Masked

CHAPTER 42 | once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more

Oregon Coast Highway

The six Chevrolet Suburban's accelerated up the I-5. Rain pooling on the road flew up from the tire treads as the vehicles passed. The day was as overcast and as dark as the conditions inside the lead vehicle. Daniel hadn't spoken a word since they left Portland. Instead, he had spent the better part of the last few hours, on their way north, stewing on the information he and Murphy had uncovered. It was a gamble, but he trusted Murphy's instinct that Elise would be north of the border near Vancouver, and have Parker close by.

He glanced into the rearview mirror. Alice and John were quietly talking in the back seat, while Murphy, in the front passenger seat, stared out the window at the landscape whizzing by. Both men had spent the better part of the early morning hours confirming details with alternate sources. In the end, the initial report was accurate.

His voice cut through the hum of the engine. "Did you play any part in Parker's visit to the CDC?"

At his sharp tone, Alice leaned closer to her mate. "What visit?"

He grated his teeth together and held back his temper. "So, I suppose you also didn't give her the information on how to locate the Werewolf gene?"

Alice remained quiet.

"The FDA is recalling products that contain Wildfire-laced caffeine," he said.

Alice gulped. "That's a good thing...isn't it?"

His hand's tightened on the steering wheel. "That all depends on your definition of good. The CDC knows which gene the drug was targeting."

Alice hauled in a sharp breath.

He gripped the steering wheel so hard his knuckles turned white. He was livid at Parker for going behind his back and putting them all at risk of exposure. He sighed and released his steering wheel death grip. He also knew she was the type of person who couldn't stand down and not do something about the epidemic.

He rubbed his forehead. Parker certainly hadn't made it easy for him. It took a few phone calls to piece together her movements on the day she disappeared. The Werewolves in the Portland PD had confirmed that a boarding pass was found in her handbag—proof of her whirlwind visit to Atlanta.

His contacts in the government were aware that Parker had met with a Dr. Baghurst, one of the top CDC doctors. The details were incomplete, and Parker hadn't hit the FBI's most wanted list—yet. His only consolation was that the authorities were so focused on preventing the disease from spreading, that they hadn't questioned why the disease was targeting seemingly junk DNA. Yet. That would change.

He closed his eyes briefly. He knew he'd snapped at the team more than he usually did, but he did not care. His only concern was getting Parker back—he would deal with everything else once she was safe. Just the idea of her being at the mercy of Matheo and Elise made his chest tighten.

Murphy cleared his throat and looked at him expectantly.

"What?" Daniel said, a little too loudly.

"Map."

Daniel grunted. "Middle console."

Murphy reached between their seats and opened the lid. He pulled out the folded document, and something dropped to the floor with a dull thud. Murphy reached down to find the fallen object. He passed the retrieved phone across to Daniel. "You have a message."

Daniel grabbed the device and scanned the message. His face turned ashen and he veered the SUV off the road before skidding to an abrupt halt. The trailing vehicles in the convoy pulled over. He exited and raced toward the last SUV as it came to a halt behind the others. He yanked the car door open and pulled Zeke from the back seat. He thrust the phone into the young Werewolf's hand. "I need to know where this came from."