Wolf Shield Investigations: Boxset

by Dee Bridgnorth

  But that was just fantasy. This wasn’t the time for fantasy. Not when the stakes were so high, when the threat was so real, so clear, right in front of their faces. Every death, every so-called accident, might as well have been a glimpse into their possible future because it could just as easily have been either of them.

  She was suddenly so cold, the sweat on her skin and on her clothes turning cold, making her shiver. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, rubbing her hands over her arms.

  “I should’ve seen it. I wondered why your sense of smell was so strong today, why you were so hungry. I should’ve seen the change in you.”

  “You can’t blame yourself for everything,” she reminded him. “This was all me. I won’t be negligent like that again. I promise.”

  His jaw worked, the muscles bunching and twitching, but he nodded. Whatever he wanted to say, he managed to suppress. “Well, we can’t go back there. Do you want to find someplace else to eat?”

  She shook her head. “I’m not even hungry anymore. I feel sick. And I just want to sleep.”

  “Yeah, that will happen. Close your eyes, get some rest.” The note of resignation in his voice just about killed her, twisting a knife in her heart. This was all her fault. She should never have done it.

  “Where are we going?” she asked, her eyes closing without her consciously making it happen. Her body was taking what it needed, and what it needed just then was sleep.

  “Going to Philly. It’s only an hour away, and I might be able to talk the front desk staff into letting us check in early if I tell them you’re feeling sick. Just rest, okay?” She had the feeling he didn’t want to talk to her, that it would be easier for him if she left him alone with his thoughts for a little while.

  Not that she had much of a choice in the matter since sleep was already starting to muddy her thinking. Her last conscious thought was how nice it would’ve been to do exactly what Logan had described doing to those truckers. How nice it would have been to make them watch as she killed them one by one.

  Who was she turning into?

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  “Here we are.”

  Jenna opened her eyes, blinking slowly as she looked around. “Where is here?” she asked in a voice that sounded very little like her own.

  “We’re at the hotel parking garage.”

  “Seriously? I feel like I just closed my eyes.”

  “You went down hard.” He knew he shouldn’t feel sympathy for her since her recklessness could’ve been the end of both of them, but there was no helping it. She was so mixed up like a boat without a rudder to direct it. Of course, what did he think she was going to do when she was finally presented with people like herself, wolf shifters who learned to control their dual nature?

  Of course, she was going to want to experiment for herself, to learn what it was like to live the way they did. She’d only been presented with one method of dealing with her new normal, and now she wanted to see what else was out there.

  And of course, she’d known he would tell her not to do it. So she hadn’t told him. Simple as that.

  It wasn’t simple. Nothing about their lives was simple.

  “Do you want to come in with me when I talked to the front desk people? It’s barely ten o’clock. They haven’t even had check-out yet. Chances are we won’t be able to get a room this early.” And it wasn’t like they could go anywhere with her looking the way she did either. Her hair was still damp with sweat which clung to her clothes, making her smell sour, bitter. The mascara she’d worn had smudged beneath both eyes, making her look like a raccoon.

  “No, I’ll wait here in the truck. I think I’ll be safe on my own for a little bit.” She didn’t give him much of a choice either since her eyes closed before she’d even finished speaking.

  He got out, locking the doors behind him. Yes, those first shifts were the worst. She had probably shifted a few times back in the lab, but that was the last time. Years had gone by since then, and naturally, she would’ve forgotten the effect it had on her body afterward. She might have thought she remembered, might even have been able to describe exactly what it felt like.

  But remembering and actually experiencing were two very different things.

  The hotel lobby was bright, with fresh flowers everywhere and shining marble floors, a far cry from the motels they’d stayed in. And maybe it was wrong of him, but he couldn’t help but feel luck was on his side when he saw there was a young woman behind the counter.

  A young woman who dropped the pen she was holding when she took her first look at him. It rolled off the counter and across the floor toward him. He bent to pick it up, smiling as he handed it back.

  “Thank you,” she offered in a choked whisper.

  “Hi there, Tina,” he replied, making note of her name tag. “I have a room here. I’m due to check in today. I understand your check-in policy, that I’m not supposed to do so until three o’clock or later. But my friend, the woman I’m traveling with, is feeling pretty bad right now. I think maybe she picked up something where we had breakfast earlier this morning.”

  “Oh no,” Tina sighed, shaking her head.

  “I just don’t know what I’m going to do with her for the next five hours. Is there any way we can get a room now? Maybe one that wasn’t occupied last night? I would even be willing to take a step down with the accommodations—I know I requested a king-sized bed, but two doubles would be fine as well. Whatever works.”

  Maybe he shouldn’t have requested that particular sized bed, but there was only so much temptation a man could turn his back on. The chance to share a bed with Jenna was too much to be ignored.

  The girl winced, hesitant. “I know I’m putting you in a tight spot, and I’m very sorry. If there’s any kind of convenience fee I can pay, I would be more than happy to. Whatever it takes. It’s just that, frankly, I would rather not leave her to sleep in my truck until check-in time.”

  He flashed what he knew was his most charming smile, leaning against the counter. Closer to her. “Is there anything we can do?”

  The girl winced again, glancing from one side to the other like she was making sure nobody else was listening in. “I’m really not supposed to do this,” she whispered.

  “Hey, if it’s going to get you into trouble, please don’t do it on my account. It’s just that I’m in a really tight spot.” He lowered his voice, holding her gaze. “It would mean so much.”

  That did it. The hesitation in her eyes cleared up, her cheeks flushing. “Okay. There are a handful of rooms that weren’t taken yesterday. I’ll see if I can put you in one of them.”

  “Thank you so, so much.” His relief was palpable, so much that he could almost taste it. Jenna could get some rest up in their room—and ideally take a shower because she certainly needed one. Maybe they could go out and get her some fresh clothes while searching for cheesesteaks.

  Minutes later, with key cards in his pocket, he returned to the truck. Jenna jumped in surprise when he opened the door. “Sorry,” he offered. “Come on. We can go up right now.”

  “Oh, good. I could use a shower.” No kidding, he thought, having already decided he’d strip her down and throw her into the tub if that’s what it came to. They got their things together, with him carrying the bags so she wouldn’t have to.

  “How’d you convince them? Oh, never mind,” Jenna snickered, glancing at the girl behind the desk as they crossed the lobby.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Don’t even pretend like you don’t know. Hey, whatever, it worked.” She flashed him a smile of relief. “Thank you.”

  It was worth it then.

  When Logan opened the door to the room in question after taking the elevator nearly to the very top of the Center City skyscraper in which they were staying, Jenna’s jaw dropped. “Exactly what did you do to that girl?” she gasped.

  “Very funny,” he grunted, though he could sort of understand where she was coming from. They’d
gone from a modest room to an entire suite, complete with a sunken living room, kitchen, and a separate bedroom. “I asked her to give me something that hadn’t been used yesterday so we wouldn’t have to wait for the room to be turned over. I guess this was what she had available.”

  Jenna whistled, her physical needs clearly taking a backseat when faced with the opulent suite. “I should travel with you more often,” she murmured, running her hand over the silk-covered sofa. He decided to bite his tongue and not offer a response.

  The fact was he wouldn’t mind that either.

  She looked down at herself, frowning. “I guess I should wash up. Oh, I wonder what the bathroom is like.” She scurried off, leaving him smiling to himself. At least she was able to get over the worst of her strain and fatigue. When she cried out in surprise, he followed and found what was more like a spa than an average bathroom.

  “A Jacuzzi,” she whispered, eyes wide. “Oh, come to mama.”

  “Should I leave the two of you alone?” he asked, looking around at the marble and gold, the glass-walled shower, a tower of thick, fluffy towels. There was a dual vanity, an entire rack of toiletries provided by the hotel. Forget the little pre-wrapped soaps; these were expensive, brand-name products.

  “Are you kidding? I didn’t even know you were still in the room.”

  He was chuckling as he left her to it, closing the door behind him. What a refreshing change, having so much space to stretch out in. He reached into his back pocket to fish out his phone, wanting to update the team via Val.

  Only he came up empty. There was nothing there. His wallet was in the other pocket, no problems with that, but he didn’t have his phone.

  “Did you see my phone in the truck?” He asked Jenna, calling out through the closed door.

  “No—did you lose it?”

  “I don’t know. Where is yours?”

  The door opened and her arm shot out, but just her arm. It was bare, telling him the rest of her was as well. While his wolf considered pushing the door open, he accepted the phone. “Val can trace my location,” he explained, pulling up the number in her contacts.

  “What is it this time? Is he being a jerk again?” There was just a little too much smugness in Val’s voice.

  “Is who being a jerk again?” he asked, relishing the moment of silence on the other end.

  “Oh, Logan!” she cried out. “No fair, tricking me like that.”

  “For the sake of expediency, I won’t go any further into what you just said. I need a favor. I can’t find my phone—can you trace the location for me?”

  “Sure thing,” she chirped, a little too eager now that she’d been embarrassed. Were the two of them talking about him? When would they possibly have had the chance to do that? He’d been with Jenna practically every minute.

  Moments later, Val announced, “It’s at a diner in New Castle?”

  He slapped a hand to his forehead. “It might’ve fallen out of my pocket in the booth. We left in a hurry. Long story,” he added in case she decided to ask what had happened. “I can’t possibly leave it there.”

  “Where are you now?”

  “At the hotel in Philly. It’s only an hour drive—I’ll have to go back and get it.”

  “Be careful—and let me know when you have it,” she added before signing off.

  He knocked on the bathroom door. “I left my phone at the diner.”

  “You what?” Jenna squeaked.

  “Well, I’m sorry. I didn’t exactly have time to check my pockets and make sure I had everything with me. We were sort of in a hurry to get out of the diner.”

  What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t leave the phone there any longer than absolutely necessary, but from the splashing around he heard, he guessed she was already in the tub as it filled. “Can I trust you here for a couple of hours?”

  “You’re going to leave me?”

  “You’re in a hotel in the middle of the city. So long as you keep to yourself, take a good long soak and maybe a nap, everything will be fine. It won’t take long. When I get my hands on the phone, I’ll call you to let you know. Okay?”

  “Okay. Be careful.”

  He was about to turn away from the door when he had a second thought. “And hey. Order some room service if you feel like it.”

  “Right. Like I wasn’t already thinking about what I wanna eat.” He was laughing as he left the suite.

  At least traffic was light enough, though he definitely pushed the truck to the edges of the speed limit and slightly beyond. The entire way south, he cursed himself. What was the matter with him? What was he thinking, letting his phone fall out of his pocket? What if it fell into the wrong hands? That phone was his lifeline, his connection to the team. Using Jenna’s burner phone wouldn’t have been the same, not at all.

  For all he knew, they could have been trying to get in touch with him for hours. Something could’ve happened, something catastrophic, and he wouldn’t have known until somebody had the idea to call Jenna—and even then, who would’ve had the number?

  Well, at this point, Val would have. Since she and Jenna had gotten so chummy. He pushed these thoughts out of his head, knowing they would only add to his frustration. Better to focus on going south, finding the diner and grabbing his phone. He could only hope no one had stolen it by then after Val had located it. There was no way for her to call him and tell him the damn thing had moved.

  With a squeal of breaks, he pulled into the parking lot of the diner only forty minutes after leaving the hotel. He bounded up the stairs, bursting through the door, his gaze falling on the waitress from earlier.

  She recognized him instantly. “You left without even eating,” she informed him like he didn’t know.

  “Yes, I’m sorry about that. My friend got very sick, and the harassment she experienced—in your diner, by the way—was too much for her to handle.”

  The girl’s face fell slightly as he looked around, spotting his booth. “Did anybody give you a phone that they found here?” he asked, heading straight for the booth and sliding his hand between the two vinyl cushions. When his fingers closed around his phone, he could’ve wept with relief. That had been the longest forty minutes of his life.

  “Hey, by the way, somebody came in here asking about you.”

  Just like that, his heart started pounding again. No sooner was one problem solved than another popped up. Using every ounce of self-control he possessed, he straightened up and turned to the girl standing behind the counter. “About me? Me, specifically?”

  She shrugged, looking uncertain. She couldn’t be older than seventeen, maybe eighteen, and it was clear she felt she was in over her head. He knew how that felt. “They asked if a big, tall guy who looked like he could be a bouncer or wrestler came in here with a blonde girl.”

  “What did you tell him?” It was all he could do not to grab the girl by the shirt collar and pull her over the counter, holding her up in front of his face.

  She shrugged. “I told him I get a lot of people in here. And it was a busy morning. I can’t keep track of everybody.”

  “You’re sure about that?” he asked, hardly daring to believe it but wanting to so desperately.

  “Hey. I’m not a narc, okay? I don’t know who the guy was, but I wasn’t going to squeal on you.” She chewed her lip again, eyes narrowing suspiciously. “You’re not a bad guy, are you?”

  No. Something tells me you met the bad guy earlier when he came in here looking for us. “Can you describe him?”

  She shrugged, now looking like she wished she’d never said a word. “Kind of tall, reddish hair? Little thin up top. He wore big sunglasses. He had a pointy nose.”

  “Did he show you a badge or anything like that?”

  “No. Nothing like that. Which is why I didn’t say anything.”

  “Thank you so much. If he ever comes back here, can you tell him you never saw me?”

  “No problem.” She offered a shaky smile, miming wiping sweat fro
m her forehead. He wished he could feel that sense of relief.

  As he headed outside, he was already in the act of dialing Jenna’s number. “Pick up, pick up, please pick up,” he whispered.

  “You found it!” she called out upon answering. Then she paused. “Logan?”

  “Yeah, it’s me,” he replied. “Listen. You’re still in the room?”

  “Yeah, I just got out of the tub. What’s going on? There’s something wrong, I can tell.”

  He got into the truck, switching the phone to Bluetooth before pulling out. “Somebody came in looking for us. The waitress said she told him she hadn’t seen us, but who knows. Be on your guard. Did you order room service?”

  “No, not yet.”

  “Don’t. I’ll bring you something to eat. Just stay in the room, make sure the door is double-locked, and don’t answer for anyone. Not for any reason. If somebody tries to get in or won’t take no for an answer, call the front desk and have them send security up. Then, call me. Understand?”

  “You’re scaring me.”

  “I don’t mean to. And who’s to say what the odds are of that guy finding us—the city is pretty big, right?” Still, the fact that whoever was on their tail had gone to the very diner he’d stepped into with Jenna made him wonder what was going on. Had they been followed?

  Once he was off the phone with her, he immediately dialed Doc. “I think there’s somebody on our tail,” he announced as he tore down the road, heading for I-95.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  There she was, in the middle of a luxurious suite, wrapped in an enormous, fluffy robe, wearing equally fluffy slippers, complementary, having relaxed in the most delicious Jacuzzi to the point where her skin pruned.

  And she was still wound like a watch spring, counting the seconds until Logan returned.

  Who in the world could’ve been following them? And why would they? Hell, how could they? Were they just following the truck? If so, the chances of them being found had to be slim. If somebody stopped into the diner to ask after them, the truck wasn’t in their crosshairs.