Lycan Packs 1: Lycan Instinct

by Brandi Broughton

  She swallowed and met her sergeant’s gaze with a firm look of her own. “Why don’t you ask him?”

  “I believe we will. He’s waiting in Interrogation Room B.”

  Dressed in an expensive suit by Baroni or Caraceni or one of those designers with an Italian name ending in an I, Rafe was the picture of distinguished sophistication. And control. He looked damn good, despite sitting alone in the stark brightness of the fluorescent bulbs.

  Tapping his stylus against the Formica tabletop, he studied his PDA, while she watched him through the two-way mirror. On first impression, he appeared calm. Relaxed, even as his large frame filled the uncomfortable wooden chair. But on closer inspection, she noticed the faint lines that marred his expression. His lips pressed together a bit too tightly.

  What reason, if any, had they given him for bringing him here? And where in the hell were his attorneys?

  She waited for her partner to set up a TV and VCR on a cart that could be rolled in at the appropriate time.

  Fuller had ordered Cooper to conduct the interview with a silent Mackenzie present in the room. He hadn’t said so, but she knew the sergeant would watch her every move from the observation room. Any sign of weakness or favoritism would be noted. Fuller also wanted her seen, not hidden behind glass, so he could gage Stone’s reactions.

  How would he react to her silence? Or to Cooper’s barrage of questions?

  She hadn’t seen him since their fight. Would he take this chance to retaliate? What would he say when confronted with the truth? What could he say? The evidence was there.

  “It’s time,” Cooper said before opening the door.

  Rafe looked up when they walked in, his gaze locking on her.

  She glanced at the mirror and then took up her position in the corner as ordered. His jaw ticked as the silence between them stretched.

  “Mr. Stone,” Cooper said, taking a seat across from him. “Would you like something to drink before we begin?”

  “Detective.” He gave a brief nod before pocketing his PDA. “No, thank you.”

  His voice struck her senses like a warm wave.

  “We’ll be recording these proceedings.” Cooper pointed to the video camera mounted on the wall above where she stood. Rafe followed the motion until he reached her face, and for a second she saw sadness or regret in the golden brown gaze.

  Her partner pulled out some files and began the interrogation by reciting Rafe’s Miranda rights.

  “I’m well aware of my rights,” Rafe said when Cooper finished, then flashed a small smile. “Your partner’s told them to me on numerous occasions. Shall we begin?”

  She wanted to shout at him for not demanding an attorney right then. She wanted to scream a warning about the tape. She wanted to hug him so tightly that nothing else in the room or world could get in the way. Instead, she stood motionless and silent while the interrogation got underway.

  Rafe answered Cooper’s questions about his connections to the deceased senator, his whereabouts on the night of the murder, and what legislative matters were now available and profitable for Stone Corp. because of Robertson’s death. Rafe’s demeanor never wavered as the probe turned to his former employee and second murder victim, Carl Shumaker.

  When Cooper asked about Shumaker’s bookie, Mackenzie bit her tongue to keep any reaction at bay.

  “I know of him, yes. Emily mentioned him at the funeral as the man who’d initiated Carl’s destructive gambling habit.”

  Mackenzie closed her eyes. She couldn’t fault him; he’d told the truth. However, she hadn't mentioned that in any of her reports. He may have implicated himself by admitting to a connection with the third victim, but he’d put another nail in her coffin, too.

  After his initial eye contact with her, Rafe never again glanced her way. That told her everything she needed to know.

  Hadn’t she wanted the truth from him? Demanded it? She’d rejected him for lying to her. Now when the time came, he’d tell the truth...and hang her.

  Hadn’t she done the same thing she’d accused him of doing...lying by omission? He’d done it out of concern for her safety. She’d done it to selfishly protect her own reputation.

  “What happened after you left the restaurant on the night Harden was killed?” Cooper asked, but before Rafe could answer, Mackenzie drew the men’s attention by moving to the door.

  She might as well end this fiasco. If he wanted his revenge, she’d make it easy for him without letting him take the fall for a murder she knew he didn’t commit.

  She pulled the television into the room, ignoring Cooper’s disapproving frown. Quickly plugging in the system, she then played a few seconds of the video, and then froze it when the building came into view.

  Standing at attention, facing away from Rafe and toward the mirror, she asked, “Do you recognize that building, Mr. Stone?”

  A suspended silence met her question while he apparently studied the screen.

  “I do.”

  She pressed the Play button. “This was taken the morning following the night you and I shared a dinner at your restaurant.”

  His answer to her next question would put an end to her career. Surprisingly, she felt calm. She kept her expression blank, staring at her reflection, knowing her sergeant watched every move. Heard every word.

  “Can you explain your presence in that building?”

  Rafe’s response came quicker than she expected. “I certainly can. That was the first time I’d been inside the property. I purchased it later that day.”

  She spun to face him. “You what?”

  “I inspected the interior of the building that morning. The price was right. A good investment, actually.”

  “You bought my apartment building?”

  He quirked a brow, a slight curve tugging at his lips. “Your apartment building? I beg to disagree. I own it. You don’t have a problem with having me as your landlord, do you, Detective?”

  Cooper asked, “You knew she lived there?”

  “Of course.” He answered Cooper, but kept his gaze fixed on her. “I checked the rental history of all units in the building, its rate of occupancy, maintenance records. I’m an experienced businessman. I don’t invest in property I haven’t thoroughly researched.”

  He was protecting her. He’d bought an entire apartment building so he’d have a reason to be seen there. And he hadn’t said a word.

  The video didn’t show them together because she’d left earlier with Cooper. All he’d seen at her place was the wolf. She could let it go. They’d have their suspicions, but what could they prove? The tape was no longer enough.

  “Back to my original question,” Cooper said. “What did you do between the time you left the restaurant and when you were taped leaving the apartment building?”

  Rafe returned his attention to her partner. “You mean do I have an alibi for the night Harden was killed?”

  “If you’d like to call it that, yes. Do you?”

  He didn’t acknowledge her presence as he sat not five feet away and lied. “No.”

  “You have no one to corroborate your whereabouts between the hours of 11 PM and 8 AM?”

  “No.”

  “Yes, he does.” The moment the words were out of her mouth, they had the impact of a nuclear explosion.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Her revelation sucked the air out of the room. Cooper stood so fast his chair crashed to the floor.

  His eyes were glaciers, as cold as his voice. “What did you say?”

  “I’m saying that Stone was with me when I received the tip. After I left the restaurant in a cab, he followed me. I was so focused on the warehouse and getting there early, I didn’t keep an eye on my own rearview mirror.” She raised her chin, her only move, despite the urgent need to wipe off her moist palms. “The first shot grazed my forehead, dazed me. The next shot would’ve killed me had he not pushed me out of the line of fire.”

  She looked at the two-way mirror. “I’m saying t
hat he couldn’t have shot at me because he was too busy risking his own life to save mine. I’m telling you...on the record...that he couldn’t have killed Harden because he was with me—”

  “Detective...” Rafe began. A slight shake of her head stopped him.

  “He was with me all night.”

  “Goddammit, Mac,” Cooper shouted. “You’re throwing your entire career away on a murder suspect.”

  “He’s not a murder suspect.” She stopped, forced her voice back to a normal level. “Rafe quit being a suspect the moment he nearly took a bullet for me.” The moment he did take a bullet for her, but she couldn’t reveal that. He had no marks to prove it.

  “The moment he got you into bed, you mean?”

  “Careful, Detective Cooper,” Rafe warned as he got to his feet, a predatory move made more powerful by its slowness.

  Before Cooper could deliver a coherent reply, the door swung open, and a fierce Sergeant Isaac Fuller walked in.

  “Sit down,” he ordered. “All of you.”

  Cooper clamped his mouth closed so tightly Mackenzie expected to hear his jaw crack.

  “That’s an order, Detective,” Fuller told him. Her partner righted his chair with an abrupt jerk and sat, his muscles wound to the verge of snapping.

  She let out a pent-up breath and slipped around the table to join the civilian. She halted only a second when Rafe pulled out a chair for her. Not brave enough to touch his arm, she ignored Cooper’s sneer and took her seat, her fingers clenching together in a white-knuckled fist.

  Fuller’s gaze settled on the one occupant who remained standing. His face hardened in challenge.

  Rafe returned to his seat as ordered, but in a casual manner that reflected the decision to do so was his alone. How he could look so unaffected by the events was an ability she’d never understand, but certainly envied.

  Her nerves were shot. She’d just thrown her reputation—her entire future—out the window. Her lungs required a concentrated effort to draw each new breath, and her stomach was as hollow as a rotten log.

  Fuller approached the table like a Marine Corps drill sergeant.

  “In exactly one hour, I have a press conference on the status of what is unquestionably the most important homicide investigation in the State of Illinois this year.” His black gaze speared her. “And the lead detective on the case announces ‘for the record’ that she’s slept with the man considered the prime suspect by everyone else on the task force.”

  “As lead investigator, I’d concluded, based on the evidence, that Stone was no longer a viable suspect.” She’d opened the floodgates; she might as well go down with the ship. “What I did was on my own time, and—”

  Fuller erupted. “Do you think the public will give a damn what time of day you slept with him? You represent this department and that badge 24/7. You misled your supervisor, your partner, this department and, quite frankly, fucked up.”

  When she made to rise, he slammed a hand on the table.

  “Don’t move.” He turned to Cooper. “You’re lead on this case now. Your first assignment is to find the origin of that tape. I’ll handle the goddamn press conference.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Mackenzie found a speck on the dull paint of the opposite wall and locked on target. Fuller moved in her periphery.

  “Detective Lyons, I am convinced that someone wants you off this case. The constant public scrutiny of your abilities, the ambush at the warehouse, and now this tape. Those things more than anything else tell me you were on the right track. But because you so willingly played into that person’s hands, he’s going to get his wish. You’re suspended until further notice. Hand in your badge and gun.”

  Her stomach sank. She knew it had been coming, expected it, but the impact of the words still sent her senses reeling. At least he’d said suspended, she thought, grasping at the thinnest ray of hope. He could’ve said fired.

  As she stood on shaky legs and removed her badge, Fuller addressed Rafe. “You’ve made some powerful enemies, Stone, but I’m sure that’s nothing new for a man like you.”

  “No,” Rafe agreed.

  “Detective Lyons made a strong case on your behalf. It remains undetermined whether that case will be enough to exonerate you completely. As much as I’d like to throw you behind bars for your part in this public relations nightmare, fornication between two consenting adults without exchange of payment isn’t illegal. You’re free to go.”

  Rafe stood and paused as Fuller pointed a large finger at him.

  “Despite this asinine activity with one of my detectives, I do thank you for protecting her.”

  “I’d give my life for her.”

  In the process of removing her shoulder holster, she froze, her fingers shaking. Her breath hitched. Tears burned the back of her eyes, and she blinked to regain her composure. She would not cry in front of these men.

  Fuller eyed Stone, his frown subsiding a bit. “I believe you would. Instead, she damn near gave hers for you.”

  “Sergeant.” Rafe nodded solemnly and moved toward the door, but Cooper blocked his path.

  “I suggest that you forego any out-of-town trips.”

  “I’m at your disposal anytime, Detective Cooper.” He slipped around him, then glanced in the mirror as his hand grasped the door handle. “Mackenzie...”

  “Go,” she said, her eyelids closing, unable to face his sympathy.

  After a moment’s pause, she heard the door click shut.

  “Was he worth it, Mac?” Cooper asked, drawing her attention. Pain from her betrayal was apparent by the look on his face.

  Leaving her badge on the table, she moved to the door. “He’s innocent, Coop.”

  “I hope to God you’re right.”

  She gave him a weary smile. “Only you can prove it now.”

  Cold wind whipped her hair into a frenzy as Mackenzie left the station on foot.

  Rafe had waited and watched, knowing her police-issued sedan would remain parked pending the outcome of the official inquiry into her conduct.

  As she reached the corner, she grimaced at the impact from another frigid blast. Shuffling a box of items under one arm, she tugged her collar higher. Her pace increased until she ducked into the shelter at the bus stop.

  “Stop here,” he ordered his driver. He had one foot out the door the moment the limousine’s wheels ceased to roll. Before his other foot hit the pavement, Mackenzie was scowling.

  “Christ, Rafe. Get out of here,” she said, backing away with a glance in either direction. “Fuller’s trying to keep this whole thing out of the papers, but—”

  He swallowed her protest as his mouth covered hers. His hands cradled her wind-chilled cheeks.

  After a moment’s hesitation, she kissed him back, their tongues tangling in a fierce duel. Then just as his hand dropped to snake around her waist, she shoved him away.

  “God, I’ve lost my mind.” She frowned, her hot breaths causing small, quick puffs of white. “Get the hell out of here.”

  “I did that once before. Not this time. You’re coming with me.”

  She twisted away and pushed his arm when he reached for the box she held. “I am not.”

  He crossed his arms and with some satisfaction, watched her chin rise to a stubborn angle. “You will, or I’ll ride the bus with you and make a scene sure to land us on the front pages of every national tabloid magazine.”

  “You wouldn’t.”

  He grinned.

  “You would,” she said glumly, then shoved the box into his arms, and stalked to the car.

  “Ma’am.” Simon tipped his hat to her and pulled the door open in the knick of time.

  With a muttered hello, she ducked inside.

  “Good luck, sir,” he murmured when Rafe handed him the box.

  “Thank you. I believe I’ll need it. Take us to L.I.,” he said and stoically followed his mate.

  She sat with her back toward Simon, who raised the privacy window. The same
place where he first saw her. Not the same expression, however.

  Rafe almost smiled at the thought.

  “You’re staring again.”

  He let the smile show then and watched anger bloom in her eyes. He liked to see her thorns, preferred her spitting mad or aroused. Anything but wilted...forlorn.

  “What are you staring at?” she asked. Her voice had a husky edge when she was frustrated or ticked.

  “The woman I intend to spend the rest of my life with.”

  She blinked, her crystal blue eyes widening to an almost impossible roundness. “You’re delusional.”

  “Not at all.” Chuckling, he reached for a bottle of his favorite wine. “Drink?”

  “I can’t. I’m...” Her voice trailed off, the light in her eyes dying. She bit her lip and peered out the window.

  She wasn’t on duty anymore.

  Damn it.

  Setting the bottle aside, he reached across and pulled her into his arms. Her body stiffened as the tears she’d held back finally fell, soaking his shirtfront. One fist struck his chest, but his heart felt the blow.

  Her sorrow humbled him. What she’d done, she did for him, and he loved her even more because of it.

  Love...

  His arms tightened around her as the realization hit him like a slug to the solar plexus. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and held her close throughout the drive to the Lykos Institute.

  She said nothing as he led her past security to his private suite of offices. When the elevator doors closed behind them, however, she asked, “Why did you bring me here?”

  Her blue eyes were red-rimmed, her nose a bit pink, her cheeks still damp from the tears she’d shed earlier. She couldn’t have looked lovelier. And yet, he missed his fiery cop with her sharp tongue and quick wit.

  “We need to talk. This is one place we could do so with guaranteed privacy.”

  “I think I’ve said enough for one day, don’t you?” She pasted on a self-deprecating smile, stepped past him, and leaned against the back of his leather sectional.

  “Then I’ll talk. Please,” he said, gesturing for her to sit. Now that he had her here, he didn’t know where to begin. “What you did today—”