"Bye Janice." He ended the call and began to think. He should have Ryan and Adrian meet them at his place too. They are both excellent hunters and would be able to track her just as good as anyone else, maybe even better. As a matter of fact, he should have Ryan start at the restaurant and try tracking from there.
He pulled into his driveway and dialed Ryan's number.
"Hello, Ryan Drayton speaking."
"Ry, it's Max. I need some help. Those jerks who attacked Brielle managed to abduct her from the restaurant restroom while we were having dinner there. Is there any way you and or Adrian could head out there and try tracking her? you could swing by my place first and we can get you an article of hers that would have her scent for you."
"I just ended my shift at the hospital so I will be at your place in about 15 minutes. Don't worry, we will find her ok?"
"I know we will. I am just worried about what she has to endure until we find her. No matter how strong she is she shouldn't have to go through this shit. This is my worst nightmare come to life man."
Max couldn't fight the fear that gripped him. He struggled for breath as he thought about how he should have been there to stop this from happening. How is Brielle ever going to forgive him for letting this happen? Once they found her he was never going to let her out of his sight and he was sure that Cole felt the same way.
"Max, I will see you in a few. Take it easy and try to stay calm until I make it there ok?" Ryan peacefully said before letting Max go. Max took a glance at Cole who had been silent since they left the restaurant. He could feel the anger, helplessness and fear that was emanating from him. He wished there was something he could do to soothe Cole, but what could he do when he was feeling the same way? He needed to be strong and support Cole while they searched for their mate, their soul mate, Celestial Mate.
"Cole, we have a large group of people meeting us here within minutes. Within the hour we should have a search party set up looking for her. We will find her and when we find those animals we will kill them. I need to you stay with me, ok?"
Cole just nodded in acknowledgment. He looked so lost. Max reached out and pulled him into a hug trying to push some of his strength into his friend, his brother. He pulled back and patted Cole on the back and then they both stepped out of the car and made their way into his house. As they reached the door another car pulled up. He watched as Janice, Mark and an older man got out. Then another car pulled up and a young woman stepped out. He assumed this was Brielle's half sister, Dani. She was beautiful in a youthful way but nothing like his Brielle. He walked toward Brielle's mom and wrapped her tightly in a hug. When she stepped out of his embrace she introduced him and Cole to Dani and Joe. After introductions they made their way inside the house where Max offered everyone a drink while they waited for the rest of the team to show up.
*********************
Ryan walked through the door and all eyes turned toward him but Max noticed that Ryan only had eyes for Dani. Hmmmm, interesting. Looks like someone else may have found their mate finally. After a brief pause Ryan walked over to Max and Cole. They stood up to greet him and make the introductions.
Making their way to Dani Max introduced her, "Dani, this is our good friend, Ryan. Ryan, this here is Dani, Brielle's half-sister." Ryan held his hand out and Dani hesitantly laid her hand in his. Max watched as Ryan made intense eye contact with Dani, kissed her and then reluctantly let it go. "A pleasure to meet you, Dani, although I wish it were under better circumstances." Ryan said. "Nice to meet you too, Ryan." Dani responded, quietly. Everyone watched in fascination as Ryan and Dani seemed to be in their own world staring into each others' eyes before Ryan turned and said, "I spoke with Adrian and he will be here soon. As soon as he gets here the two of us will head out to the restaurant while the rest of you go over details and create some kind of plan for a search for her. I promise you, all of you, that we will find her and bring her back. I have an excellent team of guys that work for my company and they will do everything in their power to find her and make the bastards that took her pay for what they have done to her."
"We know, Ryan. We couldn't think of anyone better to call. We know we can depend on you and your crew to find her. I just wish to God that none of this had happened in the first place. We should never have left my house to take her out. We should have waited until morning and just kept her home where she would have been safe. Why didn't we just stay home?" Max began to hyperventilate.
"Max, there is nothing you could have done to stop it. You guys wanted to go out and enjoy yourselves and you all deserved to do that. Please do not blame yourself for what those creatures have done because you are not responsible for their actions. I know you love my daughter and you would not have allowed this to happen but you need to realize that this was not in your control to prevent. Please do not beat yourself up about this. Let's just stay calm until everyone we are expecting shows up and then we will begin our search." Janice offered a comforting hug and a warm smile. How in the world she could be so calm and trusting of him he had no idea. He blamed himself, why wasn't she blaming him too? For that matter, why was Brielle's dad not flying off the hinges?
"Thank you for that, Janice. I know you mean well but there is nothing anyone can say that would make me stop the what-ifs running through my mind. I can't help but feel responsible for them taking her and I will kill them and the myself if she is taken from me, from us," he turned to Cole, "My life is worthless without her in it." he stated.
"I know how you feel, darling. I feel the same way about Brielle and Dani's fathers. But believe me, Brielle would not be happy to hear you speaking in such a way. You need to be the strong man that I know you can be. She needs you and Cole needs you just as much as you need them. Do not take yourself away from them emotionally. Now is the time to use your gift and see if you can communicate with Brielle telepathically. That is your gift and if you can reach out to her and call her she will hear you."
"How do I do that?"
"Just calm yourself and close your eyes. Picture Brielle next to you. Can you do that?" She questioned him.
"I can picture her next to me."
"Good, now look at her and speak with her. See if you can get her to answer you."
Max closed his eyes and relaxed as much as he was capable of relaxing considering everything he was feeling. He took a few deep, calming breaths and pictured Brielle with her long black hair flowing around her shoulders. He could feel her body heat and he could smell her sweet strawberry scent and it had the calming effect he needed to relax. He looked at her until she noticed him. He smiled at her and she offered him a smile in return. He reached out and held her hand. She raised it to her face and rubbed it on his cheek before kissing it and then laying it on her lap. She looked so peaceful and beautiful it almost hurt to think that she may not be this way again. He concentrated on what Janice had told him. He needed to talk to her, so he did. "Brielle, sweetheart, are you ok?" he asked her. He had to know.
"Max, I am so glad you are here. I am not sure how I am talking to you but you need to get me out of here. I am scared."
"We are working on it sweetheart. We have your sister, mom, dad and uncle here with us as well as a few other people that are going to help us in our search. I need to know if you are ok though."
"I am ok for now. I am tied up, gagged and blindfolded. I hear them talking about me and I keep hearing a door open and close as footsteps come closer to me and then go away again. I can't tell you how far from home I am because I was drugged when they got me to the vehicle. I don't know what they want but they have deep voices and they smell bad."
"Ok sweetheart. Since you are already at your location I have to assume you aren't far from where they took you because you have only been gone about a half an hour. Can you tell me if you can smell anything? Use your wolf senses and try to list what you smell."
" I smell smoke, like from a fire. I can smell damp earth and trees. I think maybe I am in the woods somewhere."
"Good, honey, that's good. Do you know how many guys have been in or out of the area they have you?"
"I have been able to detect at least 5 different voices and they are all men. They mentioned a woman but I haven't heard her and I haven't pick up on a female scent."
"Ok, this is great sweetheart. This has been so helpful. I want you to try to stay calm and be strong my sweetheart. We are going to find you and bring you home. I love you, Brielle. We are coming for you."
"Please hurry Max! I love you guys and miss you and I am so scared but I will try to stay calm and confident."
"I will see you soon sweetheart. Rest for now."
"See you soon Max."
Max opened his eyes and saw everyone looking directly at him.
"Well, did you see her?" Cole asked anxiously.
"Yes I did. I was able to talk to her. She says she smells woods and a fire. There are about 5 guys that she has been able to detect so far. They have her blindfolded and gagged and tied to a bed. Since they already have her at their location I am assuming that they are not far. From what information she was able to relate to me I am also going to assume that she is in a building or structure somewhere in the woods. She is scared. We need to find her fast."
He looked around the room and noticed that, while he was speaking with Brielle, Adrian had arrived. "Good to see you Adrian. Thank you so much for meeting us here."
"I wouldn't be anywhere else when a fellow packer is in need."
"Ok, so, where do we start?" Ryan asked.
"I think you and Adrian should head over to the restaurant. See if you can pick up a trail using Brielle's scent. I will have Janice, Mark and Joe stay here as a base team. We will all report through them. Cole and I will take Dani with us and drive to the wooded area near the lumber yard." Max dealt orders out to everyone but was interrupted when Dani spoke up.
"I will go with Ryan and Adrian. I know how to track people and I can pick up one of the animals from my clinic on the way."
"Dani, sweetheart, are you sure you want to do that? You don't really know Ryan or Adrian." Janice asked her daughter, but Max knew that Janice was aware of the same thing that he was. Dani, Adrian and Ryan were mates. He looked at Janice and knew that she was testing Dani.
"Mom, I know them enough to go with them. My instincts are telling me that I need to trust these guys, they will not hurt me. We will find Brielle and I need to be out there using my gifts like you always taught me."
"Be safe my darling Dani." Janice hugged Dani and let her walk over toward the door.
"Max, Cole, we will be in touch with you as soon as we pick up her trail. I will let you know which direction to head in." Adrian told them as he was walking out the door followed by Dani and then Ryan.
Cole stood up, "Ok Janice and Mark. Max and I will be on our way to follow the directions that Ryan and Adrian send us. One of us will call you as soon as we hear from them."
"Be careful, my sons." Mark said to them and shook their hands. "I am so very proud that my Brielle has found her destined mates and that they turned out to be such amazing young men as yourselves. I trust you to being my girl back to me."
Max and Cole both nodded as they walked out the door. Max had gained a new sense of confidence. They were going to find Brielle. They were going to bring her home and they were going to live their lives like that were supposed to and he would be damned if those jerks would live for what they have done.
Chapter 28: Brielle (At unknown location)
Brielle was groggy feeling when she awoke from her encounter with Max via telepathy. She was scared and nervous and wanting desperately to be home with Cole and Max. Her head was pounding, her stomach nauseous, her wrists felt raw and her back was sore. She struggled to stay awake so she could use her senses to gather more information to share with Max and or Cole so they would be able to rescue her more quickly. She had the feeling that the room she was in was a large and sparsely furnished room due to the echoes of the voices and footsteps when people entered or exited. Even though she was awake the drugs they had given her prevented her eyes from being able to fully focus on her surroundings. She had already told Max that she felt she may be in the woods somewhere because she smelled the strong odor of trees mixed with damp earth. He had told her she must not be far because she had not been missing for long, which she took as a blessing because that would narrow down the possibilities of where she was taken. She blinked her eyes trying to clear the fogginess and had little success. She turned her head, first left and then right, trying to make out anything that would be on the walls or to just make out what kind of walls they were. She wanted to be able to determine whether or not she was being held in a house or a building. As she tried focusing on the ceiling she heard the door open. She looked in the direction of the sound and recognized the guy as a regular at her parents' restaurant.
"Ah, my dear Brielle. You finally awake. You have no idea how happy it makes me feel to see those gorgeous eyes again. I have missed you lately, you haven't been at work. But no worries, my good friends have made me aware of your recent attack and I am so sorry to hear that your recovery has taken so long."
"Why are you doing this to me? I have done nothing to you. Why are any of you doing this to me?"
"I am not sure what you have been told, my dear, but you are a breeder. We need you and since you have been mated I knew that taking you would be the only way to get you. You see, your dad is an Alpha. The responsibility will be passed down to the next male in line, which would be your Mates until a son is born. The father of that son will be the next Alpha. Now I know you can put 2 and 2 together to see where I am going with this."
"You plan on injecting me with your sick sperm so you can hopefully father the next Alpha? Did you really think that I would let that happen? I would kill myself before I would allow a cub of yours to grow inside me. You are a sick bastard, all of you are! Even though a part of me thinks I should thank you for what happened because it brought my mates to me I have nothing but hatred for you and I will be glad when my family and mates get here and kill every single one of you. You all deserve to burn in hell and I am only going to be so glad to see Cole and Max help you get there." She spit at him and was rewarded with a backhand across her face. She instantly tasted the metal taste of blood in her mouth. The hit did nothing to help the headache she had and only made her nausea worsen. She prayed that they would get here soon.
"The only people going there today my dear would be any person who walks through that door with the intention of taking you away from here. You are going nowhere until my seed is planted safely in your womb. And even then I do not think I will let you leave. I may just keep you here to have some fun with you, after all, you are a beautiful woman Brielle." he laughed. He had an evil laugh that would have made her sick to her stomach if she wasn't already suffering from the feeling.
"You may want to have your fun now because I happen to know they are on their way and they are not far. You may be lucky, they may decide to just let you live and have you tortured until you beg to die. My mates will not be too happy when they see what you have already done to me considering they have had to suffer as they watched me recover from the last meeting I had with one of your croonies. You guys are really sick, you know that. How can anyone be ok with treating another creature the way you have all treated me when the creature is undeserving?"
"Ah, you don't understand desperation if you don't get how we can do what we do. Power brings great things and I want that power. The only way I will get it is if I take it for myself, which is what I plan on doing. I cannot inject you until a bit later, but don't worry, you will enjoy it. I promise." he laughed as he walked away. "Do try to get some rest my dear. I wouldn't want you doing anything that would prevent conception." And with that he left the room.
She needed to get a message to Cole or Max as soon as possible. They needed to know that she was in a warehouse and they planned on using her as an incubator. She closed her eyes
, relaxed and reached out to Cole.
Chapter 29: Cole (Driving with Max)
Cole felt an intense pressure behind his eyes and then they lost focus. The next thing he knew he was in a bed with Brielle.
"Brielle, sweetheart, oh my God! What have they done to you?" he cried.
"Don't worry Cole. I will be ok. I am sure it looks worse than it really is. I guess this is what I get for warning them about you and Max and what you are going to do as soon as you get here."
"I am sure whatever you told them isn't even close to what we will be doing. Seeing you the way you look right now is making me sick. I love you sweetheart and you being in pain hurts more than anything."
"I know, Cole. I am sorry you have to find me like this again. I promise to try to stay away from trouble after this ordeal." she laughed, "But the reason I am trying to speak with you is because I wanted you to know that I am in some kind of warehouse in the woods. The room I am in has nothing but cement or concrete walls and no windows. The door is a steel door and sounds very heavy. I hope that helps you guys. I was trying to gather as much info as I could to help you out. I am sure this will help narrow the search a bit more, right?"
"Yes, sweetheart, it does. It helps a lot. I will share this info with everyone else and I am sure we will be with you soon. Hang in there love."
She smiled at him, "I will. I love you guys."
"We love you."
Cole came to a few minutes later. Looking at Max he said, "Brielle just told me that she is in some kind of warehouse in the woods. She said the door to the room she is in is a heavy steel door and the walls and ceiling are made of cement or concrete. Those jerks have already beaten her Max. They have her tied up and her face is bruised and swollen all over again."
"Son of a bitch!" Max exclaimed, "It wasn't enough what they did the last time? They had to do it again?"
Saving Brielle: The Celestial Mating Series Book 1 Page 11