Alpha Ascending Read online

  “A favor?”

  “Sure. You can ask me a favor anytime.”

  There was silence on the other line, as if she was contemplating it. “Okay, that sounds fair.”

  “And, Lizzie,” he lowered his voice. “This is just between you and me, okay?”

  “My lips are sealed,” she promised. “I’ll work on this right away. And if you ever need to destabilize a government—”

  “I’ll know who to call,” he said wryly. He gave her his personal cell phone to call once she found anything interesting, then hung up after saying goodbye.

  Maybe he was being overly cautious or even paranoid, but if anything happened to Sofia, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. His wolf seemed restless, pacing inside him, like it was nervous, angry, and excited at the same time. It wanted him to do … something. But what? He had done what he could to protect Sofia without pushing her away.

  He turned to his computer, hoping to get some work done. It was going to be a long two days without Sofia. Maybe he should call her—

  A soft beep interrupted his thoughts and he grabbed his phone. It was a message from Sofia.

  I barely made it to work on time.

  He grinned and replied, You’re welcome.

  She sent back a rolling eye emoji.

  He thought for a moment, then replied, That was the expression on your face this morning before you got up to leave.

  You’re evil, Mr. Anderson, she replied.

  I aim to please, Detective Selinofoto.

  The rest of the day seemed agonizingly slow, but the flirty messages they sent back and forth made him less antsy about their separation. Later in the evening, she sent a message saying she was about to go on the stakeout and she was about to turn her phone off. He replied and asked her to message him as soon as she was off-duty.

  He glanced at the clock and realized that it was eight-thirty. Pressing the button on the intercom on his desk, he called his assistant. “David, are you still there?”

  “Yes, Mr. Anderson.”

  Huh, he usually didn’t stay as late as he did. “You didn’t have to wait for me, you know.”

  “I, er, have work to do, sir. And Mrs. Vrost left you a message.”

  Right. “And?”

  “She said you can go home to the townhouse. She has someone covering you there and you should just have your driver drop you off.”

  “Excellent. Have the car ready for me. I’m headed home.”

  “Congratulations, Alpha,” declared the leader of the Lycan High Council.

  The reverent silence in the room was broken by loud cheers. Even Lucas found himself clapping and whistling in happiness as Adrianna was finally proclaimed Alpha of New Jersey. Everyone surrounded the new Alpha. When Gio declared that it was time to eat, everyone filed out of the living room and into the dining room.

  Not really feeling hungry, he let everyone crowd the buffet table and sought out a quiet corner. Last night, he went home and spent the whole night alone, unable to sleep, wondering if she was okay. It was just a stakeout, nothing to worry about according to her. But so many things could go wrong. He slipped his phone out of his pocket, checking to see if he had any new messages from Sofia. She did message him when she was done, at around six o’clock this morning. She probably crashed the rest of the day and didn’t send him any more messages. However, he was glad to see a new message from her, saying she was okay and just got up.

  He was glad to know she was safe, but wished she was here. If she was a Lycan, she could have been here to witness this.

  But she wasn’t.

  She was human. A fact that he kept forgetting.

  “You’re texting her, aren’t you?” Adrianna said. She had crept up behind him and he’d been so distracted he didn’t realize she was there.

  “Fucking Gio.” Despite his promise, Gio had let it slip to his sisters that Lucas had been at Muccino’s with a ‘gorgeous brunette’. “Yes.”

  “I’m so happy for you!”

  “She’s human, you know,” he said glumly.

  “So?” she asked. “Only you cared about that part.”

  That made him wince, the reminder of how much he hated humans. Well, he hated humans with the exception of one beautiful and stubborn detective.

  “And everything is going well between you two?”

  “So far,” he said. “I’m just … I’m not sure what to do. Especially, you know, telling her about the clan.” The words came out of his mouth, but he wasn’t surprised. Adrianna was his twin sister after all, and he could tell her everything.

  “Just take things one day at a time, Lucas. You don’t have to commit. I mean, you might not even get to that point, right?”

  His wolf growled in protest, not liking those words that implied Sofia wouldn’t be around for too long. Damn, if he wasn’t gone already, his wolf was certainly head over heels. For a human, of all things.

  “Looks like Darius needs me.”

  He followed Adrianna’s gaze. Darius was by the buffet table, trapped between Isabelle and his cousin, Maxine Muccino. The look on his face made Lucas feel sorry for him. “Go rescue your mate,” he said with a chuckle.

  “I’ll talk to you before you leave.”

  He watched his sister as she walked over to Darius and the two girls, grinning to himself. If there was something he was glad for, it was that tonight they were all here. Even Grampa Noah and Grandma Callista. His grandfather was a quiet man and they hadn’t had a chance to talk yet. Lucas was trying to avoid him, because the old man was sometimes too perceptive.

  He lingered another hour, chatting with various members of his family, especially those who lived far way like Uncle Rafe and Uncle Matt and their families. Finally, he was ready to leave and sent a text to his driver to bring the car around.

  “Lucas.”

  He turned to face Darius, who had caught up to him as he was leaving. “Hey. Sorry, could you tell Adrianna I had to go?” He knew he was being a coward, but he didn’t want to talk to Adrianna about Sofia. He couldn’t lie to his sister, but he just wanted Sofia to himself for a bit longer.

  “Of course. But I actually wanted to talk to you. About Adrianna.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “Yes, she is all right, but …” He took out something from his pocket. A velvet box. “I was hoping to speak to you and your father.”

  Lucas didn’t need to know what was inside. “You don’t have to ask me or Papa for permission. But you do have my congratulations.” Adrianna was going to be thrilled and he felt genuine happiness for his sister.

  “Thank you. I mean, she needs to say yes first.”

  “She’ll say yes,” he said, but Darius almost seemed … nervous? “And my father will definitely give you his blessing.”

  “Thank you for saying that.”

  “I look forward to calling you brother.” And he meant it. He owed Darius for saving Adrianna’s life, more than once. They shook hands and Lucas bid him goodbye before slipping out of the house and into his waiting town car.

  The drive back to Manhattan was uneventful and quick. He was looking forward to getting home and getting some sleep—because that would mean it would be tomorrow and then he would be seeing Sofia again.

  They had already crossed the Lincoln tunnel when his phone vibrated in his pocket. Sofia.

  “Hello,” he greeted as he answered the phone.

  “Hey, you. How was the party?”

  “It was fun. But I’m on my way home now, since it was getting late. What time should I pick you up tomorrow?”

  “Oh.” She sounded disappointed. “I was hoping you’d want to stop over tonight. Here. At my place.”

  The invitation surprised him. Of course, he was as eager as she was. “I’ll be there in ten.” He gave the directions to his driver and in no time, he was at the entrance of her building. She buzzed him in and he took the steps two at a time, all the way to her fourth-floor walk-up, not even breaking a sweat as he made it to her front do
or. He didn’t need to knock as she opened it.

  “Hi.” She stood in the doorway, her fingers playing with the tie on her robe.

  “Hi.” God, he didn’t realize just how much he missed her until this moment, when her scent enveloped him. She looked absolutely beautiful, her face free of makeup and her long hair tumbling down her shoulders.

  He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “I missed—” His mouth went dry when she dropped the robe. She was wearing a pair of white lace panties and a bra, as well as matching stockings that went up to mid-thigh.

  They didn’t even make it to her bed.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “My, don’t you look like the cat that got the cream,” Sergeant Winters said as she stopped by Sofia’s desk.

  “Hmmm?” She looked up from her computer screen. “What do you mean?”

  “You don’t have your patented resting bitch face this morning.” Winters narrowed her eyes. “Either you got a lot of sleep last night or …” She gasped. “You didn’t get any sleep at all!”

  Sofia felt her cheeks go hot.

  “Oh. My. God.” Winters squealed. “You got some.”

  “Shhhh!” She didn’t need it announced to the entire precinct. “Pipe down.”

  The other woman’s smile was as wide as the Queensboro bridge. “I’m just glad you’re finally having fun, Detective.”

  The corners of her mouth curved up involuntarily. Sex with Lucas was definitely fun. And thrilling. And quite possibly, addicting. God, the man was like a caged animal who hadn’t been fed in days, and she was his first meal. She honestly thought it was just that first time, but then last night … she was glad she invited him over. They were at it the entire night, and she was almost late again this morning.

  “Wooo!” Winters fanned herself with her hands. “I need a cigar just by looking at your face, Detective.”

  “Shut up, Winters.” But she was grinning when she said it.

  “So, who—”

  “Officer,” Bushnell’s stern voice made Winters jump. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

  “Uh, yes, sir!” Winters croaked before scampering away.

  When the sergeant was well beyond hearing range, Bushnell trained his blue gaze on Sofia. “Selinofoto, we’re a bit shorthanded today. I need you to assist on a case. The lead detective is a new transfer here, but he’s a veteran. He’ll need a hand since it’s his first day with us.”

  “Of course, sir.” She got up and grabbed her things.

  “Detective Sharpe’s already on the scene, I had dispatch send him straight there.”

  He rattled off the address to her, and she wrote it down on her pad. “I’ll head there now.”

  The scene of the crime was just a ten-minute drive away in an alleyway behind a church. The yellow tape was already strung across the entrance of the alley. She flashed her badge to the uniformed officer guarding it, who immediately lifted the tape to let her through. She walked toward the man standing by a dumpster in the corner, whom she assumed was Sharpe.

  “Detective Sharpe,” she called out.

  The man turned to look at her. He was a few inches taller than her and had smooth skin the color of dark chocolate. He didn’t look much older, but the wrinkles in the corner of his keen eyes told her differently. “You must be Detective Selinofoto.” He held out his hand. “Henry Sharpe.”

  She shook it. “Some first day, huh?”

  Sharpe grimaced. “It’s one for the books for sure. Want me to brief you?”

  “Sure.”

  He took a deep breath and jerked a thumb at the dumpster. “D.B.’s in there. Garbage men found him this morning. They only pick up every other day, which means the vic’s been in there for less than forty-eight hours.”

  Sofia peeked into the dumpster and instantly regretted it. The smell alone made her want to retch, but the sight of the body turned her insides. The victim was probably male based on the clothes, but that’s all she could tell. The body was beaten and bloody beyond recognition.

  A chill went down her spine. Why did this feel like déjà vu?

  “Detective?” Sharpe asked. “Are you okay? It’s pretty ripe, you might want to step back.”

  “I’m fine,” she snapped, then shrugged her shoulders. “From the smell in there, he’s probably been dead for more than a day.”

  “Rigor’s passed for sure,” Sharpe observed. “I spoke with the parish priest. The church”—he pointed with this chin at the building behind them—“is also a homeless shelter. He think’s our vic is Alfie Fraser, one of their more recent residents.”

  “How recent?”

  “Five days, according to Father Joseph.” Sharpe took out his notepad. “Apparently Fraser just got out of prison.”

  Just like Thomas Dixon. She supposed it was a valid observation, but also a coincidence at this point. “Tech lab guys should be here any moment,” she said. “We’ll know more when they do their examination.”

  “Yeah, if he’s in the system, then fingerprints would confirm it.”

  “Detective Sharpe!”

  They turned toward the young police officer jogging toward them, his face red from exertion.

  “Take a deep breath, son,” Sharpe said. “What is it?”

  “Come with me. There’s something you should see.”

  They followed the officer out of the alleyway and to the street. One of the trashcans on the sidewalk had its top removed. Sharpe peered inside and frowned, then took out gloves from his pocket. Sofia did the same and watched as the other detective picked out something white from the bottom of the can. It was a shirt covered in blood.

  Sharpe gestured to Sofia, and she took the other end of the shirt to spread it out. Another chill ran through her.

  “Looks expensive,” he said. “Tailored maybe. I think that label is from a shop in London.”

  Sofia swallowed hard as she recognized the label. She’d seen it twice before. No. Her stomach twisted into tight knots.

  “If the blood is the vic’s then this has to be the murderer’s shirt,” the officer said.

  “Good observation, Officer,” Sharpe began. “But, let’s wait until we have all the evidence to make that assumption.”

  The tension in her body eased somewhat, but her heart now pounded in her chest like a jackhammer. Her mind was spinning with all the possibilities and explanations.

  “Are you okay, Detective Selinofoto?” Sharpe’s gaze narrowed at her. “You’re looking pale.”

  She wanted to throw up. She wanted to let go of this shirt and never see it again. “I’m fine. Let’s get this bagged and sent to the lab.” She wanted to know right away. Because if she was right, then Lucas might be in big trouble.

  Sofia and Sharpe waited for the coroner to come and take the body away before they went back to the precinct. He headed straight to the captain’s office, and she went to her desk, and quickly booted up her computer. She had to know now.

  Clicking on her old case files, she opened the one from Lucas’s kidnapping. As she went down the list of the kidnappers, her heart sank. Alfie Fraser was one of the people convicted of kidnapping Lucas and his sister. He also just got out of prison a week ago.

  She clenched her jaw and balled up her fists, and her vision blurred at the edges from the anger she was trying to contain. Because she was 100 percent sure that this was bullshit.

  Someone was trying very hard to make it look like Lucas was a murderer. He didn’t kill Thomas Dixon and he didn’t kill Alfie Fraser, and she knew it not because she was sleeping with him. Her detective’s instincts were telling her something was very wrong with this whole scenario.

  Besides, she knew Lucas already had a solid alibi. He was at that party for his sister and then he came to her place. But she just knew Lucas could never do such a thing.

  It was early yet, and they weren’t even sure if the body was Fraser or whose blood was on the shirt. It might take a couple of hours still for the ID on the body. She glanced
over at Bushnell’s office. Sharpe was still in there talking to the captain.

  Wait and see. This whole thing might be a big coincidence anyway. And she was worried for nothing.

  When Bushnell and Sharpe finally finished talking, the captain led the detective out of his office and began to walk him around, giving him a tour. Sofia turned to her computer, trying to ignore that dreaded feeling in her stomach.

  “Detective Selinofoto.”

  She nearly jumped out of her chair at the captain’s voice. “Sir?”

  “Detective Sharpe will be taking this desk.” He gestured to the empty one beside her. Derek’s old desk. “I know you’re not leading the investigation on the D.B. from the church, but I hope you’ll help him out any way that you can.”

  “Of course, sir,” she said. “I’d be glad to help in any way I can, Detective Sharpe.”

  “I appreciate it,” Sharpe replied. “Thank you.”

  As Sharpe settled into his new desk, Sofia turned back to her computer, trying to concentrate on her other cases. Of course, she kept on eye on the other detective, waiting to hear for news on their D.B. It wasn’t until it was late in the day that he got the call.

  “And you’re positive?” Sharpe’s brows were furrowed together as he scribbled on this notepad. “Okay, thanks.” He put down the phone.

  She waited with bated breath as Sharpe turned to her.

  “It’s definitely Fraser. Fingerprints confirm it.”

  Her blood pounded in her ears, and a pit in her stomach grew. There was a definite link now between Dixon and Fraser.

  What she should do was give all her previous evidence to Sharpe and tell him about the connection. But what she wanted to do was get to Lucas. Now. Someone was trying to frame him. She knew it, and she almost fell for it the first time. If she could warn Lucas first, then he’d at least know he had an enemy.

  Her fingers drummed on the table, thinking of what to do. She had to protect Lucas. But at the same time, her own involvement could put him in further jeopardy.

  The best thing she could do right now was tell Bushnell her suspicions, then remove herself from the case. Though he was always by-the-book, the captain was a smart man and always considered all sides and possibilities before making a decision.