Howling Mad: A paranormal wolf shifter romance (Badlands Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

staff were probably still scrambling to get things back to normal. Magnus handed Cassandra a piece and she slotted it into the puzzle. Jimmy was obviously on his best behavior, but even so one of his hands had a newsprint pattern where it rested on an open magazine on the table, and one side of his hair was pale green, fading into the wallpaper behind him.
    Before Naomi could respond, the newscaster handed over the floor to her father, who cleared his throat and looked gravely into the camera.
    “As you’ve heard, a malfunction in the security system here at the Dynamic Earth Rehabilitation Center occurred at approximately three o’ clock this afternoon. I would like to reassure the public that our systems have been thoroughly inspected by teams of experts, and we can guarantee it is absolutely impossible for such an event to happen again.”
    Her father had a smooth, assured voice that seemed to promise that everything would be okay. She relaxed a little.
    He continued. “I am pleased to be able to say that our security staff acted with the utmost professionalism and efficiency, and the breakout was quickly contained. None of the staff or patients of the facility were seriously injured.”
    She turned to flash a quick smile of relief at Byron. Nobody had been hurt. She was sure there had been some property damage, but property could be replaced. She was sure this whole nightmare could be sorted out if only he'd turn himself in. Her father wasn't a monster. But he didn’t smile back. He was regarding the screen with a steady, unsmiling gaze. A little muscle ticked in his jaw and he held up a hand as though telling her to wait and see.
    “Unfortunately,” —Dr. Atkins’ tone became grave and the camera zoomed in closer on his face— “there was an escape from our high-security wing.”
    A photograph of Byron flashed onto the screen. In it, his hair was uncombed and there was a three-day scruff on his jaw. The intensity of the flash had washed out his features, and he looked pale and angry and dangerous.
    “Members of the public are urged not to approach this man, but to call the number at the bottom of the screen to speak to Dynamic Earth’s security line. He is a feral shifter and a dangerous criminal who has been responsible for several violent incidents during his time in the rehabilitation center.” He hesitated. “He is one of our rare failures.”
    Naomi glanced at Byron again. It was true that he’d never responded to any of the therapeutic approaches the center had in place, but she didn’t recall him being responsible for any violent incidents. Perhaps she just hadn’t heard about them. She reminded herself that there was a reason Byron had been locked up, and she shouldn’t allow herself to forget it. Jim and Pete had always treated him with the utmost caution when moving him into and out of his cell. She shifted away from him a little way on the bed, then cast him a guilty glance.
    He gave a brief, humourless laugh. “Just when you’d almost started to think of me as a real person, too.”
    That wasn’t fair. “You did kidnap me,” she protested. “It’s not as though—”
    “Just wait,” he interrupted.
    On the screen, Naomi’s father looked down for a moment, as if struggling with what he had to say next. Then he squared his shoulders and looked directly into the camera, his eyes sad and sincere.
    “To my great personal distress, it has been determined that this man could not have made his escape unaided. Our experts inform me that the malfunction of the security system was due to sabotage – sabotage that could only have been accomplished by someone on the inside. A trusted member of the Dynamic Earth family.”
    Naomi jumped, surprised, when Byron’s large hand covered hers with a warm, reassuring pressure. Without thinking, she turned her hand so she could lace her fingers with his.
    “All the evidence points to the inescapable conclusion that my daughter, Naomi Atkins, was