by Maggie Walsh
“That would probably be the first place this guy looks,” Falcon, the guy driving, answered.
“Cleveland, it is then. Yay,” Dax responded unenthusiastically, causing the guys to chuckle.
* * * *
It had been a month since that text back in Chicago that had them running. They had spent a week in Cleveland before a package was delivered that contained a dozen black roses and a heart. Yes, an actual heart, which the guys said looked like it came from a human, not an animal. The FBI was called in and given the box as well as the note that came with it.
Dax,
Stop this nonsense right now. You’re breaking my heart, darling. Don’t you know how much I love you? No one else will ever love you as much as I love you. I can make you happy. Just give me a chance to show you. I’ll prove it to you, my love. I know how much you really hate those assholes in your band, and I will make them go away for you. You don’t need them, Dax. Once we start our life together, everything will change. We’ll be together very soon, lover. I just have to prove to you how much you mean to me. Please accept this little token of my love to show you how serious I am.
With all my love –O
The next day they received a call from Jonas that Ziggy, the drummer, was missing. The day after that, Jonas called again and said the police found Ziggy’s body in an alley near Escondido, back in California. His heart had been cut out. After running tests on the one he received in the box, it was confirmed it belonged to Ziggy. The guys immediately moved him to another safe house in Tennessee.
Three days later, another box arrived. This one containing the hands of Buddy Blue, the lead guitarist. After a call to Jonas, Dax learned that they were Buddy’s hands and that Buddy had bled to death. They moved again. A week later, another box. This one the guys wouldn’t let him see, but Falcon did tell him what was in it. He said that knowledge was power, and even though they didn’t think it was a good idea for Dax to see what was in the package, he needed to know how dangerous this guy was. Jimmy Nichols’, the bass guitarist, head was in that box. And with each delivery, there was a note that accompanied it, and each note got darker and darker. Dax was really scared and wasn’t afraid to show it.
Thoughts of the only man he had ever loved kept running through his mind, and Dax just wanted to go find him. He always felt safe with his love, but now it was too late. The band had made him choose them, and now even they were gone. It wasn’t like they were brothers anymore. They hadn’t been for many years. But the pain of losing them was still there, and as much as he was angry with them and their friendships were gone a long time ago, his heart still hurt for their loss. And now he was completely alone.
* * * *
Nicco strolled into the skinwalker task force office and went right to his desk, dropping down into his chair. There was a new stack of papers piled in his box. Nicco sighed as he placed his coffee cup on the desk and reached for the stack. He started skimming through the pages when his buddy Zane walked in. Nicco looked up and watched as Zane quietly moved across the room, without even acknowledging he was there, and sat behind his own desk. He didn’t know what was going on with his friend lately, but he always kept an eye on Zane.
When that asshole angel had sent Zane to the Bitter Mountains down in the Underworld, Zane had come back changed. Since becoming friends with their other teammate and leader of the Skinwalker Task Force, Slade, Zane had started acting like his old self again. But recently, he had started becoming more standoffish and kept to himself. Zane’s eyes almost always looked haunted and lined with dark circles, like he never got enough sleep.
“Hey, Zane,” Nicco spoke softly.
Zane flinched as if he was startled to hear Nicco speak, and when he looked up, meeting Nicco’s gaze, he could see the surprise there. “Hey. Sorry, my head was somewhere else,” Zane mumbled.
“You look like you haven’t slept in days, man. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep? I got this covered.”
“You can’t go out on your own, Nic. Micah and Dante’s rule. No one goes out after a skinwalker alone. And seeing as you and I have the night shift, you’re stuck with me.”
“I can give Valor, Maddy, or Falcon a call. Go on. Go home.”
“Valor was here all day with Ryx. Maddy, Slade, and Sage are out west somewhere with a team, and Falcon and Harley are still out on that job Vik assigned them for ParaSafe. It’s just you and me, buddy.”
“Shit. I thought that job was only supposed to take a week or two tops? I’ll have to give Vik a call and see what’s going on there. See if they need anything.”
“I talked to Harley earlier. He said the FBI is going crazy on this one. No leads at all and this guy is getting more dangerous. He sent them a box with a head in it this time.”
Nicco’s brows rose as his face twisted in disgust. “Shit. Did they say what was next for the client? Have they checked everyone who has contact with him? If this sicko keeps finding them in the safe houses, then it sounds like it’s someone on the inside or at least someone on the inside feeding this guy the info.”
“Falcon said they thought of that and are now being even more cautious who they allow any information to. Including their FBI contacts. They’ve cut the client off from making outside calls now,” Zane explained and grabbed a stack of papers.
“They should have done that from the beginning. Damn, I told Vik I should have been in on this one.”
“Relax, Nic. The guys know what they’re doing. You have too much shit going on around here between the task force and running the coven house here. I’m sure Vik is working on it, and if he needs you, he’ll call.”
“You’re right. It feels like I should be a part of this one. I don’t know how to explain it.”
Just then, the phone rang on Zane’s desk. He grabbed up the receiver and placed it to his ear. “Zane here.”
Nicco watched as Zane listened to whoever was on the other side and his brows dipped low and scrunched together as he said a few “Uh-huhs” and “yups.” Then Zane hung up as he pushed back from his desk and stood. “That was Papa Angel. One of the boys went to the club and came back stoned out of his mind. He thinks it’s Rapture.”
Nicco jumped to his feet. “Shit. The council is going to have a fucking cow if Rapture is here in Sanctuary again. After that shit a few months ago, with those new ringtailed cat shifters, we all thought it was a onetime thing.”
“I know, but it seems it may be back. Let’s head over there and have a talk with Syn and see what we can find out,” Zane said as he headed out the door with Nicco on his heels.
* * * *
Papa Angel let them in and showed them into the kitchen where his mate, Evan, sat at the table with some of the boys. Zane faulted momentarily, stopping in mid-step when his gaze landed on Ash, but he quickly caught himself and strode into the room confidently.
Evan looked up and greeted them with a smile. “Thank you so much for coming so soon, Zane, Nicco.”
“Of course, Evan. So what happened?” Nicco asked.
“Can I get you both something? Coffee? Tea?” Evan asked as he stood.
“No thank you, Evan. None for me,” Nicco answered.
“No thanks.”
“Please have a seat, guys,” Papa offered.
Once everyone was seated, Zane looked to Syn. He was a good-looking guy with his sun-kissed tanned skin, shoulder-length, straight sandy-blond hair that looked like silk, chiseled cheekbones, pouty lips, and deep, rich brown eyes. His body was so sinful it matched his name. Broad shoulders, but not huge like most of the other wolves around here, solid chest, tight six pack abs that ran down into a perfect V to sexy hips and a tight bubbled ass, and muscled thighs, but not thick. The hottie stood at about five-eleven and weighed around a hundred and ninety-five pounds. Any man would want to get close to Syn. If people always thought Christian was the poster-boy for the perfect male super model, then Syn would be his love child.
Although Syn was fucking hot as hell and swe
et as could be, he did nothing for Zane. There was only one man that grabbed his attention, and he couldn’t do anything about it.
“What happened, Syn?” Nicco asked.
“I went to the club with two of the others, Cade and Miles, and we were having a good time, laughing and dancing. Then this big guy tried to cut in. We told him we weren’t interested, but he was persistent. Miles and Cade started to get really nervous, and Cade whispered to me that the guy was a brown bear shifter. I stepped closer and caught his scent, and Cade was right. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but the boys started really shaking, so I grabbed them and walked away. I brought them up to the VIP lounge, even though I knew we weren’t supposed to be up there, I figure Frank and Jesse wouldn’t mind.”
“Of course not. So what happened next?” Nicco asked, sitting forward as he stared at Syn.
“Then one of the waiters brought us some water. As I got halfway through the glass, I started feeling really strange. Like I was on fire, and the room started to get all wavy. You know like what heat looks like on asphalt in the summer? When I looked at Miles, he was sitting there with his eyes wide open and filled with fear, mumbling about how he couldn’t go back there. I looked to Cade, and he wasn’t much better, except his was trembling uncontrollably. I knew something was really wrong. I lifted my hand to take another drink, when I saw that both Cade and Miles had finished their water, and it hit me that it was the water. So I grabbed each of their hands and pulled them down the stairs and to the front of the club. I asked the bouncer, Bull, if he would call a cab for us.”
“And did he?” Zane asked.
“He didn’t have to. He put his phone to his ear, but then dropped it and held up his hand. A second later, a black-and-green cab pulled up right in front of us. Bull opened the door for us to step in. I helped Miles in first and then went to climb in. That’s when I saw him. The big guy from the club who wouldn’t leave us alone was driving the cab.”
“Did he do anything, or say anything?” Nicco asked.
“Yeah, he gave me this really creepy smile and licked his lips. Then he said, ‘It’s about time you all showed up. I was getting worried it was taking so long.’ My wolf started howling to get the hell away from there. I pushed Cade back, and he fell onto the sidewalk, as I grabbed Miles’s hand and yanked on him to come back out. The guy grabbed onto Miles’s other arm trying to get him back.”
Zane sat forward, his gaze never leaving Syn’s face. “What did you do? Was Bull still there to help you?”
“Yeah. Once the guy pulled Miles back, I screamed, and Bull went racing around the cab, but the guy released Miles and took off screeching out of the parking lot before Bull could get to him. I had just barely got Miles out of the car. The door actually slammed against Miles’s ankle as I got him away. We both stumbled backward into a heap next to Cade.”
“Did you get a plate number? Maybe a name on the dash of the car like in most cabs?” Nicco asked.
“No, but Bull said he remembered the last three digits. Then he helped me get the boys to their feet and offered us a ride to make sure we got here safe.”
“How are you feeling now? And how are the others?” Zane asked.
“I have a bitch of a headache, but otherwise I feel okay. Miles is upstairs passed out, and Cade was throwing up earlier, but he stopped for now.”
“Miles has a bad headache too, and he’s nauseous. Cade has stopped vomiting, but says his stomach is cramping and he feels like he swallowed hot coals,” Evan added.
“We’ll contact Bull for that plate,” Nicco said. “In the meantime, I think you should give Aaron a call, Raphael, and have him draw some blood from these three men so he can see exactly what we’re dealing with and to make sure they’re all right. If there’s anything else you can think of, even something small, please call right away and let us know.” Nicco and Zane stood.
Raphael stood as well and held out his hand, shaking both of theirs. “Thank you, Nicco, Zane. We appreciate you coming right away.”
“Anytime,” Nicco responded.
Zane watched as Ash moved away from where he stood leaning against the counter across the room, and headed for the back door. Before he left, he looked back over his shoulder and their gazes met. Ash gave him a sad smile, then turned, and left. Zane’s chest ached from seeing the sadness on the handsome man's face, but there was nothing he could do to take it away. As much as he found the wolf sexy as hell and wanted him more than his next breath, Ash had a mate out there somewhere, and Zane would be broken if he allowed himself to start something with Ash and then had to lose him to his true mate. Emptiness filled his soul as Zane thought about how he would never have a true mate like the others. As the Guardian of the Moirai, it wasn’t in the stars for him. Zane chuckled bitterly to himself at the irony. Fate’s Guardian would never be blessed by fate with his own true soul mate. Then there was the fact that there was a black spot on his soul ever since he was sent to the Bitter Mountains. A darkness so black that it caused him hell every day. The nightmares were bad enough, but seeing the evil creatures everywhere he looked, following him, he would never force this evil on someone else. Especially someone as good and beautiful as Ash Angel.
Chapter Two
Dax agreed with his bodyguards that he needed to have no contact with the outside world and he wouldn’t call anyone, but he was not giving up his phone. With all the running and hiding, he needed something to connect him to the world, and he used his phone to check emails, look up current events, play games, and read books.
He lay on his back on the uncomfortable bed in the small room of the fifth safe house they were currently in, while he read the latest bear book by one of his favorite authors. He knew he was a grown man, but he really loved the erotic romance that was out these days. Especially the M/M erotic romance. As he scrolled to the next page to see if the dragon shifter would claim his bear, his phone beeped, telling him he had an incoming text.
Dax really didn’t want to open it. Yes, he wasn’t to contact anyone, but they needed the messages to keep coming in, especially if it was from his stalker, so that they would have more evidence against him and hopefully get some kind of clue as to who this sick fuck was. Dax knew it was important, but he still didn’t have to like it.
Pressing the message icon, he saw that he had two messages. Dax held his breath, hoping they were from Jonas, but at the same time not wanting it to be him. Jonas was making his already hellish life even worse. He kept insisting the Dax needed to get back to LA to talk with the record company so that they could decide what to do about his career now that his band were all dead. Heartless bastards. The guys’ bodies weren’t even cold in the ground yet, and already the assholes wanted him to move on. All they cared about was the money.
The first message, which said came in last night while he was sleeping, opened up and Dax closed his eyes. He didn’t want to read the sick shit this fucker was writing. With curiosity getting the better of him, Dax opened his eyes and began reading.
Hello, Lover,
I miss you, my love. I know it is not you who is keeping you from me, but that bastard manager of yours. That prick really needs to know his place and to stay the hell out of your private life. Maybe if he found a man of his own and knew the great pleasures to be had with a nice big cock up his ass, he would stay the hell away from you. But maybe that’s the problem? Maybe he’s secretly in love with you? Maybe he’s been so adamant about you keeping your sexuality private because he wants you and is hoping if he keeps you lonely that you will turn to him? Well, I’ve got news for him. If he even thinks about touching what is mine, I will cut his dick off and feed it to him.
I promise I won’t let him get his claws in you, my love. And I won’t allow him to keep making your life hell. Now that those talentless assholes are gone, you can shine bright on your own, right where you belong.
I have been waiting a long time for you, Dax, and I promise we will be together very soon. I still have a few
things to get worked out, but as soon as they are taken care of, I will come for you, Dax, so that we can finally be together.
With all my love,
-O
Dax sighed heavily as he shook his head. He knew he needed to show this to the guys. Falcon and Harley were here with him right now for the day shift. They were great guys, and Dax really liked them. At times, he thought about how they would make great friends in the real world if none of this shit was happening.
As he sat up on the bed and slid his feet over the edge, placing them flat on the floor, the second message, the one that had only come in a few minutes ago, opened, and Dax froze as the blood in his veins ran ice-cold.
The message had a picture attached. A picture of him lying on the bed wearing the same clothes he was wearing now. His heart stopped as he realized the picture must have just been taken. He wanted to turn his head and look around the room, search out the hidden camera, but he couldn’t move. He also thought that whoever this was was obviously watching him, and Dax didn’t want to give anything away. He scrolled down a little past the picture and read the message.
Is this where you are? I am out here working my ass off to make your life better, and you’re just lazing around in bed, playing video games or reading those damn gay romances you love so much?
I warn you, love, when we are finally together, that will stop. I will not allow you to ignore me, like you do now. You don’t answer my calls, and you never message me back. I have not heard one damn word from you about how appreciative you are of what I do for you, or how much you love me.
I tell you constantly, Dax, how much you mean to me. Why can’t you text me back and tell me you love me, like you do in your songs? I know you love me. I hear it every time you sing “Heart’s Battleground” and “My One and Only.” I know you wrote them just for me, and I can’t wait until we are together, and you can sing them to me as we make love under the stars, like you said in “My One and Only.”