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Adrian marveled at how the shifter kidnapping females, who might be the infamous Blood King, had chosen a perfect place near a small town filled with humans. The entrance to his property looked like a celebrity’s home.
Very little traffic traveled the road leading to the Blood King’s home on a Saturday. In this quiet area, Adrian bet the traffic never got any busier.
People around here might speculate about who lived here, but they wouldn’t bother a wealthy resident. Who would say a word if the reclusive owner paid a chunk of taxes and donated to anything the town needed?
When Scarlett scoured traffic cams in the areas where the women had gone missing, she fingered what everyone else had missed. Two mommy vans had pulled up at the spot where Adrian had found Kaiser’s scent. A woman with a small child got out of one and another woman got out of the other.
Nothing unusual about either one, until Scarlett realized how tall they were and how their mannerisms seemed exaggerated, such as laughing a lot. But they’d kept their arms crossed.
She zoomed in to catch a side view of one sporting an Adam’s apple. Then one gave an obvious look at her watch, said something, and they left.
The second clue had been realizing how dark the windows were tinted and how this happened the day the female shifter had last been seen in that area. She grabbed the tag and followed that to where the vehicle had been seen refueling.
Adrian had passed the local gas station where the van fueled up two to three times a month. When he told the owner he was on his way to help his sister with her van, then described her and the van, the man pointed down this road. Adrian and his team had found a place to pull into the woods and start tracking both sides of the road heading in that direction.
As they had neared the entrance to this property, Adrian had started picking up wolf shifter scents. Probably perimeter security. He quickly crossed the road and joined Vic, then moved them back far enough to observe the wrought iron gates, but to not be easily seen.
Hawk should be back by now. He’d gone to do recon from the air. Vic carried Hawk’s clothes and tactical vest in his backpack.
Flying low over the treetops, his winged teammate spotted the flashing light Adrian had pointed straight up. Hawk swooped in and landed quietly before shifting.
Vic tossed him cargo pants, dark green shirt, boots, and a tactical vest.
Hawk liked his clothes and equipment even if he didn’t get to wear them long, since sending him airborne provided more support.
Reporting as he dressed, he said, “The place looks understated even though they have a long fancy entrance. I had to fly through the openings in the trees and land to watch. That’s what took so long. They have thick cover, which shields them from overhead eyes.”
Adrian’s palms sweated. This had to be connected to Jaz. She’d been there when Daisy was grabbed. She’d been there when Thea was almost taken, but those had been jackals.
Still, they could be profiteers looking to sell to this group. He asked, “Did you see any women?”
Bouncing his head up and down, Hawk said, “Hell, yeah. They had a bunch of them chained to trees. You’re not going to believe what I saw.”
“What?” Adrian hoped it wasn’t a golden pelt.
“They have the freaking Golden Kodiak wolf. She fits the human description right down to the scar. Wonder what kind of bennies we’ll get with SCIS for turning her in.”
Out of his mind from worrying about Jaz, Adrian ordered, “No one is touching her or handing her to SCIS!”
Vic and Hawk ceased all motion, staring at Adrian.
No way out of this but with the truth. Adrian said, “She didn’t murder anyone. I have proof, or I intend to have something tangible by the time I face the Guardian.”
Hawk’s intense gaze clouded with worry. “You just got your freedom back, Adrian. We can tell how much it means to the boss that he doesn’t have to ... lose you. I don’t understand this and doubt he will.”
Adrian cut his eyes to Vic who stood with arms crossed and a grim expression. They didn’t understand. He couldn’t walk away from Jaz even if he had to face lethal consequences.
Trying to convert his teammates into Team Jaz first, Adrian said, “I think once the Guardian hears all the evidence, he’ll understand why I’m protecting her until she has a chance to give her side. She killed the wolf shifter out of self-defense. He attacked her first when she caught him trying to drag a female shifter away.”
Relaxing his stance, Vic asked, “I heard the kill was in this area. Did that happen at the last place we went where you tracked alone?”
“Yes. I wanted to see the spot for myself. What I didn’t expect after smelling Kaiser’s scent where they fought was for his scent to match the suspicious wolf shifter residual scent at the last kidnap location. I need to get to the bottom of this and shoving her in a SCIS pit won’t solve it.” Adrian could see Vic’s wall of belief in her being a murderer cracking.
Still not sold, Hawk asked, “How do you know this woman, Adrian?”
“It’s a long story I’ll be happy to share, but I found her because I was tracking her at the request of Kaiser’s sister. I knew her other brother overseas. He was my best friend.”
“Leonard?” Hawk frowned.
“Yep. I felt I owed it to him to help Tanza when she called asking me to find Jaz.”
“Jaz?” Vic prodded.
Scratching the back of his head, Adrian muttered, “Hell, here’s all of it.” Then he explained how he’d met Jaz once before during a battle with shifters where she covered his six. He would not share that she knew Scarlett and drag anyone else into his mess. Then he caught them up from her saving a woman in Clarenceville all the way to where he stood in front of them.
“The only other thing you need to know,” Adrian continued, “Is that she’s my mate. Or will be if I can save her.”
That dropped both jaws.
Taking in the men Adrian respected and would not put in a difficult position, he made it simple. “If you don’t agree with what I’m doing to extract Jaz out of there, you’re welcome to leave. I only ask that you don’t contact the Guardian for at least an hour. I need that much time just to find a way in without getting caught.” If he had to do this alone, he stood a huge chance of being captured.
Hawk shoved his hands on his hips, clearly pissed. “You think I’m going to walk away now? Hell, no, asshole. I came to do this and, on the chance that she’s your mate, none of us would walk away from that. Once we have her free, it’s up to you and the Guardian at that point. Agreed?” Hawk finished and shoved a questioning look at Vic.
The wolf angled his head at Hawk. “Ditto, bitch.” He glared at Adrian. “You’re not kicking us out now. I have to see this woman. I’m just glad to know there are still mates for us out there.”
“Speak for yourself,” Hawk muttered.
Talk about being humbled by his Gallize brothers. “Thank you,” Adrian said with deep sincerity. “There have to be more for all of us. If I survive this, I’ll do all in my power to see that you find your mate. That includes you, bird boy.”
Hawk smiled but shook his head. “Let’s start planning.” His face altered to serious. “I didn’t finish telling you what I found out.” The hawk shifter spelled out details of the home and surrounding areas, including one place they had a chance to breach.
Adrian felt his body revving up for a battle. “I’ll go with your advice on insertion. We can’t kill any shifter that gets in our way. If they’re bonded to the alpha, Blood King, whatever, that could expose us.”
“Copy that.” Vic had already started checking what weapons he had inside and on his vest.
“One more thing,” Hawk brought up. “The guards were talking about how their boss said your woman was too dominant to be kept.”
“Damn right.” Pride rolled through Adrian’s words.
“They also said she had to fight another shifter tonight to entertain their boss,” Hawk added. “After that, she’d be shipped off to the Black River pack.”
Adrian loved hearing Jaz called his woman. A sign his teammates believed him.
As for tonight, he didn’t need one more reason to fight panic over Jaz getting out of there alive, but Hawk had given him more than he could have gotten on his own.
Adrian said, “We’ll get in place before dark, then I insert. If they force her to fight another shifter, she’s powerful enough to hold her own, but I want her out before that.”
“We have to get her out before that,” Hawk clarified.
Vic and Adrian paused in getting prepared. “Why?”
“The guards were laying bets on if she could shift with the titanium they were ordered to shove in her back.”
