In the Shadow of the Wolf 3 - Splintered Lies by RJ Scott, Diane Adams

be fine." Joe managed to string the words together. He looked at Nick. "We'll be fine."
Little man looked concerned a while longer until finally he appeared to believe what Joe was saying. Straightening his cerise tie he looked around him as the front door opened behind Nick and Joe and more worthy charity representatives came in.
"Would you excuse me? Please make yourselves at home, and do look out for Vera and June."
"We will," Nick replied pleasantly. Leaving Nick and Joe, Errol began his introduction to the next couple, managing to repeat himself almost verbatim. Amused in spite of himself Joe chuckled, moving toward the door leading out of the entry with its overabundance of candles. He led Nick through the huge double doors to what he hoped was the party's center for all things 'charity'.
    Joe lasted thirty minutes before pretending to love cats became too much for him to handle. He exchanged a look with Nick who was standing with the Alpaca women and exchanging mindless conversation. Nick inclined his head subtly and Joe wandered away with purpose. To anyone watching it would appear he knew exactly where he was going. He followed the discreet sign for the bathrooms, exchanging nods with people he passed and with the single guard who leaned nonchalantly on the newel post at the bottom of a set of stairs. The guard had ear buds that looked suspiciously like they were linked to some kind of music player. Evidently he wasn't the greatest security available. More a suggestion of protection for whatever lay up those stairs. Was it arrogance on the senator's part that made him feel there was nothing anyone could want past his open rooms?
    At first glance there didn't appear to be cameras in the narrow hallway and Joe contemplated the stairs behind the guard. They twisted back on themselves in a U shape and the first rise was only five steps. The guard had his back to him. It was a non-decision. With ease and the grace of a man channeling his wolf he vaulted the banister and landed with catlike grace on the first landing. He waited. The guard didn't even turn; apparently he hadn't felt a thing.
    The scent of vanilla and chemical was less up here and in seconds Joe was checking doors. His ability to scent may be affected but his hearing was still perfect. There was no one up here that he couldn't avoid with judicious use of alternative routes. Finally he was at the last door on this upper floor. Checking his watch he realized he had already been away for an entire minute.
    Come on Christie, pull yourself together .
Gently he pushed the door open and relief flooded him as he realized he was in some kind of office. Files were fanned on the desk and the window was open to the mild evening air. Cautiously he rounded the desk and slipped the pen that Rob had given him from his pocket. Carefully he slid it open and twisted the end, exposing a USB memory stick. Pressing it in to the correct hole on the side of the desktop he waited as it flashed. Some kind of auto run capture process was at work. Thank God for Sam and his freaky tech brain.
"Wait until it stops flashing," Sam had said.
"How long will it take?" Nick had asked. Joe was interested in that point. How long would he have to download what was on the PC?
"How long is a piece of string?" Sam shrugged as he said this.
"Are we talking five, ten, twenty minutes?"
"Five at the outside. I've set it so it searches for specific algorithms."
At that point Joe had blocked out the talking.
He checked his watch. It was now coming up to four minutes since he had left the main room. Nick and he had agreed six minutes tops before Nick would make his excuses and leave. Six minutes meant Joe was caught, trapped, or had taken an alternative exit.
Talking in the corridor outside filtered to his ears and he glanced out through the crack before the door fully closed. Someone. An older guy with silver hair was talking animatedly to a woman who had her back to him. Dressed in navy she was tall and