Carter was jittery for the entire drive. The men and women in the back of the van talked and bantered quietly, Dare occasionally joining in, but Carter listened silently, his legs bouncing so fast they were nearly vibrating. It was a relief when Dare finally pulled the car over on a dark road, onto a dirt drive Carter hadn't noticed until they were on it.

Carter just barely held himself back from jumping out the way he had attempted at the previous stop, and when Dare gave everyone the go ahead, Carter was out of the car like a bullet. Cole stepped from the shadows in wolf form and quickly morphed to human.

"This it?" Dare asked.

"Well, we haven't been able to catch a sight of the van, but it sure as hell looks shady. Come on."

Cole slipped back into the woods, not bothering to shift or dress, and Dare and his team followed. Dare motioned for Carter to stay close to him.

Brand caught the occasionally glimpse of fur or rustle of leaves on either side of him. Cole's team, he supposed. They came to the edge of a cliff, looking down over some kind of industrial building. Bright lights lit the grounds from the razor-wire topped fences to the buildings. Dare pulled a set of binoculars from his belt and scanned below them. From this distance, Brand could see figures moving along the fence line. He could only assume they were guards. When Dare tucked his binoculars away, Cole started talking.

"Mom's got people looking in to the property, but so far, all we've turned up is its owned by a company no one has ever heard of. It's properly registered, but beyond that, it has no internet presence. Not a single mention."

"Some kind of shell company?" Dare asked.

Cole shrugged. "Probably, but we don't have any leads yet. Do you think it's government?"

Dare rubbed his neck, considering the possibility. "it's possible, but unlikely. Look at those uniforms. And their guns. None of that is standard issue military."

Cole held his hand out for Dare's binoculars and handed them back with a nod a minute later. "So, a private company?"

"Until evidence says otherwise, that's what I'm going with. Do you mind your team taking surveillance while we head back?"

"Not a problem."

The brothers shook hands and Cole shifted back into a wolf, disappearing along the cliff line.

Carter grabbed Dare's arm. "If Brand is in there, we need to get him out. Tonight."

Dare growled, and Carter felt the weight of his alpha power pressing down on him. He dropped his hand and bared his neck.

"Don't be a stupid young pup," Dare said, pushing Carter deeper into the woods in front of him. "If we just go barging in right now, what do you think is going to happen? We'll get captured too. What good will that do your mate?"

Dare had a point, though Carter didn't want to admit it.

"I know it's hard." Dare's voice softened. "But you need to think smart. Your wolf's instincts are useful a lot of the time, but not now. Now, we need human logic to collect data and plan. Okay?"

Carter nodded reluctantly, but couldn't help but glance behind him one last time.

"I'm coming for you, Brand," he whispered before leaving with the others.

* * *

Everyone seemed to have a purpose except Carter.

When they had arrived, Dare had dismissed his team to rest, Carter hoped with the expectation that they would need it for a rescue attempt. The Alpha's office was busy, but quiet. Several people where zoned into computers. Dare, his mother, and another man were pouring over maps, and Carter was sitting out of the way, going slowly insane. Someone came up to speak to the Alpha and she stepped aside, leaving Dare and the other man to continue their work.

At about the point he felt he was going to explode if he wasn't given some way to contribute to rescuing Brand, the Alpha turned to him. "Carter, could I borrow you for a second?"

Borrow him from what? Boredom? Insanity? He kept his snark to himself and went to her.

"Jordan here is trying to track down the parent company of this Barnsworth Holdings company the land is registered to. We've tracked down some back accounts that may be attached to the company. He can get you the data, but we need someone who can follow the money trail quickly."

Carter's fingers itched to get to a keyboard and dig in to the numbers, but he felt it was fair to warn the Alpha she was asking something a bit out of his depth. "I don't have much training in forensic accounting."

She smiled sadly. "I didn't have much training in being Alpha. But I was all we had. We don't have a forensic accountant. We have you."

Carter nodded. As long as she was fine with it. "Let me at it."

As Carter fell deep into the patterns of the numbers, he felt a sense of calm come over him. Of certainty. Numbers had always soothed him; they didn't change; they weren't moody. And now, his numbers were going to save his mate.

Jordan had set Carter up on a separate laptop, and as Carter ran into walls and needed more information, he would tell Jordan, and soon, the information would be at Carter's finger tips.

As the hours passed, a picture began to form, and Carter pulled together the connecting pieces in another document for review. Around six in the morning, bleary eyed and fighting a headache from lack of sleep, Carter pulled Jordan to look over his suspicions. Carter bit at his fingernails, already to the quick, while Jordan's eyes scanned over the data.

"I think you've got it," Jordan said finally. "Alpha? I think Carter's tracked down the parent company."

Half of the room stopped what they were doing and came to hover over Carter's machine. The Alpha stood back, however. "Give me the overview."

Carter stepped away from the crowd around the computer. He could barely handle masses of people at the best of times, and this was scarcely that. "It looks like, after layer upon layer of shell companies, Barnsworth Holdings is actually owned by a research company, Gecko Labs."

"What kind of research?"

"Virology and gene therapy."

The Alpha and Dare exchanged worried glances, echoing Carter's own concern.

"That sounds… not good," Dare said.

"If they are the ones who kidnapped Brand. There haven't been any reports of a stolen van, but we still have to operate under the possibility that this research company has nothing to do with Brand's disappearance." At Dare's skeptical look, she smiled wryly. "I know it's unlikely, but one of the reasons we've stood so strong and grown so quickly in my life is that I don't jump into things halfcocked."

"Full cock or nothing at all, huh?" Dare ducked his mother's slap to the back of his head.

"Careful, pup."

Dare's weary grin was unrepentant as he turned to address the room. "The Alpha is right. We still don't have any concrete evidence that Brand is in this facility. If they are the culprits, however, we don't have time to wait. With your permission, Alpha, I will lead a reconnaissance team tonight. If we find Brand and the opportunity presents itself, we'll pull him out."

The Alpha nodded. "Go get a couple hours rest. We'll finish making plans once you've had a chance to recharge. You too, Carter. Dare will show you where you can sleep."

Carter waited until they were out of earshot of the Alpha's office and opened his mouth, but Dare spoke first.

"I know, you want to be on the mission."

"Are you saying no?" They started up a set of stairs.

Dare shook his head. "No. My mother was right the first time. We'd have to practically throw you in jail to contain your wolf if we left you behind. If it were Evan, I wouldn't have been nearly as compliant as you've been. If you can continue to keep your wolf in check as well as you have, I will support you joining the mission."

Dare opened a door and gestured Carter in.

"Get some sleep. You're going to need it."