Chapter One
“What is this?”
The low-level Pack member tried to shut his laptop but Grace reached out and held it open, reading the screen. Her skin crawled as she saw the data there.
“I thought I said this wasn’t to be tested.”
The wolf had the good sense to look down. “Warren told me to pass the reports on to the lab down in Nashville.”
Her jaw locked and she took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to lose it or call attention to herself.
“Fine. But you need to CC me on everything. How can I do effective research if I don’t know everything going on? This sort of thing, people doing all this around me and messing with the stream of data could set us back. I hardly think that’s what your Alpha wants.” Alpha, ha, that was laughable.
“Of course, Grace. I apologize.”
Still, she knew none of them would do anything Warren didn’t authorize. She pulled a phone from the pocket of her lab coat and called Warren Pellini’s personal number.
“Warren, it’s Grace. Look you need to be sure that when you’re having the data sent elsewhere, I’m alerted.”
“I thought you didn’t want that data used. I wanted it to be sent where it might be seen with different eyes.” His voice was cold.
She sighed her impatience. She didn’t need to fake that. “Look, you brought me back to do this research. If you go around me and all sorts of data gets mixed from the different formulas and I don’t know it, how can I make any accurate predictions of efficacy? All this stuff just floating out there from Pack to Pack. It’s not secure, you don’t know who’s doing it under what control situations. I’m the doctor here, Warren, and I have the expertise you need. Let me do my damned job or don’t waste my time.”
He paused and she wondered for a bit if she hadn’t overplayed her hand but after a time he cleared his throat. “Very well. You’ll be alerted. I want the Nashville lab to have that data. We have some subjects down there I’m told are perfect for trials. You have full access, Grace, don’t disappoint me.” Nausea threatened at what she knew would happen to the homeless humans the Pack would use.
The call ended and within moments the wolf at the terminal got a message. A second after that he turned to her and nodded.
She needed to move and soon. Just another few days until she got more information and she’d get out. She couldn’t risk it much longer without actively helping them or really exposing herself.
Warren’s spies were everywhere, she trusted absolutely no one, not even her own parents. She just had to hold it together, every day, until she got home. Then she could turn on the shower and weep. Let the terror sweep through her until she had nothing left to cry with and managed to stumble into bed where fitful nightmares kept her awake.
So she could come back the next day, mask firmly in place, to play his f**ked-up game and take him down. It had to happen and she would do what she had to. When she’d seen that first body come through her emergency room seven months earlier, she’d known Warren was responsible for it. Even if no one else in her Pack or her family knew right from wrong, Grace did. She hadn’t left the Group and headed to medical school to pledge her life to helping people so Warren Pellini could unleash biological warfare on wolf and human alike. He had to be stopped.
It hadn’t been easy to get back in touch. She’d had to earn his trust again but his ridiculous ego had been her best weapon in the end. He couldn’t believe anyone would truly ever want to leave him, so within three months she’d gotten back into his good graces enough to get access to his labs. At least at one level. Since he’d killed several of his people in a fit of anger after the whole debacle with the Great Lakes Enforcer and the Cascadia people, she’d been far more important to him. Which put her a lot closer to the information she needed
Now she had access to the information which would eventually, or hopefully, bring him down. She just had to take it little by little in dribs and drabs. And hope no one caught her because if they did, who she was wouldn’t save her.
“I don’t need your permission, Lex. If you recall, I’m the Alpha here. So, well, that means what I say goes. It’s pretty cool when you think about it.” Cade Warden crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his brother, who crossed his arms and glared back.
“I’m aware of that, Cade. I’m your Enforcer. Your Second, which means I’m your advisor. Especially on issues of safety. You going to Chicago right now isn’t safe. It’s not advisable at all. There’s a war, remember?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact I do. If you recall, I’m the one who declared it.”
“Oh. My. God.” Nina Warden, Lex’s mate, stepped into the fray. “Cade, Lex is just watching out for your well-being.”
“Nina, this doesn’t concern you. I’m not having this discussion any further. It has to happen. Not only is Tegan tied up in knots over Ben taking this position in Great Lakes, but this new FBI task force needs to be sorted out. I’m not just going to let all this go on around me while I stay here.”
“This does so concern me!”
Cade turned to where his sister-in-law lay propped in bed. “Nina, I love you so I usually let you have a lot of leeway in most things. Add to that, you’re often right. But right now, you’re supposed to be on your back in bed so you don’t lose your damned pregnancy and Lex is needed here. I’m needed in Chicago.”
“What is this?”
The low-level Pack member tried to shut his laptop but Grace reached out and held it open, reading the screen. Her skin crawled as she saw the data there.
“I thought I said this wasn’t to be tested.”
The wolf had the good sense to look down. “Warren told me to pass the reports on to the lab down in Nashville.”
Her jaw locked and she took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to lose it or call attention to herself.
“Fine. But you need to CC me on everything. How can I do effective research if I don’t know everything going on? This sort of thing, people doing all this around me and messing with the stream of data could set us back. I hardly think that’s what your Alpha wants.” Alpha, ha, that was laughable.
“Of course, Grace. I apologize.”
Still, she knew none of them would do anything Warren didn’t authorize. She pulled a phone from the pocket of her lab coat and called Warren Pellini’s personal number.
“Warren, it’s Grace. Look you need to be sure that when you’re having the data sent elsewhere, I’m alerted.”
“I thought you didn’t want that data used. I wanted it to be sent where it might be seen with different eyes.” His voice was cold.
She sighed her impatience. She didn’t need to fake that. “Look, you brought me back to do this research. If you go around me and all sorts of data gets mixed from the different formulas and I don’t know it, how can I make any accurate predictions of efficacy? All this stuff just floating out there from Pack to Pack. It’s not secure, you don’t know who’s doing it under what control situations. I’m the doctor here, Warren, and I have the expertise you need. Let me do my damned job or don’t waste my time.”
He paused and she wondered for a bit if she hadn’t overplayed her hand but after a time he cleared his throat. “Very well. You’ll be alerted. I want the Nashville lab to have that data. We have some subjects down there I’m told are perfect for trials. You have full access, Grace, don’t disappoint me.” Nausea threatened at what she knew would happen to the homeless humans the Pack would use.
The call ended and within moments the wolf at the terminal got a message. A second after that he turned to her and nodded.
She needed to move and soon. Just another few days until she got more information and she’d get out. She couldn’t risk it much longer without actively helping them or really exposing herself.
Warren’s spies were everywhere, she trusted absolutely no one, not even her own parents. She just had to hold it together, every day, until she got home. Then she could turn on the shower and weep. Let the terror sweep through her until she had nothing left to cry with and managed to stumble into bed where fitful nightmares kept her awake.
So she could come back the next day, mask firmly in place, to play his f**ked-up game and take him down. It had to happen and she would do what she had to. When she’d seen that first body come through her emergency room seven months earlier, she’d known Warren was responsible for it. Even if no one else in her Pack or her family knew right from wrong, Grace did. She hadn’t left the Group and headed to medical school to pledge her life to helping people so Warren Pellini could unleash biological warfare on wolf and human alike. He had to be stopped.
It hadn’t been easy to get back in touch. She’d had to earn his trust again but his ridiculous ego had been her best weapon in the end. He couldn’t believe anyone would truly ever want to leave him, so within three months she’d gotten back into his good graces enough to get access to his labs. At least at one level. Since he’d killed several of his people in a fit of anger after the whole debacle with the Great Lakes Enforcer and the Cascadia people, she’d been far more important to him. Which put her a lot closer to the information she needed
Now she had access to the information which would eventually, or hopefully, bring him down. She just had to take it little by little in dribs and drabs. And hope no one caught her because if they did, who she was wouldn’t save her.
“I don’t need your permission, Lex. If you recall, I’m the Alpha here. So, well, that means what I say goes. It’s pretty cool when you think about it.” Cade Warden crossed his arms over his chest and glared at his brother, who crossed his arms and glared back.
“I’m aware of that, Cade. I’m your Enforcer. Your Second, which means I’m your advisor. Especially on issues of safety. You going to Chicago right now isn’t safe. It’s not advisable at all. There’s a war, remember?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact I do. If you recall, I’m the one who declared it.”
“Oh. My. God.” Nina Warden, Lex’s mate, stepped into the fray. “Cade, Lex is just watching out for your well-being.”
“Nina, this doesn’t concern you. I’m not having this discussion any further. It has to happen. Not only is Tegan tied up in knots over Ben taking this position in Great Lakes, but this new FBI task force needs to be sorted out. I’m not just going to let all this go on around me while I stay here.”
“This does so concern me!”
Cade turned to where his sister-in-law lay propped in bed. “Nina, I love you so I usually let you have a lot of leeway in most things. Add to that, you’re often right. But right now, you’re supposed to be on your back in bed so you don’t lose your damned pregnancy and Lex is needed here. I’m needed in Chicago.”
