Seth had tried. He really had. For months, he’d tried to be somebody other than the beast at his core that had been forged in blood and death. But he was a killer, and he thought like one. Knocking out the FBI agent and tossing him into the truck had been almost too easy, and when Colbey had awakened on the ride back to the ranch, a sharp punch to the jaw had taken care of him for a few more miles.
The next time Colbey stirred, Seth let him sit up.
“What did you just do?” Colbey rubbed his jaw and then turned, facing Seth. “You are a dead man.”
Seth shrugged. “If something has happened to Mia, then you can put a bullet between my eyes.” He didn’t have a life before her, and he wouldn’t afterward, either. There was no breathing for him if she wasn’t alive and well. “I’ve tried, Colbey. I really have.”
Colbey turned to stare at the trees flying by so fast outside the window that even Seth couldn’t make out individual species. “You just committed battery and kidnapped a federal agent.” He spoke slowly as if still coming to terms with the situation. “Take me back right now, and I’ll try to help you.” His blond hair was ruffled, and his button-down shirt was wrinkled.
“Neither want nor need your help with my freedom.” Seth flicked him a quick glance, turning down his monstrously long driveway. “But you are going to help me find her. Willingly or not, it’s up to you.” He’d wanted them away from the station and that reporter hanging around. In fact, he’d wanted to get away from everybody before he did something he might regret. If Mia lived. If not, regrets meant shit.
Colbey reached for his weapon.
“It’s in the backseat,” Seth said almost absently. “Here’s the deal. I’m a killer. Was raised as a killer and then honed those skills in your military.” There was no need to look because he felt Colbey’s stare on him.
“You’re confessing to murdering those women?” Colbey reached for the glovebox, his voice rising.
Seth yanked the wheel to the left and knocked the guy against his door. “It’s empty. Leave it alone, and no. I’ve never killed a woman.” He spoke softly because there was never a need to raise one’s voice. He was contemplative right above a churning mass of fury and emotion that was becoming more and more difficult to keep at bay. “I’m trying to make you understand your position right now.” In addition, he was finally settling into exactly who he’d always been.
“My position?” Colbey snapped. “You’re the criminal about to be charged.”
Seth turned only his head and met the agent’s gaze head-on, showing the man exactly who he was. What he was.
Colbey paled.
“As I was saying. The one thing I’m good at in life is protecting what needs to be protected.” Had he ever even counted the bodies while working as his father’s Enforcer? He rolled to a stop in front of the still partially burned-out home. “By any means necessary. Like I said, I’m a killer. The one thing, the only thing in this entire fucked-up world I was supposed to protect, is Mia. And I failed.”
Colbey audibly gulped. “She’s missing. Not dead.”
“We don’t know that.” Yet Seth had to believe he did. That they were connected enough that he’d know if she’d left this world. If she had, his heart would’ve stopped all on its own. He knew it. “We’re going to proceed as if she’s okay, and you’re going to tell me how to find her.” He opened his door and stepped out of the truck. “Or I’m going to rip you apart, limb from limb, and show you just how long a man can last as he loses inches of himself, one by one.”
Colbey jumped out of the truck. To his credit, he didn’t run. Instead, he yanked open the back door and fetched his gun. “You didn’t lie,” he muttered, crossing around the vehicle and pointing the weapon at Seth. “The gun was in the back seat. You’re obviously having a mental breakdown.”
“Possibly,” Seth agreed. Where was Mia? Was she being hurt? She was strong and smart, and she had to know he was coming for her. Without seeming to, he moved closer to the agent. “I tried to be her hero.”
Colbey gulped. “Most heroes aren’t killers.”
“Maybe not at first. But then they find the one woman in the world who looks at them like they’re something good, and that hat appears.” Seth had that. “It’s more than most people get, and it’s a hell of a lot more than I ever thought I’d find. I don’t deserve her, but she’s mine.” Every inch of her. He might be feral, and he might be vicious, but he was all hers.
“Now, listen—”
Seth moved then, a quick blur, and manacled an arm around Colbey’s neck. The agent struggled, his boots digging into the gravel as Seth hauled him up the stairs and through the house.
“What is wrong with you?” Colbey snapped as Seth tossed him across his father’s study. The agent hit the leather sofa and bounced, quickly righting himself. “You’ve kidnapped an FBI agent, you moron.” The agent stood. He glared, one hand lifting his weapon. “Now I’m going to arrest you, and you’ll spend a lot of years in a federal prison. During that time, Mia can come to her senses.”
Seth smiled. “Pull that trigger, and you’ll regret it.” Then he waited.
Colbey, predictably, set his stance. He was faster than Seth would’ve expected.
Not that it mattered.
In a blur of motion, Seth dashed forward, secured the weapon, and retook his place by the desk. Papers rustled and fell to the floor from near his computer.
Colbey’s jaw dropped. “What the holy hell?”
Seth shrugged. “I’m quick.”
The agent’s eyes widened. “You’re more than quick, but you’re still under arrest.”
“I don’t have time for this.” Seth released the clip onto the floor. He cocked the chamber, and a bullet flew out. Then he threw the gun across the office. “I need you to get on the phone right now and see what the techs found on the CCTV in the area where Mia was taken.” It infuriated him that he hadn’t been able to track her on his own, but the smells of the city were too overwhelming.
Colbey’s chin dropped. “You are insane. I was on my way to Seattle since I have one agent down and another missing. Not only have you now kidnapped a federal agent, you’ve hindered my investigation. Have you lost your mind?” He started to pace by the sofa. “That’s it, isn’t it? It’s because of Mia. You’ve been trying to keep her involved and in your crappy little town here, so you killed those women and created a mystery for her to pursue.”
Seth’s gaze narrowed. “Have you lost your mind? How have you reached this position in the agency? You’re a freaking moron.” He shook his head. “You didn’t listen to Mia when she told you there was another killer. Obviously, there’s another killer. Now, get on the phone, or I will hurt you.”
Colbey set his stance. “You want to go? Let’s go.”
Seth didn’t have time for this. He also couldn’t knock the guy out again because then he wouldn’t gain the information he so desperately needed. He was a hunter and a killer. Standing still right now was destroying him.
Colbey crossed his arms. “I’m not going to help you, so get out of my way so I can get my job done.”
There really was no choice. Seth shook his head. “All right.”
Colbey’s phone buzzed, and he yanked it from his back pocket to read the display. “We have a vehicle in the area where Mia was taken, and we’ve tracked it. Get out of my way so I can go save my agent.”
“Where is it?” Seth barked.
“No way in hell am I telling you.” Colbey tapped the screen, no doubt erasing the text. “Now, if you want Mia home safely—or at least safe because after I speak with her, there’s no way she’s coming back here—then you’ll get out of my way.” The agent started for the door.
In an almost casual motion, Seth grabbed Colbey’s shoulder and flicked him across the room. The man partially landed on the sofa and fell onto the floor before sitting up and shaking his head. He rubbed his jaw and then shoved to his feet. “What are you on?” He peered into Seth’s eyes, his blond hair ruffled. “PCP?”
Seth smacked his hand to his head. “You really are a stupid son of a bitch, aren’t you?” It was unbelievable that Mia had had to work with this guy. “All right. I don’t have a choice.” He started to take off his shirt.
“Whoa,” Colbey said, holding up a hand. “You need help. As soon as I get Mia back, I promise I will help you find some sort of assistance.”
Seth rolled his eyes. He didn’t have time for any of this. “Listen, I’m about to tell you something that will get you killed.” At this point, Seth could give two fucks. “If you even hint about this to anybody, I’ll rip out your throat.” He forgot about his jeans and started the shift. He went slower than usual, making sure Colbey got the full effect. Fur sprang up all over his body, and he dropped to all fours, his face elongating. Seconds later, he was in his full wolf form, his jeans a shredded mess on the floor.
Colbey backpedaled until his calves hit the sofa, then he fell, bouncing once. His jaw dropped open, and he stared.
Seth padded closer, careful of the wooden floor, and snarled, making sure his canines were fully visible. Colbey paled but didn’t move. Seth could smell the man’s fear, but his expression remained intense and rather calm. He had to give the agent props for that. Taking a step back, Seth quickly shifted into his human form and put his hands on his hips.
“Holy shit,” Colbey said.
“Aptly put,” Seth muttered, sorry he hadn’t taken off his jeans. They were beyond repair. “Now, tell me how to find my mate.”
Even the tips of Colbey’s ears turned red. “Your mate? You mean Mia knows that…that you’re a...? I mean, you’re a...” The man couldn’t quite get the words out.
“Yes, I’m a wolf shifter, Colbey,” Seth said slowly as if speaking to somebody with a head injury. “Shifters exist. Lost Lake is full of them. If you tell anybody about us, as I said, we’ll rip out your throat. Now, Mia.”
Colbey slowly stood, his body visibly shaking. He jerked his shoulders and got himself under control. “Does Mia know?”
Seth might actually have to torture this moron. “Of course, Mia knows. Now, tell me where she is.”
Colbey looked around the office. “How fast can you get to her in wolf form?”
“Faster than you can. Now give me the information.” Then Seth would have to decide what to do with the agent. He didn’t want to kill the guy, but did he really have a choice?