Abandoned and Unseen (Branded Packs #2)(59)

Who the hell knew how much internal damage had been done?

“Tucker.” Still on her knees, she reached out to touch his outstretched arm, relief shuddering through her at the feel of his steady pulse.

He was alive. But for how long?

“No.” She heard Ian snap. “Don’t move.”

Fury exploded through her. She’d tried to temper her thirst for revenge and think about the bigger picture. But she was done.

This man needed to die.

Now.

But even as she prepared to shift into her wolf, she felt the pinprick of prongs biting into her back. For a second she assumed that the bastard had shot her. Instead, she felt a massive volt of electricity sizzling through her body.

A Taser that’d been modified to take down a shifter. One of the SAU’s little toys.

Terrifyingly helpless, Nicole crumpled forward, her muscles refusing to obey her command to shift. She gagged at the stench of the filthy carpet and the smell of Tucker’s blood that filled the air.

A shadow fell over her as Ian stood above her head, staring down at her with a smug smile.

“If you’re going to kill me, then kill me,” she rasped, her body twitching in pain.

He gave a slow shake of his head, a hectic glitter of excitement glowing in his pale eyes.

“Ironically, you’re worth much more to me alive than dead.”

A ball of dread lodged in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t fear death. Or even pain. That was nothing compared to the grief she’d endured.

But she couldn’t bear the thought of being used by the SAU to further their evil agenda against the shifters.

She struggled to form the words. “What are you going to do with me?”

An ugly expression settled on his narrow face. “I was condemned to suburb purgatory because Markham said I’d created a PR nightmare.” He allowed his gaze to roam over her. “Perhaps if I bring him a PR showpiece, I’ll be reinstated.”

PR showpiece? She tried to think through the panic that was threatening to overwhelm her. It still didn’t make any sense.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He leaned over her, smart enough to stay just out of reach. Not that she could actually do any damage. She felt as weak as a kitten.

“Then let me spell it out. When I tell people what happened, it’s going to go something like this…” His tone was condescending. As if he were convinced that he now had the upper hand. “I was quietly watching TV with my old friend.” He nodded toward the unconscious Tucker. “When a crazed shifter broke into my house and killed my pal.”

A flare of relief raced through her at the knowledge Ian assumed that Tucker was dead. At the same time, she tried to clear her mind enough to find a way to keep Ian distracted. She could already feel her muscles easing. In a few minutes, she’d be able to call on her wolf.

Then the man was dead.

“Why would a shifter shoot a human?” she challenged.

He waved aside her logic. “By the time Markham is done setting the scene, I can assure you the whole world will believe the body was mauled.”

A low growl rumbled in her throat. After she killed Ian, she was going to hunt down Markham. Tucker was right. They had to cut off the head of the snake.

“You consider that good PR?” she taunted.

Ian shrugged. “The SAU can prove exactly why the shifters should be kept locked away. And why the agency should be better funded.” A slow smile curved his lips. “Hell. I’ll be a hero.”

Nicole gave a pained shake of her head. “You really are crazy.”

Obviously the word ‘crazy’ hit a nerve. Probably because he’d heard it a thousand times before.

Whatever the cause, the thin lips pressed together, and before Nicole could try to protect herself, he lifted his foot and slammed it into the side of her head.

Starbursts of pain exploded behind her eyes, the colors dazzling her before everything went black.





Chapter 8


Sinclair was exhausted. Returning to his Pack after secretly following Mira to make sure she’d made it safely back to her house, he’d discovered that he had a dozen text messages from Rios. He’d immediately gone to speak with his computer expert before heading to the SAU headquarters to find out why they would be purging their computers.

It hadn’t taken long to realize that they were all freaked out by the fear of the missing Dr. Talbot giving away secrets. Even after the question was answered, however, Sinclair lingered.

The stranger who’d arrived and demanded entrance to the facility had intrigued him. No one seemed to know whom he was, or why the Director had so readily agreed to meet with him. Then, just as surprisingly, Markham had left out the back door at the same time as the visitor.

It could be nothing. Hell, for all Sinclair knew, the man was a relation of Markham’s. Or a lover. But the secretive departure was enough out of the norm to stir Sinclair’s interest. If something had spooked the Director, then Sinclair wanted to know what it was.

Waiting until the upper floor was clear, he pressed open Markham’s door and stepped into the man’s office.

A swift glance proved it would be easy to search. There were no piles of paper or locked file cabinets. In fact, there was nothing beyond the heavy desk and the shelves on the wall—nowhere to hide anything.