Wicked Days with a Lone Wolf (8 page)

“Pregnancy?” Jett and Lane couldn’t have expressed their shock in better synchrony if they’d had it planned.

“I’m sorry. I thought you knew.” The doctor cleared his throat, looking with concern at Parker again, as if he had some personal information about Zoe getting knocked-up. Why the fuck?

Parker’s mouth dropped open. “I... I didn’t...”

Jett paced again, hands on his hips, steps pounding on the tile floor. He turned toward the hall and could have sworn he saw Kyle walking past, but Kyle had left the hospital the day before. Even if he’d returned for some reason, Jett had no reason to care.

Right? Right. Except...

Something had smelled funny about that guy getting all in the kid’s space, and not only because he reeked of bad aftershave and some unfamiliar pack. Probably why the young human kept popping up in Jett’s mind. Old feelings of pack obligation died hard, even after all this time.

At the moment, Jett reminded himself that he had bigger concerns. He pulled out his phone to dial his brother. “Ash, I need you to get over here. There’s a problem with Zoe.”

“I can’t. Sherri needs me in DC. I’m on the first plane I can find.”

“Ash, she’s pregnant and she’s
missing.
I am asking you to get your ass over here. Now.” He hung up before Ash could answer.

Sherri was a capable woman. Whatever she had going on in DC, she could handle. Right now with Zoe out of the pack, Ash and Jett were the closest thing she had to family. God knew what would happen if Pop found out she was pregnant with his dead offspring’s child. And then the doctor said there could be some abnormality or something? Shit.

Jett marched back over to his partner and the doctor. He pointed to the doc. “Get security down here. We need to search, see if she’s still anywhere in the hospital.” His glare and his accusing finger turned to aim at his partner, who had some serious fucking explaining to do. “I need to talk to you.”

They moved to stand by a table full of magazines near the door. “What the hell was that shit? Why was that doc talking to you like you knew something about Zoe’s baby?”

Parker shrugged. “I was in the room with her yesterday when she woke up. She started to flip out. I got her calmed down. I hear she asked for me later. People started to assume things. I let them assume, because if I disabused them of the notion that I was her...” Parker coughed and gestured vaguely. “Her mate, or whatever, then they wouldn’t keep giving me information about her condition. We needed information.”

Jett didn’t quite buy the story. The words made logical sense, but the cutting mix of smells wafting from his partner, the fear and anger and something like affection, did not.

“Lane, I’m family. I could have gotten what we needed.”

“You’re her brother-in-law. You think they’re gonna give the
brother-in-law
the same information they’d give her husband?”

Jett gritted his teeth. “You’re a fucking police detective. I know you know better than to lie to get medical information.”

Something else flared up inside of Lane right then, the scent of regret maybe. Tough to tell with all the other things in the mix. His body heat rose. Jett could sense the change in him, the stiffening of his muscles and the rise in his stress hormones, as close together as they stood. Jett had touched a nerve.

Lane jammed his hands into his pockets. “I didn’t lie. I simply didn’t correct them. You’re right though. If you want, I’ll take a step back from the case.”

This gave Jett pause. He’d expected further belligerence. He was as confused by this as his partner’s bouquet of emotional output. So he shook his head. “We’re both too close, but I’m the only shifter expert they’ve got. Let’s just find Zoe. If she didn’t kill that John Doe we found, then maybe she fled the scene because she knows something. Either way, you heard the doc. We need to get her back to make sure she and her baby are safe.”

“I have an idea where to look.” Lane pointed toward the exit. “Up where I found her that first time, there was a house. She said she needed to go back. Something about kids.”

Jett’s phone rang. Ash. “All right, I’m down in the parking lot. Not to be insensitive, but we better find her fucking fast. I’m leaving Sherri holed up in a hotel room with her psycho-criminal ex-boyfriend.”

Fuck. Jett growled. “This day keeps getting better. Meet us on the third floor.” He hung up and turned back to Lane. “Okay, work up a plan and get out there. Fast. Take Ash. He knows the area.”

Lane paused mid-step. “Should I be taking a civilian?”

“You should be taking backup. I’m going to stay here and coordinate with security on the off-chance she’s still in the building. If you run into any nonhuman interference out there, you’ll need him. If we catch heat for it, we’ll say he’s a civilian consultant or some shit.”

Lane smiled slightly. “So I’m not the only one who’s willing to use the gray areas to get things done?”

“Shut the fuck up.” But Jett smiled back. He and his partner had been mostly cordial but never friendly. Until today, he’d kinda had Detective Parker pegged as a potential fur-phobe who got stuck with a
were
for a partner and was too polite to take shots at him. At least not out loud.

Now though, the guy was sticking his neck out. Sure this was a case, but this was Jett’s family, and he couldn’t help but appreciate what Lane was trying to do. Even if part of him wondered about the guy’s motives.

***

S
herri helped Ryan up from where he’d fallen on the floor. Then she slapped him. Her hand trembled when she dropped it, vibrating with the force of all the fear and anger she’d tried to hold back until she hung up on Ash. “I cannot believe you. What in the hell are you doing here? How did you even find me?”

His smile almost looked apologetic. “You have certain weaknesses, and I happen to know your idea of ‘roughing it’ is staying at a hotel that doesn’t have valet parking.” He shrugged, swaying slightly on his feet. “This was the closest place to your condo with the highest star rating. A little flirting down at the front desk, and the rest was easy.”

Sherri gritted her teeth. “That’s fantastic.” She shoved him toward the bed. “Sit before you fall down again. You look all pale and shaky. For God’s sakes Ryan, you still solve all your problems by batting your eyelashes and conning people? Prison hasn’t changed you one bit. You’re the subject of a manhunt. I don’t know what you were thinking, coming to me. I’m going to have to turn you in.”

His expression turned pleading. “What happened to all the ‘everything’s fine’ sunshine and rainbows you were spouting on the phone?”

“That was to stop my extremely protective boyfriend from coming here and making it so they have to pull your dental records to identify the body.” God, she was mostly kidding. She hoped. Given Ash’s history and
were
genes, she had to trust him to keep his head together. Keeping him away from Ryan until he cooled off also seemed like a pretty spectacular plan.

“I get it. I’m sorry to do this to you, Sher, but I wish you wouldn’t turn me in.” With a heavy groan, Ryan eased back on the bed. “If you do, I’m definitely dead.” He pulled back his wind breaker, revealing the soggy patch of blood on his side.

“Dammit.” She rushed over to inspect the damage. “This looks worse than I thought. You need to tell me what happened.”

“Shit, is it oozing again?” He lifted his head. “The bullet went through, but I didn’t have good stuff for bandaging it up. Seems my eyelash batting skills don’t work on everyone, huh?”

Sherri sighed. “Ryan—” Perfect. Just perfect. She was going to help him. They both knew it. Ryan might be a bastard, but she couldn’t leave him alone and bleeding in her hotel room.

A heavy knock at the door. “Room service.”

Of course. Her afternoon snack and relaxing glass of wine. Freaking excellent.

Sherri pulled at Ryan’s arm. “Get in the bathroom. Now.”

He lumbered in, crumpling against the tub. She shut the door and went to let in the room service guy, feigning an exaggerated limp.

“Hey, thanks so much for bringing my food up. If I could ask you to do one more favor for me, I’d be so grateful.” When the room service guy came in, she handed over a twenty dollar bill and did her own shameless version of eyelash batting, letting her robe slip down one shoulder as she gestured to the leg she supposedly couldn’t put weight on.

She didn’t want him to look too closely and realize her foot wasn’t actually injured. Hopefully showing a little cleavage would distract his gaze.

“Sure, what else can I get for you?”

“I dropped a water glass in the bathroom and stepped on a shard.” She indicated the closed door. “Could you please find me a First Aid kit, so I can get the cut bandaged properly?”

“Sure thing, ma’am. And I’ll send housekeeping right away to clean up the glass in the bathroom.”

“No need!” Sherri’s smile probably had about five levels of cheerful too many. “I gathered it all into the trash already, they can get it tomorrow. I need to head out soon anyway.”

He looked uncertain, like maybe he might get a black mark on his spotless customer service record for breaking hotel protocol on this one. “If you’re sure.”

“Just the medical kit would be great. Oh. Actually... A sewing kit too, if it isn’t too much trouble.” She handed over another twenty, hoping the generous tip would encourage his speed as well as his silence. “One of my blouses has a loose button.”
Or I may need to sew up a bullet hole. Potato, potahto.

“Absolutely, ma’am. I’ll be right back.”

While the eager young kid scampered off, Sherri went to check on Ryan, who’d laid himself out on the bathroom tile.

“Wow,” she said. “You really do look terrible.”

“You always knew how to make a guy feel appreciated. Anyway, it hurts like a motherfucker, so I guess that’s appropriate.”

“Can you manage sitting up?”

“I can try.” He struggled up into an almost fetal curl against the sink cabinet.

She grabbed the bruschetta from her room service tray. “I’m gonna give you a couple of bites of food and some ibuprofen for the pain. It’s the best I’ve got for now. You need a hospital.”

“Can’t. He’ll find me.” Ryan groaned a quiet “Thanks” and accepted the food, after which she shoved four pills and a glass of water in his face.

“You owe me forty dollars,” she murmured.

“Put it on my tab.”

“Sure. We can add it to the two years of my life, my career, and all the other things you took from me that I’ll never get back.”

Another pained groan. “Christ, Sher. Tell me how you really feel.”

Sherri took the water glass from him and placed it on the counter. “You really want me to tell you how I feel?”

Ryan’s heavy-lidded eyes opened wider. “I’m sure I could fill most of it in on my own.” He put a cool hand over hers. “I did a lot of fucking awful things, and I wish I could take them back.” He shook his head slowly. “I thought I was in love. It’s no excuse... but... I did. I thought I was in love.”

For a moment she stared into his pale blue eyes. Eyes she’d once believed held her future. “I thought I was in love, too.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Did you get my letter? I know it wasn’t enough, but I did try to apologize.”

Fresh blood oozed out when she prodded near the wound. “Didn’t read it. I’m sure you can guess why. I’m worried about your blood loss. I
really
ought to take you to a hospital.”

He squeezed her hand. “Please. Boris thinks I betrayed him. It’s why I escaped the transport. One of the guards attacked me.” He squeezed harder, with surprising strength. “Think about it: I wasn’t his only guy on the inside. If you stitch me up and I try to find a place to hide, I might die. If I go to a hospital and they turn me over to the FBI, I
will
die.”

Some tapping came from the outer door. “Ma’am? I have the things you asked for.”

She stuck her head out, taking the items he offered and handing over another twenty from her wallet. Boy, was she grateful she’d hit the airport ATM on her way in. “Thanks again for being so quick, and for your discretion. I’m just so embarrassed about the silly way I cut my foot. You understand.” She flashed a bright smile and some more cleavage, to be sure.

“Of course, ma’am.” Junior from room service grinned and lingered for a moment before whistling his way down the hall.

She shut the door and ran back, laying Ryan’s half-conscious body on the floor and peeling off his shirt. “Okay, let’s see what we’re dealing with here. And while we’re at it, tell me what’s going on. Why does your boyfriend think you betrayed him? Did you?”

“No. Someone... someone sold out the location of his safe house. I heard he came near to being caught a few weeks back. I don’t even know where he’s staying since I went inside, so I couldn’t have if I’d wanted to.”

Sherri set about cleaning and sterilizing Ryan’s wound as best she could. “So your boyfriend makes his money by stepping on other people, and he doesn’t bother to keep in touch when you go to prison for him? Ouch.” She faked an exaggerated gasp.

He hissed in pain when she swabbed the area with an alcohol pad, but then the corners of his mouth turned up into a slight smile. “Now that’s a rude thing to point out.”

“We all do stupid things sometimes.”

He pressed his lips together. “I guess we all do.”

“Am I doing a stupid thing now, Ryan?”

“I hope not.” Another wince. “I need to find a way to prove I didn’t betray Boris, so I can get the contract off my head. Then, I can go back and serve the rest of my sentence. I fucked up. I’m willing to do my time.”

“How are you going to prove you’re not guilty to your ex-lover?”

“No clue. I can’t do it at all if I’m not alive.”

“Okay.” She grabbed her phone off the dresser. “I need to make some calls.”

Ryan tried to lift his head. “Who—”

She pushed him back to the floor. “Listen, if Boris thinks you snitched, all we need to do is prove to him that you didn’t.”

He responded with strained laugh. “Sure. Except I left my magic wand in my prison coveralls.”