Kissing Sin (33 page)

I
t was near five by the time we arrived at Genoveve, and considering we should have been there in the morning rather than late in the afternoon, Jack was in a surprisingly good mood. I wish the same could be said for Quinn. He was standing near the windows, looking out over the old arena, his hands clasped behind his back and tension riding his shoulders. His air of disapproval and anger hit so hard it was like a physical blow. I staggered, gasping to breathe as the air around me seemed to bubble and boil in fury.

Kade grabbed my arm, holding me upright. “Jesus, what’s happening?”

“Riley?” Rhoan said, almost at the same time.

I ignored them both, my gaze boring into Quinn’s stiff back as I gasped, “Quinn, stop it.”

He glanced at me sharply, then the sense of his anger snapped into nothingness, and suddenly I could breathe again.

I put a hand up, stopping Rhoan as he hurried toward me. “It’s okay. I’m okay.” I squeezed Kade’s hand, and he released me, yet kept near, as if afraid I was going to topple again.

Rhoan frowned as his gaze drifted between me and Quinn. “What happened?”

“I can sense what Quinn is feeling if he isn’t shielding properly.”

Rhoan’s frown deepened, but it was Jack who said, “Empathy is not one of your talents.”

“I don’t think it’s empathy, or I’d be sensing what everyone was feeling.” I hesitated. “I think it has more to do with that link we created when we were about to raid Talon’s labs. It seems to have gone deeper than we intended.”

Jack didn’t look convinced. “And it might just be the first sign that the ARC1-23 is starting to take effect. We’ll have to get you back into the lab for more tests.”

“Sorry, but I’m over being pricked, prodded, and poked right now.” In
more
ways than one. “Let’s just get this mess sorted out first.”

He grunted, and looked back to his com-screen. “It seems Misha is finally giving us some worthwhile information.”

I walked across to one of the comfy chairs and plonked down. Kade stayed where he was and leaned a shoulder against the wall. Quinn continued to do his silent and angry vampire act.

“In what way?” I asked Jack.

He leaned back in his chair, and practically beamed. In all the years I’d worked for him, I’d never seen him this happy, and I wasn’t entirely sure whether to be amused or scared.

“We’ve been aware of the Helki pack’s activities for some time,” he said. “They’re black-market racketeers and sell everything from stolen car parts to government secrets. But because you wolves tend to be very tightly knit, we’ve been unable to get anyone in there to collect the proof we need.”

“Without getting anyone in there, you’re not going to be able to glean too much information about them.”

“No, only what we’re able to ascertain from keeping a continuous watch on them.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That wouldn’t happen to be where Gautier’s been this last month, is it?”

Jack nodded. “It’s better we keep him out of trouble while we decide what to do with him.”

“But if he’s working for these people, he’s not likely to report back anything useful. He might even warn the Helki pack they’re being watched.”

“He might not give us real information, but I doubt he’d warn them. That would be showing his hand, and I don’t think he’s ready to do that yet.”

I tucked my legs up underneath me. “Misha really didn’t give us a name or anything else to start with. He just pointed us to the pack.”

“Ah, but he did give a name.” Rhoan’s eyes twinkled mischievously—a sure sign he was taking a dig. “Don’t tell me you can’t remember Robert, the wolf you had just before Talon and Misha? Wasn’t he the love of your life?”

Robert
. I snorted even as I remembered him, and barely resisted the urge to throw something at my brother. But only because there wasn’t anything within immediate reach. “For all of a few weeks. Until I realized the bastard was using me to get closer to you.”

He grinned. “Actually, he had this fantasy about the three of—”

“Don’t even go there.”

“Bringing this back to business,” Jack said, giving Rhoan an annoyed look. “There’s a Roberta Whitby who is the current head of the Helki pack.”

Rhoan and I shared a surprised glance. “A woman is the head of the pack?” he said.

“Yes. Why?”

“Because women are never head of the packs. It’s always an alpha male.”

“Then the Helki pack are obviously one of your more progressive packs.”

“There is no such thing as a progressive pack in this matter,” Rhoan refuted. “Alpha’s lead, not women, not betas, not gammas. It’s the rule of the wild, and it’s the rule of the pack.” He glanced at me. “There’ll be a reason why she leads.”

“There just might be,” I said slowly. “Misha told me the Helki pack are true shifters—some can take on other animal forms, and some can take on other human forms. One of the men who assaulted me in that research cell is one of Misha’s clone-mates—and he can apparently take on various human shapes. What if this Roberta was the cell donor? What if
he
can take on various human shapes because
she
could?”

Rhoan’s frown deepened. “That still wouldn’t explain why a woman leads the pack.”

“But what if she’s something similar to a hermaphrodite? What if she can take on female
and
male form?”

“That’s not possible,” Jack said.

“Isn’t it? Hermaphrodites exist. If a shifter was born with male and female bits, might it not be possible that he—or she—could take on both forms?”

“That’s a bit of a leap.”

“Maybe not.” I hesitated, remembered my initial reaction on seeing Mrs. Hunt last night—a reaction I’d almost convinced myself to be the result of scrambled brain cells. But put those memories next to Misha’s guarded words, and maybe the memories weren’t that scrambled after all. “Misha said last night that Mrs. Hunt and the man who used me in the breeding center were very close indeed. What if that was his way of saying they were one and the same person?”

“It’d have to be a long shot, surely,” Kade commented.

“Would it? They have the same eyes, and more importantly, they have the same scent.”

“No two spoors smell exactly the same,” Rhoan commented. “Even in a family unit, there are slight differences.”

“Maybe.” Jack didn’t sound convinced, but added, “Though it would certainly explain why the various members of the pack have slipped through the traps we’ve set.”

“It could also mean the man in overall charge of the labs can assume any shape,” Rhoan commented grimly. “Which means he could be anyone, anywhere.”

“It would also explain what happened last night,” Quinn commented, his voice totally devoid of emotion.

Yet the heat of his anger whispered across my skin, fleetingly burning. Thankfully, this time it didn’t seem to be aimed at me.

“So what happened last night after I left?” I asked curiously.

Quinn still didn’t bother turning around. “Mrs. Hunt went straight home after making her statement to the police. The chauffeur put the car away, then went upstairs to the small apartment above the garage. Twenty minutes later, the garage doors opened and the chauffeur was driving back out. Only if the heat signatures were anything to go by, the chauffeur was still in the flat, and the man driving the car was actually Mrs. Hunt.”

“You followed the car?”

“To a small house in Gosford.”

“He’s still there?” And if so, why was Quinn here?

“Guardians now watch the place,” Jack said, as if reading my thoughts. “I thought Quinn might be more useful back here.”

Where Jack could keep a close eye on him, obviously. “Has Roberta got a daughter?”

He nodded. “Nasia. She was a research scientist at the Holgram Pharmaceutical Laboratories, but quit about seven years ago. According to tax department records, she hasn’t had a job since then.”

“Or simply hasn’t paid tax.”

He nodded again. “If she’s in charge of the second lab, that’s logical.”

“So,” Kade said heavily, “we have several people who are either full- or half-Helki, and all of them are probably able to take on any damn form they like. How in hell are we going to catch them?”

“We grab the man at Gosford first—”

“The minute you grab him, any useful information will be burned away,” I butted in. “He’ll be another Talon.”

“If we grab him fast enough, we might be able to stop that from happening.” Jack shrugged. “We cannot take the chance of him escaping.”

“Better a fried mind than letting him go free to milk more specimens,” Kade murmured.

With that, I had to agree. “What about this Roberta?”

“We snatch her as well.”

“But won’t that raise the alarm for the rest of them?”

“I’m hoping it does, and that in their scramble for cover, they’ll make a mistake and reveal themselves fully.”

“So how do you intend to snatch Roberta? I wouldn’t recommend you sending people in there, because not even guardians could get a pack leader out unseen.”

“Fortunately for us, she drives down to Melbourne every Monday night to meet with various friends.” He paused, frowning lightly. “Of course, if the daughter is also able to take various shapes, maybe it has been her the mother has been meeting all along.”

“Which would imply they might know they are being watched,” Kade commented.

“Or it might be that they’re taking no chances after Talon’s capture,” Quinn said.

“Then why wouldn’t Roberta take another form?” Kade said.

“Easy,” Rhoan said. “She’s an alpha, and would think she’s more than capable of defending herself. They’re arrogant like that.”

Maybe that was where Talon had got it from. Maybe even Misha had Helki genes, though if he was able to take on other shapes, I doubt it was something he’d ever admit to me.

“It doesn’t matter,” Jack said. “We snatch Roberta tonight, and we place a tail on whoever is at that restaurant to meet her.”

I raised my eyebrows. “How will you know who is meeting her?”

Jack smiled. “Even the most cunning make simple mistakes. They book the same table every week because it’s in a corner, and apparently presents a nice view of the St. Kilda pier and beach.”

I glanced at the clock. “It’s nearly five-thirty now—surely Roberta will already be on her way down?” Especially considering Bendigo was almost two hours away from Melbourne.

Jack nodded. “She usually reaches the domain tunnel about seven-fifteen. That’s where we intend to hit her.”

“In the tunnel? That’ll make you popular with the rush-hour motorists.”

“It’s the last place she’ll think we’ll try.”

“Hadn’t we better get moving then?”

Jack gave me the look that said, “Don’t try telling me how to do my job.” “
We
aren’t going anywhere, because
you
have a meeting with Misha tonight.” I opened my mouth to argue, but he held up a hand. “You want answers, don’t you? Misha is certainly giving them, and we can’t afford to forsake that right now.”

“We may just be helping Misha take over the whole shebang.”

“I think you’ll find Misha’s reasons for this are a whole lot more personal,” Quinn commented, looking over his shoulder and meeting my gaze. “It may be a conquest he desires, but that conquest has nothing to do with his clone brothers or his maker’s son.”

Meaning what he wanted most was me? I snorted softly. “Misha doesn’t love me, Quinn. And in case you’ve missed what’s been happening, he still has me in his bed.”

He raised a dark eyebrow. “Who mentioned love? This isn’t about love—it’s about possession.”

“Whether it is or isn’t is beyond the point,” Jack interrupted. “Fact is, you will go to him tonight and continue questioning him. Meantime, Kade, Rhoan, and myself will join the team at the domain tunnel.”

“While I do what?” Quinn said remotely.

“The Sydney team should be here at eight with the Gosford man. I thought you might like to help with the interrogation.”

The slow smile that touched his lips sent a chill up my spine. If the man who was Mrs. Hunt had any secrets left, Quinn would find them. And he had no intentions of being gentle. If Mrs. Hunt had any sort of reasoning capacity left at the end of it, I’d be very surprised indeed.

All he said was “Willingly.”

Jack thrust to his feet. “Then we should go. Riley, I’ve arranged a car to take you into Lygon Street. We still have the place staked out, so you should be perfectly safe.”

Should and would were two entirely different things. I had an odd suspicion that things were going too right for us, that the wheel was about to turn yet again. I rubbed my arms and ignored the premonition. It was only fear—or a simple reluctance to be with Misha again. Clairvoyance wasn’t a talent I’d shown the slightest aptitude for—despite what Jack’s test had said—and it certainly wasn’t one I wanted to be developing.

“I’d prefer to drive myself.” Especially given I had no intention of hanging around here with only Quinn and guardians for company. There were better things I could be doing—like checking out a certain restaurant.