Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3) Page 12

  Hard. Lethal. Gorgeous.

  This was a male who could get any woman he wanted. And he knew it.

  So why would he seek out a shy, socially awkward computer geek and spend the entire night flirting with her?

  The answer was…he wanted something from her.

  It’d taken a month of casual dinners, and the occasional movie before he’d, at last, confessed that he was a wolf. And another month before he’d asked her to use her position at her office to discover information that would prove that the shifters hadn’t started the virus. That they had, in fact, used their blood to develop the vaccine that had saved the world.

  Still, even knowing that he was using her, Mira had been helpless against his potent charm.

  She told herself that, eventually, Sinclair would see her as more than a means to an end. After all, she’d proven her loyalty and devotion, and shown a dedication to his cause that no other woman could match.

  It wasn’t until she’d been captured and forced to consider her imminent death that she realized that she’d been wasting her life over the past couple of years. Was she really so desperate for male attention that she would settle for a relationship where she had nothing to offer but her job and her computer skills?

  She deserved more than a man who was willing to seduce her for his own gain.

  But at the same time, the concrete evidence that the SAU had been covering up their own involvement in the Verona Virus and laying the blame on the shifters had hardened her determination to bring them to justice.

  She didn’t know what the future might hold for her, but she did know that she couldn’t live with herself if she didn’t do everything in her power to expose the truth.

  “You need to go before the guards come to return me to the barracks,” she hissed in low tones.

  He ignored her warning, his hands skimming over her soft curves as he studied her with a grim expression.

  “Are you okay? Did the bastards hurt you?” he demanded.

  “No,” she said, well aware that his concern was based on the fear that he’d lost his best chance of getting the information he needed.

  He moved to crouch beside her chair, his brows snapping together as he reached out to gently touch the bruise on her cheek.

  “I’ll kill them for daring to put their filthy hands on you,” he snarled.

  Mira shivered, the heat of his fingers searing her skin with pleasure that she’d sworn she wouldn’t allow herself to feel again.

  She jerked her head back, knocking aside his hand. “I’m fine.”

  His eyes narrowed in surprise. It was the first time she hadn’t melted beneath one of his intimate caresses. Slowly straightening, he gave a condemning glance around the office.

  “Revenge will have to wait until you’re out of here.”

  “Sinclair, listen to me,” she said. “I can’t go.”

  He stilled, his gaze returning to her pale face. “Did they threaten you?” A low growl rumbled in his chest. “Trust me, I can keep you safe.”

  She licked her lips. Christ. He was so sexy when he was being all protective and…

  She abruptly squashed the renegade thought.

  No, no, no.

  She was over Sinclair, Alpha of the Unseen Pack.

  Wasn’t she?

  “It’s not that-”

  “We need to go,” he interrupted her words, stepping back as he waited for her to obey his command.

  She shook her head. “I’m staying.”

  “What?”

  “I’m staying.”

  His eyes glowed with the power of his wolf, a sudden heat prickling through the air.

  “You’re working with them.”

  The urge to cower beneath the physical impact of his dominance was overwhelming. Mira wasn’t a shifter, but she was fairly certain she’d be a submissive if she were. It was only with great effort that she forced herself to meet his fierce glare.

  “Not exactly,” she mumbled.

  “Then exactly what are you doing?” he sneered.

  She stiffened. “Don’t use that tone of voice with me.”

  He folded his arms over his chest, emphasizing the hard muscles that moved with fluid ease beneath his t-shirt.

  “It’s the tone I use when I’m talking to people who’ve betrayed me.”

  She scowled. How could he believe for a minute that she was a backstabber? She’d risked her job, even her life, to help him and his people.

  Didn’t he know her at all?

  “I haven’t betrayed you,” she rasped, unable to hide her pain at his accusation.

  He grimaced as if already regretting his hasty words.

  “Then why are you working with the enemy?” he asked, his tone deliberately softened.

  She continued to glare at him. Okay. He was gorgeous. And sexy. And he had that whole animal magnetism thing going on. But that didn’t give him the right to act like an ass.

  “Because it’s the only way to have full access to their private network,” she grudgingly explained.

  “For what?”

  She hunched her shoulder. “To look for Dr. Lowman.”

  He nodded toward the computer on the desk. “That’s what you’re doing?”

  “Yes.”

  His gaze darted back to her face, his jaw tight. “Why was there blood in your living room?”

  Mira was caught off guard by the abrupt question. He’d been in her home?

  “When I came home after we met, they forced their way through the front door.”

  A rich musk threaded through the air, Sinclair’s lips pulling back to reveal his elongated fangs.

  “They hit you.”

  She gave a slow nod, surprised by his intense response. She didn’t know much about shifters, but Sinclair had always possessed a rigid command over his animal. He had to, while he was ‘passing’ as a human.

  It was startling to see him lose control.

  “Yes.”

  Sucking in a deep breath, her companion visibly forced back his wolf.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  A shiver raced through Mira. It wasn’t fear. She wished it was. That would be far less dangerous than the feminine fascination that she was trying to deny.

  “As I said, they forced their way into the house,” she said.

  “Did they say why?”

  She wrinkled her nose. “They tracked the computers I purchased from Novo-Auction.”

  “Dammit,” he snarled. “I knew you were taking too many risks.”

  Mira rolled her eyes. Did all men have a compulsion to point out when they were right?

  “How else were we supposed to discover the truth?” she asked.

  He waved aside her perfectly logical question.

  “What happened next?”

  “They forced me into a van and took me to the SAU building in Denver.”

  “Shit.” A strange expression rippled over his stark features. “That was your scent.”

  “What?”

  “In Markham’s office,” he explained.

  “Yes. We went there first, and then they brought me here,” she continued. “They intended to torture me into confessing what I knew about Dr. Lowman and his connection to the virus, but I convinced them that I had been paid by my boss to make sure there was no documentation to prove that the CDC had been warned that the formula they were working on at the Verona Clinic was a danger to the public.”

  His fury blazed hot as the sun before it was tempered by an expression of pride.

  “Clever.”

  Warmth spread through her, even as she lowered her lashes to hide her look of vulnerable pleasure at his seeming appreciation.

  “And, thankfully, my boss is in DC so they haven’t been able to speak with him,” she forced herself to continue.

  “So what happened after they brought you here?”

  “They grilled me on what information I’d managed to find.” She shrugged. “I told them about the fragment I found on the
computer that I’d traced to Dr. Lowman. That’s when they decided to keep me here to continue the search.”

  He released his breath on a long hiss. “You were lucky they wanted information more than they wanted to kill you.”

  Mira uttered a curse. In the blink of an eye, she went from preening beneath his approval to being annoyed with his assumption it was luck that had saved her.

  She glanced up, meeting his accusing gaze. “It wasn’t just luck,” she denied. “I happen to have a few skills.”

  His lips flattened as if he wanted to continue his chastisement. Then, watching her eyes narrow with silent warning, he conceded defeat.

  “I’ve never doubted your skills, sweetheart,” he assured her. “But now it’s time to go.”

  She swallowed a resigned sigh as she realized they’d just talked in a circle.

  “I’m not leaving,” she repeated. “I’m too close to finding the doctor.”

  “Dammit, Mira,” he said. “Your luck isn’t going to last forever.”

  “All I need is a few more hours…”

  Her words trailed away as Sinclair moved with quicksilver speed to peer out the window.

  “Someone’s coming,” he warned, clearly possessing far more acute senses than Mira. “Time’s up, sweetheart.”

  “Crap.” Tugging out the memory stick that she’d placed in the computer when she started her search, she quickly released the virus she’d pre-loaded for this precise moment. She’d managed to catch sight of data being scrambled before strong hands were grabbing her around her waist and she was being hauled out of her chair and tossed over Sinclair’s shoulder.

  Arrogant wolf.

  Chapter 4

  Rios had caught the scent of wolf before the knock landed on his door.

  Not just any wolf.

  Nope. This one was unique. An intoxicating musk that was laced with warm woman and sexual promise.

  Not that she’d ever fulfilled that promise. At least, not with him.

  And the fact that she’d not only turned down his numerous advances but had also done so in a way that was meant to wound his pride had left a lasting injury.

  Unfortunately, his seething anger did nothing to mute his instant reaction as he pulled open the door to reveal the tall, slender female with sleek, tawny hair and vivid blue eyes.

  The sight of her aloof beauty ruffled the fur of his cat, even as it made the man instantly hard with frustrated desire.

  Leaning against the door jamb, he folded his arms over his chest.

  “Hello, Bree.”

  She gave a cool nod of her head, looking professional in her black pencil skirt and sheer white blouse. No doubt she was returning from Denver where she worked as a newscaster.

  Rios, on the other hand, was wearing nothing more than a pair of yoga pants that hung loosely on his hips. It wasn’t a deliberate attempt to make her drool over his half-naked body, but he wouldn’t object if it happened.

  “Rios.” She waited for him to move aside, her lips thinning when he remained firmly in place. “May I come in?”

  “As I recall, you swore hell would freeze over before you willingly entered my lair,” he drawled.

  An odd expression rippled over her elegant features. It was there and gone so swiftly that Rios couldn’t decipher the emotion.

  “Fine.” She deliberately took a step back. “We can do this in the community center if you prefer.”

  “I’m not the one who has a stick up my ass,” he countered.

  This time, he had no trouble deciphering her emotion. Raw anger.

  “Look, cat, I’m here because Sinclair asked me to work with you, but if you’re going to be a dick about it, then I’ll find someone else to help.”

  She turned to leave. Rios grimaced, reaching out to grasp her arm.

  “Wait.”

  She stiffened beneath his touch. Revulsion? Anger?

  Suppressed desire?

  Impossible to know for sure.

  Slowly, she turned her head to meet his steady gaze. “Yes?”

  “Come in.” His lips twisted. “I’ll try not to be a dick.”

  “Let’s hope you don’t strain anything making the effort.”

  Bam. Her tart response made his cock rock-hard.

  It was crazy. He’d seduced countless women. He’d even occasionally been rejected, although that was thankfully rare. But none of them had disturbed him like this beautiful wolf.

  Waiting for her to step into his lair, Rios closed the door behind her and hit the overhead lights. They were both capable of seeing in the dark, but he needed a firm reminder that this wasn’t a night to ease his cat’s hunger for this female.

  “Have a seat.” He waved a hand toward the leather sectional that was set in front of the large-screen TV.

  She hovered near the door as if hoping he would hand her a file and send her on her way.

  “I-”

  “This is going to take a while,” he smoothly interrupted her protest.

  Her lips tightened, but with a regal lift of her chin, she moved to perch on the edge of the sofa.

  A purr rumbled in Rios’s chest as he watched the elegant sway of her ass. Damn. If he could get his hands on that fine piece of real estate…

  Muttering under his breath, Rios swung on his heel and moved to the bank of computers. He couldn’t hide his scent of arousal, but he could control his traitorous cock.

  “I wasn’t sure what exactly you needed so I printed off all the info we have so far,” he said, grabbing the tall stack of files before he turned and made his way back to sit on the sofa next to Bree.

  Her eyes widened as he started to spread the files on the low coffee table.

  “All of that?”

  “A lot of it is the additional information that helps establish timelines, as well as the necessary documents to verify the truth of our accusations,” he assured her, doing his best to ignore the musky scent that was teasing at his senses.

  Sinclair was right. This was important.

  The most important—and most dangerous—thing they’d ever done in the history of the Unseen Pack.

  And this woman was the key to swaying the humans into accepting they were speaking the truth, or condemning them all to death.

  “Okay,” she said, her expression somber. Bree was clearly aware of the lethal expectations being placed on her slender shoulders.

  “Where do you want to start?” he asked.

  “At the beginning,” she said firmly.

  “I got you covered.” Rios grabbed the top file and placed it in her outstretched hand. “We know that the first case of the virus was reported in April 1986 in a hospital in Rome.”

  “Yes. Even the humans agree on that,” she said, flicking open the folder to study the medical reports inside. “What’s this?”

  “The original hospital report on that patient.”

  She sent him a startled glance. “How did you get this?”

  “There aren’t many things I can’t get if I want them badly enough,” he said in low tones, unable to resist the urge to reach up and brush the back of his fingers against her cheek.

  An unexpected blush had stained her ivory skin before she ducked her head to study the file with a fierce concentration.

  Rios’s cat stilled, his hunting instincts on full alert. Well, well. His pretty wolf wasn’t completely indifferent to him, after all.

  She cleared her throat, pointing a manicured finger at a notation in the medical report.

  “It says here that the patient claimed he’d recently received a flu shot at the Verona Clinic.”

  He dropped his hand. First, they’d work. Then…

  His cat purred in anticipation.

  “The clinic denied it, of course,” he said.

  She flipped to the end of the file. “Do we have any corroborating evidence?”

  He pointed toward a stack of files on the table. “We have stories from a half-dozen other patients who made the same claim,” he assured
her. “Plus, the Alpha of the Golden Pack has evidence that the clinic was actually testing a strain of Ebola that they intended to weaponize.”

  She shuddered. Shifters had plenty of faults. They were hot-tempered, territorial, and enjoyed the occasional brawl. But when they fought, it was with teeth and claws. They didn’t invent hideous weapons that were meant to destroy huge swaths of the population.

  “Why didn’t the officials investigate?”

  Rios nodded, well aware she was asking the questions that she expected to receive when they came out of the shadows to renounce the SAU.

  “At first, they were searching for the corporation that was funding the research,” he said. “They could close the clinic, but unless they knew who’d actually paid to have the virus released into the world, they couldn’t be sure that it wouldn’t happen again. Then the virus became a pandemic, and everything went to hell. It wasn’t until the vaccine was created to halt the spread of the plague that they tried to discover what had actually happened. By then, most of the proof had been destroyed.”

  Reaching into the pocket of her gloriously tight skirt, she pulled out a razor-thin phone and started taking notes.

  “Do we have any information on who was behind the destruction of evidence?”

  Rios reached for another file. This one sent a blast of fury through him.

  “That’s when Colonel Ranney made his first appearance,” he said, handing her the manila folder.

  Her brows drew together as she flipped through the papers. “The head of the SAU?”

  “He wasn’t at the time.” Rios leaned to the side, pulling out the glossy pamphlet that showed a large, silver-haired man who looked like someone’s kindly grandfather. Rios had devoted months to doing research on the Colonel, discovering that behind his toothy smile and practiced charm was a cold-hearted bastard who would sell his own mother if he thought he could make a profit. “Before the outbreak, he was actually the owner of Bellum International.”

  She took the pamphlet from his fingers. “What’s that?”

  “A defense contractor,” Rios explained. “He started as a glorified gunrunner before going legit. Over the years, he provided a variety of weapons to whatever army was willing to pay his exorbitant fees.”