Finding the Texas Wolf

by Karen Whiddon

  And for what reason? The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. If the intruder had been human, she would have been confident in her ability to fight him off. But since he was also a Shifter, it would be tougher. Not impossible, just unlikely.

  Crash. The front door shuddered. She swore. Damn fool was trying to break through her door.

  “Stop!” she yelled. “What the hell do you want?”

  “I need to talk to you,” he hollered back. “It’s urgent.”

  “I just got off the phone with my brother, Colton Kinslow. If there was anything I urgently needed to know, he would have told me.”

  “He doesn’t know,” the man replied. “Please. I’m begging you. Let me in. I promise I won’t hurt you.”

  Right. Because she was so gullible that she’d believe what a stranger who was actively trying to break into her apartment said.

  “Go. Away. I’m dialing 911.”

  He groaned. “Don’t. Please. I work with Rick Fallin’s unit. Your brother isn’t authorized to know about this. Rick is being set up.”

  Now he had her interest. “Set up how?”

  “Let me in and I’ll tell you.”

  Stalemate.

  “I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I don’t trust you. Go away. Or call Rick yourself and warn him.”

  “I tried. He’s undercover and not answering his phone.”

  Since that was correct, she again reevaluated. Then, finally deciding to take a chance, she opened the door. “I warn you,” she told him. “You try anything stupid and you’ll have an epic battle on your hands. I might be a smallish female in my human form, but my wolf is fierce.”

  Nodding, he stepped past her into her apartment.

  “May I?” he asked, gesturing toward her couch.

  “Sure.” Standing near the door, she eyed him when he lowered his large frame onto her sofa.

  “Sorry, it’s been a long day. They’d kill me if they knew I was here.”

  “They?” she asked.

  “My unit. Rick’s being betrayed by the very people he trusts to have his back. I refuse to do that to him, so I’m here trying to warn him.”

  “He’s not here. He only stopped by last night.”

  “I know.” He rubbed his chin. “They’re tracking him. This was the last place he visited before going back undercover.”

  “Which means—” she swallowed hard “—there’s a very real possibility they know you’re here right now.”

  He nodded.

  Great. Now it seemed entirely probable that the crazy in her living room might be hunted by other deadly and determined Pack Protectors. It hadn’t been too long ago when that organization had gone through a major purge, ousting the corrupt and cruel Protectors and reconfiguring with honest, decent agents.

  Or so they’d said. Now, with this man telling her Rick was being set up, she had to wonder.

  “They had Rick pick up a body that had been infected with the virus,” he continued. “A guy that had escaped from the group Rick’s pretending to be part of.”

  A chill snaked up her spine. “Go on.”

  “They’re going to ask Rick to be their guinea pig, to see if the virus works on Shifters. The thing is, they already know. Apparently, this thing doesn’t just kill humans. It’s deadly to our kind, too.”

  She swallowed hard. “That’s bad. If it is fatal to us, it’s probably lethal to Merfolk, as well.”

  “Probably,” he agreed. “But there’s no reason for Rick to sacrifice himself when they already know the answer.”

  “Who’s they?” she wanted to know.

  “People in the higher echelon of government. Not just our country, but internationally. They are Shifters and Vampires, and who knows what else. The one thing they’re not is human. They have...” Gesturing, he appeared briefly at a loss for words. “A master plan,” he finally continued. One that originally involved the extinction of humankind.”

  At that, Maddie narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t entirely sure she could take this guy at his word. “Are you saying that a Shifter created this virus?”

  “Yes. The one thing he didn’t expect was for it to be able to harm his own kind.”

  “But why?” This, as far as she was concerned, was the million-dollar question. “None of this make sense. Our people have gotten along with humans for eons. Why change?”

  “Power,” he answered. “Some say a Vampire is behind all this. It’s sort of logical, since Vampires will be all that are left once the virus decimates humankind, Shifters and Merfolk.”

  While she still wasn’t entirely convinced she believed him, clearly he believed he spoke the truth. “Who all knows about this?” she asked.

  “My unit—Rick’s unit. One of our guys accidentally intercepted a communication stream between two men who are on the high council. Now that we have access, we’ve continued to monitor the chatter.”

  She nodded. “And you’re confident this information is accurate?”

  “Yes. One hundred percent.” A muscle worked in his jaw. “We’ve got to warn Rick. It’s imperative that he play along without endangering himself. We don’t want to alert the ones behind this before we can take them down.”

  “Take them down?” she repeated, wondering why it felt like she’d walked onto the set of a television drama.

  “Yes.” Mouth tight, he shook his head. “The less you know the better. Suffice it to say, this is bigger than just finding an antidote. It’s about power. Whoever can control that virus can control the world.”

  And whoever came up with the antidote would have the most power of all.

  Finally, she nodded. “I’ll continue trying to reach Rick or Carmen.” Still uneasy, she walked to the door and held it open. “And you go back to doing what you were before you came here.”

  The hint to leave couldn’t have been any clearer. To her relief, he nodded and took it. As he stepped outside, he turned and faced her. “May I have your phone number? That way we can stay in touch.”

  “I’m surprised you don’t already have it,” she said, only half kidding.

  “I do.” He smiled. “I’ll text you so you have mine.”

  And he left.

  * * *

  Judging from what he could hear of Colton’s side of the phone call, Maddie’s brother wasn’t pleased with what he was hearing from her. And while Jake wasn’t sure what Rick would want Colton to know, it wasn’t his place to reveal anything. One of the hard rules of successful journalism was to keep one’s head down and avoid revealing anything too soon, especially information about the source. Which, in this case, would be Rick himself. If, as Colton claimed, the two men knew each other, then Colton could simply speak to Rick directly. That way, Rick could fill him in at his own discretion.

  When Colton concluded his call and walked back into the room, Jake worked hard to keep his face expressionless.

  “That was interesting,” Colton said, grimacing. “Now I’ve got a whole other set of questions for you.”

  “I couldn’t help but overhear. Are you seriously about to ask me my intentions toward your sister?”

  To Jake’s surprise, the other man grinned. “Maybe,” he allowed. “Are you two dating?”

  To his dismay, Jake felt his face heat. “That’s none of your business.”

  Colton laughed. “I’m going to need to make another phone call,” he said, thumbing through the contact list in Jake’s phone. “What, no number for Rick Fallin?”

  “I don’t think he’s in a place right now where he can receive calls,” Jake responded, even though he had no idea where Rick might be. “I suggest you call the Special Agent in Charge at whatever FBI office he works out of.”

  “FBI?” The notion appeared to surprise Colton. “Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll call them.” He started to put down Jake’s phone and then reconsidered. “Here,” he said, walking it over and placing it on the ground next to Jake. “And you can take the rest of that duct tape off. I saw you’d managed to cut
through it. Pretty enterprising. Kudos on that.”

  Jake nodded. “Thanks.” Feeling slightly foolish now, he brought his arms around to his front, rubbing his aching wrists. As he began peeling off the remaining duct tape, Colton left the room to go make his call.

  Once he had all the tape off—both hands and feet—Jake stood and began walking around, trying to get the blood flowing back in his arms and legs. He had to admit to feeling relieved knowing he wasn’t in any real danger. Though he still didn’t understand why Maddie’s brother would have deliberately caused a car crash in order to grab him. Especially since he worked for the FBI. Surely they didn’t allow such unorthodox methods.

  He eyed his phone. Maybe Maddie could shed some light. Plus, he really needed to hear her voice.

  She picked up on the third ring. “Oh, thank goodness. Colton, what on earth is going on?”

  “Not Colton,” Jake said. “He’s in another room trying to reach Rick. You sound panicked. Are you all right?”

  She exhaled. “I’m okay. I think. I just had another operative come to my apartment looking for Rick. He said he’s trying to warn Rick that he’s being set up.”

  Though his journalistic instincts were now screaming, Jake kept his voice level. “Popular guy. You know, no one ever told me exactly what covert operation your brother actually works for. I find it kind of odd that they’d concern themselves with a reporter like me. I’m not even famous.”

  She hesitated, just long enough for him to wonder if she’d tell him the truth.

  “That’s classified,” she finally said. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you more than that.”

  “Kind of like what Rick does for the FBI?”

  She hesitated a tad too long. “Um, yes. As for how you came to be on their radar, Colton received some intel on you and apparently the meeting with Rick and Carmen—and me—was the last straw.”

  “The last straw?” he repeated, incredulous. “Let’s see. Colton broadsided me with a box truck and then tied me up and transported me in the back because he found it annoying that I met with you, Rick and Carmen? That’s crazy.”

  “You’re right, it is.” She sounded genuinely upset. “I’m sorry. Tell me where you are and I’ll swing by and pick you up.”

  “That’s just it. I couldn’t see where we went, so I have no idea where we are. You’ll have to ask him.”

  The hiss of her sharp intake of breath showed her reaction to that. “Seriously?”

  “Yes. Like I said, he transported me here in the back of a box truck. There were no windows. No matter what his reasons, this was really extreme,” he continued. “I think my car might be totaled. I’m damn lucky I wasn’t hurt.” The anger he’d been keeping banked threatened to erupt. Directed at the wrong person. He swallowed hard, hoping he could maintain his equilibrium.

  “I’m glad you weren’t.” The warmth of her tone took the edge off. “And if you don’t have insurance on the car, I’ll make sure Colton pays to have it repaired.”

  She’d make sure? “Are you saying you can tell your brother what to do?”

  “No, not at all. I’m telling you I’ll go to bat for you with my brother. What he did was wrong and he needs to make reparations.”

  For the first time ever, he finally understood the term mental anguish and suffering. This was more than the damage that had been done to his vehicle. He’d been run into—on purpose—and tied up and kidnapped. By her brother. For no good reason at all.

  “That’s it? The extent of your outrage?” Though he tried, he wasn’t able to keep the bitterness from his voice.

  “Jake, I’m as appalled as you are. And shocked. But whatever else I might be, I’m not my brother’s keeper,” she explained. “Like I said, he works for the same outfit Rick does. These guys are used to operating under the radar. Sometimes they go to extraordinary lengths to get what they want.”

  Something in her voice...

  “What are you not telling me?” he demanded. “I can always sniff out when people are trying to hide the truth.”

  She laughed. “Don’t go all reporter on me. It’s me. I’m as upfront with you as I can be. But there are some things I can’t say. Just like we can’t pass on what Rick and Carmen told us. If they want Colton to know, I’m sure they’ll fill him in.”

  “I didn’t say anything,” he said, relieved. “And I believe your brother is calling Rick now.”

  “Good. Then it’s out of your hands. Look around and see if you can find any clues as to your location.”

  “Doubtful.” He pinched his nose. “Considering that I’m in a windowless room in some kind of bunker.”

  “Are you talking to my sister?” Colton had come back into the room. He leaned against the door frame, arms folded.

  “Yes,” Jake said. “Can you tell me where I am so she can come get me?”

  One brow raised, Colton nodded. “Let me tell her myself. I need to ask her something anyway.”

  “Hold on,” Jake told Maddie, and then handed over the phone.

  “What’s going on?” Colton asked his sister, his tone urgent. “As soon as I started trying to reach Rick Fallin, I was ordered to back off. Wait—don’t answer me. Not on an unsecured line. We need to talk in person.”

  He listened for a moment. When Colton spoke again, a thread of urgency undercut his tone. “Rather than an address, I’m going to give you a clue. Remember when Dad used to take us camping when we were kids? Same place. And make sure you’re not followed.”

  Evidently Maddie understood the reference. Colton punched the off button and handed the phone back to Jake. “She’ll be here in a few hours,” he said. “Might as well make yourself comfortable. There’s a bathroom through there.” He pointed. “And a kitchen with a fridge stocked with soft drinks. Or beer, if you’d prefer. I’ve even got a TV.” He shrugged. “You don’t have to stay out here in the garage.”

  “The garage?” Stunned, Jake looked around. “This is a garage?” There were no tools, no machinery, nothing to indicate the usage of this room. “I thought it was a bunker.”

  “Nope. You were wrong.” Colton grinned. “This is my father’s hunting cabin. He used to bring Maddie and me up here when we were kids. That’s how she knows where to go.”

  “How far are we from Galveston?”

  “A couple of hours. Come on.” Motioning Jake to follow, Colton turned and went inside the house.

  Curious, Jake followed him. The cozy, rustic retreat was so far opposite of what he’d been expecting that he couldn’t help but laugh.

  “What?” Colton asked, turning to eye Jake over his shoulder.

  “Nice place,” Jake said, shaking his head. “Though it’s not the sort of place I would have expected an FBI agent to bring a captive.”

  “Oh, that.” Colton tugged at his collar, grimacing. “I was actually acting on my own behalf, not the Bureau.”

  “Figures.” Wandering around the room, Jake realized he could picture a younger Maddie here. Outside, he could see a lot of tall pine trees, as well as live oak and silver leaf maple. A bucolic scene, under ordinary circumstances. However, this situation was far from ordinary.

  He didn’t see a single other person. Or house. Nothing but forest and sky. Looking out the big picture window, Jake realized they were miles from civilization. East Texas, most likely. Still, none of this made sense.

  Jake turned to face the other man. “Mind telling me why?” he asked quietly. “None of this fits. Why’d you go through such extremes to capture me? Wouldn’t it have been a hell of a lot easier if you simply asked to have a word with me?”

  “Easier, true. But not nearly as much fun.” Colton chuckled. “I’m kidding. I did what I did for a reason. Other people are watching you, getting ready to pounce. I wanted to make them believe you’d been abducted so they’d back off.”

  “Other people are watching me?” Jake asked. “Again, why?”

  “Because you represent a threat.” Colton’s ambiguous response didn’t he
lp at all. Obviously, he knew that. He clasped Jake’s shoulder and squeezed. “Let’s wait until Maddie gets here. Once I speak privately with her, it’s entirely possible we can clear this entire thing up.”

  Head aching, Jake nodded.

  Maddie. The one person he’d believed he could trust. Clearly, he’d been wrong.

  Chapter 16

  Rick caught up with Carmen and grabbed her arm. Her skin felt soft and smooth under his calloused fingers. Though she flashed a quick smile at him, she shot a clearly disgruntled look at Scott’s back. The other man sure moved fast, especially considering he hadn’t appeared all that eager to get started. His jerky movements reminded Rick of the crabs he sometimes picked up on the beach, trying to run away. This made Rick wonder if Scott might be on drugs.

  Naturally, he couldn’t ask. He couldn’t even give the other man a rudimentary sobriety test. Since Gus and Landers brought up the rear and were only ten feet behind them, Rick didn’t speak.

  He might not know all of what was going on, but his sixth sense was working overtime. In an already weird situation, something else was definitely off. He hoped they’d find out what before all hell broke loose.

  Once inside the barn, little had changed. Dust still coated everything, though their footsteps from before remained. When he spotted the wolf paw prints, she wondered how they’d escaped notice, but no doubt everyone assumed some wild animal had entered and then left when no food had been found.

  As soon as they reached the back corner, Scott stopped, swaying slightly on his feet. He eyed Carmen with bleary red eyes. “I’ve brought the vial here and it’s in the cooler. We must use extreme care when handling it.”

  “Vial?” She stared at him. “Of what?”

  “The virus.” He stared back. “What else would I have a vial of?”

  “Point taken, but I thought we’d work on the infected subject first, not a vial. With an actual body, we can skip several steps right away. It’s important to see how this virus mutates in a live body.”