The car idled and they sat in silence. Both stared forward. Through his peripheral vision he knew her knuckles were white on the steering wheel.
“Well?” she asked, after he didn’t get out.
He reached for the door handle. “Have a good life.”
She made a noise of disgust. Curragh glanced over because he couldn’t help it. She cut a look his way and cocked one pretty eyebrow. She really was a stunner, this one. Those fucking eyes of hers, they could cut glass with a look. He opened the door and got out. She wasted no time, put the car in gear and sped off.
“Fucking cops.”
When he returned to the loft, a long walk and a lot of obsessing later, he found his packmates not home. The shower felt good, though he knew it was useless for anything except deceiving Xavier as to where he’d been. Curragh had memorized Kara’s scent. It would haunt his every waking moment. Her lips. The way she moaned when he rocked with her. It was all he could think about.
He was drying off when the front door opened, and from the sound of the footsteps, Xavier was home.
“Well, Howard came through for us,” the wolf called out as he locked the door. “Just like we thought when we overheard her conversation.”
“Yeah?” Curragh called back, distracted.
“Yeah. Not only did the scrawny little bastard cover up our tracks, he did away with the evidence completely.”
Curragh tossed the dampened towel on the floor and walked out, naked, into the main room. “Why? What does he want?”
“To get in our good graces.”
Plopping down on the beaten-up couch, Curragh snorted, “Transparent.”
“I baited him.” Xavier headed for the kitchen area. “Told him we were grateful. That he’d done a service to us and we wouldn’t forget it.”
Spreading his legs comfortably and propping one foot on the wood coffee table, Curragh called over, “I bet you told him you were impressed.”
“I did,” the dark-eyed wolf chuckled. “You want a drink?”
“I hate it when you do that.”
Pulling out a bottle of bourbon, Xavier asked, “Offer you cocktails for brunch?”
“Placate people.”
Xavier laughed. “You’re such a stodge.”
“What the fuck is a stodge?”
“I just made it up. It’s you. Stuck in your ways. You want that kid to be on our side…or theirs?”
He leveled a somber look at his packmate. “He’s on his side. Like everybody.”
Amusement shone in Xavier’s eyes as he set the bottle down with a loud thud and brought two full glasses over to the couch. No ice. “You’re on my side. And you’re on Draik’s. So don’t give me that crap. The kid just wants what we have. And I can’t blame him. He’s stunted somehow. There’s no reason a wolf should be that fucking skinny.” He stood above, sipping.
“It’s not right,” Curragh agreed, taking the extended glass and hitting it against his friend’s. The first time he’d met Howard Peters he didn’t believe what he smelled. Wolves can smell their own. It’s one way they can defend themselves, a sort of warning flag imprinted into their nostrils for survival. But Howard wasn’t like any of the wolves he’d ever met. The kid was thin and shy. Awkward. He had a story, and Curragh didn’t want to know what it was. It didn’t matter. They had more important things to think about. “I don’t care what he wants. We stick together because we’re stronger together. And we have the same desire to do some good.”
“I’m done arguing with you.”
“I doubt that.”
“He wants to do good.”
“See? Not done.”
Xavier threw him a smirk. “You’re as stubborn as those wolves in New York. Did Draik go with you after those Russians?”
Curragh made a face. “No. Why?”
“Because he left a message he found a couple guys. I thought he was taking the credit after you called him.”
They stared at each other, the air turning ominous. Xavier pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed their packmate. When the voicemail came on, he said, “Draik. Call us and let us know where you are.”
“He’s got it on silent if he’s laying low and keeping watch.”
“Right.”
The contraption that told them of police activity beeped, and both wolves looked over. Xavier rose up and went to it, reading the code. They’d hired an underground hacker to create it, and still had yet to give it a name. The guy wanted it named after him, but ‘Trevor?’ No. It was a high-tech computer that spelled out the locations of police whereabouts, and it read like complicated email, dashes and symbols strewn in. What was special about it was that it could be customized. They had it set to beep when the word ‘Russian’ or ‘Mafia’ came into play.
Xavier called over, “We got something. Get dressed.”
Curragh leapt off the couch and beat his friend to the bathroom, remembering he left his clothes on the floor, and that they smelled of her. “Hang on. I have to piss.”
“So do I.”
“Wait your turn,” he said, knocking Xavier back and throwing a disarming smile like he was playing. The rouse worked. Inside, sure enough the whole room smelled of woman. Curragh nearly shifted at the scent. He closed the door and held onto it, steadying himself. What the fuck is wrong with me? Picking up the clothes, he threw them in the shower and waited a minute. Then he flushed the empty toilet, turned on the shower and poured shampoo all over his jeans and t-shirt, mashing them around with his feet.
Through the door, his packmate called in, “What the hell are you doing in there? You just showered! We’ve gotta go!”
“I took a mean dump,” he shouted over the stream of hot water. “Give me a minute.” Black ink bled down the drain. “Shit.” Closing the curtain to hide his wet clothes, Curragh lathered his hands up with a ton of soap and waved them furiously through the air, clearing the room of her smell. Breathing in, he caught himself in the mirror and saw his eyes were glowing. Shaking his head like a dog, he bade his wolf to calm the fuck down. She’s not here. Let it go. Down. Get down.
When he opened the door, he was met by the suspicious glare of Xavier. “What’s going on?”
“What are you, my Alpha? Go fuck yourself.” He passed him for the armoire and swung the door open, pulling out a fresh pair of dark jeans, socks, and a grey T-shirt as he heard the bathroom door close. His heart raced, waiting for the discovery of his shampooed clothing. But when the door opened, Xavier headed out, and said nothing.
Even when they got in the car, Curragh was waiting for the questions. None came. And that’s when he decided he really couldn’t see Kara ever again. It just wasn’t worth it.
Chapter Fifteen
Kara stared at the Captain. “Someone anonymously dropped off a bunch of sixteen year old girls?”
The Captain stood up and came around the desk. “Looks like we have a Good Samaritan in our midst. We had to get a Russian interpreter, because none of the girls spoke English. They were being sold as brides to the highest bidder. They’d come into the country because their parents were told they’d have a better life in America.” His face was somber. “Some of them were kept in cages for six months, some just arrived. They were smuggled in on ships.”
“And brought all the way to Chicago?” Kara’s face twisted with empathy.
The Captain nodded.
“Who saved them?”
“They said there were two guys. Not Russian. Strong though. Apparently they took out three armed guards.”
“We have them in custody?”
Mazzagatti shook his head once. “By the time we got there, the Russian’s were gone. So were the cages, but there were lines on the cement floor where they’d been. From what I understand, it was a dreary place.”
Another detective appeared behind Kara. It was Lanky, and he looked like he’d just won the lottery. “Sir, one of the girls just told us something very interesting.”
By the time the three walked into
the room, the interpreter was agitated. The Captain asked him on sight, “What is it?”
“Well, one of the girls said she’d come over with her sister. Just five nights ago, she’d been given her pass to ‘a better life.’”
“And?”
The interpreter paused. “She said her sister was lucky. Because she was going to be married to Bill Tutors.”
Kara didn’t know who that was, but by the look on the Captain’s face, he sure did. He spun around and headed back to his office. “Monaghan!”
“What about me?” Lanky called out.
“Monaghan!” Captain repeated with a finality that barred further discussion. Lanky shot daggers at her as she passed.
“Up to your old tricks, huh,” he sneered at her back.
She bit her tongue and strode quickly out. The Captain was already on the phone when she got there. He held up his hand motioning for her to wait. “Lieutenant, get Lewis and Connors in my office. Now.” He hung up, but then dialed back. “Find out if Bill Tutors is home.” Pause as he rubbed his bald head. “Have someone drive over there and find out. I don’t care what you have to do.” He hung up again and bent over his desk with his hands on it. To Kara, he explained, “Bill Tutors owns five businesses in town, two private schools, and even a hospital. He’s also a major philanthropist. A good man.”
“Then what is he doing with a sixteen year old human-trafficked bride?”
The Captain straightened up, a deep frown creasing dark skin. “That’s what I’m wondering. I need to know if he knows how old she is. Bill’s not a handsome man. He may have paid for a wife without knowing the entire story. Or he might know exactly what he’s done. I need you to find out.”
“Okay.”
The entrance of Detective Lewis and Connors caused them to turn.
“Sir?” Connors said. They were on the task force with Kara, but she hadn’t yet gotten to know them. They weren’t part of the clique that was out to make her life hell, so for now, she didn’t hate them. For now.
“Detective Monaghan is going undercover to act like she just moved into the neighborhood with Bill Tutors. You know him?” They both nodded. “Tutors just bought an underage Russian bride from a human trafficking ring we’re presuming is run by Viktor Kruglov. Monaghan’s going to get herself inside that house, ask some questions, see what she can find out. She’s got an instinct I trust. I want you backing her up and I don’t want you giving her any shit. This is too important for office politics to fuck up. Understand?” They nodded. Kara felt a hot flush of embarrassment color her cheeks. She kept her eyes on the Captain. “If we have to play hardball after that, we will. But first, I want to try and preserve this man’s reputation in case he’s unaware of what he’s been drawn into.”
“What do you want us to do?” Lewis asked, game for anything.
“She’s going to be wired. A surveillance team will be hidden in a van out front. I want you two nearby, waiting to go in there if she needs you. We don’t know what we’re dealing with.”
The phone rang. Mazzagatti answered quickly. “Yeah? Okay.” He hung up. “He’s home. We don’t know for how long.”
“Why would a man like Bill Tutors be home on a Thursday afternoon? Doesn’t he have an empire to run?” Connors asked.
Kara sobered the room. “Probably making his new sixteen year old bride feel right at home.”
Without another word, the three detectives turned on their heels and left to do what had to be done.
Chapter Sixteen
“What are we going after? Same thing as Draik?”
“One of the big mucky-mucks in town has one of our girls,” Xavier muttered, turning left onto North Orchard Street. Off Curragh’s questioning glance, he explained, “The ones we found in the cages. Being sold for marriage. Probably to men who can’t get a woman to look at them unless they’re paid.”
Immediately Curragh knew. “He’ll lead us to Viktor.”
“That’s the dream. The cops have a surveillance team headed there. We have to beat them.” He shoved the gas pedal down harder, pushing the Camaro to twice the legal limit. Curragh had no objection. “We’ll grab him and bring him with us. Where the fuck is Draik?”
Curragh pulled out his phone and got Draik’s voicemail again. “He’s not answering.”
“He’s probably balls deep in some stripper.” It would have been funny if it weren’t true.
“He needs to grow up,” Curragh watched the city fly by as he added, “We’re trying to do something here.” Suddenly a loud crack sounded off and the car violently jerked.
“A flat tire. Shit!” Xavier pulled over and cursed some more as both wolves threw open their doors and leapt out. They stared into the trunk at the spare.
“It’s pathetic,” Curragh grunted at the puny tire.
“They want you buying new ones. This is just to get you—”
“—I know. I know.”
Ten minutes later they were on the road again, but then Xavier took a left when he should have taken a right. He wouldn’t look at the map. “I know where it is.”
After driving in the wrong direction awhile, Curragh pulled out his phone. “What the address dipshit?”
By the time they drove past Bill Tutors’ mansion, they saw a dry-cleaning van already parked a couple doors down.
“Do they have to be so fucking obvious?” Xavier muttered.
Curragh jerked his chin to the left. “And there’s a black sedan with a couple of suits hidden under that Shingle Oak.”
“Okay, so we go in through the back.”
Curragh threw him a smirk. “How many front doors have we knocked on?”
“That sounds sexual,” Xavier chuckled. Curragh laughed as they drove out of view of the police.
Abandoning their wheels two blocks away, they jumped fences of back yards, using their enhanced hearing and sense of smell to guide them in knowing which were empty of witnesses. At this hour of day, most people were at work, but one house had a gardener pruning the backyard. Over the fence, Curragh aimed and chucked a rock at the guy’s head. He was a dead aim—knocked him out.
Xavier checked on the man. “He’s fine.”
Heading for the next fence, Curragh said, “I know. I can hear his pulse. Can’t you?”
“Shut it.”
They moved on. Jumping over the fence of Bill Tutors mansion, they moved like the hunters they were, slipping between the windows without being seen. The back of the house was empty, but when they got to further up, Curragh froze at what he saw. Inside the enormous sitting room sat two couches across from each other, an ornate coffee table between them. On one, with their profiles to the window was Bill Tutors and his new bride, dressed up like a socialite. Despite the age they knew her to be, she came across as early twenties, dressed like that. The pearls especially said she was not a teen. Across from them, her body angled more toward the window was Kara, wearing a charming smile and a green dress. She had a homemade pie on her lap. “What the hell?” he muttered. Her large brown eyes drifted over to the window. Her smile didn’t waver as she quickly glanced back to the owner of the house as though she’d seen nothing unusual. Curragh couldn’t move. Xavier grabbed his arm and dragged him out of view.
“Sorry.” He was struggling to gather his wits.
Xavier whispered, “Okay,” trying to understand. “If she was at the morgue, and she’s here now. It was probably her shooting up the lock when we had the Russian. It was a female cop, remember?”
Curragh’s brain did somersaults as he nodded, his body numb. His wolf was on fire, and not because of any carnal cravings. He was scratching to get out and protect her. He sensed danger.
On high alert, Curragh tuned in to the conversation inside.
Chapter Seventeen
Kara’s heart rocked so loudly in her ears she couldn’t hear what was being said. She blinked, her smile stuck as she forced herself to stop wondering what the hell Curragh and his friend were doing in the backyard. She knew t
hat from their stances, and from the looks on their faces, they were sneaking. But why? Immediately she remembered running into them at the morgue.
Oh my God. Is he working with Kruglov?
Her stomach flipped over and died. Then she heard Bill Tutors ask, “You alright, Mrs. Phillips?”
Her smile freshened up as she looked at the man whose childhood acne had left marks reminiscent of fallen meteor holes. It was well known that he was fifty-one, but the receding hairline had been there since he was twenty. He was however, dressed damned well. At least he had taste.
Kara feigned embarrassment. “Oh, sorry. I just realized I forgot to email the pics of Levi’s classmates to the other mothers, from the soccer match. Never mind though. I’ll get to it when I get back home. It just hit me in the head—that ever happened to you? A memory just hits you?” She smacked her head with a comical rolling of her eyes. She was laying this character on thick, but not in an unbelievable way.
“With all the companies I run? It’s hard to remember it’s Tuesday.”
“It’s Thursday,” Kara said with a laugh.
He grinned at her, but his eyes were keenly watching. “Exactly. See what I mean?”
From the moment she’d knocked on the door until now, sitting on this ten-thousand-dollar sofa, Kara hadn’t heard Bill’s bride say one word. Very pretty, with almond-shaped blue eyes and long ash-blonde hair, she nodded a lot, and smiled shyly behind a veil of fear.
“So my man tells me you made the pie yourself.”
“I did!” Kara leaned forward like it was the most exciting thing she’d ever experienced in her simple little life. “But why he put it through that metal detector, I’ll never know!”
Bill smiled, “Oh, that’s just a formality,” leaning back and throwing an arm around his bride. “What I don’t understand is, where you live. I thought I knew all my neighbors.”
“Jim and I just moved in a month ago. I’ve been spending the last four whole weeks trying to fit in, and get Levi new friends. So many wonderful people but you just never know!”
Werewolves of Chicago: Curragh (Werewolves of... Book 6) Page 5