Enticing Their Mate(10)
Armed with ice wrapped in a towel and the medication, he returned to take care of the victim. When he entered his room, she seemed to be peacefully asleep, so he decided not to disturb her. He set the glass of water and aspirin on the side table then dumped the ice in the bathroom sink. Understanding she needed the healing rest, he stepped out of the room and would return later to check on her.
It was time to see to the man who had brutalized this woman. The moment he spotted him slumped in the chair, tied up, and bandaged, Connolly’s fangs extended and hair sprouted.
“Easy now,” Dante said. “He’s in no shape for a beating.”
Connolly growled just as Dante’s cell rang. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s Jay.”
Connolly nodded, but he wasn’t happy to have to delay his fact-finding mission. Timing was critical. As soon as Dante disconnected, Connolly would make sure these two understood why Jay and Riley could never learn that he, too, worked for the General.
“Understood,” Dante said. “Stay in touch.” He faced Connolly. “Apparently, Statler’s at the warehouse right now but Jay doesn’t know for now long.”
Connolly’s lip curled and his bones cracked. He wanted the man bad, but he couldn’t do it alone. He spotted the swipe card around the guard’s neck and an idea popped into his head. As much as he wanted to rip the ID badge off the man, he didn’t want to break it. After lifting it from around the man’s neck, Connolly smiled.
The guard roused. “What do you think you’re gonna do with that? Walk in?”
The guard acted as if that was a bad idea. “As a matter of fact, yes I am.”
“My name’s on the badge.”
He only intended to use it to get through the door. “I can see that.” He faced the two men. “May I speak with you alone?”
Dante had secured the man well, so Connolly didn’t fear he’d escape. They followed him into the living room.
“What do you need?” Trax asked.
“Do you have the layout of the inside of the warehouse?” He thought the General would have sent it to him, but he hadn’t received it yet.
He grinned. “Why, yes I do.”
* * *
After meeting Jay and Riley, both of whom exuded confidence and a focused grasp on the scope of Statler’s evil nature, Sarah practically bounced out of their motel room. She hadn’t felt this kind of joy since before she’d gone undercover all those months ago. Her lightness could have been from the belief the end was near, or from the cocoon of warmth emitted by Jay. The man listened to her every word and offered her sympathy and support when she needed it. He also acted as if she was the most important person in the world. Never before had she met anyone like him.
And then there was Riley. She couldn’t get a bead on him. The man exuded sex appeal but then acted as if any interest by a female was unwelcome. It didn’t really matter. They’d both be gone in a few days, which was a shame; something about them seriously appealed to her. Her military dad had drilled into her the need to toe the line, follow the rules, and do what was right. She’d lived by his philosophy except when it came to sex. Getting lost in a man’s touch and his hard loving ways was the only thing that helped keep her balanced, but only if her partner was amazingly hot or incredibly good-natured.
Jay had both traits in spades. Riley was bad boy-hot but was far from easy-going or overly friendly. He had offered to find her some antibiotics, though, and that counted for a lot.
Ten minutes after leaving their motel, Sarah reached her neighborhood. As a precaution, she drove past her street needing to be certain no one was following her. Twice she’d noticed a white car behind her, but it had eventually turned off. Whenever she spotted a vehicle for more than a few miles, a yucky twisting feeling settled in her stomach. It was why she’d had to learn evasive techniques.
Once she was certain she was safe, she pulled into her drive. Statler was paying for this place, so she shouldn’t complain, but the two-bedroom home was rundown—and it smelled of mold.
Her roommate, Amy, was nice, but she was highly attracted to the bad boys—aka Statler’s goons. As soon as Sarah stepped inside the home, she rushed to her room to change, needing to go for a run to help rid her body of all the day’s tension. The knots in her shoulders had been building from the moment Statler had them pack up their lab in such a hurry and move farther west.
Amy wouldn’t be home until eight, so Sarah planned to enjoy her few hours of freedom. She could only hope that Amy’s boyfriend, Russ, wouldn’t show up tonight. The guard gave her the creeps; he was always asking her odd questions that she suspected came from Statler himself. So far she’d been able to field the answers quite well, but after meeting with the men of the Pack today, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hide her newfound excitement from her roommate or her boyfriend.