by Tl Reeve
“Shouldn’t we wait for Kalkin?” Nico stood. “You know...just in case?”
“I appreciate you being worried, but what if while we’re waiting, we miss something important?” Or worse, they miss everything. As it stood, they were already behind. If they were going to get any kind of information, they had to hurry.
“You’re right,” Nico answered.
As they exited Kalkin’s office, he called out to Loraine. “We’re going to the old trailer park, call Kalkin and let him know.”
Loraine gave him a knowing grinning. “On it.”
They stepped out into the mid-day sun. It felt good to get out of the office and do something important—his job. Caden never liked sitting on his ass, and, as much as he deserved what he got, it still hurt. It took him out of the field. It took his ability to interact with everyone in town.
“Whatever happens, I need you to stay out of the way when we get there,” he stated, unlocking the doors to his vehicle.
“Fine. Can do.” Nico closed the door behind him then buckled his seatbelt. “You and Miss Dani fixing things?”
It was hard to do anything in their town without everyone knowing everyone’s business. In his drunken stupor, he didn’t care if people gave him a wide birth or disgusted side-eyes. He hadn’t cared who’d been pissed off or talked the most shit about him. Now, he had to face it and most days he’d been embarrassed by his actions.
“We’re trying,” he answered. “It won’t be easy.”
Nico nodded. “You really fucked up.”
Caden chuckled. “That’s the understatement of the year, kid.” He hoped the small things he’d done in the last twelve hours would help begin to repair some of the damage. Sure, it didn’t even touch the damage he’d done to her spirit. He’d have to give more of himself than just a few bags of milk and a sack of groceries.
“So, the kid last night,” Nico stated. “Pretty shitty deal.”
Caden grunted. “Have you ever seen him before?”
“No. I heard things this morning about him.” The kid looked out the window. “Did they really do what’s been said?”
First, he didn’t like the idea Nico already knew about the situation with Crow. Second, he couldn’t lie. “Yes. It’s bad.”
Nico gave an audible swallow. “Sucks.”
Caden agreed. “So, what do you think of Charisma and I think her name is, Marie?” He’d seen their information on the incident report as to where the boy had gone after Danielle treated Crow.
“I only met Charisma. Oh, and her cute little sister Penelope.” Nico wiggled his brows. “Did you know their father is some swanky senator?”
No. He hadn’t even paid the girl’s name any mind. “You don’t say.”
“I do.” Nico laughed. “Anyway, they live near Royce and Mackenzie. Nice little house. All alone.” The kid frowned. “I don’t like they’re alone. I mean, Royce comes and goes if they need anything, but...”
“Would it make you feel better if I had Royce there more often?”
“Yeah,” Nico answered. “It would.”
“So, what else did you find out?” Caden hedged.
“Penelope and I go to the same high school, and Charisma is in college. Crow was napping still when I arrived. They said he slept through the night, no issues, but he woke up about three crying.” He gave Caden a curious look, like he’d been contemplating something, but not sure how to approach the subject. “Do you think...” He let out a sad sigh. “Are you sure that... More didn’t happen?”
More? He turned over what the boy said, and his gut twisted. The realization of Nico’s words sat in his stomach like lead weight. More meant sexually. Between the scars on his body and the fact they tried to remove his still developing testicles, he wouldn’t put it past them. It also shoved the memories he’d tried so long to repress to the surface. “I don’t even want to think such, however, I have no clue. In the state he arrived, Danielle would have only done a quick examination of Crow. She fixed his feet first before taking inventory of his other traumas. Those internal injuries... I’m sure she wouldn’t want to press the subject yet.”
“I hope not,” Nico said, the sadness in his tone bothered Caden. He figured it had been due to him feeling the same way. The little boy had been through so much in his short life. “Anyway, there’s the trailer park.”
Caden glanced over to where Nico pointed. “Let’s park over here and sneak up on it.” He pulled the car into a short alley across from the white picket fence mobile home park.
The place had seen better days. A well-used dirt walking path had been framed by knee-high grass. Broken televisions, rusted bikes, and furniture dotted the landscape while trash littered the ground. Next city council meeting he was going. The place needed to be condemned and torn down. A few of the mobile homes had people in them, and Caden couldn’t understand why. The county water company had turned their main line off, which meant they had no sewer either. The power company shut off their power, even went so far as to remove meters from the remaining houses. Those who were there had to buy their water and use lanterns.
The trailers themselves were worse. Most didn’t have doors. Others had broken windows covered by ply boards while jagged shards remained in others. Staircases leading up to the front doors of some, consisted of termite-infested rotted boards. Others had none at all. Caden remembered the day he arrived there and found Aiden. He’d been under a rotted piece of wood, in a small hole. Tiffany had been trying to bury her sins and had it not been for the soft cry of a wounded pup, Caden might have never found the boy. Just being there put him on edge.
“Whatever happens, I need you to stay close. I don’t need you trying to do anything stupid. Not right now.”
Nico inclined his chin. “I understand. I’ll stay out of the way, promise.”
Caden got out of the cruiser. He didn’t wait for Nico to follow. If Tiffany was still there, he had to hurry. If she and the Quincys were planning anything, he had to find out. He crouched down and eased onto the property as the murmur of a conversation grew more intense the closer he got to the small weather-beaten blue trailer.
“She going to pay,” Tiffany snarled. “No one takes my son and gets away with it.”
“What are you going to do about the Sheriff?” a male asked.
Tiffany laughed. “He’s too busy being his limp-dick brother’s keeper to find out. All we have to do is get her alone. I think if we throw them another mongrel, we might be able to snatch her.”
“Already tried that with the bastard you tried to kill,” another man said. “Who you gonna use this time?”
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head. I’ve got this all figured out,” Tiffany stated.
Why didn’t it surprise him to find out Tiffany had something to do with Crow? Maybe because Caden knew in detail what she had down to Emmitt, Aiden, and his siblings.
Bitch.
The gloves were coming off, and Caden didn’t care if he had to work outside of the scope of the law. This bitch needed to be put down like the rabid dog she was.
“What you should have done, was finish the job you started,” the first man said.
“Please. This shit is all part of my plan,” Tiffany snickered. “My spy is telling me they’re all in a tizzy about the mutt and it’s their main priority. It’ll divert their attention, allowing me to get to my whelp back from the twat who’s been raising him.”
Caden struggled to repress the growl he felt building, no way he’d give himself away. Tiffany needed to die and soon. He clenched his fists. The rage building over the last few weeks threatened to pull him under and unleash an unhinged wolf, exposing his position and Nico’s. Might not have been his smartest move to bring the kid, but he was wiry and would hopefully run like a bat out of hell if shit went down.
“You’re going to bring the fury of the Raferty pack onto our heads, girl,” Raymond Quincy grunted.
“They’re a bunch of pussies,” the first guy said.
“We need to be careful. I heard, the Alpha’s mate has some of sort ability, as does her sister. They’re keeping it hushed, of course. Only the family knows for sure.” Caden finally recognized the voice of the man. It had been Raymond’s beta, a former pack mate of Raferty and once Caden’s best friend, Everett Hartley.
“Don’t refer to that bastard as an Alpha. He ain’t fucking one.” Raymond’s tone had been filled with disgust and disdain. “Martin was weak, knew none of his men were strong enough to handle the pack when he passed. He knew I’d have claimed it and the land, which are rightfully mine, not the whelp, Kalkin. Instead he just handed it over to the fucking boy.”
Caden’s lip curled in a vicious snarl. Kal wasn’t handed anything. He worked beside Mr. Martin for years, learning the ins and outs of what it took to be a good, fair Alpha. Caden, as Kalkin’s beta, had also shadowed the older gentlemen so he could counsel his twin when his brother required it.
When Mr. Martin passed, Kalkin had to accept all contenders who wanted to be Alpha. The list had been long, and his twin fought for hours to be the last man standing. Caden and Jace protected Kalkin’s back as he fought for his rightful position within the pack.
Caden didn’t remember Raymond Quincy or anyone from his pack the day of the challenge. Course it could have also been because Kalkin ran the assholes out of town after what happened with Mackenzie.
“Those are rumors about the mates. My source states it’s bullshit to warn people from the pack,” Tiffany replied, her tone confident.
Caden smiled. If he were lucky, they’d be fucking stupid enough to drop the name of their mole. Then, he’d choke the shit out of the person with his bare hands.
No, you won’t. I will. Kalkin growled in his head.
Caden couldn’t help but smile a little. A pissed off Kalkin Raferty was a sight to be seen. Seems like he was about to open a can of whoop ass on the Quincy Pack.
Stop being a Billy Bad Ass and get here, Caden said.
Less than a minute out, his twin answered.
I’ll send Nico to my cruiser, he’ll lead you to me.
You fucking kidding me? Loraine said the snot-nosed kid was with you. I can’t believe you were stupid enough to take him with you, Kalkin snarled.
Kid can take care of himself.
Kid is the key word, asshole, Kalkin snapped.
“Go back to the cruiser. Kalkin is about to arrive,” Caden said to Nico who’d been enthralled by the conversation taking place.
“You think he can’t find you? He’s the Alpha,” Nico whispered back.
“Just go!” When the kid didn’t make a move, Caden grabbed his shoulders, turned him, and gave him a shove. “He’s freaking the hell out with you being here.”
The kid’s eyes grew wide with fear as he said, “I think I better go then.” Before scampering off toward the parked cruiser.
Nico hadn’t been gone a minute before Kalkin slid beside him, quiet as a fucking mouse. His brother had an eerie ability to move silently. Seems like Raymond Quincy is stroking his cock again. If the situation wasn’t so dire, Caden would have laughed at the choice of his brother’s words. We’re going to have a long conversation about you bringing Nico here.
And I’m not going to change my stance on why I brought him. Caden slid his gaze toward his brother.
Kalkin gave a silent snort before laying his massive mitt on Caden’s shoulder. I’m glad you got your shit together and sobered up. I’m really going to need your help for this new shit show. It’s going to be all hands on deck. However, you still need to make it right with your mate and mine.
Working on it. But can we focus on the task at hand?
“So, what’s your genius plan?” Everett asked.
Kal’s head whipped around so quick, Caden wondered if he’d be seeing stars for a couple hours. Disappointment clouded his brother’s scent. The same stabbing sensation he experienced when finally realizing who helped Raymond, tore at Kalkin. Caden should have killed the son of a bitch the one and only time the two had fought. Instead the old ties of friendship had made Caden hesitate, allowing Everett to escape. Everett Hartley was a trip down memory lane he didn’t want to deal with at this moment.
“She still makes several trips a week to see the old bitty, Mrs. Martin, for milk for the little brat she whelped. We can snag her then,” Tiffany replied.
“In town? Kind of ballsy, don’t ya think?” Raymond hedged.
“Yeah. But imagine how the big, bad Kalkin Raferty will feel knowing we snatched my kid right from under his nose. It’ll eat at his pride. We all know he has a temper. It’ll be his downfall because the dumbass will act without thinking.”
Caden turned, giving his brother a cocky grin. I requested Mrs. Martin start delivering Nic’s milk to the house.
Kal rolled his eyes.
“We should grab Caden’s bitch too. It’ll take both brothers out of the game,” Raymond stated.
“I’d suggest against it, Alpha,” Everett replied. “If the rumors are true, we don’t know what she is capable of. Some of those Psychics are powerful.”
“How do you purpose we kidnap the little whelp, if you suspect Caden’s whore might be dangerous?” Raymond demanded.
The wolf inside of him sat up, growling at the threat to his mate and children. About fucking time. Caden had been wondering where the cagey bastard was hiding.
Calm your roll, asshole, before you give us away. Kalkin placed his fingers to his lips. His eyes flashed yellow in warning.
Damn it. Kal was right. He needed to get control of himself and the wolf inside of him, before the wolf forced a shift, tearing those inside the trailer limb from limb.
“Call the PBH. Have them take both mates away for testing,” Tiffany said tartly.
Kalkin growled, low and deadly. Caden nudged his twin in warning.
Now who is the asshole? Caden didn’t miss the glint in his brother’s eye. Yet, he hadn’t been prepared for his twin’s massive hand to smack him upside the back of his head. Ouch, fucker, that hurt.
Was supposed to. Otherwise, what’s the point?
Everett snorted. “The PBH won’t fuck with Kalkin Raferty or Apache County ever again. Trust me on this. He made his point loud and clear with the new director. Plus, they’re under investigation. I doubt they’ll come close to this town ever again.”
“Dart the bitch,” the other male said. Caden had yet to recognize his voice. “It’ll knock her out cold and allow us to get Tiffany’s bastard.”
A chair inside the trailer creaked. Caden hope it was just someone shifting around on their seat and not getting up to move around or look out the windows. Doing so would give them away.
“You fuck this up, Tiffany, and I’ll slit your throat myself,” Quincy warned.
“I won’t,” she assured her Alpha.
“What’s your timeframe?” Everett asked.
“Two, three days max,” Tiffany answered.
“Good girl,” Raymond cooed, and the chair squeaked again. “Now that’s all figured out. What the fuck are we going to do the rest of the night?”
“I got an idea. Tiffany can suck us all off. She’s good at it,” the still unidentified man sneered.
“She can suck you off, while I take her ass,” Raymond declared.
Caden winced at the distinct sound of pants being unzipped. Please tell me we’re not staying for this shit? Caden begged his brother.
“You want her pussy, Everett?”
Tiffany moaned, clearly excited about her Alpha’s offer to his beta. “All work and no play...”
“I’m feeling generous tonight. We can do her at the same time.”
Caden saw a shadow by the window cross to the door. He couldn’t make out the figure, only his military short, dark hair.
Who is it?
Everett, Kalkin replied.
“How about a rain check? I’ve got shit to do. Need to make sure we got a working dart gun in good shape,” Everett answered.
The distinct sound of Tiffany sucking dick came from the trailer. Caden laid his hand across his stomach hoping he didn’t throw up.
Kalkin chuckled. Pussy.
“Those are tricky. If we fuck up the dose, we could kill her,” Everett warned.
“Like I give a fuck about some stupid bitch. Do it,” Raymond grunted, followed by the sounds of skin slapping against each other.
Tiffany’s muffled groans coupled with Raymond’s grunts and the other guy’s moans had him breaking out in a cold sweat of revulsion.
The battered, broken screen door flung open before Everett Hartley stepped out onto the broken down little porch. Caden stopped breathing, not wanting anything to draw Hartley’s attention to them. Kalkin had no such fear, almost like he wanted Everett to know they were there.
Everett drew a pack of smokes out of his back pocket, placing one in his mouth before searching for a match to light the cigarette dangling between his lips. This was a new habit. When they had been friends, Everett hadn’t smoked. Wouldn’t touch the shit, even with the knowledge shifters didn’t suffer human maladies. His friend hadn’t wanted to start a habit he later couldn’t break, since shifters could become addicted to drugs and alcohol.
Who gives a fuck? Kal snarled.
You seriously need to stay the fuck out of my head, Caden replied.
Kal snorted. Your shields are down, dumbass. You keep sending me every single fucking thought. You have for the last couple of days once I’m in range. You think I want to know you can’t wait to take your mate’s ass. Shit. Some things I don’t even need or want to know.
He hadn’t even been aware he had been doing it. He reinforced his mental guards, as both of them waited for the man smoking his cigarette to make a move.
Loud, rambunctious sex filtered through the barely covered windows. Fuck, it sounded like a porn movie going bad in there. Tiffany was wailing. Raymond grunted like a hog in season. Just the noise alone could make anyone celibate for the foreseeable future. And the smell. Fuck, he wanted to gag with the scent of the three of them fornicating. It’d be burnt inside of olfactory receptors till the day he died.