Wolf under fire, p.15
Wolf Under Fire, page 15
“What do we do if she doesn’t come out of there on her own?” Jes asked softly.
As she spoke, she kept one eye focused on the hotel across the street, sure Metro Police were going to show up any moment because the place had realized someone was hacking their computers. The Lanesborough was a five-star establishment that charged more per night for a room than her monthly rent on her apartment and her car payment combined. While the exterior facade might seem like something out of another century, the hotel’s security system was obviously as modern and high-tech as could be, if the length of time Misty had been snooping around in there was any indication.
What if Misty had gotten trapped in the hotel’s convoluted IT system and was being held captive by an intelligent piece of antivirus software or locked behind a digital firewall?
She’d been in her trancelike state for almost two hours, so it was entirely possible.
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do,” Harley said, her voice giving away how nervous she was even as she bit into her scone. “She almost died back at Darby’s place when she got jerked out of his computer before she was ready. We’ll have to wait and hope she knows what she’s doing in there.”
Jes nodded, sipping her coffee as the bustling London traffic went by. Harley was right. They had no choice but to sit there and wait for Misty to slip out of the hotel’s computer system where she was currently surfing, hoping to learn whether tomorrow’s meeting of select members of the secretive and exclusive Bilderberg Society was still a go. Because based on everything McKay had told Jes and the rest of the team at this morning’s videoconference, that meeting was the reason behind everything Darby had been doing for the past several weeks.
Jake and the other guys were at the house working with the analysts back in DC to figure out where Olivia Phillips and the other kidnapping victims were being held while she, Harley, and Misty had offered to check out the Lanesborough. After looking around the hotel under the guise of tourists, Misty had suggested slipping into their security system to do some snooping. Jes hoped it didn’t turn out to be a big mistake.
Sighing, Jes watched a big red double-decker bus go by, thinking how much Zoe and Chloe would love to visit the city, when she heard a sharp intake of breath. Startled, she looked across the table to see Misty grinning.
“The Bilderberg meeting is still scheduled for tomorrow,” she said.
Reaching into the messenger bag slung over the back of her chair, Misty pulled out a pen and notepad. Flipping it open to a clean sheet of paper, she began scribbling like crazy.
“McKay was right about the attendees,” Misty added as she kept writing. “It’s not a meeting of the entire Bilderberg Society, but there will be twenty of the group’s most powerful and influential members coming to it at noon tomorrow and staying until midnight. All of the members have been provided rooms near the meeting area, but it doesn’t look like any are planning to spend the night. If Darby is going to make his move, it’ll have to be during that twelve-hour window.”
It was during their morning videoconference with McKay that everything had finally started making sense. It was Evie Robinson and her duties as concierge at the Lanesborough Hotel that finally put the STAT analysts on the right path. It turned out that one of Evie’s jobs was overseeing accommodations for the hotel’s more important guests, as well as anything they needed while on the property. When she’d mentioned to McKay that she’d recently been coordinating meeting spaces for a one-day get-together for select members of the Bilderberg Society, their boss at STAT knew it was too much of a coincidence for there not to be a connection.
The Bilderberg Society was made up of influential people from all around the world who got together several times a year to promote various humanitarian efforts. Of course, the conspiracy theorists claimed the society was actually a secret group ruling the world from behind the curtain. Jes had some serious doubts about that, but one thing she did know for sure was that every one of them was rich beyond belief. Seriously, if Darby and his men could get their hands on a few of them and hold them for ransom, he’d have more money than he’d ever be able to spend.
Of course, Darby already had more money than he could spend, but since it appeared his goal was kidnapping some or all of the Bilderberg Society people, he clearly wanted even more in his bank account.
Once they realized what Darby was after, everything with the missing kids had fallen into place. In one way or another, their parents were all involved with planning, security, or logistics for tomorrow’s Bilderberg meeting. In addition to Evie being responsible for rooms and meeting spaces, Jack Phillips was in charge of the liaison between MI5, the local police, and the society’s private security, while the other parents had been connected to hotel security, transportation routes, and catering.
Even without Evie’s cooperation, Darby still had access to the meeting agenda, attendee list, security procedures, passwords, security badges, radio frequencies, floor plans, police response protocols, details on the society’s security teams, and info on the exact routes the Bilderberg members would take into and out of the hotel. If Darby’s intent was to give himself the best chance to slip in and grab a handful of the richest, most well-protected people in the world, he’d put together a damn good plan to pull it off.
“Did you run into problems with the hotel’s security system?” Harley asked Misty. “You were in there for a long time.”
Misty looked up in surprise before glancing at the watch on her wrist. “Really? It felt like a few minutes for me. I guess I got wrapped up in all the information available in their system. And I do so love free Wi-Fi. Especially when you can access it from across the street.”
Jes shook her head, still amazed Misty had been able to slip into the hotel’s computer system through their own Wi-Fi modem from a coffee shop all the way over here. It made her glad Misty was on their side and had her wondering if there were other people in the world who could do what she did.
“Any indication hotel security is planning to change anything because Evie suddenly went on vacation?” Harley asked, spreading strawberry jam on her scone, apparently able to focus on the job and not Misty’s bizarre abilities.
“No, nothing like that,” Misty said. “No change in meeting locations or in the schedule. I’m not even sure they’ve noticed all that drama last night involved one of their employees.”
“I still can’t believe McKay wouldn’t let us at least warn the hotel,” Harley muttered, looking over at the Lanesborough like she was considering stomping in there to tell them herself. “Or the Bilderberg Society people. He has to know how risky it is using their members for bait like this.”
Jes silently agreed. She’d been the first one to argue with their boss that they should push to cancel the Bilderberg meeting altogether, now that they knew Darby was going after them. But McKay—and the powers that be back in DC—insisted it was worth the risk. They had faith in her and the team to stop Darby and the other creatures with him. They felt ambushing them at the Lanesborough would be the best way to do that since they’d most likely all be there together. While they were probably right, Jes still couldn’t help but think they were being cavalier with people’s lives.
“I was able to slip in and put you and Forrest into the employee database, Harley,” Misty said, going back to her notepad. “I got Forrest a position with the maintenance staff, so he can roam around the corridors and the loading dock areas without raising suspicions. You’ll be with the waitstaff, so you’ll be able to slip in the meeting rooms with the Bilderberg people.”
Jes didn’t bother to ask about where the rest of them would be. Since they still hadn’t figured out where Darby was hiding the missing kids, there was a lot of their planning left unfinished. There was a good chance they might have to hit both the hotel and the hostage site at the same time, which meant splitting the team was looking more and more likely. That idea worried her more than she cared to admit. While she trusted everyone on the team to do their jobs, she didn’t like the thought of not being there to watch Jake’s back.
Something she never would have given a second thought to before that kiss they’d shared last night.
Well, technically, it had been more than a kiss. There’d been a good bit of grinding involved as well and some groping. The scary part was that she could barely remember why she’d jumped him like that. Even scarier? She wanted to do it again.
“Have you known Jake long, Harley?” Jes asked, trying to sound casual.
Harley shook her head as she started in on her second scone, slathering it with more jam. “Not really. We met when McKay hired us.”
Jes sipped her coffee, surprised by that answer. Yeah, it had almost been a throwaway question, but truthfully, she’d been curious about how a werewolf pack operated. “Oh. Since you’re a pack, I naturally assumed you guys had been together a while.”
Harley regarded her thoughtfully while she chewed. “Sometimes it feels that way since Jake and Caleb are easy to be around. But no, it’s only been a few weeks. Why do you ask?”
Jes shrugged. “No reason. Just curious.”
“Uh-huh.” Harley said, a smile curving her lips. “And does this sudden curiosity with pack dynamics have anything to do with the fact that you and Jake are having sex?”
Jes felt her face heat. Her head snapped to the left and right, worried that everyone around them—and most of the people on the street—had heard what Harley said. “We are not having sex!” she whispered. “Why would you even think something like that?”
Harley’s grin broadened and a quick glance at Misty revealed she was close to cracking up, too.
“Caleb said he saw you kissing,” Harley said in a casual, matter-of-fact tone.
Jes gaped. “I can’t believe he told you!”
“Of course, he did,” Harley replied. “Like you said, we’re a pack. Besides, it’s not like he had to, since I could smell your scents all over each other this morning.”
Across from Jes, Misty’s eyes went wide. “Hold on! You can tell when two people have been sleeping together? Just from their scents?”
Harley nodded. “Yeah.”
Misty went pale. “So you know about Forrest and me?”
Harley nodded again as Jes blinked in confusion.
“Wait,” she said. “You and Forrest are a couple? Since when?”
Misty chewed on her lower lip for a moment before answering. “We’ve been together since I joined STAT, but no one knows. Especially not McKay. And you can’t tell him. I know he takes care of his people, but I’m afraid he’ll put us on different teams if he finds out.”
“You don’t have to worry about me. I won’t say anything,” Jes said.
How hadn’t she known Misty and Forrest were seeing each other? So much for being observant.
“Me, either,” Harley assured her. “Though I’m pretty sure Jake and Caleb already know. Jake would for sure, since his nose works as well as mine. And Caleb’s room is right beside yours. To be honest, you and Forrest could stand to be a bit quieter at night when you’re fooling around, if you know what I mean.”
Misty blushed. “Point taken. As long as McKay doesn’t find out, we can live with it. We always assumed everyone on the team would figure it out sooner or later.” She looked at Jes. “Enough about Forrest and me. We were talking about you and Jake. Let’s get back to the part where you tell us about what it’s like sleeping with our hunky team leader.”
Jes picked up her cup and took a sip. “I have no idea since kissing was all Jake and I did last night.”
Harley and Misty gave her dubious looks.
“Yeah, but I bet you would have done more than that if Caleb hadn’t interrupted you, am I right?” Harley said with a grin.
Jes considered denying it but then gave up. It was no use. “Maybe,” she hedged. “Okay…yes. Just between us, I admit I almost certainly would have ended up sleeping with Jake if we hadn’t gotten interrupted. Kissing him was…intense.”
Misty took a sip of the tea she’d ordered, grimacing when she realized it was ice cold. “I somehow doubt there would have been a lot of sleeping going on in that bed.”
Jes felt her face heat up again as she imagined Jake’s naked body draped over hers, his muscles flexing as he pounded her into the mattress. Nope, there wouldn’t have been much sleeping going on.
“Not that I blame you,” Misty continued, completely oblivious to the X-rated moment Jes was having on her side of the table. “I might be totally in love with Forrest, but that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate an attractive man when I see one. Don’t blame you at all for wanting to jump him.”
Jes forced her mind off the new image Misty had put in her head. Of Jes jumping into Jake’s arms, him catching her and pinning her to a wall where he began to shred her clothes with his claws.
Claws? Okay, where the hell did that come from?
Truthfully, what did she know about sleeping with someone like Jake? Maybe claws were a valid concern. Maybe there were others.
“Harley, what’s it like being with a man who’s a werewolf?” she asked before she lost her nerve.
Jes made sure to lower her voice as she said the word, afraid someone might overhear. No one nearby seemed to be eavesdropping, but still, they were talking about werewolves for heaven’s sake. They couldn’t take even a small chance of someone overhearing them.
She held her breath as she waited for Harley to answer. She needed to understand what she was getting into if she decided to actually let this thing with Jake go any farther. Because yeah, they definitely had a thing between them.
“I’m probably not the person to be asking, since I’ve never been with a werewolf,” Harley said.
Jes did a double take. “I thought you and Caleb…”
Harley made a face. “Caleb and me? Gross! That would be like sleeping with my brother.”
Jes exchanged looks with Misty and realized she was as surprised by that bit of news as Jes was. That’s what she got for assuming.
“But you must have been around other werewolves, right?” Misty prompted. “Ones you didn’t think of like brothers?”
Brow furrowing, Harley looked down at her scone, slowly pulling a piece off and nibbling on it. “It’s a long story that I really don’t want to get into, but suffice to say, my life pretty much fell apart when I became a werewolf. For years I didn’t know there was anyone else like me out there and even after I figured it out, I stayed on my own. If McKay hadn’t found me and convinced me to join STAT, I never would have given this pack thing a shot.” She lifted her head and met Jes’s gaze. “While I know you have lots of questions about being with someone like Jake, I don’t have a lot of answers. Sorry.”
Even though Harley had left a lot unsaid, Jes was beginning to understand why Harley kept to herself so much, especially when she’d first gotten to London.
“That’s okay,” Jes said. “A regular human woman like me can be with a werewolf though, right? Do I have to worry about getting bitten…or clawed up?”
That image she’d had a few minutes ago of Jake ripping her clothes off her body came rushing back and she felt her face heat a little. Part of her refused to think a man like Jake could even be so animalistic, but the fact was, Jake wasn’t simply a man. He was a werewolf, too.
Harley sipped her latte. “Human women can definitely be with a werewolf, that much I do know. As far as biting and stuff, I’ve overheard other werewolves talking and they seemed to imply sex with a werewolf can get a little…wild. I wouldn’t be worried about Jake clawing you or anything like that, but considering he’s going to have his mouth on you, you might want to be prepared for a few love bites.”
Okay, that didn’t sound too crazy. “Do I need to worry about him losing control?”
“What do you mean?” Harley asked. “You don’t honestly think Jake would ever hurt you?”
Jes shook her head quickly, looking down at her coffee cup. She’d never need to worry about that. She wasn’t sure why she’d even asked. But every time she thought about being with Jake, her head started spinning like crazy and it was confusing the hell out of her.
“No, of course not! It’s just…”
Harley reached out and covered Jes’s hand with hers. “Are you okay? Your heart is beating like a drum right now. Did something happen between you and Jake that you’re not telling us? You’re not scared of him, are you?”
Jes lifted her gaze to see Harley and Misty regarding her worriedly. “No, nothing like that!”
“Then what is it?” Misty asked. “One second, you seem thrilled at the idea of sleeping with Jake, but the next you seem petrified at the thought. It’s like you don’t know what you want.”
“Maybe because I don’t.” Jes sighed. “When I met him at the American Embassy, I was ready to hate him. It’s complicated and stupid, and I’ve already apologized to him for it, but still, up until a few days ago, I had no intention of liking him at all.”
“And now?” Harley prompted.
“And now, less than twenty-four hours after I kissed him, I can’t get him out of my head. I close my eyes and there he is. I want to sleep with him so badly it hurts even though I’m a little worried he might bite me. Worse, I’m willing to risk messing up the whole team-chemistry thing we’ve got going on the off-chance this thing between us might work.” She shook her head. “None of this makes sense. I’m not normally the kind of person who falls for a guy in a matter of days. That’s not me. And it’s freaking me out.”
Jes held her breath, waiting for Harley and Misty to tell her she’d completely lost her marbles. Because seriously, who in their right mind would pass up the chance to be with a great guy like Jake?
