I pulled her closer. The urge to growl at everyone had passed, but it didn’t mean I wanted to be far from her. Satisfied I’d claimed our mate, my bear lay docile and content inside me.
Walker stopped a few feet away and tossed an armload of clothes at me. “I’m tired of seeing your naked ass.”
“Thanks.” I let go of Jolyn’s hand only long enough to pull on the black cargo pants and runners a size too small, then slipped the T-shirt over her head to cover her ripped one. What she really needed was a thick jacket, something to keep her warm, but this would have to do for now. I tucked her into my side, then faced the others. They’d all taken off their helmets.
“This is Verdugo,” Walker said, tilting his head at the man on his right. About the same height as Walker, he had a stockier build, olive complexion, and carried the scent of a wolf.
“And Lavigne.” Walker jerked his chin to the left. The black man wearing wraparound sunglasses—odd choice at this time of the day—possessed a feline scent I hadn’t encountered before.
Curiosity made me want to ask questions, but they could wait. I stuck out my hand for each of them to shake. Jolyn did the same.
“Do you all work for Clyborne Inc.?” she asked, before returning to the circle of my arms.
Lavigne sent her a grin. “At your service.”
I hadn’t met any of Walker’s military friends before, but knew a bit about them from what he’d told me after being discharged.
“You both good now?” Walker asked me, but his eyes scanned the forest.
I nodded, rubbing my hand up and down Jolyn’s arm.
“Good. Because these guys have a lot of questions and I think only you two can answer them.” He cocked his head toward the bunkers. “Let’s talk.”
We followed Walker through the trees, toward the brightest of the floodlights. “How did you find this place?” I asked, our footsteps crunching on twigs and dead leaves.
He glanced at us over his shoulder, slowing. “I got a tip from some friends of yours that you might be heading to Alaska.” He faced forward, walking more beside us now. “I called Clyborne, and once we knew where to look, we found it on satellite images.” He let out a bark of a laugh. “Did you know this place is almost a perfect circle? It’s basically a huge bullseye saying ‘Hey! We’re here!’ But the only way to get to it is by aircraft.”
The noise ahead of us got louder. I gripped Jolyn’s hand tight as we strode into the clearing. Clyborne’s people had ramped up their activities into a full-scale operation. The bunker where we’d arrived was open wide on both sides, revealing a tarmac where a second helicopter had joined the first. People streamed through, some in tactical gear, others looking like scientific personnel.
Four body bags were lined up between the bunkers. Jolyn’s gaze lingered, and I swept my hand over her spine. She’d killed her brother defending me. There would be no easy way to move beyond that. Whatever her journey to healing might include, I’d be with her every step of the way.
Dicky wasn’t far from the bodies, trussed up like a rodeo calf with a gag in his mouth. I guessed no one wanted to hear his shit. His eyes widened when they landed on us, and he thrashed against his bindings. I didn’t know if he was trying to get away from us, or avenge his friends, and I didn’t care.
Walker stopped in front of the second bunker. A table had been set up, items on it set out like evidence, everything tagged.
“We found this,” Verdugo said, lifting the collar.
My hand went reflexively to my throat. “They forced me to wear it.”
“It’s the same type they used on Walker,” Lavigne added.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “The initial design came from my company, but Mahn made modifications.”
“Do you know how he got the design?” Walker asked.
Beside me, Jolyn stiffened.
“No,” I said, keeping my friend’s gaze. “But I’m happy to send Clyborne Inc. everything I have on it.”
“Appreciate it,” Lavigne said with a nod.
“What about the vitamin water?” Jolyn asked, her hand flexing in mine. “We need to stop those deliveries.”
“Taken care of,” Lavigne replied.
Relief spread through me, and I felt Jolyn relax as well.
“Those friends of yours,” Lavigne went on, “also told us about the SDX-42 compound that affects shifters, and the distribution schedule. By the time they’d gotten a hold of us, they’d already started a news story about poison in Vaunce Vitamin Water. Networks around the world have been blasting about how unsafe the new drink is for the past five hours.”
