by Sydney Addae
“What if I created a band of women across the nation for the sole purpose of stopping these crazy bitches. I can’t be everywhere, but we can warn packs when somebody like this enters our turf, and prepare for them. Why play defense all time? This is something we should’ve done since Arianna.”
Silas stared at her a few seconds and then laughed. “You’re scaring me but it makes sense. Goddess help us and anyone who’d come against our bitches.”
“Women,” she corrected.
“Women, indeed.” He kissed her, deep and hard. When they broke apart she gasped for air. “Sweet Bitch, I love you more than life,” he whispered.
“Love you too, Wolfie. Now let me make a few calls and we’ll get started so we’ll be ready when Ethan calls,” she said.
“You think he will,” Silas asked.
“He’ll have to. The breeder isn’t going to let Vanessa go that easy, not after everything she’s done, and Ethan may not be able to convince his mate to come with him. I don’t know if I would, especially when she finds out the man she planned to marry betrayed her. I’d think my ability to see through BS was off and try to go it alone. That’s when the wicked one will snatch her and we need to be ready to help Ethan. Because he won’t be able to fight that bitch on his own.”
“And you promised,” Silas said, smiling at her.
“Yeah, I promised, so that bitch is done.”
“What about Thorne’s mate? Isn’t she with that group?” Jacques asked.
Jasmine stopped and looked over her shoulder at Silas. “Is that true?”
“Yes, I think so. By the time our team arrived, the breeders had been moved. I’ve sent pack to each location we discovered and haven’t been able to find the women. We’re still questioning the people we brought in, but they don’t know much.”
“Asia checked?” Jasmine asked, since Angus was away. Both wore a special bracelet which allowed them to read and hear memories of most people they touched.
Silas nodded. “She and Hawke are both working on this. Because of our history with Arianna, this new threat has priority. She infiltrated the military, gained access to their information, stole data, and there’s no telling what else she’s done. Seems her ability to tap into the minds of men isn’t limited to our people.”
“Are you going to warn the Generals?”
“Just our own, half are mated and safe. They’ll need to spread the word through the troops quickly, maybe you can reach out to their mates as well.”
“I will. But remember she’s limited in what she can do. That’s why she needs to raise an army. We have one in place already, so we’re ahead of the game. Is Edwin available to help Rose set up the meetings?”
“Of course, whatever you need,” Silas said, standing beside her.
“Time won’t allow us to deal with her as a group, so I’ll meet her first, which isn’t a bad idea. I’ll be able to speak to the women from a better position.” They moved slowly down the hall. “Ethan’s on his way to find Vanessa, everything should happen within an hour or so. I’ll schedule the meeting three hours from now.”
“If I could give you a word of advice?” Silas looked down at her.
“Please.”
“Why not send out an alert to all the females you wish to engage. Perhaps start with the mates of Alphas and mated females in the database. This way they’ll have time to rearrange their plans and prepare, especially if they have pups. Give a range of time that you’ll contact them rather than a specific one, in case something happens. And either have Rose, Asia, or Victoria on standby to start the meeting for you if we’re detained. We don’t know how long this will take and you don’t want your first meeting with these women to start on a sour note.”
“Good thinking, I’ll have Rose take care of it and prep Asia to handle the meeting.”
“Asia? Why not Victoria?”
“Mama will have everybody fired up without telling them mates are protected. Asia will tell them I’m kicking ass somewhere else and then calmly state the facts and our goals.”
Chapter 27
Vanessa stretched and rolled over. Cool, soft sheets felt great against her skin. Thirsty. She opened her eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room that was just large enough for the bed, which filled the width of the room. There was a nightstand which held a lamp, a small pitcher, similar to those in hospitals, and plastic cups. Plus, a plate with an apple, orange, grapes and a banana next to the pitcher. Sitting up, she poured a drink, took a sip, and then another, easing her parched throat.
The longer she looked at the fruit the more her stomach growled. She started with the banana and ended with the apple. Fortified, she scooted to the edge of the bed, stood and wondered who’d dressed her in a pair of baggy jeans with rolled up legs, and a tee shirt twice her size. She rolled up the sleeves, looked around for shoes, a watch, or a hair brush and found none. A faded rug covered the plywood floor, which moved slightly with each step she took toward the first of two doors.
The first door led into a small makeshift bathroom and kitchen combo. The toilet sat next to the small refrigerator and microwave combination. Interesting. The next door led into a small room with a musty smell.
“Hello?”
When there was no response she ran her hand across the wall, found a light switch and turned it on. One low watt bulb lit the middle of the room, leaving the rest in the shadows. In the back of her mind, the theme from the Twilight Zone played as memories from New Jersey crowded her thoughts. Swallowing down a lump of fear threatening to choke her, she continued to look into the small space. This area would have been a better place for the refrigerator. Nothing adorned the smooth paneled walls, not even a window or door. How’d she get in? More importantly, how would she get out?
Beneath the light was a small card table with a piece of paper. The idea of someone leaving her a note in the midst of this bizarre fantasy propelled her forward. She shouldn’t have been surprised to see her name at the top, but she was. Scanning to the bottom, she saw Jim’s signature.
“Jim?” When she uttered his name recent memories burst forth. He’d tried to hurt her. Accused her of cheating, called her names…they’d eaten dinner and then what? She couldn’t remember. He’d said something.
“Think Vanessa, what did he say?” She tried to read the note and couldn’t make out all the words beneath the dim light and returned to the room. Sitting next to the nightstand, she turned on the lamp and placed the letter beneath it.
Vanessa,
I know you have questions and I wish I had all the answers. First let me apologize for drugging you the other night at dinner. I hated to do it, but at the time didn’t have much choice. They’d found you and rather than take the time required to explain everything, I just got you out of there as soon as possible. I’ve told you many times I just want what’s best for you. And keeping you safe is my main priority.”
Vanessa swallowed hard, her eyes returned to one sentence. “They’d found you.” How did he know about that part of her life? She’d never mentioned it. Had they contacted him? Threatened him? Poor Jim. She continued reading.
“You met their lead man, Ethan. He’s been following you for some time and when he made a move to grab you, I had to act. So I stashed you someplace none of them will be able to find. I need help to track him down and eliminate the threat. Either I’ll return or send someone for you when it’s safe. There’s food, water, and a microwave in the bathroom. Sorry about the accommodations, but I didn’t have time to find a better place. The most important thing to me is you’re safe here.
Love you.
Jim
She stared at the paper again. “Ethan?” Everything inside rebelled at the idea that he was involved with anything to hurt her. Shyla said he’d just come to town? Had her friend been misled? Or was Shyla somehow involved in all this?
“No,” she whispered. “Shyla’s not involved.” She never trusted Jim. You stopped trusting Jim. You planned to break things off bu
t he drugged you, she thought. Why would he lie? Why take you prisoner?
“Prisoner?” She scoffed while scooting up the bed. “I’m not a prisoner,” she whispered, looking around the windowless room. “This is temporary until Jim finds whoever’s after me. Jim’s a good guy. I always liked that about him.”
He drugged you. Said you were perfect, until you messed up? He knew you planned to break things off, said you weren’t going to marry him. He’s lying. Her thoughts went round and round until she thought her head would explode. She pulled off the engagement ring and placed it on the table. Looking at it sitting cold and alone lessened her anxiety. Jim didn’t do any of this to protect her, he said she’d ruined some kind of plan for him and was angry she’d gone to Sanders’ place.
Chest tight, stomach roiling, she slid from the bed, ran into the makeshift bathroom and released her stomach contents. On her knees, dots floated across her vision reminding her of another time she’d been taken without her consent. Her stomach roiled again and again, but there was nothing left.
“Please God, no more.” She lay on the floor, her forehead on plywood. Dots of light escaped from the base of the toilet. It took a moment to realize what that meant. Hope rose slowly, followed by renewed determination to escape. Looking around she searched for something, anything to unscrew the toilet. When that search yielded no results, she tried to pulled the sink from the wall, hoping to make a hole large enough to escape. The sink wouldn’t budge.
Vanessa sniffed, holding back tears of anger as she continued searching. Defeated, she fell onto the bed and stopped at the squeaky sound. Sitting up, she bounced. The noise returned. She jumped off the bed, pulled off the cover and shouted. “Hell yeah!” Working quickly, she removed the mattress and box spring to get to the metal rails beneath. She grabbed up one and carried it into the bathroom.
“Which one?” Did she break the sink and try to make the hole larger, or the toilet? Both probably wound up in the same place. There wasn’t a lot of room for a wide swing so she braced her feet and swung.
The sink broke into several pieces and hung limp on the wall by a plastic pipe. Pleased with her success, she twisted the valves to turn off the water supply, and hit the sink again until it lay on the floor. Light streamed through the hole and she knelt to look outside. Trees, knee high weeds and grass filled her vision. But there was something else. Her guess at being in a cage wasn’t too far off, she was in a metal container with insulation and some kind of vinyl siding that the bed frame had ripped through. Thin wood panels covered the walls. To get an idea how to widen the hole, the wall needed to go first.
Vanessa placed the edge of the bed frame in the hole, angling it so it’d fit and pulled. The paneling loosened but didn’t fall. Using her hands, she pulled the section down and stared at the wall in amazement. A double window sat above where the sink had been.
Energized with the possibility of escaping through the window, Vanessa angled the bed frame and hit the window frame. After several blows the window fell. Punching through the sheathing and vinyl siding was easier with the window gone. After what seemed like hours but maybe not that long, she climbed out of the container and landed on the ground.
Inhaling deeply, she enjoyed the scent of freedom. The vinyl-sided container sat beneath trees and high bushes, which limited her view as she moved forward. Without shoes, it didn't take long for her feet to bleed from unseen sharp rocks. She glanced back more than once wondering if there’d been shoes in the container, but during her searches she hadn’t seen any.
Sunlight filtered through the trees offering limited shade from the blistering heat. Thirsty, she moved slower than before. Her initial excitement of freedom waned, and she wondered at the wisdom of leaving the container stocked with food and water. Uncertain of her direction, she continued down a path hoping she’d find something or someone who could help her get home.
“Home, I want to go home,” she whispered as she reached what appeared to be a small creek. She scooped water into her palm and drank. Satisfied, she splashed water over her face and neck. “Which way now?”
Stepping on two stones in the middle she sighed in relief as the cool water rushed over her feet. “Feels good.”
Shading her eyes with her hand, she continued searching for signs of life. In the distance she saw two men. Both were big, but one was bigger and looked odd. Then they started fighting, and moved out of her line of vision. Vanessa played with the idea of heading in their direction for help, but wasn’t sure that was wise. Seconds later they returned to her line of vision. The big one held the other one over his head.
She gasped as he slammed him to the ground. The sound from the impact reached her. Her heart dropped to her feet as she continued to stare. No one could survive that. Not on the hard ground. Convinced she’d just witnessed a murder, she ran in the opposite direction, determined to get as far away as possible from the area.
Chest heaving, she gulped in air and looked back. No signs of the men. Heat beat down on her back as she continued. Exhausted, she sat on a stone beneath a tree to catch her breath.
“Hello.”
Vanessa’s head snapped up and she looked at the small man standing in front of her. Looking around, she wondered where he came from. “Hi, I didn’t see you.” She stood and winced as pain shot up from her feet.
“Go down this way and you’ll see a house, they’ll help you.”
She looked at the direction he pointed and then back at him. “Who’re you? Which way did you come? Are you going in that direction?”
“No, I can’t. But you should go before it gets dark, would you like someone to come and look for you?”
Unsure who this guy was, Vanessa shook her head. She needed to make her own decision whether to go to the house or not. “No, I’ll find it. You didn’t tell me your name.” She moved in the direction he pointed.
“Chogan. My name is Chogan.”
Chapter 28
Ethan thanked the driver and strode to his SUV in the bank’s parking lot. “Sir, do you have a fix on McNeill’s location?” he asked Alpha Jayden.
“Not conclusively, he hasn’t stopped, but he’s headed to the mountains. I’ll send you his current coordinates.”
“Thank you.” He pulled out of the parking lot and drove out of town. Eager to start the chase, his beast howled in anticipation of the hunt. In the confines of the truck, Ethan released the sound, allowing it freedom to proclaim their goals.
“Jim McNeill, this morning’s sunlight was the last you’ll see.” His beast agreed and panted in expectation. As soon as the coordinates came in, Ethan knew the area. It was within a 10-mile radius of where he and Callum were staying.
He played with the idea of keeping the information to himself but realized Alpha Jayden would alert pack to search the area.
“Kitchi?”
“It’s done?”
“Not quite.” He told his brother everything that happened to that point.
“He’s headed to the mountains? On your turf? Told you he was a dick-head.”
“Regardless he’s stashed my mate somewhere.”
“I doubt he’s heading toward her right now,” Kitchi said slowly. “He knows you’re after him and he put her away someplace. Damn, she could be anywhere.”
“That’s not helping,” Ethan snapped. His stomach twisted and cold dread rolled across him. Vanessa was in trouble but he didn’t know what or where. Why can’t I see? Show me where she is. Nothing. Other than the sense of wrongness, he couldn’t track her through his vision and that sucked.
“Sorry. Just thinking out loud. Chogan contacted me. He mentioned the darkness around you again. I told him what was going on and he said he’d see what he could do.”
“Thanks.” Not that he believed Chogan would help, but he wouldn’t go off on Kitchi for sharing private information this time.
“So where would a douche bag like him stash an unconscious woman? Not at a hotel? A private house? If it had a garage, for su
re. Can we find out if he or anyone in that group owned land around here?”
“One sec.” Ethan contacted Alpha Jayden and asked for the information. Alpha Jayden had already searched and sent pack members to all the locations. Shyla had provided him with a picture of Vanessa to assist with the search.
“Thank you, Sir.” Ethan pressed the gas and shot down the road. If he caught sight of McNeill’s limo, he planned to push them off the road and deal with the man on the spot. Every time he thought of what Vanessa went through, the kidnapping, the fake courtship, and that asshole would’ve married her just to breed her for his sick group, his blood heated.
“Callum and the others are out searching, you’ll see them around,” Kitchi said.
“McNeill is mine,” Ethan growled. Claws ripped from his fingertips curling around the steering wheel.
“Everyone knows that. Calm down before you wreck the car.”
Ethan took several breaths, but his claws wouldn’t retract. In the distance he saw a car coming in the opposite direction. He verified the license plate, it was the car McNeill had been in.
“Did he get out?” he asked Alpha Jayden.
“The car never stopped, he must have jumped out.”
Ethan pulled over, inhaled deeply as he exited and started running. He’d run a mile north before he picked up the trail. Shifting, he ran in earnest, allowing his beast full control. He sensed the presence of pack but didn’t slow down. Turning, he ran further into the mountainside.
Jim’s scent grew stronger.
Ethan slowed as the terrain sloped down rocky paths. He howled his frustration at the delay while picking his way down.
His frustration was acknowledged throughout the mountainside as pack joined in. A flat rock with some type of mark came into view, so did Jim. But this wasn’t the man he’d seen in the halls of Vanessa’s school. This man looked as if someone had taken an air pump and blew him up like a tire.
Ethan shifted to his hybrid and faced Jim on two feet. Even in hybrid form, Jim topped him by a couple inches. His body mass had doubled. Jim's face stretched so tight, Ethan thought his eyes would burst from their sockets. His neck and biceps were the size of tree trunks.