Even now he could almost feel the dead weight of her body as he’d cradled her in his arms. Begged her to hold on just awhile longer while the P.I.A. created an antidote to the drugs she and the others had been given.
“You’re supposed to be watching the house, not me.”
Her wary gaze met his, briefly, before she glanced back at their assignment.
Not even realizing he’d been staring so hard, Darrius shifted his attention back to the house. But he couldn’t stop the quiet words. “I thought we were going to lose you. You were sicker than any of the other ferals. You had one foot in death’s door.”
“Well, clearly I stepped back out.” It was obvious that she tried to sound detached, but there was a hint of pain behind the two words.
Maybe it was a shitty idea, but he wanted answers. He wanted her to trust him enough to confide in him.
“Do you remember anything from that week, Grace? I know the contract was iron tight, but maybe something happened that is grounds for prosecution. Maybe you remember something we could convict them on…”
Chapter Ten
Did she remember anything? Grace kept her gaze on the house but didn’t really see it. Instead her mind flashed through a half dozen memories, at least she assumed they were memories. They were detached and moved through her head kind of like those floaters you get in your eyes. And every now and then her mind locked on one, but it slipped away just as quickly.
“I wasn’t raped, if that’s what you’re asking. I was told an agency nurse did a full examination on me after the rescue—but even that’s hazy.”
Another memory flashed through her mind now. Briefly. Darrius holding her, his face above her and his dark gaze intense and full of worry. There were emotions tied to the image as well—desolation, and yet peace. A peace that came from knowing she’d die in the arms of a man she trusted?
Grace clenched her teeth and forced back the sting of tears that burned her eyes and made her throat tight.
She hated going back to that time in her head, hated that she was being forced to do so in therapy. And yet, somehow she didn’t resent talking to Darrius as much as she did the therapist at the P.I.A. There was some relief in opening up to him.
“I remember you,” she admitted grudgingly. “You seem to be the strongest memory that I apparently don’t mind keeping.”
She couldn’t resist casting him a quick glance from beneath her lashes. His emotions were mixed, and blatant in his eyes. Frustration, and yet pure masculine pleasure that had her stomach flipping. He’d been right, they did have a connection; it was like an invisible electric wire between them that sizzled and snapped. It had fed her energy then, and did so now. It kept her alive, kept her going.
His gaze slid back to the house, and she didn’t realize he’d reached for her hand until his strong fingers threaded with hers.
She didn’t draw away, literally couldn’t have if she wanted to. Her hand felt almost fragile in his large one, and she squeezed his fingers, accepting the energy he gave.
“I couldn’t let you die.”
His words weren’t quite steady, and it shocked her a bit to realize how much those dark days had affected him as well.
“How did you hear about the experiments?”
He changed the subject, and she wasn’t really surprised. Darrius didn’t seem like the type of guy who liked to stay deep emotionally. He was the joker. The sensitive, funny guy who liked to keep things light.
And though it was easier now to open up to him, his current question was tricky. She didn’t want to lie to him, but oh, God, she didn’t want to tell him the truth. Didn’t want to tell anyone the truth.
“Well, the experiments were very quiet. I mean, they had to be. Feloray Laboratories couldn’t just throw out an ad for shifters to come in and sign up for a study.” That much was the truth. Humans weren’t aware of shifters, which meant everything was kind of done on the sly. “It was mostly word of mouth, and it eventually got back to me.” That much was…a partial truth.
“And so you volunteered to be a participant?”
“The whole thing sent alarm bells off in my head.” She drew in a slow breath, and plunged on. “So, yeah, I signed up and went in undercover, figuring I could bring back some information for the P.I.A.”
Lie. The biggest, filthiest, most blatant lie and she hated that it was now between them. She should’ve been used to it by now, because it was the same one she’d told the P.I.A.
There was no response, except for the subtle tightening of Darrius’s fingers around hers.
As the moments passed and he didn’t say anything, her pulse quickened and her throat went dry. He didn’t believe her. The realization sank in with the gentleness of a brick.
He didn’t need to argue, question her further, or even give any indication he’d heard her. She absolutely had no doubt he was screaming “bullshit” in his head.
But why? She was sure the therapist had bought the same story—and was pretty sure the agents on her team would too if she fed it to them. Hell, Darrius had at one point told her they already suspected that was her reasoning.
“That’s both stupid, and admirable.” Darrius stroked his jaw line with his free hand. “Though I’m leaning toward stupid.”
His words gave every illusion that he believed her, but she wasn’t a fool. Which mean she had to try harder.
Her pulse quickened. “Look, I know it was absolutely stupid. I should’ve come to the P.I.A. with my concerns instead of taking it on myself.”
Had her words sounded as desperate to him as they did in her head? She waited for him to reply, but he remained silent for too long.
Finally, “What was it like at the beginning of the experiments? Do you remember that much?”
Not exactly a response to her words, more a diversion from them. Which was okay, because she could answer this part honestly. She blinked and slid back to that day in her mind.
“Lots of paperwork, and everyone was really friendly. It all seemed so innocent.” She smiled faintly. “The volunteers who signed up to be a part of the tests were excited—I mean, it was a lot of money.”
“Yeah, well I doubt it was worth the cost you all paid. Feloray Laboratories basically got away with attempted murder.”
He was absolutely right. “And I want them to be held accountable more than anybody, but those contracts were too thorough.” Her voice thickened with every word. “I would be perfectly content to see Jocelyn Feloray burning over a spit in hell. She’ll be there. Someday.”
Darrius’s gaze narrowed on her, as if her vehemence had surprised him. But murmured, “That bitch has gotta be Satan’s go-to woman.”
“She’s on his speed dial.”
Darrius’s laugh was low and sexy. It died too quickly, a soft sigh replacing it. “It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would anyone want an anti-shifting drug? Why would someone want to deny their wolf side?”
“It wasn’t so much about denying that side of them.” She had to help Darrius understand. “Someone like my sister, for instance. She had a horrific break in her leg as a child and it never healed properly.”
Darrius grunted. “I noticed she had a limp.”
“She’s had it for nearly her whole life. For her to try and shift is excruciating, but you know how it is. It’s instinctive. It’s not an easy thing to control, especially when we’re children.”
Shapeshifter children were watched carefully. The community couldn’t afford to have a child shift in front of the human population. Until shifter children learned to fully control their instincts, they were kept close to home. Home schooled and only allowed to run free in areas where no humans would spot them.
In the rare instances a human did spot them, the human was given a memory wipe. A quick, painless procedure that could wipe the memory of the human, or shifter, for as far back as needed.
“I suppose I can understand someone with those circumstances.” Darrius traced a finger lightly over
the palm of her hand, and the seemingly innocuous gesture sent tingles through her body, momentarily distracting her. Until he added, “So why not sign up your sister to be tested?”
Cold washed through her, draining the blood from her head and leaving her a bit dizzy. He was so close to the truth, pretty much running parallel to it now. And she’d led him right to it.
“Because it was the experimental stage. The drug was new and untried.” She tried to keep her voice casual. “No one knew the side effects.”
“Ah, right. Of course.”
Except Jocelyn Feloray. Helping the shifters had never been the woman’s intention—she’d wanted them dead. She hated the species with a passion that was unbelievable. And Grace hated her with an equaled passion. Because she’d walked in the doors of that run-down lab fully aware that she might never walk out again.
“Well, it’s a good thing Aubree didn’t find out about the experiments then. Sounds like something she might’ve been foolish to try and sign up for—kind of like her big sister. Then we would’ve had to worry about rescuing two Masterson girls.”
A good thing was an understatement. A bit emotionally drained now, she couldn’t do much more than nod.
Darrius dropped her hand and sat up straight. “We’ve got movement.”
What? Shit, she’d completely lost focus on what was going on. Her gaze steadied on the house just in time to see a man exit the front door and make his way to the rusty station wagon.
Tall and skinny, the man definitely looked like he spent his days smoking meth out of a pipe.
“I say we tail this guy,” Darrius murmured. “See where he takes us?”
“I’m in.” Because she was betting her money there was a good chance he would take them to Feloray Laboratories.
The Doornail was packed for a weeknight, and many of the patrons were agents with the P.I.A.
Darrius slid his attention across the table to where Grace had recently sat down in one of the wooden chairs. Her arms were folded across her chest and discomfort flickered every now and then across her face.
This wasn’t her scene at all, and yet he and Donovan had convinced her to come tonight. They were celebrating, because apparently Grace’s instincts were pretty damn kick-ass.
She’d been the only one to say Thom Wilson’s suicide might not be a suicide. He’d been skeptical—hell, all of them had. She’d stuck to her guns, and tonight they were given the shred of evidence that she might’ve been on to something.
After tailing their POI, it was clear the meth-head definitely had some kind of ties to Feloray Industries, because he’d been parked outside their lab for over an hour and a half.
It was by no means a smoking gun, but it was definitely a connection they were going to further investigate.
Her gaze finally skimmed to his, and a slight smiled curved her lips. Amusement flickered in her eyes. She gave a slight shake of her head, as if to say I can’t believe you got me to come here.
He winked. “I’m buying you a beer, Masterson.”
“You’re not buying me a beer, we’ve got work in the morning.”
“If he doesn’t, I will.” Donovan gave her a light slap on the shoulders as he stood up. “We’ve all got to work in the morning. Besides, what do you think we come here for? The food?”
As he walked off to the bar, Yorioka shrugged and said, “I don’t know. The fish and chips are pretty killer.”
They’d all come out tonight, the entire team, which was rare, but nice. Larson had even brought Alicia—the uptight socialite fiancée who looked as if she’d rather be anywhere but in a dark, loud pub. Her hands were folded in her lap, her mouth compressed, and her gaze narrowed with repulsion.
Darrius shook his head and wondered if the two would really end up mated, and if playing politics in the shifter community would really be worth putting up with someone like Alicia.
Agent Yorioka had also brought her partner, Denise, a quiet, soft-spoken Asian woman, who was currently in a quiet discussion with Larson.
But Yorioka seemed more focused on Grace, watching her over her beer with an expression of derision and irritation. Obviously, Grace still had a long ways to go before she earned the other agent’s respect.
Well, fuck it, she didn’t have to go out of her way to prove she was a good agent to the new girl. Grace had been the new girl, had already spent months working her ass off. Obviously he and the rest of the guys trusted her, so Yorioka was just being an idiot if she let her own judgment cloud her view.
“We’re celebrating your instincts tonight, Masterson.” Larson gave her a steady glance and took a swig of beer. “They’re not bad. Not bad at all.”
A flush filled her cheeks and pleasure flickered in her eyes. “Thanks.”
“I’ll bet you the agency will have a search warrant on that guy by morning,” Donovan added as he returned to the table from the counter. “And I’ve got your beer.”
Darrius watched her accept the beer with a laugh. She looked good. Happy, and yet maybe a bit uncertain of the attention she was getting.
His smile faded a bit and he looked away. He couldn’t quite ignore the instinct that told him she’d lied in the car this afternoon. Everyone was so eager to believe—maybe they just wanted too—that Grace had sent herself into the experiments undercover.
But he knew she wouldn’t have made such a stupid move, no matter how new she was. Grace was damn smart and cared about her career. She’d never have risked it by pulling a stunt like that.
So why was she lying? What irked him more was that she not only lied to everyone, but kept lying to him. Didn’t she trust him? Whatever she was hiding, she didn’t want it revealed. Which just made him all the more determined to figure out what the hell it was.
“You guys give me way too much credit.” Grace sipped her beer and shrugged. “You all would’ve done the same.”
Her gaze lifted and collided with his. He saw the pleasure leak out a bit, and the guilt that slipped in. But then, when he didn’t look away and their eyes stayed locked, her expression shifted. Heat flickered in her eyes, and an awareness appeared that he knew she wouldn’t want him to see.
She lowered her beer and her tongue flicked out to catch a drop on her lip. Hunger lashed through him, instantaneous and potent. His blood heated and his body stirred.
Shit. Why was his reaction to her so immediate lately? It was almost violent in its intensity, and equally confusing to him.
He jerked his gaze away, urging the dominant wolf inside him to back the fuck off.
“I thought my wife said she was coming tonight,” Donovan muttered, glancing around. “Do I need to kick someone’s ass at the agency for working her too hard?”
“I work hard by choice, so stop your nagging, honey.”
Donovan, whose back had been to the door, stood and turned around, then swept his wife up into a huge hug, before planting a kiss on her lips.
“Easy with the PD-fucking-As,” Hilliard called out, but again felt that stab of jealousy at the bond they shared.
From what Darrius had heard they’d always known each other, but had drifted apart. They’d only reconnected during the experiments when Donovan caught Sienna trying to free the feral shifters, while the agency team was inside the lab trying to do the same. Though strange as it was, it was pretty cool that something so positive could come from such a horrific event.
Sienna pulled away from her husband, and her gaze slid over the table before landing on Grace. The petite blonde let out a noise of excitement, before making her way around the table.
“I heard you were here, but refused to believe it until I saw you.” Sienna gave her a hug. “I’m so glad to see you out with everyone tonight.”
“Thanks. It’s really good to see you too.” Emotion thickened Grace’s voice and she blinked hard. “I’m sorry, I just haven’t been very sociable lately.”
“I absolutely understand, and promise I’m not criticizing.” She glanced back at her husband
. “Warrick, will you please get me a glass of red wine? I’m going to catch up with Grace.”
Darrius didn’t bother to hide his rumbling laugh as Donovan immediately got to his feet to go to the counter.
Whipped. A hundred percent. But Sienna was beautiful, smart as hell and pretty damn amazing so he couldn’t fault him. She was the perfect match for Donovan.
Sienna took up his abandoned chair next to Grace and drank a sip of his beer. “Now tell me, how have you been?”
Darrius didn’t mean to intentionally eavesdrop, kept his gaze scanning the bar, but it was hard not to listen to the women’s conversation.
“I’ve been better. I’ve been worse,” Grace said softly.
“Yeah, I can believe it. If there’s ever anything I can help with, please let me know.”
“I will. Thanks, Sienna. It means a lot.”
He hadn’t realized the two knew each other so well, or had gotten close. Though it made sense, now that he thought about it. He’d been aware that Sienna had checked up on Grace several times after the recovery—often bringing food and flowers. It was a natural progression to friendship.
“So, I think we should do a girls night out,” Sienna suggested brightly.
“A girls night, hmm?”
“Count me in,” Alicia called out from across the table, seeming to finally perk up. “I’m always in for some wine and a spa day.”
“Oh, yes, wine!” Sienna agreed. “Everything’s better with wine.”
Now that just sounded like trouble. Darrius flicked a casual glance back at Grace and found her watching him. Instead of blushing or looking away though, she kept her eyes locked on his.
Everyone around them seemed to fade away, and her gaze slid to his mouth. Still watching her eyes, he saw the hunger there, and the vacillation.
“Wouldn’t it be fun? Some sushi and definitely some wine. Good call, Alicia. And maybe we can catch a movie, or do the pedicures thing…” Sienna trailed off.
Darrius broke his attention from Grace and glanced at Sienna—found her watching the both of them with open curiosity. Great. The last thing they needed was Sienna getting the wrong idea. Or maybe it was the right idea, and there lied the problem.
Savage Betrayal: Savage, Book 2 Page 10