Wicked Bite (Realm Enforcers #5)(28)

Jasper sighed. "Human deaths, I assume?"

"If they had been witch deaths, I would've already called," she muttered.

He straightened. "Of course. I'm sorry."

"No worries." She straightened her posture. "I've infiltrated the Grizzly Motorcycle Club compound, and two of the deaths occurred there. Another human female overdosed, but I was able to save her." 

He reared back. "We'd wondered."

"Aye." Nessa swallowed. "Turns out I can assist humans with Apollo because of the PK."

Jasper's eyebrows drew down like they did when a junior officer screwed up. "You took too great a risk in finding out."

"It was worth it." She leaned toward the computer screen. "The Grizzly MC is definitely in the middle of the new Apollo trafficking, but they're covering their tracks well. Has anything happened at home?"

"Not yet, but we're keeping a close eye on Dublin. Sources say Apollo darts are set to arrive soon, but we haven't been able to track down a date." His eyes sizzled. "All intel points to Seattle as the location of the manufacturer still. I think you should have backup there."

She shook her head. "No. I barely got into the Grizzly compound. If I add another witch, it'll jeopardize the entire investigation."

"The dossier on Bear McDunphy says that he strongly dislikes witches. Except his sister," Jasper said.

Nessa nodded. Bear hadn't seemed to dislike her too badly when he'd been kissing her senseless the night before. "I know. He's a wild card. He's back in human form now."

"Tell me you haven't tried to heal him."

Nessa widened her eyes. "I promised Simone I would. So I am."

Jasper glanced over his shoulder and then back. "I guess that would inspire his trust." He leaned in and lowered his voice. "From all indications, if Bear discovers you work for the Guard, he might try to kill you."

"Good thing I can fight," she returned. "If you remember."

Jasper rubbed the area above his right eye where she'd clocked him during their last training session. "Aye. I remember." He stared directly into the camera. How many times had they communicated this way over the years? Too many. "It goes against all the regulations for you to be on assignment without backup. With only the two of us knowing about it."

Apollo was that deadly. "If the drug gets to Dublin, and those darts are used in any setting, we'll lose witches. A lot of them." She appreciated her friend worrying about her, but national security trumped safety. "This is too important, Jasper." They'd been buddies who had covered each other's backs many times through the years, and she trusted him. "If I need backup, I'll let you know."

He typed for a moment. "There's chatter, Nessa. Operatives are checking in all over the world having observed coded chatter. Odd movements of enemies and mercenaries."

She straightened. "You think there's a worldwide campaign commencing?"

"Aye," Jasper said.

Bollocks. They'd always known there was an endgame to the Apollo drug and that it involved harming a lot of witches. Possible targets would be anybody in government, medical research, or politics. Probably private citizens as well. "Get coverage on anybody we think might be a target, and no group assembling for the time being. Is there any intel we can pursue right now?" she asked.

"No, but the clock is counting down. The attack is imminent. We need to find the manufacturer, and now." Jasper leaned even closer to the screen. "Is Bear McDunphy behind the distribution?"

"I don't want to think so, considering his sister is a witch," she said slowly. Of course, her opinion might be clouded by his hot body and drugging kisses. "He's lying about not shifting for the last three months. His body would be a little better healed if he'd stayed in bear form for an entire season."



       
         
       
        

Jasper's eyebrows lifted. "When did he shift?"

She was doing her best to be logical, but her stomach ached at the thought that Bear might be trying to kill her people. "I don't know. It seemed like his crew didn't know he'd shifted back. They acted as if they hadn't seen him in a long time."

"Did anybody expressly say it had been three months?" Jasper asked.

Nessa thought back to the party. "No. I don't think so."

"Perhaps it had just been a month. Or even a couple of weeks. They still might be glad to see him." Jasper's gaze darkened. "Step very carefully, Nessa. Besides the council job, you haven't been undercover in a long time. The entire motorcycle club might be organized around the Apollo drug, and you're over there all alone."