Page 20 of Rivers and Roads

Nadya was there dressed in a sharp pantsuit, flats, and a light pink hijab that was a little tighter around her forehead than it had been the night before. She looked every bit the corporate director they wanted her to be, and she could have easily passed for human had it not been for the orange flash in her eyes.

“Have you been awake long?” I asked as I took a mug off the counter and filled it.

“I didn’t really sleep. I shifted and went for a run around four.” Now that she said it, I could see the dark circles hiding beneath a thin layer of makeup, but an untrained human eye wouldn’t notice. “I’ve called in two of my contacts to give us a hand. I don’t think this is going to go forward without a hitch.”

I knew what she meant. There was more than just anxiety in my gut. There was something restless and ready for a fight, which was warring with my Omega instincts. “We should get this done as quickly as we can, then.”

“I’ve prepped the drive for you. All you have to do is plug it in and send the downloads to it. There will be a pop-up so you won’t have to go looking for it.” She walked around me to the little table and picked up a slender square of plastic.

“And they’re seriously not going to be immediately alerted to this?”

“Not when the network goes down. It’ll take IT about thirty minutes to get everything back online, which should be just enough time to erase your footprints. There might be an alert on your station though, since it’ll be one of two that won’t go down. That’s why you need to get the hell out before that happens.”

Thirty minutes to be long-gone. Maybe more if her diversion worked, but I didn’t want it to come to that.

“I’ll do my best.” I finished my coffee, then set the mug down and pushed away from the counter. “I’m going to take the serum. After that, we can take off.”

She nodded, looking grim, and the same mood settled in my gut as I made my way to the bathroom and prepared the injection.

The pain was still intense, but this time, I was able to breathe through it. And when I felt it hit me, there was something like relief, which terrified me to my core. I didn’t want my body to crave this. I wanted it to fight for the way it was. But I didn’t have time for that.

I could hear Nadya off in the distance, loading the car, and I quickly gathered my things and followed her out front. She had my bags with her, and I opened up the back so she could throw them into the trunk of my car, then I tucked the case under the passenger seat and leaned against the door to look at her.

“Now or never?”

She nodded, saying nothing as she opened her car door and climbed behind the wheel. I followed after, taking the dirt road slowly to the main road, then we picked up speed as we headed into the city. I hadn’t spent much time in the capital before. Places like DC were always off limits to Wolves, even before we were officially segregated. Of course, it hadn’t been very appealing. The idea of mingling with the lawmakers that saw us as animals not worthy of freedom and pace made me want to tear their throats out.

And even now, I was only crossing this border because I wanted to save my people.

My nerves ratcheted up as her car slowed, and then she took a turn into a parking garage that headed under a large building with a bright red ComTech on the side. We were there. It was time. The guard at the gate wasn’t paying very close attention as I followed Nadya’s lead and swiped my badge, and I let out a breath of relief when the arm lifted, and I was able to drive through.

So far so good. No security racing after me with tranq-guns and cuffs.

We parked our cars at the far end, near the exit, and I understood her strategy. “The badge will get you out, and you should have time before they lock it down,” she told me as we headed for the elevator.

I didn’t want to have to force my way out of anything, but although this particular situation was new to me, escape wasn’t. I was alive because I could think quick on my feet.

I walked a little bit behind Nadya, and it became obvious that while she was a respected employee of ComTech, the humans didn’t trust her. There was the scent of fear and rapid heartbeats in the air, like they were waiting for her to drop fang and lunge.

And I had no doubt it was worse with me on her heel. A new Wolf in their midst.

“They don’t want to seem like they’re bigots,” she murmured to me as we waited for the elevator doors to open. None of the humans would stand within their earshot of us, and I almost laughed because it took nothing at all for us to eavesdrop on them. “They smile to my face and sometimes have lunch with me in the break room. But I’m several different flavors of threat.” She tugged a little on her hijab, and I nodded in understanding.

“How did you get the job?” I asked.

Her smile widened as we stepped into the elevators. “An old family friend.”

I had a feeling there was more to the story, but the fact that she didn’t elaborate told me it was too dangerous to discuss here. I didn’t press for more, and eventually, the doors opened to the sixth floor. We were met with floor to ceiling windows, high above the street, and it was beautiful out there. It was green and lush and rich with humidity. But it was just a mask, hiding the evil that lurked within the borders of this city.

“You’re going to be working in here.” Her voice interrupted my thoughts. “This used to be the accounting office, but the entire department was laid off and outsourced to some over-seas center,” she said, leaning on the door. “It’ll give you plenty of privacy as you work on your training.”

I licked my lips, then nodded at her. “And you?”

“Down the hall. You can buzz my phone if you need anything.”

That was code for if I needed her to start the diversion. “Will do. Uh…see you for lunch, maybe?”

She smiled at me. “Maybe.” Turning on her heel, she walked down to her office and disappeared behind the door, and I took that as the sign to begin.

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