by Sky Winters
She smiled and returned to cutting up vegetables on the counter in front of him. He watched for a bit, fascinated by how deftly she chopped carrots up into even little pieces without missing a beat.
“This girl. Tell me about her.”
Ryan found himself telling her all about Lucy, a feeling of happiness coming over him as he talked about how wonderful she was.
“It’s good to see you in love. You’ll fix this with her. I know you’ll be fine.”
“No, I just . . . I don’t know about love.”
“I do and I know the sound of a man in love. Don’t let her go, son.”
Ryan didn’t argue the point further, as he realized she was probably right. His father arrived just as she was finishing dinner and Ryan expected the usual cool reception, but instead he was met with a huge smile and a hug.
“You look good, Ryan. It’s good to see you home,” his father told him.
After dinner, he helped his Mom clear away the dishes while his father sat in his favorite arm chair watching television. At least some things didn’t change. His father had never been much for sharing household chores.
“I’m going to head home, Mom. I’ve got an early day tomorrow.”
“Okay, son. Don’t be a stranger. I know we haven’t always been as supportive of your choice as we could have been, but we love you and enjoy seeing you when you can get out to us.”
“Thanks, Mom. I’m going to say goodbye to Dad and get going.”
In truth, he wanted to go check on Lucy. He said his goodbyes and drove up to her place to see if she was home, though he wasn’t sure he should do anything more than just check on her from afar. As he passed by her house and made a loop through the roundabout, he noted that her car was in the drive but no lights were on. She was probably out. He thought about waiting to see if she came home and then realized this was just the sort of behavior that had angered her. He went back past her house and kept going.
The following day at work he was completely pre-occupied. Tate quickly grew frustrated with him.
“Maybe you should go home and get your shit together or take a nap. You’re completely useless to me today. Someone could tell you they are about to blow up the whole damned city and you’d not even realize it.”
“I’m fine. I’ll be fine.”
“No. I can’t afford to be walking around with people like this and have my backup lost in his own damned head. I’ve only got a few months until I retire. I’d like to be able to sit on the river and fish and not go out in a box, if it’s all the same to you,” he growled.
“You can patrol alone.”
“I won’t. I need to do some stuff at the station anyway. Today is as good a day as any. Just do me a favor and don’t come back like this tomorrow.”
“Alright. I’m sorry. I’ll get a grip on myself.”
“Back inside the car,” Tate pushed him a little more. “Are you okay, Wilson? Do you need to talk?”
“Nah. I’m good.”
“Are you sure? I mean, I know I’m a cranky old bastard, but I am not completely heartless. I can listen.”
“Just woman problems and it’s getting under my skin. It’s unprofessional and I’ll get it under control before I come back tomorrow.”
“Alright. We’ve all been there, you know. Just sort it out with her. If you can talk to her, you don’t need her.”
“Fair enough.”
“Just go talk to her. I’ll cover for you at work.”
“Thanks, Tate.”
“No problem.”
Tate encountered Kate as he came through the doors of the station, despite trying to swerve her.
“Did you get my email with the photos?” she asked.
“Yeah. I’m sorry, I thought I replied,” he said, only now realizing that he hadn’t because of the argument with Lucy.
“Were they any help?”
“Don’t know yet, but thank you for getting them for me. Listen, I’ve got something to check into. I’ve got to run.”
“Oh, okay,” she replied, the disappointment in her voice evident.
He wasn’t sure what she had expected beyond that. Was she thinking they would team up? He would take her out to thank her personally? Make out with her in the copy room? None of that was going to happen, ever. Lucy or no Lucy. He had only come into the station to be seen there before he left again. He made his way out the back exit and got in his car, driving straight to Lucy’s house.
It was still dark, but this time he didn’t just pass by like some sort of stalker creeper ex-beau. He parked and got out. Her car was still there, it didn’t look like it had moved, but the lights were still out. It was the weekend, so maybe she had decided to go somewhere to cool down. She could have grabbed a cab to the train station or airport, perhaps even the bus route if she didn’t want to drive.
Frustrated that he couldn’t talk to her, he got back into his car and left. He’d just have to get a grip on himself and come back on Monday. Even if she went away for the weekend, she’d be back home then for classes and he could say he had given her time to think through things. If he was lucky, she’d call him before then. Either way, he was just going to have to get his shit together and make it through two more days of work without Tate having him kicked off the beat.
As it turned out, his head would be cleared quickly come the following morning when he and Tate walked into a world of shit. The heavy hitters that had turned up in town had finally made their move, taking out a rival drug faction which included an undercover police officer. It was all a mess, putting every cop on the streets on high alert and throwing a veil of silence over anyone in the neighborhood that didn’t want to become a casualty by talking to the cops.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Lucy
When Lucy had woken up yesterday, she had a splitting headache. Everything ached and it smelled like chemicals. There was no light and she had no idea what time it was, or even what day. She could hear sounds from outside the door, footsteps, and voices, but she couldn’t make out who they were or what they were saying.
She stood up and began feeling her way around the room. She could only feel block walls, but as she made her way toward the door, she felt a switch on the wall and flipped it, relieved when a small light came on above her. It was dim, but provided enough light for her to see what was around her.
The room was maybe six by eight and contained only a single size mattress. There were no sheets, but there was a blanket and a pillow. There was also a bottle of water. Whoever had put her here, hadn’t bothered to lay her on the mattress or she had moved off of it while she was out as she had awoken crumpled up in the corner opposite the makeshift bed.
From the looks and smell of it, she was guessing it had once been some sort of utility closet where cleaning chemicals might have been stored. Who had put her here and why? She was trying to stay calm, but her heart was thudding against her chest. Someone had drugged her and brought her here. She had no idea who would have done that or why.
Reaching for the door, she quickly realized it was locked. She didn’t know why she had thought it might not be. People didn’t just toss you in a closet and then leave the door unlocked. Instead, she tried a different tactic, yelling for help. Perhaps whoever was outside were the people who put her here, or maybe they didn’t know she wasn’t here.
“Help! Somebody help me!”
She heard footsteps and then a man in a mask opened the door to look at her.
“Well, look who’s awake. Did you sleep well sleeping beauty?” he asked.
“No. Someone drugged me and crammed me into a closet,” she said.
“You’re lucky that’s all we did to you while you were out,” he laughed.
“Okay, enough. Get away from her, you fucking perv,” another man in a mask said from behind him.
The first guy grunted and moved away, while the first looked her up and down, but not in a pervy way. He seemed to be assessing her for any damage.
; “Are you hungry? We can get you some food.”
“I don’t want any food! I want out of this closet. Why am I here?”
“Ah, I can’t really tell you that.”
“How long do you plan on keeping me here? Can you tell me that?”
“Nope. It’s not up to me. I’m just here to keep an eye on you until someone calls and says I can send you back home.”
Lucy felt at least a hint of relief that they seemed to be intending for her to go back home, though she had no doubt there was a catch and a chance that she wouldn’t go home if whatever they were planning failed. The thought sent a chill down her spine.
“What do you want? I don’t have any money. I’m nobody.”
“That’s not for you to worry about and that’s all you need to know. Now, how about that food? I don’t know how long you will be here, but I don’t intend for you to starve to death on my watch.”
She was hungry, but didn’t want to admit it. Instead, she tried to look around him to get a glimpse of where they were holding her. He immediately stepped closer to the door, blocking her view of anything behind him.
“Listen, Lucy. I don’t want to make this any harder for you than it has to be. None of this is your fault or within your control. What is within your control is staying alive. Okay? So, you need to be a good girl and not give us any trouble. If you don’t give us any reason to do harm to you, there won’t be any. If other people do the right thing, then you’ll be let go without a scratch on that pretty little head of yours. Now, last chance. Would you like something to eat?”
Lucy had never felt more terrified in her life. She couldn’t even speak. Instead she merely nodded her head up and down.
“Very good. I’ll be back in a minute,” he said, closing the door.
She could hear the clicking of a locking mechanism that sounded much more industrial than just your average utility closet and then his steps walking across a hard floor outside. There were voices again, this time so low she couldn’t make out much more than unintelligible whispers. She sat down on the mattress and pulled the blanket around her, opening the bottle of water and sniffing it. It smelled like plain water, so she took a sip, letting the coolness ease the dry cotton of her mouth.
After what seemed like forever, she heard the clicking of the door again and the man opened the door, sitting a large paper bag inside and stepping back out. He added another bottle of water and a blister pack of aspirin.
“I know that shit they shot you up with gives you dry mouth and a helluva headache. Hydrate and take the aspirin as you need it. There’s a sandwich, some chips, and a brownie in the bag. Hopefully, you’re not a vegan or one of those people allergic to everything.”
“I’m not,” she croaked.
“Alright, I’ll be back in an hour to take away the garbage and we’ll take you up to the bathroom if you need to go.”
Lucy stiffened at this. The last thing she could think of that she wanted was to have to go pee in front of a bunch of a strange men. Abductors her mind corrected. She shivered and he didn’t miss it.
“I’ll bring you some heavier blankets when I come back too. It gets cold in here at night.”
Lucy said nothing. He closed the door and she retrieved the aspirin, downing four of them and drinking the first bottle of water in its entirety. She would rather not drink too much and avoid the bathroom trip with them, but she felt like the desert inside and she’d have to go to the toilet sooner or later anyway. She sat on the mattress picking at the ham and cheese sandwich he had brought and eating the chips, finding that she was surprisingly hungry for someone who felt scared shitless.
Did this have something to do with Ryan? Was it because of something he’d stirred up with his meddling in her neighbors’ business or perhaps related to one of his cases? Had he confronted the man from the photo he showed her and that had something to do with it? It would help if she had some idea of what these guys were after, but she didn’t.
True to his word, the man returned for her trash, leaving only the water and the rest of the aspirin. He brought a thick wool blanket to add to the bed, along with a clean pair of sheets. They weren’t new, but they were freshly laundered. They smelled like lavender and she wondered who had washed them. Had he taken them from his wife? His mother? Stolen them from someone in a laundromat? It was weird where your mind went when you were so afraid.
“Bathroom then?”
“Yes, please,” she said.
“Come on out,” he told her.
As she approached him, she noticed something she’d been too scared to even process earlier. He had no smell. He was human. Were they all human? It was good. She might just be an Omega, but she could take down a handful of male humans. They all stood on the opposite side of the room talking in a little huddle while he walked her to the bathroom. The place looked like some sort of old manufacturing plant, but it appeared to have been closed for some time.
He let her in the bathroom and she looked around for anything that might help her escape, but there was nothing. No mirror to break, no strings or pins. There was only a toilet and a sink. Thankfully, he at least let her close the door while she went, waiting outside while she did her business. She washed her hands and took a final look around. There was nothing here.
Stepping back out of the room, she walked ahead of him, her heart racing. She was scared. What if they had a gun or some other weapon? Would she be able to get to them before they got a round off? Wolves could withstand a gunshot better than humans thanks to their advanced healing powers, but if they hit the right spot, she could still go down.
She went back inside the closet and lay down on the mattress, the man closing the door behind her. With the wool blanket on top of the thinner one, she was at least warm now. She needed to rest and let the drugs finish leaving her system. It wasn’t the most comfortable bed, but she still had enough sedatives in her system that she managed to drift off and get some rest.
When she awoke, she could hear the men outside talking again. They were closer this time. She didn’t know how long she’d been out, but she felt a bit more alert, a bit stronger. Sucking in her breath, she exhaled slowly, taking a few more of the aspirins and drinking some water. Then, she stripped off her clothes and knocked on the door before calling out.
“Can someone let me out? I need to go to the bathroom again,” she called out.
“Be right there,” one of them called out.
She didn’t wait. She couldn’t afford to let them get the upper hand. Instead, she shifted and stood there, waiting with her wolf teeth bared. She heard the clicking of the locks and the door began to open. She didn’t wait to see what was on the other side. Instead, she flew at it, pouncing on a man.
They were on her almost immediately, all but the one on the floor shifting and surrounding her. They were all considerably larger than her and she didn’t stand a chance against them, but she might be small and fast enough to get past them if she made a run for it. Before she could bolt for it, she felt something sharp hit her hindquarters and then everything was black again.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ryan
It seemed like Monday would never end. The east side was absolute chaos with random shootings that seemed not to be as random as they were made to look like and an absurd number of ODs being called in. There was a war going on there, with drug dealers fighting it out for control.
They were only beginning to breach the surface of who this new faction was, but small players didn’t try to come in and overturn an established drug operation unless they were either well prepared or batshit crazy. It was a relief to make it out another day without any bullet holes or a coroner escort.
“Wilson, my office,” the Captain called out when he spotted him crossing the station floor.
“What’s up, Cap?” Wilson replied wearily as he approached his office door.
“Just get in here,” Cap barked.
Whatever was up didn’t sound friendly and he w
as already exhausted from chasing some crackhead through several parking lots and across a city park, where he disappeared into the trees. Ryan knew better than to follow him without more than a small army of backup. That grove of trees was a death sentence for a cop caught out in it alone. It was full of unhinged folks who lived off the grid and had no use or regard for the police or strangers.
“Wilson, you know Peters and Lark from over at missing persons, right?”
“Yes,” Ryan replied, wondering if this had something to do with what he had asked Kate to run for him.
“These guys have a few questions for you. Have a seat,” Cap told him.
“You know a woman named Lucy Jameson?” Lark asked.
Ryan’s heart all but stopped. Had she gone so far as to complain about him investigating folks without proper authority or something? He knew she was mad, but he hadn’t thought she’d do something like that to him. It didn’t seem like her, at all.
“Yes, I know Lucy.”
“What is your relationship with her? Lark continued.
“We’ve been seeing one another since just after the first of the year.”
“How did you meet?”
“A dating site.”
“Which one?”
“Alpha Meets Omega.”
Ryan wasn’t the first person to have to name the app in some sort of questioning scenario. It was always best to be honest and, to the naked eye, it looked like any other site to anyone glancing through it. They’d just think that the guys listed themselves as Alpha and the women Beta or Omega based on some sort of personality traits. It wasn’t really that far off when you considered how each segment of their populace behaved
“Is that some sort of BDSM type thing or something,” Peters interjected.
“What? No. It’s just a dating site.”
“Weird thing to name a dating app.”
“The beginning and the end,” Lark observed, translating the meaning behind the words. Peters raised an eyebrow at that and began to make a note on his pad.
“Okay,” Ryan replied with a scowl. “What is this about? Is Lucy okay?”
