Rising Storm (Westin Force #2) - Julie Trettel Page 0,62
face made me laugh. “Relax. I’m just saying. There’s more to a person and an incident than what shows on a file.”
“You’re right. There is.”
“I know the Westin’s. They support and trust Jacob because of what he and his wife did for Maddie. They’re a little blind when it comes to him because of that. What I need to know is if he’s truly harmless and just trying to help even if he’s gone about it wrong in the past, or do I need to be watching our backs here?”
“I don’t know.” There was no change in heartrate or scent of fear. He was telling me the truth. “I told you. He used to be just like me, and then it sort of snowballed on him. He had this one shifter contained and from what I know, that was a good thing. Just like humans, not all shifters are created equal. Some are good, some are most definitely not. Dangerous even.”
“And this was one of those?”
“Yeah, it was. While Jacob had him, he took some blood samples. He started researching the biological differences between humans and shifters. It wasn’t a cure, but he did create a new medicine to help with diabetes. This started him down that slippery slope. Next it was a possible cure for Parkinson’s. He created several other possible treatments for various diseases that have bettered humanity, but at the expense of shifters in captivity.”
“One shifter wasn’t enough, he needed more,” I guessed.
Martin nodded. “Soon, others started taking notice and that eventually led to the Raglan. They were mostly young and healthy. Many had ailing parents and possible genetic predispositions.”
“This of course led to a stronger desire for more cures for themselves.”
“Exactly. And so it went, until what started out as a few, seemingly harmless cases with trials run on shifters that shouldn’t have been allowed free rein that became more of a desperation to find the right link.”
“That’s when the kidnappings started becoming more noticeable.”
“You can see where this is headed.”
“Yeah, I can.”
“And now it’s gotten away from him and he doesn’t know how to stop it. I think the guilt of it all is what’s fueling him to shut them down now.”
“But he’s also still trying to justify his own actions, which is the real reason he mentioned Emma. If he thinks I’ll turn on my mate, he’s got another thing coming.”
Martin smiled. “I warned him of that. Sometimes his arrogance gets the better of him. He wanted you to see that even the best of people do bad things sometimes.”
“I didn’t read the file, but I know my mate. I guarantee it was not the same. He can try and justify his reasons as altruistic, but Emma only attacks to protect herself or others.”
“It was for another gorilla they had. He was her cage partner before the big one you guys rescued. He wasn’t assertive enough and they were pumping him full of amphetamines to boost his aggression levels and constantly torturing him in hopes of making him more violent in the ring to boost attendance and bets. There was an incident and Emma came to his defense. She shows high leadership and protective instincts.”
I laughed. “I’m aware, especially for innocent gorillas.”
“Yeah, that’s actually in the report.”
“That’s because before she was captured, she was the leader of a gorilla troupe. Their silverback was killed, and she stepped up to replace him.”
“What? But that’s not even natural in the wild.”
“But that’s my girl. From what we can piece together, she led them for approximately eight years before hearing about increased abduction activity in the area. She was assuming zoos, not all of this, but she formed several alliances to keep her band protected and led the Raglan away from them until they ultimately captured her. She thinks she was there about two years and remained in her gorilla form the entire time.”
“Yeah, I’d agree with that from the evidence found in the rubble you guys caused in Vegas. She’s something. That’s incredible.”
I softened. “She’s pretty amazing.” I cleared my throat and changed the subject. “So, what are we going to do about Jacob Winthrop?”
“Eyes wide, ears open, don’t draw attention to him or he could get spooked. I genuinely believe he’s trying to right his own wrongs here. I don’t think he is our enemy.”
“Why are you telling me this and not O’Connell?”
“Patrick and the Westins are soft where Jacob’s concerned. He did a lot for Maddie and her son and they feel indebted to