Opening the passenger door for Henri, Carson caught the quizzical look Hunter and Fionn gave him and quickly looked away. Mentally kicking himself for letting his frustration show, he decided to do what Cody had taught him. Inhaling deeply and holding his breath after shuttingthe door, he silently counted to ten while walking around to the driver’s side of the car. Then, exhaling slowly, he felt all the negative feelings in his mind blown away with the air that left his lungs. Once safely seat-belted in, he said, with what he hoped was a cheerful voice, “Looks like we’re going to have some beautiful weather for our drive. Everyone ready?”
~/~/~/~/~
It had taken most of yesterday for Willow to find a safe place to spend the night, though it was only a temporary respite; she knew it was way too dangerous for her to stay in New York. After six years of fear and constantly looking over her shoulder, moving around was wearing her down. The only problem was figuring out how to make it end. Turning over in her makeshift bed, Willow felt her tiger lurking close to the surface.
Her tiger was on high alert; every sound, no matter how innocuous demanded her attention. And that meant Willow had barely slept. If only she knew who was hunting her that would have helped, but her all-too-brief search at the library revealed nothing; she was still facing an unknown threat. And though she now knew the identity of the kidnappers she killed, neither of them was listed as a member of Josiah’s pack.
Okay, that’s a relief, but then who am I up against? And why?At times like this, she wished she’d confided in her son six years ago when he’d arrived unexpectedly from overseas and discovered her trying to escape through the bedroom window in her apartment. Rolling her eyes at the memory of her stubbornness that day, she forced her tiger back, determined to get at least some sleep before morning. As she closed her eyes, the image of her best friend appeared in her mind and a faint smile crossed her face. Thankfully, Hope was safe with her relatives at theRolling Hills Pack. Comforted by that thought, Willow finally fell into a restless sleep.
~/~/~/~/~
After parking their car two blocks from the warehouse where Zane had tracked Willow, they got out and looked around. Dylon surveyed the area, turning in a circle before finally picking up a faint tiger scent. Taking Cody’s hand, he murmured, “This way. Watch where you step, Zane.” Picking his way slowly through broken bottles, used needles, and garbage that littered the ill-lighted sidewalk, he listened intently for others who might also be looking for Hope’s friend. He slowly continued to lead them until they finally reached the spot Zane had identified as Willow’s last known location. After receiving confirmation through their mind link that Cody was ready, he nodded to Zane.
Grasping his brother’s hand, Zane leaned in, whispering, “I’ll count to three, then walk with me when I say ghost walker. Also, if you want to, it might be easier if you close your eyes. Ready?”
“Gimme a second,” Cody whispered, as he became invisible. “Okay, I’m ready.”
“One…two…three...ghost walker.” Taking the first step, Zane sensed his brother was keeping in step with him, doing exactly as he’d told him. Within a couple of seconds, he found himself inside the gloomy, junk-filled interior. Cody motioned for him to leave, and he was soon standing outside, grinning as he heard the soft click of the deadbolt sliding back. Glancing over to Dylon, he found him concentrating on the doorknob. Puzzled at first, Zane then realized he was using his mind link.
Babe, you okay?
Yeah, I am. I just have to be careful because the floor is littered with pieces of metal and other junk. So far, I don’t see any evidence of Willow ever being here, yet I’m picking up a stronger tiger scent than I did outside.
Take your time, babe. Just be careful…even though she can’t see you, her tiger will be able to locate you by sound.
I know…she’s not in the main part of the warehouse but there seems to be some offices at the back…going to check those out now.
Dylon glanced down at the life thread he shared with Cody, making sure it was still silver, relieved to find it so.Babe, anything?
She’s here…at least I think it’s Willow…I can’t be sure because the door is locked but the tiger scent is very strong. I’m heading back out, now.
Dylon pulled on Zane’s shirt, backing him away from the door before Cody opened it. Leaning close, he whispered, “Cody found her…how many exits are there?”
“Just this one, and three overhead doors on the loading docks in the rear,” Zane whispered back, just as his brother joined them.
“Babe,” Cody whispered to Dylon, “as far as I know, there’s only one way in and out of the room she’s in. I saw some other offices like the one she’s in and the windows are boarded up, probably for security”
“Makes sense...okay, here’s what we’ll do,” whispered Dylon.
~/~/~/~/~
Observing the three wolf shifters huddled near the door of the warehouse from a rooftop across the street, Glennwas speechless. He couldn’t believe what he just saw…twice. Crouching to avoid being spotted, he needed a new plan; confrontation wasn’t going to cut it.
After Riley hacked into the police video feed, it took him less than an hour to locate where Glenn’s mother had gone after she escaped from the apartment. Fearing he’d lose her again, Glenn decided to head for the warehouse, keeping watch—protecting her until she came out. Everything was going according to plan until he heard Riley in his earpiece, warning him about the approach of the Blackwood Pack shifters.
Still wary about their intentions, Glenn moved over to a part of the roof that would give his tiger a quick route to the street below. Keeping still, he watched as the shifters approached the warehouse door, stopping, but making no move to go inside—that is, until he saw one disappear into thin air and another walk through the closed door. Stunned, his breath hitched as his mind quickly tried to spin a new plan.
“Hey, everything okay?”
Hearing Riley’s voice, Glenn quickly regained his composure and responded, his voice barely above a whisper, “Yeah, give me a minute.” Rubbing his eyes, he reflected on what he just saw. The ability to become invisible or ghost walk were rare gifts, given by the gods to special paranormal—things he learned in school but never believed were anything more than myths.
Frantically searching his mind for what he learned in those long-ago lessons, Glenn watched as again, the wolf ghost walked out of the building.Well, I guess those stories weren’t bullshit, after all.He was thinking about what resources he could use to keep them away from his mother when the warehouse door opened and closed byitself, after which the third wolf became visible again.Fuck!
Making himself as inconspicuous as he could, Glenn studied the three shifters whispering among themselves, figuring they were discussing a plan to capture his mother. Now that he knew what he was up against, he quickly sorted out the different options available to keep them from succeeding. The main threat was the wolf who could become invisible; the only way he’d be able to locate him was either by sound or smell…unless those two senses were masked. The one thing going for him, though, was they didn’t know he and Riley were here.
As he was pulling back from the edge to shift without being seen Glenn saw them enter the building. Calculating how fast he could shift and jump them, he couldn’t count on the element of surprise; they might hear him open the warehouse door, endangering his mother even more. Making a split-second decision he growled, “Riley, get your ass here…I need you.”
Chapter 20
