With the kinds of lawyers that family could afford, they were going to need a slam dunk.
Honestly, what kind of sick freaks kidnapped children from a place like this? Whether it was the Corbyns or someone else, he was determined to bring them to justice. He would do whatever it took to find the evidence he needed. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had much luck so far. When he’d first started working the case, he’d conducted a thorough inspection of the premises, hoping to at least find something that would get him a search warrant. No such luck.
They’d done a pretty damn good job cleaning up after themselves.
Chase wasn’t giving up, though. If anything, finding no evidence had only further cemented his beliefs. The Corbyn family were hiding something, he just had to prove it. And as well-prepared as they were, he knew they weren’t expecting to be under constant surveillance. Eventually, they’d slip up; Chase just had to wait them out.
Thus, the reason he was here on Christmas Eve. That, and the fact that in a few days, this place would be closing down until next festive season, and his chance to find the missing kids would be gone.
But so far, it had yielded nothing. The only unusual thing that had happened was a loud crash not too far from here. At first, he’d thought it was merely a car crash. But if that had been the case, a tow truck would have been here by now. They wouldn’t leave someone stranded out here in the middle of the night.
No. Chase’s gut told him that whatever had just occurred had been no accident. He’d developed a strong intuition after all his years working undercover, and long since learned to trust his instincts. He was on high alert, despite the calmness of the deer, and of his own animal. He marched around the enclosure, ears pricked and eyes peeled for any sign of suspicious activity.
Maybe he should slip out of the gate and investigate. It would be simple enough to shift, climb over the chain link fence, and then shift back again. There was no-one around to see him, but if they did, they’d just assume he was a wild moose passing through.
Not a moose,his reindeer huffed.
I know that, idiot,he told it affectionately.But—
A dull thud echoed behind him, cutting him off mid-thought. Chase sped around the barn just in time to see a child being placed on his side of the fence. What the hell? Was this one of the missing children?
The toddler started waddling towards them the second his feet hit the ground. He was babbling incoherently beneath his breath, his eyes brimming with excitement and curiosity. It was ridiculously cute.
Unfortunately, the nearby bull reindeer the boy was beelining towards didn’t seem to share the sentiment. The creature stamped his hooves down in agitation as the boy got closer—a warning the boy was too young to understand.
Crap, Chase thought,he’s going to get trampled if he gets any closer.
There was no time to switch back into his human form. He had to act now…or else. Chase sprang forward, cantering towards the child who was still oblivious to the danger he was currently waddling towards.
He sank his teeth into the boy’s hood, pulling him out of the line of fire just in time. The toddler let out a cry of protest, seemingly put out by his interference. Then he turned his head and saw Chase, his eyes lighting up with newfound awe.
That was when Chase caught sight of the item the boy was carrying—a blue stuffed reindeer.
If he’d been capable in this form, Chase would have laughed. The kid liked reindeer. Naturally.
Something suspiciously akin to pride swelled within him. He wasn’t entirely sure why—sure, he’d always like kids, but this feeling was almost paternal—but this was absolutely not the time to dwell on it.
Chase heard another muffled thump coming from behind him, but he was already carrying the boy towards the barn. His clothes and gun were stashed away in there. He’d need them if he was going to confront the kidnapper.
Not a bad night. Not only had he successfully rescued a child—twice, if you counted the almost run-in with the surly old bull reindeer—but it looked like he had a new lead, too.
Chase ducked inside the barn quickly. Every second he wasted was another second the kidnapper could be getting away. Placing the toddler safely on the floor, he quickly shifted into his human form, winding up naked on the cold dirt floor. He wasted no time tugging on his jeans and flannel button up, then pulled on his boots. Like most shifters of his species, he didn’t overly feel the cold, but creeping around barefoot was a surefire way to stand out.
Reaching for a nearby hanger, he grabbed his jacket, putting it on and pulling the gun out of his right pocket. He kept it in his right hand for now.
Glancing down at the toddler again, Chase wondered what he should do with him. He didn’t like the thought of leaving him alone, but there was always the chance the kidnapper also had a gun. He looked around the room; there was only one exit. The boy should be fine for now.
He made for the doorway, tilting his head to scent the air for signs of danger. What struck him was the most amazing scent that he had ever smelled. It reminded him of sugar cookies and gingerbread, mixed with a hot cocoa and fresh snowfall. The smell brought with it a feeling of nostalgia, though Chase was sure this was his first time experiencing it.
Belatedly, he realized he’d caught a trace of the same scent earlier when carrying the boy. But while the scent merely lingered on the toddler, the origin was coming from outside. Chase’s heart was hammering as he stepped outside, being drawn to that smell like a moth to a flame.
“Riley! Riley where are you?” The most beautiful voice Chase had ever heard cried out brokenly. It struck something deep within him to hear that voice be in so much pain. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to soothe the woman responsible.
“Oh, God. I’m a terrible mother. Riley!”
Chase couldn’t bear to listen to this one second longer, and quickly lowered the gun down to his side. The idea that this woman, the source of such amazing scents and sounds, could possibly be in any way connected to the kidnappers was beyond incomprehensible to him.
That was when he saw her.
