Mac stood in the middle of the small bedroom as Jackson undressed her. Part of her wanted to protest. She might be injured but she could take her clothes off. Then, seeing the worry reflected in his eyes, she clamped her mouth shut. In that moment, she realized how hard it was for him to let her do this. He’d much prefer protecting her, coddling her until she fully recovered.
“You are to stop the shift if you feel anything off about it,” he said as he carefully draped her robe across the foot of the bed.
“Jackson, it’s going to be all right.” She cupped her right hand against his cheek. Then she stood on tiptoe and lightly kissed him. “But I need to do this. You know it.”
He nodded, his expression tight. “Shift, love, before I change my mind.”
She nodded and drew a deep, steadying breath. Then she reached out to her jaguar. Instantly, Cait responded, a mental caress that did nothing to hide the jungle cat’s excitement to know they were finally going to shift. Not that Mac blamed her.
You’re going to have to help me, Cait, she said.
Don’t be afraid, Mackenzie. This will be good for us and for the baby.
She hoped her jaguar-self was right.
All right, Cait, let’s do this.
She dropped to her knees as the first flash of pain arced through her. Panting against it, she reached for the jaguar part of her. She tried to remember not to fight the pain. In this instance, pain was good.
Hurts.
Pain continued to ripple through her. Claws penetrated the tips of her fingers, tearing into the carpet. Every pore felt as if it was on fire. Bones twisted, broke and reformed. She threw her head back and cried out, part human-part jaguar. God, would the shift never end?
“You are as beautiful in this form as you are in your human form,” Jackson said as he knelt next to the panting jaguar. He gently rubbed the jungle cat’s ears, smiling as she began to purr.
Mate should shift. We could hunt.
Not today, Cait. Today we rest and heal. Even though a hunt sounded very good, especially if the target happened to be those responsible for shooting her.
The jaguar butted Jackson, chuffing as he fell back on his butt. He chuckled, his hands petting her sides, as Cait rubbed her head against his, scent marking him.
Mine. Mate, she said even though Jackson wouldn’t hear her.
Ours, Mac corrected.
“C’mon, love. Let’s show your mother and grandmother you’re all right.” Jackson climbed to his feet.
We are better. Mac will be able to hunt lycans now, Cait thought at her.
The jaguar padded after Jackson. She rubbed against his leg as he opened the door. Then, seeing Elizabeth and Ellen, she crossed to them. Her purr sounded loudly in the room as the two knelt to greet her. She rolled onto her back, her eyes half-closed as Elizabeth rubbed her belly. Her purr turned into a soft warning growl as Ellen probed her right paw, arm and shoulder.
Pain, pain, pain. But not as bad as shifting back to Mackenzie or when Mackenzie had been shot.
“Easy, child,” Ellen soothed, her hands gentle. “Jackson?” She looked up at the man as he joined them.
“She had no difficulty shifting. I would have stopped her.”
Before anything more could be said, a knock sounded at the door. Cait started to roll to her feet, only to be stopped by Ellen. The woman reminded her they were safe, that no one could get inside without permission. The jaguar gave a very humanlike nod and lay still, turning her head in the direction of the door.
“We need to talk,” Jael said as she entered the apartment.
“Easy, Mackenzie,” Ellen soothed as the jaguar rolled over and stood.
Cait, we need to shift, Mac thought to her jaguar-self. Something’s wrong.
“Mac, you aren’t to shift.” Ellen spoke firmly, as if she’d heard her. “You need to stay in this form for a while. Shifting now would be too much of a strain on your system.”
The jaguar’s lips peeled back and she snarled. She didn’t like it. She needed to take part in the conversation. But the elder had spoken and she would obey. For the moment at least.
“What is it, Jael?” Jackson sat on the floor at the jaguar’s side and draped an arm over her, possessive and protective at the same time.
“Pat got confirmation of what we feared. The local pack is involved and, in some ways worse, they’ve apparently been making a move the last couple of years to become major players in the local drug trade.”
“Tell me.” Jackson spoke softly, coldly.
The woman nodded and quickly briefed him. As she did, Mac settled in the forefront of Cait’s consciousness, listening to everything that was said. By the time Jael finished, jaguar and human knew what they had to do.
We’re going hunting, Cait.
Hunt lycans?
Hunt lycans, she confirmed.
Damn it, they should have dealt with the pack long ago.
.
29
Pat stepped into the non-descript van and nodded when Jael and Tanaka glanced in her direction. The doors shut behind her and she angled further inside. It was cramped, filled with bodies, armed and armored, as well as technology. Tim Nguyen studied several screens, his face intent. Tanaka stood behind him, watching the screens. Jael checked her weapons and slid them into place, one by one.
“Status?”
“The team’s in place, LT, and waiting the order to breach,” Tanaka said. “Tim?”
“Here’s the latest set of blueprints we’ve been able to dig up.” He pointed to one of the screens. “Single story ranch house with a basement. The basement is an addition, built not long after the house was purchased.”
“Activity?” She studied the second monitor with several images showing.
“We have two heat signatures from the back of the house. They’ve been in the same area for the last five minutes or so. Judging from their location on the IR, my guess is they are in the kitchen.”
“Anything out of place?”
“The basement is dark, as in I’m not picking up anything. No ambient heat, nothing. My guess is it’s insulated to prevent unwanted eyes and ears.”
Pat frowned as she considered what Nguyen said. None of the explanations she came up with reassured her. That meant they needed to go in smart. Hopefully, that would be enough to keep all her cops safe.
She’d never forgive herself if anything happened to one of her command on this raid. She’d chosen it as the safest way to keep them involved in the investigation. Now she wasn’t so sure.
“Suggestions?”
“Fast and as quiet as we can, LT,” Tanaka said. “We haven’t seen any indication there’s anyone else in the house but the fact we can’t tell anything about the basement worries me. I’d really prefer having more time to set up and keep the house under observation.”
Pat understood. She’d prefer it as well. But they were working against the clock. Wysocki’s children and parents had been scooped up by Mateo’s people several hours earlier. The former IAB commander’s deadline was rapidly approaching. Not to mention the need to find Caudell and save him, assuming he still lived, before Branson and Ferguson realized their plans had been discovered. All of that paled when Pat considered the danger to the pride if they didn’t manage to put an end to the plotting before nightfall.
“I know but we do what we have to do.”
She didn’t sigh. Nor did she curse Wysocki, at least not out loud. If the woman had simply told them what she knew—not to mention what she suspected—sooner, they might have the cased closed by now.
Tanaka nodded. “I have teams front and back, ready to go. There are eyes on the sides of the house, in case anyone decides to bail out a window. The neighbors on either side as well as in front and behind the house have been taken a safe distance away. We’re just waiting for your order, LT.”
Pat thought for a minute and then nodded. “All right. Jael and I will join the team in the back. You and Murray are on the front. We’ll
take our signal from you. Entry is to be made at the same time.”
“Then armor up, LT. I’m not going to be the one who has to tell the captain something happened to you because you didn’t wear your vest.” Tanaka grinned at her, her eyes sparkling. Pat’s dislike for body armor was well-known.
Grumbling, Pat did as Tanaka said. She smiled in appreciation as Jael helped. Then she pulled her badge on its chain out from under her shirt. It was time.
“Give us two minutes to get into place,” Pat said softly before trotting down the street in the direction of Jacob Branson’s house.
“You’ll stay behind me when we make entry, LT,” Jael said softly as she matched Pat stride-for-stride.
“You’ve been talking to Mac.”
Not that it surprised Pat. Being the crime victim didn’t keep Mac from wanting to do all she could to keep her friends, not to mention those under her command, safe.
“Actually, the order comes from Jackson. He said to remind you Mac will kill us both if anything happens to you.” She chuckled softly when Pat glanced at her, frowning.
“How about we go in together and make sure we wrap this up without anyone getting hurt?” Since they were on open comms, that was the closest she could get to saying what she meant—that she would do whatever it took to keep the others, including Jael, safe if those inside the house happened to be lycans.
Jael nodded and signaled Norwood and Buttkowski that they were approaching. A few moments later, she and Pat crouched with the men at the corner of the house, of out sight of any of the windows and the back door. As they did, Tanaka’s soft voice reported she and Murray were in position.
“Breach on my count in thirty seconds,” the detective said.
That was their signal to move in. The four crouched and moved into position. Fortunately, the curtains in back were drawn. Better yet, they were blackout curtains, preventing those inside from seeing them. With Norwood in the lead, they prepared for Tanaka’s count. Guns drawn, pulse quickening, knowing they might be walking into a fire fight, they waited.
“On three,” Tanaka radioed. “One—two—three.”
“Police!”
Norwood reared back and kicked open the door. The moment he did, Jael rushed inside. She dove to her right, her gun coming up. At the same time, the two men sitting at the kitchen table shoved to their feet. One chair skittered across the tile floor. The other fell with a clatter of sound that was lost in an explosion of gunfire. A bullet slamming into the wall where Jael’s head would have been had she not moved out of the way. Pat fired, her shot echoing in the confines of the house along with shots from Buttkowski and Jael. The shooter fell, a surprised expression on his face.
“Hold it right there!” Jael leveled her gun at the second man.
He took two running steps in the opposite direction. Then he pulled up short. Before he could react to the sight of four more cops in the house, Murray acted. She drew her fist back and rammed it into his face. The man’s knees buckled. His eyes rolled into the back of his head. As he crumpled to the floor, the uniformed officer shook her hand and wiggled her fingers, making sure they still worked.
“Good jab, kid,” Jael said in approval.
“Thanks, Sarge.”
“Someone get him cuffed,” Tanaka ordered before calling for the coroner.
“Sears, Norwood, Buttkowski, clear this floor,” Pat said. “Don’t take any risks.”
They nodded and disappeared into the front of the house.
“Murray, keep an eye on this one.” Tanaka nudged the unconscious man with the toe of her boot. “I don’t think he’ll give you any trouble.” She grinned at the young woman.
“I’ve another hand I can use if he does.” She gave her right hand another shake before smiling in return.
“LT, you bring up the rear. Sarge, you’re behind me,” Tanaka continued as she looked around for the basement door.
They nodded and followed her through the narrow door next to what Pat assumed was the pantry. As they stepped through, Tanaka clicked on her flashlight. That hand braced her gun hand as she slowly made her way down the concrete steps. The others waited on the landing, watching as she swept the first room with her light.
“Clear,” Tanaka said softly.
A moment later overhead lights came on. For several moments, the three studied the room. Pat frowned, mentally measuring the room’s dimensions. It wasn’t nearly large enough to conform to the plans they’d seen. That meant there was more to search. But where.
“Any thoughts?” she asked as she stood in the center of the room and looked around.
At first glance, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Storage shelves lined two walls. Tools, jars and other items neatly filled them. The washer and dryer sat along the third wall, along with a folding table. A shelf holding cleaning products ran along that wall above the appliances. But it was the far wall with its bookcase that seemed out of place. The basement appeared to be a storage and laundry room. So why keep books down there?
Apparently, Tanaka had the same thought. The detective stood in front of the bookcase. She ran her hands carefully along its edges. Then she turned her attention to the shelves.
“Jael, give me a hand.”
Pat watched as the women looked for anything to indicate the bookshelf was anything but normal. Suddenly, a soft snick filled the air. A moment later, the bookshelf swung away from the wall. Behind it stood another door.
“What have we got here?” Pat mused as she stepped forward.
For a moment, she studied the door. Whatever lay behind it, Branson wanted kept secret. She inhaled, doubting she’d scent anything but knowing she had to try. The last thing she wanted was to walk into something they weren’t prepared for.
“Locked?” Jael asked softly even though Pat doubted anyone inside would be able to hear.
She lay her hand on the doorknob and carefully twisted her wrist. To her surprise, the knob turned freely. Barely daring to hope, she lifted her other hand and held up three fingers. A quick glance over her shoulder and she saw the others nod.
One. . .
Two. . .
Three!
She shoved the door open with her shoulder and rushed inside, darting to her right. The others entered behind her. Flashlights swept the room. At the same time, the almost overpowering scents of blood, sweat and things best left unsaid assailed Pat. Her cougar pushed forward into her consciousness, recognizing the scents. Before she could locate the source, light flooded the room and Pat blinked rapidly as her eyes adjusted. Her gasp as she looked around echoed that of her companions.
“Get him down!” she ordered.
A man hung by his wrists in the center of the room. She suspected it was Caudell. But she couldn’t be sure. His own mother probably wouldn’t be able to identify him. He’d been beaten badly. His face was bruised, bloody and swollen. Nude, his body bore the signs of torture. Long, shallow cuts marked his arms, torso and legs. Pat recognized the unmistakable signs of cigarette burns across his chest. None of the wounds appeared to be serious on their own but Pat knew from experience each had been done to inflict the most pain possible.
“We need a medic down here!” she yelled up the stairs.
The sounds of someone hurrying down the steps reached them, Pat swung in their direction, gun in hand. She lowered it as Norwood appeared in the doorway. He took one look at the scene and hurried to help with Caudell.
“You need to report in, LT,” Jael said softly as she moved to Pat’s side.
Pat nodded, forcing herself to look away from the man who’d shot Mac and who had then been tortured even worse than she had been a year and a half ago. As she did, she drew in a long, shaky breath. Then she fought back the urge to growl. The scents of four lycans lay under the almost overpowering smell of blood. Her cougar responded to it and pushed against her control. It wanted to hunt as much as she did.
Soon, she told it. Very soon.
She prayed it would be soon enough
to prevent further injuries and, perhaps, deaths.
* * *
Jael dropped onto a chair in the living room of the safehouse and blew out breath. Then she looked around. Elizabeth stood in the doorway to the kitchen. Jackson sat next to her. Ellen sat on the sofa, a female jaguar stretched out at her side, its head resting in her lap. The woman’s fingers gently caressed the jaguar’s ears. Then the jaguar looked at Jael and gave her a very human wink. A smile touched Jael’s lips and she inclined her head in greeting. Relief filled her to know Mac was strong enough to shift. Now to keep her at the safehouse while they finished this.
“Have you eaten anything?” Elizabeth asked.
Jael shook her head. “I’ll grab something later.”
“You’ll eat now. We’d just finished.”
With that, she disappeared into the kitchen. The sounds of her pulling out a plate and silverware soon reached them. Jael considered telling her it was all right, she wasn’t that hungry. Then her stomach growled and she decided food was what she needed, especially since the night was a long way from over.
“Well?” Jackson asked.
“We found Caudell.” She thanked Elizabeth as the woman reappeared and handed her a plate filled with burger, fries and fresh fruit. A moment later, Elizabeth returned with a soft drink for her. Jael nodded in appreciation and took a bite of the burger, doing her best not to moan in satisfaction as she did. “I don’t think he’s going to make it. They did worse to him than Cassandra’s bastards did to Pat and the others.”
The jaguar lifted its head and bared its teeth, a low growl rumbling from deep in its throat.
“My sentiments exactly.” Jael sipped her cola before continuing. “Before you ask, none of the cops were injured. There were two in the house with Caudell. One was foolish enough to try to shoot when we made entry. He was dead before he hit the floor. The other ran into Murray’s fist.” She grinned when the jaguar chuffed. “He was treated on the scene by the EMTs and is being booked as we speak.”
Nocturnal Revelations Page 33
