"You know," he said, "I bet if you try real hard, you could stand right here and figure out just what this mysterious meeting is all about." Braden stopped several feet from the steps that led to the double doors.

She stared back at him in horror before glancing around to make certain no one heard his blasphemous words.

"Would you shut up," she snapped.

His brows arched questioningly. "Come on, Megan. It would be easy. Just give it a little try."

With a sneer she brushed past him and headed up the steps. She heard his sigh a second before a small, amused grunt of laughter preceded him up the steps.

"Well, you could have at least tried." He managed to grab the door handle before she did, pulling it open with a flourish as she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Deputy Jenson's fury slapped at her as she passed his office. It was always present—the dark violence, the thirst for blood. He wasn't one of the good guys, but until he broke the right rule, Lance couldn't get rid of him. That edge of violence nagged at her until Braden moved closer, distracting her with his clean male scent and aura of male arousal that whipped around her senses.

Megan breathed in deeply, ducking her head as she gritted her teeth and moved purposefully to Lance's office at the end of the building. Separated from the main offices by the visiting rooms, it leant a less emotionally chaotic feel.

Lance was a calm person, not given to violence, though with a ragged edge of bitterness that saddened Megan. He was still one of the easiest people to be around.

She knocked on his door.

"In," Lance snapped.

Megan cast Braden a frowning glance as she gripped the doorknob, feeling Lance's anger seeping through the panel.

"What did you do?' she hissed, not in the least taken in by his innocent look.

"Me?" He arched his brow, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I've been a good Leo, darlin'. What did you do?'

She snorted at his reply before pushing the door open and stepping into the room.

She was aware of the tension that snapped around her the minute she entered the room. Though she had been unaware of the other inhabitant standing across the room. And she bet he was a Breed. Dangerous, powerful, and not in the best of moods.

His eyes narrowed the instant she walked in, and heat flooded her face as he raised his head and inhaled quickly.

Son of a bitch. What did they do, go around sniffing every woman in the world like a potential meal? So she was horny. Hadn't they ever smelled a horny woman before? Or was she somehow different?

The ridiculous thought caused her to turn and glare at Braden. He closed the door behind him and stared at the room's other occupant with a faintly questioning look. Evidently, he was just as surprised as she was.

"Jonas." His voice was cautious as Megan stepped to the side, closer to Lance's desk.

"Braden." The other man inclined his head slowly, his odd, silver eyes shifting to Megan then to Braden once again.

He was an imposing figure. As tall as Braden; muscular, savage. But this one— Jonas — could easily be a killer. Megan could feel the darkness that surrounded him, the emotions that clashed within him like lightning in the middle of a thunderhead. Rage, dark and barely contained, fought for freedom. But she could also sense honor, pain, regret. The regret was nearly as thick as the rage. All the emotions were subdued though, barely noticeable as an aura of control and determination held them back.

"Is there a problem, Lance?" She looked to her cousin.

"Megan, meet Jonas Wyatt. You saw him the night the Coyotes were picked up at your house," Lance reminded her with a cold edge to his voice.

Megan nodded.

"What's going on?'Braden didn't seem inclined to beat around the bush. He moved in front of her, facing Jonas.

She moved to go around him, only to raise her brows as he shifted in front of her, blocking her once again.

Jonas's irritable growl as she pushed Braden out of the way had her eyes narrowing on him.

"Lance?' She turned to her cousin, growing tired of the disapproving frown Jonas Wyatt had leveled on her.

"Ask him." He waved his hand toward the Breed. "He called the meeting with a demand for secrecy. I just live to serve."

Megan winced. Evidently he had received an order from very high up to serve, otherwise he wouldn't be nearly as pissed.

Jonas flicked Lance a cool look. "I do apologize, Mr. Jacobs. The need for secrecy was high. The report I received from Braden concerning the printout found in that cavern was disturbing. The information corning in from other sources even more so. I needed to assess the situation myself."

"What was wrong with meeting at the house?" Braden was too close. He stayed on her ass, hovering over her like a dark shadow.

"The printout is being investigated," Lance snapped. "I will find out who accessed and printed it. It's just a matter of time."

"What's taking so long?" She shook her head in confusion. "The computers automatically log those passwords."

The voice that answered sent chills racing over Megan's flesh. "The password used was Sheriff Jacobs's."

Lance stared at her. She could feel the pain radiating from him, but also the protectiveness. Lance would never hurt her. She knew that just as she knew the sun would rise in the morning and night would come later.

"We have a problem then." She turned and looked at Jonas. She was seriously starting to dislike this one. "Someone has obviously managed to steal passwords."

"The sheriff assures us he doesn't write his password down or share it. He changes it weekly and uses strict privacy protocols on his computer."

Megan watched Jonas for long moments. Lance was still, quiet. And that wasn't a good sign. An explosion was brewing and it was one Megan didn't want to witness.

"Tell him to stop, Braden." She stared into the savage silver eyes as she spoke to the man behind her.

"Now."

"I'd like to hear an explanation myself, Megan."

She turned to Braden carefully. "I said now," she reminded him, keeping her voice soft, her fury throttled.

She didn't know the game Jonas Wyatt was playing, but she knew he was playing one, and he was using Lance to do it.

"I don't need your protection, Megan," Lance snapped then. "I'll find out"

"If you're still in this office." Jonas's voice was condescending. "Such mistakes are not just criminal, they are also incriminating, Sheriff Jacobs."

"You son of a bitch" Lance was out of his chair and halfway around the desk before Megan could step in front of him, placing her hand on his chest. But she jerked it back quickly. She stared down at her hand, feeling the sharp sensation of distaste at the touch before staring back up at Lance. "Fuck 'im." She kept her voice soft as she let a small smile assure him of her trust. "We both know better, Lance. And I know you'll find the proof. Don't let him get to you."

"Dammit, Meg" He reached out, his hands gripping her shoulders, sending pulses of a painlike sensation that attacked her nerve endings.

She flinched back a second before Braden's surprising snarl filled the room and he pulled her away from her cousin.

"What the hell?’ Lance stared at her in shock. 'Meg, are you okay?"

He reached for her again, only to have Braden pull her quickly behind him, ignoring her struggles as he did so.

"Dammit, Braden"

"What the fuck is going on?’ Lance’s voice was filled with confusion. Anger. "Is she hurt?"

Megan forced her way back in front of Braden, her elbow stabbing into his hard stomach as he tried to stop her.

"Don't push me back behind you again." She stared up at him furiously.

"When I need you standing in front of me, I'll let you know."

The rumbled growl that came from his chest might have intimidated someone less pissed off, Megan thought. But it did little to impress her.

Jonas shifted impatiently, drawing her gaze back to him.

"He won't allow another male to touch you, Miss Fields," Jonas snapped furiously. "Test him and you might get more than you've bargained for."

"I didn't ask you." She turned on him, enraged, aware of Lance watching her in surprise. "So you can just shut the hell up."

"You didn't have to ask." His tight smile was cold and dangerous. "I was being nice by offering the information."

"Jonas, you're not exactly making sense," Braden pointed out, his voice not as lazy as before, but no less confused than Lance's had been. "And accusing Jacobs of betraying his cousin wasn't your brightest move." There was a question in his voice as he obviously chose to ignore the earlier statement regarding his possessiveness toward her.

"The evidence is there," Jonas pointed out. "The schedule comes from this office alone, no one else should have had access to it. The information we've managed to extract from the Coyote you captured indicates someone working from the inside. Jacobs is on the inside."

Lance's fists bunched, his expression contorting into lines of fury as he turned on the Breed. " I've had my fill of your accusations Jonas."

Megan struggled to fend off the whiplash of emotions slamming into her. She moved closer to Braden and threw up every shield she could force in front of them, but nothing helped. Lance's anger was whitehot, his voice pain-filled, edging into violence as Jonas's silver eyes darkened dangerously. She shook her head, staring at him, fighting the stirring cauldron of sensations as the swirled around her.

She couldn't run. She couldn't escape the emotions.

"I've had my fill of your incompetence," Jonas sneered. "Tell me, Jacobs. Are you the one who directed Mark and Aimee into that desert? Did you play liaison to the Genetics Council and their Coyotes?" His anger was like wildfire, engulfing everything in its path.

"Like hell." Lance moved for the other man, his muscles bunching as Megan felt the whip of another emotion. Deceit. A lie. A carefully constructed game.

"No. Lance, he's playing you." She jumped in front of him again. "Don't give him the satisfaction of a fight."

"Playing what?" he snapped, attempting to pull away from her. "I'll be damned if I let him stand in my office and accuse me of trying to kill you, Megan."

"Stop." She shook his arm, ignoring the discomfort, staring back at him fiercely. "Listen to me." Her fingers tightened despite the building fire beneath her skin, the harsh reaction to touching someone else that made no sense. "He's playing with you, Lance, He knows you didn't do a damned thing. This is no more than a game."

She barely realized she was shuddering. She could feel Lance's rage beating within him, beating within her, demanding action. She couldn't let him fight; wouldn't let him fight. It was all a game, carefully constructed, for what reason she wasn't certain.

"Megan, let him go." Braden seemed to tower over her, his hand covering hers. His touch was cool, comforting where the touch of Lance's flesh filled her with pain. "He's hurting you. I can feel the pain pouring from you. Let him go."

She was shaking, fighting the sensations, staring up at the cousin who had been one of the mainstays in her life for as long as she could remember. The pain made no sense; the sharp discomfort in her hands streaked through the rest of her body, cramping her muscles, searing her skin.

"Hurting her?’ Lance’s frown was bewildered. "Meg, what the hell is going on?"

Lance moved back, pulling his arm gently from her grip as he retreated, his concern washing over her as some dark sizzle of satisfaction speared through the room. She turned slowly to Jonas Wyatt.

"I don't like you," she informed him, gritting her teeth in anger. "You are a sick son of a bitch." He knew. She could feel it. He was aware of her abilities, testing them, pushing them all. His lips curved sardonically.