Wylde (Xi Force Book 3)

by S. C. Mitchell

  Whenever he hadn’t been with her and her family, John had been kept in a cage and fed raw meat. If only he’d confided in her.

  But that wasn’t John. Not his way at all.

  He was closed off, secluded from society, and sometimes even from himself. A lone wolf in a pack of real wolves. He was withdrawn, solitary, and . . . so damn sexy.

  The view of him standing naked by the pond in the snow in the freezing temperatures still burned in her mind. When had that string bean of a boy packed on such muscle?

  Well, living with a wolf pack the past few years had probably done that.

  They’d parted fifteen years ago, and only recently reconnected through the Xi Force. Of course, she’d never seen him naked before. Didn’t guys’ junk shrink up in the cold? If that was shrinkage . . .

  A hot ripple shot through her core. Yeah, she’d noticed. Kind of hard to keep her eyes above waist level with that thing in sight.

  Dial it back, girl. He’s your friend, not your boyfriend.

  He’d been in his wolf’s mind then. Probably hadn’t even noticed he wasn’t wearing clothes.

  Dove grabbed her bag from the back seat of the car and headed into her family home.

  It wasn’t like she needed to live here. She made decent money from her research, and the extra she’d earned from the Xi Force assignment was nice, but just gravy on top of that.

  Still the convenience of living where you worked had trumped any excuse she’d had to move out. She got along well with her parents. Her dad’s lab—her lab—was just through the kitchen. Convenient for coffee pickup on her way to work, some mornings before she’d even showered and dressed. And her mom usually had breakfast waiting for her.

  But her recent experiences had her rethinking her living arrangements. While working at the Xi Force headquarters building, she got her own private apartment. Being on her own, living the past few weeks in one of the Xi Force Headquarters’ apartments, had given her an appreciation of the quiet, wonderfulness of having her own place. But that had only been a temporary arrangement.

  It was time to at least consider moving out permanently.

  She dropped her bag in the entry. She’d unpack later. “Mom? Dad?”

  No answer. They were probably both back in the lab.

  Her dad had emailed her a couple of times while she’d been away. He was closing in on something new. A new breed of starling that preferred to consume certain pesky insects and could help farmers use less chemicals on their fields. Not earthshaking, but very helpful.

  The coffee pot in the kitchen contained enough for a full cup of steaming brew, so she poured one on her way through. “Mom? Dad?”

  The animals in the lab seemed hushed, tense. A muffled “Mmmf” resounded from out of sight to the left of the lab doorway.

  She rounded the corner.

  Her mom and dad, tied to chairs, duct tape over their mouths.

  “What the hell?”

  A presence behind her. “You were supposed to be home hours ago.”

  Randy?

  She spun.

  Her dad’s lab assistant stood in the alcove on the other side of the doorway holding a gun on her.

  Unnerved, her body jolted and she dropped her coffee cup. It shattered on the concrete floor of the lab. A dark puddle of coffee spread from the shards.

  She’d never fully trusted this man. Good looking, smart, at times a little overly friendly, he’d asked Dove out many times. But there was just something about him that seemed off, unsettling, though she’d never been able to put her finger on it. She’d run out of excuses and just started telling him no. “What’s this all about?”

  “You never let me take you out and spend any time with me alone, so I needed to press the issue. You’re coming with me.”

  A date? Was the man crazy? “How many times do I have to tell you? I’m not interested.”

  A snide smile slid across his lips. “I’m crushed.”

  His tone reflected just the opposite. He motioned her through the doorway with the barrel of the gun. “Come with me and your parents won’t get hurt.”

  Oh, this was so not good.

  Chapter 2

  With a click of the trunk lock, illumination poured in to the dark space. Dove blinked back the tears that erupted from the sudden change in lighting. Wrists bound behind her back, ankles tied together, and duct tape over her mouth, the bumpy hours in the trunk of Randy’s car had seemed endless. Sore, tired, and pissed as hell, she struggled at her bonds as Randy hoisted her out of the trunk.

  “Don’t make me drop you.” An icy threat laced his tone.

  This didn’t seem remotely like the man she’d worked side by side with for the past six months. What did he want with her?

  Bare two-by-fours lined the musty enclosure. Oil stained the concrete floor. The garage door was down, giving her no view of the outside or any indication of where she was.

  Randy carried her up a step and into a kitchen area, kicking the door closed behind as he strode toward the table to deposit her in a chair. “I’m not going to hurt you, unless you do something stupid. We’re going to eat something and get some sleep. Don’t bother screaming, there’s no one around to hear.”

  He ripped the duct tape from her mouth.

  Ouch.

  “What the fuck is going on, Randy?”

  He went to a cupboard and started pulling out cans and boxes of food. “All your questions will be answered, but not now, and not by me. Hungry?”

  Yes. But first . . .

  “I need to pee.”

  His cocky smile made her want to kick out at him as he bent down to untie her legs, but she held back. This wasn’t the right time to take a chance. She didn’t know where she was or what she was doing here. And her hands were still tied.

  Moving around behind the chair, he released the ropes on her wrists. Her fingers tingled as circulation returned. She stood and confronted him.

  Gun drawn, he pointed it at her, his finger caressing the trigger. “Don’t get cute.”

  Something about the pistol didn’t look right, but she didn’t know much about guns.

  Randy motioned with the barrel to the right. “Bathroom’s in there.”

  A small, half-bath was located just off the kitchen down a short hallway. Windowless so she still couldn’t get a glimpse of outside to help her figure out where she was. At least he let her enter on her own and close the door.

  She took her time. Let the bastard wait. Maybe he wouldn’t be standing on the other side of the doorway when she exited. Maybe she’d get a chance to escape. She needed to keep vigilant. Look for the right moment.

  But when she opened the bathroom door, he was there, gun in hand. “Now go sit down at the table. Be a good girl and I will get you some food.”

  He tied her to the chair before returning to his cooking. Pasta, hamburger, jarred sauce.

  Worry had her stomach in knots. Worry for herself and her parents. She doubted she’d be able to eat until her stomach rumbled in response to his placing the steaming plate in front of her.

  Well, she did need to keep up her strength in case an opportunity arose to escape, and the food smelled so good.

  Steam clouded the one small kitchen window that looked out on only darkness as far as she could tell.

  Randy released her arms and moved across the table to eat one handed while he held the gun on her.

  As her hunger ebbed, frustration built. “Look, can’t you at least tell me—”

  “No questions. No answers. Eat.”

  After dinner he directed her to a bedroom with an attached bath. Her stomach knotted. Was this it? Was he going to rape her?

  She wasn’t going down without a fight. He’d need to put the gun down to do anyt
hing to her, and when he did, she’d strike. Mary Cullen had taught her a few defensive moves. And she’d been trained by a Navy SEAL.

  Body tense, she readied herself to fight.

  But Randy simply backed out of the room. “Help yourself to anything you find in here. Get some sleep.”

  The doorknob had been reversed to lock from the outside. She heard the click, crept toward the door, and tested the knob.

  Locked.

  The one window in the room had bars across it. This was a prison long prepared. For her? Or were there others that had shared this cell?

  Wan moonlight backlit a row of dark pine trees across about ten feet of overgrown lawn. She couldn’t see anything else. No other light sources. No other buildings.

  The dresser under the window held women’s undergarments, still in their packages . . . in her size. The closet had a new pair of jeans and a flannel shirt that still had price tags on them and again in her size. How long had he been planning this?

  The bathroom was clean, with fresh, fluffy towels. An assortment of toiletries lined the counter including a toothbrush, still in its packaging. Someone wanted her to feel right at home despite the lock on the door. But in all her searching she found nothing she could use as a weapon.

  Was he watching her?

  A careful scan of the bathroom revealed no hidden camera, but with technology today, who knew. And after the day she’d had, a hot shower sounded really good.

  Oh to hell with it. If he’d wanted to see her naked, he could have forced her to disrobe at gunpoint. He hadn’t.

  She stripped down, climbed in the shower and let the hot water cascade down her, ignoring the flutter in her stomach when she thought about the movie Psycho that she’d watched with Mary, Heather, and Kayla just last week.

  That was a movie. This is . . .?

  What the hell was this? If Randy wasn’t after her body, then what was this all about? It didn’t make any sense.

  Was he waiting until she fell asleep? When she’d be off her guard?

  She’d dozed a couple of times during the day riding in the trunk. Not the most restful sleep, but enough. She could stay awake, on guard all night. If he tried anything, she’d be ready.

  After she’d showered, she wrapped a towel around her and gathered new clothing from the closet and dresser, returning to the bathroom to dress.

  Fully clothed, without even taking off her shoes, she crawled into the bed, pulling the covers up over her form. She wanted to be as ready as possible.

  The pillows were soft, the linens freshly laundered. A hint of lavender essence hung in the air. The room itself was cleaner and better than many hotels she’d stayed in.

  Clean and comfortable, but still a prison.

  She wouldn’t be seduced by it. She’d keep watch and stay on guard all through the night.

  All through the long, dark, comfortable night.

  ~ ~ ~

  Sunlight streamed through the window onto the bedding when Randy woke her the next morning with a knock on the door.

  “Get up and dressed. I’ll be back to let you out for breakfast in fifteen minutes.”

  Shit, she’d fallen asleep.

  But nothing had happened. Had it?

  She was still dressed.

  She threw back the covers and rushed to the bathroom to freshen up. If Randy would be back in fifteen minutes, she wanted to be ready for him. She’d wait beside the doorway. When he came in perhaps she could take him by surprise.

  Face washed, teeth brushed, she searched the room for anything she could use as a weapon. She pulled down the curtain, sliding the two-piece adjustable rod apart. Two slightly-sharp pieces of aluminum. It would be worthless as a bat, but she could poke like a fencing sword, hopefully find a spot to stab him. She sidled up to the wall beside the door and waited.

  The floor creaked in response to the heavy footfalls on the hardwood flooring outside. The lock clicked. The door swung open.

  Her stomach knotted as she fisted her make-shift swords in her hands, tensing to strike.

  “I’m not that stupid. Come on out.”

  She rounded the corner still ready to strike out, but he stood back, out of reach with his gun drawn. Crap, he was ready for her, but she might not get another chance. She’d be damned if she was going to let him tie her up again.

  Gritting her teeth, she dove at him, curtain rods pointed at his stomach.

  “Sorry, darling. Not my first rodeo.” He fired the gun.

  Not a pop or a bam. More like a thwip.

  In the blink of an eye, a needle was sticking in her right breast. She recognized the brand—the same kind her dad used in the field, although his tranquillizer gun was a rifle.

  Her head spun, and her strength ebbed almost instantly. Her fists lost all feeling and she dropped her weapons before they could connect.

  Her legs went numb. Knees buckling, she dropped to the floor as the world spun around her.

  Chapter 3

  A distant rumble brought Wylde to his cabin window. A snowmobile approached, spraying up a white puffy cloud behind it. What now?

  Someone, probably Joel, was on the way up the mountain toward the cabin.

  Why hadn’t they just called him?

  He located his new smartphone by the sink where he’d placed it . . . had it really been two days ago? The display remained dark when he pressed the button. “I suppose I should have plugged that in.”

  But it had some charge when he’d put it there. And he hadn’t touched it. Did the thing use power just sitting there?

  Live and learn.

  And so his story continues, just when he thought the author had written him out. This guy just didn’t know when to leave him alone. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?”

  The snowmobile came to a stop outside Wylde’s front door.

  Yup. Joel.

  A heavy parka over his Shade costume, the leader of Xi Force stomped the slushy snow from his boots on the doormat as Wylde opened the door to let him in.

  Wylde sighed. “Trouble?”

  It had to be.

  Sheee-it , and things were just getting good.

  Another race with the wolf pups, this time without the distraction of running into Dove, had Clark and Bruce sleeping once again on the floor. And the power came back on in his cabin without him having to go and ask.

  No, that was wrong. Running into Dove hadn’t really been a distraction.

  She was one of the few humans he didn’t mind spending time with. She understood him, and didn’t give him shit about what others referred to as his delusion. And seeing her that last time was worth sleeping one night on the floor while Clark and Bruce tussled in the bed.

  “Are you just not answering now, or did you forget to charge it again?” Joel’s tone was somber but not hyper, so it probably wasn’t something dire. Sex pheromones still clung to his suit. He’d probably just come from his mate. Almost certainly, he was wishing he was still with her.

  “Sorry, I will try to do better.” It was really all he could promise. The things he didn’t understand about modern technology he was picking up as fast as he could. His years in the wild with his wolf pack had put him a bit behind on things like that. Still, if that smartphone was really all that smart it would fucking plug itself in when it needed charging.

  Joel sighed, picked up the phone and the charging cable, which was all of a foot away, and connected the two. “I thought you should know that Dove is missing.”

  Wylde’s gut tightened. “Missing?”

  “She was kidnapped yesterday upon returning to her parents’ home by some guy that was working as an assistant in her lab. They’re thinking it might be a domestic issue . . . disgruntled boyfriend thing. I’m not buying it. The police
have an APB out for him, but here’s the weird part. The guy doesn’t seem to exist. Fake ID, driver’s license, and social security number.”

  So, fishy as hell. Figures.

  Wylde had good memories of David and Dawn Locklear from his youth. He’d spent many days playing in the lab and attached house with Dove, while Dr. Locklear and his father worked on their projects. Mrs. Locklear usually had something wonderful baking in the kitchen. It made his days something to look forward to, and almost made up for the torture of his nights at home alone with his father. “Are her parents all right?”

  “They were tied up and left behind, but unharmed. It took Mr. Locklear a few hours to wiggle out of his restraints and get to a phone to call the police.” Joel reached down to pet Lois, who took it upon herself to lean against his leg. “Well, aren’t you the friendly one.”

  The other wolf pups had moved away, leery of any human even under the best of circumstances, though they tolerated Joel more than others. Why Lois didn’t share their mistrust was anyone’s guess.

  I like him. She leaned into his hand as Joel petted her.

  Clark trotted forward and growled. You should not. He is man.

  Wylde growled and gave Clark the side-eye. If she likes him, she can like him.

  The pup backed off.

  “Do we have any idea where Dove’s been taken?”

  Joel shook his head. “The Megopolis city police are investigating. Because of our connection to Dove, I’ve asked them to keep us informed. They insist it’s out of our jurisdiction and don’t want Xi Force involved. Aaron’s holding firm on that as well.”

  Giving Lois one last swipe, Joel turned toward the door. “Officially, Xi Force can’t do anything right now, but I’ve put a few feelers out behind Aaron’s back.”