Loving Their Vixen Mate (Pack Wars Book 4) (2 page)

“I get it, but since it’ll probably take you a few days to get a flight, I’ll ask around and see what I can find out. Maybe I can save you a trip.”

“I appreciate it. So can I stay with you? I can sleep on the sofa. We really need to catch up.”

He chuckled. “I forgot how stubborn you were. If I don’t find anything, then sure, come on down. If you stay here, at least I can keep my eye on you.”

“I don’t need you to babysit me. You have a day job to attend to.”

“I give. Just so you know, my roommate’s away on business for another week. You can stay in his room. Call me when you get in.”

*     *     *

“We could have trouble, sir.” Jay stood at attention in front of Paul Statler’s desk, the man who now ran the Colter organization. He wasn’t sure coming here was wise, but he figured it might be the fastest way to find Cheryl, and stop Kenzie from getting in trouble.

Dressed in an impeccably tailored blue pinstripe suit, Statler had silver gray hair and a calm demeanor. To the outside world, he was a top defense attorney. To other werewolves, he was their new leader. “Explain.”

“I have a cousin, Mackenzie Wagner, who’s a hafling. She has a human cousin who seems to have gone missing in Gulfside, and Kenzi is flying down to investigate.”

Statler waved a dismissive hand. “A woman can’t cause us much trouble.”

“This woman can. She’s an expert marksman and used to brag she could hack into the most secure computers.”

Statler shrugged. He might appear to be Mr. Cool, but Jay knew the signs of stress. His new boss’s jaw always twitched when he didn’t like something. Right now, it looked as if he were having an epileptic fit. “If you’re worried about her then make sure she doesn’t find out anything.”

Damn. Jay had come here for information. “She already knows too much. Apparently, she’s aware of her cousin’s last known location—Seaside Drive.”

“Fuck. What’s this missing woman’s name?” His words came out hard and demanding.

Now he was getting someplace. “Cheryl Johnson.”

Statler glanced out the office window that overlooked the bay. “John Hood sold her a few weeks ago.” He returned his gaze to Jay. “You need to make sure this cousin of yours finds out nothing.”

“Do you know the name of the man who has Mackenzie’s cousin? I’ll make sure we stay clear of him.” Actually, he’d do more than that.

“It’s not important. I’ve heard she’s well hidden. If this Mackenzie woman sticks her neck where it doesn’t belong, take care of her. Tell me now if you aren’t up to the task, and I’ll have someone else make sure she meets with an accident.”

His boss didn’t need to tell him that any kind of failure in this organization meant certain death. “I’ll handle her.” Fuck. Him and his big mouth.

W
hen the plane touched down in Florida, Mac let out a big breath, happy that the ride had been smooth, and that they’d landed on time. She didn’t want Jay to have to wait around for a delay. He’d been right about one thing. It had taken her a few days to book a flight. Right before she purchased the ticket, she’d called him to see what he’d learned. When he told her he was at a dead end, another wave of depression hit her. So here she was, ready to focus on finding Cheryl.

When she stepped into the terminal, Jay was there. He waved, rushed up to her, and hugged her. “Hey, Kenzie. Looking good.”

That was a lie. She hadn’t slept in days and had bags under her bloodshot eyes. “Thanks.” Jay on the other hand was tanned and fit.

He nodded to her one bag. “That all you brought?”

“Yes. I don’t imagine I’ll be staying for too long.”

“Good. I mean, that’s probably wise. Come on. We’ll get you settled.”

As much as she wanted to sleep for a hundred years, she needed to check out Cheryl’s last known location. “Can we go to Seaside Drive?”

He cocked a brow. “If you want, but there’s not much there.” He lifted the suitcase from her fingers. “Your boss is okay with you coming down?”

“He wasn’t all that happy with my impromptu vacation, but he understood why I needed the time off. So as not to leave him in the lurch, I promised to do whatever computer work he needed from here.”

Jay led her down the escalator and out to the covered parking. “I haven’t seen Cheryl since your dad’s funeral. What’s she been up to?”

He probably wanted to get a feel for where she might have gone. Was she a late night party girl or more of the relax-on-the-beach and read-a-book type? Cheryl was definitely the latter. “Let me see. She seems to be the unluckiest person alive. Do you remember when she got real sick during her second year in college?”

“Yeah. She had to drop out.”

“We all thought she’d go back the following year, but she didn’t have the tuition and refused to go into debt.”

Jay cocked a brow. “You mean she didn’t want to be like her older cousin.”

“Watch it.” Mac had almost finished paying back her loans. “So, she got a job instead.”

“At the pound if I recall.”

“Right. Cheryl never met a dog she didn’t like.” Mac smiled. “I can still remember her trying to convince me to adopt every one of the animals. Cheryl couldn’t stand to think one of them might be put to sleep. But the biggest dog of them all was Ricky Salvares.”

Jay found his car and placed her case in back. Mac slid in the passenger seat.

He started the engine. “I remember him. Tall, scuzzy, needed acne medication real bad. But he needed a bath even more. If I recall, she brought him to your dad’s funeral.” Jay winced and glanced away. The pain from her father’s death had affected him almost as much as it had her.

“He wasn’t that bad. The quick of it was that Ricky cheated on her, and Cheryl fell apart. Due to circumstances beyond her control, the shelter had to lay her off, and her landlord raised her rent.”

“That sucked.”

“I told you she was unlucky. She was smart though. She went back to school to become a paralegal.”

He turned off the Interstate and headed west. “I guess I can fill in the gaps. Since she always wanted to come to Florida, when she heard of an opening down here, she applied.”

“You got it.”

He slowed, as if he was looking for Seaside Drive. “Here it is.” He pulled into the lot that serviced many warehouses, cut the engine, and faced Mac. “You seem to think Cheryl is in trouble. What’s your evidence beside her failing to call you?”

She went through the same reasoning she’d had with her mom.

“Okay. Are you sure you want to look around here? It’s pretty run down. I checked, and most of the law offices are downtown or in a professional park.”

Mac shrugged. “This is where her GPS said she’d come. Her phone’s an older model and not all that accurate. I’m going to look around.”

She pushed open her door. The air was downright balmy and a wonderful relief from the snow in Indiana. Several large trucks were parked along the side of one building, but no workers were milling about. In fact, most of the buildings looked abandoned.

Jay stepped out of the driver’s side. “Not sure it’s all that safe around here.”

He was being too protective, but for the sake of being cautious, she refocused her attention on her senses. Other than Jay, there didn’t seem to be other shifters around. “I trust you can take care of a few Colters, right?” Her father had told her that only the best could defeat two wolves at a time. “But seriously, have you known Colters to attack for no reason?”

“As a matter of fact, I’ve seen it.”

Shivers raced up her spine. “I still want to walk around. If I sense someone, I’ll give a shout.”

What she didn’t understand was why Cheryl had gotten out of the cab in a place like this? She had to have sensed that no reputable law office would be here. If Mac could locate the cab driver who’d driven her cousin here, he might be able to describe her state of mind.

Going around town would require a rental, and Mac didn’t want to inconvenience Jay any more. This search sure would eat up her little nest egg, but that was what her money was for.

Since she’d asked Jay to drive her here, she might as well peek in all the windows. Damn. There was nothing but empty interiors. A part of one building looked like it had once been offices, but only a few pieces of furniture remained.

“Find anything good?”

Mac jumped. “You startled me.”

“You didn’t sense me coming?”

Shit. “I must have been thinking too hard.”

“Come on. This place gives me the creeps.” Jay headed back to his car.

She trotted after him. “Would you mind dropping me off at a car rental place? I should have my own ride.”

“I can drive you where you want to go.”

“I appreciate that, but you have better things to do. You do have a garage to run for a while, or did you forget?” As much as she welcomed the protection, her mind was clearer when she was by herself. “Besides, I might want to spend a day at the beach.”

Jay shrugged. “If that’s what you want.” He jumped in the car and fired it up. “You still want to crash at my place, right? Or do you want to exercise more independence and rent a place of your own?”

Mac almost laughed. “I’d like to stay with you until Riley returns home, if that’s okay.”

“Works for me. You know family is always welcome.”

Over the years, Jay had been a study in contrasts. In high school, he’d been a surly and angry young man. Having a father found guilty of running a Ponzi scheme had taken a toll on him. Once he left Indiana, things had gone his way, and he seemed happier now. “Thank you.”

*     *     *

Brandon Crenshaw and his cousin, Sam, had been called into Pack headquarters by Trax Field, the man who ran the surveillance end of the Pack. He wouldn’t tell them much over the phone; only that he’d found something that related to Cheryl Johnson, the woman he and Sam were assigned to help locate.

Sam drove. “I sure the fuck hope Trax has something good. This case is driving me crazy. I want those bastards so bad, I can taste it.”

Brandon understood Sam’s frustration. They’d been hot on Cheryl Johnson’s trail for over a week now and had been sure they were close several times, only to discover their information had been faulty. “I’m pissed as hell, too, that some scumbag Colter would have kidnapped a woman and then sell her. We’ll find her. We just have to be patient.”

“Fuck patience.” Sam made a growling sound, though it wasn’t nearly as threatening as when he was in his wolf form.

His cousin’s hatred for the Colters knew no bounds. It was what drove him—and that worried Brandon. “We have to be smart or whoever has Cheryl will put her someplace where we’ll never find her,” Brandon said.

“Nothing is going to stop me from retrieving her. I didn’t stop searching when those fuckers killed my brother, and I won’t stop searching now.”

Whenever Sam brought up his younger brother’s name, it was best not to engage him in conversation. Brandon decided it would be wise to keep quiet the remainder of the short trip to town.

Sam pulled the truck up to the building and did a shitty job of parking. He then slammed the truck into park and got out.

Brandon had to rush to keep up with him. “Slow down.”

No surprise, Sam didn’t answer, but Brandon was able to catch up. They headed straight to the conference room where Trax said he’d meet them.

When they entered, Trax looked up. “Thanks for coming in.”

The Pack was dedicated to bringing down crime, and their boss, General Armand, ran the Pack like a military organization. Luckily, he believed in having the best equipment and the best-trained men. It was why The Pack was making great headway in taking down the Colter Organization. Unfortunately, it seemed to be an endless job. No matter how many Colters they killed or put behind bars, sooner or later, another leader would pop up and take over.

“I wanted you two to see this. This occurred an hour ago.” Trax clicked on the surveillance camera feeds. “This is the warehouse district where Cheryl claimed she was drugged. Take a look.”

Brandon watched as a stunning brunette climbed out of a car, followed by a man about her age. “Do we know them?”

“I don’t have a handle on the woman yet, but the man is Jay Wagner, one of Paul Statler’s henchmen.”

Fuck. Paul Statler was now the head of the Colters, having recently replaced John Hood, the man responsible for kidnapping Cheryl.

The woman disappeared around the side of the building, but Jay stood watch. “Any idea what she’s doing?” Sam asked.

“Beats me,” Trax said, “but if she’s with Wagner, she’s up to no good.”

Brandon wasn’t so ready to condemn her. “The Colters usually don’t employ women.”

Sam’s face contorted. “With the way she’s peeking into that empty warehouse, I’m betting she’s looking for the earring we found inside.” It had been their confirmation that Cheryl had been drugged there. Elena, Cheryl’s cage mate, remembered the girl wearing only one earring. Thankfully, The Pack had managed to extract Elena before she was sold.

Brandon was intrigued. “If this woman is snooping around there with Jay Wagner, she might know something about Cheryl’s disappearance.”

Sam straightened. “Then I say we find her.” He looked over at Trax. “Can you give me a copy of that feed? I’ll put it through our facial recognition software at work.”