Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3) (16 page)

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.”

Bree dropped the pamphlet into the file, wiping her fingers on her skirt. Rios didn’t blame her. Just the thought of what Ranney represented was enough to make him feel soiled.

“What did he have to do with the clinic?”

Rios released a growl of frustration. “I haven’t been able to track down a connection, but he’s the one who was suddenly in charge of the investigation.”

Bree made a quick note on her phone. “He did the cover-up.”

“Yep. And he was very clever.” Rios grasped the remaining pile of folders. “He didn’t give one explanation and let it go.”

She frowned. “What did he do?”

“He leaked one story after another.” Rios curled his lips with disgust. “He said the shifters had tainted the flu shots.” He tossed a folder on the table. “He said that it was the shifters’ bite that caused the plague.” Another file hit the table. “He said it was humans who were creating mutant animals to take over the world.” He dropped the remaining files. So far, he’d managed to discover over a dozen stories Ranney had strategically leaked over the years.

“Why so many?”

“Because a good investigator could have followed one rumor to prove or disprove the truth of it,” Rios explained. “It’s much more difficult to pin down theories that are constantly changing.”

She glanced toward the table covered with files before returning her gaze to study his tightly clenched jaw. She had on her professional ‘anchor face,’ which meant it was impossible to read her expression. But the scalding heat of her anger was a tangible force.

“Especially when it was easier to blame it on the animals and lock us in cages,” she growled.

He gave a grim nod. “Exactly.”

Her wolf glowed in her eyes, her beauty so luminous, Rios abruptly forgot how to breathe.

“I hope very much to meet Colonel Ranney,” she said in fierce tones. “Preferably alone in a dark alley.”

He leaned forward, savoring the raw heat of her animal.

“If you intend to sink your teeth into the Colonel, you’re going to have to get in line,
querida
,” he said, his gaze lowering to the delicious curve of her lips.

She might have to wait to bite Ranney, but if she wanted to sink her fangs into something, he was ready, willing, and able to offer her an outlet for her frustration.

****

Sinclair pulled his truck into a shabby motel just across the Colorado state border.

They’d barely spoken during the forty-minute drive. Mira because she was clearly pissed at him. And him…

Well, he didn’t know exactly what he felt.

Fury at the SAU for daring to kidnap her. Pride in Mira for taking a situation that would have terrified most people and turning it to her advantage. Lust that pounded through his body, despite the fact that the time couldn’t be less appropriate.

And an uncertainty that had his wolf restlessly pacing beneath his skin.

He wasn’t sure exactly what had happened to Mira during the past two weeks, but she wasn’t the same shy, submissive female he’d thought he knew so well.

Instead, she was defiant and surprisingly determined to keep him at a distance.

Why?

Had her captors managed to convince her that shifters couldn’t be trusted? He gave a sharp shake of his head. No. That couldn’t be it. Mira was too intelligent to be swayed by the blustering idiots.

Besides, she was still trying to help them track down Dr. Lowman. Even demanding that she stay and continue her computer search even though it put her at risk.

So what the hell was going on?

Unable to bear the strange barrier between them any longer, he decided to stop for the night. 

It would not only give them the opportunity to clear the air between them, but it would also allow them to remain hidden from the SAU soldiers that were no doubt being spread throughout the area to search for Mira.

Parking the truck behind a dumpster, he wrinkled his nose. Hyper-senses could be a pain in the ass sometimes.

Mira pulled herself out of her dark thoughts, turning to stab him with a confused frown.

“What are you doing?”

“They’ll be searching for you,” he said, unbuckling his seat belt. “We need to lay low for a few hours.”

Her confusion deepened as she allowed her gaze to skim over the one-story brick structure that was built in an L shape. The roof was made from a corrugated metal that was starting to rust, and half the windows were boarded over. It was sad, and dingy, and on the edge of complete collapse.

“Here?” she demanded with a shudder.

“It’s the sort of place where people don’t pay attention to who’s coming and going,” he assured her, not mentioning that it was also run by one of the Unseen. It was used like the old-time Underground Railroad. The first step in the road to helping shifters on the run disappear from those hunting them. There were some secrets that he couldn’t share until she was a committed part of his Pack. He shoved open the door of the truck. “I’ll get us a room.”

“Wait.” She glanced back at him. “I need a computer.”

Without hesitation, he reached over the back of the seat to the narrow storage area. Grabbing his backpack, he pulled out a small tablet and handed it to her. “Will this do?”

She nodded, reaching for it with a distracted expression. “Yeah, thanks.”

Sinclair scowled. Over the past eighteen months, he’d come to expect Mira’s complete and unwavering attention when they were together. Hell, he’d simply taken it for granted. Now that it was being snatched away, he wasn’t a happy wolf.

In fact, he had a sudden urge to bite something.

Or someone.

Really, really hard.

Glaring at her down-bent head, he hit the automatic lock and slammed shut his door.

Seriously, she was stomping on his last nerve.

Jogging across the deserted parking lot, Sinclair entered the office, ignoring the grizzly shifter who studied him with blatant curiosity as he checked them into one of the private rooms.

“Any special needs?” the male demanded, looking as big and shaggy in his human form as he did as a bear.

Sinclair handed over a wad of cash as he took the key the male had tossed on the chipped Formica counter.

“Privacy,” he said in clipped tones.

The bear shrugged. “That comes standard with the room.”

Sinclair nodded, pausing long enough to offer a warning. “There’s a potential army of SAU searching for us,” he said. “You might want to close for the night. In fact, it would probably be best if you decided to take a short vacation.”

The bear narrowed his gaze, taking in Sinclair’s grim expression before giving a nod of his head.

“I have a sister in Casper. I think it’s time for a visit.”

“Good idea.”

Sinclair left the office, pausing to sweep a searching gaze over the dark lot. When he was certain there were no eyes watching him, he returned to the truck. Moving to the passenger side, he hit the remote key to unlock the door.

He pulled it open, leaning over Mira to grab his backpack.  

“Follow me.”

Clasping the tablet, she crawled out of the truck and fell into step beside him.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re bossy?” she said.

“Daily,” he assured her, moving toward the end of the hotel that was spray-painted with graffiti. Using the key, he unlocked a heavy steel door that was dented in several places, as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to it. “It’s my job.”

She snorted. “You’re not my Alpha.”

His wolf instantly howled at her rejection. As far as his animal was concerned, this woman was already his to protect.

And more…

Once she accepted that she belonged to him.

“Hmm.” He leaned down until they were nose to nose. “Who are you trying to convince, sweetheart? Me or yourself?”

She sucked in a startled breath, her eyes wide. “Sinclair.”

Unable to resist temptation, he softly brushed his mouth over her parted lips. Instant heat detonated through him.

Christ. She tasted so sweet. Glorious female enticement wrapped in a luscious body that his fingers twitched to explore.

It was the very force of his hunger that had him lifting his head to study her with a brooding gaze.

When he finally sated his desire, it wasn’t going to be in a nasty parking lot where the SAU might make an appearance at any minute.

“An argument for later,” he said, gently pushing her into the dark room.

“There’s not going to be an argument,” she stubbornly denied the inevitable.

Not bothering to continue a fight he fully intended to win, Sinclair stepped through the door, carefully pulling it shut before he turned on the dim overhead light. From outside, no one would know anyone was in the room.

Not surprisingly, Mira gave a tiny gasp as she actually took in their surroundings.

Unlike the outside of the motel, the inside was scrupulously clean. There was a sturdy oak dresser against one wall with a TV mounted on the paneling. There was also a desk and chair in one corner with a small leather sofa. And in the center of the room was a king-size bed with a hand-stitched quilt to offer a feeling of home.

Across the room, another door opened to a white-tiled bathroom.

It wasn’t fancy, but it was built to provide a place of comfort and safety for those in need.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting this,” she breathed, moving to place the tablet on the desk. “How long do you think we need to stay here?”

Sinclair prowled toward her, not willing to give her the space she was so obviously seeking.

“Are you in a hurry to get to our Pack?”

“I’m not going to
your
Pack,” she said, her words and tone a deliberate challenge. “I’m going to the The Great Plains Home of Tranquility.”