Chapter Two
LINDSEY PULLED in to the dirt lot at the Way Station. It was early—for a werewolf, anyway. He didn’t need a lot of sleep, partly due to his wolfy genes and mostly due to his type A drive to try every damned thing there was. The orgasm had been good—satisfactory—and he sent Bruce off with a kiss and pat on his butt. Then he’d changed the sheets and tried to sleep. No luck. Mysterious eyes surrounded by curly hair kept creeping into his mind. Distraction required. He’d pulled on some jeans and a sweater and headed for the unofficial werewolf bar. Maybe he’d catch Cole.
He hopped out of the Tesla. On the porch, he pushed open the big wooden door and got hit by wolf smell. Though humans came here too, this bar at this hour meant werewolves.
He glanced around the big, crowded room. A couple of Harker pack members waved. He’d join them if—
He smiled. The giant alphanta werewolf leaned back in his chair on two legs, facing away from Lindsey. Lindsey threaded through the tables, slapping high fives with a few friends. High fives were so not his style, but the wolves seemed to like them. He tiptoed up behind Cole. The alphanta could hear bubbles bursting in a pond a mile away and smell a wolf in the next state, but he’d humor Lindsey. Linds slipped his arms around Cole’s neck and hugged him.
“Hey, buddy.” Cole stood, lifting Lindsey on his back, twisted him around to the front, and gave him an embrace. Every werewolf in the club knew both Cole and Lindsey were gay, but they pretty much ignored it. Cole put him back on his feet and indicated a chair.
Lindsey sat and nodded to Alf Cotswale and Jim Joyner, Cole’s right and left hands in the pack. “Hey, guys.” He glanced around. “Where’s my favorite kitty cat?”
“Touring.” Cole made a face.
“How can you bear to share him with his adoring fans?”
“Fortunately, I know just how reclusive he is. That panther interacts with no one. They just drool over him on stage.”
Lindsey laughed. “But his drooling fans have no idea just how exotic that exotic dancer is.”
Cole nodded. “So true. Your date didn’t go late. Did it go well?”
“Well enough.” He grinned. The waitress came over, and he ordered white wine. Even with his metabolism, too many martinis were contraindicated. He had a big political fundraiser tomorrow.
When she left, Cole cocked an eyebrow at him. “So your mom set this date up. Is he the crème de la crème of Connecticut society?”
Lindsey shrugged. “I guess.”
“Did you like him?”
“A tad tame for my taste, but the short evening ended satisfactorily.”
“You devil. You come off like an English drawing room play, but you are so not.”
He nodded. He wouldn’t elaborate on how true that was. He trusted his friend implicitly, but Cole was alphanta werewolf, and probably the next alpha. Cole was all about pack. “Uh, on a different subject, have you heard anything about the kidnappings from the rich families?”
Cole frowned. “Yeah. Nasty business.”
The waitress brought his wine, and he smiled and handed her a twenty. “Keep the change, darling.” She beamed and walked away.
Cole looked at Lindsey. “I wish we could help, but you know the rules. We’d show up and somebody would blow our cover to the humans. It would have to be deemed a pack problem before we could get involved.”
“Yes, I figured that. But if you happen to hear anything, will you let me know? These people are friends of my family.”
“Of course. I hear there’s both police and FBI on it, which is even more reason for us to stay away.”
Police and FBI? Hmm. He pictured the men in the parking lot. The two suits had FBI written all over them. The other one? He could handcuff Lindsey anytime. That crooked smile he’d flashed at Lindsey glowed in his mind. Yes, like a red warning light.
“Lindsey?”
He glanced up at Cole. “Oh, sorry. Just thinking.”
“Of something pleasant, if that grin was any indication. That date must have been better than you said.”
Only in his mind.
LINDSEY NODDED at the maître d’, aka bouncer, who guarded the door for the political fundraiser at the Laurel Club in Hartford. The man knew him, so no slowdown. Good. He was running late. Howard Carter, the lieutenant governor, stood inside the door talking to a gaggle of political types. He thrust a hand at Lindsey. “Good to see you, Vanessen.”
“Howard. You know I’d never miss an event of Dave’s.” Lindsey owed the governor big time for saving the Harker and Marketo packs in the war with Eliazer and his goons. Of course, all the governor knew was he had intervened to save some of Connecticut’s prominent families. The wolfy connection was invisible.
Howard smiled. “We appreciate it.”
Lindsey nodded with a small smile. “As long as the party continues to represent the interests of the people of Connecticut—all of the people—I’ll be behind you.” Might as well make a few platform points while he was at it.
Howard smiled with lots of teeth but swallowed hard. His personal leanings fell pretty far right of his colleague, Dave Mendes, so he needed some reminders of where his bread was buttered.
Lindsey continued into the room. Dave Mendes was already on the platform. The tall, handsome, black-haired guy always had an easy way about him that got votes. But the man’s expression looked anything but easy. Hell, the crease between his eyebrows rivaled the San Andreas Fault. What’s wrong? Lindsey started toward him, but the state party chairperson, Annette Ostreo, walked to the microphone. “Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for coming.”
Annette launched into some blah blah blah about the greatness of the state and how the party was committed to its greatness. Dave just looked weird. Lindsey stared at him until he glanced up. Linds gave him a cock of the head as if to say “What’s up?” The man’s expression went beyond pained.
Finally, Annette called the governor to the mike. He stepped up and smiled, but anyone who knew him had to see he wasn’t himself. “I have so many friends in this room, and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. From time to time, we get reminded of what’s really important in life. Your friendship is important. I know my colleagues are going to wring your wallets for money today, but I want you to know that it’s your goodwill and kindness that mean the most.” Holy crap, there wasn’t going to be a dry eye in the house.
“I’d like to outline briefly the plans we have for that money, and then you can decide how deep you want to dig to support them.” He pulled up a paper chart and started writing on it. Funny and folksy in this day of technology. “We need to reach people about education. Here’s what we plan to do—”
A phone rang. Everyone looked annoyed. Who forgot to turn off the cell? Dave’s face froze. He reached in his pocket and pulled out the ringing phone. “I’m so terribly sorry. There’s a family emergency and I have to leave.” The phone kept ringing. “I’ll put you in Annette and Howard’s capable hands. Please know I would not do this if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.” He clicked the phone and put it to his ear as he hurried off the dais.
What the hell? Very bad feeling about this. As Dave walked past Lindsey, he gave a slight nod of his head and screwed his eyes toward the door. Okay, follow discreetly.
Everybody buzzed as the governor left the room, but Annette called them back to order, the waiters stepped up their delivery of drinks, and people’s attention returned to the money- grubbing at hand.
As soon as attention diverted, Lindsey slipped quietly from the room, then hurried to the parking lot. Dave was just climbing into the limo. “Dave.” He ran up beside the big vehicle. “How can I help?”
The governor stared at him for a moment. “I’m not sure. You’re good at making things happen, Lindsey, and my wife has fallen apart and I’m practically with her. I could sure use your calm decision-making.”
Lindsey nodded. “Who’s been kidnapped, Dave?”
Tears filled his eyes. “My daughter.”
“Oh holy God, not Carla.”
He nodded.
“Shall I follow you home? Is the FBI there?”
“Yes. They’ve received the ransom notice. Now we need—” Tears dripped and he shook his head.
Proof of life. “I understand. I’ll be at your house in a few minutes.”
“You’re sure you can get away?”
“Of course. Nothing’s more important.”
“You’re a good friend.”
Lindsey squeezed his arm and took off running toward the Tesla.
On his way, he called the office and explained the emergency. Damn, this was the third kidnapping, and so far the authorities hadn’t done squat. These were his friends, and he had to do something. His one big advantage was that people underestimated him. Of course, he was also a wolf, but sadly not much of one. His human blood dampened his wolfy powers a lot. His sense of smell was decent, but he couldn’t shift except on the full moon, and pack law prohibited his revealing himself. He needed to be a stronger human than he was a wolf. Fortunately, that he could manage.
When he pulled up in front of the governor’s mansion, a lot of plain, government-issue sedans announced that the FBI was in the house. A few feet from the gray nondescripts sat a Kawasaki Ninja. Holy crap, those suckers could do over 175 mph. Somebody wanted to get ahead of the pack. Lindsey shivered. He had a pretty good idea who the somebody was. He didn’t need the distraction—but he wanted it.
He rang the bell, and the governor’s assistant opened the door. “Thank you for coming, Mr. Vanessen. They’re in the dining room.”
Lindsey hurried through the entry, past the gracious living room to the expansive dining room. Whoa. Technology central. The police and FBI had computers and listening devices installed all over the huge dining table. People in suits spoke softly and rushed around the space.
Dave sat in a chair in the corner. God, he’d aged a decade in a few days. He looked up, saw Lindsey, and his face brightened a little. “Lindsey.”
Lindsey rounded the table to Dave’s side. He pulled a footstool over and sat beside the governor. “How can I help?”
“Just be here, dear friend. I’m not making the best decisions, and I need a cooler head.”
“How’s Cathy doing?”
Dave shook his head. “She’s in her bedroom. Bless her; she can handle anything except a threat to her children.”
“Don’t worry. We’re not going to let anything happen to Carla.”
He smelled the arrival of the man before he heard the voice. The smell said sex, power, and danger. The voice? Controlled threat. “And how exactly do you plan to keep that promise?”
Lindsey’s whole body convulsed with longing. Keep it together. Dave looked up. Lindsey checked the governor’s expression before turning: wariness but general trust.
Lindsey swiveled around on his seat. Holy God. Like being bathed in lava. Seeing this man yards away in dim light had been one thing, but this was total immersion. For one second, he caught his breath and then stood slowly.
Almost eye to eye, which made the man about six two. He outweighed Lindsey by twenty or thirty pounds, all in the right places. Biceps strained the blue blazer he wore like a costume more than clothing. Oh God, Lindsey wanted to look down and get the full picture of those powerful thighs, but impressing rather than admiring was on tap. “I believe we can promise that because the kidnapper’s MO has been the safe return of the victims when the ransom is paid. It’s unlikely that these people are thugs. Kidnapping is a very difficult criminality. Both snatching the victims and collecting the ransom are fraught with complexity. That these people have done it three times implies they are both greedy and confident. They don’t want to discourage future families from paying ransoms by hurting one of their victims.” Did he dare? He extended his hand. “By the way, darling, I’m Lindsey Vanessen.”
The guy cocked half a smile, kind of like the one he’d delivered in the parking lot the previous night. Lindsey still hadn’t recovered from that one. The second might be lethal.
The man took Lindsey’s hand. His was hard, callused, hot as hell. “Did you work all that out in your pretty little head?”
The governor stood beside Lindsey. “Seth, you’d better be cautious, my man. Lindsey is a third-degree black belt in karate and an expert fencer. He’s a bit more dangerous than he looks.”
The man called Seth cocked an eyebrow. “I’d say he looks very dangerous.”
What the hell did he mean by that?
Dave chuckled a little, which was a good sound. “Lindsey Vanessen, this is Seth Zakowsky, one of Connecticut’s finest and a specialist in kidnapping. He’s assisting the FBI since he’s a local expert. Seth, Lindsey is a close friend, and he’s agreed to help me through this. I trust him implicitly and hope you will too.”
“I’ll try.” Seth Zakowsky looked like his name. Strong cheekbones, cleft chin, arched brows darker than his every-color brown-and-blond hair.
Lindsey raised an eyebrow. “So, can you tell me where we are in the process? With the kidnappers, I mean?”
Seth looked at Dave, who nodded. “The ransom demand is three million. They asked for it to be transferred electronically to a bank account in the Caymans. The FBI is trying to crack it now.”
Lindsey shook his head. “Hard to do. The Cayman banks are tough.”
Seth nodded.
Dave gripped his hands together. “That much money is hard. I’m getting it together. They must assume I’m wealthy.”
Lindsey covered Dave’s hands with his own. “You are wealthy. In friends. I’ll have the money transferred wherever you say in half an hour.”
Seth snorted. “Shit.”
Lindsey glanced up.
“Sorry. That was rude. I didn’t quite remember what Vanessen meant.”
Dave frowned. He was trying so hard to hold back tears. “I can’t let you do that, Lindsey. Your family does so much for the state, but this is personal.”
“Your personal help has meant more than I can say to me and my friends. We’ll be honored to help Carla.”
“Oh God, thank you so much.”
“Let me arrange it.” Lindsey pulled out his phone and walked to the other side of the room, away from the crowd and away from that divine smell. First he called his grandfather.
“Of course we’ll help, Lindsey. I’ll call Arthur, and you can give him specific wiring instructions.”
“Thanks, Pop-Pop.”
“Tell Dave it’s a privilege.”
“I did, sir.”
“You always know the right thing to say and do. I’m proud of you.”
Lindsey smiled. “Thank you. You made my day, dear.”
He hung up and called Merced Marketo, father to Paris, alpha of the Marketo pack, and another person who owed Dave his ass.
“I’m happy to help, Lindsey. It will take me a couple days to raise it since so much of my money is invested in pack businesses.”
“That’s all right, sir. My family will front the money, but I thought it would be an opportunity for you and Landon to return a serious favor without having to get too political or public about it.”
“Excellent idea. I’ll talk to Landon and Cole as well.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for thinking of it. There’s not many ways for us to repay debts without revealing too much.”
Lindsey slipped the phone into the breast pocket of his suit coat and then sniffed. Oh my. He turned and gazed eye to eye with Seth Zakowsky. Amber gold. Wow. So few humans had eyes that color.
Zakowsky gestured toward the phone.
Lindsey nodded. “The money will be wired wherever we say, whenever we say.”
“Good. And by the way, while I know the governor trusts you and I respect that, there is no ‘we.’ You need to stay out of this, Mr. Vanessen. You could get hurt or get one of us hurt trying to protect you.”
Lindsey raised an eyebrow. “Like you, for example?”
“Or anyone from the FBI. This is no game. Lives are at stake, not corporate dividends.”
Hmm? Punch his lights out or back off? Backing off gave Lindsey more options. “Of course, darling. Why on earth would I want to get too close to this messy business? I’m here to support my friend, not to get in your way. My God, it exhausts me just thinking of what you do.” He fluttered his lavender ascot. There, that should have lulled him nicely.
Zakowsky’s expression warred between suspicious and convinced with a touch of derision. “Good. I appreciate that.” He turned and stalked back to some of the FBI guys.
Lindsey walked to Dave, who sat staring out the big windows in the dining room. Lindsey perched beside him and took his hand. “The money is ready whenever we need it.”
“Thank you so much, Lindsey. Please tell your whole family I’ll work forever to pay it back.”
“Ta, darling. No need. Let’s just concentrate on getting Carla back.”
The phone rang and everyone froze. The man who seemed to head the FBI contingent signaled to Dave to come to the phone. Lindsey squeezed his hand and stood beside him. Dave hurried over and, at the FBI’s signal, picked up the phone.
The disguised voice said, “Go to your computer. You’ll see what you’re looking for.”
The FBI guy clicked on the computer. An instant message appeared with a link and he followed it. A video feed appeared of some kind of warehouse. In the center of the scene, a young girl sat tied to a chair, blindfolded.
Dave leaped toward the screen. “Carla!”
Lindsey forced his eyes away from the girl and inspected the room. It seemed oddly familiar.
The voice on the phone said, “She can’t hear you, but you can hear her.” Inside the room on the screen, a male voice said, “Say something so your father can hear it’s you, Carla.”
The girl’s voice quavered, but there was determination too. “I’m fine, Daddy. Don’t let these assholes get to you. Catch them and see they all go to prison.” The sound clicked off.
The voice said, “If you share that attitude with your daughter, you’ll never see her again.”
Dave fell back on the chair like he’d been slapped. Lindsey dug his fingers into the man’s shoulder. “Easy. They have nothing to gain by hurting her.” He stared at the computer and inspected every detail of the scene. The screen went black.
The voice sneered, “Your friend is very wise, but our patience only stretches so far. You have your proof of life. Wire the money and we’ll have her back to you tomorrow.”
Zakowsky stood opposite Dave. He shook his head slightly and wrote quickly on a notepad. Dave looked at it. It said stall til tomorrow on money.
“Uh, I can have the money tomorrow. I’ll wire it wherever you say.” He glanced at Seth, who nodded. “I want to see my daughter before the money leaves my hands. It’s all my family has.”
Seth smiled grimly.
The voice snarled, “Saving your daughter’s life isn’t the time to get stingy.”
Dave’s eyes widened. “No, no! Nothing like that. It’s just hard to get it. I’m not a rich man.”
“You have rich friends. Don’t give me that bullshit.”
“Yes, but it’s hard to arrange. Tomorrow. I’ll have it tomorrow without fail.”
“See you do. I’ll be in touch.” The phone went dead.
The FBI guy looked at one of the techies on a computer. “Any trace?”
The man stuck out his lip and shook his head. “Nah. They have this routed via someplace in Siberia, I kid you not.”
Dave stared at Zakowsky, his hands shaking. “Are you sure it’s wise to stall? Lindsey says he can have the money now.”
A crease appeared between those strong brows. “Once they have the money, they have less motivation to return her safe. Shortening the time between their reward and ours is wise.”
Dave looked up at Lindsey, who nodded, but he kept sorting through his memories. Where the hell had he seen that warehouse? “Interesting that the kidnappers know you have rich friends. They’ve done their homework.”
Zakowsky walked around the table and put a hand on Dave’s shoulder. “We’ll wait for their instructions tomorrow. We’ll arrange to wire the money minutes before they deliver Carla. That will satisfy them and give us a whole night to try and capture the bastards. Why don’t you get some rest, Governor? We’ll all be here in case anything changes.”
Got it! Lindsey nearly said it out loud but stopped himself. He’d almost bought that warehouse. Dave looked up. “You okay?”
“Yes, I was just about to agree with Mr. Zakowsky. You don’t even know how tired you are. You need to be strong tomorrow. Why don’t you go curl up beside Cathy for a little while? She’ll be glad for your company.”
“I don’t think I can sleep.”
“That’s okay. Just give Cathy some comfort.”
“Yeah, I should. I know how awful she feels. Like we didn’t protect our little girl.” Tears dripped from his eyes.
Lindsey knelt in front of him. “They grow up, Dave. You have to give them space, and that space must drive a parent crazy. You couldn’t have prevented this. These are horrible criminals and we—uh, Seth and the FBI will catch them. Go keep Cathy company, okay?”
He nodded. “Thank you for everything.”
“I’m going to go check on the funds and the transfer. Seth will call me if you need me, won’t you?” He bared his teeth in some semblance of a smile. Seth nodded but he didn’t smile. God, even when he frowned the man looked ridiculously good. “And I’ll be here first thing in the morning so we can get Carla back. Okay?”
Dave hugged him. What a sweet man. Lindsey watched the governor exit the dining room toward the stairs, his shoulders slumped like they carried far too much weight. Okay, time to follow his instincts.
Lindsey turned to Seth. “Thanks. I’m going to check on the finances. Call if you need me.”
He frowned but seemed to be trying to sound pleasant. “You don’t have to come back tomorrow. We appreciate what you’ve done gathering the ransom.”
“I’m sure Dave wants me here, darling. So how do you plan to capture these criminals overnight as you suggested?”
“We have lots of resources. We’re trying to track through the offshore bank and other links. Don’t worry about it. We’re on it.”
Lindsey could think of something else he’d like Seth to be on. God, just the smell of the man made his cock hard. Too bad it could never happen. “Oh, I shan’t worry. Good night, darling.”
He strode out of the room, trying not to look in a hurry. He knew where that warehouse was. Damn, if they just didn’t move Carla before the next morning, he’d have time.
With a quick wave to the governor’s assistant, he headed out the door. He’d thought for a moment about telling Seth, but he could be wrong about the location. Plus, the police would go rushing in there all SWATified, and the chances of someone panicking and hurting Carla were too high. No, it was time for someone to creep in on little wolf feet. Not literally. No full moon. So other options were required. Fortunately, he had them at the ready.