Fighting For Their Mate (5 page)

*     *     *

Paul Statler crumpled the paper in front of him. He was pissed. This never should have happened. The breakthrough was supposed to create enhanced werewolves—not kill them. He didn’t mourn any of them and wouldn’t have cared that they’d died if he and the Colter organization hadn’t spent millions working on this formula. Failure was unacceptable.

He pressed his intercom button. It was an old-fashioned device, but he liked it. “Donna, ask Dr. Takemoto to come to my office. And make it fast.” His usually polite façade had evaporated.

“Yes, sir.”

Statler smoothed out the report and reread the findings. Just as he finished, his secretary escorted Dr. Takemoto to his office. The man was already sweating—as well he should be.

“Sit down.”

Takemoto kept his gaze downcast. “I’d like to explain why—”

“I didn’t ask you to speak.” Statler picked up the autopsy report and crushed it again. “Tell me how this could have happened? I thought the serum was foolproof.” It had worked on him, performing as promised under fire.

The doctor’s mouth twitched and he lifted his head. “We had no way knowing that a few of the werewolves would have a violent reaction to the pisgahmycetes mushroom spores.”

Likely excuse. He’d run through a field of them once and had no reaction. “Why did they?”

“After performing the autopsy, I found metastatic deposits in the lungs. The men were overwhelmed with fungal elements in the alveoli and their immune system failed. I’m still in the middle of doing some research, but so far I’ve figured out that neither man possessed a particular erythrocyte protein in his blood that would have prevented this.”

He didn’t care about the science. “Do you know how a werewolf can get this protein substance if he wasn’t born with it so this doesn’t ever happen again?”

“If we can locate someone who has this particular gene, we can extract it from the blood. We can then inject the wolf with the anti-RhD immunoglobulin. In my defense, it’s rare for a person to be missing this protein.”

“You should have checked.” Statler leaned back, forcing air into his lungs. “As a result of your incompetence, two of my men have died.”

Once more, Takemoto hung his head. “I’m sorry.”

“Seems to me that in order for this error never to occur again, you need get this anti-Rhd shit. And fast.”

The doctor twisted his fingers together. “That will be difficult. It’s extremely rare. It’s encoded in a person’s genes.”

If he didn’t need this man, Statler would have killed him on the spot. “What are the odds of finding someone with this gene?” Statler was fast losing his patience, shrinking the man’s lifeline by the minute.

“I don’t have the facts at my fingertips, but maybe one in a million. Or more.” The last two words were said on a whisper.

“Fuck.”

The doctor sat up. “However, one of the new women you brought in looks promising for this gene. I ran her blood this morning. We don’t have the equipment here to do a thorough test, though. Only the lab in Ogden can do that.”

A hint of excitement rushed through him. “If she does have this special gene, what will it mean in regards to the serum?”

“I can only hope that if I add her antigens to the serum then anyone without the protein will be provided with it.”

“Then do it.”

“We can’t rush this. It could be more deadly for the men. Something like this will require a lot of trials.”

“Cut the bullshit.” Statler slammed his palm on the desk. “We don’t have time. Who knows how many more will die.”

The man’s chin trembled. Good. “I understand the urgency, but we first have to make sure this woman has what we need.”

“Then test her. Now!”

Takemoto pushed back his chair and it toppled over. His face whitened as he leaned over to pick up the seat. Fucking idiot. “Leave it. Just get out of my sight. I’ll set this woman up for transport today. Will you be doing the work?” He hoped not.

“No, sir. Dr. Christian Sanchez is the leading specialist in blood antigens.”

“You’re dismissed.” Christ. His frustration had short-circuited his mind. “Hold up. What is this woman’s name?”

“Bailey Nash.”

J
ust as he and Ford reached the main level, both of their pagers went off. Ty checked his first. “Oh, fuck.”

“What is it?” Ford then looked at his. “Shit. Statler.”

Ty leaned close. “Why would the boss want to see us? Do you think George said something?”

“What the hell could he say? That we were doing our job?”

This didn’t look good. “Come on. I don’t think Statler likes to be kept waiting.”

They jogged toward the east end of the building, and after swiping their cards three times and undergoing two retinal checks, they reached Statler’s office. Paranoid much?

The secretary announced them before leading them inside. Ty never could understand why the man still dressed as if he practiced law. Maybe it was because his brown suit, cream-colored shirt, and red striped tie gave off an aura of power.

Their boss finally set down his pen and looked up. While there were a few seats facing his desk, Statler didn’t ask them to sit.

“I have an extremely important mission for you two. I have a young lady who needs to be transported to another one of our facilities.”

Ty’s heart nearly stopped. He thought this was the only lab. “Where might that be?”

“It’s in Ogden, about two hours west of here. My secretary will provide you with directions.”

This sounded serious. “Is she that ill?” If so, shouldn’t she be taken to a hospital? Or did Statler believe she’d tell about her kidnapping?

“No. This young lady has a very rare blood type and we need more information about it. The only lab capable of handling the chore is in Ogden.”

Ford stepped forward. “When would you like us to deliver this woman?”

“Now. She should be in the garage as we speak. You may go.”

The dismissal was expected. Statler never was one for pleasantries—at least not after they were hired. Ty was excited they’d be able to question a captive. They might learn how these women were abducted. Had they’d been tricked? Were they in the wrong place in town? Or had they trusted the men who took them?

As soon as they cleared the suite of offices, they headed to their lodging to pick up their gear. Not only would they need jackets, they wanted their weapons. While Ogden was a short drive, no telling what resistance they’d meet along the way. They both understood there was a possibility that if they posed as Colters, they might face good shifters, as his father called them, but that unfortunate situation couldn’t be helped. They had to maintain their cover. They’d discussed that Statler might even test them to see if they were true to his cause.

Once they collected their gear, they rushed to the garage not wanting the scared girl to wait longer than necessary. He bet they’d told her nothing about why she was being escorted out of the building.

The moment Ty pushed open the door to the underground garage, his vision blurred. “Hold on a sec.” He inhaled to gather his senses. Something wasn’t right.

“What’s wrong?”

“Got a little light-headed. It must be the gas fumes or something.” Werewolves had an extra sharp sense of smell, but this was ridiculous.

Ford grimaced. “Me, too. Something must be down here. Let’s get the girl and scram.”

Ty didn’t remember this place being so insufferable. Clare, two other nurses, and another guard, surrounded a woman in a wheelchair. Tyson couldn’t see her, but the closer he drew, the more convinced he became this was Bailey. His bones cracked and his nails punched through the tips his fingers. Fuck. This was bad.

Glancing over at Ford, Ty noticed his brother’s fangs had started to grow, and the hair on his face was becoming increasingly denser. He grabbed Ford’s arm. “Wait.”
Think of Statler and what he’s doing to these girls.
He didn’t have time to explain.

Ford twisted toward him. “Why?”

“Just do it.” Ty did the same, and his body calmed. Only horrible thoughts seemed to take the edge off his sexual desires.
We can’t let anyone know that Bailey is our mate
.

What?

I’ll tell you later
. All four of Bailey’s guards glanced up and actually looked relieved they could get back to business. Ty doubted they’d ever escorted a woman out of the facility before.

“Thanks,” Ty said. “We’ll take it from here.”

He purposefully kept his gaze away from Bailey. One look and he might weaken. Clare helped Bailey stand and handed off the wheelchair to another nurse. Only then did he notice the cuffs connecting her ankles. Was that necessary?

“You have the key? Or does Statler expect us to carry her? That might draw attention.”

“Sorry.” She dug a hand into her pocket and handed it to him.

“Thanks.” He waited until the team turned away before placing Bailey in the front seat of their SUV.

Once the foursome reached the elevator, he placed a hand on Bailey’s shoulder, hoping it would calm her. She stiffened instead. Fuck. There would be time later to tell her she had nothing to fear from them. Whether she believed them was another story.

“Give me a sec.” Ford ran a hand under both bumpers, and then checked the engine. “It’s clean.”

Smart thinking.
Statler was the type to install a GPS or some kind of tracking device to make sure they headed in the right direction. If he were Statler, he wouldn’t trust the new hires either, especially with something so important as Bailey.

Ty placed her in the front seat of the car. “If I unlock these leg chains, do you promise not to run?”

She gave him a hauntingly eerie laugh. “If I thought I could get away, I most certainly would try to escape.”

Ty had to swallow a smile. He liked her feisty attitude despite her desperate situation. As it was, it took all of his willpower not to shift in front of her. His cock was pressing hard against his fly, and there seemed little he could do about it. Her scent was driving him mad, but he needed to figure something out quick before he embarrassed himself.

It would be best if he let Ford drive and have Bailey sit in the front seat. Leaving her alone in the back wouldn’t help either of them.

“Are these your clothes?” The last time he’d seen her, she was wearing a hospital gown. These didn’t seem to fit. The sneakers were new but appeared to be too wide and maybe too long. Her jeans hung on her hips, and the jacket didn’t look warm enough for the Canadian spring.

She sniffled and shook her head, her eyes watering. Her composure was cracking. Ty wanted nothing more than to tell her everything would be okay, but even he didn’t want to lie.

“Where are you taking me?” The worry in her voice cut straight through him.

Ty and Ford should have discussed how they wanted to handle this. Should they admit right now that they wanted to help? Or keep up the pretense? Fuck, he wasn’t even sure that Ford wouldn’t drive this poor woman straight to Ogden and drop her off. This was their mate they were talking about, and Ty couldn’t let that happen.

“To another facility.”

“Why?”

“To do more blood testing.” He leaned over to snap her seatbelt, and the sexual draw shocked him. This wasn’t good. Ty jerked back.

Her face paled even more. “Is something wrong with me?”

Fuck, he was messing this up. Ford slid in and glanced over at her. “Nothing’s wrong with you.”

“Then why am I—”

“I don’t have the answers to your questions.” His brother cranked up the engine and Ty slipped in back.

“Oh.”

Don’t be such a prick, Ford. She’s scared.

So am I.

*     *     *

Ty was right. Bailey was their mate. Shit. That complicated things. Part of him had hoped he wouldn’t feel anything when he met her so he could be the rational one, but the moment Ford slid in next to her, he had to fight the arousal and the loss of control. Only when confronted with danger did his body go into wolf mode. Now the animal in him was pummeling his body from the inside, and he was helpless to fight the urge.

As soon as he exited the underground garage, the relief at being away from these pond scum relieved some of the tightness in his chest. What he wouldn’t give to drive right to the border and keep on going to North Carolina where his life had been simple. But he couldn’t. All those women depended on him and Ty.

“Can you tell us what happened?” He glanced over at her, working to keep his voice under control.

“I’m not telling you crap.”

He couldn’t blame her. “Bailey. Listen. Whether you believe us or not, we want to help you.”

She huffed out a laugh. “Help? Like your kind
helped
me into this clinic where they strapped me down, drugged me, and took my blood? I don’t need any more of your assistance.”

What should we tell her? We don’t know if we can trust her
, Ford telepathed. He’d never folded when he’d worked his way into the good graces of the Colter organization in North Carolina. Why was he at a loss for words now?

She’s our mate. We’ll have to convince her somehow
.