by Angela Foxxe
“What did you find?”
“Nothing. I was there for months and I found nothing.”
“That had to be frustrating.”
“It was awful. We even had two children disappear from their homes that month. Even with two active and recent disappearances, we still came back with absolutely nothing. I’ve never felt like such a failure.”
“You’re not a failure. I’ve been doing this job my entire career. I mean, come on. You saw me working alongside the Sheriff at Glen Rose, and I had no idea that he was running a small human trafficking ring under the Gate Keeper. You don’t always get the answers that you’re looking for. Or they come too late.”
“Well, it’s been a few years, so whatever the answer is, it’s more than just too late. We still don’t know how it’s happening.”
“Did you consider that Ethan might have something to do with it?”
Ty stopped, his back and shoulders rigid at her words.
“Of course, I did. Just because he’s my friend doesn’t make me a crap investigator. I quietly investigated him and came back the same. He wasn’t involved, and no one on the mountain was involved in any way that I could see. It was frustrating, but at the same time, at least we know who we can trust.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply that you weren’t doing your job. I’m just trying to look at all the possibilities here.”
“I know. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s the only case where I feel like the answer should have been right in front of my face but I never saw it.”
“It happens to the best of us.”
“It doesn’t happen to me.”
The heartache was evident in his voice, and Senora decided to drop it for a while. She knew what he was going through, though for Ty, she realized that it was more personal than that. These were his people, even if they were dragon shifters and not wolves. He couldn’t help his own people, and that made him angry. She didn’t blame him one bit. If she had anyone that depended on her, she might feel the same way. But she had no one but herself and a sad little fern that refused to die no matter how badly Senora cared for it or how many months it went without her coming home. Her experience with professional setbacks didn’t begin to compare to this.
They were silent for some time when Senora finally spoke again.
“How are there still children in the nest if parents are afraid that their children may get kidnapped?”
“There are hundreds of dragon children all over the country. We have a few kidnappings, people get scared and they stop. Then, people start sending their kids again, and the kidnapping start up again. You have no idea how hard it is to deal with a WereDragon going through puberty. A lot of shifters live in regular neighborhoods and don’t have enough privacy or space to hide the kids when they start getting out of hand. And then there’s the fire breathing. If the children stay in the city, they will be discovered. So the parents are left with the choice of having our entire species exposed because of their child, or possibly having the person that takes them to the nest be an imposter.”
“Tough choices.”
“Impossible choices. There have been some changes to the way it’s done, but every change that Ethan and the other Guardians make only works for a few months.”
“What’s the current protocol?”
“Parents go to an informational meeting and meet the Guardians in their region. Then, when that Guardian shows up, they know it’s the right one.”
“That seems pretty fool-proof.”
“It should be. But the Guardians are chosen by an unseen council, and it didn’t take long for the imposters to find the Guardian’s seal and start emulating it. So there were at least two Guardians in attendance that weren’t who they were supposed to be.”
“That’s ballsy,” Senora said. “How can someone like that stand in a room of WereDragons and not be terrified?”
“That’s why Ethan and I thought that they may be working from the inside.”
“Did they just change the names on the orders? How did that work?”
Senora stopped, getting a water out of her bag and taking a long swig. It was warm, but the thin air was getting to her and she was tired. Hopefully, once they stopped for a bit, she would feel better. But she could still hike, so she wasn’t going to complain.
“The orders came directly from the council, and the names were not altered.”
“Then why didn’t anyone say, ‘hey, you’re not John Doe’?”
“The perpetrator is playing on another safeguard that has been in place for generations.”
“And that is?”
“The Guardians are relocated when they’re assigned.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Anonymity is the only thing that keeps this working. So say you’re from San Diego, and you’re a dragon. You get a letter via courier with a seal, ensuring that the courier couldn’t open it.”
“Couldn’t a courier reseal it?”
“The dragon’s seal looks like a standard wax seal, but once it’s broken, it begins to seep into the paper. Within minutes, the paper dissolves and is gone.”
“Like a self-destructing letter in a spy movie?”
“They don’t blow up, but yes, they’re similar.”
“That’s neat.”
“So if the letter comes, and it’s still intact, then you would get something that says you’re being called to serve as Guardian, and it gives you the meeting place where you will get your documents that prove who you are and be given your new assignment. It’s like witness protection in some ways; they give you a new name, a house, car and a bank account, and you just build your life until they need you.”
“That sounds disruptive.”
“It’s considered an honor.”
“I don’t think I could give up contact with my friends and family like that. I mean, assuming I had family left.”
“There’s no option for saying no, and the families are more than proud when this happens.”
“I guess it’s normal for dragons. I just couldn’t.”
“For the greater good? You can’t give up what people take for granted in order to protect the greater good? I find that hard to believe, considering your current life and circumstance.”
“You’re right, but I still don’t see where the imposter gets in.”
“After the documents are given to the new Guardians, they are sent to their areas. When it’s time to bring a clutch of kids in, the Guardians are notified and come in. Somewhere in that step, the imposters are able to show up at the meetings and blend in with the other Guardians.”
“So the secretive nature of the process makes it possible.”
“Exactly,” Ty said.
“And since everyone is given a new name, they can’t compare names. Then, you add the nameless, faceless council members that appoint the Guardians, and you have an opening. It’s a small one, but someone took it.”
“That’s exactly my point.”
“And if they took that extremely small opening and ran with it, then the reward must be far greater than the risk.”
“You’re one hundred percent right.”
“That’s bad. What purpose could these children serve? It has to be something huge if there are people willing to walk into the lion’s den so to speak and just do what they need to do and disappear.”
“That’s what I was thinking.”
“This is insane.”
“Do you understand now why I’ve been so hesitant to share?”
“It’s a lot to take in, and even harder to believe. But there’s someone kidnapping shifter kids, and that has to stop.”
“Exactly.”
They fell into silence again, covering the trail quickly. Senora focused on her breathing and wished that the trail wasn’t so high. Her chest burned, and every step felt like it took much more effort than it should have. She was tired.
They were almost a half mile further down the trail when S
enora stopped, tilting her head and trying to pinpoint the sound that had caught her attention.
“What’s that?” she asked.
Ty listened for a moment.
“That’s the creek. We’re getting closer.”
“How is this place safe if people can just walk four miles or so and be at the nest? That doesn’t seem far enough.”
“You have to remember that most people that are hiking are weekend warriors. Hiking more than a few miles requires days in terrain like this, and a lot of people have an office to go back to on Monday. Even relatively fit people who work at a desk five days a week aren’t fit for more than a few miles like this.”
Senora nodded as they continued walking.
“That makes sense. I’m a little light-headed with the altitude.”
“And you’re in excellent shape,” Ty said. “Imagine the people who come here that aren’t nearly as active as you are trying to make it on these paths.”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a path,” she joked. “It’s more like a rabbit trail at this point.”
“It’s going to get worse.”
“Good to know.”
“The other thing that protects us is the entrance. The nest only has two access points. One is by air, and the other-”
“Is by sea,” she teased.
“You’re close. I think I’ll save that one for when we get there. You seem like a woman who loves surprises.”
“I hate surprises.”
“Good. Then this should be fun.”
“Fun for who?”
“Me,” he winked over his shoulder.
“Oh boy. That hasn’t really gone well for me in the past.”
They rounded the corner, and within a few yards, Senora saw the source of the noise she’d heard earlier.
“Creek? I think that you meant to say river,” she said, looking at the rushing, white-capped water and frowning. “How in the world are we going to get across that?”
“We’re not crossing that,” Ty said, his grin sending shivers up her spine, and not the good kind. “We’re climbing that.”
She followed where he was pointing and gasped.
“Climbing? I didn’t sign on for climbing.”
“Unless you plan to sprout wings, that’s the only way you’re getting to the nest.”
Senora groaned, but she pressed on. She was starting to feel better, her body finally getting used to the thinner air. But climbing wasn’t really her thing, and the rock face beside the waterfall seemed dangerous for an inexperienced climber.
“Are you sure that this is safe?” she asked, watching him go through his backpack and pull out a harness.
He held it near her feet, and she stepped into it.
“I’ll be with you the entire way,” he said.
He was close, his hands adjusting the wide webbing and brushing against her body from time to time as he worked. When his hand grazed her thigh, she jumped and he chuckled.
“I’m not going to try to have my way with you,” he said. “At least, not here.”
His words caused her heart to race, but she ignored it.
Keep it together, Senora. You can’t have another slipup like before. It’s not worth your job.
He smiled at her, and she forced a return smile.
“Now, just grab the rocks I grab and take it nice and slow. I’ll go up first, and you follow me.”
He pulled a harness on and clipped a carabiner to her harness. They walked to the wall together, and Ty started to shimmy up it.
“You can start whenever you’re ready, but it will need to be soon. We only have six feet of slack between us.”
“I’ll start when you attach the first carabiner to the rock.”
“I’m not attaching anything to the rocks.”
“How is that safe?”
“If you fall, you’ll be attached to me, and you won’t get hurt.”
“But what about you?”
“I’m fine.”
She grabbed the first handhold and started climbing, but she felt like she was going to vomit. There was no way he was serious about this. This couldn’t be safe.
But she couldn’t argue with him while she was busy trying not to die.
“Are you alright down there?” he said, his voice not the least bit concerned.
“I can’t talk right now.”
“Suit yourself. You can just listen.”
She nodded, not trusting herself to talk while she was navigating the tiny hand and foot holds that weren’t even close to logical or conveniently placed. Ty made it look easy, but at almost a foot shorter than him, easy for him was monumental for her.
“The next part is a little scary, but if you do exactly as I tell you, then you’ll be fine.”
“I’m listening.”
“Perfect. I want you to climb to your left horizontally. Don’t climb any higher.”
She did as she was told, taking her time. When she looked left, the wilderness stretched before her, and she caught a glimpse of the drop to the ground.
It was farther than she thought she had gotten, and she wished she hadn’t looked.
“Now, I need you to lean to the left until the rope is taut and you can’t pull anymore, and then I want you to let go and let yourself fall away from the rock.”
Her head snapped up, and she got dizzy looking at him where he was. She was about to curse him out when he continued, completely ignoring her.
“When your feet hit the ground, unhook me from your harness and get back at least ten feet.”
“I’m not letting go!”
“There’s no choice. This is the only way.”
“I’m not going to die. Are you trying to kill me?”
“I’m not. Trust me.”
“No. This is crazy.”
“Senora, this is it. We can’t stay on this rock long. Every minute we’re here, we risked someone watching us and seeing the entrance.”
“There’s no one out here.”
“There could be, and staying where you are is a surefire way to make sure that someone does see us.”
“I’m not buying that. I’m not letting go.”
“Let go or I’ll use the rope to yank you off the wall.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“You and I both know that’s a lie. I would and I will.”
“I can’t.”
“It’s alright if you’re scared. It’s going to be fine.”
“I’m not doing this.”
She felt Ty yank the rope, but she held on for dear life.
“Senora, don’t be ridiculous. You can do this.”
“No, I can’t.”
“Fine, you give me no choice. Don’t forget to unhook my line and move.”
“Ty, so help me, if you pull me off this oof-”
The rope tugged, her hands slipped and all at once, she was in mid-air, trying not to scream. Her body acted as a pendulum, and she began to swing toward the waterfall, slowly at first, but when she picked up speed, she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. She was flying through the air at a terrifying speed, and she was heading straight for the waterfall.
CHAPTER NINE
Kaden took the keys to his truck and paid the man in cash. The man started counting it back and reaching slowly into his pocket to make change, but Kaden waved him off. The man was old and slow, his coke bottle glasses almost comical on his narrow, wrinkled face. When the man kept up his sloth-like counting, Kaden put his hand on the man.
“Keep the change,” he shouted loud enough for the man to hear him.
The man started to protest, and Kaden shook his head, closing the door slowly so he didn’t hit the man. As soon as the old man was clear, Kaden sped off, heading in the direction he was sure Ty Mahigan and his sidekick had gone.
He was furious, and when he got his hands on that woman, he was going to make her pay. He only had two spares, so he’d wasted more than two hours finding a place that could tow his custom tru
ck and put new tires on it immediately.
But even immediately took time in these situations, and Kaden tried to remind himself that he had time. After the ruckus that Ethan had caused flying from Silver City straight through to Denver despite the daylight, Kaden knew he would be too tired to continue until nightfall. He had a few hours, and if he didn’t find Ethan by then, he would track him when Ethan finally flew out of hiding and went wherever he was headed.
Satisfied that he had a plan and Ethan wasn’t going to slip through his fingers, he continued on, taking his time and trying not to draw attention to himself.
Kaden took a tiny bottle from his glove compartment and opened it, downing the energizing elixir and tossing the bottle to the back of the cab. Within seconds, he felt fully awake, though he knew he couldn’t sustain this forever. He had just showered and was about to sleep when Ty and that woman had shown up. He didn’t remember the last time that he’d had a full night’s sleep, but he was so close to Ethan and the money that he couldn’t risk letting all that go. It was more than just the money; he was looking for answers, and he was sure that Ethan had them. If he didn’t, at least the money would give him the time and the freedom to search for answers himself. Kaden lived simply and well-below his means. That kind of money would last him decades.
If he lived that long.
But he must be close to the truth if they were sending people to stop him. He’d dealt with Ty before, though he had never had a problem with the man. But the so-called FBI Agent was a nice touch. He didn’t believe for a second that she was with the FBI. He knew how they worked, and he knew that they used lies to convince people to do their bidding all the time. Kaden wasn’t a fool, and he wasn’t going to let a couple of shifters pull one over on him.
He’d learned that lesson.
He needed to find Ethan and deal with him. When he was done with that, he would make the other two pay for slowing them down. With any luck, they would reveal who they were working for, and Kaden would be that much closer to his real target.
He checked the monitor, but it was no help to him in this place. The area he’d ended up in was a hotbed of shifter activity. There were always hundreds of shifters within a few miles of national parks. That’s where they lived so they could run wild when they needed to and still hide their true selves from their human neighbors. The Shifter Detection System only went out so many miles and wasn’t even close to foolproof. It only picked up the bio markers of the larger shifters, and it didn’t even register hybrids. He didn’t really understand how the technology worked in the first place, but it was only helpful if he was within a few miles of his target and the shifter he sought was full-blooded and hiding where humans lived. At this moment, the part of the forest that was on the screen was infested with shifters. It was a beautiful day, and the weather was perfect. He wasn’t even remotely surprised that they were out, stretching their legs and finding a place to bed down until nightfall so they could run on four legs.