Nature of the B*E*A*S*T*

by Rebecca Goings

  Wade's arms tightened around her. “Jesus, Keira,” he breathed.

  "Please don't let me go. Don't let him do it to me again. I can't lose you. Not now."

  Wade pulled back just enough to hook his finger under her chin, forcing her eyes to his. “You won't ever lose me, lady, I promise you that. I'll kill him before he lays one finger on you."

  Keira's hand found the back of his head. She urged him down to her lips and kissed him softly. Their kiss was gentle, demanding nothing. She tried to tell him, through that one kiss, how much she loved him. God, she loved him! She wanted so badly to tell him, but she didn't want to do it in front of an audience.

  Within moments, his tongue wet her lips and she opened for him. He plunged inside her mouth with sweet ardor, stroking ever-so-slowly, stirring her need for him deep within her heart.

  Was he trying to tell her of his feelings for her as well? Keira hoped to God that was the case. She didn't know what she'd do if Wade didn't love her in return. In a short time, he'd become a part of her, like the air she breathed, and she doubted she'd be able to live without him.

  At that moment, a whistle cracked the silence as Rogan leaned over the front seat to watch their loving display. “Oh, don't stop on my account,” he taunted, his mouth raised in a lopsided grin.

  Keira grinned and Wade blushed. “Go to hell, Rogan."

  "Been there, done that,” the wolf said.

  "You can say that again,” Noah said, rolling his eyes.

  Rogan patted Wade's knee that was propped against the back of his seat. “No need to be embarrassed, cougar. I'm just damn happy to see you happy."

  Noah did nothing more than nod with a slight smile on his face.

  "You are happy, right?” Rogan said warily, arching a brow.

  Wade glanced down into Keira's eyes and her stomach flopped inside of her. He was so beautiful. She couldn't resist feeling the softness of his hair as it slid through her fingers.

  "More than you know,” he whispered.

  Her heart soared.

  Twenty Three

  "There they are.” Lanie pointed to a large Buick turning into the parking lot.

  "It's about damn time,” Marlie said, crossing her arms on her chest. Her husband was going to get an earful for being so careless. Both women had spent the night worrying, only to find out they really did have a reason to worry. Despite the fact Rogan, Noah, and Wade had been rescued by Covington's daughter, they could have gotten themselves reprogrammed, and then what kind of hellish life would they lead? Her husband would have no longer remembered her. Marlie chewed the inside of her lip at the thought.

  "You okay?” Lanie asked, opening the driver's side door and stepping out. Marlie followed suit, slamming the passenger door of Lanie's Lexus with more force than she'd intended.

  "Yeah, I'll be fine. As soon as I put that man in his place."

  Lanie chuckled. “You and me both."

  Once the Buick came to a stop next to them, Marlie's mouth dropped open when she saw who was driving. The moment Rogan stepped out of the car, she ran to him.

  "You didn't tell me you had Carver with you! Why didn't you tell me? Good God, Rogan—” She didn't get any farther. Rogan grabbed her by her waist and kissed her soundly. She made a few mewls of protest before surrendering to him. She never was good at staying mad at the man. Of course, he had the most infuriating way of making her forget why she was mad...

  "If I'd told you,” he said against her lips, “you would have worried for no good reason. Lucian is helping us."

  Lanie scoffed. “Like he helped us in Oregon?"

  "Hey,” Noah said with a shrug. “For now, we'll take all the help we can get. He helped Keira by keeping Brett and Covington at bay with his safe word. He's the reason we have Wade with us at all. He may be an asshole, but we owe our lives to Dr. Carver at the moment."

  "And a hundred million dollars,” Lucian reminded him.

  Marlie gasped. “What?"

  "I'll explain later,” Rogan said. “For now, we need to get moving."

  "Mac called me about an hour ago."

  "Oh?” Rogan asked.

  Marlie nodded. “Yeah. Said you weren't answering your phone."

  "Well, I was in a prison cell underneath a mansion on the edge of town. Probably didn't get good coverage where I was."

  Marlie smacked his shoulder. “Don't you dare joke about that! I was scared out of my mind."

  "I'm sorry,” he said with a sigh.

  Taking a deep breath, Marlie said, “Mac told me they should be here within a few hours. They were flying through New Mexico."

  "Are you shitting me?” Noah asked. “They must be hauling some serious ass!"

  "Yeah, they have four drivers, and all of them seem to have a lead foot."

  Everyone chuckled, including Wade, and for the first time, Marlie got a glimpse of the woman he'd fallen for. Keira Covington. Who would have ever thought? Making her way toward her, Marlie smiled and held out her hand.

  "Hello. I've heard a lot about you. My name is Marlie Wolfe."

  "Keira,” she said, taking Marlie's hand. “I'm sure you all know my last name by now."

  "Don't worry, dear. We won't fault you for the sins of your father,” Lanie said, holding out her own hand as well.

  "Thank God for that. My father has a laundry list of sins."

  "You taking care of Wade here?” Marlie winked at Wade when he rolled his eyes at her.

  "Trying to. Broke him out of my father's makeshift dungeon.” Keira's gaze flew to Wade, who squeezed her close to him. Marlie smiled at the scene. After knowing how badly Wade wanted to find love, it was indeed heartening to see him finally content. Marlie just hoped he hadn't fallen for a woman who would betray him.

  But the more she watched Keira, she knew the woman had deep feelings for him, perhaps even loved him with the way she gazed into his eyes. And Wade's own feelings were obvious as he pulled Keira close, kissing the top of her head before enfolding her in his arms.

  "So,” Rogan said, bringing Marlie's thoughts back to the problem at hand. “What are we going to do with Lucian?"

  The doctor's eyes widened. “You're going to take me to the bank, that's what you're going to do."

  "You don't honestly believe we're going to pay you a hundred million dollars of Wade's newfound inheritance, do you?” Noah slapped Lucian on the back a moment before he clamped a hand across the doctor's mouth. “Can't have you saying things you shouldn't, now, can we?"

  "What are you doing?” Keira asked, a note of alarm in her voice.

  "We're thanking the good doctor for helping us out in a tight spot. Now we're even for what he did to us in Oregon.” Rogan popped the Lexus's trunk and pulled out a few plastic zip-ties along with a roll of duct tape. Lucian struggled against Noah, but he was no match for the strength of a shifter. Marlie watched as her husband bound the doctor's hands behind his back.

  "My daddy always told me to be prepared for anything,” Rogan said with a grin. “I think."

  "Wade?” Noah called out.

  "Yeah?"

  "Be a dear and pop Lucian's trunk, will ya?"

  Wade opened the driver's door of the Buick, then reached under the dash and pulled the lever that opened the trunk. Inside was a tire-iron, a spare tire, and a blanket. He pulled out the tire iron and the spare, but laid the blanket out on the scratchy carpet.

  "What? We want to make sure he's comfortable,” Wade said at Rogan's dubious look.

  Lucian struggled hard, but it was worthless, as all three shifters lifted him into the trunk, slamming the lid shut.

  "Thank God the parking lot's empty,” Lanie said, glancing around. “The last thing we need is the cops wondering what the hell we're doing."

  Lucian's muffled screams filled the air.

  "Now what are we going to do with him?” Marlie asked, throwing up her hands.

  "Haven't quite figured that one out,” her husband said, grinning at her. She turned away in frustration. />
  Without warning, his arms slipped around her from behind. “Trust me,” he breathed in her ear, making every hair on her body stand on end. “We won't kill him."

  Marlie swallowed hard, but shivered regardless. “I know."

  * * * *

  Brett shook his head and blinked a few times before glancing around the office. Covington stood stock still behind his desk, his eyes glazed over and staring off into space. Dr. Carver and Keira were nowhere to be seen, and the old man no longer held his gun. What the hell happened?

  Brett felt as if he'd just woken from a dream. He shook his head again and took a step forward. Covington didn't move. Raising a brow, Brett took another step and waved his hand in front of the man's face. Nothing.

  Rubbing his eyes, Brett weighed his options. It was obvious Carver and Keira had done something to both him and Covington. But just what, he couldn't say. The last thing he could remember was arguing with Keira's father, calling him a liar for even suggesting Brett had an affair with his daughter.

  God, what if it were true? Exactly how many times had Covington mind-wiped him? Brett growled. He should kill the bastard and be done with it. But killing him now was out of the question, not when Brett couldn't shift. Brett would lose whatever chance he had at making a new life for himself if the cops ever managed to put two and two together. He wasn't willing to take that chance. No, he'd have to kill Covington as the cheetah so he could get away with it. Besides, Covington's death at the hands of one of his own shifters held a certain poetic justice.

  Turning on his heel, Brett strode out the door before the old man came to his senses. He didn't look back. Right now, Brett had another agenda. He had no doubt in his mind Lucian and Keira had freed the others. A quick glance at the front drive confirmed Lucian's Buick was nowhere to be seen. No matter.

  Covington had had the foresight to make Brett put a locator beacon on the good doctor's car soon after he'd returned to Texas from Oregon. Spending time with the shifters as their prisoner made Carver somewhat suspect, and Covington wasn't about to blindly trust him again.

  Smart move. It seemed everyone was betraying the old man nowadays.

  Jogging to the large garage around the back of the mansion, Brett intended to borrow one of Covington's many vehicles. After everything that bastard made him go through, Brett felt absolutely no remorse for the theft. He chose a cherry-red corvette, a beautiful machine. Guts as well as glory.

  After he'd pulled the beacon off the rear tire well, Brett took the keys that were hanging on the wall with the others. Covington's car collection was quite vast, including a restored, old-time Model A. The senator had even owned a jaguar once, which was now a twisted heap in a junkyard somewhere. He'd have to thank Wade for that one.

  Brett grinned as the corvette's engine roared to life.

  Like a flash of light, a scene slammed into his head—a woman, moaning in pleasure while his hands caressed her skin. Christ, was that Keira? Was he remembering something? Again and again, Brett replayed the scene in his mind, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't see the woman's face—but he could smell her sweet scent. There was only one way to find out if the woman in his fantasy had been Keira.

  Brett put the car in gear and peeled out of the garage.

  * * * *

  Covington awoke to an empty office. He stood in the same position he'd been in just a while ago, but now his gun was missing and everyone had gone.

  He made his way to the door, poking his head into the hallway, yet saw no one. Where had Lucian and Keira gone? Or Brett for that matter? Perhaps Lucian had taken them below for reprogramming.

  Clive decided to see for himself if that was indeed where they all were. But wandering the halls of his home was eerily quiet. Rounding a corner, he saw the reason for it. His five security guards had been bound and gagged.

  They lay writhing on the floor, crying out when they saw Covington. He paid them no heed, merely ran past them to the secret panel on the wall not too far away. Upon opening the door, Clive rushed down the corridor to a set of stairs leading down.

  Once he was at the bottom, he could clearly see the makeshift lab was empty, with Wade's cell door hanging wide open. No one was inside.

  "Son of a bitch!” Clive hit the wall with his closed fist. He yelped in pain but he was far from caring. If he ever came across that cougar again, he wouldn't be so damned courteous next time. Wade McAllister was going to pay—with his life.

  Walking to the far end of the corridor, Clive lifted the receiver of the secure phone on the wall and dialed furiously. First one ring, then two. Before the third ring, a man answered on the other end.

  "Peter,” Clive barked, running his fingers through his hair. “We've got a problem. Oregon's been infiltrated.” He paused. “Don't you think I know that? We need to do damage control yesterday. If those assholes find the facility in Florida..."

  After a few moments, he said, “I have no idea what information they've sunk their teeth into. For all I know, they could be well aware that half the U.S. Senate is in on the B*E*A*S*T* project! You need to get a hold of the others. Form a plan and let me know. I've got to do what I can to secure the Cameron fortune. Wade's on the loose.” Clive listened to the voice yelling on the other end. “No shit,” he snarled. “Just do as I say."

  Clive slammed the receiver down and turned on his heel. His footsteps echoed off the walls as he climbed the staircase two steps at a time. He knew damned well they were far beyond “damage control.” But if the shifters had gotten their hands on the list of B*E*A*S*T*'s benefactors, then they were all waist-deep in a shitload of trouble.

  Twenty Four

  "Lucian and I grabbed your bank account information from my father's safe before we rescued you.” Keira glanced at Wade who stared back at her in shock.

  "You had time to do that?” he asked incredulously.

  "My father's safe is in his library, which was on the way to the lab. Don't ask me how Lucian knew my father's combination, but all the info we need is in the glove box of the Buick.

  "Oh really?” Wade wandered over to Lucian's car and Keira trotted after him.

  "I thought, maybe, we could go to the bank and claim that money of yours."

  Wade opened the passenger door and pressed the button that opened the box under the dash. Inside was more than merely his account information. Lucian also had a few credit cards and photo ID for Brandon Cameron III. “Good Lord,” he whispered.

  "What you got there, cougar?” Rogan leaned over Wade's shoulder to see what he had in his hands. He whistled through his teeth. “Damn, dude. It would be a shame to let Covington have all that wealth."

  Wade nodded. “That it would. I don't intend to give it to him."

  He tucked the cards and the ID into his back pocket of his jeans while slipping the bank account information into the front pocket.

  "Hey, check this out,” he said, glancing once more into the glove compartment. “Looks like Lucian might have had plans for us after all.” Two vials of tranquilizer and two vials of serum had been hidden by the paperwork.

  "Huh,” Rogan said, holding out his hand for one of the vials. “Let's put them to good use, shall we?” Rogan popped the trunk and opened it to reveal Lucian, who was beet red and screaming behind the duct tape on his mouth. “Did you think we wouldn't find this?” Rogan asked a moment before he injected the tranquilizer into Lucian's neck. The doctor's eyes rolled back into his head as his body went slack.

  "At least we don't have to listen to him anymore,” Noah said, pursing his lips.

  Rogan slammed the trunk closed once more and sauntered over to Wade. “Listen,” he said, putting his arm around his shoulders. “Why don't you take your lady and go on into this bank of yours. Transfer all the funds into a new bank account, one Covington has no access to. Then give your buddies a few million for busting you out of jail."

  Wade laughed out loud, the sound of it melting Keira's heart. He was such a beautiful man when he smiled, and
her heart beat double-time when Rogan casually called her “his lady.” She liked the sound of it, perhaps a little too much.

  "But you didn't bust me out of jail,” Wade said, turning to Keira. “My lady did.” Sparks of electricity jumped between them and she couldn't breathe. His eyes raked over her frame and his expression changed. He wanted her, she was sure of it. Just that knowledge was enough to make her knees weak.

  "Touché,” Rogan muttered, slapping his friend on the back. “Do we still get millions for the effort?"

  Wade shrugged. “What the hell do I need all that money for? I already have everything I want.” Without another word, he grabbed Keira's arm and pulled her to him. Before she realized what he'd done, his mouth was on hers. His tongue demanded entrance, and once she gave it, he held the back of her head to make sure she couldn't escape him. Time seemed to stand still, and despite the catcalls of the others, Keira kissed him back just as eagerly.

  "Damn, lady,” he panted in her ear. “You have no idea how badly I want you right now, despite my aching ribs."

  "If it's half as bad as I want you, then I have an inkling of an idea."

  Wade chuckled at her and kissed her temple. “You're one of a kind, Keira, you know that?"

  She smiled at him and stroked his face. “All I know is that I want to find some secluded spot and get down and dirty with you.” Was it her imagination or did Wade actually blush?

  "Hey, Rogan, that's actually not a bad idea,” Noah said behind Keira after a few moments. “I think Wade should go to the bank and see about transferring funds. It's his money, after all."

  "You're damn right,” Wade said, still holding on to Keira. Gazing down at her, he said, “Want to come with me?"

  "Of course I do!” she exclaimed, as if he were mad for thinking otherwise. “You're never getting away from me again, Wade McAllister, or did I fail to mention that?"