Savage Betrayal: Savage, Book 2 (32 page)

“Don’t you see? I couldn’t let Thom Wilson stay alive. Jocelyn was all upset, though she never confessed to the murders.”

What murders?

“So I hired some junkie who would’ve done anything for a fix. Once he managed to give Thom that injection, all he had to do was tell him to park the car in the garage, get in it and turn on the engine.”

“And he died from carbon monoxide poisoning. How do you live with yourself?” She gave him a look of disgust. “He had a family.”

Andrew’s smile vanished. “Look, it’s not like I didn’t feel guilty about it. But he was threatening Jocelyn and I couldn’t let that happen.”

“She was your meal ticket.”

“Dammit, I cared for her! And you know how she thanks me? That bitch fired me—kicked me out of her life and condo like I was fucking nothing. After everything I’d done for her.”

“She probably didn’t like the idea of you seducing her teenage niece.”

“I wasn’t her assistant then, she barely knew who I was. Feloray Laboratories had me working in that hellhole building where the experiments were being held.”

It didn’t matter, none of his shitty excuses nullified what he’d done. The life he’d taken. “And I supposed you killed Wesley Parker as well?”

“Wesley?”

“The druggie you hired.” Their POI who’d just been found dead.

“Oh him. I gotta say, that was awesome. I got hella lucky when that dumbshit overdosed legitimately.”

“You’re a fucking heartless bastard.”

“Me? No, you’ve got it wrong. Don’t you get it yet?” Andrew grabbed her shirt, halting her progress. “Your aunt is the heartless one. She’s probably killed, or had killed, more people than some dictators. She’s also guilty of the death of your parents.”

Her heart nearly stopped, and then started a slow erratic thud again. The accusation was ludicrous and completely implausible.

Wasn’t it?

“I was there, asshole,” she rasped. “I know she didn’t kill them.”

“Do you really know that? Yes, you were there. And did it ever occur to you that maybe you saw too much?” He stepped forward, his face just inches away from hers. “That maybe you had your memory wiped because of it.”

Another part of Thom’s letter flickered in her head. Memory wipes on shifter women and children. Could Andrew be on to something? Had something sinister happened that day?

Grace stumbled, nearly falling into the snow that was almost above her knees now. The lodge wasn’t even in their line of vision anymore, and she couldn’t be certain they were even technically on the path.

“See, I took notes when Thom came to visit and I’ve done a little research of my own. The man who wiped your memory when you were a kid worked for the P.I.A. and was in bed with your aunt—literally. Apparently it always haunted him and was a deathbed confession to Thom.”

Wiped your memory when you were a kid.
No. It couldn’t be possible. She shook her head, but even as she did there were flashes of her childhood. The constant resentment toward her aunt and the sadness and anger she’d struggled with. Her aunt had always told her she was just a moody child and hormonal teen—had often encouraged her to go on medication.

But had it been a lingering undertone of a memory she couldn’t remember? Had Jocelyn killed her parents?

“Grace, what is he talking about?” Aubree glanced between them, arms folded across her chest and her teeth chattering.

Grace was abruptly brought back to the present, and the very serious threat of hypothermia. They weren’t dressed for these conditions. The whole idea that Andrew had kidnapped them both and dragged them out into the mountains was surreal to say the least.

“Andrew, we need to get Aubree back inside the car. She’s pregnant, for heaven’s sake.”

“In good fucking time, Grace,” he yelled, and then dug something out of his pocket that looked like a recording device.

What did he want her to say? This whole night was such a clusterfuck. Being abducted by their aunt’s knock-off Abercrombie-and-Finch-model lover. They wouldn’t be in this situation if she hadn’t run from Darrius tonight. If she hadn’t panicked.

Instead of questioning their mating, she should’ve celebrated it. Celebrated that somehow he’d managed to claim her, even though he’d supposedly already taken a mate once.

But she hadn’t. She’d run instead—probably leaving him with anger and self-doubt.

Darrius was her lover. Her mate. And she couldn’t regret that. She only hoped he could see into her heart right now. Hear her thoughts.

I’m so sorry, Darrius. If anything happens, please know I don’t regret anything.

“Aubree, you move a muscle and your sister dies. Grace, I want you to look around.” Andrew’s harsh order interrupted her message to her mate. “Surely you’d remember the spot your parents died.”

The words knocked the breath from her, and she found herself obeying him. Turning, she let her gaze slide over the darkness and where the cliff seemed to drop off.

Despite it being nightfall, the moon, snow, and her wolf sense gave her enough ability to see things. She remembered parts of that day. Remembered fields of blue flowers…

Flowers like the ones she now created every time she worked with glass in her garage. Flowers like the tattoo she’d gotten on the back of her neck at eighteen.

Her heart started to thump faster. She closed her eyes, trying to remember. Something was there, buried deep into her conscience, but she couldn’t pull it up. But instinctively she knew there was something she should be remembering.

Emotions were just below the surface of her memory. Terror. Shock. And horror. So much horror.

“You’re remembering something. This is good, Grace. Real good. Now tell me exactly what happened that day…”

“Hilliard, are you in position?”

“Affirmative. I can confirm visual on the two hostages,” Darrius replied into the tiny mic along his jawline. He was hunkered down behind a tree, never letting his gaze slip from the three people near the edge of the cliff.

Donovan had come around on the north end of the group and was also positioned to take out their tango. Larson and Yorioka were out in the woods as well, preparing to try and rescue Aubree.

They were set up for a standard op, but nothing about the situation was standard. The victims were Darrius’s mate and her pregnant sister.

“What do you remember?”

The way Andrew leaned in too close to Grace to ask the question had Darrius itching to pull the trigger on his Glock.

“Don’t do it, Hilliard.” Donovan must’ve sensed his fury.

“I’ve got a clear shot,” he muttered.

“Yeah, me too, but we can’t take it. Killing a shifter gets you in deep shit.”

There was no arguing that. Donovan had nearly been kicked out of the P.I.A. for killing a shifter who had gone after Sienna.

“I’m thinking I can just slow him down by shooting him in the leg.”

“Grace is too close, you don’t want to risk it.”

“Larson, have you gotten close enough to grab the sister?” Darrius asked.

“Making my way in. But I don’t trust this guy, he’s jumpy. Like he’s drugged or something.”

“I asked what the hell you remember?” Andrew demanded again.

“Things I wish I didn’t.” Grace’s words were quiet. Haunted. And with obvious reluctance.

“You remember her killing your parents after an argument?”

“Yes. They didn’t fall over that cliff—she pushed them.”

“That’s right. That’s exactly what I heard happened.” His voice rose with excitement, but he suddenly froze and grabbed Grace, jerking her to him and pressing the gun against her temple.

“I know you’re there. Come out,” he yelled.

“Nobody move,” Larson snarled in a harsh whisper. “Stand your ground until I give an order otherwise.”

But there was a rustling noise as someone began to emerge from the trees.

Darrius held his breath, wondering which agent had been stupid enough to defy their alpha. But it wasn’t an agent who stepped from the woods.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Unlike any of the other people here, Jocelyn was dressed for the cold. A long, fur-lined jacket that looked as if it belonged on a red carpet event in Aspen, rather than the middle of the night in the Olympic Mountains.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. I don’t believe this shit,” Darrius muttered.

“I’ve got a clear shot of Jocelyn if you want me to take it,” Donovan mentioned a little too casually. “You don’t have any idea how much I want to take this bitch out.”

Darrius smiled humorlessly. Oh, he had a pretty good idea.

“Stand down,” Larson finally spoke. “And cut the goddamn chatter.”

“I guess it was too much to hope you were more than just a pretty face, Andy.” Jocelyn strode into the middle of the group.

“I loved you, Jocelyn.”

She rolled her eyes. “You loved my bank account.”

“I—”

“You fucked up. Abducting my nieces proved just how stupid you really are. You don’t touch my family.” The last words were said with slow deliberation.

His disbelieving laugh snapped through the trees. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re not going to actually pretend you care for them. You
murdered
their parents.”

Darrius watched Jocelyn, a little more than curious to see her reaction. Was there truth to it? But besides a slight tightening of her jaw, there was none.

“You’re acting irrationally, Andy. You really should lay off the drugs.”

“You fucking whore, you’re the one supplying them!”

“Is there no end to your evil, Jocelyn?” Grace spoke finally, her voice quiet and yet threaded with accusation. “You probably ordered Thom murdered and my attack when I got too close to the truth.”

“Actually, no. I’ve told you that from the beginning. I had absolutely nothing to do with Thom’s death. Apparently that was my ambitious little assistant.” She sighed and turned a brittle stare at her assistant. “I must say I’m learning all sorts of unpleasant things today. Andy, you’ve been quite busy. Seducing minors, murdering middle-aged men… ”

Andrew’s eyes rounded and he looked ready to blow. “I killed him for you. You should be kissing my ass.”

“Ready yourselves,” Larson warned.

Darrius heeded the order, leveling his gun at Andrew. He flicked a glance at Aubree. She must’ve known this was her chance, because she was inching toward the woods and away from her abductor.

Jocelyn laughed, thrusting her hands into the pockets of her fur jacket. “You killed him because you’re an idiot.”

“Screw you all. You’re just as guilty of murder as I am, Jocelyn. If I go down, you go down.” He jerked Grace harder against him, rough enough that it must’ve hurt because she flinched.

You’re going to die, boy.
Darrius allowed his finger to graze lightly over the trigger but before he could move or Larson could give the order to fire, a savage snarl ripped through the air and there was a blur of black.

“Now who in the hell is that?” Donovan muttered in disbelief.

Shock reflected in Andrew’s eyes as well, before the wolf was upon him. Grace pulled free and slammed her elbow into his face, helping in his descent to the snowy ground.

“Apprehend the tangos!” Larson commanded.

Larson and Donovan surrounded Jocelyn, who seemed to have no intention of leaving and seemed almost amused by the turn of events. Certainly not surprised.

Darrius, however, had only one goal, and when he finally reached her side, he swore he’d never leave it again.

“You found me.” Grace bit back a sob of relief and flung herself into Darrius’s arms as he strode purposefully toward her.

Being pulled into his hard embrace gave her the reassurance and security she’d so desperately needed. She wanted to just melt into him and stay there until she had the energy to move. But then she remembered…

“
Aubree.
” She struggled free of him, remembering the danger her sister might be in.

Darrius pulled his gun out and turned and followed her gaze. They both watched as the wolf who’d attacked Andrew began to shift back to human. Aubree’s features took form before she took a step away from Andrew and collapsed.

“She shifted,” Darrius muttered in disbelief.

Aubree might’ve taken him down in wolf form, but in human she was half Andrew’s size. And Andrew knew it. In an instant he’d knocked her down, and pinned her on her stomach. He grabbed her hair, tugging her head back and exposing her neck.

“You want to ruin my life, Jocelyn? Watch me ruin hers.”

When his canines flashed in the moonlight, Grace leapt forward with a shriek of fury.

Before Darrius could shoot, or Grace could shift, there was another blur of movement as Yorioka rushed forward in wolf form. In an instant, she’d knocked Andrew off Aubree and pinned him to the ground.

When he growled in dismay and swung his gun toward Yorioka, Darrius pulled the trigger and Andrew slumped back into the snow.