GABE
He typed furiously. Twenty-four hours since Riley was taken and they still had nothing. Brenton was screaming at the other pride Alphas, mobilizing his lawyers and businesses to start a war path. Zachary had put four holes in their walls. Andrew closed the diner down completely until they found her, citing a family emergency. Troy was breathing down his neck.
“Troy, I can’t work with you there,” Gabe snapped at his brother.
“Fuck, can’t you do this any faster?” Troy growled, angry. Gabe knew Troy wasn’t angry at him, he was angry that Riley was gone. But Gabe was angry with himself.
“No,” Gabe hissed.
He failed. He was supposed to keep an eye out for anyone trying to make a move on Riley or the pride and he fucking missed it. He’d gotten complacent.
He spent the last twenty-four hours awake and furious. He was withdrawing into himself and craved a hit. Fuck. He quit that shit years ago and now he was shaking like a fucking junky again.
“Gabe,” Brenton’s voice rang out over the brothers. “I’ve got some news.”
He and Troy both turned to their Alpha and waited.
“Someone broke into the house of Cameron Slater, stole a few priceless things from him that he was attached to. Some are saying it was Isabella. It was only four days ago.” Brenton leaned again Gabe’s desk. Four days ago? That’s when the contract on Riley went up. “See what Cameron is up too, it might be our only lead.”
Gabe worked quickly. In seconds, he was rooting around Cameron’s life. In a minute, he was printing the guy’s last four days of bank statements and financial transactions. By five minutes, he was rooting through Cameron’s entire pride, looking for a connection. Gabe was good at putting puzzles together, even when he was missing pieces. His nose flared as he found connections to a Montana network of shifters. Shifters who pretended to be human and didn’t work inside shifter protocol.
Shifters who were mercenaries and militiamen. He had run into groups like that before. It was impossible to tell their numbers since they didn’t register with any pride that matter. They were paid and then they left and it was reasonable to assume that one never really saw their full strength.
“He is using militia prides,” Gabe snarled to Brenton. “Your fucking uncle is using militia prides to do his dirty work without his hands being on it.”
Brenton stiffened when Gabe used his familial relation to Cameron Slate, brother to Heather Slater, Brenton’s mother.
“He was furious when I told the other Alphas to stay away from her,” Brenton whispered. “And he doesn’t seem to care that she’s missing.”
“It doesn’t help that apparently fucking Isabella came back from the dead just to rob him,” Troy snapped. “If it is Isabella, is she fucking stupid? Does she not realize the danger she’s putting her daughter in?”
They both looked at Troy.
“If Isabella is alive and decided to fuck with Cameron, then she abandoned her daughter nearly eighteen years ago,” Gabe mumbled, half to himself. “Does anyone here really think she cares?”
Brenton growled at that.
“Find me the militia pride that grabbed her,” Brenton finally patted him on the shoulder.
“No can do, Brenton,” Gabe growled softly. “These guys stay off the grid and any paperwork they do have points them to being regular humans. It would be like looking for a nonexistent needle in a hay stack as big as this fucking house.”
“Then we’re stuck again,” Troy whispered.
“Try looking for…” Brenton snapped his fingers impatiently. “Fuck.”
“I’ll keep looking through Slater’s shit,” Gabe mumbled. “Maybe I can find a phone number or something. Troy, go through the banking paperwork.”
“Can do.” Troy was grabbing the stacks that were still printing. Cameron was a lot like Brenton, too much money to handle sometimes. They had limited time and a lot to do.
“Cameron likes to do things himself,” Brenton looked down at Gabe. “He’ll be doing any negotiations and payments. He’s arrogant and thinks no one will ever realize it.”
Gabe pulled up phone records and powered through them. Dozens of different numbers in the last four days. But only three in the last twenty-four hours. Including two calls in the last hour to same number.
He searched for all three of those number separately.
Phone number one was just his secretary. She was innocent of all this, a sweet bobcat shifter that just wanted to keep her head down and work. Gabe had met her a couple times and she was nothing to be concerned with.
Phone number two was interesting. It was to a Jessie Eriksson. Another woman. She was a self defense trainer… Why would Cameron be calling one of those? Gabe put the number to the side and her name. He would need to return to that one. It was interesting.
The last number was the one Cameron called most recently. It was to a Trevor Laursen. Gabe felt his veins ice up, he recognized that name.
“Brenton, grab the file on Riley,” he whispered in abject shock and Brenton ran off to his office. He continued to look through who Trevor Laursen was and found connections to gangs all over Montana but no real job. He was deadbeat with money problems and an infamous bad attitude it seemed. He had a couple of arrests but no formal charges for assault.
“Hey!” Troy snapped. “Going through three shell companies, I found several pulls of cash and guess what they equal?”
“Two million?” Gabe looked to his brother.
“Yup. Cameron was definitely the guy who put out the contract.” Troy was smiling a little and Gabe saw the malicious glint in his eye. “At least we know who to fucking kill after we get Riley back.”
“Good and here’s Riley’s file,” Brenton was back in the room. Gabe didn’t mention anything about Brenton’s shaking hand. His Alpha kept an incredibly tight rein on his temper and that was slipping if Brenton’s hands were shaking.
Gabe began going through the entire file but he wasn’t sure why he needed too. A puzzle piece was missing and he needed to find it. It would help them, he knew it would.
He finally stumbled on it in some email of Riley’s to her work at the time. She had been waitstaff at a fucking strip club and Gabe always gritted his teeth when he thought about that. The only reason he printed this email was because it was the only document with a name on it other then her’s.
Hey boss, can’t come in tonight. Trevor is sick and I need to be here for him.
-Riley
Trevor… He looked back at the screen to the information he pulled on Trevor Laursen and then back to the file.
“This can’t be the same guy,” he growled to himself. “There’s not fucking way. He ex-boyfriend was human…”
Militia prides made all their documentation point to a humanity they didn’t have.
The pieces snapped into place for Gabe and he snarled. Troy and Brenton both looked over to him.
“Trevor Laursen, infamous little gang banger in Montana. Unemployed. Known for beating up chicks and shifters in the state refuse to do business with him, he’s got a nasty temper.” Gabe was throwing the information at them. “But even better, he grew up in Washington state and moved to Montana when he got out of high school. It was six years ago, the same time as Riley.” He typed quickly. “And she once had to take care of a Trevor and it stopped her from going into work.” Bingo. “They went to the same high school. Trevor Laursen is in contact within the last hour with Cameron Slater. He is also Riley’s ex-boyfriend and he’s fucking got her. I know he does.”
“Find him. Find everything about this guy.” Brenton whispered.
“He must be in a militia pride to be able and hide this long. But no one fucking hides from me,” Gabe snarled and kept digging up everything on Trevor.
His parents were both cougars, both very dead. Trevor was suspected in killing them when he was fifteen.
He used his mothers maiden name to cover more of his tracks. Smart but not smart enough, Gabe hissed at the screen.
He recently flew into Denver. Only two days ago and he hasn’t left yet the state yet through any official travel plans.
“Now, that’s just sloppy, Trevor,” Gabe grinned. “He was here in Colorado just two days ago. He’s probably still here. Flew into Denver-”
“Grab Riley with a pack of friends or coworkers-” Troy.
“And stuff her away in a safe house until the money comes through and they can do the trade.” Brenton.
“Then take the money and get the hell out of dodge.” Gabe nodded. “But Trevor must have taken this contract for another reason. These guys found her way too fucking fast. Cameron must have told them exactly what pride she was in and where. So he’s really involved.”
“And then, here comes Trevor to find his half-breed toy,” Gabe could barely say the word. “She’s in a strong pride, she’s shifted, wealthy, and happy. Fuck, if he was a shifter then he purposefully kept her from knowing what she was. To fee; powerful.”
“This is personal for him,” Brenton groaned. “He took the contract because it allowed him to take his rage out on her. For leaving. He must have saw the contract and saw his moment to…”
“Which means she’s in more danger then just being a hostage. Trevor is an incredible risk to her health and safety, without or without two million on the table if he keeps her alive.” Gabe was shaking. “Fuck me I nee-”
“Gabe, you can’t, “ Troy growled, Gabe let Troy pull him in for a hug. “We’ll get her back and you’ll be okay. Everyone will be okay.”
“If she’s hurt, I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop myself.” Gabe kept his head on Troy’s shoulder.
Brenton only watched them. Gabe knew that Brenton wouldn’t get involved until Troy asked him for help. It was their deal. Troy helped Gabe with his addiction issues and kept him clean if Brenton didn’t hold them against Gabe. Brenton couldn’t get involved until he was asked or the situation was out of control. For three years, it’s worked.