by Lynn Hagen
That had been a mistake. Bayne should’ve checked on them anyway. If he had, Bayne might’ve seen Jimmy’s sneak attack. He might have been able to intervene and save Cannon from being shoved into a trunk.
He blew past the bouncer and raced inside, looking for Maverick. The guy was in town to hunt Jimmy down, and now was a damn good time to put his skills to work.
Cecil was the first at Richie’s side. “Crap. Where’s the bathroom. We need to get you cleaned up. What happened?”
“Forget about me.” Richie looked around, and Maverick was there, staring down at him, his light gray eyes menacing. “We were heading to our Jeep when we were attacked. Jimmy shoved Cannon into his trunk and took off, but not before giving me this head wound.”
“Outside,” Maverick said.
Cecil took Richie’s arm and led him past the partyers and past Bayne, who looked downright pissed. With Bayne, there was no telling if he was mad because Richie had completely ignored him or that he hadn’t done his job and he was afraid Blake would fire him.
When they were on the sidewalk, Maverick stopped. “What kind of a car was it? Did you see what direction they went?”
Richie was starting to feel dizzy. “I…uh…it was blue, I think. Everything happened so fast. It was a dark color, for sure.” He closed his eyes and tried to remember details, but his lightheadedness was getting worse.
“I think he needs a doctor,” Cecil said. “He’s not looking so good.”
“I don’t care about me!” Richie swayed slightly. “I need to find my mate.”
Panic tightened his chest, and Richie felt like he couldn’t breathe. He had to get to Cannon. He had to find his mate and stop Jimmy from getting his revenge.
“You’re hyperventilating,” Cecil said. “Press your hands on your knees and take deep breaths.”
Richie heard Maverick on the phone, his deep timbre filling the night air, but he couldn’t make out the words. Not when he felt as though he’d tip over at any second.
“Where’s the town doctor?” Cecil asked.
Richie opened his mouth, but it was Bayne who answered, telling Cecil where the clinic was located. “He knows about nonhumans, so you don’t have to hide anything from Dr. Bjord.”
“Can you call him?” Cecil asked. “Let him know Richie was injured and he needs to get his butt over here?” He squeezed Richie’s arm. “I should just call Dr. Sheehan.”
Richie’s legs wobbled. Cecil helped him sit on the ground. “It’s going to be okay. I’ve been with Maverick for a while, and sometimes I thought for sure he was dead. I know it’s a messed-up feeling, but we’ll get Cannon back.”
Too bad Richie wasn’t as confident. He’d been with Cannon a little less than a week, and there was so much he needed to learn about his mate, so much they still needed to share and experience together.
Even after hunkering down, Maverick was still tall as fuck. His black hair flowed around his shoulders as he rested an arm on his knee.
“I just talked with Deputy Burrows. He’s on his way. He’s contacting Dr. Bjord. How do you feel?” There was a soft cadence to his voice that Richie had a feeling he didn’t use on too many people. Since Richie had met the guy, Maverick had gone out of his way to seem less intimidating to him.
“Lost.” Richie finally pulled his hand away from his head and saw that it was coated in blood. “I need Cannon back.”
A burning lump formed in his throat as tears threatened to fall. Braydon might’ve still held a grudge toward Cannon, but the detective had become so important to Richie.
“I’ll get him back,” Maverick vowed. “I want you to concentrate on getting better. The deputy is on his way. He’ll stay with you and Cecil at the clinic while my brother and I hunt Koehler down.”
Richie started to argue that he was going with Maverick, but Dr. Bjord approached. He had his assistant with him.
Richie watched as Maverick stood to his full height and cocked his head to the side, staring at Gavril. “No shit.” A smile formed. “A real-life angel?”
“It’s not something we announce on the streets.” Dr. Bjord stuck out his hand and introduced himself. Maverick shook it.
“You’re human.”
“The last time I checked,” Dr. Bjord said.
Maverick looked Gavril up and down. “I need to leave Richie and Cecil with you. I’m assuming you can keep them safe.”
“I’m not a goddamn babysitter,” Gavril snarled. “And if you want a favor, saying please goes a long way.”
The look on Maverick’s face was deadly. Richie suspected not too many people talked to him that way and lived to tell about it.
“He’s an angel?” The smile on Cecil’s face was devilish. “Oh, come on. Let me go with you. I have so many questions.”
Gavril rolled his eyes as Richie heard the sound of a motorcycle getting closer. A guy who looked like Maverick parked at the curb. He looked just as tall as Maverick, had the same eye coloring, but his features were less menacing.
“Blair and Oliver are going to flip that I met an angel.” Cecil turned to Maverick. “This is why you should’ve let them come.”
“This isn’t a vacation,” Maverick said in a gentle tone. “And behave yourself while I’m gone. No leaving the clinic. Got that?”
The two kissed, and Richie envied them. How comfortable the two were with each other, and that made Richie miss Cannon only more.
“Ready?” Dr. Bjord pulled Richie’s attention to him. “Don’t mind Gavril’s sunny disposition. We were kind of busy when the deputy called.”
Richie could just imagine how they were busy and felt bad for interrupting them. He looked up at Maverick. “Promise me you’ll find Cannon.”
Maverick gave a short nod before the street disappeared, and Richie found himself sitting in an exam room. He looked wide-eyed at the doctor. “Is Gavril really an angel?”
“On most days.” Dr. Bjord patted Richie’s hand. “Now let’s get that wound looked at.”
“I so gotta call Blair.” Cecil pulled his phone from his back pocket. “Hey, angel, how about a selfie with me so I have proof?”
Gavril rolled his eyes and looked at the doctor. “I’ll be in your office if you need me.”
“You’re no fun,” Cecil grumbled as he dialed his phone.
Richie just sat there as the doctor tended to his head, praying Cannon was found, alive and whole. His chest ached so badly that it hurt. In just a short period of time the cop had come to mean so much to Richie, and he couldn’t fathom the thought of losing his mate.
The exam room door burst open. Richie shouted, but the doctor and Cecil didn’t seem fazed, as if they dealt with sudden intruders all the time.
Braydon stood there, his red hair disheveled, his eyes wide. “Malik called Arturo, and we got here as fast as we could. I knew Boyd would be nothing but trouble for you, but I was right, wasn’t I? He’s your mate, and I’m stuck with him.”
Clearly Braydon didn’t know that Cannon had been kidnapped or he wouldn’t be talking so much smack. “The bad guy stole my mate and drove off with him.”
Braydon’s eyebrows shot to his hairline. “Malik didn’t tell us that.” His brother crossed the room and grabbed Richie’s hand, keeping clear of the doctor. “I’m sorry, Richie. I’m sure they’ll find him. I’ll stay with you until they do.” His brows furrowed. “Who’s looking for him?”
“My mate,” Cecil said from a chair in the corner. “And when Maverick goes on the hunt, the bad guys usually piss themselves.”
“Who’s that?” Braydon whispered.
“Cecil Walters,” Richie said. “He’s Maverick’s mate.”
Richie winced when the doctor rubbed something cold and wet over his scalp. “That stings.”
“Sorry, but I need to clean the wound. It doesn’t look deep. Most head wounds bleed like crazy, even if the injury is superficial. You don’t even need stitches.” He took a step back. “I’ll let you guys talk. My office is just down the
hall if you need me.” He turned back when he reached the door. “Don’t leave the clinic.”
“We won’t,” Richie said.
As soon as the doctor was gone, Cecil joined them at Richie’s bedside. “I’m gonna help you find your mate.”
Richie’s jaw dropped. “First, you heard Maverick and the doctor. We’re not allowed to leave the clinic. Second, we don’t even know where to look.”
Cecil waved his hand. “I always take Maverick’s demands under consideration. He knows me by now. I never listen. That’s what he loves about me.”
“But where do we start looking?” Richie wasn’t sure he wanted to disobey Maverick, but he was desperate to find Cannon.
“That’s the tricky part.” Cecil tapped his chin. “I don’t know your town. Where could this Jimmy guy go?”
“There’re too many places,” Richie said. “I wouldn’t even begin to know where to look.”
There were plenty of empty houses in Maple Grove, along with foreclosed farms and businesses. And what if Jimmy drove out of town? He voiced Cannon’s concern that other dirty cops were involved.
“See, this is why I insisted on joining my mate,” Cecil said. “Okay, so I whined and begged until he let me come, but that doesn’t matter. This is interesting and fun.” He looked at Richie. “Not the part about your mate being kidnapped.”
Richie wasn’t sure what to make of the guy. He was cute, but weird.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Braydon said. “We listen to the doctor. Doctors are never wrong.”
“You two have never colored outside the lines?” Cecil looked between them. “You just let others decide your fate?”
“Braydon colored outside the lines when he stole the hard drive that kick-started all of this,” Richie said.
Braydon slapped his arm. “Nobody told you to blab all my business.”
“You still haven’t told us how we’re going to find Cannon.” Richie’s chest ached. He missed his mate and wanted him back. He also wanted to beat the snot out of Jimmy for taking him in the first place and for knocking him over the head.
“I got a friend who can help.” Cecil dialed someone’s phone number and put the call on speaker. “Hey, Carter,” he said when the guy answered. “I need you to get your butt to Maple Grove.”
“No can do,” Carter said. “Maverick told me before you guys left not to take your phone calls.”
“But you answered the phone,” Cecil pointed out.
“Uh…well…I’m not shimmering there. Maverick isn’t wringing my neck, and my mate will be pissed if I go. Law already warned me to keep my butt put.”
“Since when do you listen to any of them?” Cecil argued.
Richie was getting the impression that Cecil was a straight-up troublemaker. As badly as Richie wanted to find Cannon, he wasn’t going to be foolish enough to run out of the clinic with no destination in mind.
They had to at least know where they were going.
“I know that look,” Braydon snarled. “Don’t even think about it.”
“What if it was Arturo who was taken?” Richie asked. “Tell me you’d sit on your butt and do nothing.”
“That’s different.”
“How?” Richie asked.
Braydon shrugged. “It just is. We’re not going anywhere, especially with that guy.” He jerked his head toward Cecil.
“I can hear you both,” Cecil said. “One argument at a time.”
“You know I love having fun with you, Cecil. But I’m not coming. You’ll have to do this on your own.”
“Fine, I’ll remember this.” Cecil hung up. “One threat from his mate and Carter turns into a pussy.” He turned to Richie. Oh, he didn’t like that look. It was a look that said Cecil wasn’t going to be stopped.
“Your head is fixed,” Cecil said. “Let’s go. We can sneak out and figure things out from there. You gotta a car?”
“It’s broken down on a backroad,” Richie said. “Why?”
“You remember what car your mate was taken in?”
“Not really.” And Richie had been trying to remember. He wanted to help the others, but everything was a blur. Jimmy had moved too fast. “Wait, he wasn’t alone. I remember seeing Jimmy right in front of me when I was struck.”
“That’s no help,” Cecil said. “We need something concrete to go on. I just wish Carter didn’t wimp out. I could really use my friends right now.”
Richie slid off the bed and stood there, waiting to see if he was dizzy. Aside from a headache, he felt okay. At least he didn’t sway, but he was a tad nauseous.
Gavril walked into the room. He glared at Richie. “Didn’t my mate tell you to stay put?”
“Dude, you got some freaking powers,” Cecil said. “Can I take you home when this is over? Do you know how much shit I can get into with an angel next to me?”
“Do I look like a fucking pet?” Gavril crossed his arms.
Richie was still reeling from the fact that the guy was an angel. Mind blown.
“Did he just say angel?” Braydon looked between Richie and Gavril. “Like a real-life angel? I’m still tripping about demons and vampires existing.”
Richie clutched the bed. He hadn’t known that. For now he would shelve that revelation and freak out about it later. “Can you help us?” he asked Gavril.
“What’s in it for me?” Gavril eyed each of them. “I’m not sticking my neck out for anything not worth my while.”
Cecil shrugged. “What do you want?”
Gavril looked as though he was honestly thinking about it. “I really don’t need anything.”
That was no help. Richie wanted to smack the guy for getting his hopes up. Could he go to Hell for smacking an angel?
“Dude, cut us a break,” Cecil whined. “Just help us out of the goodness of your heart.”
Gavril snorted. “You obviously don’t know me. I don’t do shit out of the goodness of my heart.”
“Fine,” Cecil said. “We’ll owe you. All we want you to do is point us in the right direction and don’t rat us out.”
Gavril slapped his hand against Cecil’s forehead. Cecil stiffened, his eyes went wide, and he gasped. Then he scowled and slapped the angel’s hand away.
“Don’t ever do that again. I feel violated.”
“What?” Richie asked as Gavril walked out.
“He showed me where your mate is.” Cecil rattled off the address. “Do you know where that is?”
“No.” Braydon crossed his arms. “You two aren’t going anywhere. We’re talking about a dirty cop who has friends with him. We don’t stand a chance.”
Cecil chuckled. “You do if I’m with you.”
Richie had a feeling he was going to regret this, but he couldn’t let Cannon down. There was no telling what Jimmy and his dirty cop buddies were doing to Cannon for ratting Jimmy out. Richie’s stomach curdled at the thought of his mate being hurt.
He actually felt as if he’d throw up.
“Why don’t you just call your mate?” Braydon asked Cecil. “Tell him the address and let him handle this.”
“We’re going.” Richie headed for the door. “We’ll call on our way there. Right now we need to go get Braydon’s car.” He looked at Braydon. “Where is Arturo?”
“Outside,” Braydon said.
Richie and Arturo had been friends for years. If there was anyone who would help him, it was the bouncer. That would save them time, too. Arturo could take them where Cannon was being held. It would also be useful to have a shifter on their side.
“Come on, guys.” Richie opened the door, and they snuck down the hallway, heading for the exit.
Chapter Ten
“You thought I was gonna kill you right away?” Jimmy slammed his fist into Cannon’s stomach. “No, I’m gonna make you suffer before I put a bullet in your head.”
Cannon was tied to a chair in some kitchen. He wasn’t even sure where he was. His body ached from the blows Jimmy was dealing, but he could han
dle the pain. It was better than the dirty cop killing him right away. There were two more guys with him that Cannon didn’t recognize.
One guy had brown eyes, wore a jean jacket, and was slim. The other was a bit stockier, had blond hair and eyes so dark they almost seemed black.
All three were armed and even if Cannon shifted, he couldn’t kill them all at the same time. One of them could get a shot off, and a bullet to the head was something Cannon couldn’t recover from. The strangers looked bored, as though they wished Jimmy would get this over so they could leave.
There had been an incident two years ago when Cannon could’ve killed James Koehler. They’d run into each other on the street one Saturday afternoon. Jimmy had never cared for Cannon, and vice versa.
Cannon never knew why Jimmy hadn’t liked him, but he hated Jimmy because, for one, the guy was a crooked cop, betraying his badge and everything law enforcement stood for. Two, the guy was an arrogant prick who looked down on everyone.
Jimmy had barely respected Davila. He envied the guy and wanted Davila’s power and wealth, feeling as if he were entitled to it. Cannon never understood people like that.
Cannon hung his head, breathing through the pain. He was on his own and had to figure a way out of this. No one would know where he was, so he would have to rescue himself.
“Go to hell, Jimmy.” Cannon lifted his head and glared at the guy. “You betrayed your badge. You identified undercover cops, always kept Davila one step ahead of being arrested, had business owners paying you to keep Davila’s goons out of their shops, raped women, changed police reports if the offender paid you enough. Fuck, I could go on and on.”
“Your point?” Jimmy leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. It was like staring at the devil himself. “Tell me you’ve never committed a crime while wearing that badge.” He hunkered down in front of Cannon. “Pay me enough and I won’t torture you before I kill you.”
The guy was fucking with him and god, Cannon wanted to rip Jimmy’s heart out.
The other two with Jimmy were standing by the back door, talking softly to one another. Cannon had superior hearing, and what they were discussing chilled him.