On it were names along with a place to log cases put in storage and cases emptied into the water. But a quick scan told her none of her pack mates’ names was on it. Instead, she saw neat rows of names she recognized as members of the Griz.
Nanook—the former Griz alpha—was in a bold scrawl. Simon’s name came later, along with a date that tracked to when he’d become the new head. She saw the names Vic and Hank and had only a vague idea who they were. But a final name popped up as if it were highlighted.
Ryan Kennedy.
She reached out and grabbed the clipboard, pulling off the loose pages. She was about to fold them into her vest when Ryan grabbed her elbow.
“What are you doing?”
“This is bullshit.”
He nodded. “I know that.”
“Your cops are coming in.” She lifted up the pages. “These are a distraction. The Griz didn’t do this, but if they see this, you’re in for a shitload of trouble.” She could hear people coming and so she quickly shoved them into her jacket. But he just as quickly dragged them out of her hand.
“Do you seriously think we’re that stupid?” he demanded as he dropped the pages back on the table. “That’s a plant.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, duh. But it’s also going to wrap you up in bullshit for days.” She reached for the pages again, but he stopped her.
“It’s evidence, Frankie. And you don’t get to hide it.”
She blew out a breath. “I’m trying to help.”
“I know. But this isn’t the way.”
“It’s a lie—” she began, but he cut her off.
“I haven’t checked for more bombs,” he said loudly as he looked over her shoulder. “But I think it was just on the door.”
She turned to see the same officer who had handed her the Kevlar vest. He had a hard jaw, cold eyes, and a square face that was grim as he looked at the jugs on the shelves.
“I’ve already called the bomb squad.”
A little late, but she understood the need. Meanwhile, the guy studied the map on the corkboard. “Fuckers,” he grumbled. And then he saw the pages she pulled off the clipboard. It took two seconds for his eyes to leap back to Ryan. “You’ve got an enemy.”
Ryan nodded grimly.
“And a friend,” she said firmly. She needed him to know that she was on his side no matter what. Wolf or bear made no difference. This was a lie and she would not have him pay the price for her brother’s machinations.
Ryan’s expression softened as he looked at her. He opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off as his walkie-talkie blared. Something about the bomb squad coming in and that they were all idiots for standing inside the room before it had been cleared. He grimaced, and he gestured for her to go out the door. She went, but she longed to reach back and nab the pages. Even though the other cop obviously knew it was a forgery, it would still taint Ryan’s investigation. He’d be thrown off the case and unable to arrest Raoul. Which put that much more pressure on her to deal with the situation herself.
She stepped out into the sunshine, her gaze quickly scanning the area for Brady. She had some questions she wanted to ask him, starting with why hadn’t he told them about the map and sign-in sheet. Except that when she got all the way out into the alley, he wasn’t there.
Hell.He’d run, probably terrified since the bomb had been meant for him. She hadn’t ordered him to stick around, and that was her mistake. And worse, part of her worried that he’d been playing her and was now off to report to Raoul that he’d managed to wrap Ryan up in hours of red tape. She didn’t want to think that of Brady, but she’d be a fool not to consider the possibility. Either way, Brady was not going to help her anymore.
Her allies were dwindling by the second. Hazel was trapped at the community center, Noelle had done what she could, Brady had skipped, and now Ryan was going to be caught in police procedure for who knew how long. Which put her right back where she always knew she’d be.
The cops had the serum, so Detroit was safe. Now it was her turn to settle things among the wolves. She’d wanted Raoul out of the picture while she confronted her father, but it didn’t look like that was going to happen. At least not anytime soon. And every minute she waited was time for her brother to gain more control. She had to act now even though her brother was still free to cause trouble. Not a fun scenario, but she didn’t see any other options. She didn’t want to abandon Ryan, but if she stayed here, she’d get caught up in the police investigation and who knew how many hours of interrogation. She had to go now.
She chose her moment carefully. She waited until the bomb squad came out of the room and there was maximum confusion with some people reporting, others heading in to gather evidence. It helped that the ambulance they’d called had arrived. Paramedics pulled her out of the main throng to check her out. She followed them until she was out of Ryan’s line of sight, and then she ducked away.
Chapter 16
Ryan drained the last of his stale coffee and tried not to wish it was something else. The serum in his blood had burned off sometime during the last four hours of interrogation, and now he was fighting the shakes as the addiction kicked in. His mouth was dry, his head was pounding, and he wanted, wanted, wanted anything that would make it end.
Damn the woman for injecting that shit into his veins. And yet he couldn’t really blame her if the other option had been death. Still, the need was stripping him raw just when he needed to keep it together.
He was sitting in the interrogation room of the precinct that covered the grizzly territory. He knew most of the guys here, but those weren’t the ones who had grilled him for the last four hours. No, he’d been under the spotlight of the stars of the Detroit PD, the ones handpicked to catch the villains who had poisoned the city. They didn’t know him from the lowest drug dealer on the street, and they’d treated him with equal disdain.
