Unmasking the Wolf (17 page)

She called her mom, needing to hear a familiar voice. The call was answered on the first ring. “Gina?”

“Hi, Mom.” She settled onto the black leather sofa and propped her heels on an ottoman.

“Is your dad there?”

“Naw, he went back to Dominic’s.”

Her mother’s concerned tone touched her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Stop worrying.”

Her mother cleared her throat. “Tony told me that you've met your mate. Is there anything you need to ask me?”

Gina’s cheeks warmed with embarrassment. “No, Mom. I’m fine.”

“I’m not going to pry, but I’m here if you need to talk about anything. Anything at all.”

The day she talked to her mom about sex would be the day she went totally nutso. “All good here.”

Her mother sighed. “I still don’t like the idea of you being alone in the city.”

“I’m not alone. I have Dominic and Luke.”

“Luke.” Her mother’s disapproving voice sharpened. “Tell me about him.”

“He’s wonderful, Mom. Really. You’re going to love him.”

“So I
do
get to meet him.”

Gina laughed. “Of course you do. What do you expect me to do? Hide him from you the rest of my life?”

“Maybe. You’ve always been secretive.”

“Just because I choose not to broadcast my every thought doesn’t make me secretive.” Gina sat up and dropped her feet to the floor at the sound of a knock on the door. “Hold on. Someone’s at the door.”

“Who is it? Your father?”

Gina sighed as she got to her feet and headed to the door. “Probably. I told them I would be okay by myself for a couple hours. Damned overprotective men.”

Her mother laughed. “Better get used to it.”

Gina peeped through the eyehole of the door. A large, unfamiliar man stood outside. A frisson of uneasiness slipped through her. “It’s not Papa.”

“Who is it then?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Gina Dawn Moretti. Don’t you dare open that door,” her mother squealed into her ear. “I’m calling your father.”

“No, wait.” Gina backed away from the door after throwing the deadbolt. “Don’t bother him. I’ll just ignore him until he leaves.”

“I don’t like this.”

Gina didn’t either, but she pretended not to be scared for her mother’s benefit. The man didn’t knock again, but she could sense him there. The doorknob jiggled. He obviously wasn’t taking her refusal to open the door as an answer. She nearly jumped out of her skin when a heavy weight landed against the door.
Dear Lord, he was going to break down the door.

“What is that noise?” Her mother’s dread hung in the air. “Oh my God, Gina. Is he breaking down the door?”

Gina gripped the phone tightly in her hand as she ran through the condo. Rushing through the bedroom, she darted into the master bathroom and locked the door. If the man managed to get through the deadbolt and chain-lock of the front door, this lock would be nothing for him to break. “Mom, I’m going to have to call you back.”

“No. Don’t you dare hang up on me.”

“How can I defend myself if I’m holding the phone? Here, I’ll put you on speaker. Just don’t say anything.”

Gina wedged her body between the toilet and cabinet. She was on the verge of shifting, her fingertips tingled and her body itched as it stretched over her bones. Footsteps sounded, heavy and steady, as they came closer. The man was in the apartment. She sniffed. Another vamp.

She needed to shift. There wasn’t enough room where she was. She stood up right as the door flew off the hinges and struck her on the left side. The splintered wood scratched her cheek. The vamp was framed in the doorway, his hair matted and dirty, the stench of dead wolf coming from him. He gave her an evil smile, revealing blackened and broken fangs, reminiscent of a meth addict’s.

Ignoring the pain, she willed the change to come over her. She pictured her wolf, the red coat and dangerous claws. Her vision sharpened and she was just about to shift when a bolt of electricity shot through her. She looked down at the cause of the tremendous pain. A Taser.

She slumped to the floor, her claws uselessly extended and her shifting incomplete.

•●•

Meredith Carter was a coolly, classically beautiful blonde. Her icy perfection may be pleasing to some, but couldn’t hold a candle to Gina’s vivid, natural beauty. They’d decided on a popular coffee shop for their meeting. Luke entered the doorway and spotted her. “There she is,” he pointed out to Dominic, who trailed behind him.

Dominic grabbed his arm. “That’s Meredith? It can’t be.”

Confusion made him pause. “Why?”

“But that’s . . . ” Dominic’s eyes crinkled at the corners as he squinted at her. “Maggie Connell.”

Luke drew a blank. “Who is Maggie Connell?”

“Our lab professor. She’s the one who was with me when we found Laura’s body in the park.”

Uneasiness passed over Luke. “Why would she change her name?”

“I don’t know. I’d heard she accepted a change with the FDA, but I don’t know why she would change her name.”

Meredith had noticed them lingering in the doorway and she charged forward with a bright, welcoming smile. “Gentlemen, thank you for arranging this meeting, but I must admit I’m puzzled as to why you would.”

Luke shook her offered hand, turned off by the coldness of her skin, and resisted the urge to wipe his palm on his pants leg. “We had some questions about the trials.”

Her gaze flickered to Dominic, registering a moment of recognition, before coming back to rest on Luke. “Please, have a seat.”

He preferred to stand, but they were drawing attention. He followed her to a tiny table. He and Dominic sat on one side, and she on the other. She motioned with her hand. “What are your concerns?”

For one, I’m thinking you’re possibly a murderous, conniving bitch.
He battled down his wolf’s strong reaction to Meredith. The animal inside raged. “There have been some inconvenient . . . events recently.”

He had to give it to her. She was a superb actress. Her brow delicately crinkled. “What sort of events.”

Dominic growled, but Luke put a hand on his arm to calm him. “We believe someone is trying to stop L-12 from going to trial.”

“Who would do that? No one even knows about it but you two and me.”

“Exactly.” Luke leaned forward and planted his hands on the top of the table. “So why are you sending your men after us?”

Meredith’s cool expression slipped away. Calculating intensity blazed out of her blue gaze. “You’re smarter than I gave you credit for.”

So Gina had been right to suspect Meredith. Luke felt like a fool for having the wool pulled over his eyes. “What do you want?”

Meredith drummed her fingernails on the surface of the table. “I thought when Laura died the research would end. But you two proved stubborn. Who knew the little puppy, too in love with his lab partner to see straight, actually had a brain?”

“You bitch,” Dominic ground out.

She lifted an eyebrow. “Perhaps.”

God help her if she had something to do with Laura’s death. If he didn’t kill her, Dominic would. “It doesn’t matter if you get L-12. We could always go to someone else at the FDA.”

Meredith gave him a haughty look. “With L-12, you think I can’t find a way to counteract it? No matter what you do, I’ll be able to undo it.”

“Why? What does it matter to you? You’re not a wolf.” Dominic leaned across the table as if he would go for her throat.

“No, but it would put a crimp in my research.” She lifted a coffee mug to her lips and sipped before setting it aside. “My
men
as you put it are an experiment I’ve been working on.”

Luke was rocked with a sudden knowledge. “The vampires.”

“Yes.” Meredith smiled. “My hybrids. It’s taken years, but I’ve finally figured out how to make a shifting vamp.”

Dominic sucked in a breath of air. “It’s impossible.”

“You, more than anyone, should know nothing's impossible with science.”

“But what does any of this have to do with L-12?”

Dominic growled again. “They’re using lunar wolves to feed on.”

“Exactly.” Meredith applauded him. “I changed the genetics of the vampires, but the fresh blood of a wolf is the catalyst. They can’t shift without it.”

“Laura,” Luke breathed.

Meredith gave him a pitying look. “Unfortunately your sister provided the break-through in my research. Why not kill two birds with one stone?”

“You . . . ” Luke surged forward. His hands went for her throat. He was millimeters from wrapping his fingers around her throat and squeezing the life out of her when she stopped him. “You may not want to do that. I have something you desire.”

His fingers remained curved and poised. “And what is that?”

Dominic gave voice to his biggest nightmare. “Gina.”

A groan of pain slipped past her dry, cracked lips. Gina opened her eyes and studied her surroundings. She was in a lab of some sort. Vials of different colored liquids and expensive looking equipment filled the long, narrow space. She shifted and a bolt of fresh pain shot through her. Her arms were bound behind her back, and her feet chained to the legs of the chair she’d been forced into.

Her neck hurt where the Taser darts had struck her. A long splinter was in her left arm and it stung. She didn’t even want to know what her face looked like. Being hit in the cheek with the door probably hadn’t done her any favors.

A vampire, the one who’d captured her, entered the room. He came to stand over her, slobbering and appearing as if he’d like to gobble her up. Fear raced up and down her spine. Whatever he’d bound her with proved to be much stronger than she was. She’d rubbed her wrists raw trying to get out of her bonds.

“What do you want?” she asked as he crouched in front of her.

“Pretty,” he murmured and ran a finger over her un-bruised cheek.

She wrenched her head away from him, fighting the urge to spit. No need to antagonize him further. She was at his mercy, for now. Knowing her mother, she’d immediately called Tony. Her father would appear any moment now. At least, she hoped so.

Being in a lab made her realize they’d been right. The vampires
were
trying to get L-12. But why? Struggling to remain calm, she caught the gaze of the vamp in front of her. There was a dead, soulless look in his eyes. Appealing to what little remained of his humanity, she gave him a pleading look. “Let me go. Please.”

“No. Can’t. She will be mad.”

“She?” Gina latched onto the small piece of information. “Who is she?”

“Meredith.” The vamp continued to look at her like a tasty meal. “She said I can’t drink from you. Pity.”

She shuddered with revulsion at being the vamp’s food source. “What are you?”

He grinned and waggled his finger at her. “No more questions.”

She wanted to stamp her feet with frustration. “Where am I?”

“I said no more questions.” The vamp got to his feet. Gone was the playfulness of a few seconds before. His expression darkened. “Stay here.”

“As if I could leave if I wanted to,” she yelled after his departing back. Damn it, she was tired of being the victim. There was no joy at knowing she’d been right about Meredith. Instead, she filled with dread. Luke and Dominic had gone to meet her. Where were they? Had she harmed them? Hopefully not. She’d abducted her for a reason, most likely as blackmail.

Thoughts of Luke comforted her. He wouldn’t rest until she was found. Between him and her father, Meredith had no hope of succeeding.

•●•

Luke drove his Lexus through the city at breakneck speed. In exchange for Gina’s safety, Meredith had demanded all their files and existing L-12. He hadn’t thought twice about it. Nothing mattered if he didn’t have Gina, even achieving his sister’s dream.

Dominic clung to the
oh shit
handle. “Jesus, man. Take it easy.”

Luke’s hands clenched around the steering wheel. “That fucker has Gina. I won’t take it easy until she’s safe.”

“We’ll get her. I promise you.”

Luke cursed under his breath. “Damned bitch. I’m going to kill her.”

Dominic bristled. “You’ll have to beat me to it.”