Cloaked

by T. F. Walsh

  He shook his head and rubbed his clean-shaven chin.

  “I’ve heard of bear cubs being sold on the black market. A bear’s gall bladder can sell for over ten grand.” Or so I’d read in the local paper. “Maybe someone found out we had them and saw me hide the key under the bin.” My mind whirled with horrific possibilities. “When I left yesterday to go home, only you and I were in the building.”

  Vasile paced to the door and back, his arms tightly crossing his chest. “That’s my fear, too. Yesterday, I foolishly told a friend about the cubs, knowing the man couldn’t keep a secret if his life depended on it.” He halted a few paces in front of me. “I plan to speak to him before I tell the police anything more. I’d hate to get him in trouble if he simply opened his big mouth. And the police say they’ve had other wild animals vanish lately from the zoo and various veterinarians, so it might all be connected.”

  The longer I worked at the institute, the more I adored the idea of keeping this job for as long as possible. Sure, I missed my pack family in the woods, but after two months in Braşov, I struggled with the idea of going home and being mated. My independence would vanish, along with any individuality and prospects of seeing the world. And after my small taste of freedom in Braşov, I wasn’t ready to give it up so easily. But those were problems for another day. For now, I had to keep my job to pay for my apartment. My alpha knew someone through a friend of a friend who’d gotten me this job, so if I was fired, he’d find out and expect me home. He’d made it clear I had to support myself completely. Otherwise, I didn’t belong in the city.

  “Please don’t fire me.”

  Vasile huffed. “We all make mistakes, but this is a big one, Daciana. If we don’t find those cubs or who’s responsible … I’m sorry, but I’ll have to let you go. When my boss finds out, he’ll demand your resignation.”

  The notion made me queasy. Sandulf would order me to return to the pack and claim a mate. I didn’t want to return and simply pump out babies. This job offered me the opportunity for a new life.

  “I told the police I’d speak with my staff about the ring, so I’ll tell them it was you. You’ll be questioned.”

  I nodded and struggled to breathe. “Yes. No problem. I’ll do anything to help track down the cubs. I’m so sorry, Vasile.”

  “We’ll go down to the station now. I don’t want them thinking we are hiding anything.”

  “Aren’t the police still here?”

  He shook his head. “They just left.”

  “Okay. And I can ask them about the strange smell in the room, too. I think it’s connected to whoever took the bears.”

  Vasile sniffed the air, his head tilted back, nostrils flaring with each inhale. “The animal smell?”

  “No.” I pushed strands of hair off my face. “The tanned leather. It’s faint.”

  “Nope. Don’t smell leather, but remnants of that blasted cold are still blocking one of my nostrils. Not sure I could smell flowers if they were right under my nose.”

  “It’s a strange smell, that’s all. I’ll mention it to them anyway.”

  He reached into his pocket and retrieved a set of keys. “Let’s go then.”

  “Of course.” This was my fault, and with the bear cubs potentially in danger, I felt responsible.

  I’d find them myself and set my mistakes right.

  CHAPTER TWO

  CONNELL

  What a bloody mess. I thumbed through the reports and photos from the night’s shooting. The suspect had called the police after midnight and confessed to murdering his wife and girlfriend, then the guy shot himself in front of several officers. The murderer’s reason: he got busted cheating and feared his wife would leave him. Yep, the full moon was out in force last night.

  I sipped my morning caffeine—black, no cream or sugar. I didn’t do those long-ass-name coffees like ice quad caramel macchiato or double ristretto, half-soy, decaf crap. Nope, just the straight, smack-me-in-the-face morning coffee.

  A familiar voice echoed through the otherwise silent police station, reaching my corner office. No need to look up to know it belonged to Dickhead—Anton Funar, another inspector at the precinct who had his head shoved up his ass, permanently.

  When his fake laughter boomed, I glanced up to spot him behind the counter at the front of the station. He had his back to me, chatting with an older man I recognized as Vasile from the Animal Research Institute and a dark-haired woman I hadn’t seen before.

  Anton’s head was cocked to the side, his arm draped over the counter toward the female. He was flirting with a potential victim. Not only had I caught him fucking my wife in an interview room at the station a couple of months ago, but the moment I sent her the divorce papers, he moved on to a new woman. Prick.

  I shifted in my seat, and my gaze locked onto the female at the counter. Dark hair fell to her shoulders, and even at a distance, her beauty radiated. Color splashed her cheeks, and with her pale complexion, she had that Snow White thing going for her. I lowered the papers in my hands, wondering about her connection to Vasile. I’d already read Anton’s early morning report about the break-in and missing animals from the institute—in case this theft turned out to be related to the animal smuggling case I was working on—but it had made no mention of anyone but Vasile.

  The woman’s head lowered, but she took a glimpse in my direction while chewing on her lower lip before returning her attention to Dickhead. No wonder Anton was drooling, but then again, he’d chase a pig in a skirt. I sure as hell wasn’t going to allow him to destroy anyone else’s life, so I pushed away from the desk and stood, brushing the creases out of my shirt. I’d keep it professional, just as the chief of the precinct had reminded me to do.

  As I made my way across the new state-of-the-art station, complete with carpet laid just last week, the brunette’s gaze met mine; then her attention wandered to my chest and lower. Her deep gray eyes flicked back to mine while a slight grin pulled at the edges of her mouth. The way she scanned me said she wasn’t that defenseless.

  “I’ve got this covered,” Anton said in my direction, his voice fast and clipped.

  Leaning against the counter, several feet from him, I turned to Vasile and stuck out a hand, which he accepted. “I haven’t seen you in a long time. Is everything all right at the institute?” I’d helped him on a case when he received threatening letters several months ago. Turned out it was his loony brother who had insisted the fruit tree in Vasile’s backyard didn’t belong to him. I closed the case quickly after that.

  “Inspector Lonescu, you’ve probably heard about the break-in at the institute last night?”

  I nodded. “Please, call me Connell. Hasn’t our team already visited this morning?”

  “We have.” Anton turned to face me, his lips twisted. The purple bruise beneath his left eye, courtesy of my fist a couple of days ago at the pub, was magnificent. I couldn’t hold back the smirk. The prick deserved so much worse.

  My attention shifted to someone behind Anton. The criminal division chief slipped into the reception area and marched around the outside of the counter. A barrel of a man, his favorite pastime was confronting anyone who disagreed with his decisions.

  “Vasile,” he said and hugged him. “I heard the news.”

  Didn’t realize the pair knew each other that well.

  “Geez, it’s a full affair here,” Anton mumbled, but I caught his words, as had the brunette whose frown reflected my thoughts exactly.

  “I was just telling the inspectors that Daciana”—Vasile glanced at the brunette who’d been too silent—“is new at the institute, but she was the one who left her key beneath the bin last night. She’s already given her statement to Inspector Funar, but I fear someone must have seen her and used the key to enter the premises.”

  Daciana’s head tilted forward, her cheeks smoldering red. Was shyness part of her act, or was it guilt from leaving the key outside the institute? I would read her statement later and perhaps interview her mysel
f. If she wasn’t involved, the question became: who saw her doing it?

  Vasile beamed at her. “She has amazing animal knowledge and is our new animal behaviorist. And this morning, she picked up on a strange scent in the room where the cubs had been kept. We came down here to let you know.”

  The chief said nothing but studied Daciana in the way he’d study a corpse at a crime scene, searching for any clues that might help with the case.

  “Tell me anything else you remember about the smell, Daciana,” Anton said, his toothy smile all for the brunette. “I’m on this, Connell.” He cut me a side look. “You can go now.”

  I didn’t respond and focused on Daciana.

  Her attention shifted from Anton to me, and a slight arch in one of her eyebrows told me she was smart enough to catch the tension between us. I caught the chief watching us, too, shaking his head. Fuck.

  “Please continue.” I offered her a nod, ignoring Anton’s stiff posture and his throat clearing. After I had caught him and Michaela, my now ex, I struggled to leave the house for weeks or believe it had really happened. Hell wouldn’t come close to describing how working with this asshole, my supposed best mate, messed me up after what he’d done. And the irony was, no one else caught them. He’d switched off the cameras in the room, so he didn’t lose his job after having sex in the workplace.

  “Well,” she said, “I picked up a faint leathery smell in the room where the cubs were held overnight.” She ran a hand through her hair. Purple stained the tips of her fingers—someone had been playing with ink or perhaps berries. She dropped her hands below the counter. I adored the small gesture of her embarrassment, wondering how she’d gotten them so smudged. Yeah, she had a guilelessness about her, all right, and I trusted my instincts when it came to reading people.

  “It had a chemical smell to it, too,” she continued, “like those leather tanning stores.” She shrugged. “Anyway, I didn’t notice the scent yesterday, or ever at the institute, to be honest. Figured it might have something to do with whoever took the bear cubs.”

  Tanning leather? I’d never smelled it at any of the scenes from the animal smuggling case I’d been working. I turned to Anton, my muscles tightening at the idea of cooperating with him.

  “Did you pick up on the odor this morning?” My voice deepened unintentionally.

  He ignored me and spoke directly to Daciana, scratching his chin. “Don’t recall a leathery smell, but I’ll gladly come back with you and do another sweep of the room.”

  Daciana shook her head. “I’m not sure that’s the best solution.”

  Anton’s shoulders snapped back. “That’s—”

  “There’s a tannery store in Braşov worth checking out then,” I said.

  “Fantastic idea,” the chief added. “Might be related to your animal smuggling case, Connell. You take the lead. And Vasile, if you don’t mind, I’d suggest Daciana go with Connell to see if she picks up the same smell.”

  “Sounds perfect.” I couldn’t hold back my smile.

  “With all due respect, Chief, I’m confident in seeing this case through on my own.” Anton’s voice dripped with venom.

  “Nonsense,” the chief said and turned away. “You’ll work on it together. Connell will lead. Anything for my good friend Vasile.” The chief reverted to small talk with Vasile, giving his farewell before leaving the reception area and heading back into the station.

  Anton spun in my direction. Standing slightly shorter than me, his face contorted with pure hatred. And to think, I once considered him a close friend.

  Pull it together. Don’t cause a scene at work.

  I turned to Daciana, refusing to behave like a caveman in front of a lady. “Are you okay riding in my car to the tanning store? I’ll give you a lift back to the institute afterward, if you’d like.”

  She nodded. “Sure. I really want to find those cubs as soon as possible. It means a lot to me.”

  “Not a problem.”

  “Daciana and I will meet you in the parking lot,” Anton said to me, distaste coloring his voice. “It’s my crime scene, and you’re not taking this case.”

  I faced him, hating the way he arched his eyebrow as if mocking me … No, challenging me. “Not required. I have your report.”

  Anton ignored me, rounded the counter, and closed the distance to Daciana. “This way.”

  “Connell.” The chief’s loud tone sliced through my thoughts. “My office.”

  Crossing the station floor around several new desks still wrapped in plastic, I entered his office. He reclined in his desk chair, hands gripping the armrests. “This is my final reminder to keep the personal shit between you and Anton out of the station.” The chief inhaled loudly, his brow creasing. “I don’t care what happened between you two. This is work, not school. Rein it in, or you’re both out on suspension.”

  A protest scratched the back of my throat, but nothing I said would make a difference.

  “I’ll speak to Anton when he returns.” The chief focused his attention on several open folders sprawled out on his desk. “You can go now.”

  “Won’t happen again.” I marched out, ready to rip Anton’s head off. It wasn’t bad enough he’d broken up my marriage—now he threatened my job.

  CHAPTER THREE

  DACIANA

  Anton leaned against the back door of a black Audi in the parking lot behind the station, staring at me lecherously, as if being a policeman gave him a license to leer. Sure, he was tolerable, if you considered being a cocky ass an attractive attribute. I didn’t.

  “So,” he said, his voice coated in honey, “do you often walk to work? I’ve recently taken up jogging.”

  “Yeah, sometimes.” My belly churned as I remembered my horrible mistake. Why hadn’t I found a better hiding place for the key? I could’ve looped it on a chain around my neck—maybe. Whatever. Now, because of me, the cubs were in danger.

  Footfalls sounded behind me, and I turned to find Inspector Lonescu striding closer. The morning sun caught in his blond hair as it swept across his shoulders in the breeze, and a slight shadow of scruff darkened his square jaw. His eyes seemed miles away, lost, haunted by something. It made me wonder what kind of secrets an inspector kept that weighed so heavily on him. I could relate, since I could never tell a soul about being a moonwulf.

  He slid on a fitted black jacket, which matched his tailored pants. His trousers hugged all the right parts. I looked up as he glanced my way with a smirk. He’d caught me staring. Damn.

  From the moment I’d spotted him across the station, my insides had been fluttering into a kind of hysteria I’d never felt for anyone. Not even Enre, my last boyfriend from the pack, had this effect on me. Enre was crazy-handsome with his dark hair and bad-boy style, but my body had never reacted this way before. Not once in the time we’d been together. I couldn’t explain it, but being near Connell this way made something inside my chest ache—but a good kind of ache.

  Connell unlocked the car with a click, and Anton opened the back door for me. “After you.”

  Lowering my head, I climbed in, and Anton shut the door. Wow … The car was massive inside.

  The two men outside were in a whispered discussion. Curiosity itched at me. I listened.

  “I’m warning you, Anton. Don’t push me.”

  “This was my case from early this morning.”

  “Bullshit. If this is related to my animal kidnapping case, then it falls under my jurisdiction.”

  Anton huffed and rounded the back of the car. So obviously, these two weren’t best buddies. But if they both intended to help track down the cubs, who was I to complain?

  Anton climbed into the back seat beside me, and the car rocked slightly as he thumped the door shut. His woody cologne was cloying in my throat. I offered him a puzzled look, but he seemed to ignore me. Fiddling with the window, I rolled it down a crack for fresh air.

  Connell got in and glanced over his shoulder at him. “Why are you sitting in the back?”
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  “Daciana,” Anton began, “tell me again anything else you sensed in the room this morning.”

  Connell reversed and drove out of the parking lot, glaring at Anton in the rearview mirror. I shifted in my seat, unable to find a comfortable position, and spilled the story for the fifth time.

  Vehicles crammed the two-lane road, slowing our pace. Traffic hummed around us. It was peak rush hour, most people heading to work at this time of the morning. White townhouses with slate-colored roofs were on both sides of the road. Trees lined the sidewalk. My stomach grumbled as we passed Tortured Torts Patisserie. Sure could do with a flaky pastry tart or two right about now. They reminded me of my mother’s baking when I was a kid.

  My alpha, Sandulf, had raised me as his own since I was eight. He’d persuaded me that living with my human mother would put her in danger and promised me a better life with others like me. Especially since our kind was born this way. So, I ran away to join his pack. No one knew who my real father was, and I suspected he was from a neighboring pack. Sometimes I wondered how different my life would have been if I’d remained with my real mother, living amongst humans.

  “How did you get the purple fingers?” Connell asked, a faint British accent tracing his voice. Heck, if it wasn’t sexy.

  I stared down at the stains etched deep around my nails. Thank the moon I wore closed shoes. How would I explain the toes? “I was feeding the bear cubs blackberries and didn’t realize how juicy they were.” I cringed at how silly my excuse sounded.

  “Might have something back at my place to remove the stain without scrubbing,” Anton said. “We can get it on the way back if—”

  “Soak your fingers in lemon juice. Then clean them with salt and water,” Connell announced as he swerved the car into another lane. I held on to the door.

  “Having trouble driving?” Anton’s voice overflowed with derision.

  In a strange way, Connell’s dislike of Anton was rubbing off on me. Though the guy did a cracker of a job at being a douche bag on his own.