Free BirthStone by Sydney Addae Page B

drink.
Let me offer you something.” He waved and moved toward the
door.
    “No, I have a date, I’m sorry. If you could
just give me the rest of the information, I’d appreciate it.” Even
with his wolf silent, the hair had risen on the back of his neck.
Going into that house was a bad idea.
    Merriweather eyed him over his shoulder for
a moment. “You know, son, I’m not sure where you’re from. But here
in West Virginia, we believe in southern hospitality. A man comes
to my door, I invite him in and offer him a drink to wipe the dust
from his pipes before he gets back on the road again. Now for some
reason you’re being real un-neighborly. I want to know why? Has
Silas Knight gotten to you? Has he made you promises? Or did he
threaten you to make you close this investigation?” By the time
Merriweather asked the last question, he had walked down the steps
and was in Jennings' face.
    “No and no. I told you I have something else
to do. That’s all. If you have the information ready, I’ll take it
with me.” He met the other man’s stare without backing down.
    “Okay.” Merriweather nodded, his eyes
narrowed into slits. “I’ll get it for you.” Turning, he strode into
the house.
    It was all Jennings could do to remain
composed. For a moment he thought the older man might hit him, the
anger had been wafting off him in waves. Surely his refusal to
share a drink with the man wasn’t enough to bring on that type of
anger.
    The front door slammed. Merriweather held a
flat box straight out in front of him. When he reached Jennings, he
offered it to him.
    “Here,” he said when Jennings didn’t remove
it from his hand. Jennings took the box and backed off, intending
to leave.
    “Aren’t you going to look in it?”
Merriweather’s jovial voice had been replaced with one of
exasperation.
    “When I get to the station.” He opened his
car door and prepared to toss the box in the back seat.
    “You really need to look at it now. If you
have any questions, I can answer them for you,” Merriweather’s tone
had changed again, this time it was more conciliatory.
    In the back of his mind he heard the captain
telling him to get this case closed. If looking into the box at the
so-called new evidence would hasten the process, he needed to do
it. Exhaling, and since there was no outcry from his wolf, Jennings
opened the box. Inside there was a lace satchel with some leaves
inside. He picked it up, turned it over, and saw the leaves were
dried with some powder. He inhaled “How is this relevant to the
case?” he asked glancing at Merriweather and then back at the
meager contents of the box.
    A spicy scent tickled his nose. He gazed at
Merriweather, who stood on the other side of his car, and was
surprised when the man multiplied. At first there were two
Merriweathers, then four, then eight, and after that he stopped
counting. Tingles raced up and down his spine. The back of his
tongue tasted bitter. His face and neck burned.
    “Water,” he whispered through a tight
throat.
    “So you want something to drink now, huh
Lieutenant?”
    Jennings' head felt heavy. His legs buckled
beneath his weight. What the hell did they do to him? The hard
earth cushioned his fall. He lay prostrate on the ground looking up
at the darkening sky.
    “Move his car around back. Pick him up and
take him inside. Wouldn’t have to do all this if he’d a'just come
inside and had a nice drink. Stubborn fool,” Merriweather
grumbled.

Chapter 8
     
    Silas slapped a grinning Dr. Passen on the
back. “Great job, Doc. Everything worked without a hitch. I hope
your team sent the corrections to the factory; large numbers of
those detectors need to be shipped to every Alpha in the nation.
Burn the midnight oil so our people will be safe.” The scanners had
passed each test flawlessly, sending a wave of relief through him.
The added ability to shrink the internalized bombs pleased him as
well. With Jasmine’s family on the way, and the upcoming