Rise of the Jaguar

by Elizabeth Kelly

  Dax relaxed in the chair, wincing and rubbing his chest. “I told you before. I don’t give a fuck how you run your business.”

  “Good. Let’s continue to keep it that way,” Wilson said.

  “But killing Emerson isn’t going to be as easy as you think,” Dax persisted. “Her sister works for a security company. You think they won’t have her under protection?”

  Wilson let go of the dart gun and folded his hands in his lap. “Alan and his team arrived in Ashdale earlier today. They did recon at the sister’s house. They have one security guy sitting in a car outside the house.”

  “Shifter or human?”

  “No idea,” Wilson said. “Doesn’t matter. Alan and his team will take out the security watch before they enter the sister’s house.”

  “What if there’s more than one watching the house? Or what if this security person saw Alan scouting the house?”

  Wilson sighed in frustration. “Despite your belief about Alan, he is excellent at what he does. They didn’t see him. Besides, Alan and his team were special forces. This security company is a small fish in a big fucking pond. No doubt they employ a bunch of retired cops who are rarely required to do anything more than stop some drunk loser from stalking his girlfriend.”

  “What if you’re wrong?” Dax said.

  “I’m not.” Wilson leaned forward in his chair. “Go home and get some rest, Dax. By this time tomorrow Emerson will be dead and, with any luck, Clay will be mine and -”

  His cell phone rang, and he glanced at the screen before answering it. “What’s up, Burns?”

  He listened silently for a moment, a combination of anxiety and relief flooding through him.

  “Okay, add another four men inside the office and four outside of it.” He ended the call, and before Dax could ask, he said, “That was Burns at the house. Clay just showed up there.”

  Dax sat forward before muttering a curse and massaging his chest again. “You’re fucking kidding me. He came back to the house?”

  “Not into the office. But Burns has a couple of men on the roof, and one of them saw Clay appear in the trees on the west side of the house.”

  “Wait… appear as in he teleported?” Dax said.

  “Yes. He wasn’t there very long, less than three minutes before he disappeared again.”

  “Are we fucking sure he teleported? Maybe he -”

  “He teleported,” Wilson said. “Rodrigues saw it. He was there, and then he wasn’t.”

  “Holy fuck, he’s alive,” Dax said. “How the fuck is he alive and teleporting?”

  “Obviously, the serum didn’t last the full two weeks.” Wilson tapped thoughtfully on the top of his desk. “If Martin Grimes is lying about how long the serum lasts, he’ll have some angry clients. Unless it works differently with Clay because he isn’t a shifter.”

  “How the fuck is he even standing? It’s been, what, two days?” Dax said.

  “Perhaps he wasn’t as injured as you think.”

  “There was a lot of fucking blood, Wilson.”

  Wilson shrugged. “Apparently not as much as you thought.”

  “If Clay is around and teleporting, then I should be joining Alan’s team. They’ll need me.”

  “They won’t. It’s doubtful that Clay is still with Emerson. The only person he cares about is Owen. He would have abandoned Emerson the first chance he got. But if it turns out I’m wrong, Alan and his team can bring in Clay on their own.”

  “Wilson -”

  “Enough!” Wilson said, suddenly tired of the shifter’s constant doubt. “Go the fuck home, Dax. I’ll call you when I fucking need you.”

  “Fine.” Dax stood and, with a bit more energy than he had when arriving, he stalked out of the office and slammed the door shut behind him.

  Wilson leaned back in his chair and rubbed at his temples. “Fucking shifters.”

  Chapter 17

  “You okay?” Ronin pushed the elevator button and leaned against the wall. His lean body was perfectly relaxed now, but thirty seconds earlier, when the elevator doors were still open, he’d been an alert predator.

  Emerson nodded. “Yes. Just always feeling a little nervous out in the open now. Wondering if someone will try to kill me sucks.”

  “I get it,” Ronin said.

  “Yes, I imagine you understand more than most,” Emerson said. “How did you go so many years living like this?”

  He shrugged. “I won’t say you get used to it because you never really do, but you… adapt.”

  “Right.” Emerson tried not to sound discouraged. They approached the floor to Burke, King, and Frost Securities, and Ronin stepped in front of her as the elevator slowed to a stop and the doors opened.

  He stepped out of the elevator and scanned the entire hallway before holding his hand out to her. “You’re good.”

  She took his hand, and they walked quickly to the security firm, Ronin’s gaze roaming the hallway as they did. When they stepped inside, he dropped her hand and gave her a quick grin. “See? Easy peasy.”

  “Yeah,” Emerson said.

  Ronin smiled at the tiny brunette human sitting behind the receptionist's desk. “Hey, Willow. How’s it going?”

  “Hi, Ronin. Good. Hey, Emerson, it’s nice to see you again, although I’m sorry it’s under these circumstances,” Willow said.

  “Hi, Willow.” Emerson had only met Willow once before, but Mal’s mate was sweet and likable.

  “Bren’s already here. He’s in the boardroom with Kat, Mal, and Bishop,” Willow said. “Go on in. There’s coffee and muffins if you’re hungry.”

  “Thank you,” Emerson said as she followed Ronin to the boardroom. Ronin closed the door behind them, and a tall, dark-haired human wearing a leather jacket over a collared shirt and blue jeans stood and held out his hand. He smelled faintly of sulfur and smoke.

  She shook it as he said. “Bren Matthews.”

  “Emerson Joyce. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “You as well.”

  She sat next to Kat as Bren returned to his seat.

  Ronin took the seat next to Bren. He poured Emerson a cup of coffee, and one for himself as Kat smiled at her. “Did you get a new phone?”

  “Yes, I added your number and texted you. Did you not get it?”

  “I haven’t checked my phone in a while,” Kat said. “So, earlier this morning, I filled Bren in on everything you told us about Martin shipping the serum through your boss and about Owen and Clay,” Kat said. “He spoke with his captain and with a friend who works for the police department in your city. Right, Bren?”

  “I did. I asked Li Jie to do some looking into Wilson Granger. He called me back as I was driving over here,” Bren said.

  “What did he say?” Bishop asked.

  “Wilson Granger owns the largest shipping company in Eastbourne. He has a spotless record. The guy hasn’t even had a parking ticket in the last ten years. There’s nothing that suggests he’s using his legitimate shipping business to run a drug smuggling operation.”

  “He is,” Emerson said. “I’m not lying.”

  “I believe you.” Bren’s voice was mild. “But not only is the guy clean, he’s a pillar of the community. He donates to charities throughout the city, including the police department’s ‘Toys for Tots’ charity. He’s on several boards dedicated to helping homeless vets find housing and medical care, jobs, and PTSD support. They awarded him the key to the city five years ago, and he’s been given several awards for his work with the Homes for Vets program that he helped initiate.”

  “Shit,” Bishop said.

  “Li Jie looked into Granger Shipping as well. The whole business is clean as a whistle,” Bren said. “Li Jie said he’d do a bit more digging, but everything points to the business being legit.”

  “Because it is legit,” Emerson said. “Wilson is a stickler for following the rules. I used to admire that about him, but he only follows the rules because he’s hiding his drug smuggling.”
>
  She took a sip of coffee. “I don’t think anyone who works at the shipping company knows about the heroin he ships.”

  “Not even in the warehouse?” Mal said. “He needs to have someone loading the drugs into the trucks.”

  “I don’t know,” Emerson said. “I mean, the men and women who work in the warehouse are… they’re good people. Hard workers, just trying to support their families, you know?”

  “Most likely, he has a different crew come in and pack the drugs when the warehouse is closed,” Bren said.

  Emerson stared at him, her cup of coffee forgotten. “Once a month or so, a night crew comes in to clean the warehouse from top to bottom.”

  “Is that unusual for a warehouse?” Bishop said.

  “When I did security shifts at Marika Belfry’s clothing warehouse, they didn’t have a specific crew come in for cleaning,” Ronin said. “The employees just,” he waved his hand in the air, “cleaned their areas as they worked.”

  “It is strange,” Emerson said. “More than one worker who’s been at a different warehouse before working for Granger Shipping has commented on how strange it is. But Sang-hoon -”

  “Sang-hoon?” Bren said.

  “He’s the warehouse manager. He just chalked it up to Mr. Granger being particular about the warehouse and its cleanliness. Honestly, if you’d met Wilson, you wouldn’t find it that odd. He likes things a certain way.”

  “Is it the same day of the month?” Mal asked.

  “No, it’s near the end of the month, but never a specific day. Wilson tells me the day of, and I send out a company email informing the employees they need to be out of the building by six to allow the cleaning crew to work,” Emerson said.

  “So, if we suspect that he’s packing up the drugs and shipping them out every month,” Bishop said, “is that enough to get a warrant to search the warehouse?”

  “No,” Bren said. “We need probable cause, and a cleaning crew coming in every month is not probable cause.”

  “What if Emerson signs an affidavit stating everything she witnessed Granger do,” Ronin said. “That might be enough to convince the right judge for a warrant.”

  Bren mulled it over for a few minutes before shaking his head. “I don’t think it’ll be enough. The argument could be made that she’s lying because she’s angry Wilson fired her. A disgruntled ex-employee signing an affidavit won’t be enough to convince a judge.”

  “So, there’s nothing you can do to stop him from smuggling the drugs or the suppressant?” Kat said.

  “Not legally,” Bren said.

  “Have you told Kaida?” Bishop said.

  “Yes, but I’ve asked her not to share it with the other elders in the clan. There’s more than one dragon in the clan who is,” Bren paused, “upset about the humans suppressing Cadmus, Bones, and Kaida’s shifting abilities, even temporarily. If they find out that there’s a two-week suppressant now in a warehouse in Eastbourne, I’m worried they’ll take matters into their own hands.”

  “Burn, baby, burn,” Ronin said.

  Bren nodded. “Not to mention what they’d do to Martin Grimes if they ever found him.”

  Kat frowned. “Would they be that reckless? I mean, they’ve only been outed to the humans for a few months. If they hurt a human, even a horrible one like Martin Grimes, it won’t turn out well for them.”

  Bren grimaced. “I know, but you have no idea how important Cadmus is to the clan. He isn’t just their leader. He’s…everything to them. If they even have a hint of where Grimes might be, they’ll go after him and damn the consequences.”

  He studied Emerson and the others. “Which is why it’s imperative they don’t find out.”

  “You trust Kaida?” Emerson said.

  “With my life.” Bren’s gaze didn’t waver from hers. “She’s my mate and carrying my child. I have no secrets from her.”

  Bren glanced at Bishop and then at Kat before back to Emerson. “As I was saying, there isn’t anything legally I can do. We need proof that he’s shipping drugs. Photos, documentation of some kind.”

  “Would there really be documentation?” Bishop said.

  “You’d be surprised,” Bren said.

  “So, basically, Emerson will be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life because Wilson Granger dots all his fucking i’s and crosses all his fucking t’s,” Kat said.

  Bren’s look was sympathetic. “I know it isn’t right, but I have to follow the law.”

  His gaze landed on Bishop, and the grizzly shifter grinned when Bren repeated himself. “I have to follow the law.”

  “Yes, you do,” Bishop said.

  Bren stood. “I’ll let you know if Li Jie finds anything even remotely suspicious with Granger’s company. Emerson, it was nice to meet you.”

  “Wait,” Emerson stood, “what about Clay and Owen? Wilson is holding Owen prisoner.”

  “Again, without more proof, I can’t do anything to help Owen. You could file a missing person’s report, and we can circulate Owen’s picture around Eastbourne, but that’s the best I can do.”

  He paused. “And as far as Clay… the guy’s a criminal, and I should be arresting him, not helping him.”

  Emerson swallowed hard, her hands gripping the edge of the table. “Clay just wants to help his brother. He’s doing a good thing.”

  “This time,” Kat said. “But who’s to say what the next job will be. He’s dangerous, and he’s killed people.”

  “Technically, so have I,” Ronin said. “Everyone in this room has.”

  “It’s not the same,” Kat said.

  There were a few moments of silence before Mal’s phone rang. He stared at the screen and stood. “Excuse me.”

  He left the room, and Bren glanced at his watch. “I need to get back to the precinct. I’ll be in touch with anything new.”

  He shook hands with them all, and they followed him out into reception. With a final handshake to Bishop, Bren left. Mal emerged from his office. Willow took one look at his face and stood up from behind the desk. “Mal? What’s wrong?”

  “That was Davis. He’s on watch over at Kat’s place. He thinks a guy was scouting the house about ten minutes ago.”

  “He thinks, or he knows?” Ronin said.

  “He’s about ninety-five percent sure,” Mal said. “The guy saw him, but Davis doesn’t think he realized that Davis knew what he was up to.”

  “Okay, we expected this,” Bishop said. “They won’t make their move in broad daylight. But we can expect an attack tonight.”

  “We need more men,” Mal said.

  Bishop nodded. “Yeah. Fenton’s on watch at Kat’s place tonight, but we’ll add you and me. With Ronin, that should be enough.”

  “I want Big White there too,” Ronin said.

  “Big White?” Emerson said.

  “A polar bear shifter. He works for my brother as a bartender,” Mal said. “I can ask Porter if he’ll give Hudson the night off.”

  “We don’t need him,” Kat said. “I’ll be there too.”

  “Like hell you will be, Kitten. You and Emerson are not staying at the house tonight,” Ronin said.

  “It’s my house, Ronin,” Kat said. “I won’t run like a scared rabbit from my own damn house.”

  “Think of it more like a mini-vacation,” Ronin said with a grin. “My treat. I’ll book you over at that hotel you like. You know the one – it’s where we had sex on the -”

  “Ronin,” Kat said before hissing at him.

  His grin widened. “You’re so damn hot when you’re pissed off.”

  “What about Clay?” Emerson said.

  “What about him?” Kat said.

  “We need to warn him somehow. They’ll be after him too.”

  “I’m pretty sure the teleporting mercenary can take care of himself,” Ronin said.

  Emerson chewed at her bottom lip as Kat took her hand. “Emerson, I know you think Clay is a good guy, but -”

  “He saved
my life, Kat,” Emerson said. “Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

  “You know it does. But it doesn’t negate the fact that he’s a hired killer who -”

  “Enough, please.” Emerson pulled away from her sister and backed up a few steps from the others. She hated the way they were looking at her. Like she was a silly girl who’d fallen for the bad boy and couldn’t see he was just using her. “You don’t know him like I do. You just don’t. And if you did, you would see that there is a lot of good in him. Okay?”

  “He kidnapped me,” Kat said. “Right here, in this office.”

  “I know, but that was a one-time thing. Clay’s not going to kidnap you or me or anyone else who -”

  There was a puff of cold air behind her. She smelled Clay’s scent before his arms wrapped around her, and she was pulled back against his hard chest. She heard Kat’s jaguar scream in outrage as the light turned to dark and the horrible spinning sensation dropped over her.

  Clay rubbed Emerson’s lower back as she coughed and retched. “Deep breaths, Em. Take deep breaths.”

  He pointed to the kitchen sink. “If you have to throw up, use the sink.” He rubbed her back again, surprised when she coughed a few more times but didn’t vomit.

  She straightened as he grabbed a bottle of water, opened it, and handed it to her. “Drink. It will help with nausea.”

  He rubbed her hip as she drank. He really shouldn’t be touching her, but he couldn’t help it. He needed to touch her. It’d been almost twenty-four hours since he’d seen her, and the depth of how much he missed her was alarming.

  She wiped her mouth and set the bottle of water on the counter before baring her teeth and growling at him.

  He smiled a little. “It’s good to see you too, Emerson.”

  “Asshole!” She shoved away from him. She staggered on her feet but pushed his hands away when he tried to steady her. “Don’t touch me, Clay. I am so mad at you right now.”