Chapter 3
Nick had just stumbled through the door, juggling bags in an attempt not to drop them, when Greg's phone – the one thing that had survived Greg's shift, and that they'd managed to grab from the lobby floor as they'd fled – started ringing. Depositing the bags on the second bed, just as Greg grumbled and rolled towards the sound, hand blindly groping, Nick murmured, "I got it, baby! Go back to sleep." and scooped the phone up from the bedside table.
With a quick glance at the caller I.D., Nick groaned before answering with, "Hey, Gris."
"Nicky! What are you doing back? Never mind, is Greg there with you? Of course he is, this is his phone."
Before Grissom could continue, Nick cut him off, "Look, Gris, Greg and I can't come in. We've got some stuff going on..."
Now it was Grissom's turn to cut off Nick, "There was an animal attack in the park," he put extra emphasis on the word animal.
Nick picked up on it instantly. "You mean..." he didn't have to finish his sentence.
"Doc Robbins is performing the autopsy now, but he said she was raped before the animal killed her."
Dread pooling in his stomach, Nick asked, "How long has she been dead?"
"About nine hours. Nick, what's going on?" Grissom seemed to pick up on Nick's unease.
"It's not my place to say. Greg and I will be there as soon as possible."
Turning towards the bed, closing the phone as he did so, Nick was startled to find himself being regarded by Greg's light brown eyes, very much awake and alert.
"That was Grissom," it was a statement instead of a question, and it told Nick that Greg had already gleaned the pertinent details from Nick's mind.
"If that girl was killed by that son-of-a-bitch..." Greg let the sentence trail off, as he was sure Nick could sense his fury through their link.
Digging through the bags, Nick pulled out some of the clothing he'd bought for Greg. He used his pocket knife to remove the tags before handing everything to his mate.
Greg stood and dressed carefully. He kept his injured arm held close to his body, struggling one handed to dress, but refusing to ask Nick for help. Nick knew better than to offer, too, as it would only add to his later punishment.
They stopped for fast food before heading over to the crime lab, where they found Grissom in his office.
Setting down a file he'd been looking over, Grissom looked at the two shape shifters as they settled in chairs across the desk from him. His eyebrow raised at the bulge of the dressing on Greg's left shoulder, but he didn't say anything about it.
Meeting Grissom's eyes, Greg said, "There's another alpha in town, Gris. He challenged me. I lost."
Grissom seemed to understand where this was going. "You think he was the one who raped and killed the girl."
"None of my..." he started to say, paused, drew in a breath, and started over, "None of the pack would have done it. If he didn't, it's too big of a coincidence. Besides..."
"Yes?"
"There was something not right about him. Wild."
"Wild?"
"Like he's following his wolf instincts exclusively," Greg's brow furrowed as he tried to explain what he had sensed.
Nick tried to help, "While we follow our wolf instincts to some degree, we don't allow them to dictate our entire lives. We have to maintain our human side, or we risk discovery." Nick cringed back slightly at the look Greg shot him.
"I'll know if it's him when I see the girl's body. His scent will be all over her."
Grissom steepled his hands in front of him, deep in thought, contemplating his response. "And if it's him?"
"I have to challenge him. This time, one of us will die."
Nick knew that was coming, but it still made his head snap around to look at his mate. "No, he nearly killed you!" he started to protest.
Twisting his head towards Nick, lip pulled up in an inadequate imitation of his lupine snarl, a growl emanating from deep in his chest, Greg snapped, "You do not have a say in the matter!"
Returning an uncharacteristic snarl of his own, Nick growled, "Then you'll at least wait until your shoulder is fully healed! An I'm going with you!"
Greg stood, stepping towards Nick, ready to put him in his place, his patience with his mate at an end.
"Sit down, Greg!" Grissom's voice held the command of authority, but he still wasn't sure it would get through to the younger man. He could see some of those wolf instincts coming into play now, and that made him realize just how close to the surface they were.
Shaking his head sharply, Greg sank back into his chair. The look he shot Nick told the older man that this was far from over. Settling his expression, Greg looked back over at Grissom, now pointedly ignoring Nick.
"I think I see what you mean about the wolf instincts, now," Grissom said. He hadn't commented on Greg's statement that one of the two alphas would die.
"Can we go see the body? I've gotten very little sleep in the last few days, and rapid healing tends to take it out of you."
With another raised eyebrow, Grissom nodded.
When they were standing in front of the entrance to the morgue, Greg looked at Grissom.
"Can you chase Doc Robbins out of there for a while? Just in case I lose control?"
"Sure, I'll see what I can do. Come on," Grissom responded, pushing open the door and holding it for the other two men.
Doc Robbins looked up from the body he'd been examining. He hadn't made the Y incision yet, so it appeared he'd only just begun the preliminary.
"Hey, guys. If you're here about Mr. Conners here," he gestured to the body on the slab before him, "I only just started."
"No, Doc. I need to take another look at Ms. Morrison," Grissom replied with an easy smile for the medical examiner.
Waving in the general direction of the body drawers, Doc Robbins told Grissom which one she was in.
As Nick and Greg moved to the drawer, Grissom stepped up beside the M.E.
Doc Robbins shot a sideways look at Grissom.
"Actually, Nicky and Greg can take care of what we need from the body. Can I talk to you in the hall for a moment?"
When Doc Robbins nodded and reached for his crutch, Grissom quickly decided on the best possible story to feed the man once they were in the hallway.