*Keera*
I settled into my bed, exhausted from today’s work. Kathleen and I had spent hours at the lab, trying to come up with a vaccine that would diffuse the virus and prevent it from being lethal. I’d only left on Kathleen’s insistence that she was almost done with the vaccine and I could get some rest. She’d already been provided with lab rats to make sure the vaccine was safe before we went around injecting it into the bloodstream of every werewolf in the pack. I groaned when my phone rang, reaching across the bed to pick up the device.
My heart immediately raced when I realized it was Gabe calling. We hadn’t talked much since Trevor had left the pack. He’d just sent me a message to let me know Trevor had brought him up to speed with the case and he was going to silently dig deeper into Gusto’s background and keep a closer eye on him without him knowing. I wondered if he was calling because he’d discovered something. I answered, my curiosity instantly piqued.
“Hey, Keera,” Gabe said, his voice animated. “I need you to grab your tablet and check the file I just sent you.” His words tumbled out in a rush. “I just made a breakthrough, and I think you’ll want to see this.” I tossed off my covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed. My tablet lay on the nightstand, and I quickly booted it up. My fingers shook with anticipation and an excited shiver skated through me. I felt like I could scream.
“What am I looking for?” I asked after my tablet had booted.
“The file’s titled ‘Elena and Gusto,'” Gabe replied. “Just go through it, and we’ll discuss later.” I let him know that was completely fine and disconnected the call. I downloaded the file and opened it, my eyes scanning the contents. My mouth fell open in shock. The documents outlined the most shocking realization ever. Elena and Gusto were in a romantic relationship. Pictures attached to the file showed them together, arms entwined, smiling. I kept scrolling, coming across an image of them kissing behind a bunch of parked cars.
My mind reeled.
What on earth? Elena and Gusto? Gusto and Elena?
I stepped away from my tablet, one hand in my waist and the other running through my hair as I tried to make sense of what I was seeing. I recalled everything I already knew about Dahlia and Gusto’s relationship and tried to reconcile it to what was before me. Confusion swirled inside me, my head beginning to ache with questions and doubts. Who was Gusto actually with? Elena or Dahlia? And who was he cheating on? The more I scanned the documents, the more confused I became.
I bit down on my lip, lost in thoughts.
I couldn’t shake off the feeling that we’d been misled by one of them, that our entire investigation had been built on shaky ground. The revelation about Elena and Gusto’s relationship cast a shadow over everything I thought we already knew. Determined to regroup and reassess, I quickly called for an emergency brief, asking my team to meet with me in the conference room, pronto. We had to wait for Kathleen to arrive since she said she was already almost done with the vaccine and wanted to bring it with her to the briefing.
I let out a relieved breath, when she walked in minutes later, a small briefcase in her hand. She settled into her seat, immediately noticing how ansty I was. “What’s going on, Keera?” She asked. I picked up my tablet and forwarded the result of Gusto’s background check to their phones, displaying a copy of the file on the large screen. Kathleen sucked in a sharp breath. No shit. This was the most shocking news ever.
“What the actual fuck?” Josie muttered, her gaze wildly moving around her phone screen.
I took a deep breath, organizing my thoughts as we came to terms with the truth. “Elena and Gusto are in a romantic relationship.” I confirmed. Elena and Gusto’s relationship was a game-changer. It altered our entire investigation, casting doubt on every theory we had come up with. Now we had to re-examine every lead, every interview. Lexi’s eyes widened in shock and Joe cursed beneath his breath. I met Lexi’s gaze.
“How had we missed this?” She asked, her tone laced with frustration. We had reviewed the case files countless times, yet this crucial detail had somehow managed to slip through. It was a harsh reminder of our fallibility. Our entire investigation had been built on assumptions. We had to rebuild and re-evaluate every shred of evidence. And fast. With this new information, we could finally uncover the truth.
“We need to re-examine everything,” I said, my voice firm. They nodded, determination etched on their faces. “I’m not sure what the fuck is going on between these three and what they’re up to but I’m willing to bet it’s no good.” I pressed a button on the remote, sliding across the images Gabe had sent. “I’m not sure how they’ve managed to keep this hidden for so long.” Even Grayson hadn’t found out the actual truth when he’d searched. I stopped the slideshow on the image of Elena and Gusto kissing.
“This is one giant clusterfuck.” Kathleen deadpanned as we delved deeper into the documents, analyzing every detail. “Who do we think Gusto is actually in a relationship with?” She asked. Her eyes scanned the room, seeking opinions. She jerked her head in the direction of the screen. “My bets are on Elena,” She said. “But what I can’t seem to figure out is if he’s cheating on her with Dahlia or if Dahlia is unaware of their relationship.” The questions swirled, each of us throwing in our theories. One thing we all agreed on, from the look of things, was that he was more involved with Elena.
“He can’t actually be cheating on Elena if she’s aware there’s something going on between Dahlia and him,” Josie pointed out. “I can’t decide who the pawn is between Gusto and Dahlia. It’s either Dahlia and Elena are up to something and stringing him along. Or Gusto and Elena are up to something and stringing Dahlia along…” She trailed off, considering a third option. “Or Gusto and Dahlia are up to something and stringing Elena along. What the actual fuck? It could be any which way.” We all muttered curses beneath our breaths, realizing she was completely right.
It was possible that Dahlia was not the victim she appeared to be. What if she knew of Elena’s relationship with Gusto and was keeping quiet about it because she could somehow use it to her advantage? Or maybe Gusto was using both werewolves. Elena thought she was covering for Dahlia, but what if Gusto and Dahlia were actually trying to trap her? Still, it was possible that Dahlia knew nothing about Elena’s relationship with Gusto given how hidden they’d been keeping it.
Goodness, the possibilities were endless.
Just as our discussion was gaining momentum, Kathleen pulled out a small vial from her briefcase. “I finished working on the serum,” She announced. She shot me a grateful smile. “With a lot of help from Keera.” She emphasized, giving me some credit. She looked at the rest of the team. “This should protect the werewolves from the virus.” She put the vial back in the briefcase and patted the case, smiling smugly. “It’s been tested and trusted.”
I felt a surge of hope.
“This could finally be the breakthrough we need,” I said, accepting the case. “I’ll let Grayson know as soon as I can.”
The meeting eventually drew to a close and I sent a quick text to Grayson: “Meet me ASAP. Need to discuss new developments.” My phone remained silent, but I knew he’d respond soon. The team began to disperse, each member giving a new task. Joe had said he’d caught Dahlia sneaking off a few times to meet with Gusto in the woods. He promised to be on the lookout for Elena. I walked the briefcase to my room, feeling a sense of apprehension.
I couldn’t help but feel like something was about to go very wrong.
I set the briefcase down on my bed, pacing around the room. I wondered if we were supposed to be focused on something else, if this discovery was actually calculated and premeditated to throw us off. I kept checking my phone non-stop, willing Grayson to reply to my text. I tried calling him but the call wouldn’t go through. I groaned, throwing my phone onto the bed. Where was he when I needed him the most? I busied myself with trying to find a loophole in the case.
We had to be missing something.
I spread the files I was with out before me, scribbling notes in the margins. Gusto, Dahlia and Elena. What exactly was the connection between them. Elena hadn’t displayed suspicious behaviors. I wondered if her only crime was choosing a psychopath for an assistant. I couldn’t hold off talking to them any longer. I had to get permission from Grayson to interview his entire council. We hadn’t discovered anything significant because we kept walking on eggshells around them but not anymore.
I spent hours poring over the documents, going through them one after the other. The screen of my tablet began flickering as its battery dwindled. I cursed under my breath, realizing I’d left the charger in the conference room. I hastily grabbed my tablet and headed downstairs, my thoughts still consumed by the case. Maybe I would be able to plug it in before it died completely. I didn’t have the patience to wait for a reboot. I opened the conference door, my eyes instantly widening in shock.
What the actual fuck?
The room was in disarray, papers scattered everywhere, chairs overturned. I stood frozen, trying to make sense of the chaos. Someone had broken into the room. The surveillance monitor had been destroyed, the wires from the setup were crackling as the monitor glitched. My phone rang, the loud ringtone startling me. Grayson’s name flashed on the screen. “Hey, just saw your message,” he said. “What’s going on?” His tone was concerned but not nearly as concerned enough as he would be when I brought him up to speed about everything we’d discovered.
I tried to call my racing heart.
“Meet me at the conference room,” I said, my voice low and urgent. “Now, please.” I heard a twig snap in the background and I could feel his concern growing. He was in the middle of saying something when I hung up the phone, knowing that would get him here faster. I quickly sent a group text to my team: “Conference room. ASAP.” My mind was racing. Who could have done this? And why? The files, the research, everything had been compromised. Whoever it was must have already left, they wouldn’t want to risk getting caught.
But how had they managed this in the first place?
My team and I had only concluded our brief a few hours ago and everyone had left to return to their workstation, leaving me alone in the house. I scanned the room, taking stock of the damage. This wasn’t just vandalism; it was calculated destruction. Someone had wanted to sabotage our investigation. I inspected the room closely, realizing that they’d actually been looking for something. What on earth? What could they have been searching for?
My mind immediately went to the vaccine in my bedroom.
Motherfucker.
That’s what they’d been after. The door creaked open, and Lexi walked in, followed by Joe and Kathleen. Their eyes widened as they took in the chaos. They circled the room with horrified expressions on their faces. “I came down to get my tablet charger and met the room in this state.” I said in explanation. “The funny part? The room had been locked. I’d been the one to open it.” I heard footsteps behind me and turned. Grayson was standing by the doorway, his expression grim. His eyes met mine.
“Looks like we’ve gotten the killer’s attention.” I said.
Shit had just hit the fan.