Tempted by Renee Rose

22

CAITLYN

Even though Itold Andrews I’d be in, I hadn’t gone into the office on Monday—fortunately, the class I taught didn’t meet at the beginning of the week—choosing to work on my paper from home so I wasn’t disturbed. I had my laptop and the latest draft. The focused time had worked because I’d made a big dent. In fact, the paper was pretty much finished. Maybe it was my motivation that had pushed me through. Maybe it was the fact that the more I worked, the less I thought of Landry and Wade. But as I’d typed and tweaked the draft, I thought of nothing but them. How my work impacted their lives. How it could expose them. My goal was to protect the wolves, but I hadn’t understood the why of it fully until they showed me. These weren’t just numbered animals. They weren’t just silly names like White Paw.

I was going to make an impact on the current ecosystem of the Rocky Mountains. I just had to ensure the effect I had was truly my goal all along, regardless of Dr. Andrews or Gibson West.

I got a text from Landry that afternoon. When I saw his name, my heart leapt into my throat. I put the phone away several times before I gave in and read what he sent.

Caitlyn, we know you had nothing to do with the wolf getting shot. Please let us apologize for everything in person. Call or text one of us to let us know it’s okay to come and see you.

Hot tears rolled down my face. I was glad they at least believed I was innocent, but it was too little, too late. I definitely didn’t want to see them. Okay, I did. Desperately. But I wasn’t ready to talk. I turned my phone off and didn’t reply. Instead, I put my nose in my laptop and got back to work.

Tuesday, I showered and put on fresh clothes—clothes that weren’t sweats and didn’t have food stains on them. I still felt as if someone had cracked open my chest and ripped out my heart with a spoon, but I had to teach my class. I went into the science building early, hoping to avoid Dr. Andrews for as long as possible. I knew he was angry about my decision to stop tagging, and he constantly threatened my funding, holding it over my head like a black cloud. A guillotine that would chop off my funding and my ability to study wolves further—at least at Granger State.

I’d told off my mom the day before, but I couldn’t do the same for my boss, and I wasn’t in the mood for another round of threats or a lecture.

As I approached his office, voices carried down the hallway.

“...shooting fish in a barrel.”

“I’m glad I made it easy for you.”

“Worth every penny.”

I stood in the corridor and listened. It was Dr. Andrews and another man.

“Except she’s not tagging any more.”

My ears perked up like a wolf’s, instantly knowing my boss was talking about me.

“Get her back on it. Using those trackers makes it much easier to finish those fuckers.”

Did he mean—

“I don’t think I can. She’s got enough to publish.”

I tiptoed closer to the open door, knowing if they came out of the office, I’d be found. There was no place to hide in the long corridor. Except, I had to know who Dr. Andrews was speaking with. Two students came down the hall from the other direction, talking and not paying me any attention. When they walked past, I followed behind them, going down the hall to the first open door. The break room. There, I waited. It didn’t take long. The man who’d been with Dr. Andrews walked by, not even noticing me.

I noticed him. That was for sure. I recognized him from the diner in West Springs. He was one of the ranchers whom Wade wanted to avoid. Wade had even called him the leader of the gang. Tom… Tim… Tim Hollaroy. He and his friends were the guys Wade thought had murdered his mother. Based on what I’d overheard, perhaps other wolves too.

This guy was shooting the animals with trackers? There had been three so far, including White Paw. He was getting their locations from my tracking software from Dr. Andrews? For money?

Oh God. Andrews was selling the location of the wolves to the ranchers so they could find them easily and kill them.

Shooting fish in a barrel. More like a wolf with a tracker.

And it was because of me. If I hadn’t tagged them, they’d be alive. Dizzy, I dropped into a chair and drew deep breaths.

Knowing I’d been a part of this evil arrangement made me sick! I stared at nothing, and tried to figure out what I was going to do.

This wasn’t about Wade or Landry. Or the Two Marks pack. I touched the spot on my breast where Wade had marked me.

As if my thoughts conjured it, a text message came through on my phone. This time, it was from Wade.

Caitlyn, we are so fucking sorry. We should have trusted you and your research. We DO trust you and your research. We will have your back with Gibson and anyone else who questions your loyalty to wolves. Please let us make it up to you. You’re our mate. We can’t live without you. Can we just meet in person to talk?

I closed my eyes against the heat and moisture there. Scratch that, it was about Wade and Landry. I loved them. I might still be angry, but they were my mates. I was loyal to their pack, whether their pack accepted me or not. I wouldn’t let the ranchers kill any more animals. Or another shifter.

I just had to figure out how to put a stop to it.

* * *

Once I figuredout my plan, I grabbed my computer from my office, lugging it down to my car, returning for every other document I had, leaving my office empty. I carried it all into my apartment and got to work, wrapping up well after midnight. Then, I barely slept. I tossed and turned and thought of Landry and Wade. Of what they were doing. How they felt. About me. About us. There was no us, thanks to me. I’d ended it. Because they thought I had something to do with the wolf murders. Because they didn’t trust me. Because they’d manipulated me in an attempt to block my research.

Except their texts said otherwise.

But after taking two days—two miserable days—I could see their perspective, why they’d been so upset. I didn’t blame Gibson for being so angry. A wolf had been shot. He was protecting his pack, and all wolves. While I hadn’t pulled the trigger, I had been responsible. No matter how well intentioned I was, I’d let my boss use my data for his own personal gain. He didn’t care about the wolves. Neither did the ranchers. They wanted them dead.

I did. I cared about every animal in my study. My updated paper showed it. But it would mean nothing if I didn’t get it past Dr. Andrews, and to the dean. I had to also catch the fucker in his illegal and unethical actions. Until I did that, it was his word against mine. At this point, I didn’t care about my job. I cared about making things right.

I had to protect the members of the Two Marks pack, even if I was nothing to them now.

And so, on Wednesday morning, I finally stopped tweaking my final product and took action.

In an email to the dean, I attached my paper, bypassing Dr. Andrews. It was done. My plan was in motion. She had it in her inbox before I walked into the science building. This time, instead of being stealthy, I walked right up to Dr. Andrews’s door, and knocked. I didn’t wait for him to invite me in, just pushed it open.

“Morning,” I said.

He looked away from his computer monitor. “Caitlyn.”

I dropped into the guest chair with my usual slump. I was crazy nervous, but I wasn’t going to let it show. “Wanted to stop in before my class.”

“Oh?” He finally looked my way.

“I headed out of West Springs on Sunday, but stopped at a diner to grab a coffee. Ran into a friend of yours. Tim Hollaroy.”

A flush crept up his neck, but he didn’t say anything. Yeah, I was right about them knowing each other. Okay, my bluff was working. So far.

“Anyway, I guess that’s where the ranchers hang. Their meeting spot. He approached me with a very tempting offer.”

His eyes narrowed and he swiveled in his chair so I had his full attention. Yeah, he was interested in this. If he took a second, he’d wonder how Hollaroy would know who I was, but I pushed on.

“Said he’d pay me to put trackers in wolves.”

He swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing. Yeah, that got even more of his attention. “I don’t know why you’re telling me this.”

I shrugged. “At the time, I didn’t know either, but he said that since I was the one out in the field actually tagging the animals, he’d cut out the middleman.” I leaned forward. “I’m assuming that’s you.”

“What you’re suggesting is—”

“I know. Unethical. But you have to admit… the money’s pretty good. I mean, I have to teach summer classes just to pay my rent. What he’s going to pay me is way better.” I waved my hands in the air in a rainbow motion.

His eyes narrowed, and I could tell his brain was working. Yeah, he was guilty as hell. I just had to get the proof needed to nail his ass. So I kept going.

“I’m sure you told him no,” he said.

I gave him a thin smile. “Actually, I told you no.”

He frowned, and I filled in the blanks for him. All lies, of course.

“I ran into him bright and early, before our little chat. Remember, you called Sunday morning? I told you I wasn’t tagging any more wolves? Yeah, well, that’s true.” I put air quotes around the last word. “I finished my paper and submitted it. I’m sure it will be well received, so I can keep my grant and keep my study open.”

“You finished it?”

I nodded.

“You turned it in?” He looked at his computer, as if it was in his inbox.

“To the dean.”

“You were supposed to have me review it,” he snapped.

I shrugged again, then pulled off a fake piece of lint from my jeans. “I was, but I was very motivated to finish it. I mean, now I can grow the field and get back out there and tag those wolves.” I winked, then stood. Turned toward the door. “I love those wolves… and the new perks that go with tagging them.”

“Wait,” he said.

Slowly, I turned, crossed my arms over my chest, appearing bored. My heart was practically beating out of my chest, and sweat dripped down my back.

“Tell Hollaroy he can’t cut me out of this. Five thousand a kill was the deal.”

“Only five thousand?” I asked, pretending I’d been offered more.

He bought it. His mouth fell open, then snapped shut. He stalked over to me, and I was suddenly afraid. But we were in a busy building on campus. There were people right out in the hall. All I had to do was scream.

“I’ve given him all the tracking data of every wolf you’ve tagged. It’s not my fault he’s only been able to get the three. You will not take this from me. I will tell the dean. Your job will be done. Your paper will be covered in blood. Your reputation destroyed. I’ll finish you.”

I let my hands fall to my sides. “You want to keep getting paid by Hollaroy, a West Springs rancher, for stealing my tracking data on wolves I’ve tagged for research.”

He sneered. “I hope your paper’s synopsis was as good as that one.”

I nodded, then fled his office.

Once in the stairwell, I pulled out my cell and turned off the recording. I’d had to get him to admit to what he’d done, to name the rancher involved. The guy who pulled the trigger. No wolves would be safe until they were taken down.

I hit a few buttons to get a link for the audio—although it was hard with shaky fingers, the adrenaline pouring through my veins—then shared it in an email to the dean. For the first time in three days, I felt something. Not elation. Not even vindication. I felt… like I’d made things right. I wanted to be part of the Two Marks pack but couldn’t do that until I protected them. Until I did what I could to see them protected, to put those who wanted them harmed brought to justice.

I’d saved the wolves. I ran out of the building and to my car, headed to West Springs. I had to hope I could also save my relationship with Landry and Wade.