Whole-Hearted: A Malsum Pass Novel

by Kimberly Forrest

“Jacob!” His father said, one of his large hands coming up to grab Jacob’s nape. “Look at me, son.”

  Jacob complied, panting, and his father looked deep into his eyes. “We’re going to get her back. You, me, Tully, Alek and his team, we’ve got this. We’re going to New York and we will find her. She’s ours. She’s pack. And we will not let them keep her.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Connie awoke disoriented. This wasn’t her room. She blinked a few times. Actually, it looked like an examination room at a doctor’s office except she was in a hospital bed with rails instead of on an examination table. How had she gotten here? She tried to remember. She and Tanya had left the engagement party, she remembered that. She remembered Tanya leaving to go dancing with Vic. After that… her brow creased with a frown and she reached up to rub it with her fingers. After that she’d woken up to a call from the front desk and she’d gone down to retrieve the package.

  “Ah, you’re awake. Good.” A woman in a white coat who was probably a doctor – a doctor in desperate need of a color considering the good half inch of dark new growth showing in her short brassy blonde locks.

  “What happened?” Connie asked, her voice scratchy.

  “You were dosed with a rather strong tranquilizer, Miss Tully.”

  The words shook Connie. She couldn’t remember much. Had she been attacked? Had she been…? She couldn’t even bring herself to think the word. Her legs felt weird and heavy, yet she managed to clench her thighs together. She didn’t feel any soreness down there. That was good right? That probably meant she hadn’t been – yeah, still couldn’t even think the word.

  Her distress must have shown on her face when the doctor said, “Not to worry. You were brought here unmolested.”

  Relief flooded Connie but she still didn’t understand why her memory was so fuzzy. “Why can’t I remember what happened?”

  The doctor picked up a tablet and sat on a stool near the bed swiping through a few screens. “Some memory loss is one of the side effects of that particular cocktail you were injected with. You’ll be fine.”

  Connie was rather offended by the woman’s blasé attitude. She’d obviously been attacked and drugged, a big chunk of her memory now missing and this doctor was acting like it was no big deal.

  “I need you to answer some questions for me.” The woman said, and then without waiting for Connie’s acquiescence, began. “Let’s start with family history.”

  Connie answered all of the questions as truthfully as she was able as the doctor rapidly fired them off. No family history of cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and so on. No, she’d never had surgery, cosmetic or otherwise. No, she’d never been pregnant. Yes, she was on birth control.

  At this, the doctor sighed. “What form of birth control? The pill? IUD? Implant?”

  “I’m on the shot.”

  The doctor scowled and stabbed at the tablet with a finger. Without looking at Connie, she asked, “When was the last time you received the shot?”

  “About three weeks ago.”

  Abruptly the doctor stood with a pinched smile on her face that was so clearly forced, Connie didn’t know why the woman even bothered. “Someone will be in shortly, Miss Tully, to escort you to your room.”

  With that, the doctor turned to leave and Connie caught a glimpse of a black mark behind the woman’s ear that made her blood turn cold. She may not have gotten a good look at the symbol, but Connie was willing to bet it was the mark of the fur traders. Fear nearly froze her in place, but she fought through it. She needed to get out of here. Rising from the bed, despite a mild dizziness, she tried to pull her legs over the side to stand only to discover that what she had mistaken for heaviness, a side-effect of being drugged, was actually restraints. Pulling the blankets off her legs she saw cloth lined cuffs secured around both ankles and the bed. She was now a prisoner of the fur traders. Her worst nightmare had come true.

  When Connie woke once more, she was in a different room. At least this time, she remembered what happened. She’d fought the guards, orderlies, whatever the two men were, and they’d sedated her. Whatever satisfaction she thought she would have in getting in a good, solid punch to one of their jaws was completely diminished by the realization that she still had no idea where she was. At least if she had allowed them to escort her, she would have been able to get a look around, get an idea of the layout of the building. Instead, she had only seen two rooms, this one and the exam room, and had no idea of what was in between. Connie blew out a frustrated breath. Plus, her hand still hurt from that punch.

  She looked around. Gray painted cinder block walls, gray concrete floor, fluorescent lighting overhead, and a long, narrow rectangle of a window about four inches high and about two feet wide, that ran just under the ceiling on one wall. She could see some blades of grass through that high window, so she was obviously in a basement of some sort. There wasn’t even any furniture in the room, save the mattress on the floor where she was sitting, so nothing to climb on so that she could look out to get an idea of where she might be.

  Getting to her feet with a grunt, Connie went to check the small bathroom. A toilet, sink, and a tiny shower stall. Depressing. Not even a mirror. Someone had left her a stack of items on the closed lid of the toilet, so she went through it. A hairbrush, a wrapped bar of soap, toothbrush and toothpaste, no floss, but at least she could brush her teeth. There were two white towels, and two washcloths, all cheaply made and scratchy. A package of white cotton underwear, two white sports bras, two gray T-shirts, one gray sweatshirt, two pairs of gray sweatpants, and a package of white socks. No shoes.

  She looked through the items again and groaned. No she hadn’t missed anything. There was no shampoo, no conditioner, no face wash, body wash, or moisturizer, no razors to shave. Well, she knew where she was, she was in hell.

  With a loud sigh, she pulled the hospital gown off. She was glad the clothes they had given her were new, but since they hadn’t been washed, she was probably going to end up with a rash. She grimaced, pulling on a pair of underpants. As she yanked the sports bra over her head and flipped her hair out from underneath, she heard a ping. Swinging around, she looked behind her. A hairpin on the floor. Bending down she snatched it up with glee. Yes! They had taken her hair down, but hadn’t found all of the pins. Sending up a prayer, Connie grabbed the brush – a cheap plastic thing that would no doubt break after a hundred strokes – and pulled it through her hair. Two more hairpins! With excitement, she raced to the door and examined the lock. It was a standard model deadbolt you could buy at any hardware store, and one Connie had practiced on enough times, it would be a piece of cake to pick.

  Feeling giddy with relief, Connie started to bend one of the pins but hesitated. She gave a sniff. As she suspected, there was a guard out there. She sniffed again, deeper this time, opening her senses. Human, male, smoker, and judging by the strong scent coming off him, a heavy smoker. Good. Hopefully he took lots of cigarette breaks.

  She needed to be smart about this. Even if she did manage to pick the lock and rush the guard, she had no idea what awaited her out there. She had no idea how big this place was. For all she knew, it might be a labyrinth of hallways and rooms. And then what? If she should make it outside, what would she find? Was there a fence? Armed guards? Attack dogs?

  She would bide her time, at least a few days, and utilize her nose to garner as much information as she could. She glanced at the hairpins and smiled. She could do that, because right now, she had hope.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Graydon Brooks was enjoying a cigar with his father when Doctor Keller tapped on the door jam and entered the office. The woman was frowning, but that was nothing new. If Doctor Sourpuss ever smiled, Graydon had never seen it. She took the remaining empty seat in front of the desk and stared pointedly at their cigars like she expected them to put them out. Hell no! She had come into their domain, not the other way around. Taking a long draw off the fine Cuban, he blew out the smoke and smirked a
s it drifted into the woman’s face. Bitch.

  “I trust our newest resident has been settled into a room.” His father said, and Graydon perked up. New resident? He hadn’t been informed they’d found a new girl.

  Doctor Keller scowled. “Another one on the shot and this one just had it, so she’ll have to be held almost a full three months.”

  His father swore and stabbed out his cigar. The birth control shot was definitely a wrench in the works when you were trying to breed shifters. Birth control pills, diaphragms, and spermicides, well, those were easy, just leave them behind and nature takes its course. IUD’s, rings, and implants were a bit more complicated since the doctor needed to remove them, but otherwise, once they were out, that was it. The shot, well, that was a whole other ballgame. It didn’t wear off for three months and there was nothing they could do about that except wait.

  “Another one taking up a room instead of being shipped out with the rest.” His father growled low. This place was just supposed to be a layover. They sniffed out the shifter females, brought them here for Doctor Sourpuss to examine, and then, once they had a full load, shipped them off to the breeding facility. The process shouldn’t take more than a week, tops. Three months was a long time for them to sit on merchandise for which they hadn’t been paid, and hope that no one came sniffing around.

  “You can always ship her off with the Kitsune for the hunt next month.” The doctor suggested.

  Graydon’s father let out a sigh and drew a hand through his dark hair. “I may do that if she grows troublesome.” Then, turning his attention to his son. “Keep an eye on social media and the like. Let me know if you see any chatter on a Constance Tully. The police are too well paid to give them any help, but I’d be stupid to underestimate what a pack of wolves is capable of when one of theirs goes missing.”

  Gray’s stomach clenched with anger. Constance Tully? An image of blonde hair, dark blue eyes, and gorgeous skin filled his mind. He was going to kill Reed. He had specifically told the bear that she wasn’t up for grabs. He had wanted that one for himself.

  “Was there anything else, Doctor Keller?” His father asked. When the doctor replied in the negative, he waved her away with a flick of his hand.

  As soon as they were alone once again, Graydon let out a low growl. “Why is Constance Tully here? I told Reed not to report her to you.”

  His father glared and growled as well. “Yes, so Reed told me.” Standing, in a move to intimidate by forcing Graydon to look up, he snarled, “Look around you. How do you think we could afford this house?” He waved to indicate Graydon’s person. “The clothes you love so much, that watch, those shoes. Do you think they were just handed to us? We have not gotten where we are now by keeping the merchandise to ourselves, Gray. They are not your personal play things. We deliver the stock undamaged or we don’t get paid. Period. I don’t care if you’ve got a hard on for the bitch or not. She’s valuable property.”

  Graydon pushed out of his chair. “So I never get to choose a mate, then, because she’d be valuable property?”

  His father snorted. “Sell it to someone else, Gray. You don’t have a mate on your mind right now and we both know it. Do I really need to remind you what happened to the last three I let you have?”

  Gray crossed his arms over his chest, a sulky expression twisting his lips. “Those were accidents.”

  His father raised a brow. “Accidents? They looked like you used them as chew toys for Christ’s sake. The scars –“

  “I wouldn’t have done that with Connie, Dad. Have you seen her? Her hair, her skin, she looks like an angel. I would cherish her.” Graydon protested.

  His father let out another snort of derision sat in his chair and pulled out three files from his desk before throwing them down in front of Gray. “You’ll have to forgive me for not trusting in your good intentions, Gray. I get what you are. You can’t fool me.”

  Opening up the first file, Gray’s stomach clenched. Adrianne’s intake picture, lovely, dark hair, dark eyes. She had been a fighter. He had liked that about her. He stared at the next picture of Adrianne laying on her stomach, a large chunk of flesh torn from her neck and shoulder, deep scratches down her back, buttocks, and thighs, a pool of blood soaking the sheets beneath her. Yes, he could admit he’d been too rough, but he liked taking them when he was in fur and they were in skin. He didn’t bother to open the other two files knowing he’d see more of the same. Their deaths had been an unfortunate accident resulting from a loss of control, but he could be more careful with this new one.

  He glanced at his father, ready to plead his case once more, but the set look on the older male’s face had him holding his tongue. Graydon fisted a hand in frustration, his jaw clenched hard as he took a deep breath through his nose. Fine, he could be patient. After all, it looked like Constance Tully was going to be staying for a while. He could wait.

  “Where are we in the search?” Tarvahl asked as soon as he and Jacob entered the hotel room that would act as their base of operations for this hunt.

  Alek, who was leaning over a table examining some sketches, looked up and grimaced. Daisy as well as the two other members of Alek’s team, Dev and Sam, looked equally bleak and Jacob’s chest constricted until he could barely breathe.

  Alek sighed. “We’re not going to get any help from the local PD which doesn’t really surprise me. Fur traders have deep pockets and a lot of powerful allies.”

  “They did come and interview the night desk clerk, but I’m almost willing to bet the clerk is on fur trader payroll or was at least paid off to give the police a crock of shit story.” Alek snarled and Daisy immediately stepped up beside him to stroke his arm in a calming gesture.

  “Why is that? What story?” Tarvahl asked, all business while Jacob could barely contain all of the emotion that was bleeding through his body.

  Daisy was the one who answered as Alek visibly grit his teeth. “The night clerk said Connie came down to sign for a package that had been delivered and then while she was down in the lobby, ran into a man who Connie obviously knew. According to the night clerk they were, and I quote, all over each other. As soon as the police heard that, Connie’s disappearance was no longer suspect and therefore, not a priority.”

  Jacob couldn’t stay silent any longer. “That’s bullshit.”

  Daisy nodded. “I agree. Connie was scared that night. She had every intention of barricading herself in her room once she found out about the fur traders. Her friend Tanya also pointed out that, even if Connie was looking to hook up, there was no way she would leave her wallet and her cell behind.”

  “Plus the bare feet.” Sam said from the corner where he was standing like a menacing statue, beefy arms crossed over his chest. Samuel was an African lion. Massive, with a bald head, dark brown skin and nearly black eyes. His voice was a deep baritone that you could practically feel in your chest when he spoke. If ever they needed someone for interrogation and intimidation, Sam was the guy.

  “Bare feet?” Tarvahl asked, and Daisy nodded vigorously.

  “The hotel’s security camera was conveniently glitch-y that night,” Dev, an Alaskan wolf shifter, chimed in with a roll of his eyes. “But the footage we were able to see showed Connie exit the elevator, still in her evening wear but minus her shoes. She signed for the package and then the feed went to static for a good twenty minutes.”

  “Even if hooking up with someone wasn’t completely out of character, Connie would never run off with someone the way they’re implying without at least going back for her shoes. And if she already had to return to the room,” Daisy said with a shrug.

  “Then she would have grabbed her cell and her wallet.” Tarvahl finished.

  “We have that twenty minute window though.” Dev said as he turned his laptop to show camera footage of the street around the hotel. “So that narrows it down. I had just managed to hack into the feed when you got here. “Unless they’re stashing her somewhere in the hotel, which I doubt, we’ll ho
pefully get a plate on the vehicle they used to transport her.”

  Jacob closed his eyes, inhaled a ragged breath, and tried to leash the urge to find the desk clerk and force her to tell the truth. He’d never felt quite this level of violence, but this concerned Connie, and the thought of never seeing her again…

  He felt a tentative touch on his arm and he glanced down to see Daisy. “She’s strong, Jacob, and smart. If she hadn’t have sent those pictures, we may never have known what happened to her. We are going to find her.”

  We are going to find her. Those six little words, said with such conviction, and he so wanted to believe them. He closed his eyes. Was she afraid right now? Were they hurting her? Jacob clenched his teeth so hard he thought his jaw would snap. Stay alive, Connie. Survive. We’re coming for you.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Connie didn’t sleep that first night, instead, staying close to the door so that she could hear and smell any activity. She didn’t have a clock in her room, but she estimated the time by the little bit of sun that came through her window. As far as she could tell, the area outside her room was a hallway and listening to the guard’s footsteps, twenty-four paces each way. The hallway was watched by a single guard working roughly a four hour shift before a replacement came. They said little to each other at shift change other than “No problems”, and the hallway was never left unattended.

  She was just dozing off still sitting on the floor by the door, when there was a loud knock. Snapping to attention, Connie stood as the door was opened. “Move back.” A man dressed in black t-shirt, black cargo pants, and black combat boots came into her room with a breakfast tray while another man, similarly dressed, stood at the door. Neither appeared to have a weapon on their person.

  It had been the same procedure the night before when they had brought her dinner. Steak already cut into bite size pieces – probably a good thing, since all they provided for utensils was a plastic spoon – mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, and a buttered roll. They had put way too much pepper on the food and it had made her sneeze, but she’d been too hungry to not eat.