Turning Payne Read Online Free PDF Page B

occurs in the offspring of a human and a metamorph."
    The victims were all half-breeds. Damn, that complicated things. If Maverick was correct, what did that say about Kiera? About Boyd? It had to be a mistake. He'd studied the victims’ files inside out, only a small handful of them had any relationship to the metamorph community.
    "None of the victims had metamorph parents. We would have known if they—"
    "Not every metamorph is documented," Maverick said, tucking the folder securely under his arm.
    Jacob scrubbed his hands over his face. "We need to inform the Council."
    "I realize the implications that this could have, but there are thousands of carriers across the globe, and we've only seen a couple hundred cases of spontaneous morphings, all within a contained geographical location." Maverick lowered his voice and glanced around the room. The sweat from his palm stained the file he held. "There's no sense causing panic until—"
    "No." Jacob let out a frustrated breath. "Until we figure out who or what is causing this, every person who carries the gene is at risk. How many of our kind have taken human mates? Every one of their offspring who aren't metamorphs are at risk."
    Turner leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. He hated to admit it, but he agreed with Maverick. There was no sense alarming people until they had a way to control the situation.
    "We don't even know how this thing is spread." A large vein pulsated on Maverick's temple. "If you make it common knowledge, you'll just cause unnecessary fear and we'll have a—"
    "They have every reason to fear." Jacob handed Maverick the file of case two-thirty-eight, which contained the photos of the massacred cheetah.
    Maverick opened his mouth and then shut it. He winced and looked away. "Point taken, sir, but I still think we need to keep this information classified until we know more."
    Turner's mind spun. Boyd was human. A sociopath and psychotic killer, but still human. And his wife had died of cancer—a disease that didn't affect metamorphs. If both Kiera's parents had been human, how had the woman inherited the recessive gene?
    It didn't make sense. Was it possible the gene could be passed down through generations? If so, the implications could be catastrophic. It also meant that Riley could also be a carrier.
    Turner clenched and unclenched his fists, and forced himself to ignore the sudden threat that had his animal raging inside. He had to get back to Riley. His animal paced within him, and an unnatural urge to protect her wrapped around his heart, until he could barely catch his breath. He had to keep her safe. There was no chance in hell he was going to let her succumb to the same fate as her sister.
    "Agent Payne, is there something you'd like to share with us?"
    Jacob's deep voice broke through his sense of panic.
    Maverick's face distorted in a scowl. "You're more out of it than normal, Payne. What's your problem?"
    Maverick was right, he was losing his cool. The woman had turned his brain to mush and if he didn't recover quickly, it would be his ass the agency would wipe the floor with. He needed an excuse, and he needed it quick.
    "Sleep deprivation will do that to a person." It wasn't exactly a lie. He gave what he hoped was a cocky-ass grin and looked down his nose at Maverick. "Unlike you, I've actually been working."
    Maverick opened his mouth to retort, but Jacob raised his hand to silence him. "Go home and get some rest. I need you back here first thing tomorrow morning."
    More fucking paperwork. He ground his teeth together. "I'll be here."
    "On time," Jacob warned.
    Turner rolled his eyes. Like that would happen. "Right."
    Jacob reached out and gripped Turner's arm before he could make a beeline for the door. Thankfully Maverick had moved on and wasn't witness to the death stare Jacob now gave him.
    "I don't know what's going on with you, but if you do anything to jeopardize your position here, I can't help you