by Tigertalez
Entering the large conference room, he saw Bronya’s parents were at the far end of the table. Both looked and stood up as they entered and introductions were made. “This is Ralph Kaska and his fiancée, Gale Brooks.”
“Mister Kaska, Miss Brooks.” Bronya’s father shook their hands. “I’m Richard Webber, and this is my wife, Della. We’re very pleased to meet you.” Richard indicated the chairs. “Please make yourselves comfortable while I properly greet my daughter.” Turning to her, Nix let her hand go to let her father give her a hug. “I’m so happy to hear you’re all right. Mister Kaska told me, over the phone, about what happened.” Her father pulled back and let her mother take his place. Nix noticed the pointed look her father was giving him. All Nix could do was give the man a reassuring look and nod. When his mate was through, Nix held her chair for her and then sat next to her.
Richard sat at his seat and opened a folder that sat in front of him, examining its contents as Della offered coffee and Zeke placed similar folders in front of each of the others. “Now, let’s talk planes. I’ve learned the small airstrip in Bancroft isn’t a sufficient length. Would you be using this airstrip or did you have another in mind?”
Nix watched Alphy turn serious. “We have plans to build a private strip on our property and just asked your daughter to head the planning of it. It may take some time, and we would be happy to use this port if you’re ok with that.”
Richards’s brows rose as he looked over at his daughter. He opened his mouth to say something, but Bronya interrupted him. “I’ve also agreed to be their pilot. I hope you don’t mind, Dad.”
Richard sat slightly stunned for a moment, as did Della. He seemed to be thinking over it seriously. Nix fought the urge to fidget with the nerves he started to develop. If her father refused, it could cause problems with his mate’s happiness. He wasn’t about to let her go for any reason, so her father’s acceptance was important.
“Zeke, would you show them the specs on the comparisons?” The rest of the meeting went along well for Alphy, but Nix couldn’t help but feel like an ant under a magnifying glass. His mate didn’t look or even smell like she had any worries. She was perfectly relaxed and helped explain several things to Alphy. Nix, on the other hand, fought his nerves, doubts, and worries. But he made sure they didn’t show. He felt if he did, he would fail some kind of test in her father’s eyes.
Bronya reached over and threaded her fingers through his. Feeling her touch instantly brought his anxiety under control. It even made his falcon preen a bit watching his mate make pointed looks at her father. Bronya was outwardly claiming him. Taking another deep breath, he relaxed and paid more attention to the meeting, all the while rubbing his thumb over her skin.
The sound of Alphy’s cell giving off a wolf’s howl interrupted their meeting. That was Enzo’s tone. Alphy slid his cell to Nix. He nodded his understanding to his alpha. Standing up, he leaned in to plant a quick kiss on the top of his mate’s head before excusing himself and heading out into the hall, swiping the screen to answer it as he did. As soon as he closed the door, he put the device to his ear. “This is Nix.”
“Nix, there’s been an emergency. Get Alphy on the phone now.” Dread filled his gut, and his heart began to race. Growing up with Enzo, Nix knew his tones. This one worried him. It was one that spoke of urgency and serious bad news.
Nix opened the door and walked back into the room, “Excuse me, there’s a serious emergency, Alphy. You need to take this.”
Alphy grabbed the phone and didn’t bother leaving the room to put the device to his ear and address his friend and beta. “What is it, Enzo?”
Being a shifter, Nix had no troubles hearing the other side of the conversations on phone calls, but the room had gone so silent that he was sure the entire room could hear, too. “Alphy, you need to get home now. Havana’s been abducted.”
With Gale, Della, and Zeke gasping, Nix’s concerns were confirmed. He didn’t need to warn Alphy though because the reactions of the others were notable. Alphy looked stressed as he reached over and grabbed his mate, placing her in his lap and holding her close.
Richard quickly stood. “We’ll step out into the hall. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” He ushered Della and Zeke out into the hall, closing the door behind him.
Nix didn’t blame the giant bear shifter for wanting his mate to soothe himself. Havana was his sister, so it was deeply personal. Havana was a fun spirited girl to be around. Even Nix was worried for her, too. The scent of his own mate surrounded him as Bronya came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Her presence helped to calm him, allowing him to get his head geared into where it needed to be.
With Gale’s arms wrapped around her mate, Alphy ordered his beta over the phone. “Explain.”
“Reese called her in to help Connie for lunch. She said she’d be right in, but an hour later she still hadn’t made it in. I smelt her scent right outside the barn mixed with unfamiliar scents. Tracks indicate she had come out of the barn and started for the tree line. My guess was she saw something. Then she fell to the ground and was carried away. The tracks led to the challenge arena and fresh tire marks. I called in Kace and his crew. Everyone has been searching.”
“Fuck!” Alphy roared. After taking a moment to calm himself, he addressed his beta. “Have Kace organize a hunt and search every log, rock, and pinecone on the entire grounds. I want Matteo to lead the investigation. Have Slate check on every pack member and have him increase the security at the alpha house. Have Ryker—fuck! I don’t know what he can do, but give him whatever green-light he needs if he needs it. I want everyone working on this. We’ll head out right away.”
Bronya pulled away and stepped forward, getting Alphy’s attention. “I can fly us back and land on that little flower strip. We have a plane large enough to carry all of us but small enough to land there. I just need maybe thirty minutes to prep.”
Alphy nodded “Enzo, we’ll be flying back.”
After Alphy hung up, Richard made sure the runway and sky were clear for their takeoff. Parking the car in the hangar the plane was in, they all situated themselves in the four passenger aircraft.
Nix enjoyed flying, so he wasn’t nervous. In fact, he enjoyed watching his mate do her checklist and lift them up into the clouds. Her serious side was a turn-on for him, and he had to keep his mind on Havana, and what could have happened to her, to keep his twitching appendage under control.
Nix could see spots of green from trees and fields, intermittently dotted by buildings, through occasional open patches through the clouds as their plane droned above the thick fluffs of white and grey. Their journey was made in silence. Alphy sat in the back holding his mate as much for comfort as for comforting her. Gale was bonded pretty closely with Havana. Nix sat in the co-pilot spot.
The sun started dipping lower as they made their way north. Clouds started getting thinner and farther apart the farther they flew. Nearing their destination, they dipped below the clouds and flew a little way above the trees. Nix heard Alphy’s cell howl.
“Yeah, Enzo, what d’ya got?” Nix kept his ears tuned to the conversation but kept his eyes scanning their surroundings. He knew well that when you are in the air, you can never let your guard down, and with his falcon sight, his eyes could be invaluable. Alphy had him on speaker so everyone could hear Enzo through the line.
“Fuck, I hope you’re close. Long story short, we are pretty certain she’s being smuggled on a craft scheduled for takeoff at the local air strip. I have guys speeding over there, but I don’t think they’ll make it in time. Ryker wants me to relay the strip’s position.”
Bronya nodded to them, letting them know she was listening. She adjusted her flight while Enzo continued.
“We believe she was snagged by the rogue beta, with hired help. But when we converged on the location we believed they were holed up, we found their bodies. Someone else took her from them. We got lucky when Ryker found an emergency flight out
of Bancroft registered just minutes after that. The plane’s owner is a local but rented it out to a team with a critically ill girl whose description matches Havana’s exactly. What sealed our suspicions is we just found out that the pilot is S.I.S.”
“Shit!” Alphy cursed. Nix had said the same thing, only he kept it in his head. They would need to be sharp on this one.
“Oh no, it gets worse. The pride alpha, Tony Smith, just booked a private flight out from the same port Havana’s plane is heading to and is scheduled to depart just after the S.I.S plane lands.”
Nix and Alphy shared a look of both alarm and understanding as Alphy spoke into the phone. “Oh fuck! That’s a whole lotta different kinds of bad if it’s true.”
“There it is.” Bronya’s raised voice got their attention. Looking in the direction she indicated, they could see a long cleared spot of land with a runway down the center. At the far end, a plane was just lifting off.
Alphy barked out an order. “Force them down! They have Havana!”
Bronya stayed calm as she aimed her plane toward the ascending craft. Maneuvering above them, she began dipping, and tipping above them. Over the headset, Nix could hear the other pilot swearing at them.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing? You don’t know who you’re dealing with!” the belligerent voice growled through the headset.
“Maybe not.” Bronya’s voice remained level. “but I’m pretty sure you know the same about me … in case you’re slow, that means you know shit. Land the damn plane or I’ll take you down.”
“You fucking bitch!”
“Huh, guess that makes me karma then,” she quipped into her mike. Bronya flew aggressively, buffering the plane below before she banged the top of the plane. They were getting closer to the tops of the trees, but there were several bodies of water that littered the area. If she made any mistake, she could take them all crashing into the water.
Nix could hear Gale whimpering when Alphy shouted to him. “Nix, shift!”
Nodding in understanding, Nix quickly pulled his shirt over his head and initiated his shift. He was one of the rare shifters who didn’t ruin their clothes when they shifted, but getting your wings tangled in your shirt could make a near panic situation.
Alphy unbuckled his seatbelt long enough to push the door open. As Gale took the phone, he could clearly hear her fear as she relayed to Enzo what was going on. With another maneuver by Bronya, angling so he wouldn’t get hurt as he exited, Nix tucked his wings tight against his body and dove out of the plane. Nix followed them and watched Bronya bounce her plane off the top of the lower plane. They were almost the same size, but Bronya was in the dominant position and the lower plane couldn’t seem to shake her. If he would have been in his human form, he would have smiled with pride. His mate was an excellent pilot.
The tops of trees started slapping the bottom of the lower plane. With one more bounce, Bronya had the plane fly into a field that was littered with small, dead trees. Nix watched the plane shatter through the trees and come to a quick stop in a thicket. Before he could land, a buffet of wind blew up sideways. Having his attention more on the planes than the environment, Nix was caught off guard and took a few moments to right himself. He battled the heavy gusts when he heard more trees snapping. Looking up through the final light of the day that was quickly being consumed into a darkness that promised heavy rains, he let out a screech as he witnessed Bronya’s plane go vertical, and in a mess of metal and wood, shattered wing first into the trees.
****
Enzo sat on his bed staring at the vase of yellow flowers that were now sitting on the top of his dresser. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of them. No one has ever given me flowers before. Come to think of it, I’ve never given flowers to anyone before. He ran his fingers through his short black hair and blew out a breath. Who could have sent them?
A light knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. “Enzo?”
He recognized Ryker’s muffled voice. Could he be the one to have sent them? “Yeah?” Enzo answered back.
“Just wanted to let you know Tom and I are taking off.”
“All right, thank you.”
Ryker’s steps grew distant as he walked away. Enzo picked up the note that came with the flowers and read it again.
Hi, Enzo.
I hope you don’t mind the bright sunny-like flowers, but I wanted you to know how much I admire you. Even from a distance, your bright blue eyes and shining smile nearly took my breath away. I think your tattoos are spectacular, especially the wolf. I love wolves, too. One day I may get up the nerve to say hi in person, but I didn’t want the chance to tell you that I like you to pass by. It’s better to try and fail, than fail without trying.
Enzo sat back on his bed as he held the letter. “It doesn’t sound like Rye,” he whispered quietly. He let his thoughts filter through everyone he had met since he moved here. “Hmh, could be that cute queenie at the airport.”
Enzo shook himself. After dropping the note on the dresser next to the flowers, he exited his room. As he approached the stairs, he noticed Seamus leaving Slate and Katie’s room with his medical bag. “Hey doc, how’s Katie?”
“She swears she has dislocated ribs, but she’s doing all right. She’s keeping things down better now.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m glad I ran into you. I wanted to talk to you about last night,” said Seamus.
The men descended the stairs together, so Enzo led Seamus to the office. He closed the door behind the doctor, and they both sat down.
Enzo sat back in his chair and made himself more comfortable. “What did you want to ask?”
“I wanted to know what you can tell me about last night.”
“You looking for anything specific?”
Seamus shook his head. “No, but I’m concerned for Bronya. What can you tell me?”
“Well, uh, let’s see. After we got the call that that rogue beta, Damon, was nearby, we instructed Bronya what to do in case of any emergency. We believe they were more than likely watching our property and followed me back to the hotel. When we were attacked, Nix and I tried to draw their attention to us so Bronya could escape. I can’t tell you what happened to her any time after up until Nix and I caught up with her, and by that time, Dultyn had already taken down the rogue that followed her.”
Seamus shuddered. “I can only imagine what they would have done to her if they caught her. They may not have known she was Nix’s mate, but she was in our custody, so that meant she was important enough to us to ransom her, or send a message.”
“That, and they probably thought she could have brought reinforcements, or identified them to us. They may be rogue to the council, but to be positively identified in that attack would have put them on the council’s priority hunting list. From what I saw though, she wasn’t really harmed. More in shock than anything, I’d say.”
“Can’t blame her there. She’s handling all of this far better than I would have expected of anyone. Thanks for telling me. I need to head back to the infirmary. Reese is supposed to be helping me since Katie is sick.”
“No prob. Hey, how’s the cub doing? Isn’t he awfully young for all that medical stuff?”
“It’s good for him. I’m giving him small, easy jobs. At the very least, he’s learning basic first aid, but he’s got a promising future in medicine.”
After Seamus left, Enzo sat down and tried to finish up paperwork for Alphy. It seems like the alpha shifter had an endless supply of paperwork. Damn man needs an assistant … well, one he doesn’t want to fuck against every surface. I don’t know whether to be disgusted or cheer him on.
Enzo didn’t mind helping with the paperwork. He loved his position in the pack and wanted to show Alphy how much he truly appreciated it. He wanted to prove he wasn’t in the position just because of their friendship.
Enzo didn’t know how much time had passed when he was interrupted by an urgent knock. “Enter.”
Connie stepped in and wrung her hands together. She looked upset. Instantly Enzo thought about her mate, Tom, who was with Ryker. “Connie?”
“Sir, we can’t find Havana. Reese called her to ask if she would come in and help me with lunch. He told me she said she was on her way. That was about an hour ago.”
Alarm shook Enzo. He leaped up and ran outside onto the porch, dialing Havana’s number. As he listened to her cell ring, Ryker and Tom drove up. Connie raced to Tom and began telling them what she had just told him.
“Fuck, she’s not answering,” Enzo told Ryker as the lithe man approached. “Run up to Seamus and see if she’s up there.”
Ryker ran to the garage as Enzo dialed Kace.
He heard Kace’s southern drawl as he answered. “Yeah, boss?”
“Is Havana with you?”
“No, haven’t seen ‘er since breakfast. Whu’s up?”
Enzo looked up as Ryker yelled from an upper window. “She’s not here.”
“Fuck! Hold on, Kace.” Enzo trotted out to the barn. He noticed the door was opened “Fuck!”
“What’s going on?” Kace’s voice was unusually serious.
Enzo ran into the barn. “Havana?” he called out.
No answer.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Enzo raced up to where the gargoyles were roosting. “Havana! Where are you?”
Nothing.
“Call Slate and Matteo, and Kace, get the crew back here now!”
“Already on our way.” The line disconnected, and Enzo raced back down the barn stairs. He looked down at the ground to see if he could spot any tracks. What he saw sent what felt like cold lead hitting his stomach. He hoped he was reading the tracks wrong, but unfamiliar scents wafted through his nose.
Enzo dialed Havana’s number again. He thought he heard a sound, so he stopped and closed his eyes. It’s coming from over there. Enzo looked into the forest that the sound was coming from. The sound in the woods stopped as Havana’s voicemail came over his cell. He cautiously trotted into the forest. Just inside the tree line he saw the sun glinting off something. Havana’s cell!