“Holy shit,” I gasped.
Justin sat wide eyed in shock.
Ambulance en route.
“Justin, go,” I said, taking control of the situation.
Large cat. Was this the tiger’s doing? My gut said yes.
Justin didn’t move from his seat. His eyes were round as he took in everything the dispatcher was relaying over the radio. The police were on-scene already, and the ambulance was close.
“Justin!” I shouted, shaking him out of his stupor. “Go. Follow the ambulance to the hospital. This is more important than being here right now.”
Barry nodded behind me, knowing what history Justin and Lanie had shared and what Jerry Anderson meant to him.
“Yeah, right. Shit. Umm, I’ve got to go.”
Justin scrambled to his feet and ran out the door.
“I’ll call Ben in. You go ahead and go with him. Make sure the poor bastard doesn’t smash his truck,” Barry ordered, pushing me back toward the door.
Without giving it another thought, I ran after Justin. Justin was already in the truck and pulling out of his spot when he saw me waving him down. He pulled up next to me and stopped.
“You coming?” he asked.
I nodded and opened the door, climbing into his truck. Justin sped out of Elk Springs, heading toward the closest hospital. The ride was a tense one, but we broke every speed limit and made it there in under thirty minutes. The ambulance was just arriving when we were. We didn’t get any information before Jerry was rushed into emergency surgery. The two of us settled into the uncomfortably stiff chairs of the waiting room and prepared for one hell of a long night.
Chapter 8
Gen
Scenes from the night before played over and over again in my head, making work next to impossible. I couldn’t focus on anything other than Talon Becker.
That morning, I’d been cold and distant, knowing that I’d have to make sure he knew that what had happened couldn’t happen again.
“What’s wrong with you? Too busy thinking about makeup and shoes to do your job, Agent?” Fred spat.
“Wouldn’t you know it,” I retorted, trying my damnedest not to let the sleazy bastard get under my skin.
“Figures. Should’ve sent a real investigator. Instead, they send a twit with her head up in the clouds. It’s lovely to see where our hard earned tax dollars are going.”
Before I could reply and tell the man to fuck off, my phone rang.
“Agent Mendoza,” I answered.
“Hello, Agent Mendoza. I’d like an update. Seems we’ve had yet to hear from you regarding the status of Mr. Tekin since your arrival,” Director Harrison, my superior, spoke into my ear.
“Of course, Director Harrison, sir. We’ve been unable to locate him so far. However, the terrain is difficult to pass, and it is taking longer than expected. I’ve teamed up with the local search and rescue. They’ve been most helpful with narrowing down the search radius. I should know more by the week’s end.”
The Director sighed. “Agent Mendoza, I hope you understand the precarious nature of your current situation. I’ve had high expectations of you, which is why you were tasked with this case. I would be disappointed to think I had misplaced my faith. You have until Monday to produce results, or I will be forced to recall you and send someone better equipped to deal with this situation.”
There it was. The doubt. It was the one constant in my life. The threat was plain as day. Bring Tekin in, or face the unemployment line.
“Of course, sir. I will work tirelessly to ensure this man is taken off the streets.”
“Good,” the Director said before the line went dead.
It felt like my heart dropped into my toes. My career I’d worked so hard for was in jeopardy, and I didn’t know how I was going to salvage the case with Tekin when I couldn’t even find a trace of the man.
Even with my world falling down around me, my thoughts returned to Talon. I reminded myself he was a distraction, and whatever was between us had an expiration date on it.
Distance.
That was what I needed. If I put distance between him and me, things could stay professional, and we could both move on with dignity. It was a talk I really didn’t want to have, but I saw no other way around it.
I’d seen the warmth and affection in his eyes that morning and the concern when I wasn’t as amorous as I’d been the night before. Maybe there was something even more to those shared glances, but there was no other way around it.
I had to end things with Talon Becker, and it was going to have to be the best damn performance of my life even if it tore me up to do it.
Chapter 9
Talon
The night had been a long one, and it’d given me an opportunity to think everything through with Gen. In the beginning, I might not have known what to make of having a mate practically dumped into my lap. Now, though? I was all in. I’d gotten to see little glimpses of her fierce and protective nature. The way she bit her lip when she was unsure of herself endeared her to me. There was a vulnerability to her that she tried to hide from the world, but I loved it. Hell, I loved her. I don’t know when I made the realization or what moment cemented my feelings, but it didn’t change how I felt.
I’d made a concerted effort over the years to keep my relationships to a minimum, knowing that I was different. Shifters have mates, the one person in the world made to be our perfect fit, and I knew from a young age that hopefully, one day, I’d meet mine. Being in a relationship with someone who wasn’t my mate brought too many problems and would leave too many hurt feelings. How could I explain to a woman that I’d met my soulmate at a grocery store while she was waiting for me at home? Denying my mate wouldn’t even be an option, and I wasn’t the sort who could easily leave a trail of tears and heartbreak behind me.
I sat in my truck, staring at the neon sign of the Pineview Motel, as I wondered if I was doing the right thing. Gen needed to know the truth. She needed to know who the real me was and who she was to me. I couldn’t let her go into the whole thing without all the facts.
Taking a deep breath, I swung the door open and stepped out of the truck. It was warmer than it had been over the previous week or two but still didn’t quite reach the mild range. The wind still held a chilly bite when it cut through the valley I was standing in.
Billy was in the office, staring at his phone like he was in a drug induced stupor. He didn’t even look up when I passed by the window. I rolled my eyes and made my way to Gen’s room. Her truck sat in front of her room, and if I tried hard enough, I could hear the dialogue of the episode of Friends she was watching inside. Stepping up to the door, I knocked and waited. The springs on the bed creaked as she scooted across the bed and bounded for the door.
It swung in, and a bleary eyed beauty poked her head out.
“Oh! Hi.”
“Hey,” I said, taking in her comfortable appearance as she crossed her arms over her chest to cover for her lack of wearing a bra.
“How are you?” I asked, putting an arm out to lean against the frame.
Her eyes roamed over my body, lingering on my groin a little longer than everywhere else. She shook her head and tucked a piece of stray hair behind her ear.
“Look, Talon, I really like you. I’m pretty sure you already know that, though. I just want to make sure that we’re on the same page. Don’t get too attached. It won’t end well for either of us. This is a temporary station for me; my home is in California. I don’t want you to get your hopes up and think this is happily ever after,” she explained.
I kept my face stony and unyielding so as to not betray the storm I was feeling inside. It felt like I’d been kicked by a horse and was struggling to draw a breath. How was she so casual about all of this? After the night on the mountain, I’d thought things would be different. The eagle and man, both, were struggling to understand what had changed. The voice of reason tried to express what I already knew. She was human, not a shifter, and t
hings weren’t as instantaneous for her, but my anger and bruised ego weren’t having any of it.
“Understood,” I ground out.
“Good,” she said quietly, not meeting my tense glare.
I turned on my heel, needing to get away from her so I could lick my wounds and regroup. My whole plan was falling apart before my eyes, and I didn’t know what to do. Ending up like my dad; no, I had to find another way. I couldn’t give up that easily, however there wasn’t anything I could do right then to bridge the rift that had formed between us.
“Wait! Where are you going? Did you need something?” Gen called from behind me, bringing me to a halt.
I clenched my fists, remembering what it was that had brought me out there to begin with.
“Actually yeah. That guy you’ve been looking for? André Turkin?”
“Tekin,” she corrected.
“Yeah, him. Well, he attacked a local and put him in the hospital. He’s on life support right now. It’s Justin’s former future father-in-law. They don’t know if he’ll make it.”
“Oh my God! Is Justin okay? Wait, how do you know it was the guy I’ve been looking for?”
“He left a message,” I said, pulling out my phone and bringing up the photo I’d snapped of it. “He said to go home or more would die.”
“Fuck! Give me just a minute, and I’ll be ready to go.”
I jerkily nodded.
A few minutes later, Gen emerged in her field clothes with her gun on her side and her ID in hand. Her limp was barely noticeable, much better than it had been the day before. I restrained the urge to carry her, clenching my fists at my sides to stop myself from reaching out.
“Can you give me a lift to the hospital?” she asked.
“Sure thing.”
We climbed into my truck and tore off down the road toward the nearest hospital. It was almost a thirty-minute drive, and neither of us spoke the entire time. The tension was stifling, and my barely restrained anger was still simmering under the surface. Honestly, it was more than her blasé attitude about the two of us. Jerry was a good guy and had nothing to do with shifters. I couldn’t understand why they had targeted him.
By the time we reached the Northwest Colorado Health Center, we were practically bolting from the car. Gen powered ahead, not waiting for me. She was at the front desk, interrogating the receptionist about the condition of Jerry Anderson and where she could find him. I stood back, keeping myself out of her way. This was work to her even if it was a family tragedy to me and Justin, and she took her work very seriously.
The nurse was evasive, citing her legal obligation to not disclose patient information to anyone who wasn’t permitted.
“Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m agent Genevieve Mendoza with the FBI and I’m here on official business. That man is a victim of an international criminal and needs to be questioned at the earliest possible time. Now, you can tell me where to find him or I can sit here and wait for a court order requiring your assistance. Which is it going to be?”
The receptionist leaned forward, inspecting Gen’s ID card closely.
“One moment please,” she said, picking up the phone and asking the attending physician to come to the front desk. “The doctor will be right with you, ma’am.”
Gen nodded stiffly. She began pacing and mumbling something about the woman calling her ma’am, and how the hell old did she look to be called something so horrendous. Frustrated with her or not, I couldn’t deny she was cute as hell when she was all worked up. Just as I was about to ask her to sit down, a man who looked to be in his late fifties with a physician’s jacket strode into the lobby and exchanged a quick few words with the receptionist. She motioned to Gen. This must be the doctor.
“Agent Mendoza, I presume?” the man asked, stepping forward with an outstretched hand.
“Yes,” Gen replied, taking his hand in a firm shake.
“Hello, I’m Dr. Warner. I hear you have some questions about a man who was brought in today?”
“I do, and I thank you for your time.”
I came to stand beside Gen, towering over both of them. He eyed me warily.
“May we speak…in private?” he asked, still seemingly unnerved by my presence.
“He’s Mr. Anderson’s nephew and should be included in all of this so he may pass along the relevant information to the man’s daughters. Anything you have to say should be said in front of him,” Gen lied smoothly.
I could hear the lie in her voice, but it would be undetectable to the ordinary person. I crossed my arms over my chest and raised a questioning eyebrow, daring the man to counter. Luckily, he sighed and relented.
“Agent Mendoza, I’m afraid you’ve made the trip for no reason. You see Mr. Anderson has suffered some severe swelling in his brain and is in a coma. We don’t know the extent of the damage yet, nor whether he will recover at all. It is entirely possible he won’t wake up, and that is unfortunately something his children will have to prepare for. I don’t want to give anyone false hope, but injuries such as these are tricky and unpredictable.”
Before Gen could respond, I interjected.
“His son-in-law should already be here. Do you know where I can find him? And can I see my…uncle?”
The doctor narrowed his gaze at me, clearly noting my near slip up.
“How about it, Doc? Can the man see his uncle or not?” Gen asked more forcefully than necessary.
He frowned, “very well. Right this way.”
We followed the man past the double doors of the waiting room and down several corridors before he stopped in front of a room.
“He’s in here, but please keep in mind his current state is a fragile one. We just don’t know how things will go yet.”
I nodded, casting a questioning glance to Gen.
“Go ahead. I’ll be in shortly. I just need a moment with the doctor,” she explained rapidly.
Turning, I pushed the door open and slipped in silently. Stepping around the curtain, I found Justin hunched over the bed’s edge. His hair stood on end, the telltale sign he’d resorted to running his fingers through it like he always did when life was too much.
“J, man, I’m so sorry,” I said, kneeling down and opening my arms for him.
In an unusual show of weakness, he broke. Tears leaked from his eyes, and he turned in his chair and leaned into me. His arms wrapped around my back and squeezed like he was trying to hold it all together with sheer might. He sniffled silently, and I prayed Jerry would pull through. Lanie and Hannah had already lost their mom.
The rhythmic beeping of the heart rate monitor was the only sound in the room. After a few moments, Justin straightened up and wiped his face. Gen still hadn’t joined us, and I was beginning to wonder what all she’d needed to speak with that doctor about.
“Not a fucking word, T,” Justin sighed, exhausted.
“You don’t even have to say it. I’ll never speak of it again; just know you ain’t going through this shit alone. Jerry’s a good man, a fighter. He’ll pull through; you just have to keep the faith.”
“Has-” I began, but the door opened, and Gen stepped into view with a grim look on her face. “Has anyone contacted Lanie or Hannah yet?” I finished.
“Yeah, I left them both voicemails, and the hospital tried to reach them as well. We haven’t heard back from them.”
Gen leaned against the wall, not taking the empty seat beside me. I wasn’t the only one who noticed her dour expression. Every feature was fraught with tension.
“What is it, Gen?” Justin asked, sitting back in the chair and crossing his arms over his chest.
“It’s just I don’t understand why someone like the man I’ve been chasing would go after someone like Mr. Anderson. It doesn’t make any sense. I mean it could’ve been a random act to show police that no one is safe, but that doesn’t really feel right either. Can you think of any reason Mr. Anderson would be involved or targeted by a man like Andre Tekin? It wasn’t like he was a
Turkish national or a known member of the Kara Seytanlar.”
“What’s the Kara Seytanlar?” I asked.
“The Black Devils. They’re a crime syndicate based in Turkey with ties to Russia, Iran, China, and Albania. They’ve been trying to expand the business and break into the western markets. These guys specialize in the exotic animal trade on the black market like that Chinese panda that went missing from the zoo last year, guns, drugs, money laundering; you name it, and they have their fingers in it. This does not leave this room. Do you both understand?”
Justin and I both nodded.
“Someone in the New York office received a tip that they’re working with several terrorist organizations and may already have their base established in the states. With André Tekin being a general in the Kara Seytanlar as well as being spotted in Elk Springs, I’d have to agree. They’re here, and no one is safe until they’ve been taken care of.”
“Fuck!” Justin sighed, rubbing his eyes.
“Why Elk Springs, though? It’s a tiny town with nothing to offer a group like that,” I reasoned.
“Maybe there’s something here they want? Or maybe they picked it specifically because no one would ever suspect they’d come to a place like this? I won’t know the answer until we bring them in, and I can tell you first hand, that’s damn near impossible.”
“Why?”
“I’ve chased them through four states, and they always disappear without a trace when we move in to take them. They drop off the radar totally. We have surveillance of them landing in Los Angeles a year ago, but there’s never been any evidence they’ve left. There’ve been disappearances every time we’ve finished closing out a location. At first, we thought it was just a coincidence. People go missing every day, but now I’m not so sure. My gut says the whole thing is somehow connected.”
Anxiety swirled in my belly. I knew what brought them to my front door. The video of my eagle soaring over the valley came to mind. In eagle form, I was close to the size of a Condor, a great prize for someone looking to make money using internationally prohibited animals on the black market. None of it was something I could tell Gen, not when she was so on the fence about the two of us.
Fly Me Home (Rescue Squad Shifters Book 1) Page 9
