Free Circe's Recruits: Gideon: A Multiple Partner Shifter Book by Marie Harte Page B

grown there. Hadn’t done much to help others or foster better communication with her fellow employees.
    At the thought of employees like Myers and Yates, she growled low in her throat. No longer surprised when her teeth elongated or her fingernails grew, she clenched tightly around the steering wheel and dug into her own palms. The pain aroused her instinct to fight, and against her better judgment, she let visions of herself killing both men overwhelm her.
    She pulled over before she lost herself in the violence. When she woke to a darkened evening, she had no awareness of having lost time. Her nails and teeth felt normal again. A glance in the vanity mirror in the visor above her showed her regular features, nothing out of place.
    The knock on her windshield scared the crap out of her. After jumping nearly out of her seat, she rolled down her window.
    Behind her, a pickup truck had parked, its lights glowing in the near darkness. One man remained in the passenger seat, while the driver stood by her window. The man looked a few years older than her. Not bad looking, a good old boy with a ball cap, cowboy boots, and a lanky figure in jeans and a flannel shirt.
    “You okay, Miss?” He had a deep voice. But something about it unnerved her.
    “Yes, thanks. Just fell asleep, I guess.”
    He nodded. “Okay. Just wanted to make sure you were good. There’s not a lot on this stretch of road.”
    She frowned. Now that she thought about it, this didn’t look like I-80. But she had no intention of telling this guy she was lost. “Ah, okay.”
    “There’s a gas station and a bar ahead, maybe five miles. You could get something to eat there if you were hungry.”
    “Thanks.”
    He nodded then left, getting back into his truck and taking off down the road in the direction of the gas station he’d mentioned.
    She had no idea why she hadn’t liked him. But the idea of food had her stomach grumbling. She drove toward the source of food and gas, needing a bit of each.
    After refueling, she parked next door at what appeared to be a crowding bar. She entered, saw a mix of cowboys and locals, and felt safe enough to grab a booth in the corner, away from everyone. The bar looked like it also served as a restaurant, and the smell of food had her stomach cramping.
    A hallway toward the rear promised to lead to restrooms and an accompanying adult section in the back. The server by her table noted the direction of her gaze. “That’s where all the fun happens.” She grinned and snapped her gum. “It’s a straight up bar back there. Strictly alcohol and no kids allowed.”
    Not that Bailey saw any children in this section either. She ordered a burger and fries, as well as a tall iced tea. Country music played on a juke box, and several couples danced. A glance at her phone told her she’d lost time again today. Eight hours. Damn it.
    So much for arriving in New Jersey by Thursday. At the rate she continued to go, she’d be lucky to get there by Friday. Another day added to her schedule.
    The great thing about her trip though, it allowed for some quiet time thinking, and an opportunity to learn about the crazy project Dr. Edwin Lang had been overseeing.
    A glance around showed no one paying her any attention, so Bailey withdrew the paper file from her bag and read from where she’d left off.
    Lang was being paid by Amelia Norton, of the Oil Nortons, the ones richer than Croesus. Curious that tidbit had remained secret for so long. As far as Bailey knew, U-Ground was run by Sheider Conglomerate, a logistics group that owned several transport companies, none of which that had anything to do with Amelia Norton.
    The oil heiress was a supposed diva in her early forties who partied as if she’d never left her twenties. She slept with married billionaires, younger men and women, and led a frivolous life of ostentatious spending. Not exactly someone who’d think investing in a government transport company would be a good fit.
    Curious,