Shadow's Pen [Rescue for Hire 10] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Bellann Summer

  Shadow studied Cade. In his experience, leaders weren’t so upstanding. In the past, it was all about getting ahead and gaining a higher ranking. “Is there anything else I should know?”

  “There are times that I will send one of you out on an individual assignment. It may be as a bodyguard or undercover.” Cade smiled. Shadow wondered why that smile made him so uneasy. “For example, Tony and Boone are currently working with law enforcement computer gurus throughout the Midwest on a kidnapping case. I have been working with Sheriff Steve Titan on the case ever since my good friend Tolliver Holiday became a victim. If we can be of service to the authorities, I’m all for it.”

  So far Shadow liked everything Cade had to say. It occurred to him that this big man in front of him had hidden agendas and multiple plans going at once. Yet, nothing was setting off any alarms or red flags of evil and deception. Shadow decided life was never going to be boring again, and he liked that. “This position sounds like a fascinating opportunity.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way, because I’d like to offer you a job on my team. Will you accept a position at Rescue for Hire?”

  Shadow searched Cade’s face. The man was good and let none of his feelings show. The corner of Shadow’s mouth lifted a tiny bit. “Yes, sir.” Shadow nodded, showing the man his respect. “I will accept your job offer.”

  Cade stood and offered Shadow his hand. As the two men shook hands, Cade said, “Welcome aboard.”

  “Thank you, sir.” Excitement and satisfaction laced through Shadow’s system. It was time to build a life in Granite County. Shadow’s thoughts skidded to a halt when Cade leaned against his desk and crossed his muscled arms over his chest. “The papers and internet have been full of reports on the Gregslist kidnappings. What are your thoughts about it?”

  “I’ve been in and out of the country this last year, and Bishop has let me decompress at his house for the last month.” Long walks through the forested hills behind Bishop and Cooper’s home had helped Shadow regain some sense of peace inside. Learning to keep a normal schedule, such as sitting down to meals and making small talk, was a challenge after existing for years in dangerous shadows. “I haven’t heard of a Gregslist kidnapper. I don’t know what a Gregslist is.”

  Cade chuckled and moved back to his chair. “Let’s see, where to start. Gregslist is a website where you can find anything and everything for sale.” One of Cade’s eyebrows lifted. “And I mean everything.”

  “Sounds interesting,” Shadow commented. He decided he would have to check Gregslist out, now that Cooper had convinced Shadow to upgrade his flip phone to a smartphone. He found it amusing to have the Internet at his fingertips. It beat the disposable phone the government issued him when he was on a mission.

  “It can be a useful tool to find an item you need at a reasonable price. But as with everything else in life, it can be abused.” Lines formed on Cade’s forehead as his eyebrows lowered, and a pinched look appeared around his mouth. “Tolliver Holiday answered an ad on Gregslist listing a lawnmower for sale. He went to see it and disappeared.” Cade stared down at his desk for a moment before looking up at Shadow. “By the time we found him, he had endured some of the most horrific torture I’ve ever seen. The first second he was capable of travel, I sent him to Nevada and had Rescue for Hire West keep him safe.”

  “If you needed to keep him safe, that tells me you didn’t catch the perp,” Shadow observed.

  The look in Cade’s blue eyes became as hard as steel. “The place was deserted except for Tolliver. The food and all personal items had been cleared out by the time we got there.”

  The hunter inside of Shadow went on alert. “What did the house tell you?”

  Cade’s eyes sparkled. “Very good,” he commented. “The house was an abandoned farmhouse set back off the nearest road. There was no electricity or running water. The kidnappers, in essence, camped out in it. We found Tolliver tied to a bed, lying on a piece of plywood. One other bedroom contained a large bed with a new mattress. We found rope and remnants of zip ties down in the basement.”

  “More victims?” Shadow asked.

  “Victims of something,” Cade answered. “Tony and Boone discovered a pattern. Men throughout the Midwest were disappearing after answering an ad selling a piece of equipment with a small engine, such as a weed eater or lawn mower. The bodies that turned up were in the same condition as Tolliver. But there are many more disappearances than bodies.”

  “Kidnappers?” Shadow hadn’t missed Cade’s use of kidnapper turning to kidnappers.

  “There were a few victims that turned up alive. They all reported that an average-looking man with brown hair and brown eyes hit them over the head with a bat as they knocked on the door to inquire about the item for sale.” Cade leaned forward. “Now here is where it gets interesting. During their captivity, the brown-haired man, at times, would have a starburst scar on the top of his left hand. At other times, the scar would be gone and he was wearing a gold watch with a blue face. And sometimes the scar and watch were gone, but he had a tattoo of an old-time ship’s steering wheel with an anchor in the center on his right forearm.”

  “Elaborate disguise or three men?” Shadow didn’t doubt Cade had the answer and was surprised with the bigger man’s reply.

  “At first, we didn’t know. Then Steve and I decided to have Gabriel answer a couple of ads that fit the profile we put together.” Cade picked up his cell phone and checked the screen before putting it down again. Shadow wondered at the ring tattooed on his left ring finger. “At one of the residences, we hit the jackpot when Gabriel was attacked. While Gabriel was fighting his attacker, the team moved in. But the house exploded from the inside.”

  “Shit, that’s one way of getting rid of the evidence,” Shadow commented.

  “The attacker ended up fatally shot.” Cade’s mouth had that pinched look again. “He had no scar or tattoo but was wearing a gold watch with a blue face. We found a body inside the house. Through dental records, it was identified as being the last man reported missing after answering a Gregslist ad.”

  “Someone had to have blown up the house,” Shadow pointed out.

  “My tracker found evidence that two people escaped the house and took off in a vehicle parked a quarter of a mile away.” Cade straightened in his chair. “The public believes that the Gregslist kidnapper is dead. The official paperwork had been made to look like the case is closed.”

  “Shit, you believe the law has a leak.” Shadow knew there were a lot of good men enforcing the law, but the bad seeds put the whole profession in a dark light.

  “There have been too many coincidences. Once Rescue for Hire became involved, the pieces of the puzzle started coming together.” Cade’s intense gaze rested on Shadow. “The problem was we always seemed one step behind. Tolliver was still in the house we raided, but anything to identify the perpetrators were gone. They knew we were coming.”

  Shadow’s mind plotted through the facts as he knew them. His instincts told him what he would do, but he wondered what Cade would say. “So what kind of plan do you and the sheriff have?”

  Before Cade could answer, the phone sitting on the desk began to ring.

  Shadow relaxed and watched his new employer have a major discussion on the phone. Whatever was happening had to be serious by the way Cade frowned and his responses became brisk and low.

  After Cade ended the call, he sat back, rested his elbows on the desk, and steepled his hands for a moment before lacing his fingers together. Shadow waited for the man to put his thoughts in order.

  Finally Shadow’s new boss looked at him and spoke, “Weeks ago, it was released to the press that Daniel Powel’s body had been found dumped on the edge of a swamp in Minnesota. Daniel was a college student who was last seen leaving a bar alone one night and walking back to his apartment. He made it home, but the next morning he went to look at a used mountain bike he saw on Gregslist and went missing.” Cade glanced down at his phone as if it held
all the answers he needed. “Daniel has a brother who is one of the top foreign correspondents in the nation. He quit his job and arrived here two weeks ago and now works for The Granite City Chronicle.”

  “And his digging is disrupting the case.” Shadow didn’t have a high regard for reporters. In his experience, they tended to report only what they were told to report. But to be fair, his opinion came from his dealings with reporters from different countries.

  “Steve wanted to tell Drew to back off but was afraid his involvement might bring the kidnappers’ attention on to him. Missing persons reports are continuing to come in that involve men who have answered Gregslist advertisements, and I’m determined to stop it.” Cade jerked to his feet. This time he grabbed his ever-present cane, walked around the desk, and sat in the chair next to Shadow. He stared off into the distance, seeming fascinated by the bookcase behind the desk. “No one should have to go through what Tolliver did.” Cade turned his head and looked at Shadow. “Drew Powel was attacked while walking to work this morning. According to a witness’s account, a medium-built, brown-haired man stepped out of an alleyway and hit him on the head with a piece of wood. When the alleged perp started to pull Drew into the alley, one of the shop owners shouted out, and the guy ran away.”

  “I would think this incident would give the sheriff an opportunity to tell this Drew to back off,” Shadow said.

  “The sheriff sent a deputy to take his statement, as is the protocol in this situation,” Cade replied. “As far as the sheriff is officially concerned, this was a random act of violence in a robbery gone wrong. I, on the other hand, am not tied to official proticals, and can persue my belief that the Gregslist kidnapper is involved, which allows me the freedom to intercede.”

  Cade chuckled, which had Shadow wondering if the pressure of the situation was getting to him. Except this wasn’t a mad laugh but one full of humor. And people thought Shadow was a weird duck.

  “Shadow, within the hour, Drew Powel will be released from the emergency room. If you agree, I will contact him and say I’m concerned about his safety with all the people that have gone missing. I’ll explain that I would like to assign one of my men to watch out for his safety for a while.”

  “So you want me to guard him?”

  “Yep.”

  “How close?”

  “Like glue.”

  Shadow nodded. “And keep him from digging or let him dig?”

  “At this point, I’m inclined to believe if we tell Drew outright to stop digging, it will insight questions we aren’t prepare to answer at this time.” The corner of Cade’s mouth tightened. “Drew is a very good reporter, and this case involves a family member. There’s no way you’ll be able to stop him from looking for answers. Try to keep it to a minimum and guard him at all times.”

  Shadow thought about Pen. He guessed his plans of getting together again would have to wait. “All right, tell me what I need to know.”

  Chapter Five

  Shadow walked into the Granite City Hospital emergency reception area and headed toward the lady behind the glass cubical. He found her orange glasses and pink outfit fascinating. He tended to stick to black or gray in everyday life, and sometimes tan if he was out in the desert.

  “I’m here for Drew Powel,” he stated.

  “Name please.” The lady got all icy and professional. Shadow wondered what was up her ass. It wasn’t as though he snarled at her or anything.

  “Baal Drayton.”

  Cade had said he should use his real name when contacting Drew. Shadow thought it weird, but maybe this reporter was a spastic space cadet and Cade felt his full name would make him feel a little more at ease with Shadow.

  “Just one moment please,” the lady replied before lifting the phone’s receiver to her ear.

  Shadow continued to wait while she whispered away into the phone. Finally she looked up and said, “Someone will open the door, and you can go on back.”

  Next to Shadow, the heavy set of doors squeaked opened, and a tired-looking, middle-aged woman in patterned hospital scrubs appeared. “You can come right this way.”

  Shadow followed the woman to a room where the entire wall toward the hall was made of glass. He supposed that way the staff could see if someone was in distress.

  Walking through the doorway, Shadow saw a man sitting on the exam table with a hand on his brow, touching a snow-white bandage. When the man lifted his head, Shadow froze.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” the man demanded.

  “I’m here for Drew Powel,” Shadow answered, not sure what was going on, but Cade’s laughter was now making sense.

  “Why are you looking for Drew?”

  “Cade Miller sent me to take him home.”

  “Cade said I should expect Baal Drayton.”

  “I’m Baal Drayton,” Shadow answered, watching Pen’s pale face turn gray.

  * * * *

  Pen couldn’t believe it. First, he’d woken up alone in a bed that smelled as if it had hosted an all-night, non-stop sex fest. Which, it had.

  Then while he was walking down Main Street to his job at The Granite City Chronicle, someone had hit him on the head, stunning him. As he lay on the hard concrete, hands grasped his wrists and started dragging him off the sidewalk. From somewhere close by, he heard a shout, and his attacker dropped him to the unforgiving cement before running off.

  Now Shadow, no, Baal Drayton, stood in his emergency examining room. The same man who had fucked him six ways to Sunday last night and then left him without a word or note.

  Adding to the confusion of the shitty morning, earlier, Pen had been floored when Cade Miller had called the hospital and asked to speak with him. Cade had explained his concerns with Pen’s safety. For reasons Pen still didn’t understand, Cade believed he needed someone to guard him. It didn’t make sense that a mugging should garner that amount of attention from a man of Cade’s status.

  The reporter in Pen went on alert, but a few bruises on his body and his head injury were starting to make their presence known. So Pen agreed to let Cade send someone over to protect him. Looking over at the big man who had tipped his world on its axle last night, Pen wondered who was going to protect him from Shadow.

  Pen took a deep breath, trying to ease the pounding in his brain. It might be only three stitches holding the skin above his brow together, but it hurt like a bitch. It didn’t help that he was still pissed at waking up alone.

  The snarky in Pen came out. “You were gone when I woke up this morning, Mr. Drayton. I suppose it’s easier sneaking out than facing a one-night fuck.”

  For a moment Shadow’s face didn’t show one iota of emotion. The only indication that Shadow felt anything was a slow flush deepening the bigger man’s already dark skin.

  Shadow stepped closer. Pen was proud that he didn’t move away or flinch when Shadow raised his hand and touched a gentle finger to his bandage.

  “I had a meeting with Cade,” Shadow said. Chocolate-brown eyes gazed down at Pen.

  “You could have left a note.” Pen told himself he wasn’t as hurt as his whisper sounded.

  “I wasn’t far.”

  Shadow’s big hand cupped Pen’s face before he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

  When Shadow lifted his head and stared down at him, Pen could only wonder how this man had managed so quickly to break through the walls he had built up against the harsh realities of life as a gay man. Letting anyone get close hadn’t seemed worth it after all the hurt he’d felt and seen.

  First, it was the shame and need of acceptance when he’d told his parents he was gay. Yes, shame had eaten at Pen for being different. As he grew older, Pen had to negotiate the potholes of users and one-night stands that had led him to believe they wanted more. Time and again he had woken up alone, much like he had this morning.

  Being gay in foreign, war-torn countries was dangerous on a whole different level. People at war tended to react to the slightest provocation.
Pen had witnessed beheadings of men who were perceived to have feminine attributes. It didn’t matter that they were married to women and had children. Emotions ran high, and violence had exploded.

  Now he felt stupid for thinking Shadow, no, Baal Drayton, might be different. But he’d thought there had been an incredible connection between them last night.

  Movement caught Pen’s attention, and through the wall of glass, Pen saw the doctor that had stitched him together coming toward the door to his room. Shadow must have seen him, too, because he moved to the far corner and leaned against the wall. Pen noted that Shadow had chosen the dimmest corner of the room. With his black jeans and gray T-shirt, Shadow wasn’t hidden, but he didn’t stand out.

  “How are you doing, Mr. Powel? Are you feeling nauseous or dizzy?” Dr. Nicolson asked while lifting one of his eyelids and flashing a light in it. At their first meeting, Pen had taken an instant liking to the doctor, whose blue eyes sparkled with friendliness.

  “No,” Pen answered and lifted his hand to his head. “But I do have a headache from hell.”

  The doctor’s smile held sympathy when he said, “With your discharge papers, I’ve included prescriptions for a cream that you should apply to the wound to take care of any possible infection and something for your head. Don’t drive or work on any heavy machinery while taking it.” The doctor shook Pen’s hand. “I’ll see you in ten days at the clinic to remove the stitches. The nurse should be in shortly with your paperwork.”

  Pen nodded. “Alright, thank you, Doc.”

  After the doctor left the room, Pen looked over at Shadow. “He didn’t even notice you were here.”

  “Most don’t.” Shadow straightened. His long legs covered the distance between them in a few strides.

  “How?” Now Shadow was touching one finger to the ends of Pen’s hair. The attack had reduced it to a wild riot of messy, loose curls. It took Pen an expensive haircut, along with a lot of time and hair products, to tame the thick mop into stylish waves around his head.