“Has she been hurt?”
A nerve twitched in Sinclair’s jaw. “She’s fine.”
Tucker quivered, barely capable of leashing his animal. “You’re usually a better liar,” he told his friend.
Sinclair grimaced before reaching out to place his hand on Tucker’s shoulder.
“She’ll be fine.” His fingers tightened in a silent warning. “As long as you’re smart about rescuing her.”
Tucker gave a slow dip of his head, accepting that his friend was right. Only then did Sinclair release his grip and take a step back.
“You have a plan?”
“I’m assuming you were the companion who was shot?” Sinclair asked.
Tucker sent his companion a startled glance. How the hell had he known?
“Yeah.” He grimaced. He was going to have nightmares for years about how close Viker had come to shooting Nicole. “I got careless.”
Sinclair waved aside his pained confession. “They’re sending dogs to gnaw on your corpse.”
Tucker blinked. Was Sinclair joking? Or was that some sort of code?
“What are you talking about?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Sinclair muttered. “But when the SAU guards find you gone, they’re going to panic.”
Well, that made it all as clear as mud.
“You want me to go back so I can be mauled by dogs?” Tucker asked.
“No.” Sinclair squared his shoulders. “I need you to be Dr. Tucker. I’ll find another body to replace you in the house.”
It was the last thing Tucker expected.
His role as a researcher in the SAU labs gave him the perfect opportunity to spy on their enemy, as well as screw with the various results to make sure they were compromised. Amazingly, no one had managed to figure out why they couldn’t come up with accurate data on the shifters yet.
He didn’t, however, understand how the hell his position was going to help rescue Nicole.
“Why?”
Sinclair’s lips twisted. “You’re going to do an autopsy on yourself.”
Tucker leaned forward, holding his friend’s gaze. “This isn’t the time to screw with me.”
“I wish I was screwing with you.” Tucker gave an impatient shake of his head. “Come on. You need to get dressed so we can get to headquarters.”
“And then what?”
Sinclair glanced in the direction of the SAU facility. “I think I know how we can get your female out.”
Chapter 9
Nicole swallowed a groan as she battled her way back to reality. A part of her wanted to stay floating in the peaceful darkness. She already knew that there was going to be a world of pain waiting for her.
But the one thing she’d never been was a coward, and with grim determination, she forced her eyes open.
She grimaced, not particularly surprised to discover she was lying on a hard, cement floor. Or even the fact that she seemed to be in some sort of cramped cell with a heavy, metal door.
Viker had made it clear even before he’d kicked her in the head that he intended to use her as some sort of ‘get out of jail free’ card. He wanted forgiveness from the SAU, and he stupidly assumed she could be his bargaining chip.
With a low groan at the pain that throbbed behind her right eye, she shoved herself to a sitting position. She was healing, but the kick had been vicious enough that it would have killed a human. She was lucky that her eyes weren’t swollen shut.
Giving her head time to stop spinning, she scooted toward the front of the cell and grasped the handle of the door. She didn’t think they would have been kind enough to leave it unlocked, but it gave her something to hold on to as she pulled herself to her feet.
Leaning against the cold steel, she pressed her face against the small window. She frowned as a shadow passed by. Someone was approaching.
“Hello?” she called out. “Is anyone there?”
There was a click as the lock was tumbled, and then the door was pressed open, knocking Nicole backward.
A tall, lean male with long, black hair stepped into the cell, his blue eyes cold with warning.
“Don’t say a word,” he commanded in low tones.
Nicole frowned, puzzled by the faintly familiar scent. “Who are you?”
He stepped toward her. “You’re going to have to trust me.”
Yeah, right. Her gaze dipped down to the uniform that belonged to the SAU. She’d rather trust a rattlesnake.
“Why should I?” she demanded, her back straight and her chin tilted to a proud angle.
His lips parted, but before he could speak, there was the unmistakable sound of footsteps. He had sent her a warning glance before he was stepping to the side to let a man with a broad face and buzzed head stroll through the open door.
Another guard. Only this one had an arrogant swagger that assured Nicole he was the one in charge.
“You again,” he drawled, jaw tight with annoyance as he glanced at the man standing beside her.
“Hello, Grant.”
“I’m getting tired of finding you in places you don’t belong, Sinclair.”
Nicole stiffened, barely suppressing her gasp of surprise.
Sinclair was the guard who’d helped Soren escape. And Tucker’s Alpha.
He had to be here to help her.
Or at least that was the hope she was going to cling to.
Sinclair shrugged. “I’m just carrying out orders, sir.”
Grant’s brows snapped together, clearly not liking the answer. “Whose orders?”
“Dr. Tucker’s.”
Again Nicole struggled to hide her reaction. Was he talking about her Tucker? He’d told her that he was a healer, but she hadn’t realized that he actually worked at the facility.
No doubt he hadn’t told her because he knew she would be terrified. He was obviously placing himself in constant danger. After all, each time he entered the headquarters, the risk of being exposed and destroyed was high.
The older man tried to hide his flare of relief. “He’s here?”
“Yep. In the lab.”
“So why would he send you down to the pens?”
Sinclair didn’t hesitate.
“He wasn’t entirely convinced that we could fool the authorities if they demanded to see the body after the autopsy,” he said smoothly.
Autopsy? Nicole frowned. Had someone died? Or…
Her distracted thoughts were brought to a sharp end as Grant released a string of curses.
“I knew it would never work. We need to get rid of the evidence.” Reaching for his gun, he pulled it out of his holster, his gaze locking on Nicole. “Starting with her.”
Oh, shit.
Her breath locked in her lungs. There was a flat coldness in the man’s eyes. She didn’t doubt for a second that he would kill her and dump her without an ounce of regret.
“No.” Sinclair took a subtle step to the side, half blocking her from the man’s icy glare. “Doc Tucker came up with a better suggestion.”
There was a tense hesitation, as if Grant were debating whether to give in to his impulse to kill his prisoner, or listen to what Sinclair had to say.
At long last, his gaze moved to his fellow guard. “What’s the suggestion?”
Sinclair took another step, making sure he was positioned so Grant would have to go through him to get to Nicole.
Any other time she might have been offended. She wasn’t a female who hid behind a male. But at the moment, she was still weak from the blow to her head, and not at all opposed to having a bit of shielding.
“Why use dogs to bite the dead body when we have the real thing right here?” Sinclair said.
Nicole grimaced. Okay. Now there was not only a dead body, but they also intended to have dogs bite it? Were they sick?
Her unease only deepened as both men studied her with unwavering interest.
“We’ve never been able to force them to shift into their animals,” the older guard said at last, his gaz
e skimming up and down her tense body. “Hell, I’ve beaten more than one to death trying to force them.”
Nicole felt a blast of heat from Sinclair, but clearly accustomed to hiding his hatred for his enemies, the Alpha managed to give a nonchalant lift of his shoulder.
“The Doc claims that he’s found a drug that will force them to shift whether they want to or not,” he said, reaching out to grasp Nicole’s arm in what must have looked like a punishing grip.
Nicole, however, understood that it was meant as a caution for her to keep her mouth shut. Not that she needed the warning. If Sinclair and Tucker had a plan to get her out of the facility, she would keep her lips zipped and locked.
“Drug?” Grant looked as confused as Nicole felt. “I’ve never heard of any drug.”
“It’s still in the testing phase,” Sinclair smoothly lied. And it was a lie. Nicole could smell it. “But it’s worth a try.”
Unable to sense that he was being manipulated, the guard frowned at Nicole.
“That still doesn’t mean we can force it to bite.”
Nicole clenched her teeth. It? She wasn’t even a female? She was an it?
Sinclair gave another squeeze to her arm as he answered. “Get an animal mad enough, and it’ll attack.”
On cue, Nicole allowed her fangs to lengthen as she released a loud, dramatic growl.
Instantly, Grant backed away. “Shit,” he breathed. “Fine, we’ll give it a try,” he muttered. “I’ll call the guards who went to get the body-”
“I already took care of it,” Sinclair interrupted. “Doc wanted me to have them bring the stiff straight to the lab.”
Instantly, Grant was bristling with outrage.
“Who the fuck does he think he is?” he snapped. “I’m in charge of the division while Markham is gone.”
“He’s a nerd,” Sinclair soothed. “They think they own the damned place.”
“Yeah, well, I can teach him who’s in charge,” the guard muttered.
“Okay.” Sinclair kept ahold of Nicole’s arm with one hand while he reached into his front pocket with his other. “Do you want the body put back in the house?”
Grant’s bluster abruptly collapsed at Sinclair’s easy capitulation.
Clearly he was a man who wanted to pretend like he was in charge, without actually needing to make decisions.
“Christ, no.” Shoving the gun back in its holster, he ran a shaky hand over his buzzed hair. “What a disaster.”
“The Doc seems confident that this will work,” Sinclair murmured, his voice soft and persuasive. Nicole felt a stab of admiration. No wonder this male was Alpha. He was capable of using the human’s greatest weakness to his advantage. “And if it does, then Markham will have the ammunition he needs to keep D.C. off his back.”
Hunger flickered in the man’s eyes as if he craved his employer’s approval.
“True.” He squared his shoulders. “Take her to the lab.”
Sinclair gave her a tug, leading her past Grant and out the door of the cell.
“What about Viker?” he asked as they crossed a large room that was lined with steel cells and several cages in the center of the cement floor.
Her wolf snarled in fury at the memory of the man who’d murdered her son and had then shot Tucker.
The bastard.
Hurrying to walk a step ahead of Sinclair, Grant sent him an impatient glance.
“What about Viker?” Grant demanded.
“I thought he might want to know about the change in plans,” Sinclair drawled, firmly pulling Nicole closer to his side.
No doubt he could sense her wolf’s restless fury.
Grant made a sound of disgust, pulling out a key card to wave it in front of an electronic reader. Instantly, the hidden elevator doors slid open.
They all stepped in, and Grant gave another wave of his card to close the doors. Then, leaning forward, he stabbed the button that would take them to the third floor.
“Viker is a mistake that should have been dealt with seven years ago,” Grant admitted, his expression hard. “For now, he’s in my office waiting for me to set up his transfer.”
Nicole didn’t know what the hell they were talking about, but she wasn’t surprised that Viker had managed to make enemies of his own people. He was a nasty, spineless creep.
Sinclair released a short laugh. “I assume he isn’t going to Vegas?”
“Hell, no.” Grant’s lips twisted. “As soon as we’re sure we can pass off the body as a shifter attack, I’m going to make sure he heads straight to his well-deserved retirement.”
Ah. So that was it. They intended to make it look like she’d attacked someone. But if it wasn’t Viker, then who was she supposed to bite?
The doors of the elevators slid open, and Sinclair shoved her forward.
“I’ll take the wolf to the lab,” he told Grant, urging her down the corridor.
“Wait.” Grant hurried to catch up with them, seeming to realize he was being dismissed. “I’ll go with you.”
Sinclair’s fingers tightened on her arm, but his expression remained unconcerned.
“It could take awhile before the drug works,” he said.
“I don’t care. I won’t have any more decisions made without me,” Grant retorted in petulant tones. “It’s my ass on the line.”
“Whatever.”
In silence, they walked down the corridor until they reached the end door. Sinclair leaned forward to open it, jerking her over the threshold and into the large lab.
Nicole had a brief impression of white tiles and shiny stainless steel equipment with lights bright enough to blind her. But her attention was consumed by the large, beautiful male who was standing next to a metal gurney.
Tucker. Thank God.
Something painful eased within her. She hadn’t allowed herself to even consider the possibility that he might be dead. It was too unbearable. But there had been a nagging fear he may be seriously injured.
Now she eagerly allowed her gaze to run over his muscular body that was covered by a pair of scrubs and a white lab coat before moving to his beautiful face that had a healthy color.
There was nothing to indicate that he’d been shot in the chest just…hmm.
She frowned. She didn’t know how much time had passed.
Stepping forward, Tucker pointed toward the gurney, his face carefully devoid of emotion. Nicole, however, could catch the scent of his fury.
“Put her on the table.”
Nicole pretended to struggle even as she held Tucker’s gaze. He was hanging on to his composure by a thread. The last thing she wanted was to give him a reason to snap.
Sinclair easily lifted her onto the table, pressing her down as Tucker moved to attach a heavy chain to her collar. Just like an animal being manacled.
Then, leaning to the side, he grabbed a syringe that was filled with a clear liquid. He turned so that the watching Grant couldn’t see his expression as he slid the needle into her arm, injecting her with what she hoped was some sort of placebo.
He didn’t have to say anything out loud. He was telling her with his eyes to follow his lead.
Perhaps sensing that there was something going on between them, Grant moved forward to stand beside the gurney, his brow furrowed.
“So tell me about this drug,” he commanded, “and why I wasn’t informed that you were using it.”
Tucker stepped back, tossing the syringe onto a tray next to him.
“It was Talbot’s secret project,” he told the guard. “None of us knew about it until we found it in his private files.”
“Typical.” Grant gave a shake of his head. “That traitor better hope he’s dead. If I get my hands on him, I can guarantee he’s going to wish the animals had gotten to him first.”
Ignoring the man’s tirade, Nicole kept her attention locked on Tucker. She had to go on faith that she was following the silent clues he was giving her.
So when he gave a small dip of his head,
she didn’t hesitate.
With a surge of power, she shifted into her wolf. Agonized pleasure exploded through her, but she barely waited until she was fully transformed before she was surging forward to snap her jaws directly in Grant’s face.
The guard gave a loud squeal of terror, knocking over the table behind him as he leaped out of the way of her fangs.
“Holy shit,” Grant breathed, his hand raised to his neck.
Tucker moved to stand at Grant’s side, his expression concerned even as his eyes urged her to continue her frantic howls while her claws scratched loudly against the metal table.
“I was afraid of this,” Tucker murmured.
Grant sent him a horrified glance. “Afraid of what?”
“The side effects of a drug-induced shift seem to make them more aggressive,” he lied with the same ease as Sinclair, his expression suitably somber. “And much stronger,” he added for good measure. “Like a human on PCP.”
Grant shuddered, licking his lips as his gaze returned to Nicole, who strained at the chain holding her captive.
“Why the hell didn’t you warn me?”
Tucker sent him a baffled glance as if astonished the guard wasn’t fascinated by Nicole’s response to the supposed drug.
“You can leave if you want,” he offered in condescending tones. “I can let you know when we’re done.”
Grant wavered. He obviously wanted to be far away from the crazed wolf. But on the other hand, he probably couldn’t stand the thought of someone thinking he was a coward.
At last he managed to stiffen his spine, although Nicole didn’t miss the way he took another step backward.
“I’m staying,” he snapped. “Where the hell are those idiots with the body?”
Abruptly, Sinclair stepped forward, positioning himself next to the gurney.
“I’ll give them a call,” he offered, pulling his cell phone from his pocket and lifting it to his ear.
Not exactly sure what was coming, Nicole assumed that she was supposed to continue with her act of a crazed wolf. She gave another lunge, making the chain snap in protest.
Grant flinched, glancing toward Tucker. “Are you sure those restraints will hold?”
Tucker pretended to consider for a long moment. “Maybe I should just double check. Sometimes the latch can come loose,” he at last murmured.
Abandoned and Unseen Page 20