Jonas turned in his chair, and Matthias retreated to rest his back against the wall of the van, as Jonas stared down at Grace's unconscious form.
"Why didn't you kill her?" Jonas repeated Simon's question dispassionately. "If she was in Albrecht's suite this late, then she was a part of him."
Matthias stared back at him coldly. "I won't reward her help by snapping her neck."
"Then I will," Jonas decided, moving as though to do just that. Matthias lifted his lip in a growl, causing Jonas to pause.
"Matthias, she's a risk. She can identify you and place the weapon in your hand. What other choice do you have?" Slashing quicksilver eyes clashed with Matthias's gaze.
"I'll take care of the situation."
"And when she's reported missing? I managed to have her vehicle picked up by one of my enforcers, but she only had a weeks vacation. What then?"
Matthias shifted his gaze from Jonas's to Grace's face. Her features were relaxed, her dove gray eyes closed. Rosebud lips were softened, and her creamy flesh was pale.
He had terrified her, but there hadn't been time for gentleness.
"I'll take responsibility for her," he stated firmly.
"And when she reports what she saw?" Jonas asked, his voice hard. "When she reports that a Breed, a known associate of the Bureau of Breed Affairs killed Dr. Albrecht. What then, Matthias? You're risking the whole community, not just yourself."
"Touch her, and I'll kill you next," Mathias growled, a hard rumble of violence that had the tension in the van spiking to heated levels. "Think about harming her, and I'll kill you."
"Then hide her." Jonas shrugged. "And hide her well, wolf, because if she even breathes the truth of tonight's events, I'll make sure she never takes another breath."
***
JONAS watched, several hours later, as Matthias loaded his conscious, bound and gagged little burden into the folded-back front seat, secured her into place, and drove away. He leaned against the outside of the van and grinned, hell if he could help it. Sometimes, his people just amazed him, especially those who hadn't yet heard the truth of the mating heat, or the first signs of it. Common sense was the first casualty to the heat, and he almost regretted letting the Wolf Breed drive away to parts unknown. It would have been fun as hell to watch.
"He's gonna mate her," Simon drawled from inside the van. "That look in his eye was impossible to mistake. I thought he was going to rip my throat out when I suggested breaking her neck."
"He came close." Jonas smirked.
"You should have warned him," Lawe sighed.
"You should have had him dragged back to Sanctuary for those stupid tests," Rule snarled. "If they don't find a cure for that shit, I'm never going to f**k again. It's starting to give me the jeebies." Jonas chuckled. "We need to understand it, you can forget about curing it. Besides, Ely and the Wolf Breed scientists have enough victims. No sense in adding a new pair to the mix."
"And if he can't convince her to keep her mouth shut?" Simon voiced the question rolling around in Jonas's head. He grimaced at the thought of the answer to it.
"Track him," he ordered the other man. "If he can't convince her not to talk, then we'll have to." Permanently if necessary. He'd hate it. It would sicken his soul, but he had done worse to see to the Breeds' survival, and he was certain he would do so again. Shedding innocent blood would add to the nightmares, though, and that he wasn't anticipating. As far as Jonas was concerned, he had enough nightmares to fight.
CHAPTER TWO
She should have changed out of the short black skirt and white blouse she wore to work. She should have worn jeans. Pants, anything but the leg-flattering little skirt she was so fond of. Because it was now around her thighs. So indecently around her thighs that Grace felt herself flushing. And while she was considering her recent mistakes, she should have let someone know she had returned. Checked in. Put off dealing with Albrecht's complaints. Anything but what she had ended up doing.
But she just had to come back for that stupid little bathing suit she had stuffed in the pocket of her jacket. And when she had, Mr. Albrecht's message had been flashing on her machine. Irate. Demanding action over some slight by the staff.
She had listened to the message, erased it, because she was anal about stuff like that, and then had gone to Albrecht's suite. That had been her biggest mistake.
The door had been slightly open, but Albrecht was known for that kind of absentmindedness. He was so arrogantly certain no one would dare attack him under the eagle eye of the security cameras that he ignored every precaution. Security had warned him repeatedly that they could not ensure his safety if he didn't stop leaving the suite door open. Normally, one of the security personnel contacted his bodyguards in the other room and had them do it. Tonight, security hadn't taken care of it. Which meant they were updating the security system. Which meant the damned system, as well as the backup, was off-line. Which meant no one knew what the f**k had happened to her !
Ten minutes. The system had been off-line for ten freaking stupid minutes, and one of their most influential residents was dead.
It didn't matter that he was an ass**le. He was still dead. And Matthias had killed him. Her breath hitched as she battled the tears filling her eyes. The man she had fallen in love with was a killer.
She glanced over at him.
His expression was imposing in the low lights from the dash. The wicked scar that slashed over his forehead, across his eye, then to the center of his cheek was hidden from her view. His profile revealed only the dark curve and slash of arrogant bones, the arch of black brows. Thick, coarse black hair, as dark as night, flowed down his neck and was caught at the nape of his neck with some sort of elastic band.