Buried and Shadowed (Branded Packs #3)

“Let’s go.”

Sinclair rolled his eyes as he followed behind her. This morning hadn’t gone at all like he’d been expecting. And he sensed that this was only the start.

After all, he was a dominant wolf, and she was a sexy, sassy, stubborn human.

What was it the Chinese said…may you live in interesting times?

He had a feeling that life with Mira was always going to be interesting.

“This is why men lose their hair,” he said.

****

Mira didn’t try to break the heavy silence as they drove down the back roads at a break-neck speed.

She understood that Sinclair was fighting against his natural instincts. Not only was he a shifter, but he was also an Alpha. Which meant he had an overwhelming need to protect the people he considered a part of his Pack.

But she knew that she had to stand her ground. If she allowed Sinclair to believe he knew what was best for her and start making unilateral decisions for her own good, she would eventually snap.

He had to accept that she was an intelligent woman, who was perfectly capable of choosing where she wanted to go, and how she wanted to get there.

If he wanted a submissive female, who would obey his every command…well, he needed to keep looking.

Not that she wasn’t afraid.

She knew better than anyone just what the SAU was capable of. Hell, she still had the bruises to prove it. But she was determined to see this through to the end.

After eighteen months of hard, sometimes terrifying work, she would never forgive herself if she hid in a cave while Sinclair finished their mission.

It was mid-afternoon when Sinclair pulled into a large parking lot. Halting behind a dumpster, they studied their surroundings.

It’d been over twenty minutes since they’d last seen any hint of civilization, which made the large brick building in front of them more mysterious.

Why would anyone choose to open a business in the middle of nowhere?

The obvious answer was that the people inside the building didn’t want to be bothered by society.

Her gaze moved over the flat roof and the tall, arched windows. She could see a high hedge at the back of the structure that she assumed enclosed the hospital’s private gardens. There were also balconies that ran the length of the front of the building with fluted columns.

The place might have been built in the boonies, but no expense had been spared.

There was a large sign near the edge of the manicured lawn at the front of the building that was painted with gold letters.

“Great Plains Home of Tranquility,” she read aloud. “I think this is the place.”

Unbuckling his seatbelt, Sinclair reached to shove open his door.

“I want you to stay here,” he commanded.

If she had any sense, she’d let him go. She could see the wolf in his eyes, which meant that he was at the edge of his patience.

But, she couldn’t let him put himself in danger when she had the means to prevent it.

“I can help,” she said.

He turned in his seat, reaching out to brush the back of his fingers over her cheek.

“You already have, sweetheart,” he said. “Now let me take care of this.”

She swallowed a sigh. It was going to be a fight. A shame. But she intended to make him listen to reason.

“Look around, Sinclair,” she insisted.

His brows drew together as his gaze skimmed over the half-empty lot before moving toward the sprawling brick building.

“Look at what?” he demanded.

“This is clearly a private institute,” she said.

“And?”

“They’ll have strict security.” She nodded toward the heavy double doors. “You won’t get past the front guard.”

Blue eyes flared with offended male pride. “You can’t seriously be suggesting that I can be stopped by one human guard?”

She felt a small burst of annoyance. Did all men have the same oversized ego?

Yeesh.

“First.” She held up a finger. “You don’t know that there’s just one guard.” She put up another finger. “And second,” she continued. “I thought you were trying to avoid attracting the attention of the authorities.”

He scowled, refusing to acknowledge that she was right. “I can sneak past any security.”

She gave a lift of her shoulder. “Okay, say that you sneak past security. How will you find the room you’re looking for?”

There was a tense moment as he wavered between following the urgings of his heart, or accepting the logic of her argument.

“Dammit,” he at last said. “What’s your plan?”

“I need your phone,” she said, holding out her hand.

“Why?” he asked, even as he pulled out his phone.

“Do you trust me?” she demanded, using the same words that he’d used the night before.

Releasing a resigned sigh, he placed the phone in the palm of her hand.

“I thought I was good at manipulating people,” he said with a shake of his head. “I’m an amateur compared to you.”