by Vella Day
Get him? “Did you do something bad that makes people want to come after you?” Had he taken after his father? It didn’t seem likely if he was repairing engines for a living.
“Like I’ve said, you can’t be too careful around here. Gulfside isn’t the safest town in the world.”
She didn’t like hearing that. “Then move.”
“I’ve considered it. Remember, that if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, it can be deadly. It won’t matter if you have a gun or not. You won’t have time to get it out.” His gaze bored into hers as if he was sending a warning.
Was he talking about himself or her? “Great.”
“So what was this hotter than sex information you got? Will it help you find your cousin?” He turned and walked back toward the kitchen.
She sat on the sofa, willing her pulse to slow. “Not really, but you were right. Cheryl was kidnapped, held in a cage for a few days, then sold to someone at auction.”
Jay continued into the kitchen, his steps slower. He glanced over his shoulder. “You sure about this?” Why didn’t he act upset or sound shocked?
Because it happened here all the time. Christ. Was Gulfside some den of iniquity where all the bad Colters gathered?
“Pretty sure.”
The refrigerator door banged open. “Who’s your source?”
Did it really matter? “Some guy I met at Wheels.”
He returned with a beer in hand. “That place isn’t exactly reputable. Your snitch might have just told you that tale so you’d fuck him. Hope it was worth it.”
Why was Jay being so crass? Was he trying to persuade her to leave? “It was.” With his attitude, she wouldn’t waste her breath trying to convince him that Brandon and Sam were nice guys, and that the chemistry between them was off the charts. “Can I ask you a personal question?”
“You can ask, but I might not answer.” He winked then dropped down onto the chair across from her, planting his feet on the wooden coffee table that sat between them.
He sure was in a pissy mood tonight. Maybe someone had complained about the way he’d fixed a car engine, or a customer had taken off without paying. Then again, it could have been from being awoken in the middle of the night to a screeching alarm. “What can you tell me about werewolves and their mates?”
His brows pinched. “Not sure I follow you.”
She didn’t dare tell him the real reason for her question. “When I was at the bar, this guy was talking about what happened the moment one of his friends got near his mate. The friend claimed he almost shifted, and said his sex drive was unparalleled. Dad never mentioned anything like that happening to him when he met Mom. Have you ever heard that? Or is it fiction?”
Jay leaned back and smiled. “I can’t believe I need to have ‘the’ talk with you. While I’ve never experienced that phenomenon myself, I’ve heard it’s true. I doubt I ever will go through it since in my job I don’t run into a lot of hot babes.”
Goosebumps raced over her body knowing Brandon was telling the truth. She still wasn’t sure she bought into this mate stuff, but what she’d felt when making love with him couldn’t be compared to anything she’d ever experienced before. With the way Jay was twisting the bottle, he was uncomfortable with this conversation. “Good to know.”
While she trusted both Brandon and Sam, and the attraction had definitely been intense, did that automatically mean they were destined for each other? For life? Despite Jay’s confirmation, she found that difficult to believe. His information came secondhand, too. A lot of people believed they’d found their soul mate, only to discover months or years later it was just infatuation.
“You okay?” he asked.
She jerked her attention back to her cousin. “Yeah, I’m just tired. I should head to bed and let you get back to sleep.” She debated telling him about the meeting tomorrow with Elena, but given Jay’s frame of mind, he’d probably tell her she was crazy and that it was some kind of trap.
“Take a shower first.” His tone came out light and teasing.
“Just for that, I might not shower for a week.” Jerk.
“I’d like to see you try.”
Chapter Ten
Elena Sanchez wasn’t what Mac expected. Her image of the woman was one of a dirty waif cowering in a cage. Elena looked good. Mac wouldn’t have looked so normal if some man had drugged and confined her for a few weeks. Elena seemed so happy and full of life.
“I appreciate your willingness to talk with me,” Mac said.
She’d agreed to meet at Elena’s boyfriends’ house, where she was now living. Elena claimed she was little hesitant about going outside, as she wasn’t convinced the nightmare was over. Mac couldn’t blame her.
Where Elena now lived appeared to be like every other suburban home. Next door, children’s toys were in the yard, and nice cars were parked in the driveways. Elena was the mate of Dirk Tilton and Clay Demmers, friends of Sam and Brandon.
Mac sipped the iced tea Elena had fixed for her. “Would you mind going through what happened to you? I know it must be hard, but it would help me. I’m desperate for a clue to Cheryl’s whereabouts.”
Elena inhaled. “Of course. I dream of her almost every night. I feel so sorry for her. I just hope she was half as lucky as I was.” She inhaled. “I’ve told my story so many times, it almost doesn’t seem real anymore.” Elena spoke of Harvey Couch, the terrible man she’d worked for. “Without skills, it was the only job I could get. I thought being secretary to a man who paired families in need of a nanny with young women desiring to come to the United States, a noble job. I was wrong.”
“Did you learn anything about Couch’s drug deals or his human trafficking scheme when you worked there? Is that why you didn’t like him?”
Elena’s eyes widened. “No! I didn’t have a clue. I hated him because Couch would touch me, make me stay late, and do things I thought questionable, but I was brought up to do as I was told.”
Elena’s upbringing had been so different from hers. “Then what?”
“When I arrived at the airport on my way to visit my family, I was asked to enter another room for security purposes. Next thing I knew, someone pricks me in my arm. When I awoke, I was in a cage in a warehouse with some Russian giant as my keeper.”
Mac leaned forward. “When did Cheryl arrive?”
“I couldn’t tell you how many days it was, as I kind of lost track of time, but if I had to guess, I’d say two weeks or more after I first arrived.”
Mac’s stomach churned. She wasn’t as ready as she thought to hear the details, especially if abuse was involved. Had Brandon or Sam checked with airport security to see how a cohort of Couch’s could have had access to a secure room? “Do you have any idea what happened to my cousin?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
A door down the hall opened, and a hulking werewolf came toward Elena. He smiled, kissed the woman’s head, all the while focusing on Mac.
He held out his hand. “Dirk Tilton. Brandon said you’re Cheryl’s cousin?”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry.” He turned to Elena. “The General called. I have to run, but I’ll text you when I can.”
She looked up at him with devotion and love. “Be safe.”
“Always.” He kissed her lips then headed out.
Mac wanted to ask her about this mate stuff, but since Elena was human, she wouldn’t have felt the same pull toward a man as Mac had.
For the next thirty minutes, Elena went over the series of events that led to her release. “A man with the snake and devil tattoo on the back of his hand came to the warehouse. He blindfolded and tied up both Cheryl and me, and then drove us to the place where I was to be sold. Once they dragged me out of the van, I never saw your cousin again.” She lowered her gaze. “I wish I could have helped more.”
“No. You’ve been great.” Mostly because Mac had been able to see the love between Elena and one of her men. “I don’t want to keep you.”
She stood.
Elena wrung her hands together. “Let me know if you learn something.”
“I will.”
* * *
Sam and Brandon were parked down the street from Dirk and Clay’s house. Sam wanted to make sure nothing happened to Mackenzie as she entered or left. The men’s home was secure, so as long as she remained inside, she’d be safe. It was where she might go afterward that had him worried.
Jay hadn’t harmed Mackenzie last night, but that didn’t mean she was out of danger. She and Jay had been too far from the window bugs for Sam to hear their conversation, so he’d waited a few more hours after she went to bed before heading home.
“There she is,” Brandon nodded to Mackenzie, as she left by the front door.
Sam studied her demeanor. Her face appeared drawn, but it didn’t look as if she’d been crying. That was good, but he wished she’d have been a little more aware of her surroundings. Not that he wanted her to spot them, but she needed to be more cautious.
He waited until she took off before starting his engine. “Looks like she’s heading back to Jay’s.” Before he came out here, Sam had checked Jay’s house. His car wasn’t in the drive, which meant she’d be safe for now.
His cell rang. “It’s Chris Williams.”
“Maybe he was able to get into John Hood’s laptop.”
“Let’s hope.” Sam swiped the screen. “Hey, Chris.”
“I finished checking out Hood’s laptop. If you want to come pick it up, it’s done.”
“Find anything?” Sam glanced over at Brandon.
“Not much.”
Damn. “I’ll be right over.” He hung up and eased onto the road. “Nothing. Want me to drop you off at your job?”
Brandon had the best gig in the world. He worked for the phone company installing lines and service. His boss was also a shifter who had his own reasons for hating the Colters, so he let Brandon use the poll-climbing job as a means to spy on those bad boys.
“I’ll go to work as soon as we speak with Chris.”
“How about looking on your tablet to see if Mackenzie is heading back to Jay’s. I want to know her whereabouts at all times.”
“You got it.”
* * *
Mac had been back at Jay’s house after visiting Elena no longer than a half hour when her cell rang. To her delight it was Sam.
“Hey.” She was surprised to hear from him. He must have gotten her number from Brandon.
“Just wondering if I could convince you to give me some computer help. It involves a certain relative of yours.”
She walked over to the living room and sat down, her mind going a million miles an hour. “I’d be happy to.” Her stomach grumbled. It was close to lunch and she needed to pick up some food. “How about if I grab some fried chicken from the drive thru and come on over?”
He didn’t answer for a second, “Tell you what. Give me fifteen minutes, and then come over. I’ll pick us up lunch.”
Something was going on. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid some Colter dude is going to kidnap me, now are you?” He seemed to be very protective.
“Let’s just say fried food isn’t good for my boyish figure.”
She laughed. “Uh-huh.” If he didn’t want to tell her the real reason for the request, then so be it. She just wanted to get her hands on the computer, especially if it would give her a clue to Cheryl’s whereabouts. “Deal. Will Brandon be there?”
“He has to work. Hope you can handle me. I can be a bit pushy at times.”
“Not a problem.” Or was he talking about sex? It didn’t matter. She wouldn’t let herself get carried away two days in a row.
Fifteen minutes later, she pulled into their drive. Instead of parking in the back like before, she found a spot in front. She was about to slip out of the driver’s side when Sam stepped onto the front porch and jogged down to meet her.
He pulled open her door. “Thanks for coming.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Come on in and I’ll tell you.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, and her heart stammered in her chest. If only that were the only visceral reaction, she could handle it. Dampness pooled between her legs.
It was true. She was their mate, but Mac couldn’t worry about that now. She had a cousin to find.
“I set up the computer at the dining room table. While you get started, I’ll put the lasagna in the oven. I also made you some iced tea. I didn’t know if you took it sweet or not.”
“Unsweet. Thank you.” If only the men at work treated her this well, life would be great. “But you didn’t have to go to so much trouble.”
“Just trying to be nice.” He walked into the kitchen, his tight hips barely moving.
She inhaled to gain some control. This must be some computer job. “Did you crash your hard drive or something?” she called out.
“Be right there,” Sam said from the kitchen. He returned with her drink and set it in front of her. He nodded for her to take a seat. “Remember we said Cheryl had been captured by a man named John Hood.”
Every nerve in her body shot to life. “Yes.”
“The man’s now in jail, and this is his computer.”
Adrenaline slammed through her. “How did you get it?” This might be a goldmine, and the key to finding her cousin.
“Brandon and I borrowed this from Hood’s residence.”
She laughed. “My firm is good at borrowing, too.” He grinned, and it was as though she’d been hit in the chest with a lust bomb.
“I had someone at work look at it. While he was able to get into the file section, there are encrypted files that he wasn’t able to access. You told Brandon you could hack into anything.”
“Within reason.”
“I’ll keep my fingers crossed then.”
“What are you looking for exactly?”
“I’m hoping Hood wrote down the names of the men who bought the women and put the file somewhere.”
Her pulse soared. “Oh, my God. Really?”
“That’s my hope, anyway. I’ll leave you be for a while. Let me know when you have something.”
Mac was in heaven. Here was her chance to find Cheryl. As much as she enjoyed being around Sam, it was better if he didn’t sit so near. His presence seemed to mess with her thinking process.
She went to work, her fingers flying across the keyboard. The encryption software was sophisticated, but it wasn’t anything she hadn’t seen before.
Twenty minutes later he returned with two plates of lasagna. “Lunch is served. Take a break and eat.”
Because she wanted to get back to her search, she ate quickly. Mac waved her fork. “This is really good.”
“Only the best for you.”
She wanted to think about the meaning behind all of his compliments, but she had other things on her mind. When they both finished, he cleared the table and returned with a beer in his hand.
“Anything yet?” He slipped next to her.
“You’ve only been gone a few minutes.” He leaned over to look at the screen. She chuckled. “You don’t have to keep watch, you know. If I find anything, I promise to tell you.”
Sam tilted back his drink. “I want to be here when you open that file.”
“You don’t even know it’s here.”
He grinned. “Oh, it’ll be there. You just need to find it.”
So now she was a magician? Even though Sam’s presence distracted her, she kept the image of Cheryl firmly in her mind. By the time she’d gone through a few glasses of iced tea, she found the key to the encryption.
“Yes!” She clicked open the file.
Sam scooted closer. His shoulder touched hers, and her body reheated. Mac debated asking him to give her some breathing room, but the words wouldn’t form. The same spell she’d shared with Brandon was happening between her and Sam.
He leaned closer and read what was on the screen. “Carl Hampton, Roger Medlock, Charles Nesmith, William Dani
els. The list goes on. Holy fuck, I think you hit payday, woman.” Each had a dollar amount, between thirteen and thirty thousand dollars, after their name.
She scrolled to the end. “If this is a list of the men who’d purchased the women, where are the women’s names? How can we tell who bought Cheryl?” The euphoria that had claimed her a moment ago was replaced with depression.
“One by one, baby. We’ll check every fucking name until we find her.” He pushed back his chair, stood, and held out his arms. “I say this calls for a celebration.”
Mac wasn’t sure what came over her. Was it the incredible animal attraction to Sam or the fact she might have helped find Cheryl that made her throw herself in his arms? His deep woodsy scent mixed with fresh linen had her snuggling deeper against his chest. Without a doubt, this was where she belonged. With Brandon. With Sam. Mac should be shocked that she had this deep stirring with both men, but her werewolf genes were making it hard to resist either one.
Sam hugged her tighter, causing her senses to shoot to high alert. She looked up at his deep-set eyes—eyes that were filled with a combination of sympathy, excitement, and lust. The swirling golds and browns haunted her in their intensity, as did the faint lines that fanned out from the corners. She had no doubt she was with a man who’d suffered too early in his life. Mesmerized by the depths of his pain, she forced herself to lower her gaze to his full lips. Big mistake. They were even more alluring.
His mouth parted. “I think we should see if the bond between us is as strong as Brandon claims.”
Her belly clenched at the thought. “I agree.”
She didn’t believe for one second that he wasn’t under the same erotic tug that she was. Mac had never slept with a man one day and a different one the next, but with these two, her thoughts had been scattered, different, and way too erotic. Knowing they were fated for each other made it easier for her to give into her prurient urges.
Only this time, she wouldn’t stand like Brandon had asked her to do while he ravished her body. Her need had grown since yesterday. “Okay, but we do it my way.”