the marginalized homeless in Delaware, mostly veterans and runaways.” Lexi thumped her fist against the table, the subject hitting too close to home. “And that explains why they want a neural net in place.”

  “If they implant chips in people and upload what they’re seeing, they really can keep an eye on most anything in the city. They could invade board rooms or any level of the government. I didn’t believe it at first, but they’re actually doing it.” Megan picked up the thread of thought, not liking the new world ClickChip intended to create.

  “Jesus. That plus these damned nanos—they can not only see what’s going on—but they can kill or incapacitate someone with the click of a mouse and leave no evidence.” Caden paled as he spoke.

  “No wonder the government’s involved.” Matt turned to Lexi. “Can you pull up the Delaware branch of—”

  “Already on it. The local FBI field office is investigating another death after Jackie’s body was found.” Lexi offered Megan a sympathetic smile. “A driver lost control of his car and died in the accident. No other vehicle involved, no evidence of car malfunction or poor road conditions. They’re stumped, but suspicious. They’ve not closed the case.”

  “Good information to have, but we need details, like ClickChip’s specific targets and timeline. It’s a shame we can’t invade their heads.” Matt’s gaze slipped to the back porch.

  Further discussion led to an evolving plan. “It seems Reinhardt is the key player in Portland and has the grand picture in mind. He might also be the easiest to locate. I think we need to pay him a visit.” Megan looked to Lucas, who smiled. Apparently, his thoughts ran along the same lines.

  “We’re gonna ask in ways you can’t be involved, Matt. You are still a cop, and once this hits the fan, I want your record clean.” Lucas smiled at Caden. “You, however, little brother, have just the talents and tools we could use.”

  “Lexi, can you pull up the known location of—”

  “Got ’em after I copied his tax records.” Lexi snatched a pad from her satchel and wrote down several addresses. “I can get schematics and disarm any security systems at either of Reinhardt’s holdings once I have a connection again. Since he’s got such a smart house, I can also tap into his video and pinpoint his location.”

  “Which shouldn’t be a problem or take long, I presume.” Matt snorted as he scratched the scruff on his chin.

  “Correct. But since there’s no reception here, I’ll have to go back to civilization to pull it up. I can send the info to your phones once I have it.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Tell me you don’t keep files anywhere other than this office.” Morfran strode into the basement’s nerve center and sat in the chair facing ClickChip’s CEO. “I have to know about any and all weak links. Corporate office doesn’t want a trivial detail creating a giant snowball.”

  Reinhardt didn’t have the courage to point a finger at the assassin’s incompetence in dealing with the maid. Regardless of how he’d been bested by the slip of a girl and an unknown accomplice, he was still an exterminator.

  “All my files are on this tower or the external hard drives present.” Pointed to the wireless units on top of the adjacent file cabinet, he knew better than to lie to a problem solver who loved his work. All the files were located in his office. As far as the materials and research papers he’d secreted away on his farm, he’d planned on putting them to good use with Morfran none the wiser.

  “We’re gonna have visitors sooner or later, though I was hoping for a little more time to get things in place before doing more wet work. It seems a drug war and dead cop aren’t enough to keep the hounds at bay.”

  “Which is why you were so insistent over the details of this building’s construction. You can bring it down with a few specifically placed charges…If you’d taken care of that Mindy bitch, we wouldn’t be in this fix. Did you figure out who knocked you unconscious?”

  “No. When I woke up, all I remember is distorted whispers. I can’t find hide nor hair of her. She’ll su
rface sooner or later.”

  “You think she’s a fed and had a partner? Like the pair in Dover? Feds don’t usually work alone, do they?” Reinhardt closed out the screens in case Morfran decided to poke around his computer again. One advantage nerds held over hired thugs was the ability to hide digital files in plain sight. If his covert mission were discovered, he’d have a very unfortunate accident.

  “There’s no way to be sure until we get inside information. For all we know, she might be another reporter.”

  “A shame she got away from Mike and the other guard. What did you do with the guard’s body?” Reinhardt knew he was pushing his luck by asking, but the whole scenario had already slipped sideways.

  “Taking care of dead bodies is what I do and that’s all you need know.” Morfran ambled around the small office, then stood behind Reinhardt.

  The superior position and subtle threat wasn’t lost on the CEO. Offering some type of information seemed prudent. “Schmidt modified the nanos, soon they’ll be able to cross the blood-brain barrier.”

  “And the antidote that dissolves the chip?”

  “Schmidt can dissolve the polymer—”

  “Wait, you’re making the chips out of plastic? What the fuck? They’re supposed to self-disintegrate with time and leave no trace.”

  Reinhardt sighed. Educating the butcher took time and patience. “They do. But we wanted an instant disintegration, a backup plan.” Sketching a set of building blocks on his calendar might provide the visual input Morfran needed to understand. “Polymers are just large molecules made up of smaller subunits. They can be synthetic or natural. These are biocompatible hybrids that are coated to increase shelf-life.”

  “You can program the chips to release their contents all at once or slowly, or you can inject the buggers into the bloodstream to target a specific organ. Right?”