Tiger Tracks (Alaskan Tigers Book 9) (13 page)

Even with the snow on the ground, she sat there next to the creek. She was too lost in her thoughts to notice the cold and wind beating against her. Her long blonde hair whipped around her from the breeze and she didn’t bat it out of her face like she normally would.

“Jade.” He called to her as he neared, but still she didn’t acknowledge him.
My dear sister, what can we do to help you?

During medical school, he had studied cases of trauma and depression, and during his time as a family doctor he’d had to treat it, but when it came to his sister, he hesitated. He wanted to do whatever he could to help her return to the woman she had once been, but there were dangers. If he pushed too much, he could send her retreating further into herself. It was a lose-lose situation, but he was the only one there who could help her in a medical way. Besides being her brother, it was his job as her Alpha to heal her. The best way for her to move past the trauma was to talk about it. It didn’t have to be with him, it could be any of the brothers, but she had to talk to someone or she’d continue to relive it night after night in her dreams. He could only hope she’d find the courage.

“Jade.” He called to her again as he stood above her.

“I really just want to be alone.” She ran her hands down her jean clad legs and pulled them tighter against her chest.

“I know, but that’s not always good for you.” He sat down next to her, the snow soaking the bottom of his jeans. It was better than hovering above her. “Austin’s an ass.”

“But he’s right,” she said. “Eventually this will be worldwide. What are we going to do?” Tears welled in her eyes.

“We’re not going to let that happen. With every lead that comes through Shifters Underground, we follow up on it, destroy labs, and rescue those who need us.” He tugged off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders. “We’re going to make it through this.”

“Maybe Austin is right, though. Maybe we need to start building our team and prepare to fight if we have to.”

“I know none of this is easy for you, and I know you’re scared, but he is right on this. The time is coming when we’re going to need to fight in order to stay alive and free.” The terror that radiated from her permeated the air until it was almost palpable. He forced air into his lungs and added, “I’d rather have you here where we can keep you safe, but if you want, Dad’s family will welcome you in Ireland.”

“I’m not leaving without everyone. I’ve never deserted the family and I’m not going to now.” She turned to him. “Do you think Dad’s still out there? In one of those camps or a lab?”

He wanted to lie to her, to tell her their father could take care of himself, but she’d have smelled it. A lie wouldn’t bring her comfort, it would only piss her off. It was time the whole family faced up to what had happened to their father the night he’d walked out for some air, only hours before the family went into hiding. “I don’t know. If he were free, he’d have found us by now, but I don’t know if it’s better to wish he was captured and imprisoned in one of the camps, or hope he was killed on sight.”

“I can’t help but fear he might have ended up in one of the labs.” A single tear rolled down her cheek before she wiped it away. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, knowing she was thinking of her own experience.

“It was his choice to go out that night. He knew how bad things were getting, and he still went. There’s nothing we can do for him now. We’ve watched the board for the last year and there’s been nothing, not even a blip. You listed him as missing and if anyone knew anything about him, they’d have contacted you just like they do with all the others. Good or bad, we would have known.”

“Which is why I can’t stifle the fear he was taken to a lab. We have very few tips on those because they’re so heavily guarded. He could have suffered as I did without being as lucky to have you swoop in and save him.”

“If that was the case, then he’s most likely dead. From the records we’ve recovered at the labs we’ve destroyed, they kept captives alive only a short time.” As he gave her what comfort he could, he was thankful she stuck mostly to Shifters Underground and working with families. It sheltered her from what they learned about the labs and the knowledge of what happened when the shifter was no longer of any use.

He didn’t want her to know the worst of it. If they hadn’t rescued her, she’d have been incinerated alive.

Doctor Clarissa Greenwood stepped out of her new office at Hathaway Medical and headed for the door. The air in the building seemed stifling all of a sudden, and the more she thought about her new position, the more it bothered her. As a scientist, she’d believed her promotion involved studying diseases to find the cures. She fumbled with the keychain locket in her pocket. It was the one thing she never left home without, a good luck charm of sorts that her brother had given her on her first day of college as she stood before the tall buildings, ready to run.

He had always believed in her, even when she didn’t. Right now, she needed that support more than ever, considering what she’d just learned. Hathaway Medical expected her to experiment on live humans.
Shifters
. According to her bosses, and the government, shifters weren’t humans. They were believed to be no better than the animals companies tested their products on.

Clarissa’s heels clicked against the linoleum as she moved swiftly down the hall. All of a sudden it seemed as if the exit was too far away.

She wanted to
help
people, not torture them. And she was having trouble discerning the difference between a human and a shifter. All of it seemed wrong. She didn’t understand why things were happening this way, or why the government thought they could just kill or imprison an entire species. She wanted no part in it. She needed to get as far away from it as she could.

“Doctor Greenwood, just the person I was looking for.” Her boss headed straight for her, sending another wave of sickness through her. “We’ll be conducting today’s experiment on subject one-fifty-nine, so please join us in room twenty-two in an hour.”

Her stomach rolled at the comment.
Subject one-fifty-nine
wasn’t a subject. That was a person they were about to experiment on. A living, breathing, person with family and friends who were no doubt worried sick about them.

He paused and his gaze traveled over her. “You’re looking pale, are you okay?”

“Actually, I’m not feeling very well. I thought some fresh air would do me good, but I think my migraine is only getting worse.” She cringed as if the overhead light was bothering her, but in reality it was the man before her who made her ill.

“Why don’t you just skip the session, then? There’s normally a lot of noise and growls. You can watch it in your office, then go home for the day. Hopefully, by Monday, you’ll be well enough to assist with the experiments.”

I won’t be here Monday, or ever.

“Thank you for understanding, Sir.”

He patted her on the shoulder, then walked away. She hurried outside, into the sun. As she filled her lungs with fresh air, she put together a plan. She’d go back inside and gather what she could on her jump drive before the end of the business day.

Everyone was always ready to leave at five on Fridays. It was the one day overtime wasn’t permitted. The company claimed they wanted their employees to enjoy relaxing weekends with their families in order to be ready to go on Mondays. To most, it seemed like a family-friendly place to work, especially with the in-house daycare, but to her it seemed suspicious.

What happened at Hathaway Medical on weekends that they didn’t want anyone to know about? There were too many questions and not enough answers, but she was going to do her best to find out what she could. She shut her eyes, relishing the warmth of the sun on her face. Then she rolled her shoulders, stretched, and prepared to go back inside.

“Afternoon, Doctor Greenwood, is everything all right?”

She opened her eyes and found a security guard before her, his forehead creased with concern. “Andrew, I thought you were off today.”

“They wanted additional security for an experiment, so here I am.”

“That must have been the one I was supposed to be involved with, but with this migraine, Doctor Glass told me to watch it from my office.”

After a quick glance around, he leaned in closer to her. “Record it.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to that, but before she could come up with a reply, he stepped around her and headed inside. She stood there a moment, trying to figure him out. Despite his relaxed demeanor, he’d always seemed to be watching for something as if he expected something to happen.

Had he seen too many experiments? Did he think the shifters they were torturing in the sublevels of Hathaway Medical would one day rise up against the staff? No, they were too drugged for that. Because of their fast metabolisms, the staff kept the prisoners extremely sedated.

She wandered back into the building as she continued to question his words. What was going to happen that made him think she should record it herself? She picked up her pace when an idea occurred to her, then pulled out her cell phone in search of the email her brother had sent her before he took a job in South America.

There was one thing that could give her continual access to what was happening—a small virus that would go undetected by even the best surveillance.

Marissa Dobson

Born and raised in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, Marissa Dobson now resides about an hour from Washington, D.C. She’s a lady who likes to keep busy, and is always busy doing something. With two different college degrees, she believes you’re never done learning.

Being the first daughter to an avid reader, this gave her the advantage of learning to read at a young age. Since learning to read she has always had her nose in a book. It wasn't until she was a teenager that she started writing down the stories she came up with.

Marissa is blessed with a wonderful supportive husband, Thomas. He’s her other half and allows her to stay home and pursue her writing. He puts up with all her quirks and listens to her brainstorm in the middle of the night.

Her writing buddies Cameron (a cocker spaniel) and Dawne (a beagle mix) are always around to listen to her bounce ideas off them. They might not be able to answer, but they are helpful in their own ways.

She love to hear from readers so send her an email at [email protected] or visit her online at
http://www.marissadobson.com
.

Other Books by Marissa Dobson

Alaskan Tigers:

Tiger Time

The Tiger’s Heart

Tigress for Two

Night with a Tiger

Trusting a Tiger

Jinx’s Mate

Two for Protection

Bearing Secrets

Tiger Tracks

Forever Creek Shifters:

Forever’s Fight

Stormkin:

Storm Queen

Reaper:

A Touch of Death

Beyond Monogamy:

Theirs to Treasure

SEALed for You:

Ace in the Hole

Explosive Passion

Capturing a Diamond

Operation Family

Marine for You:

Lucky Chance

Cedar Grove Medical:

Hope’s Toy Chest

Destiny’s Wish

Fate Series:

Snowy Fate

Sarah’s Fate

Mason’s Fate

As Fate Would Have It

Half Moon Harbor Resort:

Learning to Live

Learning What Love Is

Her Cowboy’s Heart

Half Moon Harbor Resort Volume One

Clearwater:

Winterbloom

Unexpected Forever

Losing to Win

Christmas Countdown

The Surrogate

Clearwater Romance Volume One

Small Town Doctor

Stand Alone:

Starting Over

Secret Valentine

Restoring Love

The Twelve Seductive Days of Christmas