Loving Their Vixen Mate (Pack Wars Book 4) (5 page)

“Got the safe open,” the one in control stated. “Shit. Nothing’s in here but some letters, money, and a watch.”

More drawers opened. “Can’t find his computer.” This came from a man with a deep voice. “Do you think that Mackenzie woman got here first? Jay said his cousin could hack into anything.”

“Bitch better not be interfering. When she came to the office, I could see she was determined to find the girl. She’s trouble all right. I’ll have Jay make sure she doesn’t get the chance to interfere.”

Mackenzie wasn’t a Colter? Sam had a hard time coming to grips with that fact, especially after watching the video. How had Mackenzie known where Cheryl had been kidnapped? Had Jay told her? Or had he planned on drugging Mackenzie at the warehouse, but something or someone had changed his mind? Poor Mackenzie. She was staying with her cousin—a cousin who was about to be given an order to kill her. His stomach twisted as his protective side went into high gear.

Then more drawers opened and shut—closer to him this time—drawing his attention back to the fact that at any second, he could be facing three men who wanted him dead.

As the search drew near, Sam’s body started to shift. First his nails grew, and then the hair on the back of his hands sprouted. Changing now would give away his location. Fuck. They’d find him and Brandon for sure, as it was easier to detect another wolf when in animal form.

“Jake, you go outside and keep watch,” the man in charge said. “Damon, check Hood’s bedroom for that computer. We need it.”

“Yes, sir,” they responded in unison.

Sam let out a breath. From the cold, calculating tone of the man, it had to be Statler. The man in charge swore a few times, as if he didn’t find what he was hoping to. Metal banged against metal.

One of the men returned. “Couldn’t find anything in his bedroom, sir.”

For a few seconds, neither said anything. “You smell something?” the leader asked.

Shit. Sam held very still, holding his breath and praying his body didn’t betray him.

“Smells stale, that’s all, sir.”

“Makes sense. Hood might have kept his computer someplace else. I’ll contact the jail tomorrow and ask him where he left it.” Footsteps clicked on the hardwood floors. Sam exhaled at the retreating steps.

He waited until he believed all three of them had left the house. He needed air badly and while his body was aching and sweat covered his back, he remained motionless. Only after a full minute, did Sam’s heart rate return to normal.

No doubt Brandon had heard the entire exchange, too. Voices sounded, but they appeared to come from the front of the house. Fortunately, the office was located in back. Sam peeked out. The office door was open, but he was unable to see clear to the outside.

Sam telepathed to Brandon, not wanting to take the chance one of the men could hear them.
You okay? Looks all clear.

As Sam unraveled his body out of the cabinet, Brandon stepped out of his hiding place. Without a word, he glanced down the hallway, and then motioned they get the hell out of there. Sam was all too happy to oblige.

In a flash, they were out the back door. Since they remained in human form, they unlocked the rear gate and scooted out. Once they retrieved their weapons, they edged their way toward the front of the house. A black limousine was still parked in the drive. From all the surveillance they’d done since Cheryl’s disappearance, he knew it belonged to Paul Statler.

“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Brandon said.

Without incident, they reached their truck. Sam jumped in, keeping the precious laptop on his lap. Brandon did a U-turn and drove away from Hood’s house.

Sam tapped the case. “Let’s hope Hood’s little secrets are on this thing.”

“If not, we’re screwed.”

*     *     *

“What did you find out about Cheryl?” Jay asked as he tossed his car keys in the tray by the front door next to where she’d put the spare key he’d given her.

“Not much.” Mac told him about the conversation with the cabbie, and then about her phone call to her aunt. “When I visited the law offices where Cheryl had her interview, the secretary was so concerned that she had me speak with Mr. Statler himself.”

His spine straightened. “Oh, yeah? What did he say?” He slipped off his jacket and headed into the kitchen. The refrigerator door banged open, and he returned with a beer to his lips.

“Not much. Just that they had asked Cheryl to come for an interview, but that she never showed.”

“Did they comment about the mix up with the address?”

“Mr. Statler said that his regular secretary had been out sick a few weeks back, and the temp must have made a clerical error.”

“Bummer.”

While Statler’s explanation made sense, something didn’t seem right. “I’m wondering if he told me the whole truth. I found no incoming calls to Cheryl’s cell other than from me and her mom.”

“You hacked into her cell records?” She swore his voice nearly cracked.

“Only a little.”

“That’s illegal, Kenzie.”

She chuckled. “Since when did you turn into a Boy Scout?”

He shrugged, but she swore his eye twitched. “Never, so now what?”

“Tell me this. If you’d asked someone to come for an interview, wouldn’t you have made a follow up call if she didn’t show?”

He shrugged. “I would have, but I can’t vouch for a busy law firm. Maybe Statler decided Cheryl had changed her mind. He might have asked ten people to come in for the interview and assumed that when Cheryl didn’t show, that she’d found another job.”

“I suppose.”

He dropped onto the chair opposite her. “What’s your next step?”

“I don’t have one.” That was what concerned her. She normally could trace a person’s movements and get a clue from that, but Cheryl either hadn’t tried to call someone or her battery died. “She hasn’t made any credit card charges either. She has to eat, right?”

“You said she doesn’t like debt. She could have taken cash out of her bank account. When she ran out, she’d return home.”

“I hope so.” Did Jay fear that she’d stay too long? “I’m not ready to give up, but don’t worry, I’ll find someplace else to crash when Riley returns.”

“Nonsense. You can sleep in my room, and I can crash out here. I often fall asleep watching TV.”

Jay was sweet. “I’ll figure something out when the time comes.” She opened the laptop cover. “I spent some time looking into the newspaper archives to see if Gulfside had any other cases of missing women.”

“Okay. Let’s say there are. Then what? As much as I hate to admit it, missing girls are commonplace down here.”

Jay was too logical. Damn. “When I compile a list, I’ll speak with each of the families to see if I can find a connection between the cases.”

He waved his bottle. “That could take months.”

“I know, but this is Cheryl we’re talking about. If I were ever kidnapped, or God forbid killed, I’d want someone to find out what happened to me.” She leaned back against the sofa. “To speed up the process, I plan to head to Wheels, one of the local bars near the warehouse district, to see if I can learn something.” It was close to where Barbie Lassiter’s body had been found.

“I’ll come with you. It’s not safe.”

“I appreciate that you don’t want anything bad to happen to me, but having a man by my side won’t help me get information. Besides, the sooner I find out something, the sooner I’ll be out of your hair.”

She told him about the one article she’d found. Mac wouldn’t have thought anything of it, but the body of a twenty-eight year old woman had been found floating in the bay a little over two weeks ago. Reports stated that a Barbie Lassiter was last seen stepping out the back of a strip club where she worked and had never been heard from again. The report further stated the police had no clues as to the identity of the killer. Had Barbie not washed up near Seaside Drive, Mac would have discounted it as a random murder.

Unfortunately, the article didn’t state the name of the strip club or where Barbie lived.

“You think Barbie Lassiter’s death is related to Cheryl’s disappearance somehow?”

“I don’t know. I’m hoping someone at the bar might be able to shed some light on it. In Muncie, if something bad happened near where I hung out, it would be the talk of the bar for months.”

“Fine. Promise me that if you find one bit of evidence that connects Cheryl to any of this that you’ll come to me for help.”

“Sure.”

Jay was such a nice man. If his dad gave a rat’s ass about his son, he’d be proud.

“I’m ordering pizza. You want some?”

“Yes, but I’m paying.”

Jay grinned. While he ordered, Mac set about locating more families who’d had missing daughters. She’d had to search hard for any mention of a kidnapping or a cold case involving a dead woman, but she did come up with a few clues. It would be enough to go on.

Forty-five minutes later, the doorbell rang and Mac jumped up. Time to eat, and then back to more investigating.

“Y
ou ready for this?” Brandon slid out of the truck and waited for Sam.

The smartest thing they’d done was put that tracking device on Mackenzie’s car. If they hadn’t, they never would have found her at Wheels.

His cousin slammed the car door and stalked toward him. Ever since Sam had learned the Colters had set their sights on taking out Mackenzie, he’d been in a foul mood. Never even said a word about how yesterday he was condemning Mackenzie for being a Colter. To him, she’d been guilty by association. To say Sam had a blind spot when it came to them was an understatement. Though if Brandon’s brother had been killed by those fucking wolves, he might have become a hothead, too.

“Let’s do this,” Sam said.

Brandon recognized the look in his cousin’s eyes. Sam’s protective streak was at its peak. When that happened, his decisions often lacked forethought. That wasn’t to say Brandon was immune to her plight. Hell, his body boiled knowing that Mackenzie’s cousin had betrayed her, but Brandon was the more levelheaded of the two. They both agreed on one thing. Jay was the lowest form of scum.

Maneuvering around the poorly parked motorcycles and big trucks, Sam and he worked their way towards Wheels. The wooden-slatted exterior had been worn by the salt air to the point where several siding boards hung loose. Even one of the light fixtures dangled from a wire.

Brandon grabbed Sam’s arm. “Remember, we’re here to gain her trust, not scare her to death. How about you watch our backs, and I cozy up to her?”

“Fuck that. Why can’t we both get to know her?”

Brandon shook his head. “With your lack of insight, I wonder how you’ve ever succeeded in picking up a woman. A threesome might be commonplace in Gulfside, but we’ll overwhelm her if we both try to get her attention. She’s from Indiana, for God’s sake.”

Sam chewed his lip. “Fine, but if you strike out, I’m stepping in.”

“Like that would ever happen? Don’t worry, I’ll have her eating out of the palm of my hand within half an hour.”

Sam laughed. “Right.”

“Did you forget our ace in the hole?”

Sam puffed out his chest. “What’s that?”

“She’s our mate. If we feel this strong of an urge when we’re around her, I’m betting she’ll be equally attracted to us. I’m thinking she won’t be able to keep her hands off me.”

Sam cocked a brow, looking hopeful. “You know this, or are you guessing?”

Brandon lifted a shoulder. “It just makes sense, doesn’t it?” Two burly men piled out of the front door, forcing Brandon’s attention to them. Neither one was a shifter, so he turned back to Sam. “We’re good?”

When the door had opened, not only did loud music pour out, Brandon got a glimpse of the crowd inside. Damn. Mackenzie could have ten men surrounding her. That would make having a private conversation with her quite difficult.

Sam yanked open the door. “What happens if our bodies go crazy again? We’ll start a revolution in town if we shift.” His cousin had to speak louder than was wise.

“It’s the risk we have to take.”

As soon as Brandon entered the dark and smelly bar, his body started to change. Fuck. He halted, clenched his fists, and thought of John Hood, the man who’d arranged to have Cheryl stolen. Brandon’s body stopped shifting at the man’s image, but he knew the hiatus wouldn’t last long, even though the vision of Elena and Cheryl being held capture had his gut twisting. He actually felt slightly nauseated thinking about the man.

I hope you rot in jail for the rest of your life, John Hood.

After half a minute, other than the slight sheen on his skin, his body had returned to normal. But as he stepped closer to the middle of the room, he reacted again to her presence. Crap.

I don’t like being in here—too many men and not enough women to rein them in,
Brandon telepathed to Sam.

I got your six.

Of the males who were here, only a few were shifters, but given Wheels was in the warehouse district area near the docks, Brandon bet they were Colters.

We should drag Mackenzie outside right now and make her fly back home.
Brandon could almost hear Sam’s growl in those words.