Primal Law (Alpha Pack #1)(63)

"My guess is he's ready to plan the recon on the NewLife building. We can obtain the floor plans, but you might have other information we can use."

"I don't know. I've told you everything."

"We'll see. In the meantime we need another shower."

"Without the messing around, or we'll be late."

His grin made her pulse leap. "Punctuality is overrated."

They were almost ten minutes late. Holding her hand, Jax pulled her into the room where the rest of the team was already assembled and talking among themselves, waiting for Nick to start. All eyes swung their way and a couple of the guys snickered. Nick gave them a knowing stare, appearing curious. And if she wasn't mistaken . . . was that a wave of sympathy, maybe laced with a touch of sadness, she felt from the boss as he studied them? What was that about?

Embarrassment colored Kira's cheeks at the others guys' razzing, but she kept her head high as she and Jax found seats. She was grateful when Nick began the meeting without any remarks about their tardiness. He hadn't struck her as that kind of man, but the lack of censure was still a relief.

"First off, I invited Kalen to join us so he can get a feel for how we work," Nick said. "Does anyone have an objection?"

"Not as long as he keeps his wand pointed in the other direction," Aric cracked. The others laughed, except for Nick and Jax.

Kalen accepted the challenge. "I wouldn't point my wand at you if you were the last ugly, one-eyed, threelegged shifter on earth." One corner of his mouth quirked up. "Not that I use one, 'cause those are so last century. Just sayin'."

"You're all right, man." Aric slapped him on the back, and a couple of the others did the same, as though he'd passed some sort of male test.

Kira slid a glance to the young Sorcerer, who was unusual to say the least, even among present company. She'd never seen someone who seemed so alone in a roomful of people, though he appeared okay with the group's good-natured ribbing. If he planned to stick around, he'd have to get used to that.

"Since there are no protests, let's move on," Nick said, gaining their attention once more. "I checked on the NewLife facilities, and the closest one is in fact the Las Vegas location. As most of you are aware, our newest staff member, Kira, used to work at that building and fled from there with some tissue samples and a suspicion that her bosses are involved in altering human DNA and gene strands. Based on study of the four bodies provided courtesy of the sheriff's department and coroner, Melina and her lab assistants have concluded that these same changes were being forced on these men at the time of their deaths."

"And your team heard the corpse, Henry Ward, tell me about one of the bastards who killed him wearing a polo with the NewLife logo on it," Kalen put in.

"This guy is powerful shit," Jax whispered in her ear, referring to the Sorcerer.

She glanced at her lover. "No kidding."

Nick acknowledged Kalen's statement with a nod. "And that's why we're sending a team into the Vegas building in forty-eight hours. You're going to do a search, see what you can find. Which brings us to why I asked Kira to come." He turned to her. "Tell us what you can about the level of security there."

Put on the spot, she fumbled for a few seconds. "Well, I'd say security is what you'd expect for a company of that size and reputation. It's not Fort Knox, but an outsider would have a difficult time breaching their perimeter."

Ryon smirked. "They didn't count on us."

Kira doubted most of the population would be a match for Alpha Pack.

Nick ignored the comment. "Give us the rundown of what they've got-how many guards and so forth."

"There's a security guard on each level of the building at all hours, and they work in three shifts-day, evening, and deep nights. There are cameras on every floor . . . except in the basement," she recalled, sitting up straight. Why had she never realized that before?

"I'm guessing the basement is where you found the tissue samples," Jax said.

"Yes, in the restricted lab area down there. And when I was escaping that night, it's also where I could have sworn I heard a male voice begging for help." She shivered at the memory. "It was brief, but terrible. I thought I was just frightened, imagining things."

"But you don't think so now?" Nick asked.

"No. With everything that's come to light, I believe it's highly possible I heard someone in need of assistance. Or at least got an impression of pain and desperation."

"An impression?"

She nodded. "I get feelings from people, pick up their emotions. It's gotten much stronger since I've been here. Actually, it wasn't until I got here that I really was sure of it. I'd say that sounds crazy, but among this group . . ."

Nick's tough veneer cracked some, his eyes warming. "You're an Empath. It's an occupational hazard."

Silence fell and she became aware of the others staring at her. She'd thought it possible, but to hear Nick announce it in a room full of guys with unrivaled special abilities made her more than a bit self-conscious. What good was one puny Empath in comparison?

"That may be, but it's hardly a useful talent," she demurred. "Anyway, I have a friend inside who I'm pretty sure will help us. His name is A. J. Stone and he's a security guard."