He’s right. Fuck. I’ve got to hold it together.
“What do we know about ground zero?” Rafe asks. He means the site of the kidnapping.
I straighten and report, “There were scents of two men. The ones from the video. No one else. All the other scents were older.” I scrub a hand over my face. “They could be far out of town by now.”
“I’ve called in every favor. Channing was able to pull plates from the van, and police are on alert. Channing’s monitoring their scanner.”
“What else?”
“I have calls in to the Colonel and the Kings…” His voice dies as Deke steps into the doorway, his arms around Sadie. The petite human woman sees the spot where I punched the wall and her eyes widen.
“Tell us what you know, baby,” Deke murmurs.
Sadie swallows twice and drags her eyes away from the wall. “I called Adele, and it went to voicemail. Tabitha is heading over to her house now.”
“The shop was unlocked,” I said. “They could’ve lured her in, been waiting for her.” I run a hand through my hair, shaking with the urge to shift.
Rafe puts a hand on my shoulder. “Conserve your energy. We’ll have a target soon.”
“I’ve got intel,” Channing calls. “Kylie King’s online.”
We crowd into the operations room, where one of the screens shows Kylie King’s pale face. She doesn’t look like the relaxed mom Charlie and I saw onscreen in Cabo. Her hair’s pulled back and her face is scrunched, her eyes shaded by yellow rimless glasses. There’s a furious clatter of keys as she types.
“I’m trolling the darknet right now,” she reports without looking up. “I’ve got searches flagging any mention of Charlie, Black Wolf Security, and anything in the vicinity of Taos.”
“What about Vincent Sarcero?” I cut in.
Kylie wrinkles her nose and shakes her head. “There’s a rumor that he’s dead.”
“Dead?” Deke and I echo at the same time.
“Nothing confirmed. Not yet,” Kylie says. “I’m working on it. Give me a bit. I’ll get you more.”
“Thanks, Kylie,” Rafe says.
“Of course.” Kylie spares a second to look at the screen. Her face goes soft for a moment when she sees me. “We’ll get her back, Lance.”
I manage a nod before Kylie’s screen goes dark.
Rafe steps in front of the screens, holding up his phone. “Just got off the line with Colonel Johnson. A strike team was successful in taking out Vincent Sarcero early this morning. His organization is in chaos.”
“No shit,” Deke rumbles. “So it can’t be him.”
“Not unless he gave the order before his death. But I doubt it.”
Vincent Sarcero was at the top of my list of suspects. If he didn’t have Charlie kidnapped, who did?
Charlie
After a long drive that lasts forever, the truck slows and stops. A few dogs bark, and a man shouts at them until they shut up.
Fuck. I listen for clues of where I am and who’s taken me, but I’m freaking out.
The bed ramp lowers with a clang. Rough hands drag me out. I writhe, but I can’t really move or fight.
“Easy, sweetheart,” one of the guys mutters, lifting me against him. I pant against the gag, my head growing light as a balloon. I dig my nails into my palms, trying to slow my breath.
While I’m trying to keep from hyperventilating, the guy carries me into a dark warehouse. He weaves around some vehicles and equipment.
“This her?” another guy asks. My captor grunts.
Chills run up and down my spine. Her? They were looking for me? The idea that this is somehow related to Lance’s business takes hold again. But if it is, he’ll find me. He won’t let us—me and his pup—die. Or at least he will do everything in his power to get us back. I feel certain of that.
I just have to survive. Please, please, Lance. Come quick.
“In here.” The second man kicks open a door and the first carries me inside, setting me on the concrete floor. There are some pieces of trash but nothing else—nothing but darkness and the sharp, sour scent of my own sweat.
The door shuts and I’m left, still tied and gagged, to ponder my fate.
Lance
I stare at the screens in the operations room, wishing I could help. My wolf has settled. The sick feeling in my stomach is gone, replaced by the cool numbness I feel right before battle. It’s quiet now, the only sound coming from Channing’s thick fingers dancing over the keyboard. For a big fucker who resembles a bulldozer more than a nerd, he’s pretty good on computers.
I jump as Kylie flickers back on screen. “I’m getting some movement in Taos. Does anybody know a Christopher Ford?” she asks.
“Yeah,” Rafe says. “That's Adele's business partner. He’s fifty percent owner of her chocolate shop.”
“You mean Bing?” Sadie asks.
“Right,” Rafe confirms. “He’s a pothead and a small-time dealer, but he’s harmless. I ran a thorough check on him a while back.” Of course he did. Rafe wouldn't be my big brother if he wasn't a super paranoid control freak. Although why he was trying to control Adele’s life is unclear. It doesn’t matter— right now, I love him for it.