by Meg Ripley
She let out a long breath before draining her glass and setting it on the coffee table with finality. “You might be right. Let’s go talk to him.” Delilah rose and headed for the door.
Whiteside’s room was right next to hers. She knocked and then knocked again when there was no answer. Vance reached around her to knock himself, harder this time, and then he pressed his ear to the door. He hoped to hear the shower running or the TV blaring, but only silence issued from the room.
“Shit,” he murmured, feeling defeated before they’d even started. “Did he give you a key to the room?”
“I’ll get it.” She jogged back to her room and returned with the card.
Vance slipped it in the lock, impatient for even the split-second it took for the light on the electronic pad to turn green, and shoved the door open. He charged into the room, still desperately hoping they’d find that the old man was just asleep on the couch after having a few drinks himself. “Stay right with me,” he growled.
It didn’t take long to search the hotel room, and he definitely wasn’t there.
“Maybe he went downstairs. I can give him a call.” Delilah pulled her cell out of her pocket.
Vance didn’t think so, but the vibrating phone on the coffee table really only proved that wherever he went, he’d forgotten it. He scanned the room, using every sense he had available. Vance scrutinized every aspect of the space with both human instincts and animal, both of which had been honed and trained by his time in the Army as one of the quiet professionals and on the Force.
“The sliding door is unlocked,” he said, noticing that even though the door was firmly shut, the latch wasn’t in the correct position. He advanced across the room toward it, his eye catching on a dark scuff against the white wall. Vance brushed the curtains back to reveal a deep mark in the drywall. It was narrower at one end but not sharp, and it’d gone deep into the sheetrock before pulling out and gouging a scratch across the door trim. “Whiteside is a bear, isn’t he?”
She was at his shoulder, her eyes focused on the same part of the wall. It told a story that was impossible to deny. “Yes,” she whispered hoarsely as she reached out a shaking finger to touch the mark.
8
Delilah felt panic constrict her chest as she focused intently on the small amount of damage Whiteside had been able to cause before being dragged forcibly from his hotel room. In her mind’s eye, she could almost see him, shifting partially out of fear and anger, yet still overpowered by his captors. Had they hurt him? Drugged him? Harris Whiteside wouldn’t have gone willingly, that she knew, and she couldn’t understand how this had happened without her and Vance at least hearing a scuffle.
“Come on.” Vance’s voice jerked her from her horrified thoughts and got time moving again. Unfortunately, it was ticking by too quickly. He took her by the hand and pulled her out of the room, shutting the door behind them as a precaution as he walked down the hall.
Her mouth refused to move, but inside, she was screaming. Why weren’t they running? Why was he just casually walking down the hall with his fingers wrapped her hand, looking no more in a hurry than if he needed to get home to do chores? She watched as his hand lifted slowly, so slowly, to rattle out a specific knock on the next door. Jack swung it open, and Vance pulled her inside along with him.
“The president has been taken,” he informed the other men. “Jack, get online with Hudson to tap into any area security cameras that might help us locate him.”
Max cursed under his breath and ran a hand through his dark hair. “At least we won’t have to waste any time wondering who the hell it was.”
“Right. We should check their meetinghouse, although I have a feeling they wouldn’t be so obvious about it. Delilah, you contact the rest of the conclave and let them know what’s happened.”
Numbly, she tipped her head back to meet his gaze. She was having a hard time focusing on him. Whatever was happening around her had to part of some strange dream. “What?”
Vance gripped her by the shoulders, his fingers holding her firmly enough to make her pay attention. “Snap out of it, Delilah! Until we know what’s happened to President Whiteside, you’re in charge of the Dallas conclave. We don’t know what the future may hold. Call your council and inform them right now. We’ll take care of the rest of it.”
She rolled her shoulders, trying to center herself within her own body again. It’d been enough of a shock to hear that the man she revered and respected was gone, but the implication that something truly terrible could’ve happened to him made her cold and stiff inside. But Vance was right. Until Whiteside was recovered, she had to step up. For all intents and purposes, she was the one running the show. Her phone was still in her hand from when she’d tried to call him a few minutes ago, and she used it now to dial the office.
By the time she’d given them the run-down on what was happening, the Force had already dove head-first into action. Someone had pulled a large case out from under the bed and opened it to reveal a portable arsenal. Jack had several laptops arranged on the desk in front of him, his long fingers flying over the keyboards. Vance hung up his cell and turned to her, peering into her eyes to gauge how she was doing before he continued giving orders. “It’s going to take Jack some time to go through all the footage that’s about to start coming through. You stay here with him. Max and I will head to Kelso’s meetinghouse, since that’s the most likely place they took him.”
Delilah snagged his arm as he tried to move past her. “I’m not staying here.”
He glanced at his men, who were trying hard not to pay attention. “Delilah, you’re obviously shaken up by what’s happened. I understand, and it’s okay. I don’t feel comfortable just leaving you alone, though. If Kelso took Whiteside, then he won’t hesitate to come for you, too.” He lifted his hand and laid it along her jawline, his worry evident in the softness of his emerald eyes.
She allowed herself to lean in ever so slightly against his touch. Vance had been her adversary at the same time that he’d been her lover, someone to overcome. She’d had a difficult time getting past the idea of becoming partners with him in any way because it went so steadily against her feline nature, but she was beginning to see him differently. He was steady as a stone in the middle of a stream, a rock for her to lean on when things got tough. Right now, he was also a boulder to leap off of. “Vance, let me go with you.”
He straightened, his hand slipping to her shoulder. “It’s dangerous, and you’re not trained for this sort of thing.”
“Trained or not, I’ve got the same beast inside me as you do. You know what that means.” She willed him to understand because she was determined to go, regardless of what he thought. As a cougar, Delilah was also a huntress and a killer. She might not have the military background Vance did, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t stand up to these assholes.
Vance still hesitated.
Max let out a gentle cough. “If she goes with you, I can grab the chopper and get eyes in the air in less than half an hour. They couldn’t have taken him long ago, and there’s a possibility they’re still on the move.”
Vance couldn’t deny the logic in that. “All right. Delilah, you’ll be with me. Jack, Max, you two keep us updated on anything you might find. We’ll head straight for their compound, but I want to be able to change direction as quickly as possible if need be.” He gestured toward the suitcase full of arms in the middle of the floor. “What’s your poison?”
There was quite the assortment, and Delilah didn’t even recognize some of the weapons. No doubt, the SOS Force had commissioned them as custom pieces with the help of Flint Myers. She reached for a 9mm, having used one at the range before, and tucked it under her blazer. “What about you?” she asked as Vance turned to the door.
“What about me?”
“Aren’t you going to take anything with you?” She knew Vance could handle himself in many respects even in human form, but it seemed crazy to go into this situation unarmed.<
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He grinned that relaxed smile that was his signature look, even when everything was going to hell in a hand basket. “Trust me, Delilah. I’ve got weapons on me like fleas on a dog.” He moved closer as he opened the room door. “Care to find them?”
Despite the situation, she blushed hotly at the thought of moving her arms around his waist and skimming her palms over his muscles to find what he might have tucked away for her. She flicked her head away from him and refocused on the task at hand. “I’ll have to take a rain check.”
Vance chuckled.
They took the stairs and a short bridge to the parking garage before jumping in the rental car. Vance swept down the ramp and outside, zooming through town as fast as the engine and traffic would allow and glanced in her direction. “We’ll find him, Delilah.”
“I know.” She hoped he was right—more so, that they would find him safe and sound. “I just don’t understand what they expect to achieve with this.”
“Leverage,” he answered instantly, dodging around a moving van and swerving back to the right to avoid a car waiting to turn. “We’ve already discussed what a psychopath President Kelso is. You and I both know this isn’t the right way to achieve anything, but he’s become desperate. He probably figured he could cow Whiteside enough with those false accusations and make him concentrate on that instead of Kelso’s own flaws. And please tell me I’m correct about those being false accusations.”
“Absolutely.” Her anger mushroomed inside her at the reminder. Kelso just didn’t know when to stop. “I have to wonder if his voters have any idea who he really is and what he’s about.”
“I have a feeling we’ll find out soon enough.” Vance growled as he shot through an intersection, barely making it through a red light. “If they’re as loyal to him as his ego hopes, then I’m sure he can get them to fight with him. My guess is that they’re normal people who don’t have a clue.”
His phone crackled from its holder on the dash and Jack’s voice soon followed. “We’ve tracked all the cars that left the hotel within the last hour. Most of them are dead ends, but there’s a black Mercedes heading west of town on 1431.”
“What’s out there that they might be heading toward?” Vance answered as he changed lanes and picked up a highway ramp.
“I’m not sure,” the fox answered. “I’ve got a search going for any properties they might own besides the house in West Lake Hills. It could take some time, since I don’t have all the same reference material we do for our own territory. In the meantime, I’ll forward the vehicle location to your phone. Max is heading that way in the chopper as soon as possible.”
Delilah racked her brain. She’d studied the area, wanting to gather as much information as she could have before the trip. Preparation had always been key, she felt, to any situation. She hoped it would pay off this time as well. “Maybe something like a national park? The Balcones Canyonlands are out that way. I don’t know much about them, but it would make sense if Kelso wanted to get the president away from civilization.”
“That’s a good guess,” Vance agreed. “Did you get that, Jack?”
“Sure did. The route matches up so far. I’ll keep you updated.”
Delilah pursed her lips as she let out a breath. Her nerves were overtaking her, and it wouldn’t get better until she knew the president was safe. It took almost an hour to reach the park entrance, and by then, the sun was working its way toward the horizon. Jack had reported that the Mercedes had reached Balcones just ahead of them, but Max had yet to locate them.
“There’s one thing I ask,” Vance said as he put the car in park. “Stay with me. I know you’re passionate about this, but that’s exactly what worries me. People who let their emotions get wrapped up in a mission end up costing lives.”
“Then I’d say you’re talking to the right person,” she sassed.
They left the car, and Delilah immediately had the sensation of being watched. “They’re not far,” she whispered.
His fist curled, a shimmer of golden fur showing on the back of his hand as he removed a pistol from his waistband. “I know. There’s one thing I forgot to tell you.”
“Yeah?”
“If you see anything, make sure you look before you shoot.”
“Please!” She shot him a dirty look. “I’m not that stupid, Vance.”
He huffed an impatient sigh. “I mean that if they show, they might have Whiteside in front of them. It’s a trick I’ve seen played in situations like this. If they feel cornered, they get you to shoot your own man.”
Delilah’s throat tightened as she realized how terrible it would be to catch a flash of movement and fire, only to discover she’d slaughtered the very man they’d gone there to save. It was hard to believe anyone would feel cornered in a place like this, but it could be figurative instead of literal. “Right.”
Things were quiet as they moved through the main trail that led into the park, far too quiet. Delilah almost wished someone would jump out and ambush them just to get it over with, but then, she spotted movement at the top of the next hill. “Over there,” she whispered.
Vance didn’t answer at first, assessing the situation. “We’re still far enough away that they probably don’t know we’re here. I don’t hear the chopper yet, so let’s use the night and our other forms to our advantage. You can head east, I’ll head west, and we’ll come up on them from behind. But together.” He emphasized the last word.
“Works for me.” Delilah tucked the pistol away as she lifted her face to the sky and pushed her shoulders back. Stressful situations could make her want to shift, but it wasn’t always easy to relax her body enough to let the metamorphosis happen. She’d never shifted in a situation quite like this, and the idea of being caught by the enemy mid-change when she was most vulnerable wasn’t appealing to her.
Still, she felt the deep gravity of her tail as it extended from her lower back, swishing angrily at having been kept pent up for so long. Her back curled and hunched as her bones fought with each other over the proper form, and Delilah heard a crack from deep inside her flesh as her head moved to a different position on her spine. Long teeth extended from her jaws until they poked through her gums, and she ran her tongue along them to test them out. Her paws carried the full feeling of her retracted claws, and Delilah stretched forward to touch the grass with all fours. Yes, these were her weapons. Guns could be appropriate for combat at times, but this was a shifter situation, after all.
A figure stepped up next to her, and Delilah’s breath froze in her lungs. She’d been so consumed with her own transformation that she’d hardly noticed what Vance was doing, but she could have recognized him anywhere, even with his current profile. His solid figure was breathtakingly strong, and her eyes roved over his massive paws and his thick tail. The human side of her that still resided within longed to reach out and touch the varied tones of his golden fur, tracing her fingers over the deepest hues on his face that served as such a striking contrast to the stark white of his muzzle. As a cougar, however, she would never dare.
She reminded herself of this as she moved off toward the right, leaving the path and Vance behind as she slipped silently in and out of wooded coves. She was on a mission, and she had a life to save, but it was impossible not to notice how good it felt to be in this form. How long had it been since she’d just let herself go? Delilah spent so much time tightly wound, trying to be the perfect vice president. She worried about her constituents themselves as well as what they thought of her. And yet her feline form was exactly why she’d been voted into office. She was one of them. She had a wild side, a side that didn’t care so much about the laws of the human world.
Slipping down a hillside into a valley and up the next one, Delilah felt something inside that nearly knocked her over.
Delilah?
She panted in surprise and wanted to bite her own tail for not anticipating this. His presence inside her head was almost too great, and she narrowed her eyes in the
dim light as she tried to keep her focus. She knew about fated mates amongst the shifter world: two creatures who were absolutely meant to be together, ordained by the universe to be the perfect match. While this pairing was far more common in bears and other animals, it rarely happened between cougars. They were too antisocial to spend much time together.
But was that truly what they were?
Delilah? he asked again.
She’d never felt the telepathic link that came along with this type of bond. It was not only reserved for certain relationships, but it was also only accessible while in animal form. There was a ritual that made it happen for those welcoming a new member of a clan, but that fateful night must have forged the connection between them forever. What? she finally snapped.
Good, you’re there. Just checkin’.
I’m fine, thank you very much. I think I can handle a walk in the woods. His question made her realize, however, that their communication was more of a distraction than an advantage right now, and she twitched one sandy ear to listen for anyone or anything that might be approaching.
Yeah, but I don’t trust these guys. I doubt they’re all standing out there with Whiteside, and I wouldn’t be surprised to find them stationed throughout the woods.
Well, there’s nothing here. Delilah stalked on, wishing he’d never spoken up. She’d been rather enjoying her time as a big cat all on her own.
Let me know if anything changes.
He stopped talking, but Delilah had a feeling he was still in her head. She didn’t need this moment to be clouded up with worries about how much of her mind he could access when they’d shifted. Delilah opened her mouth to pull in more scents and tried to concentrate on the forest around her. She circled up the back of the hillside, and when she saw another pale form emerge into the moonlight, she instantly knew it was Vance. She glanced only once into his eyes before turning toward their target.