by Celeste Raye
When he went into the bedroom, he could see clear signs of a struggle. He wanted to believe that she had gotten away from it, but it didn’t look that way. The only good thing was finding no blood. It gave him hope that they had merely taken her instead of killing her right off. He didn’t want to think about what they were doing to her, but he clung to the idea she was still alive.
After his mind was semi-cleared, Chris really started to think about it. What he concluded was that there was nothing that he could do about it. He had to find her, and that was that. Then it came to him in a flash.
Why hadn’t he thought about that before? There were a handful of people that knew about the cabin, and only one knew about Fran and her troubles. It was hard for him to imagine it, but Chris knew that he wasn’t off base. There was something big coming their way, and it was all because he’d told his father. He didn’t know how Dalton was involved, or what he was getting out of it, but Chris knew how they had been found, why Fran was gone. It was because of his father.
The next thing Chris did was call his father. It was something that he didn’t think he was going to have to do, but he had been wrong about everything else. If he ever wanted to see Fran again, he had to find her quickly. The people that were after her only wanted one thing, and once they got it, she would be of no use to them, and Chris knew exactly what they would do to her. He couldn't even let his mind go to that while he listened for the phone to ring.
“Son, I have been calling you for hours. Where are you?”
“I think you know exactly where I am.”
“I was worried about you.”
“Why were you so worried about me, Father? Is there something that you know, that I don't?”
He heard Dalton’s sigh on the other side of the line, and he knew that he was finally going to get the confession that he wanted, even if he didn't want to hear it.
“So, they took her?”
“Well, first, they killed my maid, Dad. Maria. You know, the one that's been with our family for over a decade.”
“I am sorry to hear about Maria.”
“But you're not sorry about sending assassins to my house?”
“The kids were at my sister's. Nothing was going to happen to Jasmine and Dante. You were here in a meeting. And nothing was going to happen to you.”
“So, you were surprised when they didn't find her, right?”
“I wouldn't go that far. I knew that she was going to be harder to find than they thought. I didn't want you getting involved, but when you got home and I didn't hear from you today, I knew where you were going to take her. You took her to the cabin.”
“And now she's gone, Father.”
“I know that you don't understand it right now, Chris, but in time you will see that I was helping you. This was the best thing that could happen. Nothing good was going to come from the two of you together. She had a bounty on her head, and that was never going to go away.”
“I love her, Father.”
He told Chris that he knew.
“I saw it in your face when you found out that I went to speak to her. You were afraid of something and the only time you are ever afraid is when you want something so badly that you don't want anybody to take it away from you.”
“And naturally, the only thing you could think to do was exacting my biggest fear?”
“You don't have to see it that way. That was not the way it was. I am trying to help you. She is nothing but trouble. She comes from bad blood, and the last thing we need is her in the family. The last thing the company needs is bad publicity when they find out you're with one of the cartel’s daughters.”
Chris hung up because he knew that he wasn't going to have anything good to say. If he said anything at this point, it was going to strain the relationship even further. If that was even possible. Chris was first going to deal with Fran and getting her back; then he was going to deal with his father. First things first though.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“I don't know where she is. This is how it works. You think that my family does not have something in place for this kind of situation? My father knew that you guys were coming eventually. One of the cartels that he did business with or he’d taken territory from was going to come. There was always a plan in place, and it did not include everybody else knowing everything. My mom took off. I took off. And that is that. There is no one left, and you can do whatever you want to me, but I don't know where she is. That was the point. There has to be at least one of us left alive.”
“What if I believe you?”
“Good, then believe me, because I don't know what you want me to know. I don't know where she is.”
“Then I guess we have no point in keeping you around either.”
Fran was ready for the end. She had been ready for it since she found out her father was dead. It was always going to be her ending along with him. She had come to terms with that a long time ago.
“Then you just have to do what you have to do, don't you? I know that you're just doing your job. Following orders. Can you just make it quick?”
The older man that had the gun leveled at her head started to falter.
Fran wanted to take it as a sign, but she knew better. It was probably something else altogether.
“I don't want to. I don't.”
It was like he was asking for permission or something. Fran didn't know what to say and she didn't want to make him feel any better about it. Why would she want to make him feel better about killing her?
Instead of saying anything else to lower his guilt or whatever it was he was looking for, Fran just closed her eyes and waited for the bullet. She was tied to a chair, and she was more than convinced that was exactly what she was going to get. What else was there?
She heard a gunshot, and at first, she thought she was dead. Then she realized that the old man that had been pointing the gun at her was not pointing it at her anymore. He was pointing towards something behind him, but Fran couldn't see what it was. Then she heard a growl, and she knew exactly who it was. Her heart started to flip in her chest. Hope started to surge back inside of her and before long, the man that was going to kill her was now the man that was lying on the floor dead. She had never seen such a beautiful sight in all of her life.
“You came.”
The wolf stood in front of her for a moment and then licked her face. She had not an ounce of fear. How could she fear the man that she had come to love?
Chris transformed back into his human form and untied her. She was able to get up from the chair finally, and thankfully, Fran was able to pull herself together. That almost felt impossible with the situation going on around her. He pulled her into his arms, Fran knew then that she was going to be alright. Nothing was going to stand in their way ever again.
“How did you find me, Chris?”
“I have a good sense of smell when I'm like this.”
Fran just grinned. It really didn't matter how he had found himself in front of her. Just that he was there, and she realized once again, that Chris had saved her. She didn't know how he ended up being in the right place at the right time, all the time, but it didn't matter. She didn't have to understand that. All that mattered, was that Fran knew Chris was there for her.
“Thank you for saving me again, Chris.”
“It's fine, Fran. I was so afraid that I had lost you. I never want to spend another moment without you. Ever again.”
Fran told him that she wasn't going anywhere, and she had no intentions of going. She apologized profusely for bringing this all down on him, but Chris would not let her worry about it.
“Trust me when I tell you, Fran, this was not on you. This was on my father and me. He met you and sent your photo to a private investigator that he knew. Found out who you were, who was looking for you, and sent them your way. I don’t know why, but I will find out.
Fran was a little surprised to hear that. “Are you sure?”
“I am, unfortunately.
I wish that I weren't. I hate the fact that it was my father that did this to you… I never wanted you to be in danger. This was my fault.
“It's not your fault.”
“Whether it is your fault or not, this is never going to end.”
Chris shook his head and disagreed. “It is going to end. I'm going to end it.”
Fran didn't want him to put himself in danger anymore. She was afraid that something was going to happen and she was going to lose him. Fran had lost almost everything in her life now. He couldn’t be lost to her as well.
“No. I won't let you do it.”
“You're not going to have a choice, Fran. I'm going to get you to safety and then I’m taking care of this once and for all.”
“Haven't you learned yet that there is nowhere safe for me?”
“I beg to differ. I have a place that you know well. That's where you will go and wait for me. I won't be long.”
Fran wanted to ask questions; she wanted to refuse his help. Fran knew who he was going to go up against, and she was afraid for him. She wouldn't be able to let anything happen to him. She wouldn't forgive herself if that happened.
“You can't leave me again, Chris. Every time you do, something happens.”
“I know. Why do you think I don't want you to leave my side? But it has to happen. This is the only way that we can ever live in peace. All of us.”
“And you're going to do all of this for me because I babysit your kids?”
He grinned and kissed her with a fever that made it hard for her to breathe.
“You should know that it is really hard to find a babysitter nowadays.”
Fran was frustrated with him acting like it was no big deal. But Fran knew that she was going to have to let him take care of things.
Chris transformed back into his wolf and he bent down so that she could ride on his back. She felt safest when she was so close that she could feel his heart racing underneath her. But soon, he was going to leave her alone again. Either he won and they lived happily ever after, or she was going to lose it all, including her life.
Chapter Thirty
Chris wanted to take care of his father, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about Dalton at the moment. That was going to come later. First, he had to take out Juan Ramirez. Chris was going to learn quickly that it wasn’t going to be as easy as it was before. He was going to need a little bit of help if he was going to get to the man behind all of the drama.
Chris called in his cousin Gerald. He needed his help, and even though they hadn't seen eye to eye on anything, Gerald had no problem getting violent, and that was what Chris needed at the moment. He knew that there were going to be several guards around Juan. He was the type of guy that wasn't going to go anywhere by himself.
When Chris found out where he lived, he started to stake out the place, and between him and Gerald, they watched it for two days, before they decided when they were going to make a move.
The best time was between two and four o'clock in the morning. That was when there were only four guards, instead of ten. In the daytime, he was expecting trouble, but at night, not so much. Or maybe it was easier to watch the compound when it was dark and quiet. There were towers built into the gates that Chris had seen several guards at. Juan Ramirez was undoubtedly worried about his safety.
Chris and Gerald took out the first two guards without a problem. They were still on the outside of the gates and only when they tried to scale them, did they run into a problem. One of the other two guards had seen Gerald climbing up and started to shoot at him. Chris had to transform and attack them, so that his cousin was not taken. Or killed.
The second guard heard the first guard screaming when Chris turned into a wolf. He did not want to kill them if he didn't have to. The first two were knocked out, but they would wake up with nothing more than a little bit of a headache. The one that he had to attack and shut up was a little bit harder. He may have been able to muffle him after a moment, but he didn't have a moment. Instead, he hit him hard and broke his neck in the process. The man's head went back to an odd angle when he fell, and Chris turned to the fourth.
By then, the last guard had figured out that he said no chance and he did not put up any fight.
“Look, they don't pay me enough for this. You can have your way with them. I'll even give you the keys to the door.”
The guard was so nervous that he actually tossed a whole ring towards Chris. Chris actually felt sorry for him and could only imagine what was going through his head. He had witnessed something that no one else would ever see. Chris also knew that nobody would believe it either. He could go to the police and tell them what happened, but no one would believe him. Werewolves did not exist. Shifters we're just the stuff of fiction and fanciful stories. No one would ever believe him.
When Chris told him to run, he did not look back once. He just turned around and kept on going. Chris waited for him to be out of sight. Gerald asked him why he let him go, but Chris didn’t see the point in killing him.
“You shouldn't have done that, Chris. What if he goes and tell somebody?”
“He isn't going to tell anybody that will actually believe him.”
Gerald wasn't sure, but there was no time for them to argue about it. Chris wasn't worried about killing all of the guards that took care of Juan Ramirez. He was only there for the man that they were supposed to be keeping safe. As long as they stayed out of it and didn't do their job, Chris didn't see any reason for it to be any more complicated than it already was. He did not want one more life on his hands. He already had uncountable sins.
“We don't need to kill everybody, Gerald. It'll be fine.”
“Whatever, man, this is your game, but we need to make sure we take this guy out. I don't want them coming back for us later.”
That was the first thing the two men had agreed on since they got into the fight. Gerald was a lot more ruthless, but that was the reason that Chris had brought him with. Chris didn’t want a bleeding heart or someone that was going to try to talk him out of it. Gerald was perfect for what he needed.
The two men were moving into the back of the house. Chris could tell which key went into the door and just like that, they were in. There was a security panel on the side, but Chris could tell which numbers were pushed and something popped into his mind. The number worked, though he had no idea where it came from. It didn’t matter. Chris sometimes had those moments of revelation, and he was going to take it for what it was. At the moment, it was helping him do what he needed to do.
Gerald followed close behind him. Chris had a general idea of how the house was laid out, and he knew that he should be able to go forward down the hallway and find the man's room. It was the master bedroom after all. He was supposed to be alone.
When they got a little bit closer and reached the top of the stairs, Chris could tell that the man he was there for was not alone. He was actually in the middle of having sex with someone, and from the sound of it, the woman was nearing the end. It wasn't as genuine as it could be, but whatever worked.
For just a moment, Chris’ mind was sidetracked, and he thought about Fran. He thought about the fact that he would much rather be home with her. But this was the only way he knew how to end it, once and for all. This was how he kept them all safe. It wasn’t a choice.
Gerald moved up close to Chris. “Should we let him finish?”
Chris agreed. It would be easier when the woman was out of the room.
“Yeah, I guess that will be okay if they aren’t going to take very long.”
Though he was agreeable to the plan, neither one of them had very much patience. Gerald moved into the room, and Chris heard the woman scream before he followed in behind. He was starting to think that maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea that Gerald had come with. He seemed far angrier than he remembered. He was screaming at the naked woman that was frozen in fear.
“Stop.” Chris took Gerald’s hand and lowered the weapon
that he was holding. He didn’t want anyone else to get hurt. Just the man that they were there for.
“This is not going to be like this.”
Chris turned to the woman and told her to leave.
“Don’t say anything about what you have seen here. This man killed many people, and we don’t want you to be the next one. We’re going to call the cops, and you need to be as far away from here as possible.”
The woman may or may not have understood Chris, but she seemed to know enough to leave the room. She was covering herself with a pillow that was still clutched in her hand like it was a shield to keep her safe.
Chris waited until she was out of the room to talk to Juan. That was the man that had tried to kill Fran, and he wanted to rip his throat out. Now. He couldn’t get the thought off of his mind.
“What do you want? I have money. I can pay you whatever you want. Just let me go.”
“I can’t. You tried to kill the woman that I love. I hear that as long as you’re alive, she won’t be safe.”
“If she already has a mark on her back, they get paid once she is dead whether I live or not. If you want your woman to live, you will let me go, and I will call the hit off.”
Chris couldn’t tell if the guy was lying or not. He wasn’t sure, and even though Gerald was telling him just to kill him and get it over with, Chris had to be sure that Fran was safe. That was the promise that he had made, and it was one that he had every intention on keeping.
“Fine, I will let you go. If you call off your goons.”
“Who is it that I am calling them off of?”
Chris was a bit shocked. For a moment, he had to cool himself back down. This man was so hateful that he had so many women that were marked, he didn’t even know which one there was a gun to his head for. That just made Chris realize that no matter what, he wasn’t going to be able to let the guy walk away.