Chapter 168

[ 1,476 words ]

Liam

The Golden brew is a mid-sized coffee shop with eclectic hand-painted walls, comfortable seating areas and a wide selection of pastries.

The aroma of whole brewed beans, spices and butter permeates the air.

There is a decent amount of patrons shifting around on their laptops or in small groups speaking to one another.

Behind the counter is a college aged girl and two guys. Behind them are doors leaning to a kitchen.

Elliot, Ransom and I walk up to the counter.

Ransom, the flirt that he is, takes the lead.

“What can I get for you,” the girl asks, looking between the three of us.

“Give me three iced Americano’s. I’d also like to speak to Dante if he’s available.”

The girl stops pressing buttons. Then she clears her throat as a hard look comes over her.

“What the hell do three grown men want with a missing kid?”

“missing?” I have a question.

Her eyes flick to the double doors. “Look, I’m just an employee, if you want to speak to his mother she’s in the back.”

“Would you mind getting her for us?”

She gives us another cautious look. “Give me a minute.”

I look at Elliot and Ransom.

“The boy is missing too?”

“Well that complicates things a bit,” Elliot mutters.

Yes it does.

It means that either this was planned by the two juveniles or whoever took her also took this boy.

What a fucking mess, my beast growls.

A frantic woman with caramel hair and wide Hazel eyes comes out, wiping her hands on a cloth. Her eyes are bloodshot and there is flour all over her face.

When she sees us, she pauses, fear sharpening her scent.

“Who are you and why are you asking about my son?”

Ransom steps forward and with a soothing voice he says, “My name is Ransom, this is my husband, Elliot and that’s my brother Liam. We’re here because our nice Ashlynn has gone missing.” The lie rolls smoothly off his tongue and I have to say I’m impressed.

He pulls out a picture to show the woman. The woman takes the picture and recognition flashes in her eyes.

“We know she was friends with your son and we were just wondering if he’s heard from her.”

“Ashlynn is missing,” she says with genuine worry in her voice. “ When did it happen?”

“So you know her,” Elliot asks, watching the woman closely.

“Yes. She and Dante were friends, they spent a lot of time here or in the book store a few blocks down. She is a sweet girl.” Her voice wavers like she’s trying to hold back tears.

“What happened to Dante?”

The woman steals herself, like this isn’t the first time she’s told this story. “Yesterday he was supposed to go and meet up with Ashlynn. They were going to hike down the firefly trails. I packed them lunch and some snacks. I told him to be careful…” she trails off, like she’s imagining all the other choices that she could have made.

Before I had my children, I wouldn’t have understood her pain, but now, it is so acute it makes my chest ache.

“He never came home,” Ransom says gently.

“No. And when I went to the police they said that it’s probably just two kids who ran away together and to come back to the station if he didn’t appear in another two days.”

“But you don’t think that’s a possibility? I ask.

“Dante is happy and so is Ashlynn. There wouldn’t be a reason for him to leave. He wanted to take over the shop when I retire and transition it into a bakery style cafe. He had plans and goals. It doesn’t make any sense.”

“No it doesn’t, Elliot agrees.”

“I went looking for them. I searched the trails and went off into the woods for hours but then it started to get dark and I had to come home. I tried to find Ashlynn’s number but there was no way to contact her.”

The ring of truth between her heart break rubs me raw.

“And Dante’s father,” Elliot asks.

“It’s just me and him,” she says.

“Not anymore,” Ransom promises. “Well, find them both.”

“Can we get a picture of your son, it will help in the search,” Elliot asks.

“Are you law enforcement?” she asks.

“Retired,” Ransom says smoothly. “And we intend to use all our skills to find them.”

Moving faster than I expect, the small woman grabs both Ransom and Elliot and hugs them.

“Oh thank you, thank you.”

I almost laugh at the way Elliot’s eyes go comically wide when she takes his hands and says, “You’re all a blessing.”

Ransom smirks at his mate.

He clears his throat. “Right. So about that picture.”

The woman wipes her eyes, a spark of hope flaring in them. “Yes, just give me one second.”

She runs back inside the doors.

“What do you think?” Ransom asks.

“I think Ashlynn was taken. Whether or not the boy was taken with her I can’t say.”

Ransom’s freon deepens. He knows the other possibility. The one where the boy was disposed of not to get in the way.

“It doesn’t matter. That woman deserves answers and we’ll get her the truth no matter what the outcome is.”

The woman comes back out and hands us a picture of the boy…

“Wow,” Ransom says. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

She gives a sad sort of chuckle. “He was always big for his age.”

The boy in the photo is standing at least at 6’3 and is strong judging by the way he’s holding up those crates of produce.

“How old is he?” Elliot asks.

“Fifteen,” she answers.

Ransom pulls out his phone and hands it to her. “Put your number in here.”

She quickly takes it. “I’m Sage, by the way.”

“Thank you for your time, we’ll be in touch alright.”

We leave The Golden Brew, and head to the jeep. Once we’re inside I Elliot says, “I’m texting Sigrid to put together a team of enforcers to search that trail. If there was any foul play that’s where they would find it.”

“ I don’t like how things are escalating. Feels like we’re being picked off. Like a larger predator is coming for the herd causing distress and confusion before he leans in for the kill,” I say.

“Isn’t that what this is?” Elliot says. “ From where I’m standing whoever is pulling the strings has one glaring fact about them. They dislike shifters and the way things are being currently run. We may not have a pattern for the victims but we do have one for the attacks.”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“So far every pack has faced a defacement of their territory. Whether or not it was a direct attack on the pack, there were attacks on the humans surrounding it with the land itself. Whoever is doing this is trying to make the humans hostile to its shifters and the packs question their leadership,” Elliot explains

“They’re trying to turn us against each other,” I realize.

“What easier way to take down an empire than to breed distrust and infighting,” Elliot intones.

“I knew you were more than just a pretty face,” Ransom jokes.

Elliot rolls his eyes.

After dropping the pair off on their territory, I head back to Black ridge, turning on my cars Bluetooth and dialing Ronan’s number

He picks up after the second ring.

I fill him in on what happened.

“Shit, so now there are two possible kidnappings.”

“Yeah.”

“And we’re sure this kid is innocent.”

“I’m positive. His mother couldn’t have faked the emotions coming from her, not unless she’s a sociopath.”

“Alright, I’ll reach out to Elliot, offer some of our males to aid his search.”

“How is Marcus coming along with tracing the website?” I say.

“He’s still working on it, but he managed to tap into their network by making a fake account and now he has access to their shows.”

The word shows is said in the same tone one would say pedophile.

My wolf bared his teeth, remembering the tortured shifter female.

“So if it is them, we’ll know,” I say carefully.

“We’ll know,” he confirms.

“And if it is? What is the plan then?”

He sighs and I can feel the weight in it. “If we don’t find out where that signal is coming from, there will be nothing we can do.”

I know it cost Ronan something to admit our hands are tied.

It cost me something to accept it.

My beast soaks in his black mood, let’s it coat his skin like armour.

We hang up, but the temperature in the car has changed..

A crow flies overhead, cawing in response to once lying unseen in the trees.

My fist tightens on the steering wheel and a sliver of paranoia enters my head.

The what if’s begin to cycle through.

What if they are watching me now?

What if they followed me into town?

What if they are trying to get me alone?

On and one it goes until me beast breaks the train of thought with a vicious growl.

This is what they want, my wolf says. To get in our head. Don’t let them.

Elliot is right. This is more than just a physical war, it’s a psychological one.

And like it or not, they have the upper hand.

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