Danea (30 page)

Jimmy shrugged. “Word gets around. A friend gave us a number to call if we found one…” he looked at his wallet and sighed. “The number’s in there…on a business card.”

Noah lifted the wallet and tossed it behind him to Dev. “Okay…so you thought you’d take Danea? Why the arrow?”

“To knock her out. Then we’d take her to the hotel and make the call.”

“So these people didn’t know where you were,” Noah said carefully.

“Hell, no. Why give up our find? The reward for ‘
em is pretty nice,” he said with a satisfied nod.

“Someone is paying for women who recently find their mates,” Sullivan repeated carefully. He looked over at Noah and then back at Jimmy. “You don’t know who is collecting women?”

“We have ideas…” he hedged with a wince, going on quickly. “Some think it’s the government…to stop the breeding…”

“And others?” Noah prompted.

Jimmy shrugged. “Ideas, like I said. Rumor says they’re using ‘em to experiment on to kill ‘em off.”

“Them being you, as well,” Sullivan prodded sourly. “Or didn’t that fact enter your feeble brain?”

“Taking the women stops tomorrow kids…I’m here,” he shrugged in dismissal. “Don’t care…long as I get paid for the work.”

“How did you sneak up on Danea?” Noah asked flatly after the wallet was dropped back to the table.

“You know…this iron is really not good for my health…” he tugged on the cuffs.

Sullivan stood up and went behind him, one hand on his shoulder and squeezing. “Whoever these people are…whatever you believe they might do to you…believe that I can and will be a thousand times more dangerous for you, James. Answer the sheriff before I lose the little patience I have for you.”

Jimmy exhaled shakily. “We called the number and they sent us some potion. They called it a control shield…said it would block anyone from knowing we were there. It worked, too…even those birds didn’t know we were there…”

“Do you have more of it?” Noah asked.

“The lab says they found it in his things at the hotel,” Dev said quietly. “They’re shooting the sample to Seth now. No prints on the vial, though.”

“You’re going through my stuff?” Jimmy demanded with a pull on the cuffs.

“Jimmy…you got a dead body in the trunk of your car,” Noah pointed out, his expression amused.

“It was a
n accident…” he said with a sigh. “Tommy was my best friend. We had a fight…he wanted to go after the girl again at the kid school. I told him it was a stupid move, too many people watching,” he glanced up at Dev. “Shifters. We threw a few punches and he fell…hit his head on the rim of the tire and didn’t get up.”

“You sound real broken up, Jimmy,” Noah shook his head and looked over at Dev. “Your stuff belongs to us for a few hours, then you can claim it. The car is evidence, hope you don’t owe a lot on it.” He stood up and reached over the table, opening the cuffs with the small key in his fingers. “You’re free to go.”

“A moment,” Sullivan reached over and touched the side of James’ neck. “You know what that is?” He waited while the younger man touched the small heated spot on the side of his throat, his eyes widening. “Good. That means if I hear a word that you’re hunting our own kind…shifter, demon…Fae…I’ll find you, James. Pass that message on to your friends and anyone else you come across.”

“Yes, sir,” Jimmy whispered, nodding rapidly as he stood up, his gaze skittering from Noah to
Dev and back to Sullivan. “Yes, sir…”

No one spoke until the door closed behind him.

“You’re just cutting him free?” Dev asked curiously, the fingers of one hand up and touching the earpiece. “Seth says he’ll get in touch with you if he finds out anything and his eternal gratitude to Sullivan and when are you going to accept his offer of a position with the Institute?”

“When I’ve made up my mind,” Sullivan responded blandly.

“He figured that was the answer,” Dev chuckled.

“There’s blood on the rim of the tire and it’ll probably match the head wound,” Noah shrugged. “He’s too stupid and money driven to act without a benefit. No point in holding him…most I could end up with is attempting to conceal and hindering an investigation and the attack on Danea.”

“He’s much more useful to you on the streets,” Sullivan said quietly. “The underground will know he’s been detained and why by now.”

“Believe me, letting him go without a scar…not something easy for me at the moment,” Noah ground out tersely. “I’m not even sure Wade will agree with watching him go free. But Sullivan is right…and Danea might want to smack him, but she’d give me nothing but grief if I killed him. It bothered her more that her birds couldn’t smell them before it was too late.”

“I believe the researchers at the Institute will be capable of creating an antidote for it,” Sullivan stood up and shook his head. “I’ve spent too much time pretending the world was improving.”

“You’ll be moving to Devil Hills?” Noah stood up and extended his palm. “Thank you. I appreciate you dropping your work and clearing the way for answers.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt you’d get your answers eventually, Sheriff,” Sullivan said, his palm grasping Noah’s warmly and his lips creasing in a smile for the first time. “And it gives me a good excuse to pop in on Breanna and see how things are going. Not to mention, a very good meal for dinner.”

“I doubt Brea thinks you need a reason to be there, Sullivan. I hear it’s a tossup for who torments Jase and Nick more, you or Rey,” Noah chuckled and opened the door.

“That is a serious benefit,” Sullivan chuckled. “I wish you luck with your mate, Noah. And if anything comes up you need help with, feel free to contact me. Good day, gentlemen,” he tipped his head and strode out to the waiting car.

“He’s scary,”
Dev commented when he was sure they were alone.

“Information has it his power is one of the strongest in the demon realm,” Noah commented. “And his connections and control, unlimited. I see why Seth is trying so hard to recruit him and having Brea on his side, helps.”

“Nothing personal,” Dev began, groaning at the laugh from Noah. “Yeah…I’m not sure about this sharing a mate thing. I’ve seen it in friends in Devil Hills and here…both ways…”

“Not something I ever gave a thought to, either,” Noah admitted. “But your wolf doesn’t give you the option. Walk away and chance that there won’t be another,” his head shook. “The amazing sense of peace and fulfillment aren’t something I ever experienced before. And trust me…living with the professor…” he winked at
Dev and glanced at the figure of the man striding toward them.

“I heard that and you’re the one she smacks most often,” Wade remarked with a chuckle that swiftly faded. “I heard you have the one who shot Danea here?”

“On that note, I’m returning to guard duty,” Dev tipped his head, shoved his hands into the pockets of his overcoat and left the building.

“Why am I not going to like this?” Wade waited, watching Noah.

“I didn’t kill him and I’m not charging him,” Noah gestured to his office, closing the door behind Wade. “Coffee?”

“No. What happened? She called me, worried about you,” Wade paced the small room and stopped at the window, staring out at the incoming storm. “Are you finished here? I don’t want to be out when that hits.”

“Yeah…I’ll sign out and follow you home and explain it there,” Noah nodded, checked over his desk and made sure things were locked and shut down for the night.

“You know she’s rearranged her schedule at the daycare,” Wade commented as they walked from the building to the parking lot.

“She didn’t say anything.”

“I think she wanted it to be a surprise. I found out from one of the girls who sit at the reception desk at the daycare. She’s leaving at three each day now,” Wade pulled keys from his jeans. “I need to find where I put the winter jacket. Damn.”

“I’ll be right behind you.”

Noah sat in the SUV for a long few minutes and watched Wade drive off. Thinking of the man as his partner, friend and more was something he had honestly never given a thought to and yet, now, he couldn’t see him as anything but. All because of their connection through Danea.

He turned the key and listened to the engine, shifting into gear and heading the SUV onto the road, his mind going over the information from Jimmy. As far as they knew, for now, Danea was safe.

He almost growled at the word.

It had been a random act, he continued rationally.

Not intentional upon Danea. Merely intentional upon any female who is selected as a mate.

Oh, yeah, that sounded so much better.

He stepped from the SUV in time for the skies to open up with a downpour and Danea jumped off the porch and into Wade’s arms. Then she turned and ran through the rain to launch herself at him. He caught her up with one arm and held her against him as he crossed the short space to the stairs and up to the porch.

“Crazy woman,” Noah murmured before kissing her. “Inside. It’s turned winter out here.”

“I was waiting and waiting,” she complained, shaking like a kitten and spinning to stare at them both. “Well? What happened?” She looked him over, searching for any signs that he had been hurt.

Noah couldn’t remember the last time he felt not only speechless but helpless. He didn’t know how she’d react. He could guess, but their mate wasn’t exactly predictable.

“You’re stalling,” she said quietly. “That means it’s not a good thing.”

“I’m not stalling. This isn’t…” he shrugged out of his jacket and used the distraction to hang it in the closet.

“Sullivan Moore was there,” Wade said quietly, grabbing up one of
Danea’s hands and tugging until she was near the sofa. “Sit down. You’re wearing me out.”

“Brea’s grand-father?” She looked from one to the other, her gaze remaining on Noah as she scrunched into the corner of the sofa. She brought her knees up, put her feet to the edge and wrapped her arms around her knees. She rested her chin on the tops. “Because the guy was a demon. And the guy in the trunk?”

“Dead,” Noah responded without thinking. He sighed and walked to the chair across from them, sitting on the edge and leaning his elbows out on his thighs. “Some…group…some people…are abducting women. No one knows the why reason yet,” he added quickly when her mouth opened. “All we were able to find out is that there is a group offering a reward for females with new mates.”

“I spoke to Seth on the drive home,” Wade said into the silence. “He’s sent communique’s out to every law enforcement agency in the country and internationally. Any missing person’s case is to be revisited if the female is less than forty.”

Danea looked from one to the other, blinking and watching them.

“They’re looking for breeders,” she said quietly.

“No one said a damn thing about…” Noah slammed his mouth closed when she laughed.

“You think I don’t know how to connect dots? I’m not stupid, Noah. You might not know why, and I believe you…but the logic is there.
So that explains the sedative in the arrow. I was supposed to go to sleep and wake up somewhere else.” She nodded slowly. “The best thing is alerting people…so making everyone aware is a good start.”

Noah and Wade exchanged looks when she pushed herself to her feet and went into the kitchen.

“Dinner’s almost ready,” she called out, the sounds of cabinets opening, silver clanging and plates being stacked reaching into the living area. Since neither of you put anything on the paper telling me what you didn’t like, I’m cooking for me and you’ll just have to suck it up or make a sandwich,” she announced, beaming a bright smile at them as she laid out the table. “Did Wade tell you I’ve adjusted my hours so I can get home about three-thirty. I’ve decided I really love cooking in this kitchen and even dusted off some cook books I’d bought a while back. It’s much nicer cooking for more than yourself.”

Noah wasn’t sure where the next few hours went. At one point, he was stretched out on the sofa with his paperback and Wade was at the computer, making notes on a sheet of paper.

“I can’t get back into the book,” he finally said, slamming it down on his stomach and rubbing both palms over his face.

“I know the feeling,” Wade shut down the windows he’d been staring at. “I spent the last hour reading and can’t remember a thing. How do we get her back in the moment? We have to talk about this.”

“Wait here,” Noah said flatly, heading down the first floor hall to the empty bedroom where she’d been leaving her things that she wanted to sort through to find places for inside the house. His boots hammered on the hardwood flooring seconds later. “I’ll look upstairs. You check the back rooms,” he ordered, taking off at a run and climbing the stairs two at a time.

“How did she get out without us knowing?” Wade came from the northern side of the house shaking his head. He went
and pulled a coat from the closet, tossing Noah’s jacket to him. He snatched his keys from the counter. “Do we have a clue where to look? Is anything missing up there?”

Noah stopped at the door, stepping onto the porch and glaring into the rain. Her car was gone.

“Nothing missing. Her pack and all are still there,” he pulled his phone out and tapping in a number as they ran to the SUV. “Where the hell are you?”