“You mean like a Jim Jones type of cult?” Ferguson looked at Hadley. “Is that even possible in such a short period of time?”
She sighed. “Normally, I’d say no. But as I mentioned at the briefing, Strickland is incredibly charismatic and persuasive. If these men have become his devoted followers, it would explain why three of them would risk their freedom coming after me. It also explains why they’d suddenly turn into cannibals.”
“So, it’s official?” Ferguson said, glancing at the marshal. “We’re admitting that this whole attack tonight was an attempt by Strickland to grab Dr. Delacroix?”
“It seems that way,” Turner said. “The question is why?”
Ferguson filled the marshal in on what happened at Coffield Unit when Strickland had attacked Hadley during their interview. “He shouted that when he escaped, he was going to enjoy hearing Dr. Delacroix scream. If we take him at his word, then she needs protection.”
Hearing Ferguson describe the incident made Carter almost go omega again right there in the hallway. Even as he tried to breathe through rising rage, he felt his heart starting to thump faster, his claws and fangs threatening to come out.
Then Hadley was at his side, one hand casually coming up to rest on his lower back so that no one else would see. Even that simple contact helped calm him down.
“I think it’s safe to say Dr. Delacroix already has protection,” Turner said, pinning Carter with a look. “That is why you were really here tonight, isn’t it, Officer Nelson?”
Ferguson did a double take. “Wait a minute. Are you saying the DPD put a protective detail on Dr. Delacroix even before the attempted kidnapping tonight? If you knew there was a legitimate threat of Strickland coming after her, why wasn’t the FBI informed?”
“The FBI wasn’t informed because this wasn’t an official DPD operation,” a familiar male voice said from behind them.
Carter turned to see Mike and Chief Leclair approaching. “Dr. Delacroix is a personal friend of the Dallas SWAT Team. She’s provided counseling and therapy for several of my teammates over the past few years. When it became clear that she might be a target, we took steps to ensure she’d have one or more of us with her at all times. Tonight was Officers Nelson and Delaney’s turn.”
Ferguson glared at Chief Leclair. “Did you know that your SWAT team was running an off-the-books protection detail?”
Carter tensed. He appreciated Mike trying to save his bacon, but also fully expected the chief to immediately deny all knowledge, which would completely burn the BS story his squad leader was trying to spin.
Instead, the chief nodded. “Of course, I knew what they were doing. As Corporal Taylor said, Dr. Delacroix is a friend of the department. I have no problem with one of my teams taking care of our own. I’m not sure what you’re upset about. My SWAT team is responsible for four of the escaped prisoners from Coffield being off the streets. I would think you’d be happy about that.”
Thankfully, the FBI agent couldn’t say much in the face of that.
The chief headed downstairs a few minutes later, taking Ferguson and the other patrol officers with her, the FBI agent saying something about seeing if Bray would be willing to talk to them.
Carter waited for Turner to go with them, but the marshal stayed where he was, regarding Carter and Hale with an expression that was difficult to read.
“I don’t know how Strickland found Dr. Delacroix, but regardless, it’s a good thing you were here,” Turner said. “I wouldn’t want to think what would have happened to her without both of you to protect her. Because it seems like the Dallas SWAT Team is amazingly good at dealing with unusual criminals. Almost like you have a special talent for it.”
With that, Turner turned and walked away, leaving Carter to beat himself up. Strickland knew how to find Hadley because he’d followed him from the homeless camp. He stepped a little closer to her, promising himself that he wasn’t letting her out of his sight until that sicko was back behind bars.
“How much do you think Turner knows?” Hale asked after the marshal disappeared. “Is he aware Strickland and the other escapees are supernaturals? More importantly, does he know about the Pack?”
“If I had to put money on it, I’d say he knows about Strickland and the others,” Mike said. “Us too, probably. But if he wanted to cause problems, he would have done it already. The only thing that matters right now is keeping Hadley safe.”
Carter—and his inner omega—couldn’t agree more.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Do you mind if I shower first?” Hadley asked as she and Carter walked into his apartment an hour later. A glance at the clock on the microwave in the kitchen confirmed that it was close to midnight. Crap, it’d been a really long day.
“No problem,” he said, locking the door behind them. “Take as long as you need.”
Fifteen minutes later, Hadley had finished showering and was standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, wearing her borrowed shorts and T-shirt and brushing her teeth when Carter came in to lean against the door jamb, eyeing her with a worried expression.
“You okay?” he asked quietly, catching her gaze in the mirror. “We didn’t get a chance to talk after everything that happened on the roof.”
Hadley paused a second to spit out her toothpaste and then rinsed her mouth before nodding, using the mirror to look back at Carter. “I’m okay now. Though I’ll admit to having been completely freaked out when Karissa came running into the apartment shouting that we had to leave…that it was a trap.”
Carter closed his eyes, but not before she caught a quick flash of vivid blue. Having seen that enough times with her brother, she knew Carter’s inner wolf was fighting for dominance. It was a little concerning that all it took for his omega to make an appearance was the mere mention of her being in danger. It meant that whatever issues he was dealing with were getting worse. His omega was getting closer to the surface, making it easier and easier for it to take over.
“I’m sorry I left you on your own like that,” Carter said, opening his eyes after he regained control again. “But when I saw that man jump out the window, the only thought in my head was chasing him.”
