A Force of Three [Elite Dragons 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (2 page)

They reached the sheriff’s department in good time. While Codi drove and Bryden worked, trying to correlate all the information he could on the missing women, Linton had been in touch with Coulter. His team leader had contacted the local sheriff and given him a heads-up on him and his brothers’ arrival.

Codi let Linton deal with the local law, as he always managed to get what he wanted with a minimum of fuss. While Codi was the tallest of all three of them, standing at six foot seven, Linton was a couple of inches shorter than him and wasn’t as bulky, and Bryden was as brawny as Codi and an inch taller than Linton. All three of them seemed to intimidate most everyone, men and women alike, but sometimes local sheriff’s departments required a gentler touch. When Linton turned the charm on, it was hard to say no to him.

So Codi and Bryden waited outside at the truck. Codi kept his eyes peeled for signs of suspicious activity. He had lowered his mental shields as soon as he stepped outside and scanned the area surreptitiously. Butte was much larger than he expected with a population of over thirty-four thousand, and the sheriff’s department was located in the bustling downtown. The cacophony of emotions which assailed him was unpleasant.

At moments like these, he realized how tired he was. He thought with envy of his friends and comrades back at the stud farm. He and his brothers had spent the last few months watching each family of their team find the one woman they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with. Although he was happy for his teammates, it was hard for him and his siblings to watch as their brothers-in-arms courted and then captured the women of their dreams.

Codi had thought that they would have had a chance with Katlynn when she had first been rescued from the dungeon-like basement in Oxbow, Canada, but it had turned out he couldn’t trust his own instincts where his emotions were concerned. Katlynn had been in cahoots with the black-market organ-smuggling ring.

It never seems to end.
Katlynn was imprisoned, and the Elite Dragons had put other smugglers behind bars or in their graves, but only now did they seem to be close to finishing off the smuggling ring.

Then they would return to the horse breeding farm. The operation had originally been set up as a cover. The civilian population had never suspected that the stud farm was a home base for elite government operatives. Once this final mission was complete, the stud would be just a stud. The Elite Dragons would be allowed to raise horses in peace.

The other men would raise families. The Thornells had Brooke, the Garmans had Janie, and the Tiltmans had Alicia. Codi tried to imagine a lifetime of hanging around the stud watching his commanders and the others go all lovey-dovey over their women. Not that he blamed them. He and his brothers wanted what they had, one woman to love and cherish, but it hadn’t come to pass.

Since he and his siblings were still unattached, it had seemed natural for them to volunteer for this mission. The work kept Codi from dwelling on the past. But Codi feared that he and his brothers would settle down as bachelors. After Katlynn, could he ever trust a woman with his heart?

“Hey.” Bryden elbowed him, and Codi looked around the other side of the truck. Linton descended the front steps holding some papers. He came straight over to the truck.

“These are the women, Natalie and Stephanie.” Linton spread out the pages on the hood of the truck. He unfolded a map of Butte and laid it out as well. “Both of them were last seen at a clinic here.” He tapped a spot on the map.

Codi nodded. “Jones’s clinic.” Dread boiled in his gut. The smugglers worked fast. He had hoped they could find and infiltrate their operation before anyone went missing, but it wasn’t too late to save those women. “Let’s go.”

They piled back in the truck. Codi and his brothers had been trained for this. He hoped that soon
they would be calling on their comrades to help take all the assholes out. He knew without any doubt that his teammates would be at their sides when things were about to go down.

Linton stood amongst some trees on the edge of a park across the road from the clinic. He lowered his mental shield once more and concentrated on sorting out all the emotions bombarding him. It took time to ascertain what he was feeling, but after a few minutes he was able to lock onto the feelings closest to him.

Linton glanced at his watch. Bryden appeared at the corner a moment later, and after giving his brother a nod, Linton crossed the street and entered the office. It looked nondescript, but he took in the entries and exits just to be on the safe side.

“Can I help you?”

Linton turned and took in the woman behind the counter. She was young, not more than in her early to midtwenties, and a pretty little thing. She had light-brown hair and the nicest green eyes he’d ever seen, and she couldn’t be more than five foot five. He took her in with a quick once-over, and his cock twitched with interest, but she was eyeing him suspiciously, obviously intimidated by his size. Even though she was on the thin side and her neat but baggy clothes hid her figure, she had a body to die for. Curves in all the right places.

“Yes, I wanted to see one of the doctors.”

“You’re in luck, mister…?”

“Wade,” Linton said. “Linton Wade.”

“Well, Mr. Wade, the clinic has only just opened, so if you want to take a seat, Dr. Jones will be able to see you in a few minutes.”

She stood and handed a clipboard over the counter. “Just fill out these forms, please. May I see your ID?”

Linton fished out his wallet and produced his driver’s license. He and his brothers had been sent on assignment with a full complement of false paperwork.

“Insurance?”

When her eyes met his, his mind went blank.
Damn, she’s pretty.
“What?”

“Do you have insurance, Mr. Wade?”

“Oh, no. I’ll pay cash.”

She nodded and gestured behind him. “Please have a seat.” Linton nodded and took one of the chairs. He filled out the paperwork, but he was constantly distracted by the woman behind the counter. Her every gesture captivated him. She came around the counter to return his ID, and he couldn’t help but watch her as she walked back.

She almost caught him staring. Linton returned his attention to the paperwork, more distracted than before. He felt uneasy. If their information was correct and Jones was kidnapping women out of this very building, the receptionist could be in danger. The thought of any innocent woman being threatened by these assholes didn’t sit well with Linton, but he felt particularly drawn to this woman.

When he returned the clipboard to her, he said, “I don’t suppose you know of anybody in town who’s hiring, do you, ma’am?”

“No, I don’t, I’m sorry. I noticed your driver’s license is from North Dakota. Did you just move?”

“Yeah.” Linton leaned on the counter and smiled. “Just got into town a few days ago.”

Her smile was as pretty as the rest of her. “Welcome to Butte, Mr. Wade.”

“Thank you, Miss…?”

“Oh! I’m Nyssa Mathis.”

Linton offered his hand across the counter. Nyssa’s was small and warm inside his own, and the skin of his palm tingled as they touched. “Nice to meet you.”
God, just a handshake and I already want her.

He cautioned himself against forming any attachments. Keeping Nyssa from harm was one thing, getting involved with her quite another. Linton and his brothers didn’t date solo, and he was too well aware of how cautious all of them were after Katlynn. Codi in particular wouldn’t look kindly on his brothers trying to start a relationship right now.

What if she’s involved like Katlynn was?
The thought was unnerving, but before Linton could think of anything he might be able to ask, a door opened on the other side of the lobby.

Keaton walked toward him and held out his hand. “I’m Dr. Jones, and you are?”

Linton eyed the nondescript asshole in front of him and wiped all expression from his face as he shook the doctor’s hand. Keaton wasn’t very tall and had a paunch. Glasses covered his brown eyes and magnified them, which made them look almost owllike. He was in his early to midforties with thinning brown hair. The man looked harmless, but he knew different. His skin crawled and he wanted to pull his hand back and wipe it on his pants. “Linton Wade.”

“If you would come this way please.”

Keaton led Linton down a short hall and into one of only two rooms off of it. Linton took the opportunity to study the man. He and his brothers had found the true identities of the ringleaders a couple of weeks ago, and they had immediately memorized the men’s appearances and what was known about their histories. Linton had gone so long without any hope of setting eyes on one of the men behind the smuggling ring that he almost didn’t believe they were face-to-face. But this was him. He was in the same room as a man who had orchestrated kidnapping and murder, a man who had upended many lives.

It was going to be all Linton could do not to dismember the son of a bitch on the spot. He hated waiting.

When Marcus Keaton had closed the exam room door, he asked,
“What can I do for you, Mr. Wade?”

“I just want a checkup, doc. I’m new to the area and looking for employment and thought I would take the bull by the horns and have everything ready for when I find a job.”

“I wish you luck, Mr. Wade,” Dr. Jones, as Linton reminded himself to call him, said as he began the examination.

Linton was careful to keep his enhanced abilities hidden. When the doctor checked his reflexes he made sure not to overact like he usually did at the slight taps. It took quite a bit of concentration to keep his skills under control.

“From what I’ve gathered, there aren’t many jobs going around here.”

“Oh. Well, I’m sure I’ll find something eventually,” Linton said as the doctor took his blood pressure. “I’m willing to do anything to get a bit of cash behind me.”

“Hmm, that’s very commendable.” The doctor eyed him with a frown and then all expression left his face. Linton couldn’t get a read on the man’s emotions and was finding the whole thing rather frustrating. “If you have a card, I can call you if I hear of anything going. Where are you staying?”

“At the local motel. I haven’t had a chance to look for a rental yet.”

The doctor turned away, and as he did, his facial expression changed from bland to evil. Linton’s skin crawled and goose bumps rose on his flesh as malevolence washed over him, but it was gone an instant later.
If Linton had needed any additional evidence that this was his man, he had it. He wondered again
if the receptionist was involved. He planned his next move as the doctor finished up.

“All done, Mr. Wade. If you see Nyssa at the front desk, she’ll have a printout on your good health, which you can pass on to your new employer.”

“Thanks, Doctor,” Linton said and offered his hand to shake. The doctor seemed hesitant, which surprised him since the asshole had instigated their initial handshake, but good manners won out.

Nyssa smiled at him as he returned to the lobby. On instinct, Linton lowered his mental shields again. The wave of interest and attraction he got from Nyssa was strong.

Linton returned her smile as he approached the counter. “That wasn’t too bad. No shots.”

“Do you not like needles?”

Linton leaned across the counter and took the printed health report she handed to him. Nyssa’s interest was briefly tempered by nervousness. Linton wondered if it was because there was something on the desk she wanted to hide, but he changed his mind a moment later. When he leaned on the counter and smiled, she relaxed again. He suspected she was just intimidated by his size.

“Can’t stand them,” he said. She passed his bill across the counter, and Linton retrieved some cash.

“It didn’t bother you when you pierced your ear?”

“Oh, that?” He kept forgetting the transmitter was even there. “That was worth it. My brothers tell me it works with the ladies.” He winked.

Nyssa blushed. Linton would have felt certain of her interest in him even without reading her emotions. He was also assured of her innocence. Nyssa Mathis was a pure soul if ever he saw one. After paying his bill, he thanked her and gave her a wink. Linton left with a smile on his face and a blushing receptionist behind him.

Being careful not to acknowledge his brothers, Linton headed back to where their truck was waiting. Once they got back to the hotel room, he would fill his siblings in. But they also had a lot of work to do, and one of those things was renting a house.

Arriving back at the hotel, he led the way into their suite, and his brothers followed.

“
Is it him?” Codi asked.

“Yep. There’s no sign of the missing women, but this ‘Dr. Jones’ is Marcus Keaton. I
told him I wanted a health check before I looked for work. He took the bait. He seemed interested in the fact that I’ll do ‘anything,’ and now that my cell phone is on record, I have a feeling he might call me for a job.”

“Good work,” Codi said. “We’ll need to find a house, one that’s fully furnished. If Keaton checks up on Linton, it should look like he’s planning on staying.”

“My thoughts exactly.” Bryden pulled his laptop across the table, and his fingers flew over the keyboard.