They pulled off the road about forty minutes later and they left the red truck and jumped back into the bed of Jay’s.
Sean was barely keeping it together and Liam put a hand on his arm.
“Keep your cool Seann, we don’t even know yet if anyone here is involved or not.”
“Believe me, buddy I am trying.” he ground out.
They were clearly expected as the guards on the gate waved them through and Jay knew where he was going as he turned several times before stopping in front of Kaleb’s home. He stood on the porch with another man and looked about the same age as Jay. His facial expression was grim as he came toward them.
Seann jumped down from the back of the truck and opened the passenger door for his mate. They waited until they were all inside before Seann told them why he was here.
“I asked your father to come when I knew you were on your way.” Kaleb addressed Imogen and her father rose from his seat to envelop his daughter in his arms.
“What’s going on Imogen?” he asked when he pulled back from her.
“Someone came to the Den and took Everly, Dad.” her lip quivered as she tried to fight back her tears.” India was hurt trying to protect her but she is okay, Garrett is with her.”
Jonathan looked at Seann and the grim look on his face told them this wasn’t a sick joke.
“Why are you here, what does this have to do with my pack?” Kaleb looked at each of them, his expression puzzled.
“A she-wolf came into our home when we were on a pack run and took my daughter. India was injured trying to stop her. The woman told her she came for the white wolf’s child and Imogen had a vision that is connected to your pack, Kaleb.”
“Imogen, you know these visions you have aren’t always one hundred percent accurate, sweetheart.” her father reached out a hand to her but she ignored it. She was so tired of his attitude towards her visions and she snapped.
“If you had listened to me when you went on your last trip with Mom, she would still be alive.” Imogen was furious and Kandis could see her fists clenched tightly as she tried to keep her temper in check. “When I was younger, they weren’t always as accurate as they are now but my foresight has improved tenfold and I am rarely wrong. I am telling you, Dad, this one was crystal clear and the woman who has my daughter is on this compound somewhere. If I have to tear every cabin apart to find her then I will, but you were also in my vision and I need to know what that means.”
“You think I had something to do with my granddaughter’s disappearance!”
“Not deliberately, but there is a connection between you and the kidnapper and we need to find out who she is.”
Jonathan sat down on the chair, his face pale but Imogen was too angry to care. Her baby was missing, her sister was hurt and her father was still patronizing her.
“What do we know about this woman,” Kaleb asked.
“India said she is beautiful. She is tall and slim, with long dark brown hair, about my age.” Kandis said.
“That could be any one of twenty or thirty women in the pack and she could also have been disguised,” Kaleb said, shaking his head.
India said she had a slight accent too, she thought it might be South American.” Imogen added.
Kaleb turned to look at Jonathan who stood up slowly and turned even paler as realization dawned on him.
“Carla, oh my god, you mean Carla!”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Liam
They surrounded the cabin as quietly as possible, covering all of the possible exits and given the time of night it was in darkness. Kaleb tried the front door but it was locked and that was unusual in itself in a guarded compound.
Jay took a lock pick from his jacket pocket and in less than a minute he had the front door open. Kaleb went in first and Seann and Imogen followed.
There were no sounds at all as they made their way to the master bedroom and Liam knew she was gone when Seann roared in frustration and stormed out the front door. They turned on the lights and it was clear that there was no longer anyone living here.
Bree picked up Carla’s scent easily but shook her head when Kandis asked if she could smell Everly anywhere inside.
“No, she was never here, there isn’t even a trace of her.”
Kandis picked up a few items belonging to the she-wolf, they needed them for the other wolves if they had a hope of tracking her.
“We have lost so much valuable time already.” Imogen said, “She could be anywhere by now.”
They made their way back to the Den to pick up the truck and Kaleb said he was coming with them.
“I will bring two of my best trackers and meet you back at your compound, Seann. If Carla is responsible for kidnapping your daughter, she will be punished to the full extent of our pack’s laws.”
“If she has my daughter, Kaleb, you will get her back in pieces.” Seann’s fury hadn’t abated.
“I want to come too, Imogen.” her father said and she shrugged as they piled into the truck.
“You need to tell Kandis how you know this woman and more importantly what you told her about us. She fixed him with a stare and Kandis had to suppress a chuckle as Jonathan wilted under his daughter’s glare. Imogen Rose wasn’t the same meek little human who Seann had bitten and brought to them not so long ago. She was as fierce as her red-headed sister, it just took a lot to rile her.
The drive back to the compound seemed to take an age but when they pulled through the gates, Liam had called ahead and there was a small army of trucks and shifters waiting for them. Garrett and India were there and although she looked pale, she was adamant she was coming with them.
“You need me for tracking and rooting out liars.” she insisted.
“If you come, you stay out of the fray, India, I mean it.” Garrett insisted and she climbed into the truck with a grin, there was never any doubt that she was getting her own way on this one.
“I need one person in each vehicle to be a liaison so that I can send group messages as we travel,” Jay called out and Bree organized them and put the numbers into Jay’s phone. “I already know what direction she is traveling, thanks to my friends in the various police departments and their video surveillance equipment. Kaleb has word from home that about a week ago, this Carla told a friend that she would be out of town for a while and she says in the past she has mentioned relatives in Austin, Texas and although it could be a red herring, she seems to be heading that direction. It’s a start people, let's get going.”
“That’s a helluva drive.” Liam shook his head.
He was happy to let Seann drive them to keep him occupied and allow Liam to concentrate on making calls. Kandis and Imogen were in the back seat with Bree and one of the young enforcers in the truck bed ready to shift in an instant.
The entire pack was awake tonight, either hunting the kidnaper or protecting those left behind in the compound.
“Is it wrong that I want to kill my own father,” Imogen asked suddenly and Kandis knew she was hurting at what she thought of as her father’s betrayal.
“I spoke to him on the drive up here, Imogen. She targeted him for information and he was flattered by her attention. I think he is lonely and she said all the right things to get him talking about his family. I mean a gorgeous girl pays you some attention and she loves hearing stories about your grown-up kids, he thought he had a winner there.” Kandis said softly.
“What did he tell her?” she demanded.
“That you were a white wolf, you were mated to the alpha, you had a daughter and some amazing gifts. He also told her that India was an awesome tracker and lie detector. He was just boasting about his kids, as most fathers do.”
“He should know better, telling so much to someone he just met. Kaleb said she had only been with the pack for a few months, he doesn’t really know anything about her! He could have come and lived with us if he was lonely, my mother has only been gone for such a short time, what the hell was he thinking!” Imoge
n snapped back.
“It’s not the same as having a mate, Imogen. You know that better than most.” she glanced at Seann and Imogen blew out a breath and blinked back the tears.
“I do know that and I don’t grudge him happiness, I just need someone to blame other than myself. I should never have left her tonight to go on the run.
“No! This is not your fault,” Seann reached back and grabbed her hand. “She is a manipulative bitch that used your father and took our daughter. She is to blame and whoever she is working for. According to Kaleb’s pack members she isn’t smart enough to come up with something like this on her own.”
Imogen fell silent and Kandis knew she was torturing herself.
Liam was watching and listening to them and despite the awful circumstances he was so proud of Kandis. She was compassionate and kind but strong and capable at the same time and he knew she had no idea that was how other people saw her. Imogen was drawing strength from her tonight and she wasn’t even aware of it.
Kandis held Imogen’s hand throughout the journey. She could feel her pain and sense her fear and she didn’t blame her. Her baby was in the hands of a kidnapper and no-one seemed to know just how dangerous she was. They had been following her trail for a few hours now but she had a head start, knowing now that she hadn’t been back to her pack. The roads were quiet which was a blessing with the speed Seann was driving at and at least it was the middle of the night. They hadn’t heard anything more from Jay’s people and she hoped they were on the right track.
Kaleb admitted she had arrived with one of their young wolves one night and had never left. She had kept to herself and stayed out of trouble and worked hard with the pack catering crew so Kaleb had given her a small cabin and told her she could stay. She told Jonathan that she had left her pack because of a bad breakup and her ex had since been mated, it was too painful to stay there and watch him with someone else.
Liam answered his phone and she could hear Jay on the other end telling him that his contacts had found the vehicle parked in a cheap motel just outside of Tuscaloosa and she had checked in over an hour ago using her own credit card, she wasn’t expecting them to trace it back to her. Kandis checked her phone, they were twenty minutes away from the motel but they would rendezvous before then. A wolf, even a stupid one, would hear several vehicles arriving at once.
Liam spoke to the others on the phone and they pulled off the road a mile before their destination.
Seann waited until they all gathered around him before he spoke.
“Here’s the plan. Kandis, Liam, Garrett and I will go in through the front door. I want the rest of you dotted around to keep other people away from her room, use your imagination. India and Bree will determine which room she is in and we will break the door down. Bree will bring Everly out here to you, Imogen, before I rip the bitch’s heart out.”
“I’m coming with you!” Imogen put her hands on her hips
“You will wait outside the fucking door, Imogen, for once in your life do what I ask without a fight, please!”
She scowled and folded her arms across her chest but she knew Seann was right, he wouldn’t be on his game if he was worrying about her.
“We need to question her, Seann.” Liam reminded him, you can’t kill her. Besides, we don’t know if she was coerced, blackmailed or did it willingly but we need to find out before you do anything.”
“I promise she will not go unpunished, Seann. We take this very seriously.” Kaleb said.
“Okay, we can talk about this later, first get my daughter to safety.”
They left their vehicles and ran the last mile on foot with the exception of Imogen and India who drove Jay’s truck to the back of the strip mall next door to the motel. India wasn’t yet fit enough to run and they needed a vehicle nearby for Everly.
They arrived about the same time and Bree and India silently walked up and down the rows of rooms until India picked up her niece's scent. She gestured to Bree who joined her and nodded her agreement. The others got into place and with one swift kick, Liam broke the door in two.
The woman who jumped up from the bed was shocked as the wolves filtered into the room and Garrett scooped the sleeping baby up from the playpen on the floor and ran outside to give her to her mother.
Liam tried to grab Seann but was too late as he charged her and her body hit the wall with his huge hand around her neck.
“You took my daughter and the punishment for that is your death. Tell me what I want to know and I will reward you with a quick death, Carla, otherwise you will experience pain like you can’t even fucking begin to imagine.”
She looked terrified and Liam knew without a doubt she knew he meant it.
He put his hand on Seann’s arm.
“I think she will tell you what you want to know, Seann.”
He released her and Kandis pulled out a chair and pushed her into it. She took off her jacket and faced the dark-haired wolf.
“Start talking.”
The others filtered out of the room and Seann went with them to see his daughter, leaving Liam, Kandis and India with Carla.
She looked Kandis up and down and sneered, thinking she was of no consequence.
“I’ll talk to the alpha, no-one else,”
Kandis closed her fist and hit her as hard as she could, spraying her blood all over her as well as herself.
“Wrong answer, bitch. Let’s try again.”
Liam stifled a grin as the other woman screamed in pain and got up and backed herself into the corner of the room. Her nose was bent out of shape and would heal that way if she left it, marring her pretty features.
She howled as Kandis grabbed her and threw her back in the chair. She leaned over her, her beautiful face now threatening and dangerous, she was all business.
“Let’s try that again, shall we. Start talking or I will break each of your arms and legs, one at a time and then we will move onto that pretty face.”
She slumped in the chair, deflated and began to talk.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
Kandis
Kandis was right. She had gotten the idea of kidnapping Everly after Jonathan had boasted about his oldest daughter being the white wolf.
She didn’t do it for money though, she did it as a favor to a friend who held a grudge against the Donovan pack and in return he was going to take her ex’s new mate out of the picture, paving the way for her to get him back. As a wolf, she should know that if the woman was her ex’s true mate then he would likely pine for her for many years, not take up with Carla again. She was willing to see this other woman die for just a slim chance at reconciliation.
Kandis thought how stupid people could be for love.
Jay and a few others were driving on to the pack in Austin to speak to the ex and the wolf who bore a grudge and wanted Carla to kidnap Everly for him.
Old Seth, one of the elders, told her that although Imogen was a white wolf and the gene had to be present in her daughter too, there was no guarantee that Everly would be a white wolf too. He also told her they hadn’t seen the full extent of the white wolf’s powers and she passed the information onto Imogen who shrugged, only caring that she had her daughter back where she belonged. Kandis wasn’t sure she believed some of these old fables passed down through the generations. Sure, Imogen had some awesome gifts like her visions and her speed but they were no secret.
Seann had agreed to a stay of execution pending a report from Jay when he returned from Austin. Kaleb had taken Carla back to his compound where she would stay in his dungeon until they decided on her fate. Imogen didn’t want her anywhere near her daughter, even if she was in chains.
India was pale and Garrett scooped her up and carried her back home. She was still healing and needed the rest.
Kandis was bone-tired by the time she crawled into bed and Liam pulled her against him and tucked her into his side as she closed her eyes and tried to sleep. Her mind was racing and she forced happy thoughts about their mo
ve to the new mountain town until she eventually succumbed to a deep slumber.
Liam lay awake watching her face by the light of the moon as she slept. He felt a pang of sympathy for the young girl in Kaleb’s dungeon, not for kidnapping, she deserved her fate for that alone, but for the lengths people will go to in order to win someone’s love.
Trouble seemed to plague the Donovan pack and he was more convinced than ever that they needed to move. A fresh start and much better security would help everyone sleep better at night. He knew a lot of the Austin pack and wondered who had a big enough grudge to risk Seann Donovan's wrath. He had confidence in Jay’s abilities to get to the truth but he still felt he should have gone with him, despite Seann’s orders to get some rest.
He heard the mournful howl of a wolf in the distance as he closed his eyes, the sound soothing and familiar.
Kandis was awake before the sun was up and she slipped out of bed quietly leaving Liam asleep. She padded into the kitchen and made a pot of coffee, adding sugar and cream and sat out on the front porch watching a few lights coming on here and there. As the pack slowly came to life Kandis realized she would never leave them. No matter where the pack settled, she would be with them for the rest of her life and for the first time since she was a child, she truly felt like she belonged.
She smiled as the warm feeling in the pit of her belly spread. Her period was also late and she was desperate to go to the clinic to see Rafe but he wouldn’t be there for another couple of hours yet. She wondered what was going on with him and Hope.
He seemed smitten with her but she was giving nothing away. They spent a lot of time together and Hope wasn’t reticent, but Kandis didn’t see the same connection for her. She knew Hope liked him and was attracted to him but the all-consuming, overwhelming feelings a wolf had for a potential mate seemed to be lacking in their relationship.
And Bree, what the hell was going on with her and Nate! There was a juicy story there and Bree was usually open about her life but she had a feeling this wasn’t something she was going to blab about so easily. The look of shock on her face when she saw Nate was completely genuine.
Children of the Moon: Book Three Page 13