“You may call me Elaine.” Her arms tightened further around Grace. “And thank you.”
Grace’s gaze slid to a framed picture on the wall of Thom, Elaine and two girls in their teens. It must’ve been taken several years ago. The print was faded and Thom and Elaine looked younger, but they all appeared quite happy.
“I promise.” Grace swallowed with difficulty. Her words were husky. “We will investigate all possible causes in Thom’s death.”
Elaine pulled away, her expression weary. “Thom took his own life, my dear. As much as I may wish otherwise.”
Grace’s heart leapt into her throat and she struggled not to shake her head. So even Thom’s wife was convinced it was suicide? Didn’t she even suspect it might’ve been foul play?
“Did he show signs of depression in the days leading up to his death?” she prodded. “Any indication he might do something like this?”
Elaine hesitated. “Thom struggled with depression some, yes, but quite honestly he did so before the experiments. Ever since he was laid off from The Seattle Times.”
That made sense. Grace was aware money had been Thom’s driving factor to do the experiments.
“Did Thom leave a note?”
“No.” Elaine’s eyes brimmed with tears as she shook her head.
No note? That was a little odd. Though it was entirely possible Thom’s death was exactly what it seemed. A tragic suicide spurned by from one man’s depression and conscience. But there was the niggling sense of unease, that something didn’t quite add up. Because she just couldn’t comprehend how he could walk away from those experiments, so grateful to be alive and be reunited with his family, only to take his life.
“So you were the one who found Thom?” Grace asked carefully.
“Yes, and I’m thankful for the fact. If it had been one of my daughters who’d found their father…” Elaine swallowed visibly, appearing shaken. “I’m so glad that’s not the last memory they have of him.”
“Mrs. Wilson, I just had a couple more things to go over with you if you don’t mind?”
Hilliard, keeping his voice quiet and gentle, took over the questioning, and Grace couldn’t have been more grateful. She pulled away from Elaine and moved down the hall, giving herself the moment she had hoped she wouldn’t need. She wound up in the garage after following Yorioka’s voice.
Crime tape still cordoned off the chilled garage, but Grace slipped under it to join Yorioka, who was in discussion with a guy from the forensic unit.
“The car was taken into evidence then?” Grace asked when their conversation died.
“Yeah, the day the body was discovered. We’re just back today tying up a few loose ends and lifting some prints.” The forensic guy cleared his throat, picked up a small laptop and began typing.
He looked familiar, but she struggled with his name. Pete? Rick? Their paths had crossed on more than one crime scene.
“Did the call history on the cell phone get checked?”
“Call history was empty,” he answered without looking up.
Or deleted. That was a definite red flag in her eyes. “Someone should’ve submitted a subpoena to the cell provider.”
“Probably.”
Grace waited for them to pick up their discussion, but from the growing silence, she realized that wasn’t going to happen.
He knew who she was, she realized. He was aware of her connection with Thom and the experiments, and this guy wasn’t any more thrilled by her than Yorioka.
“What’s your name again?” Grace finally asked, determined to stay professional at all cost. “I know we’ve worked together in the past.”
“Rick.” His gaze still wouldn’t meet hers.
“Right, I remember now. Rick, have you guys found any indication this could be more than a suicide?”
“Okay, this is bullshit,” Yorioka interrupted harshly. “Look, Masterson, I’m sorry if a murder would lessen the guilt load on your conscience, but the evidence is pretty damn clear Thom Wilson took his own life.”
Grace’s jaw clenched as she turned to face the other woman. If Agent Yorioka wanted to have this out now, than why the hell not?
“Did I do something to offend you, Agent Yorioka?”
Genuine amusement and disbelief flickered across Yorioka’s face before she scowled again. “What, are you effing kidding me? Your entire presence within the P.I.A. is offensive after what you did.”
“You sure are good and playing judge and jury without having the facts—”
“I know enough. I know that you betrayed your team and volunteered for something equivalent to an extermination project.” Yorioka strode across the empty garage until they were almost toe-to-toe. “What kind of agent does that? You should’ve resigned.”
“The P.I.A. means everything to me and I work damn hard at what I do.”
Rick cleared his throat and muttered something about using the bathroom before disappearing out of the garage.
“Sure you do,” Yorioka scoffed. “You should’ve been fired.”
Anger rose in Grace’s blood, bringing her wolf close to the surface. Her voice thickened as she ground out, “I’m a damn good agent, which is why they didn’t fire me.”
“Whether you’re a good agent or not is, I’m sure, subjective.” Yorioka flashed a hard smile. “You have a lot to prove before I’m convinced of your worth.”
“I don’t have to prove shit to you, and the sooner you realize that, the better.”
“Everything all right in here?”
Grace stepped back from Agent Yorioka as Hilliard entered the garage, his wary gaze sweeping between the two women.
“We’re fine,” Yorioka murmured succinctly. “Just getting to know each other a little better. Isn’t that right, Masterson?”
“Exactly.” Bitch. Grace arched a brow and forced a slight smile. “In fact, we should do lunch sometime soon when we can have more time to chat.”
Yorioka didn’t bother to hide her bark of a laugh, but instead stepped out of the garage and back into the house.
“Looks like I missed out on all the fun.” Hilliard switched the notebook he held to his other hand.
“Yeah, had you been here a few minutes earlier, you would’ve had the joy of watching me become a human piñata. Always a blast.” Grace glanced at the ground, trying to calm her temper a bit, before meeting Hilliard’s gaze again. “Did you question Mrs. Wilson further?”
“I did. But this is already the second round of questioning for her. She’s a little emotionally drained and pleaded a headache. She’s lying down in her room now.”
Grace could relate to the emotionally drained part. She’d thought she was ready to come back, to deal with everything. But, hell, maybe it was just another bad decision.
“If we haven’t already, I think we should subpoena Thom’s cell phone records. The call history was deleted.”
“Not a bad idea. I’ll check into that.” Hilliard nodded. “Let me grab Yorioka and we can head back to the office early for some paperwork.”
Needing to get outside, away from the reminder of Thom’s death, Grace bit her lip and pushed past him. “I’ll meet you at the car.”
Darrius watched her go and swallowed a sigh. The truth was, they could’ve stayed a bit longer. Perhaps asked to speak with the daughters again, but chances were they wouldn’t get any more out of the girls now then they had last time. And beyond that, Masterson was struggling. He could see it in the tension in her shoulders and the haunted expression in her eyes.
Maybe she regretted coming back to work. And you basically pushed her into it. Guilt stabbed at him as he went to find Yorioka to let her know they were leaving.
“We’re going to head out,” he said after locating her.
She glanced up from her notes she was currently scrawling on, and nodded.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to stick around with Rick, the guy from forensics. I want to be here when he checks the victim’s computer.” Yori
oka’s expression was laced with excitement. “He already said I could catch a ride back from him.”
Yorioka knew what she was doing. She might look young, but she’d been with the P.I.A. for twelve years, and had only recently transferred from the Dallas office. He knew she was trained in forensics and as a field agent, but it was clear which she enjoyed more.
“You get the okay from the office?”
“Of course.”
“All right, we’ll catch you later then.” Hilliard turned to leave, and then hesitated, before turning to face her again. “Masterson is a good agent. I’d appreciate it if you’d give her the benefit of the doubt.”
Yorioka’s expression closed off. “I was probably a little hard on her, but I don’t understand how you—how any of you—can justify what she did.”
“We don’t justify it. The truth is, we don’t know why she did it.” Some of the agents had their theories—that Agent Masterson had been trying to go undercover without permission, but Darrius didn’t buy it. “What we do know is she’s young and has an incredible amount of potential to be a stellar agent—she was already on her way to being one. And the agency must agree, because they allowed her to come back.”
“They interview her?”
“Of course. Right after the rescue. She was debriefed and interviewed extensively by someone from the agency.”
Yorioka’s lips curled into a sneer. “And they invited her to return to work.”
“Yes. Whatever her motivation for doing it was, it must’ve been good.”
“But you don’t know why she did it. No one does.”
“She’s not obligated to share why with us. Nor is the agency.”
Rick, the forensic guy, walked past them back toward the garage, and gave a slight chin jerk in acknowledgment. The guy was a bit of an arrogant prick, if Darrius remembered correctly. Still he nodded back.
“I don’t know. I trust the agency, but I’ve got to say that you all treat her like a delicate porcelain doll.”
Hilliard laughed and relaxed a little. “She’d likely throw you down if she heard you call her delicate.”
“Charming, but Masterson isn’t my type.”
Yorioka made it no secret she was gay. Hilliard and the rest of the team had met her partner within the first couple of weeks that she’d started. Her partner, sweet and a bit shy, was the main reason Yorioka had transferred out from Dallas.
“Just, ease up on her. Okay? She’s been through a lot.”
Yorioka stared at him for a moment, and then gave a terse nod. “I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises. I call out bullshit when I see it.”
“Deal, but you won’t find much of it with her.”
Yorioka grunted and turned away. “I’m going to have a cigarette. Catch you back at the office, Hilliard.”
Darrius made his way out of the house, anxious to climb into the car with Grace and reassure her that she’d done well today.
Which was weird. He had to wonder if he’d be having the same reaction with any of the other members of his team. What was it about Grace that had him so damn protective lately?
Once outside the house, he spotted her across the street, leaning against the car, apparently waiting for him and the keys. She didn’t see him right away as she stared off down the road, and he took a moment to check her out.
Her dark hair was in a loose ponytail that hung over her shoulder. She wore minimal makeup, but didn’t need it. He wanted to be closer, to see if her lips were full and glossy from a tube, or if it was natural.
Her arms were folded across her chest, making the blazer and blouse beneath it gape a bit. The blood in his veins pulsed a bit harder with lust and his wolf rose closer to the surface.
Darrius blinked in shock, feeling like he’d been sucker punched. Son of a bitch, there was no doubt about it. He was definitely having some kind of physical reaction to Grace. That moment in her garage the other night hadn’t been some weird fluke.
This was going to be a problem. A big fucking problem.
Unsettled, he jerked his gaze back to her face and felt like he’d just gotten decked again. She’d seen him, and Lord almighty did she look ticked off.
She straightened from the car and started toward him. “You know next time you feel the need to come to my rescue, don’t.”
Wary now, he tilted his head. “You gonna elaborate on that?”
“I don’t need you defending me to Yorioka.” She shook her head and gave him a tight smile. “Or, hey, maybe next time you decide to do it, at least try and make sure I’m far enough way not to hear.”
So she’d heard that little discussion between him and the other agent a few minutes ago.
“She was out of line.”
“Doesn’t matter. I can take care of myself.” Grace spun on her heel and started back toward the car.
Danger. He sensed it before he saw or heard anything.
Darrius was already moving before the squealing tires sounded. His feet flew across the pavement and he had both arms around Grace, jerking her across the road just before a black minivan went barreling past them.
Chapter Six
They smacked into the agency vehicle, Grace first and Darrius against her. Adrenaline ravaged his blood, making him on the brink of shifting. His claws came out, piercing through the material of Grace’s jacket as he gripped her.
Her pupils were dilated with shock and her body trembled.
“Where did that come from? How did I… I didn’t even see it.”
He could hear the frantic pounding of her heart and knew it nearly matched his.
“Are you okay?” he rasped and forced his claws to retract, thrusting his wolf back into the depths inside him.
She nodded, almost bobble-head like. “Yes. I think so. A little bruised, but fine.”
But she was as shook up as him. His gut was twisted up like a pretzel and a sheen of sweat gathered on the back of his neck.
Fuck. Fuck. Someone had nearly hit her. Had nearly run her down. Had they both just been so caught up in arguing that they’d been completely oblivious to the approaching minivan? Was it even possible?
But it hadn’t even slowed—never braked as it raced past them.
This wasn’t an accident. He knew it deep to his core. He glanced down at Grace again, who was still in his arms and seemed in no hurry to pull away, and found her eyes shinning with fear and wariness.
“Bet you don’t mind that kind of rescuing,” he somehow managed in a light tone, reminding her of the angry words she’d hurled at him just before the van had nearly run her down.
Her gaze, a bit unfocused, darted back to his.
“I guess there can be exceptions every now and then.” Her attempt at humor was obviously forced. “I don’t suppose you caught the plates on that guy?”
“Fuck, I wish.”
“What the hell happened?” Yorioka rushed out from the shadows of the house, dropping her cigarette on the ground and crushing it with her shoe. “Jesus, did I see that right? You nearly got taken out by some soccer mom.”
Darrius’s jaw clenched, and he jerked his gaze back to Grace. She gave a subtle shake of her head.
“I was distracted,” she called out flatly. “I didn’t see it coming.”
Which was bullshit, because neither of them had. That minivan had barreled around a corner determined to hit whoever had been in its path. And that person was Grace. Still, it was clear she wasn’t ready to admit that to Agent Yorioka.
“You’re sure?”
Grace finally looked over at the other agent. “I’m sure. I’ll be fine. Obviously, they missed me.”
This time.
“All right. Whatever you say,” Yorioka grumbled, obviously unconvinced, before she jogged back into the house.
Darrius didn’t move, and Grace still made no attempt to free herself from his arms. Which made him think she was still frazzled.
And yet…her heart had slowed, but then sped up again. He’d heard it
. Could hear the unsteadiness in her breathing as her fingers gripped the material of his button-up shirt. He could sense the fear leaving her, replaced instead by something else. Something hot and potent.
His blood mimicked hers, rushing and pulsing in response to the slender, feminine curves pressed entirely too close against him. The wolf inside him rose to the surface, but this time it had nothing to do with danger.
Her gaze darted to his, and he saw the shock and awareness in her eyes. She felt it too—was aware of the sexual electric current between them.
“Hilliard.” His name was husky on her lips, and it seemed to shock her back into their surroundings. She blinked once, hard, and then shoved away from him. “We need to get back to the office.”
The pounding of his blood slowed and his wolf withdrew. Darrius let out a breath between his teeth and swore silently. What the hell?
Good thing she’d shoved him away, or who knew what might’ve happened.
“Yeah, we do. Climb in. I’m driving.” He knew she was shaken up still from nearly being run down, whether she’d admit it or not.
Thankfully, Grace simply nodded, before climbing into the car.
Grace steered her sports car into a tight spot on the steep downtown Seattle hill, ignoring the sign warning that there was no parking until after six. It was five thirty. She’d take her damn chances at being towed or ticketed.
Slamming the door to her car, she jogged toward the entryway of the posh, shiny black building. She ignored the main elevator options and walked past the concierge to the elevator tucked away in a corner of the floor.
The doors opened after she pressed the button, but that would be as far as she went without the appropriate key.
Grace pressed the speaker button inside the lift and waited for someone to answer.
“How may I help you?” The voice came through the speaker, crisp and a bit bored.
“I’m here to see Ms. Feloray.”
“Is she expecting you?”
“Yes.” Not officially, but Jocelyn Feloray wouldn’t be surprised by her sudden presence.
“And your name?”
Savage Betrayal: Savage, Book 2 Page 5