Undercover Wolf

Chapter 16

The hotel where Kelly and Holt were staying hadn’t seemed far when Kristine rode there with Quinn. Now, though, she realized she had a distance to walk.

No matter. She enjoyed the exercise—both for her body and her mind. She had her purse with her, but not her backpack. She didn’t need to carry the shifting equipment. She did, however, have her gun.

While she walked, she would use the time to consider how to approach the two DSPA guys and what to say to them—notwithstanding Quinn’s insisting that she stay away from them.

The direction she took led her past the police station. She couldn’t help herself. She walked into the lobby area.

Did she dare ask anything about their investigation into the killings of the tourists?

Not that they’d be likely to admit anything...

There were a few people standing around inside, and she had to wait a couple of minutes before she could approach the receiving desk. The same uniformed officer she’d seen there before, Officer Canfield, stood to greet visitors. “Can I help you?” he asked.

“I was just wondering...” From the corner of her eye, she noticed a couple of uniformed cops exiting a door near the caged-in welcome area. They both looked familiar—the ones Quinn had confronted after their last visit here.

The ones he had seen, while shifted, right at the crime scene.

The ones she really wanted to talk to—much better than talking to that Chief Crane again and trying to ask questions without answering any of his.

“Sorry,” she told Officer Canfield. “I’ve got to run.” She ignored the combination of puzzlement and irritation on the young cop’s face and moved away from the line that had grown behind her.

She approached the nearest cop. “Hello, Officer Angsburg.” Kristine made herself smile at the slim, uniformed woman with an expressionless face. “Good to see you again. You know, I’m still hoping to hear some kind of resolution on the killing of those tourists in Acadia.” She looked toward the male cop who stood beside her, Officer Sidell. The squat, large-chested guy frowned, and since he was nearly bald his entire forehead became a plane of parallel wrinkles.

“It’s not our jurisdiction,” the male cop said, his tone filled with irony.

Kristine shrugged one shoulder. “I just thought you were interested enough to keep looking...and, since you know this area better, you’d do a better job than the feds.”

“Yeah? Tell that to them,” he retorted.

“Sorry, we’ve got to go.” Officer Angsburg touched her partner’s arm as if to give him a message. Kristine could guess what it was.

“I’m still rooting for answers soon,” Kristine called after them in the crowded lobby. “My husband is, too.” She added that just as a reminder to them of the persona under which she had previously met, and been questioned by, their superior officer.

Unfortunately, this brief meeting hadn’t gained her any knowledge—other than to have her assumption about the frustration of the local authorities confirmed. Which wasn’t surprising, considering their apparently hanging out sometimes, maybe unofficially, at the crime scene.

Now, it was time to continue with the investigation she had planned today to take advantage of Quinn’s absence.

She wondered about him, though, and where he really was.

Worried about him. Couldn’t help thinking about him, especially since she had mentioned her “husband.”

She stepped back onto the Bar Harbor sidewalk outside the police station. The weather was as iffy as many New England spring days. A strong breeze was blowing, and a storm threatened. Not a great day for golf, she surmised. Another reason to doubt that was what Quinn was up to.

Would what she now was about to do cause lightning of a different kind? Even just the idea bothered her.

She had definitely come to appreciate the charm of Bar Harbor and its quaint shops, its parks and its proximity to the water, not to mention its myriad of happy tourists that surrounded her on the sidewalk and meandered in and out of the stores.

If only she were here as a real tourist.

Or as a real honeymooner, like Grace had been...Not that Kristine had any intention of getting more involved with the other Parran brother, let alone considering anything as foolish as marrying him.

Never mind that she was hooked on the guy sexually.

But he held a higher military ranking than she did—when he didn’t even like, or relate to, the military. Their fraternizing here wasn’t any big deal since they weren’t acting officially, but they couldn’t continue it even if they wanted to.

Even more critical—he was a shapeshifter.

Simon and Grace were both werewolves, and Kristine figured that would lead to a lasting relationship. Mates for life.

Of course other Alpha Force couples consisted of pairs where one person shifted and the other didn’t—Major Connell and his veterinarian wife, for one, and they had a young child. Then there was Lt. Patrick Worley, whose wife wrote for a nature magazine.

Kristine stopped abruptly at an intersection and castigated herself for the way her mind was racing in the wrong direction. Quinn hadn’t given any indication of interest in a real relationship, even if she wanted one. Which she didn’t.

But she had wanted to succeed on their completely unofficial mission, and what she still intended to accomplish today could make a heck of a lot of difference in what Quinn and she had come here to do.

Maybe she would be excused from violating a direct order by continuing her investigation, talking to the cops—and more—if she succeeded. Then, she might also excuse herself.

She might even admit the lapse to Quinn—although she didn’t really want him to think she condoned ignoring orders.

But what difference would that really make, considering how little he thought of the military?

And his attitude wouldn’t prevent her from trying to seduce him tonight in celebration—if all went well.

* * *

Quinn had finally circled the entire island, after starting out toward the north. The last area he passed on the loop back to his starting point was perhaps the most interesting—the area south of Bar Harbor. A while ago, he had passed the Coast Guard installation that Major Connell had mentioned, but had decided not to go in. He doubted that the DSPA guys would be there now, and felt certain that the Coast Guard members on duty wouldn’t share information even if they had any.

He had just gone by Seal Harbor, a small, somewhat upscale village with a small port for recreational vessels. Beyond the town were Otter Cove, Otter Cliff and Thunder Cove—all shoreline phenomena that were majestic and magnetic. If he had actually been a sightseer, he would have stopped and explored the area by land a lot more than he had while looking for any sign of Simon and Grace—or canine wildlife.

But he wasn’t a sightseer. And slowing down wouldn’t help to alleviate his fear, as irrational as it might be, about Kristine. The longer he was away from her, the more he believed she might be doing something she would only regret.

Him, too.

He kept his boat on course toward Bar Harbor.

On impulse, he called Kristine, but his signal, unsurprisingly, wasn’t strong. He’d try her again when he reached the shore.

Only...okay, he was acting like some teenager with a crush. Or maybe like a real honeymooner. But being away from her this long? It didn’t seem right.

Especially because he somehow had a gut feeling. She hadn’t seemed at all worried that they were going in different directions today.

That probably meant she had something on her mind, just as he had.

Something that could put her in danger?

Hell. He had to go find out.

* * *

Their SUV wasn’t in the parking lot.

That might be a good thing, Kristine thought. She’d been weighing ideas in her mind for getting someone to reveal the room number of the DSPA guys so she could knock on their door and surprise them—or sneak in and lie in wait if they weren’t there. But in these days of enhanced privacy, she wasn’t sure any of her schemes would work.

At least she could do as Quinn and she had done before—treat herself to a decent meal in the hotel restaurant while keeping an eye on the parking lot.

A hostess in a silky dress showed her to a seat near the window, as she requested, despite how busy the place was once again. Kristine looked outside as much as she studied the menu. No DSPA guys.

Were they even still registered at the hotel? Still in the area?

She tried to be surreptitious as she took her cell phone from her purse and called the front desk and asked for Mr. Kelly’s room. The operator didn’t say that he was no longer there, so apparently Kristine’s fears were ungrounded. Nor did either Mr. Kelly or Mr. Holt answer the phone—probably a good thing since Kristine’s plans hadn’t included calling them to schedule a meeting.

Unless nothing else worked.

Their time here was limited, hers and Quinn’s. She had to make a move, push the feds to give up more information. This could be her last opportunity, and she was desperate to learn more about Grace and Simon—no matter what the cost.

And if they were dead, as she feared, or had gone rogue—well, Kristine would do all she had to do to protect Alpha Force. That was paramount to anything else.

She’d be cautious, of course. Learning something would do her no good if she didn’t survive to tell about it.

But those feds had to know something. Why else would they still be here?

Although they did keep saying that they, too, were looking for answers...

She ordered a glass of white wine, then considered either Maine steamers or lobster—but both might be too time-consuming to wait for, or to eat, if she spotted her quarries. Plus, she really wasn’t very hungry. Instead, she requested crab cakes.

She ate slowly, savoring her food while keeping watch. But no black SUV. Not until she had taken her last bite and considered ordering another glass of wine.

Then the vehicle pulled into the parking lot. Frantically, Kristine glanced around and found her server nearby. She made the universal sign in the air of wanting her check. But the men moved fast. Maybe she should have just taken something to read and sat out there waiting.

She paid quickly and hurried from the restaurant. Fortunately, she spotted the men walking through the crowded hotel lobby. Maneuvering around other people, she dashed over to them. “Well, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Holt, fancy seeing you here.”

Kelly’s smile looked so snide that it sent shivers up Kristine’s back. “No surprise to see you here, Kristine.” But he looked around. “Where’s your...husband?”

Holt’s expression, too, looked almost triumphant as he also grinned. “I’ll find him. Is he letting you be our bait again?”

“What do you mean?” she demanded.

Holt sidestepped around her and seemed to be scanning the busy lobby—for Quinn, no doubt.

“He’s not here,” she called. “I’m on my own today. Care to join me for a drink?”

“Thanks to you and your guy we’re off alcohol for a few more days,” Kelly growled. “Not good for concussions.”

“Coffee, then. Is caffeine okay? I know you’ve been combing the area for the two missing people, and as I told you before, I want to collaborate with you.”

“And why should we do that?” Holt demanded. He was now standing at Kristine’s side. Kelly was directly in front of her. They seemed much too close. At least, with all these people around, they were unlikely to try to grab her again.

Did they plan to coerce her some other way? She no longer felt in charge of this situation. She took a step back. It was time to walk away—fast. But she knew both men would stay with her if she tried.

Hell, she was in the military, trained for combat. A little confrontation like this was nothing. She could handle it.

“Because we have the same goals,” she told Holt, keeping her eyes level, her voice hard. “We can help each other. I may have a little information about Alpha Force that I can share with you that could be of assistance.” Or not. She’d have to figure out what she could allude to without giving up any secrets. But enticing them with possibilities was a good thing.

“Fine,” Kelly said. “Why don’t you just come along and tell us what you know.” He took her arm, and when she attempted to wrest it away he grasped it even tighter.

“I don’t think you want to make a scene here,” Kristine said, her gaze traveling around the lobby. “The security guys wouldn’t like it, for one thing. I’d imagine there are plenty of cameras around.”

“We won’t be the ones making a scene if you just come along.”

“Why is it that you keep trying to get me to go with you?” she demanded.

“Like you said, we might have information to share. And since you talk about it so much, we’re fairly sure you do.” There was a cruelty in Kelly’s nasty smile that made Kristine shudder inside—not that she showed it. But he looked like a grinning skeleton, and his hand on her arm felt like a tightening vise. “Let’s go,” he finished.

“I don’t think so.” Kristine stood still, readying herself for self-defense moves, if necessary. In this crowd, she wouldn’t be able to get much leverage. And Kelly had apparently learned his lesson. He was now positioned almost sideways, which would make it a lot harder for her to aim nasty kicks at his genital area.

But where was Holt? Kristine glanced sideways and didn’t see him—but then she felt another hand, this one creeping around her waist.

Damn! This was getting ugly. She could shout, but calling attention to herself wasn’t ideal—especially when Quinn and she weren’t supposed to be here and her presence could be deemed counter to their direct order to stand down. Another incident with these guys could hurt the military career that was so important to her...not to mention how it could negatively affect Alpha Force.

What was she going to do?

And then, as if this was some kind of adventure movie where heroes appeared out of the blue to save the poor, frightened girl—there he was.

Quinn.

He strode up to them as if he’d been choreographed to be there. “Hello, gentlemen,” he said, the nasty grin illuminating his gorgeous—and absolutely welcome—face apparently dismaying the two feds. “I think we all need to talk.”

* * *

They didn’t talk long. It seemed that Holt and Kelly had pressing government business to take care of that evening. What a surprise.

“What were you doing with them?” Quinn demanded after Kristine sat down in the passenger seat of their rental car.

“Where were you?” she countered, figuring that the best defense was a strong offense. Especially since she realized that she hadn’t handled this right after all her planning...

She should have had a much better backup plan. One that didn’t require that she be the maiden in distress waiting for her champion to arrive.

They were still sitting in the hotel parking lot. Kristine watched Quinn stare straight ahead for a long moment as if controlling his temper.

She should have felt equally angry with him. She shouldn’t feel attracted to him as he clearly criticized her, internally even if he was wise enough not to vocalize it.

But she understood his anger. She would have felt the same way if she had discovered him in a dangerous situation from which he’d have had a hard time extracting himself.

“I’m sorry,” she heard herself saying. “I just thought that I’d take advantage of being on my own to conduct my own investigation without involving you—without your having to act against direct orders.”

He laughed and looked straight at her. His mood had clearly changed. “You know what I was doing when I left you in town?”

She couldn’t help smiling back. “Disobeying orders? Conducting your own investigation?”

“Exactly.”

The tension between them had clearly eased.

“You hungry?” she asked him. “I’d like a light dinner now. How about you?”

* * *

After a quick meal at a local seafood restaurant, Quinn drove back to their hotel.

“I’m still hungry,” he said when they were in their room together. “Besides, you owe me some penance for making me worry the way I did this afternoon.”

“No, you owe me—”

He didn’t let her finish. He lowered his mouth down onto hers and used his tongue to tease away any words that she might be forming to contradict him.

The contact, that kiss as it deepened, made his cock harden so fast and so tautly that he had no choice but to quickly take off her clothes—even as she pulled at his.

They were soon in bed together, naked and hungry and ready for their hottest sex yet, or so he anticipated.

He was right. He nearly had an orgasm the moment she gripped him and pulled him toward her own center, but he controlled it until he was deep inside her. After somehow managing to tear open and pull on a condom.

After all, she was all woman. Human woman. No need to take chances on starting something they couldn’t control—like a baby.

How he was able to focus on that while pounding into her, watching the hazy need in her eyes, hearing her gasps of pleasure...well, who knew?

And when he climaxed, it was all-consuming, especially since she reached orgasm at the same time.

* * *

Kristine felt sated. And confused. And she simply wouldn’t think about her foolishness that day, confronting those two feds on her own.

Her current foolishness, thinking that she might be falling in love with a superior officer, a shifter...impossible.

It had to be.

But her confusion didn’t prevent her from making love with him twice more that night.

In the morning, she wasn’t sure what to think. How to react. And so, as soon as he left their bed to head for the bathroom, she turned on the television.

And gasped. “Quinn. Come here!”

They both watched the rest of the newscast. There had been another killing in Acadia last night. More maulings of humans by some kind of animal.

The dead victim was Officer Emily Angsburg, one of the cops who’d been looking into the prior killing.

The cop Kristine had spoken with only the day before.