by Thorne, Elle
Lance followed Mac out.
Lani stared at the closed door they’d just gone through. She waited for what seemed like an eternity but couldn’t have been more than five minutes. The silence and emptiness of the room got to her. She opened the door she’d come in, the one that led to the lobby and glanced around.
Empty.
Where was everyone? Where was Judge?
All she saw was a set of keys on the counter.
I shouldn’t.
Chapter Nine
A few hours later…
Lani drove to Denver, the signals from Pepper were intermittent, but when they came, they came with an intensity that drove through Lani’s mind with the fierceness of a migraine’s lightning bolt.
She’d parked the borrowed—stolen—vehicle in the dilapidated parking area full of potholes and debris in the midst of an army of warehouses. The warehouse district was a ghost town. It was near dusk, and Lani’s eyes were gritty from the lack of sleep.
She opened the car door and stepped out, almost falling into one of the large potholes.
The baby was giving her fits, making the nausea a constant, rather than a sporadic issue.
Dear God, let me find Pepper quickly and get her to safety. And find a place to shower. And food.
Her stomach rumbled. Then a sharp pain jerked, low in her abdomen, beneath her stomach.
She lurched forward from the pain then rested against the vehicle, leaning her forehead into the cool glass.
Here we go.
A piercing pain in her eye, worse than the one in her abdomen, pulled a shriek from her.
She clapped one hand over her mouth while the other hand flew to her eye.
Then the hand over her mouth began to burn. The pain of her eye, hand, abdomen brought a low moan out of her. She rolled her back against the truck, then slowly lowered herself until she was sitting in potholes, crumbling asphalt, and pebbles.
The pain in her eye wouldn’t subside. It was so strong, it made the pangs and aches in her abdomen seem nonexistent.
She closed her eyes against the agony and tried to concentrate on her breathing—anything to take her away from the pain.
“Here we go. Just like Clark said.”
Her eyes flew open.
Three men stood above her. Attired in jeans and khakis with T-shirts that pulled tightly across broad chests, they were appraising her as if she were a steak in a butcher’s window.
“Who are you? Please help. I need to get to a hospital.”
“We’ve got the right place for you.”
Before Lani could protest or even react, she was blindfolded, gagged, and carried by one of them.
His perspiration gave away countless unbathed days.
Lani fought back the nausea the scent of him brought up.
The sound of a door creaking open and the sensation of a different environment heralded a new smell. Dank, mildew, stuffy. She knew she’d been taken into one of the warehouses.
But which one?
Did it matter which one, she scoffed at herself.
She was set down roughly, her hands released. She pulled the blindfold off and jerked the nasty gag out of her mouth.
Indignation had well set in. She studied the men surrounding her. The agony in her forehead was still prevalent. But it was interrupted by the sound of whimpering that came from behind the men.
She craned her neck.
“Pepper?”
“I’m sorry, Lani. I tried, I couldn’t after they—he—I’m sorry.”
The men stepped aside.
Lani clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from letting the horrific sight before her be expressed in a scream.
Her mind was still desperate to release a scream, to let out the horror of what she was witnessing. Beneath her fingers, she bit her lip.
Coagulated blood had made a crimson trail of tears from one of Pepper’s eyes down her face, neck, and left its mark on her top. Blood still seeped down, albeit slowly.
Lani couldn’t tell if her eye was missing or injured.
She cringed inwardly.
Now she knew where the searing pain she’d experienced came from. Her connection to Pepper was so strong, Lani’s body had experienced reflections of Pepper’s pain.
Remembering the pain in her hand, Lani glanced at Pepper’s hand.
Bloody.
A gaping wound on the back of her hand that seemed to go through her palm.
What the hell happened to her?
All those thoughts happened in a matter of seconds.
Lani leapt to her feet and ran to Pepper. She wrapped her arms around her friend’s shaking shoulders.
Sobs wracked Pepper’s body.
Lani squeezed her tighter and looked at the men watching them. “She needs a doctor.”
The men were unmoving, staring at her.
“Now, dammit. Call 9-1-1.”
From behind the men came the sound of laughter. One man’s laughter. Eerie, the sound filled the room and bounced off the walls.
Slowly, each of the men began to laugh in sync with the unnatural laughter.
A man stepped from behind the men. The source of the laughter, he was tall, thin to the point of being gaunt, attired in all black, with short black hair slicked back. His face was pale with deep-set black eyes. He stopped laughing, thin lips curving into a tightlipped smile. If she only had one name to give him as a description, Lani would have chosen the word gravedigger.
“Nice of you to join us, Miss Meyers.” The depths of his eyes flashed a light blue color in their depths.
Join us? What the hell is he talking about?
That didn’t matter now. The only thing that mattered was Pepper’s injuries.
“My friend needs a doctor.”
“She’ll survive.” His tone was cold. “Take them to the holding area.”
Moments later, Lani and Pepper were alone in a room that had no windows, and a huge padlock on the outside of the door. Lani noticed the lock as she’d walked into the room.
She studied her surroundings. A ratty, filthy dingy warehouse. Dark walls covered with dust, grime, and who knew what. The flooring was crude concrete. A chair and a makeshift bed were against the far wall.
Makeshift because it was a board on top of several milk crates, with a bunch of blankets on top. No comfort. Unsanitary.
Rumpled T-shirts were strewn across the blankets.
“Let’s get that covered for now.” Lani picked out the cleanest of the shirts, and ripped it in half. She wrapped one part around Pepper’s eye, making a provisional eye patch, careful not to touch the injury, hoping her vision in that eye could be saved. She wrapped the other half around Pepper’s hand,
“What happened to you? Why are you here?”
Pepper sniffled. “Thank you. That creep is an elemental. He made an ice storm, shooting icicles at me.”
“God. Why?”
“He wanted me to tell him where you were. When I wouldn’t, he said he knew how to get you here, that he’d use our connection, and my pain would bring you. He shot icicles at my eyes. One—” She heaved a breath that was closer to a sob. “One of those ice projectiles did this.” Her uninjured hand waved toward the patch. “The next icicle was headed toward my other eye, but I managed to stop it.” She held up the wounded hand.
“Why? Why would they do that?”
“They are collecting Intuitives for—”
Lani’s groan interrupted Pepper. By the time the second groan had exited her mouth, Lani had doubled over. A flash of heat traveled over her body.
She reached for the wall for support.
“Lani.” Pepper put an arm around her. “What is it?”
Chapter Ten
Judge inhaled.
Then it hit him.
Holy hell.
He was in his bear. He didn’t remember shifting. He didn’t remember anything.
A low grumbling growl rumbled in his chest. He shook his bear head.
; He inhaled again. Hay? Why did he smell hay? He pushed his bear back, trying to take over his body.
His bear protested.
I’m pretty sure I’ve healed enough.
Judge shoved harder, wrestled control from his bear and pushed his body back toward his human form. A few short seconds later, after grueling discomfort, bones compacting, sinew morphing, he was in his human form.
“Ouch.” Fucking straw poked at his body.
Where’s my shirt?
Shifters didn’t lose their clothing when they shifted. They just got rumpled, looking like the shifter had been in a wrestling match. So where the hell was his shirt?
“’Bout time, Rumpelstiltskin.”
Judge studied his surroundings. He’d been in the back of Mac’s vet clinic before. He knew about the large animal bays. He turned toward his brother. “What the hell, Cross.”
“You passed out, bro. Internal bleeding. We all brought you back here, had you hibernate to heal. You don’t remember any of it?”
He sure as hell didn’t. Judge shook his head. “Not a bit.”
Lance was next to Cross. “Hey, Mac. He’s up,” he called out.
Judge forked his fingers through his hair. “How long was I out?”
Cross glanced at his watch. “About half a day.”
Then it hit him. “Where’s Lani?”
Cross frowned. “Stole my new truck.”
Shit. How the hell will I find her now?
Then the place turned into Grand Central Station, it seemed. Mac came in, and right behind her Ariadne.
Judge rose to his feet, scanned the room for his shirt. No luck. After that, surprise… Griz walked in.
“You really do know when to show up, don’t you?” Judge muttered, half under his breath.
A woman followed Griz into the room.
One he didn’t recognize.
Judge studied the newcomer. Okay, truth be told, he stared.
Long white-blond hair. Light blue eyes, almost indistinguishable from her whites, they were so light. Her skin was a dusky color, offsetting the eeriness of her eyes. She wore a long white gown that flowed to her ankles.
She stared back at Judge, her gaze not wavering, she didn’t say a word, had no expression on her face.
Judge finally turned to Griz, a questioning expression on his face.
Griz glanced at the woman, then back at Judge. “You need an Intuitive for your Intuitive. Meet Ciara.”
My Intuitive? Hardly.
But he couldn’t say that.
“Jesus. Do you know everything that goes on around here?” How the hell does he know about Lani? He looked at Ciara the Intuitive. Lani was the only Intuitive he’d ever seen. The Intuitives were a private, closed-off society. “Anyway, she’s gone.” He kept his eyes on Ciara. “Unless you can find her.”
Those eyes never left his face. Finally, she spoke. “Why do you shifters always assume this?”
That reminded him of something Lani had said once, long ago. Sadness pierced through him.
“So basically, I’m screwed? I won’t be able to find her.”
“You underestimate me, little bro.” Cross took his phone out, pressed on the screen.
“I’ve got tracking on it.” He put his arm around Ariadne. “I can’t afford to take any chances, not with…” He locked eyes with his attractive, curvy mate. “Can I share?”
Ariadne nodded.
“There’s a baby on the way.”
“More than one,” Mac added.
“No,” Cross countered. “We’ve already seen Doc. He confirmed Ariadne is only carrying one.”
“I’m not talking about Ariadne,” Mac corrected.
“You?” Cross asked.
Ariadne squealed in delight.
Lance frowned. “This is the first I’m hearing of this.”
“No, no. Hold on.” Mac laughed. “Not me.”
Lance did a doubletake. “Wh—”
“Lani’s pregnant. That’s why she wouldn’t let me do any X rays. I drew blood. Tested it. I figured out after she’d gone that she was pregnant.”
Judge leaned against the wall. Could it be? It had to—
—didn’t it?
“I need to find her. Now.”
“Is the baby yours?” Cross asked.
Of course, it was his.
Isn’t it?
Unless she found someone else—a part of his stomach shriveled up at the idea of that. He couldn’t tell Cross anyway. Admitting that would be admitting to doing something against regulations. “Don’t ask, bro.”
Lance and Cross both frowned at him. “Well, she’s AWOL. Let me take care of that part, else she’ll have hell to pay when the Shifter Council catches up to her.”
Relief flooded through Judge, then doubt set in. “Can you?”
Lance laughed. “Can he? Seriously?” Then he turned to Cross. “Have you not told him?”
“Not yet.”
“Told me what?”
“Big brother Cross has been offered a new position with the Shifter Council. He’ll be the department head of all the Shifter Council Compliance Units.”
Judge did a double take, then settled his glance on Cross. “No shit?”
“Yeah. And you’d have to move to New York?”
“They’ll let me remote some of it from Bear Canyon.”
“Wow. They must want you pretty badly to let you remote it.”
Cross shrugged.
“Congrats, bro.” Judge gave him a quick shoulder hug. “Now, about Lani…”
“Yeah, I’ll take care of it. But there’ll have to be some settling later.”
“I’m sure.”
Judge hoped that whatever penalties Lani would have to pay wouldn’t be too steep, but right now, her wellbeing was way more important. “So… about finding her…”
“Right.” Cross nodded. “My truck’s in Denver. It’s been parked in the industrial area since this morning. Not moved. Not been started. I had it disabled. I’ve got a team in the area—a couple of freelancers that do occasional work for the Unit—and for me. They’re on alert, monitoring the truck, but not doing anything otherwise.”
Judge didn’t give a shit about the damned truck.
“And Lani?”
“See the thing is she got there before the team was in place. They’re talking to the businesses and warehouses in the area to see if they can find anything out from any private surveillance cameras.”
“I need to get to my truck. Can I hitch a ride?” Judge pushed off the wall and headed for the door that led to the front of the clinic.
“Why don’t you let all of us go with you?” Griz asked. “Ciara may be able to help with Lani and her friend too. Cross’s contacts will stay in touch with him. And you never know when you’ll need a little extra manpower.” Griz smiled, a growl coming from deep within his chest.
Judge knew that was Griz’s bear. He studied his uncle. He’d always thought Griz was older, but now he didn’t look as old as he had when Judge was a teen. Sure, shifters aged very slowly but why did it look like Griz was closer in age to Judge than ever? Maybe his uncle had some special mojo since he had friends who were other types of supernatural beings.
“Yeah,” Lance agreed. “We’re not letting you go alone. Anyway, Lani’s one of ours. She’s with the Compliance Unit.”
“Plus, she’s pregnant,” Mac added. “You never know when she might need medical help.”
Judge raised his hands in defeat. “All right, all right. Can we get going, already?”
Mac stepped forward. “You might want this. I had to take your shirt off you to check your wounds.” She handed him one of Lance’s shirts.
Judge nodded his appreciation and slipped his arms into the sleeves.
“I’ll drive,” Lance said. “We’ll take Mac’s truck. It’ll hold all of us. Should be there in five hours—max.”
Mac grabbed her doctor kit.
Judge gave her a look.
“You nev
er know,” she said. “I’d rather be prepared.”
He nodded, hoping she didn’t mean that to include Lani.
They piled into the Suburban.
“Let’s take the back,” Mac said to Ariadne. “I have some catching up to do with Ciara.”
Lance drove, Judge sat shotgun. Cross and Griz piled in behind them. The three women situated themselves in the very back.
“Don’t drive slow,” Judge cautioned. “Or I’ll have to take over.”
“When have I ever driven slow?” Lance laughed. “Let’s find your girl.”
“Who said she’s my girl?”
Who am I kidding?
But Judge wasn’t ready to admit his feelings—not out loud. Not to his Enforcer brothers.
Lance looked him up and down.
Cross chuckled. “You saying she’s not? That it’s not your baby?”
Judge knew as surely as his bear knew that the baby could be no one else’s. And even if it weren’t his, Lani was still his. And her child would be his.
As soon as I can find her.
“Yeah, and from what she told Mac, it seems her friend could be in trouble.”
Which means Lani could be in trouble, too.
Lance briefed him on a talk that Lani had with Mac before he’d passed out.
That Lani’s friend Pepper was mixed up with unsavory characters. That she was in trouble. That Lani had gone AWOL to find and help her.
Judge was furious with her for so many reasons, but a part of him beamed with admiration for Lani.
I need to find my mate.
He’d never met anyone so mysterious and deep, so hard to understand. And at the same time so exciting.
Subconsciously his shifter hearing picked up a conversation in the back of the vehicle.
Curiosity piqued, Judge paid attention, tuning in, and tuning everything else out.
“I thought Intuitives didn’t interact with shifters,” Mac was saying in almost a whisper in the farthest seat in the back.
“Not usually.” Judge recognized Ciara’s voice. “But…”
“Ciara’s my cousin,” Griz said.
Judge turned toward the back, pretense at eavesdropping over. He was curious now.
How is Griz related to an Intuitive?
Griz continued, “She told me to check on you guys. If it weren’t for her Intuitive senses, I’d have never known every time there was a ripple in your lives.”