He shucked off his pants, not caring that he was on the side of the dirt road to the mine. “Oh, great. Two wolves in the city. That makes a lot of sense. Just meet me at the airfield, brother. While you’re at it, have somebody find out where Kurt Colbey has been all day.”
“I’m on it.” Erik ended the call.
Seth finished yanking off his boots just as his phone dinged. “What?” he snarled. While he didn’t mind his brother having an opinion, once Seth gave an order, he was done with it.
“Todd’s phone is off, so I called Agent Colbey, who claims he’s been at Jeremiah’s interviewing witnesses all day. Colbey said that Todd returned to the Canine Coffee and Gas crime scene to scout around.” Erik sneezed.
“Call Greg Treverton instead of Todd. I’d like to see him advance within the pack. He’s tough, and he’s solid with communications. The guy has been updating the mine control room.” Seth threw his phone into the truck and then turned, sailing through the air and instantly shifting into wolf form.
Unlike natural wolves, he was faster than any vehicle and ran full-out, staying away from main roads until he reached the outskirts of Seattle. He tried to stick to the shadows and stay away from people, but he was spotted several times. Hopefully, he was too fast to catch. The rain and drizzle made the day misty and helped somewhat, but the crack of a shot sounded near a tent encampment by a large steel and chrome building. So much for guns being outlawed in Seattle.
He agilely leapt out of the way and kept going, finally finding the street where Claire had said they’d been. He couldn’t scent the shifter, which was a good thing. Hopefully, she had made it farther south toward the airfield, but he did smell blood and terror. He lifted his nose just as two people walked out of a building. A tall woman in all white shrieked and fell back against the glass. He just looked at her and tried to concentrate.
He caught the faint scent of Mia, all lilacs and vanilla, and started running full bore down the street, uncaring about the vehicles that swerved out of his way. City smells bombarded him, and for several miles along a busy road, he had to work hard to zero in on the one he needed.
Obviously, she’d been thrown into a vehicle. All of a sudden, the smells of the city—from the smog to marijuana smoke to body odor—slammed into him, masking all other scents.
The smell of lilacs and sweet vanilla was gone.
Fury cascaded through him, raking with desperate claws. Where was she? He growled just as he heard several sirens, no doubt coming his way. A wild-ass, unbelievably large wolf in an urban area was a true danger.
They had no fucking clue.
He turned and ran into a different alley, hugging the buildings and escaping the city. It took him longer than it should have since he had to avoid humans. Finally, he reached the airfield, where two of his men waited, including Greg.
He shifted into human form and easily caught the pair of jeans Greg tossed at him. “Any news?”
“No.”
Fury pounded through Seth’s body. When he found who’d taken Mia, the kill would take time. And that was if he found her safe. He couldn’t think of any other possibility. He wouldn’t. “Where is everybody?” He yanked on the jeans.
“They’re looking for you and Claire.” Greg stood at attention, guarding the airplane. “We’ve been monitoring communications and got an update on the FBI agent who was shot—the photographer. He’s in surgery. It’s not looking good.”
What about Mia? Seth hadn’t smelled her blood, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t hurt. A scent caught his attention, and he turned just as Ralph Fulsome walked out from behind the nearest metal hangar, stark naked, his wife in his arms.
“Claire, are you okay?” Seth called out.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she insisted, blood covering her arm and part of her neck. “I shifted, got the bullets out, and then headed in the direction you told me to go. Ralph found me, and I was able to shift back.”
Greg reached into the plane and pulled out a blanket, hurrying over to cover the woman. Fire lit his eyes as he viewed her collarbone. “How many bullets did you take?”
Claire stared at Seth, her blue eyes sharp with pain. “Doesn’t matter. I’m fine. Please, tell me you found Mia.”
“No.” Instant guilt slammed into Seth. What was he thinking hiring the mother of six—five living—to work for him? “I’m so sorry.”
“Listen, no,” she said. “I like my job. I like being a deputy and escaping the house. I’m good at it, Seth.” Desperation filled her eyes. “It’s just…I don’t know. The bullets came out of nowhere.”
“I’m not blaming you,” he consoled. “Did you see Mia get hit? Anything?”
Tears filled Claire’s eyes. “No. I heard shots and then the world went black.”
Ralph continued to the plane, his gaze sober as he strode up the stairs with her still safely in his arms. “I’m getting her settled,” he called back.
Seth’s mind clicking, he lifted his head and howled. Even in human form, he was all wolf.
Within minutes, the remaining three members of the team bounded into sight from different directions, shifting into their human forms as they neared.
“Did you find her?” Erik asked, his feet bare on the rough tarmac.
