Control

by Crissy Smith

Bruce threw back his head and laughed. “Don’t let the boss hear you say that, Craig. He’s got a hard-on for these Walkers.”

  Craig merely shrugged before sneering at Alex. “Whatever.”

  It was hard to keep his head down and just take in all the scents of the two guards. Bruce was a grizzly bear shifter and it smelt like he hadn’t showered in days. The stench was almost overpowering. Craig, a cheetah shifter, appeared to take better care of himself, but the strong odor of stale cigarettes wafted from him. If these were the best two this group had, Alex knew Jackson, Kieran and the Organization were going to rip them apart.

  He didn’t even try to hide the smile on his face.

  “What do you think you’re smiling at?” Craig asked him.

  Alex remained silent.

  “He won’t be smiling soon,” Bruce said as he punched four numbers into a keypad next to Alex’s cage door. It was too quick for Alex’s tired mind to catch, but a couple more times and he would get the code.

  The door clinked then released. Bruce stepped in first with Craig right at his back. Alex attempted to move, but his body wasn’t under his control. Bruce grinned as he stalked forward and grabbed him by the neck. Bruce lifted him and Alex could only grunt as he was hanging in the man’s hold.

  “You got a pretty face now,” Bruce taunted. “But we’re gonna change that.”

  Alex did the only thing he could. He spit in Bruce’s face.

  Craig cackled as he reared back his fist.

  Fuck, that was going to hurt.

  Chapter Four

  As the city disappeared in the rear-view mirror, Dakota worked as best she could on her phone. Email, text messages and phone calls were coming in fast, leaving a lot of information to get through. Kieran drove with precision and speed as he spoke to Jackson on his Bluetooth.

  Dakota tuned out Kieran’s conversation as she looked at the map Dean had sent her. He’d marked out possible locations in the Red Rock area. It made sense that whoever had taken Alex and the shifters would set up base out in the expansive mountains outside Las Vegas. Much like Mount Fauna, the Red Rocks were isolated with numerous caves and caverns.

  Gabe and Dare were already there, waiting on them with Jackson and Remy on their way as well. The plan was to meet up before they broke off in teams and began their search.

  Her phone dinged and she saw a message from her boss.

  We got company. The Coalition.

  “Shit!” she muttered.

  “What?” Kieran asked, making her jump.

  She hadn’t realized Kieran had disconnected from Jackson. She glanced over at him, trying to decide what to say. The Shifter Coalition had been formed several years ago when the shifters around the globe had gone public. There’d been a lot of panic from humans who had thought the shifters were trying to take over the world. The Coalition was a government agency run by shifters to police other shifters and also protect them from danger and prejudice.

  “Just tell me,” Kieran said.

  “Sparro just texted. The Coalition is at the office.”

  “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Kieran banged his fist on the steering wheel before jerking it to the side and slamming his foot on the brake. He pushed open the door and was out before Dakota had even processed they’d stopped.

  This was going to be worse than she’d thought.

  Stall as long as you can. We are chasing down a lead.

  She sent the two sentences to Sparro before putting her phone back in her pocket. Kieran was pacing in front of the SUV, but it didn’t seem to be doing anything to calm him. Instead, he was growing more agitated.

  Dakota quietly exited the vehicle and waited on the side of the road until Kieran looked at her. It broke her heart to see the fear on his face.

  “K,” she whispered.

  “I can’t do it,” he said in a rough voice. “I can’t work with them.”

  “I know,” she assured him. It pushed Kieran’s boundaries to have him at the office as it was. There were very few Walkers and under his old boss Kieran hadn’t been required to make appearances often. The shifter Coalition worked with them in investigations fairly often, but Kieran had never been part of those teams. There was a limit on how many shifters Kieran could stand to be around.

  “This was never supposed to happen,” he said, striding forward. He gripped her arms and hauled her closer. “I’m supposed to be in the shadows. No one knew about me, cared, or needed anything from me. I don’t know how to handle this!”

  She needed to calm him down. It worried her that he was freaking out. Kieran was so strong and steady when it came to work. He knew what had to be done and had no issues following through. They were going to need him in top form to find Alex and the missing shifters. “It’s going to be okay,” she told him. “You’re not alone. You’ll never be alone again.”

  Kieran snorted. “I think that’s my point.”

  Dakota found herself relaxing when Kieran was able to joke. Her lover tried so hard to show her only control—she knew it was tearing him apart to be vulnerable where she could see. He thought she didn’t know he hadn’t been sleeping lately, but Dakota was more tuned in to him than he knew.

  Not only was there attraction and strong feelings between them, but her jaguar had accepted Kieran as well. She might not have claimed him, marked him with her teeth, but Kieran was hers. He would have to come to terms with her animal eventually, but she could wait on that. However, sooner rather than later, Kieran needed to realize she wanted every part of him—the good and the bad.

  “I won’t let anything happen to you,” Dakota told him.

  “What?” he jerked back. “You think I’m worried about myself?”

  Confused, Dakota nodded slightly.

  “No.” He yanked her close once again. “It’s so much worse.”

  “I don’t understand,” she confessed.

  Kieran sighed before brushing a kiss on her temple. He stepped back and turned. She didn’t move. If whatever he had to say was done easier not looking at her, she would deal with it.

  “If it was just me in danger, I could run,” Kieran said. “I have enough money, training and contacts that if I disappeared, no one would ever be able to find me.”

  She shivered at the coldness in his tone. How often had he contemplated just that?

  “They already took Alex,” he said. “What if they get Jackson again, or Remy? What if Caspar gets caught up in this? He’s human—he wouldn’t last a day of their torture.”

  She knew he was right.

  “What if—?” He began to breathe roughly. He spun around and his eyes were glowing. “What if they got their hands on you?”

  Oh, God, she wished she knew the right words to say and take away his fear. Because that was what he was afraid of most. Losing those around him he had begun to care about.

  “What if,” she said quietly, “because of the bonds you’ve made with all of us, we’re able to stop them this time? For good.”

  Kieran shook his head. “It’s too risky.”

  “No. If you hadn’t connected with Caspar, then Remy and finally me, we wouldn’t be as strong as we are now.”

  “They can’t get any of you,” Kieran said. “They can’t.”

  “They can’t get you either,” she replied.

  Kieran nodded. “I still can’t work with the Coalition. I know I promised I wouldn’t ignore your jaguar and I really am working on it. But I can’t be around those other shifters.”

  “You don’t have to,” she told him. “Trust me.”

  His eyes had gone back to normal and the tension lines on his face had eased. “I do trust you.”

  The confession was heartfelt and all she needed to hear. She could ignore the reminder he still hadn’t accepted her jaguar.

  “Then let’s meet with the others and find Alex.” She held out her hand. He took it before lifting her wrist to his lips and running his tongue over her pulse.

  “Later,” he said when she reached for him.r />
  “Ass,” she told him fondly.

  “Yes, and I have a spectacular one,” he teased.

  He did, but if she started to think about that, they would never get to the meeting. “Let’s go.”

  Dakota returned to the SUV, ignoring Kieran’s chuckle. The crisis had passed for the moment, but she knew it wasn’t over. Kieran and Jackson were both going to have to deal with the ghosts of the past. Whatever was happening to Alex as they searched was going to be difficult for both the Walkers to handle.

  “We should be almost there,” Kieran said as they settled back in their seats.

  Dakota pulled out her phone and clicked on the map again. “Five more miles, then we’ll take the first turn-off. Gabe and Dare should already be there.”

  “We can’t stop until we find Alex,” Kieran replied, putting the car in drive. “I can’t let him suffer the way I did.”

  “I know.” Dakota slid her palm over his thigh. “We won’t.”

  * * * *

  Kieran peered around at the ragtag group that had gathered to begin the search. He and Dakota had met up with Gabe and Dare right before Remy had pulled up. Jackson had followed with four of his own men, all Walkers.

  Now the ten of them were dividing the rocky cliffs of the Red Rocks into search zones.

  “One Walker with each shifter or human,” Jackson said.

  Kieran glanced at Gabe, the only human.

  “What?” he asked with a snarl. “I can take care of myself.”

  “He’s probably the safest one here,” Remy said. “They don’t have much use for a human.”

  Kieran snorted. “That we know of. They didn’t take shifters last time either. There’s no point to it. Bradley is an eagle shifter. What does he need from other shifters?”

  “That’s a good question,” Jackson said.

  “Maybe this isn’t Bradley,” Dare suggested.

  “It is,” Kieran and Jackson said at the same time. It was something Kieran felt deep down. What was happening with the shifters, Alex’s disappearance, Caspar getting a lead that took him away from Kieran’s side and leading Kieran to the city, all went back to the time Bradley had held him and Jackson.

  “So what is this?” Jackson asked. “Revenge?”

  “Then why take the shifters?” Remy questioned. “If we didn’t know about the shifters, we might not have moved so fast on Alex going missing.”

  “I would have known something was wrong,” Jackson said.

  “But would you have gone to Kieran in just hours?” Remy asked.

  “Probably not,” Jackson admitted.

  “Exactly,” Remy said. “So why tip us off? They have to need something from the shifters.”

  “So again,” Dare said, “how can we be sure it’s Bradley?”

  Kieran clenched his teeth to keep from biting Dare’s head off. Dare didn’t understand what he and Jackson had been through. He couldn’t comprehend the effect years of torture had on someone. Deep in his gut, Kieran knew Bradley was involved.

  “It doesn’t matter,” Dakota said. “We need to find Alex and the shifters.”

  “Then maybe you should have asked the Alpha of this territory for help,” a new voice said behind them.

  Kieran spun and crouched at the unknown threat. As he moved, Jackson leapt to his side and ended up in the same position.

  “Shit,” Remy muttered.

  “Calm down.” The stranger raised his hands. “I came to help.”

  “Help?” Kieran snapped. He didn’t know what this wolf shifter Alpha asshole was doing there, but it was pretty suspicious. “How did you know where we were?”

  “I had him followed,” the stranger replied, motioning to Remy.

  “Followed?” Remy asked. “Really?”

  “Do you blame me?” the Alpha asked.

  Kieran did not like his partner’s integrity being questioned. He straightened to his full height and glowered at the Alpha.

  “No.” Remy shook his head before glancing over at Kieran. “It’s okay, K. I really should have suspected it.”

  “That doesn’t mean he’s welcome,” Jackson said as he stalked toward their unwanted guest. “You weren’t invited here, wolf.”

  “Calm down, Walker,” the Alpha said. “I am only here to help.”

  Dakota stepped forward and in front of Kieran and Jackson. Kieran started to grab her to yank her back. He didn’t want Dakota anywhere near a wolf shifter he didn’t know. Remy neatly stepped in his way so Kieran’s hand fell on his shoulder instead.

  “Just wait,” Remy whispered.

  Kieran didn’t know why he bothered whispering, since everyone except the one human would still be able to hear.

  “I’m Dakota, with the Organization,” she said to the Alpha. “I understand why you might have trouble believing we’re doing everything we can to find your missing Pack mates, but Remy and all of us are trying.”

  “Alpha Damon Fincher, but you can call me Damon,” the Alpha said. “I’ve heard about you, Dakota Reese, as well as everyone here. I do see your Organization is working on the case, but I also think we all know there is more to this than just some kidnappings.”

  Dakota glanced over her shoulder and he could see the question in his eyes. How the hell were they going to get rid of the Alpha?

  “We don’t have time for this,” Kieran said, stepping forward, shoulder to shoulder with Dakota. “Leave us so we can try to find your people.”

  “Or I can help,” Damon told him. “I know this area better than anyone else.”

  “Then point on the map where we should be searching,” Jackson ordered.

  Damon crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ve done my homework on you, Walker. The man who decided to keep watch over an entire city of transients. Very ambitious.”

  “I didn’t ask for your approval,” Jackson replied.

  Kieran really didn’t like standing in between the two dominant paranormal creatures and liked the fact that Dakota was also in the middle. He still didn’t know a lot of his friend’s past or how he’d ended up in Vegas, but he trusted Jackson. He couldn’t say the same for the Alpha wolf.

  He wasn’t surprised when Damon’s gaze landed on him. “Kieran Smith, you’re a legend. I didn’t think you actually existed.”

  “Well, now you can see I do,” Kieran replied.

  “You’ve killed members of my Pack,” Damon claimed.

  Kieran couldn’t be certain whether he had or not. He’d taken out a lot of shifters after he joined the Organization. When he’d first become an agent, it was just cleaner and easier to kill the paranormal creatures who’d attacked innocents.

  “Are you threatening him?” Remy’s words ended with a growl.

  “No,” Damon said. “They were killed because they broke the rules. In a Pack as large as mine, I’ve had to become accustomed to losing some of my members.”

  “You don’t seem too upset,” Kieran accused.

  “Nothing I can do about the ones that break the law. I’ve had to put a few down myself,” Damon said. “It’s the innocents I won’t allow harm to come to. My two missing? They don’t deserve whatever is happening to them right now.”

  That was about the only thing Kieran would ever agree with the Alpha about. No one deserved what Bradley did to those he captured.

  “Now, if you’re done wasting time,” Damon said, “let’s start hunting.” He strolled over to where Gabe and Dare had spread out a large map on the hood of their car.

  “We don’t need your help,” Jackson told him.

  “Doesn’t matter,” Damon replied. “I’m going whether you want me to or not. If we team up, we’ll get more ground covered.”

  Kieran walked to Jackson’s side and leaned in. “Whatever you want to do, I’ll back you.” He meant his promise too. Jackson wasn’t any fonder of shifters than Kieran was.

  “Damn,” Jackson murmured. “We’re wasting time.”

  “Fine,” Kieran said. “We’ll let him tag alon
g, but we keep an eye on him. He could be leading us straight into a trap.”

  “I can hear you,” Damon sing-songed, still bent over the map.

  “I already hate him,” Kieran said loudly.

  Damon snorted in response.

  “Come look at this, Walkers.” Damon waved them over.

  They all moved and Kieran was pleased when Jackson put himself on the other side of Dakota. Anyone would have to get through both him and Jackson to hurt her.

  “You can rule out this section.” He took the marker out of Gabe’s pocket and circled an area. “That’s where my Pack runs. We would have smelt any other shifter near.”

  Kieran exchanged a look with Jackson. That was pretty convenient. Suspicious. Jackson gave him a nod. Jackson agreed.

  “I’ll allow you to search there later if you still don’t trust me or we don’t find them. But we need to concentrate on these areas.” Again, Damon circled four different areas.

  Kieran glanced at the Alpha, surprised by his offer.

  “I’m not your enemy,” Damon told him.

  “You’re not my friend either.”

  “Maybe not,” Damon replied. “But if we can rescue everyone that has been taken, the point will be moot.”

  “We have a starting point,” Remy said. “We should get going.”

  “Who’s the Alpha going with?” Dare asked.

  “Me,” Kieran answered right away. He wasn’t going to let anyone else run the risk of the Alpha turning on them.

  “I’m with you too,” Dakota said.

  “I’ll take Jackson with me,” Remy threw in.

  “We’ll split up my guys with the human and bear,” Jackson added.

  Kieran really wanted to argue about having Dakota close to the Alpha, but when he looked at her, she was preparing for his argument.

  “Fine,” he agreed.

  Dakota appeared shocked but quickly schooled her features. “Let’s go then.”

  “One more thing,” Damon said. “It would be better if those of us who can, shifted. We’ll move faster and our senses will be stronger.”

  “No!” Remy and Dakota said in unison.