by Vella Day
“He wasn’t that bad. The quick of it was that Ricky cheated on her, and Cheryl fell apart. Due to circumstances beyond her control, the shelter had to lay her off, and her landlord raised her rent.”
“That sucked.”
“I told you she was unlucky. She was smart though. She went back to school to become a paralegal.”
He turned off the Interstate and headed west. “I guess I can fill in the gaps. Since she always wanted to come to Florida, when she heard of an opening down here, she applied.”
“You got it.”
He slowed, as if he was looking for Seaside Drive. “Here it is.” He pulled into the lot that serviced many warehouses, cut the engine, and faced Mac. “You seem to think Cheryl is in trouble. What’s your evidence beside her failing to call you?”
She went through the same reasoning she’d had with her mom.
“Okay. Are you sure you want to look around here? It’s pretty run down. I checked, and most of the law offices are downtown or in a professional park.”
Mac shrugged. “This is where her GPS said she’d come. Her phone’s an older model and not all that accurate. I’m going to look around.”
She pushed open her door. The air was downright balmy and a wonderful relief from the snow in Indiana. Several large trucks were parked along the side of one building, but no workers were milling about. In fact, most of the buildings looked abandoned.
Jay stepped out of the driver’s side. “Not sure it’s all that safe around here.”
He was being too protective, but for the sake of being cautious, she refocused her attention on her senses. Other than Jay, there didn’t seem to be other shifters around. “I trust you can take care of a few Colters, right?” Her father had told her that only the best could defeat two wolves at a time. “But seriously, have you known Colters to attack for no reason?”
“As a matter of fact, I’ve seen it.”
Shivers raced up her spine. “I still want to walk around. If I sense someone, I’ll give a shout.”
What she didn’t understand was why Cheryl had gotten out of the cab in a place like this? She had to have sensed that no reputable law office would be here. If Mac could locate the cab driver who’d driven her cousin here, he might be able to describe her state of mind.
Going around town would require a rental, and Mac didn’t want to inconvenience Jay any more. This search sure would eat up her little nest egg, but that was what her money was for.
Since she’d asked Jay to drive her here, she might as well peek in all the windows. Damn. There was nothing but empty interiors. A part of one building looked like it had once been offices, but only a few pieces of furniture remained.
“Find anything good?”
Mac jumped. “You startled me.”
“You didn’t sense me coming?”
Shit. “I must have been thinking too hard.”
“Come on. This place gives me the creeps.” Jay headed back to his car.
She trotted after him. “Would you mind dropping me off at a car rental place? I should have my own ride.”
“I can drive you where you want to go.”
“I appreciate that, but you have better things to do. You do have a garage to run for a while, or did you forget?” As much as she welcomed the protection, her mind was clearer when she was by herself. “Besides, I might want to spend a day at the beach.”
Jay shrugged. “If that’s what you want.” He jumped in the car and fired it up. “You still want to crash at my place, right? Or do you want to exercise more independence and rent a place of your own?”
Mac almost laughed. “I’d like to stay with you until Riley returns home, if that’s okay.”
“Works for me. You know family is always welcome.”
Over the years, Jay had been a study in contrasts. In high school, he’d been a surly and angry young man. Having a father found guilty of running a Ponzi scheme had taken a toll on him. Once he left Indiana, things had gone his way, and he seemed happier now. “Thank you.”
* * *
Brandon Crenshaw and his cousin, Sam, had been called into Pack headquarters by Trax Field, the man who ran the surveillance end of the Pack. He wouldn’t tell them much over the phone; only that he’d found something that related to Cheryl Johnson, the woman he and Sam were assigned to help locate.
Sam drove. “I sure the fuck hope Trax has something good. This case is driving me crazy. I want those bastards so bad, I can taste it.”
Brandon understood Sam’s frustration. They’d been hot on Cheryl Johnson’s trail for over a week now and had been sure they were close several times, only to discover their information had been faulty. “I’m pissed as hell, too, that some scumbag Colter would have kidnapped a woman and then sell her. We’ll find her. We just have to be patient.”
“Fuck patience.” Sam made a growling sound, though it wasn’t nearly as threatening as when he was in his wolf form.
His cousin’s hatred for the Colters knew no bounds. It was what drove him—and that worried Brandon. “We have to be smart or whoever has Cheryl will put her someplace where we’ll never find her,” Brandon said.
“Nothing is going to stop me from retrieving her. I didn’t stop searching when those fuckers killed my brother, and I won’t stop searching now.”
Whenever Sam brought up his younger brother’s name, it was best not to engage him in conversation. Brandon decided it would be wise to keep quiet the remainder of the short trip to town.
Sam pulled the truck up to the building and did a shitty job of parking. He then slammed the truck into park and got out.
Brandon had to rush to keep up with him. “Slow down.”
No surprise, Sam didn’t answer, but Brandon was able to catch up. They headed straight to the conference room where Trax said he’d meet them.
When they entered, Trax looked up. “Thanks for coming in.”
The Pack was dedicated to bringing down crime, and their boss, General Armand, ran the Pack like a military organization. Luckily, he believed in having the best equipment and the best-trained men. It was why The Pack was making great headway in taking down the Colter Organization. Unfortunately, it seemed to be an endless job. No matter how many Colters they killed or put behind bars, sooner or later, another leader would pop up and take over.
“I wanted you two to see this. This occurred an hour ago.” Trax clicked on the surveillance camera feeds. “This is the warehouse district where Cheryl claimed she was drugged. Take a look.”
Brandon watched as a stunning brunette climbed out of a car, followed by a man about her age. “Do we know them?”
“I don’t have a handle on the woman yet, but the man is Jay Wagner, one of Paul Statler’s henchmen.”
Fuck. Paul Statler was now the head of the Colters, having recently replaced John Hood, the man responsible for kidnapping Cheryl.
The woman disappeared around the side of the building, but Jay stood watch. “Any idea what she’s doing?” Sam asked.
“Beats me,” Trax said, “but if she’s with Wagner, she’s up to no good.”
Brandon wasn’t so ready to condemn her. “The Colters usually don’t employ women.”
Sam’s face contorted. “With the way she’s peeking into that empty warehouse, I’m betting she’s looking for the earring we found inside.” It had been their confirmation that Cheryl had been drugged there. Elena, Cheryl’s cage mate, remembered the girl wearing only one earring. Thankfully, The Pack had managed to extract Elena before she was sold.
Brandon was intrigued. “If this woman is snooping around there with Jay Wagner, she might know something about Cheryl’s disappearance.”
Sam straightened. “Then I say we find her.” He looked over at Trax. “Can you give me a copy of that feed? I’ll put it through our facial recognition software at work.”
“Sure. Just give me a sec.”
As he and Sam waited for Trax to copy the video, the General stepped into the room. “Glad I ca
ught you boys. I have something I want to discuss with you.”
Chapter Three
While Brandon was in the living room doing research on John Hood’s house, trying to figure out the best time to get in so they could locate the information the General had requested, Sam had copied a portion of the video feed of Jay Wagner and the woman. He’d emailed it to one of the techs at his day job, who hopefully would be able to tell him her identity.
Working for the sheriff’s department had been a stroke of genius on Sam’s part. Not only could he keep better track of the Colters, he had full access to the department’s national databases. In return, he shared some of the intel secured by his Pack, though he didn’t let on where he’d procured that information. He let everyone think he had the best snitches in town.
No one else on the force was a shifter, so no one had guessed his secret. The biggest drawback to pretending to be fully human was having to fight like one, but that had taught him discipline. It was hard for a werewolf not to shift when adrenaline was coursing through his system, but Sam had learned how to control his body better than most.
His cell rang less than an hour later. The news was good. “I appreciate it, Vern. I owe you one.”
His next call was to Chris Williams, The Pack’s technical guru. He answered on the first ring. “Hey, Sam. What can I do for you?”
“Need a favor.” He gave him Mackenzie Wagner’s name and asked him to pull up the basics on her. “I’m guessing since she and Jay share the same last name, they’re related.”
“I’ll get right on it. Give me fifteen minutes.”
While Sam waited, he studied the video again to see if he noticed anything different this time. Jay appeared nervous, almost as if he was expecting trouble, whereas Mackenzie looked curious but frantic. In all honesty, he couldn’t get a read on her. When Chris called ten minutes later, Sam was ready to take notes. He listened carefully, taking down the information.
“I owe you.”
“Anytime. That’s what I’m here for,” Chris said.
Pleased they were one step closer to finding Cheryl, Sam trotted out to the living room. “Her name is Mackenzie Wagner,” Sam announced. “She’s Jay’s cousin on her father’s side.”
Brandon looked up from his laptop. “The lady at the warehouse with Jay Wagner is his cousin?”
“Yup.”
“How did you find out?”
“Facial recognition software. Seems she was arrested a few years back in Washington DC, demonstrating against the building of the Keystone pipeline.”
“Do you know what she’s doing in Gulfside? Is she here for a family reunion, or is she here to snoop around the warehouse district for fun?” Brandon asked.
“Don’t know, but if she’s related to Jay, she can’t be up to much good.”
Despite still having a ton of unanswered questions, this video provided the first real clue they’d had. Sam snatched a beer from the fridge, unscrewed the top, and tossed back the drink. He returned to the living room. “Chris did a little research for us. Turns out Mackenzie Wagner has another cousin on her mother’s side.”
“Cheryl Johnson? Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Nope.”
“Do you think she had something to do with luring Cheryl down to the warehouse docks?”
Sam shrugged. “Don’t know. Could be Jay asked her to give him a hand in capturing Cheryl. Perhaps it was her job to convince her cousin to go for the interview. Unfortunately, we don’t have proof that Jay’s boss, Paul Statler, was directly involved in the human trafficking arm of the Colter business, but we can’t rule it out either.”
Brandon popped up off the sofa and paced. “Why would this woman come down now? Cheryl’s been in captivity for two weeks.”
“Beats me. Maybe she’s here to blackmail the buyer. Who the hell knows what goes through these bastards’ minds.”
“Mackenzie Wagner might know Cheryl’s location, which means we need to follow her, see where she goes.”
“Wouldn’t that be sweet if she led us right to Cheryl?”
Brandon shoved a hand through his hair. “Do we know where she is now?”
“No, but I found out where Jay Wagner lives. If they were together once, they might be together again.”
“Let’s check him out.”
Sam looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s not quite five, so I’m guessing Jay will either be kissing Statler’s ass or at his day job. I say we scope out his home. A few well-placed bugs should help us locate his cousin.”
“I’m game.”
Once Sam collected his gear, they took off. They parked about a half-mile from Jay’s house and walked around the block, deciding if they could plant some bugs without being seen. If not, they’d come back tonight.
“There’s an alley ’round back. Let’s check it out,” Brandon said. He was the more cautious of the two, which helped balance Sam’s impulsiveness.
As they worked their way to the rear, no one appeared to be watching them, and there wasn’t any scent of wolf nearby. “How about you keep watch, and I’ll do my thing?” Sam asked. He patted the pocket that he’d filled with the needed electronic equipment.
“Sure.”
Sam had to use small microphones so they wouldn’t be easily seen from the inside. The problem with the size was that they could only pick up voices if a person stood near the window. Listening to their conversation wasn’t the main reason for bugging the place—it was to know when Jay arrived home. Then they could return with more sophisticated equipment and listen from a distance if need be.
Sam quickly finished and returned to Brandon who was keeping watch by the alley. Without saying anything, they headed around the block toward the front where a gray Ford Escort was pulling into Jay’s drive. From their angle, they couldn’t see who was inside.
“That’s not Jay’s car,” Sam said. He’d checked the DMV files.
Someone opened the driver’s side door. “Quick. Hide,” Brandon said, rushing down the neighbor’s drive and ducking behind a large clump of pampas grass. Sam joined him. He hoped no one inside this house was looking out. It would appear quite odd to see two grown men crouched behind a bush.
Sam spread the grasses to get a visual. The same tall brunette from the video stepped out from the car. “It’s her,” Sam whispered. “Mackenzie Wagner.”
Brandon nearly stood. “We should talk with her.”
Sam let go of the reeds and jerked Brandon down. Now who was the impulsive one? “And ask her what? Did you have anything to do with drugging your cousin and helping to sell her to some asshole Colter?” Brandon never acted without thinking first.
“Sorry. My head’s spinning right now. It’s as if being near this Colter’s house has my body in a fit.”
“I don’t feel so good either.” Sam’s self-control was wavering, and it scared him a bit. “Let’s get out of here.”
This time, Brandon grabbed his arm. “We can’t just let her go.”
“We can’t afford to blow this. She doesn’t appear to be leaving. Look, she’s headed inside. She might be staying with her cousin.”
Brandon sank back on his heels. “We have to find a way to get her to talk to us, but I’m not sure I could stomach getting close to her, despite the fact she looks hotter than sin.”
“Me either. I think I’d get sick if I came any closer to this Colter woman.” His cousin’s body was twitching and jerking as if he was getting ready to shift. “Are you okay?”
“Not really. We need to leave. You got any more tracking devices in your kit?”
“Always.” Sam made sure his gear was fully stocked. He carried an array of sophisticated tracking and bugging devices at all times.
“Let’s put a tail on her car. That way we’ll know where she is.”
“Good idea.”
As they’d neared their truck, Sam’s body began to calm. The sensation was nothing like anything he’d experienced before. He unlocked the tailgate, extra
cted his case, and then plucked the tiny device from its foam holder. He held out the bug. “You want to do the honors?”
“I’d rather sit this one out. It’s like I had a spell put on me a moment ago. I feel better now, but I’m not chancing getting near again.”
Sam felt the same way. “Pussy.”
“Fuck you.”
That cheered Sam up. As he neared Mackenzie Wagner’s car, he kept vigil on the nearby houses. It didn’t appear as if anyone had taken notice of him. Once he reached the drive, he knelt down and as he pretended to tie his shoelaces, he studied his surroundings. Her car was about fifteen feet from the sidewalk. He needed to make sure neither Mackenzie or any neighbor was watching.
Sam could sense her presence, and the feeling was unusually strong. Normally, he couldn’t detect a werewolf if he or she were behind a door or more than ten feet away. Mackenzie had to be near the front of the house. It was the only explanation for this sudden need to shift.
He checked the windows, but no face appeared. Something strange was going on, but he didn’t have time to ponder it.
When the door to the house remained closed, he figured it was safe to plant the device. Keeping low, he slipped the bug under her rear bumper, and then returned to the sidewalk. Instead of returning the way he’d come, Sam continued down the street, rounded the corner, and double-backed through the alley.
He slid into the driver’s side. “Done.” When Brandon didn’t respond, Sam studied him. “What’s wrong?”
“You aren’t going to like it.”
“I don’t like a lot of things. Spill it.”
“I remember what happened to Dirk the first time he got near Elena.”
Elena was Dirk and Clay’s mate—two of their Pack counterparts. “What?”
“He had to work hard not to shift and couldn’t even look at her when he was near. He said the first few times he got close to her were the worst.”
Sam finally looked over at Brandon, his eyes partially glazed over. “What the fuck are you trying to tell me?”