She had bigger fish to fry.
Mackenzie led her through a maze of corridors, and Rowan made sure to catalog every turn in her brain. The information would come in handy whether she stayed or had to get the fuck out of here fast.
Finally the doc halted in front of a closed door and nodded. This is Nicks office. Dont be intimidatedhes not as mean as he looks.
Thats okay, because Im meaner than I look. She wasnt kidding, but Mackenzie smiled anyway, giving Rowans arm a squeeze.
Ill check on you later.
Thanks. Rowan watched the woman start back the way theyd come, then turned her attention to the door. Heaving a fortifying breath, she gave three sharp raps and waited until she heard the mans deep voice call out for her to come in before turning the knob and stepping inside.
The interior of Westfalls office was much the same as her roomcomfortable but nothing too fancy. A big desk equipped with a laptop and a cordless phone fit the space nicely, leaving room for a couple of stuffed chairs across from it. But the man himself quickly captured her attention as he rose and offered her his hand, his expression unreadable.
Miss Chase.
Rowan, please.
Nick. They shook hands and then he sat, gesturing for her to do the same.
Who told you I was coming here? she asked, careful not to sound defensive right off the bat. It wouldnt do to piss off the man who might have the answers she needed.
No one. He held her gaze, his deep blue eyes seeming to look right into her soul.
She wondered what he saw there. Then when I arrived, how did you know my name?
The handsome dark-haired man appeared to consider his reply carefully before he finally spoke. Im a PreCog.
Come again?
Im a PreCog. I sometimes see events before they happen.
Rowan stared at him, wondering which one of them was nuts. Maybe Luis Garcia really had shot her and she was lying in some hospital in a coma, dreaming all of this.
She cleared her throat. On top of being a wolf-man? Right. Sure you are. Listen, it doesnt make two shits to me who ratted me out or what delusions of grandeur youre suffering from. I just came here to
Find out what happened to Micah, he interrupted softly.
That rattled her for a couple of seconds, but she shook it off. Not impressed. Im sure the person who told you I was coming also told you why. Leaning forward, she felt the slow boil of anger begin on hearing this stranger speak her brothers name in such a familiar way. Her fingers dug into the arms of her chair. So lets just cut all the dancing around the subject. If Micahs alive, tell me where he is and why in Gods name I was told he was dead. If he is dead, help me get his body home.
Those last words emerged from her lips as though she was being strangled, stopping short of uttering the inane phrase about needing closure. There would never be closure if Micah truly was gone, the bleeding hole in her heart never filled.
Its not that simple.
Months of alternating between grief and frustration with getting the runaround had frazzled her temper, and it snapped. What the hell do you mean? Hes either dead or alive! she shouted. Which one is it?
I dont know!
His thundering tone echoed in the enclosed space, leaving a stunned silence in its wake. She blinked at Nicks miserable expression,
the slump of his big shoulders. Hes missing?
Off the record, yes.
That Navy guy, General Jarrod Grant, said The government lied to me, she whispered. They said Micah was killed during training maneuvers and that his body couldnt be recovered. I buried an empty fucking box while that bastard Grant handed me an American flag and told me how sorry he was. And all the time I was grieving, my brother was out there somewhere, possibly alive, waiting to be rescued. Maybe still is.
The horrible reality blew her mind. The lack of her brothers body had disturbed her all along, and deep down shed thoughtprayedthat the report of his death had been a mistake. But to find out the whole thing was an outright lie ? Rage churned, too big for her skin, threatening to tear her apart.
For what its worth, I am sorry, he said sincerely. I would have preferred to tell you the truth, but I was overruled.
By whom? General Grant?
Yes.
She wanted her gun back. Then shed shoot someone. All she needed was the correct target.
What is the truth? Was my brother really in the SEALs when he disappeared?
No. By then he was working here, as a member of the Alpha Pack team.
But in the beginning, he was with the Navy, right? Thats what hed told her, all those years. Now she wondered how well shed known her brother.
Yes, he was, just like many of my men before this compound opened about five years ago. There was a different team leader then, and I replaced him a little over six months ago. After he, Micah, and several other Pack members were allegedly killed. His gaze bored into her.
She studied him for a minute, thinking. The general. Would he be any relation to Mackenzie Grant?
Nick nodded. Jarrod Grant is Macs father and my main contact with the military. We sort of work together.