Unmasking the Wolf (6 page)

He put the key in the ignition, but didn’t crank the engine. He gripped the steering wheel instead. The leather wrinkled beneath his palms as he squeezed. Holy shit, he wanted her. His vision sharpened. His skin tingled with the need to do something. Shift. Fuck. Run. Anything to rid his body of the excess energy flowing through it.

“Luke?” Gina touched his bicep. “What’s going on?”

Gritting his teeth, he forced his hands to unclench. He waited a couple seconds until he was sure the stark need on his face was hidden before he turned to look at her. Big mistake. In the glow from the street lamps, her tousled red hair and glimpses of skin sent visions of lovemaking through his mind.

Gina licked her lips nervously. “Do you know the way to Dominic’s apartment?”

Still struggling for control, he gave a jerky nod. “Yes.”

The engine turned over easily as he cranked it. Pulling out of the driveway, he turned south, toward the apartment. The hardest thing he’d ever done was deliver her safely home without touching her again.

Dominic’s expression when she walked in the door would’ve been comical had it not been directed at her.

“What the hell happened to your clothes?”

Shuffling inside, she tugged on the hem of Luke’s blazer to keep her dignity intact. “There was a bit of a mishap.”

“I’ll say.” Dominic tossed down the remote and approached her. His gaze zeroed in on the blazer. “Is that Luke’s?”

She lifted her chin. Damned interfering family members. “What if it is?”

Dominic’s tall, lean body bristled. “Look, I’m not trying to pry into your personal business.”

“Yes, you are.” She brushed past him. “You’re too much of a Moretti not to.”

“Seriously, Gina. What happened to your clothes?”

Sighing, she turned around to face him. “Promise you won’t freak.”

Dominic crossed his arms over his chest. “I can’t promise that.”

“Then I’m not telling you.” She flounced to the guest bedroom and slammed the door in his face. Shrugging out of Luke’s blazer, she lifted it to her nose and inhaled. It smelled of him . . . all manly and crisp cologne. She sniffed again. A tiny hint of something else was present. Almost wolf-like. But it couldn’t be from him. More than likely, he’d brushed against a wolf on a busy city sidewalk.

A banging started on the door. “Are you decent? If not, you’d better hurry because I’m coming in.”

“Hold on a minute,” she yelled to Dominic. Tossing aside Luke’s blazer, she quickly pulled on underwear and a pair of pajamas. She perched on the edge of the bed, tucking her feet beneath her. “Okay.”

Dominic opened the door and peered in. When he saw she was indeed dressed, he strode in. He put his hands on his slim hips and gave her a stern look. It was one her father had given her many times over the years. “So you went out with him?”

She plucked at a piece of lint on her lime-green pajama top. “It was just dinner.”

“Look, Luke’s a nice guy. I’m not saying he’s not. But you’ve got to be careful.”

“I am!” Gina flicked the lint away. “It’s not like I’m dating him.”

“You sure about that?” Dominic didn’t seem convinced.

“I’m positive.”

He motioned to the blazer. “And the lack of clothing?”

She winced. “Wellll . . . ”

“Gina,” he warned.

“I shifted, all right? A man held a gun on us and . . . ”

“Wait!” Dominic held up a hand. “Someone pulled a gun on you?”

“Yes, after we left the restaurant. He stole Luke’s keys. It was the weirdest thing. He didn’t even take the car.”

Dominic’s brows snapped together in a frown. “He only took the keys?”

“Yes. I guess I frightened him when I turned into a wolf.”

“Jesus.” Dominic’s face paled. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, feeling guilty she’d upset him. “I’m fine.”

He came forward and touched her shoulder. “No more shifting, okay? It’s not safe here.”

“That’s the same thing Luke told me. He said you’d told him about us.”

“It’s not exactly a secret I could’ve kept from him. We work too closely.”

Gina thought it odd her cousin would reveal his wolf nature. In Clinton, it was a well-kept secret. To admit it to anyone other than family or close friends was tantamount to treason. Dominic must really trust Luke to tell him. “He isn’t like most humans.”

Her cousin’s expression was guarded. “What do you mean?”

“I’m just being silly.” She waved her hand through the air as if to dispel the words she’d just spoken. “I feel like I’m missing something.”

Dominic opened his mouth, but he snapped it closed when his cell phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at it. “Shit. I have to take this.”

“Go ahead. It’s been a long day. I’m going to bed.”

After Dominic had gone to take his call, she climbed beneath the covers. She stretched lazily, her muscles protesting the movement. Shifting wasn’t something she did very often. Unlike her parents, who roamed the woods around Clinton in wolf form, Gina kept her shifting at a minimum. She couldn’t always resist the lure of her animal nature, but she’d learned to control her impulses at a young age. Tonight was the first time in months she’d ditched her human form. And only to protect a man she’d just met.

Groaning, she turned on her side and plumped her pillow. Try as she might, she couldn’t get the image of Luke’s kiss out of her mind. What would’ve happened had the thief not interrupted them?

•●•

Luke flicked on the lights and surveyed the lab. The stark white walls and cabinets glowed in the fluorescent lighting. The glass fronted case was locked. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Picking up the log, he saw Dominic had left a little after seven o’clock.

Shaking off the paranoia, Luke flipped off the lights and carefully locked the door behind him. Even if the thief had the keys to Mason Building, he couldn’t enter the lab. Only a specially created bar code on the plastic card he carried with him at all times could grant access. He and Dominic had one copy each. The likelihood of the cards being stolen was slim.

He left the building after speaking with the head of night security. Two extra guards were called in. Feeling better, he retrieved his car from the garage and headed home. His penthouse was located on Boylston Street, not far from Fenway Park. With ten-foot ceilings and a rooftop pool, it was an elegant place to live. Floor-to-ceiling windows provided the perfect view of the city. Much different from the home he’d grown up in.

Crossing the bamboo flooring, he stood at the window and gazed at the night sky. Lights glowed from numerous windows of the buildings nearby. The city was always such a buzz of energy, nothing like the lazy, laid-back way of life in Jackson, Mississippi.

His phone beeped. Sighing at the brief moment of silence, he pulled it out and read a terse note from Dominic.

What the hell, Luke?

He’d known it wouldn’t be long until Gina’s cousin contracted him. Swiping his fingers across the letters on the screen, he responded.
We have a problem.

No shit
, Dominic texted back.
Who do you think planned it?

No clue.
Luke growled with frustration. It had to be somebody he trusted. Not many people knew of L-12. It couldn’t be a coincidence his keys were stolen the same day he sent information on it to the FDA.

What are we going to do?

Luke typed out a few more words.
I’ll handle it.

No further text came from Dominic. Setting aside his cell, Luke turned back to the windows. He shoved his hands in his pockets and silently cursed. Not only did he have to wait to reveal his wolf side to Gina, he also had a possible enemy on his hands. Who would want to steal L-12, especially this close to trial? No one could hope to claim it as their own discovery at this point.

Could Laura’s murder be tied into it somehow? She and Dominic had just created their first attempt to mask pyrazine, the chemical responsible for the distinctive wolf smell, the month before her murder. Unlike non-weres, where pyrazine was found in urine, wolf shifters possessed a weaker version undetectable to the human nose. But to another shifter, the scent released through a wolf’s pores was a red flag to the presence of a werewolf. L-12 appeared to work on both versions of wolf pyrazine.

Whether it was coincidence or not, he’d best be prepared. In his bedroom, he kept a gun hidden in the wall safe. He went to it, typed in the combination, and pulled out his Magnum. Placing it on the table near the bed, he made sure all the doors were locked before going to take a shower. He kept a few L-12 files, mostly lab results, on his laptop. He’d do whatever it took to make sure the research didn’t fall into the wrong hands.

•●•

Her alarm buzzed and jolted Gina awake. Groping across the bed, she slammed her palm down on the snooze button but the ringing didn’t stop. Sitting up, she squinted at the time. Not even six o’clock. Why was her alarm going off? She wasn’t due for work until eight.

A green glow lit the dim room. It was a phone call, not her alarm. She snatched up her cell and glanced at the display. It was her mom. Self-preservation screamed at her to press ignore, but she couldn’t do that to her mother.

“Hello, Mom.”

“Hey, baby girl.” Angela Moretti’s voice was deep and husky, the seductive twang of a phone sex operator as Gina liked to tease. “How’s Boston? Do you like your job?”

Gina ran a hand through her tangled hair. “How did you even know I had a job?”

“Dominic.”

“Of course.” Gina smothered a yawn. “Boston’s fine. A bit different from Clinton.”

“Are you going to ever use your degree?”

She’d been over this a million times with her mother. “I told you, there’s not many career options in Clinton.”

“But you’re in Boston now. Put your business degree to work for you.”

She sighed. “I’ll try, Mom. Besides I like working at the coffee shop.”

There was a pregnant pause. She braced herself for the guilt trip she knew was coming. Unlike her father, who stomped around if he didn’t get his way, her mother took a more direct route. “Your father misses you.”