Savage Hunger: Savage, Book 1 (9 page)

When he disappeared, the door clicking shut behind him, she drew in a shaky breath and thrust her hands through her hair. In the light of day, things were even more screwed up. Warrick had taken her phone last night. How in the hell was she going to get into contact with her dad now?

God, it was hard to think when she was this tired. No one would ever make the mistake of calling her a morning person. First things first. She headed toward the bathroom. Not only to grab that shower, but to ensure the jump drive she’d hidden was still safe in her spot.

A quick shower made her feel almost human again. Sienna glanced in the bathroom mirror and scowled at her appearance. No makeup and wearing just sweats and a T-shirt. Yeah, she was definitely not winning any beauty awards.

Though she
could
appreciate the change in clothes, and thank God they’d had a stash of those built-in-bra tank tops or she’d be swinging free.

Not seeing Warrick in the bedroom, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway. The sound of men’s voices and smell of brewed coffee led her to the kitchen.

It was like a convention of testosterone, with their hard, muscled bodies leaning against the counter or by the fridge. These were men’s men. Hardened. Raw. Trained agents who probably didn’t have much time for female antics. How much of a kink had she thrown in their schedule last night?

She’d barely entered the room before all conversation died and four pairs of eyes swung her way. Unfortunately she was mostly aware of Warrick’s intense gaze.

“Good morning.” She cleared her throat and forced a small smile. It wouldn’t kill her to be civil, right? Get them to trust her a little before she tried to break out of this safe house again.

The men all murmured a greeting in reply, but it came out even less enthusiastic than hers. She slid her gaze to Warrick and her heart skipped a beat. His mouth was drawn tight and his brows furrowed in a scowl, but there was unease in his eyes.

Something had happened. She knew it, was surprised she hadn’t picked up on it immediately when she’d entered the kitchen. There was certainly enough tension in the room.

“What is it?” she asked, stepping toward the group. “Is it the shifters? Are they—”

“The shifters are fine.” The one she recognized as Larson—the one in charge—answered her question.

She swung her attention to him, saw the grim expression on his face as well.

Oh no
.

She looked at the other men. They all had it. That somber air about them and strained expressions. Her pulse quickened and she ran her tongue over her lips.

If not the shifters, then what?
Whatever it was, she knew it wasn’t going to be good. And whatever it was…she’d bet it had to do with her.

“Is someone going to fill me in on what’s going on?” Damn her voice for shaking.

“Why don’t you sit down, Sienna.” Warrick straightened and went to one of the cupboards, reaching in to grab a mug. “Let me get you some coffee.”

She didn’t want the damn coffee anymore, she wanted to know what the hell was going on. Okay, that wasn’t quite true. She did want the coffee, but being let in on whatever little kernel of information they were withholding was definitely her first priority. Still, if it would help them spill the beans faster, she’d sit.

The wood chair legs screeched against the floor as Sienna tugged a seat out from the table. Plopping down, she folded her hands on the wood surface and stared up at them expectantly.

Come on, boys, start talking.

But no one said a word. Not one damn word as Warrick handed her a mug of steaming coffee and set a blueberry muffin in front of her.

“I’m not hungry,” she said tersely, but reached for the coffee. “What’s going on? You guys are starting to freak me out.”

“You should be freaked out.”

This came from another of the agents. He was dark-skinned and had the tall, muscled build of a basketball player. With coffee-colored eyes, a shaved head and the hint of a goatee he
had
to be popular with the women.

“Hilliard, shut the fuck up,” Warrick snapped.

You should be freaked out.

Sienna lifted the mug to her lips with trembling hands and blew on the steaming coffee.
Okay, so whatever it was definitely involved her and it was probably bad news.

The knot in her stomach grew and suddenly she wasn’t so eager to have them tell her.

“Ms. Peters,” Larson began in that familiar, quietly authoritative tone she now associated with him. “There was a fire last night in the building the shifters were being held in.”

“A fire?” she repeated tonelessly, her stomach clenching.

“Yeah. Everything inside the place was destroyed,” Warrick added and pulled out the chair next to her to sit down.

“Oh my God…” She shook her head as her mind spun. How had it happened? When? Just after they’d all left?

“So tell us, darlin’,” another of the agents, stocky and blond, drawled. “Have you been playing with matches?”

Sienna blinked, then stared at him. Did he think this was some kind of joke?
Had she been playing with matches
? Her brows drew together and she glared at him.

“This isn’t funny.”

Stocky guy sighed and cracked his knuckles. “Guess it depends on your sense of humor.”

“Rafferty, back off.” Larson cast him a warning glance before turning his attention back to Sienna. “Ms. Peters, nobody’s trying to make light of this situation, but we need you to be up front with us if you know anything about the fire.”

Her stomach sank and she pushed away the coffee. They thought she was involved with the fire? “You can’t be serious.” She shook her head and pushed the coffee away. “You can’t possibly think I had something to do with it.”

“No, we don’t.” Warrick sent a hard glare in the agent’s direction. “You were in our custody long before that fire started. We’re trying to figure out if you might have an idea of who would be behind it.”

“How could I?” she cried, tears of frustration burning her eyes. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

No one said anything, there was just the steady
drip-drip
from the kitchen faucet that wasn’t quite turned off.

“Sienna, someone was found dead inside the building.”

Her heart squeezed, almost seemed to stop at Warrick’s bald statement. Who? The lab had been empty. Only her and the shifters until the P.I.A. had arrived. Was there someone else in there? Someone who’d gotten trapped in the fire?

“D-did they say who?”

“No.” Larson shook his head. “All they’re saying is the victim was an employee of Feloray Laboratories. They’ll probably wait to release his name until the next of kin can be notified.”

Her gut clenched and a premonition stabbed sharply. Sienna shoved back from the table and came unsteadily to her feet.
Oh God
. The lab had burned down and now someone was dead. She moved past the men and out of the kitchen.

Warrick tried to grab her arm, but she brushed him off and wandered into the living room where she found the television on. She stared at the screen and the image being displayed.

And there it was. The lab she’d snuck into last night, only it was a shell of itself. The red brick building was now black from soot, with smoke still pouring out of it. Firemen wandered in the background, as the reporter who stood in front spoke to the camera.

But she didn’t hear his words and it took her a few minutes to realize the volume had been muted.

A hand curled around her shoulder. Warrick.

“It’s been all over the news, Sienna. The local media’s been covering the fire all night long apparently. I only learned about it when I came out here this morning and the guys filled me in.”

“It doesn’t make any sense. Are they sure it wasn’t an accident?” Her voice rose with the hope in her tone.

“They’ve already said it’s likely arson. Look, maybe you’d better not watch this right now,” Warrick’s voice sharpened and he tried to turn her away from the screen, but she resisted as the image changed.

Sienna struggled to breathe as she stared at the photo on the screen and the words
Wanted for Questioning
just below it.

The image was her latest employee head-shot.

Chapter Six

Sienna’s vision narrowed and her world seemed to shrink as the air she desperately needed refused to enter her lungs.

“Christ, somebody get her some water.”

Warrick’s words barely registered. She couldn’t look away from the television, and her shock increased as the footage switched to a body being wheeled out on a gurney.

Her heart pounded faster and she wheezed in the smallest breath.

“Come on, Sienna, you’re fine.” Warrick’s arm slipped around her, offering the strength she didn’t have right now.

He jerked her away from the television, snapping her direct line of vision to the chaos and horror that now surrounded her life. The cushions of the couch pressed into the backs of her knees before she sank down.

Warrick’s fingers brushed against her cheek as he turned her face toward him. His gaze locked on hers, intent and calming.

“Let yourself breathe, Sienna. Can you do that?”

It should’ve been easy enough. The concern that flickered briefly in his eyes made her wonder if she was turning blue. She willed the muscles in her throat to relax. Let the air in the room suck into her deprived lungs.

She took another breath. Repeating the process and holding Warrick’s gaze until she felt her heart decrease from its wild gallop.

“I don’t understand how anyone could possibly think
I
did this,” she whispered.

His gaze darkened, flickered with unease. But she didn’t need him to reply. She’d seen the answer as clearly as if she’d looked into his head.

“The camera.”

It was the camera, the one Warrick had pointed out she hadn’t disabled. They’d seen her in there, assumed she’d burned the lab down.

“Oh my God. Of course they think I did. You warned me, Warrick. You warned me this would happen and I’d be in trouble. But I didn’t burn down the building. I swear to God I—”

“I know you didn’t.” Warrick’s brows drew together and he curled his fingers around her shoulders and drew her forward into his arms, pressing her cheek to his shoulder. “You couldn’t possibly have. When someone set this fire you were an hour out of Portland with us.”

She leaned into him, wanting to feel the usual relief and safety that should’ve come. But even being in Warrick’s arms did little to stop the pounding of her heart or ease the fear that chilled her blood.

“Someone else definitely set that fire, Ms. Peters,” Larson said quietly as he entered the living room. “And they wanted to make sure you took the blame.”

Sienna pulled away from Warrick and accepted the glass of water Larson held out to her. She lifted the glass to her lips, her hands unsteady as she took a sip. The cool water slid over her tongue and down her dry throat.

“Thank you.” Her fingers clenched around the drink. “I don’t understand why they would go so far as to burn down the lab? If they saw the video and knew it was me, why not just go after me?”

Larson and Warrick exchanged glances, but both their expressions were unreadable to her. Frustration gnawed in her gut, and she hoped like hell they’d share whatever they were both thinking.

She turned back to face him. “Warrick?”

He didn’t look at her right away, but stared at Larson, seemed to seek approval to speak before giving a slight nod. “Our guess? Whoever is behind the shifters’ confinement and torture doesn’t want any evidence hanging around. Especially now that the shifters have been freed. With your picture all over the place, wanted for questioning, it’s easy to pick you up and bring you in. Have you cornered, essentially.”

Oh God, she really didn’t like the sound of that.

But surely there was more evidence than just the shifters. The files Leo had given her must’ve come from somewhere. Probably the computers in the lab… Her stomach cramped.

Oh right
. Computers that had just been destroyed in the fire. And if the unidentified body was who she suspected it was… That meant it was entirely possible that, besides the people behind everything, she was the only one with actual physical proof of what had been done to the shifters. Of course the shifters were witnesses too, but if by some chance they didn’t survive…

Strong fingers curled around hers and she glanced up to meet Warrick’s questioning stare.

“Sienna?”

Tell me.
She could almost hear his silent request and her tongue went thick in her mouth with the need to explain everything.

“Larson, I’d like permission to take Sienna outside for a bit,” Warrick requested, his gaze not leaving hers.

“You’ve got it. Rafferty and Hilliard are going to be sleeping for a few hours, so stay close in case I need you.”

“Will do.” Warrick stood from the couch and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. “Come on, kid. We’re going to take a walk.”

Sienna’s pulse jumped. He was taking her out alone so he could question her, just as he’d threatened to do since he’d discovered her in the lab last night. And it was going to be so hard not to confess about the jump drive.