Avenger's Heat (18 page)

Erin wasn't sure how long she stood there frozen, but she eventually felt more than heard Noah behind her, his strong hands settling on her shoulders as he turned her around.

“What is it?” he asked softly.

“I think I know who's behind the kidnappings.” While she wanted to break down and tell him everything, she had to act fast. Now that she had their scents, she was going to track them down.

Ignoring Noah's surprised expression she whipped her phone out and called Ryan. Now that she had names, Mr. Computer Genius should be able to work a miracle.

Or she really hoped he could. Either way, she was hunting down these monsters and ending them for good. If she had to chase them across the entire globe, so be it. She didn't care how long it took either.

C
hris and his brother raced through neighborhoods as if hellhounds were after them. He'd never seen a fae before but he had no doubt that's what that blond bitch had been. Malcolm was limping, moaning, and barely keeping up as they darted down a quiet backstreet. There wasn't much on this road. Just two long, brick walls lining it and blocking the homes behind them.

The walls also blocked him and his brother from curious eyes. He scented some spicy kind of food nearby. It mingled with raw meat—steak maybe—and he also smelled marijuana and laundry detergent. The mix of scents was even stronger now that his adrenaline was pumping overtime.

The gravel dug into his paws as they ran. As scents grew stronger, he slowed then stopped. His brother did the same but collapsed. His tail was completely fried and if he changed to his human form it would accelerate the healing. Which is exactly what they needed right now. First Chris had to find them some clothes though. Grabbing his brother by the scruff of the neck with his jaws, he dragged him into an arched alcove carved right into the wall.

He'd never understand the jumbled architecture in New Orleans, but this was a decent hiding spot for the moment. Even if someone drove down this desolate road they wouldn't see his brother unless they were looking. There were voices, a few female and one male, nearby. Talking about the weather and supper.

Concentrating harder than normal, he let the change overtake him as he shifted back to his human form. The brick wall was only about five feet tall so he remained crouching until he could gain his bearings.

Going after that feline shifter had clearly been a mistake, but the lure of extra cash from LaPomeret had been too much. The vamp wanted someone in the early stages of her pregnancy and who hadn't been used yet. Someone he could keep himself. Normally Chris would have balked but when he'd talked to him on the phone the vampire had been desperate. Now he wondered why.

Peeking over the brick wall he saw the back of a townhome. The rain gutter was rusted and dangerously close to falling off and the small yard looked like a jungle. Scanning the rest of the townhomes, he saw that they looked basically the same. About a foot of space between each one. Two homes down to his left was where the source of the food and voices were coming from. A sheet and a few shirts stretched out over a clothesline covered most of his view, but he could see the male and females he'd heard talking earlier. They were all old humans, probably in their sixties, and he was pretty sure they were the ones smoking marijuana too. He just hoped they were distracted enough because to the right of the house he was behind was another clothesline with shirts, sheets, and pants. Even if they didn't fit, he and his brother needed some damn clothes to blend in.

His phone had been in the van and though they hadn't brought any identification with them, their wallets and cash had been left behind when they'd shifted forms. Whoever that blond bitch was, she was going to pay. Not that she was at the top of his list of problems now. He hadn't realized the fae were after them too. Or at least involved. He'd heard enough horror stories to know they could be scary motherfuckers when they wanted. Seeing that female shoot lightning out of her freaking hands was all the proof he needed to know it was true.

Glancing at his brother, he frowned. Malcolm was barely moving, but he was awake. “I'll be right back,” he whispered.

Crouching down again, he kept low as he hurried to the next home. After another scan of the surrounding area, he jumped the brick wall. His bare foot slammed onto a broken beer bottle and it sliced deep into the arch. Biting back a groan, he yanked the piece of glass out. Blood trickled off his foot but he was already healing as he limped toward the clothesline. Luckily the clothes from the other yard a few houses down blocked what he was doing from the humans he could still hear laughing. As someone cranked up the music, he pulled off two button-down flannel shirts that had seen better days. They were clearly work shirts. He also grabbed a pair of jeans and one pair of work pants that would definitely be too short. Better than nothing.

He found his brother still huddled in the small alcove, but at least his eyes were open and Chris could see awareness in them. “Shift, Malcolm. We need to get the hell out of here.” Chris kept his voice low, not wanting to disturb the humans. He wanted to leave before anyone noticed the missing clothes and started raising hell.

His brother growled low in his throat as he shifted back to his human form, but the music drowned it out. Or even if it didn't, the humans didn't seem to notice.

Malcolm's teeth were chattering and his entire body shook as he grabbed the clothes Chris gave him. Outwardly he didn't look as bad as Chris had expected. A large bruise the size of a baseball had formed in the middle of his chest. The ugly black and purple coloring was sharp against his skin.

As soon as they were dressed, they slowly made their way to the end of the road. Right now Chris had no idea if they were being tracked. His senses were all screwed up and even though he could smell, he was rattled beyond belief. This hadn't been part of their plan. Too many people were involved and his brother was no use at all. He could barely talk after what that fae had done to him. If he'd been pure human, Malcolm would be dead.

The street ran right into a four-lane road lined with closed businesses, where at least a dozen people were loitering. Some he guessed were prostitutes, others drug dealers, and there was a string of vehicles parked along the curb for the next three blocks. Some of them looked as if they hadn't been moved for a decade.

“Stay here,” he murmured to his brother, who crouched low and leaned against the brick wall.

Malcolm wrapped his arms around his knees as he brought them up to his chest. If anyone saw him they'd assume he was a homeless person. Just as well.

Keeping his head low, Chris stepped out onto the cracked sidewalk and headed east. With no shoes and pants that were too short, he looked ridiculous but the few people he passed didn't notice or even glance at him. When he passed an older-model Datsun with yellow peeling paint and the keys still in the ignition, he didn't even pause. He glanced around, didn't see anyone in the immediate vicinity—though the front door to a brick townhome with busted-out windows was open—and jumped in.

Pulling away, he flipped a U-turn and picked up his brother. Malcolm curled on his side as he collapsed against the passenger seat. Just great. Now he had to take care of him too. As Chris drove, he opened the center console and was surprised to find three cell phones inside. Whoever owned the car was probably a drug dealer or into something illegal to have that many phones.

Whatever. At least he didn't have to find a pay phone now. He dialed LaPomeret's cell phone.

Bastard finally picked up on the fourth ring. His voice was hesitant. “Hello?”

“I couldn't get the female and I think we might have a problem.”

“Oh, we most certainly have a problem. Angus Campbell is now after me and the enforcer knows that I'm somehow involved in all this.”

Chris wanted to snort at the way he said “this” as if he was somehow detached from it. Vamp didn't want to get his hands dirty, but he had no problem paying for the product. “How the hell do they know you're involved? Did you give them my name?”

“No, but I unknowingly attacked his only son. He was with that enforcer bitch and he angered me.”

The giant with Erin was Angus Campbell's son? Fucking great. Like he didn't have enough problems already. “My brother and I are leaving town and I suggest you do the same if Campbell knows who you are.” Chris didn't actually care about the vamp, but the guy was a paying customer. Maybe they'd be able to do business again. While he'd planned to kill Erin, things were way too hot now. And his own brother couldn't even back him up—and he had no clue how long these effects would last. He would still get her though. In time. He was patient and had no problem waiting to end her life.

“What are you going to do with the females?” LaPomeret asked.

He snorted. “What do you think?” Chris took a sharp left, but kept to the speed limit. No need to draw any undue attention.

“Sell them to me and my partners.” There was an underlying note of desperation in his voice he couldn't disguise.

“You know what kind of risk I'd be taking? Besides, I don't have a way to transport them anymore.” Not after he'd lost their van. Killing them would be easiest. He just needed to get to their place on the outskirts of town, kill the females, kill his assistant, and disappear. Things might not have worked out the way he'd planned but they had a lot of money and he could still make more.

“I have an SUV you can use.”

Chris gritted his teeth and glanced over at his shaking brother. They could make so much money, then retire for good. Live the way they wanted with no Alpha or pack breathing down their necks. People respected money. “It'll cost you for the women.”

LaPomeret sighed. “I
know
. Meet me at Barrett's house. We are all hiding out here until we know more about this enforcer. Campbell has nothing against Barrett and I have no tie to him so we will be safe. Pick up the vehicle here and use it to bring the females to us. He has a dungeon where we can keep them.”

Chris wanted to say no, but that kind of money . . . “I'll want half up front. Cash. I'm taking a huge risk.”

There was a short pause. “Fine. Half up front.”

He had no doubt that LaPomeret was good for it. The vamp had more money than God. “Good. And get some clothes together for me and Malcolm. I'll be there in an hour.” He wanted to drive around for a while and if possible switch vehicles. He needed to make sure they weren't being followed. Leading a tracker back to the vamps he dealt with would be almost as bad as leading them back to his hideout where the pregnant females were.

When he pulled up to another stoplight, he texted his assistant to start packing up the house. Chris would be killing the guy soon but he might as well get some labor out of him before then. It would save him some extra steps when he and Malcolm split town.

F
eeling nauseous, Erin motioned to the others to follow her down the sidewalk as she waited for Ryan to answer her call. The police had moved back in, taking over the crime scene once again. Considering what she'd just discovered, she didn't need anything from the scene anymore.

Her mind was working overtime as she tried to come to terms with the reality that her ex was behind the kidnappings. And likely the bombing at Screamers. Two blond-haired lupine shifters, one who wore a wolf ring—just like Meli and that vamp from Screamers had described. Yeah, that was definitely them. And shit . . . probably one of the blond wolves who'd attacked Noah too. She'd have to get a picture from Ryan.

As soon as he picked up, she didn't give him a chance to speak. “I think I know who's behind the kidnappings. Their names are Chris and Malcolm Tyson. They used to belong to Adam Murphy's pack.” Just like she had.

After almost a year of being terrified of her own fucking shadow she'd finally worked up the courage to ask Jayce to look into the Murphy pack for her a couple of months ago and he'd come through with some information. Which wasn't as much as she'd have liked.

The first time Jayce and she had met he'd thought she was dead because Murphy had reported her as such. Knowing how she'd been found—so close to death behind that damn Dumpster—Jayce had thought her Alpha might have had something to do with it. But he hadn't. No, just Chris and Malcolm Tyson.

According to Jayce's report, the brothers had split town as soon as they'd told Adam Murphy a bullshit story about her being killed by vamps. Of course, Murphy hadn't actually believed them and had tried to hunt them down himself, but he hadn't had any luck. It was a big damn world and he had only so many resources. Maybe if he'd reported them to the Council back then the bastards would have been hunted down, but Murphy had only had suspicions, no proof—she knew all this only because of Jayce. And in reality, without real proof, there was little the Council could have done back then.

Right about now Erin wished she'd been strong enough to report them for dealing vampire blood and for trying to kill her. Maybe then they wouldn't have come to New Orleans. But she'd been so damn afraid of everything and even though she'd healed physically fairly quickly, her emotional scars were
still
there. They hurt worse than the physical ones had because they simply wouldn't go away. The only time they seemed to fade was around Noah.

“Those their real names?” Ryan asked.

“Yeah.” She loved that he didn't even ask if she was sure they were involved. Ryan trusted her and now she prayed he could work his magic.

“You know their socials?”

Her file on them was in her laptop, but . . . “Is Jayce at the ranch?”

“Yeah.”

“He's got them both—from a different investigation.” Okay, not exactly an investigation but she didn't have time for semantics. “Send me their pictures too when you get a chance.”

“Fuck yeah,” Ryan muttered. “That's all I need. Give me twenty minutes and I'll see what I can come up with.” Then he disconnected.

Erin leaned against her car, wrapping her arms around herself as she looked at three questioning pairs of eyes.

“You know the identities of the shifters behind this?” Brianna asked.

Erin nodded, but kept her gaze on Noah who was watching her intently. “Remember what I told you about . . . who hurt me?”

Noah's eyes went pure wolf, his entire body going impossibly still. “Yeah.” That one word was guttural and deep.

“His name is Chris and his brother is Malcolm. I guess selling vampire blood wasn't enough for them. I scented them at the scene.” Her voice cracked on the last word but she held Noah's gaze. “They're here. No doubt about it. They're afraid too—probably because of what Brianna did to them. Considering what they used to be into, kidnapping shifters for their blood isn't a stretch for them.” Because they clearly didn't give a shit about anyone or anything. Chris had tried to kill her, someone he'd supposedly loved.

A myriad of emotions flashed through Noah's beautiful eyes before he suddenly turned away from her. Letting out an eerie howl, he let his claws extend and slashed through the nearest tree, tearing away the bark like it was paper. Then he went still again, but kept his back to her. His breathing was erratic and unsteady and she couldn't decide if she should reach out for him or not.

“These guys are the ones who hurt you?” Angelo's deep voice and question took her by surprise.

She didn't know him as well as Noah and some of the others from her pack, but he'd been there the day she'd been found. And clearly hadn't forgotten. Nodding, she faced them. Brianna just looked confused, but Angelo looked ready to murder.

“They're dead. No matter what happens with this investigation, they will die,” Noah said as he turned back toward them, his wolf right at the surface. Then he hauled her into his arms, pulling her close, practically crushing her.

She didn't care if she appeared weak. The realization that the monsters from her past were not only in the same city, but were the ones behind the terrible kidnappings and murder, had stunned her. She didn't know how to compartmentalize her feelings now. It felt as if a year of pushing down that pain and agony had finally rushed to the surface and was taking over. All because of two bastards who deserved to die.

Who would die. But by her hand. Not Noah's or Angelo's. She was going to end this.

She wasn't sure how much time passed, but Noah eventually let her go. Turning her face away from Brianna and Angelo, she wiped away the tears that had welled up. She'd cried enough to last a lifetime over everything she'd lost. Now wasn't the time.

Clearing her throat, she faced everyone. As she did, her phone buzzed, signaling she had a text. It was a picture from Ryan. She pulled it up and her throat tightened, making it hard to breathe. There in color were photos of Chris and Malcolm. Both so handsome and charming-looking that it made her want to scream and claw their faces off. She held her phone out to Noah. “You recognize either of them?”

He instantly nodded, a growl building low in his throat. “That one.”

He pointed to Malcolm. Erin forced her own wolf back down. For daring to attempt to hurt Noah, Erin would kill them both and enjoy it. The darkness that pushed up inside her at the thought surprised her, but she didn't deny the truth, even to herself. Ending these two would be doing the world a favor.

She glanced back down the street to where the cops were. They were talking to some of the neighbors, but it looked as if they'd be pulling out soon. Erin didn't want to just wait here while they waited for Ryan. It might take him longer than he thought. She started to suggest they all leave when her phone rang.

Seeing his name on the screen, she answered immediately. “Tell me you have good news.”

His half laugh was arrogant. “I am a fucking genius, which you already know. I'm pretty sure I have their address.”

Hope burst inside her, the feeling overwhelming. “Their address?”

“Maybe. With their socials it was easy to dig into their financials. I linked a transfer to their bank account from a company—which turned out to be a shell company—to some real estate purchases. The purchases aren't bogus though. In the past year a company called Aude Toys has bought three residential places, but they went to a lot of trouble to hide those purchases.”

Erin liked where this was going. “And?”

“And, each purchase has coincided with a rash of pregnant shifters going missing in that particular city. The last purchase was a home right on the outskirts of New Orleans and—”

“Give me the address.” She was more than appreciative of Ryan's hard work, but didn't have time to hear anything else. More important, the missing females didn't have the time. Chris could be on his way to kill them right now.

Ryan rattled it off. When he was done she asked him to hold on and relayed it to Angelo and Brianna though she was sure Angelo had already heard everything. Then she looked at Brianna pointedly. “We need you as backup, especially if these females are barely hanging on. Do you have enough energy to help heal them if necessary?”

She nodded. “More than enough.”

Erin frowned and glanced over her shoulder at the detective coming toward them. He might be a problem if he wanted to keep Brianna around. As if she read her mind, Brianna smiled. “I can take care of him with a little mental persuasion.”

Angelo nodded. “We'll be right behind you.”

“Good.” She looked at Noah whose expression was intense. “You ready?”

“Hell yeah.”

“You find anything else?” she asked Ryan as she tossed her keys to Noah. Right now she was too edgy and he was more familiar with the city and outlying areas. She could give up control if it helped her get centered.

Noah looked surprised, but didn't argue as he slid into the driver's seat and she hurried to the passenger side.

“Just that all the shifters taken in the past had no Alphas or packs or anyone to look out for them. Something we already knew.” Ryan's voice was tight and angry.

She sighed and prayed this would be the end of the Tyson brothers' reign of terror. “Thanks, Ryan. I'll contact you later and let you know what happens.”

“Get those bastards,” he growled.

After a few minutes of driving in silence, Noah spoke. “Are you going to be able to handle this?”

She wanted to be offended by the question, but it was valid. A chill snaked through her as she thought of facing off with Chris. Of looking into the eyes of the man who had taken so much from her. “Yeah, it's just . . . the thought of seeing him again. It's hard.” That being the understatement of the century. But she would do it. For herself and all the females and families he'd ripped apart with his evil and greed.

Noah's claws unsheathed and he tore through the leather of her steering wheel. He cursed, then muttered, “Sorry.”

Erin didn't care about the damage. Especially not now. “If we can take him down I want to, but if it comes down to the females' safety or getting him, I'm willing to let him go. For now.” Something she'd never thought she'd say, much less truly mean. But it was true. Yes, she desperately wanted to stop him so that no one else could suffer because of him, but she wouldn't let any more innocents get hurt in the process.

“If I get the chance, I'm killing him.” Noah's voice was so resolute, it stunned her.

“Noah . . .” Erin didn't know what to say to that. She wouldn't order him not to. By Council law she had the authority to make the decision how things should be handled. There would be no trial for the Tyson brothers. They'd be eliminated for their crimes when they were caught. She didn't know if she wanted that blood on Noah's hands though.

When she didn't continue, Noah didn't push. There was nothing left to say anyway. They had weapons and two megasized first aid kits she'd been carrying since they left North Carolina. A gift courtesy of Jayce. She wasn't sure if they'd sustained any damage from the gunfire because she hadn't checked them after LaPomeret's men had opened fire on her car. Hopefully they wouldn't need the kits, not with Brianna's presence. But what she really hoped was that the women were at the address alive and healthy.