"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.