by Vella Day
Kalan chuckled. “We can do it. We are the police after all.”
“I know, but given the nature of the possible crime and who might be involved, I thought we should keep it in house, so to speak.”
Anything that could potentially be associated with the Changelings needed to be kept away from all human interaction. “Smart thinking.”
Kalan’s phone buzzed. He lifted it from his chest pocket and checked the screen. It was a message from Elana. He smiled. “Elana just took Ian home from the hospital. His fever is down, and he is cranky but good.”
“That is great news,” Dalton said as he patted Kalan on the back.
Most of his guilt for having Elana deal with Ian on her own lessened. His mate was an amazingly strong woman, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to pull his own weight too. It was just that there was so much going on with his job, it always seemed to pull him away from his family.
They trudged back to Kalan’s Jeep. “Once you get the make of the tires, let us know,” Kalan said. “I would send in a few crime techs, but it doesn’t look as if anyone was in Sean’s cabin.”
Kip nodded. “If I had to hazard a guess, Sean heard some people approach and went outside to confront them. They either overpowered him or shot him with a tranquilizer dart. There wouldn’t be any fingerprints to dust in that case.”
“I agree.”
They climbed back into Kalan’s Jeep. “If it is the Changelings, do we have any idea where they might be keeping Sean?” Kalan asked both men.
Chapter Five
‡
Sean Treacher opened his eyes, his vision blurry. He blinked to clear them, but it didn’t help much. His head pounded, and it felt as if he’d swallowed a gallon of acid. When he tried to lift his hands to press his palms to his face, he found each arm was tied to the opposite wall with a cuff around his wrists.
“What the hell?” He searched his memory for how this had happened, but he honestly didn’t remember anything—yet—but Sean would not give up. He would get out of this mess one way or the other. After all, he wasn’t without his magic.
First, he needed to assess his situation. Light kind of filtered in through newspaper-covered windows positioned close to the ceiling. From their location, he’d say he was in some kind of basement. He clenched his fists. His knuckles were not bruised, implying he probably hadn’t been in a fight. While not a shifter, if his kidnappers had been human, Sean would have won. He was that strong. From the way his head hurt though, someone must have drugged him.
He did recall a car engine nearing his cabin, and then snow crunching. His memory latched onto that image. That’s right! When he went outside to check it out, a large gray truck was parked in his drive. As he neared the parked vehicle, two men sprang out from the woods. The next thing he remembered was a sting in his neck. Then he woke up in this filthy dungeon.
Inhaling to clear his head, Sean focused on his powers, but nothing happened. This wasn’t right. He tugged hard on his wrist chains, hoping to rip the ends out of the wall, but they didn’t budge. By putting him in this position, it was as if his captors knew that his powers came from his hands.
Who were these people? He’d basically avoided society for this very reason. Oh, shit. These better not be Changelings—those evil monsters he’d been more or less hiding from all these years.
Dizziness assaulted him once more, but he wouldn’t give up. Even without his magic, he could figure out a way to escape. He was a large man with muscles honed from living off the land for the last two years. That had to help in some way.
He jerked on the chains again, hoping the cement wall would cave. Still nothing. Crap. He tried again and again until his wrists bled.
Think.
While Sean could teleport objects—and even people—who were in his line of sight to someplace out of the room, he couldn’t just picture a blowtorch and have it appear next to him. Even if he could, without the ability to use his hands, what good would it do?
Before he could figure out his next move, footsteps sounded, and then the door to his prison opened. “I see you are awake.”
The voice wasn’t familiar. He would have remembered if it had been the men who’d taken him. Even after they’d drugged him, he’d remained conscious for a half a minute. “Where am I?” Sean asked.
“Someplace safe.” The man stood close to six feet, but the mask over his face prevented Sean from identifying him—assuming he’d met him before.
The secrecy implied this man wanted him alive. But why? No one would miss him if he died—except maybe Kip Landry. A bit of energy and hope surged through him that his death wasn’t imminent, but he wanted to let this monster think he’d won.
Sean closed his eyes, pretending to be too drugged to focus and said his fire chant. His captor would freak if Sean conjured flames to shoot at the man’s leg. For sure, his captor would run screaming. Sean wanted the men who took him to realize that Sean Treacher was a man to be reckoned with. Though if this man died, so might Sean. He’d need food and water at some point.
Sean sagged against the wall. To complete the fire ritual, he needed to rub his hands together and then point at the area where he wanted the flames to start. At the moment, his hands were out of commission. When the fire chant alone failed, Sean looked up at the man. “What did you do to me?”
“Besides drug you?”
Smartass. “Yes.”
“I used a little black magic spell to take away your powers.”
Sean nearly crumbled.
*
“Hey, Detective?” One of the lab techs strode toward him with a tablet in his hand.
Kalan looked up. “What do you have?”
“I searched through the footage from the pawnshop to see who showed any interest in the case that contained the jewelry from a few days before the break-in to the day of the murder.”
“Great.” That sounded promising. “And?”
“One man came in the day before and appeared rather nervous.” The tech turned around his tablet. “Check out the way his eyes are darting around and how he is shuffling back and forth from one foot to the other.”
“Looks like a possible suspect. The face seems clear enough for a search. Did facial rec turn up anything?” Kalan asked.
“No, but he is the same size and height as the masked man who was in the antique store.”
“That is good news. Send me a copy of this guy’s photo. I’ll ask around to see what we can come up with.”
“Can do.”
As soon as the tech left, Kalan looked around for Wes, but he wasn’t in the main room. Kalan thought Wes would want to follow up on this new lead. “Have you seen Wes?” he asked Dalton whose desk was close to his.
“I think he was going to see if there was any camera coverage across the street from both the pawnshop and the antique store.”
He liked Wes’ initiative. “Good. Heard anything on how Charles Harbough is doing?”
“No. The hospital promised that they would call if he passes away. Are you thinking he’ll know anything though? He said the shooter wore a mask.”
“He did, but I’m hoping Charles remembers something about the guy, like a limp or whether he acted overly nervous. That might give us a clue to the man’s identity.”
“If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
Kalan snapped a finger. “Elana thought of something the man might have been looking for.” Kalan nodded for Dalton to scoot over.
“What was it?”
Since no humans were around, Kalan quietly mentioned the first theft at the apartment above Blooms of Hope.
“That was years ago. Rye took Elana’s parents’ present and put it somewhere safe, right?” Dalton asked.
“Yes, but do you remember when my friends Greer and Blake were here?” Dalton was aware of Tarradon.
“Finn’s friends from the beyond? Yes.”
No need to be discussing Tarradon here. “Because I helped them a bit with the
ir werewolf situation, they gave me something to give to Elana as a reminder of what happened.”
“I saw the present. It looked like a dragon sculpture with several gems on it.”
“Yes. Greer said that I should give it to Elana, but of course I didn’t since the base was made from sardonyx. Rye now has that too.”
Dalton nodded. “It looked really valuable.”
“I thought that too, but what we consider valuable doesn’t always line up with what those on Tarradon consider valuable. But yes. The gift would sell for a lot here.”
“That implies someone either saw it on your desk or overheard your two friends telling you to give it to Elana. In a way, that’s a good thing.”
“How so?” Kalan asked.
“It narrows it down. The thief would have had to have been in the station to see it.”
“Elana mentioned the same thing, but there are a lot of people in and out on any given day. Some are being held for questioning, while others might be here to speak to their loved ones in the holding cells.”
Dalton huffed. “Or just to report a crime, but you have a point. Where does that leave us?”
“Nowhere, I’m afraid.”
“Or does it?” Dalton asked, looking excited. “Think about it. If you combine all four pending cases, it’s possible our rabid friends broke into Elana’s shop for their sought-after gem. Failing to find any, they went to the pawnshop and then to the antique store. If they found a little bit here and a little bit there, they could use it to steal a Wendayan’s power,” Dalton said looking quite smug. “As in Sean’s powers.”
Kalan leaned back in his chair. “Your theory is well constructed, but we have absolutely no proof of any of it. So far, no one at the pawnshop knows what was stolen, and you said the owner of the antique store isn’t sure either.”
“Right. The books didn’t look well kept, but I’m sticking to my theory for now. I wouldn’t have connected any of the dots if Kip’s friend wasn’t so powerful.”
The memory of Kip’s brother’s capture surfaced. He was a powerful Wendayan, and the Changelings had stolen his powers using sardonyx. “You have a point. We should totally keep that in mind. Right now, I’m not sure what more we can do,” Kalan said.
Dalton half smiled. “Other than hope they won’t need to strike again?”
“Yes, but if they have finished their robbery spree, it would imply they had enough sardonyx to take Sean’s powers. We need to find him before they destroy him.”
“How about I ask Ronan to see what he can learn?”
Ronan Laramie had a very unique talent of being able to follow a person’s scent. Kalan wasn’t certain how it worked exactly, but according to Ronan, each person gave off a unique combination of colors—almost like an aura. If Ronan saw these colors, he could track them and possibly find this person.
“Sean’s been gone a few days. I doubt any color signature will be around the cabin. Are you planning to give Ronan a piece of Sean’s clothing or something to track? I don’t think he’s like a bloodhound or anything,” Kalan said.
“I’ll ask him what he wants. We’ll have to move fast though.”
“I agree. Give him a call.”
Wes came into the station and strode over to him and Dalton. “Neither of the stores across from the pawnshop or the antique store have cameras pointing across the street.”
“That doesn’t surprise me, but we had to ask. I do have a possible suspect for you to check out. As soon as the tech department sends me the image, I’ll forward it to you.”
“I’ll get right on it.” Wes headed back to his desk.
Kalan returned his attention to his conversation with Dalton. “If our friends to the north are acting up, I want Elana to be able to protect herself. I have tomorrow off, and I plan to take her to the shooting range.” He’d promised himself he wouldn’t let work interfere any more with family time. Dalton and some of the men from McKinnon and Associates could help search for Sean.
Dalton’s brows rose. “She’s okay with that?”
“Not yet, but I plan to convince her. What if she had walked into the showroom and the thief was still there robbing her?”
“Are you expecting her to carry a gun?” Dalton sounded quite skeptical.
“I’m hoping she will. If nothing else, she might suggest that she take a self-defense class instead. Elana has been resistant up to this point to learn how to defend herself, but after the recent theft, she might change her mind.”
Dalton smiled. “Win Elana over, and I might be able to convince Anna to start going to the range again, though I know she’ll say if she is shot, she’ll shift and heal herself.”
They didn’t need to be discussing this at the station. “That only works if she’s not gunned down in a public place.”
Dalton sobered. “You have a point. I truly wish you luck.”
“Thanks.” Tonight, he planned to at least play with Aiden, and maybe Ian, if his son was feeling better. Tomorrow, the one-day a week they both had off, his parents would watch Ian for a few hours during the time Aiden was at school so Elana and Kalan could have some alone time together. It was his most precious day of the week.
*
“I have an idea for an adventure today,” Kalan said as soon as Elana walked into the kitchen the next morning.
Her amazing mate was even making her breakfast, something she usually was in charge of. “If the adventure is half as unexpected as this breakfast treat, I’m game,” Elana said.
She had slept well last night, most likely because Ian had completely recovered. Shifters were amazing beings—even little ones.
“If you’re wondering where the kids are,” Kalan said as he stirred the eggs, “I got them up early and took them over to my folks.”
Kalan never did this. She was the one to drop Aiden off at school and then take Ian to the Murdoch’s house. How wonderful that Kalan had done that already. Elana moved closer and ran her hands down his arms. “I know our lovemaking last night was good, but you’re acting different. What’s up?”
He removed the scrambled eggs from the hot burner and placed them on a cool one. “Work has been intense, what with one murder, one attempted murder, the break-in at your store, and a kidnapping. I wanted to enjoy my mate and forget about everything for one day. What do you say?” Kalan pulled her into his arms.
She melted against his body. “That is so sweet.” His list of events finally registered. “Who was kidnapped?”
He jerked. “I hadn’t meant to mention that.”
“Why not?”
“It’s an open case.”
She shook her head. “As are the other ones. No, it’s more than that. You’re not telling me something, because you think I’ll be upset.”
“Possibly. Okay, fine. How about we eat this masterpiece of mine and then I’ll tell you what I can?”
Elana could live with that. “I’ll butter the toast and pour the coffee.”
It was like old times again, except that now some strange vibes were coming off of Kalan. Even though the news from work probably wasn’t good, she wanted to enjoy their time together for as long as she could. It wouldn’t be the first time his boss asked him to come in on his day off. Crime didn’t stop because their officers wanted to enjoy life.
Once they placed the food on the table, they both sat down. “Tell me what’s wrong,” she said.
“One of Kip’s friends is missing.”
“Oh, no. Who?”
He told her about the man who used to work with Kip in the law office. “Sean Treacher more or less left society because of his powers. Kip fears the Changelings have taken him like they did his brother, Randy.”
“Is he as powerful as Izzy?”
“I really couldn’t say. Kip wasn’t specific.”
“What are you doing to find him?” Even though he had his hands full with the other cases, Kalan would never abandon a friend.
Kalan explained about the search of Sean’s cabi
n. “The only thing we found were some tire tracks and drag marks. We did scope out the woods but came up empty-handed. Dalton suggested we ask for Ronan’s help.”
Ronan was Kalan’s sister’s mate who had an amazing ability to track a person. “That’s smart. He is very talented.” Yet she sensed there was more to the story. “I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop.”
“Dalton has a theory. Mind you, my partner has no proof to back it up, but it makes sense.”
“Tell me.”
He explained about how the present Greer and Blake brought from Tarradon might be the key just as she’d suggested. “If Changelings are involved—and we don’t know for sure that they are—then the pieces fit.” He leaned over and stroked her face. “That brings me to what I’d like to do today.”
She hadn’t seen that coming. “What?”
“It would make me feel a lot better if you would go to the gun range and learn something about firearms.”
Elana inhaled. She had been hesitant to even take it up as a sport for fear Aiden would overhear them talking about it and want to play with a gun. “Because of what happened in the shop?”
“In part, yes. Do I think you are in imminent danger? No, but I am in a profession where criminals might try to come after my family.”
“That’s a low blow.”
He shrugged. “Just saying it’s possible you could be out with the kids and someone tries to do you harm—or them.”
“Are you expecting me to carry a weapon in my purse or something?” Elana had her boundaries.
“Yes, but don’t worry. While I teach you, I plan to snuggle up behind you.” He winked. “What do you say?”
She could never deny Kalan when he tossed her his sexy look. “Okay, but I’ll be lucky to hit the target.”
His eyes widened. “With the great sharpshooting Kalan Murdoch teaching you?”
Elana smiled and shook her head. “I’m just saying.”
“Let’s finish eating, and then we can go. Afterward, I might show you another weapon I have and how good I am at shooting with it.”
She laughed. “I can’t wait.”