The man got a chair and pulled it over to her cell. She didn’t know what to think about that. Was he planning on interrogating her? All he did was stare, though. He was making her
uncomfortable. She turned her back to him and looked at another part of the room. She could tell he was staring at her, but this way she wouldn’t be able to actually see him staring and he wouldn’t be able to see her reaction.
“My name’s Zeke. I run the place.”
She just sat there, staring at the white wall. “I’ve killed many shifters in my life. You’re the first one I’ve tried talking to.” Was that supposed to make her feel better? “What’s your name?”
Stacy didn’t say anything. She was too afraid. She didn’t want to give him any information. She didn’t want to chance it being used against her or the other shifters.
“Well, let me tell you a little about myself. I was shot in the back: that’s why I use a cane. My former second-in-command did it. I’m surprised at how well I’ve healed up in a few months,” Zeke said.
She still didn’t say anything. Did he think she would react with sympathy? Stacy knew why the man had been shot. The shooter was currently locked in a cell under her house.
“I was born in Washington State. I lived in my family home until it was destroyed. Now I don’t really have a home. I just travel from compound to compound, checking on my soldiers. This one has become the closest thing I have to a residence because I spend so much time here.”
Really? Did he think her pitying him would help? She didn’t care. The man was evil. She was starting to get really pissed off by his visit. She wanted to reach through the bars and punch him in the face just to get him to shut up. She knew better, though. She was just going to sit on her cot and not react.
*** Richard was in the shadows of the doorway, watching Zeke talk to the girl. She was facing away from him, but he could see the tension in her shoulders. She was pissed. He didn’t know why, but she was. He had a feeling it had something to do with Zeke being there. He knew, based on her reaction that he didn’t have to worry about Zeke getting too close.
“I’m an only child. My parents died when I was young and my drunk aunt raised me,” he heard Zeke say. He was starting to wonder if Zeke was talking to her just so he had someone to talk to. If she was locked up, she couldn’t get away from him. Richard sure as hell didn’t want to listen to him ramble on.
CHAPTER 8
Paul, Emily, and Bill were all standing around the dining room table, looking at a huge map of the United States. Paul was marking every compound he knew of.
He was still a little skeptical about Zeke actually being Stacy’s abductor. It was possible it was someone in the organization, maybe someone who was pissed off at Emily or someone who was trying to make an impression. There was no guarantee this would even work though, and that worried him. He had studied her, knew a lot about her. He knew about Stacy and how Emily felt about her. Emily would destroy everything in her path until she had her sister back.
“So there’s one in the mountains here,” he said, pointing to Washington State.
“Isn’t that where the shifters were kept? The one we took down?” Bill asked.
“Yeah, but he might have re-built. That was his family home,” Paul answered.
“Okay, where else?” Emily asked. She had been rushing him ever since they’d pulled out the map. “Here, about a hundred miles from the city,” Paul said, pointing to Nevada. He looked at the map, trying to remember where other compounds were. It had been so long since he’d been to them, and some he’d only seen on a map.
“Are there more?” “Emily, calm down. Let the man think,” Bill growled. Paul was guessing Bill was as annoyed as he was.
“Fine,” Emily said with a huff.
“Can I get some water?” Paul asked her. “Wha…? Sure,” she grumbled and walked out.
“You wanted her gone, didn’t you,” Bill said with a smile. “I just needed a moment to think,” Paul said, taking another few dots and placing them on the map.
“I figured.” Paul thought of a few other places while Emily was gone and marked them. It was amazing what you could think of when someone wasn’t talking in your ear. Emily walked back into the room with a bottle of water and a frown.
“I remembered a few more places,” Paul said, taking the water from her.
*** Emily was pissed. She knew she’d been sent on an errand to get her out the room. Was it so bad she wanted her sister back? She didn’t think it was too much to ask. She wanted her back safe and sound. She knew she was being a bitch about it, but wouldn’t anyone?
She will admit that hearing Paul say he’d thought of a few more places did help calm her. The more they knew the better. But she knew she would stay on edge until they found Stacy, and she couldn’t help it. She was worried.
“Good! Now, which ones do you think are the most likely?” she asked. She knew she was being harsh, but she had to be. If she wasn’t, they might drag their feet on the whole thing, and Stacy could be stuck in that hell for even longer.
“The closer ones are the most obvious, but knowing Zeke, he wouldn’t keep her there. My guess is he’d keep her some place off the beaten path, but that’s also where he liked to keep his compounds. I would start a few states over and go from there. And you have to keep in mind, that’s if he’s still in charge. I shot him in the back. Someone else might have taken the reins while he healed, or he could be dead.”
“Okay. Well, let’s start with this and hope it gets us somewhere. Which one should we hit first?” Emily said, looking at the map. There were a lot of dots on the map. She hadn’t realized the Hunters were so big. She figured it was a group of a few hundred men; this looked like an army.
“I’d start with West Virginia and see what we find.”
“Okay, when do we go in?” she asked. “We have to figure out a few things first, then we’ll go in,” Bill said.
“Why?” Emily asked. “Because we can’t go in there half-cocked. We have to be prepared. We will get her, but I don’t want to lose you in the process,” Bill said. He looked over at Paul. “I want you to put a list together and figure out which compounds you think are the most likely. And I want you to do it alone.”
“Sounds good. I should have it for you soon,” Paul said with a smile. Emily knew they were excluding her, and she knew why. It was logical, but she wanted to be involved in every step of the search.
Zeke’s voice was starting to go hoarse, but he was still talking to the girl. He didn’t know why he was telling her everything, but he felt he needed to. He took a sip of water before continuing.
“The military was the best thing that ever happened to me. I learned discipline and control. I had a lot of friends there and a lot of them followed me here. I killed many people in Vietnam, and that has helped me learn to cope with killing. I don’t like killing people, but if it saves a life, I’ll do it.” The girl didn’t react. He thought she might show some kind of emotion when she heard that. Most people did.
“I started doing what I do when I was in the military, actually,” he went on. “They know nothing about you, but there was a shifter in my squad. He just went mad and killed everyone. I’m not sure how I survived, honestly. He gutted me. I guess I was just lucky. They all said I was hallucinating, but I knew I wasn’t. They couldn’t figure out how a lion got into our camp, but they all said it was a freak accident. I saw him change, though. I knew what he was.”
Stacy felt bad for what Zeke had gone through. She had heard of some shifters going mad. They couldn’t control their animal, and it just kind of took over. It sounded like that might have happened. Maybe the stress from the war had caused it. She also knew you couldn’t blame an entire race for what one person did. If that were true, then she could say that, because Zeke had captured her, she could go ahead and kill the human race. That would never work, though. She’d be killed before she got very far.
“I killed my first shifter a year late
r. It had taken a while for me to track one down. I didn’t know what I was looking for. Anyway, he was in his wolf form and eating a rabbit. I wanted to kill him before he decided to go after a human next. He didn’t attack me. He just looked confused. I felt really bad about killing him, but I just kept thinking about that attack. I knew they all had to die.”
She was getting disgusted. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. She didn’t want to hear stories of him killing her kind. Was he torturing her with horror stories just to get her to react and attack him? Was he trying to scare her? What was the point of all this? Stacy put her head on her pillow and covered up. She hoped he’d get the hint and leave her alone. He didn’t seem to, so she closed her eyes and let his voice lull her to sleep.
CHAPTER 9
Bill had to get back to the bar. He wasn’t looking forward to it, but he was the boss, so had to be there. Mike was working and would have covered for him, but he didn’t like him being there too late: the man was getting ready to have a baby and Lucy was being very demanding.
He had no idea such a sweet woman could turn into a needy lunatic while pumped up on hormones. She wasn’t really that bad, but Mike had to watch her. She liked to do things she shouldn’t, like lifting her box of new books and moving furniture. She needed almost constant supervision just to make sure she didn’t do anything stupid.
“Hey Bill,” Mike said when he walked into the bar.
“Hey.” “You look like shit.” “I’ve been dealing with something,” he grumbled, running his hand over his head.
“Need any help?” “Nah, I think it’s under control.”
“Okay, but if you change your mind, let me know.”
“Thanks,” Bill said, and got a rag to wipe down the counters. Bill was able to keep busy. Apparently half of Lilly Town had had a bad day and needed to hang out at the bar. It was good to help keep his mind off of Stacy. Thankfully, it was getting close to closing time.
Bill poured another beer when he smelled a wonderful smell. Lexi was standing at the bar, talking to Mike. He moved a little closer, wanting to hear her voice.
“She’s doing fine. She sent me out a few times for food and cooked up a storm, so be prepared for food when you get home.”
“Great,” Mike groaned. He had been telling Bill that Lucy had been cooking so much he’d had to start handing it out because they didn’t have the room for it. He was joking about getting a second freezer just for her cooking.
“She went to bed about an hour ago and I needed a drink after chasing her around and practically force-feeding her,” Lexi said with a sigh.
“She was that bad?” he asked. “Yeah! She spent the day either cooking or writing. This new series she’s started has really
gotten her hooked. I’ve never seen her so bad.”
“Well, here’s a drink on me,” Mike said, and poured her a shot.
“Thanks,” she said, and slammed it. Mike walked away with a smile and Bill went over to talk to her. “What’ll you have?” he asked her.
“A getaway car?” she asked sarcastically. “Sorry, can’t help you there, but I can get you some alcohol,” he said with a smile.
“Gin Martini,” she said, and put her head on the bar.
“On the house,” Bill said as he mixed her drink. He walked over to Mike.
“I can’t believe she was that bad,” Mike said to Bill. “You didn’t tell me Lexi was still here.” He thought she’d gone back after her visit the previous week.
“Oh, she thought she’d stay and help out with Lucy. I don’t think she realized how bad it was. I don’t know what I would do without her,” Mike said.
“How long is she staying?” Bill asked. “A few weeks. Then she has to get back for her job. Her mom’s going to take over to help with the baby. Why?”
“Just wondering,” Bill said.
“Just ask her out already. I’m sure she’d say yes,” Mike said. “I don’t think she’s ready,” Bill said, and walked away. He didn’t want to have that conversation again. That, and he had too much going on. He didn’t need Mike talking about Lexi to add to his stress.
“Well, go talk to her at least. She liked you. I can tell, and I think you’d feel better if you did,” Mike went on. Bill nodded and walked over to her.
“Hi again Bill,” she said with a smile. “Hi. I just wanted to see how you were. Mike said you’d been taking care of Lucy.” “Yeah, she’s exhausting. I love her, but I don’t think I’m going to be helping a pregnant Lucy after this baby.”
“That bad, huh?” “She needs a bib for one. She ends up with so much food over her. And I don’t know how she eats so much. In one day, she’s eaten a whole pizza, a roast, like the entire drawer of veggies, two boxes of cereal, and four bags of chips. I know she’s eating for herself and the baby, but I don’t think normal pregnant women eat that much. The surprising thing is she’s still thin, well, other than the baby belly.”
“Well, pregnant women eat a lot and the baby is taking a lot from her. Maybe she just has a hungry little guy in there,” he said with a small laugh.
He wanted to tell her why Lucy was eating so much, and to tell her everything else. He would give anything to have someone to talk to, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He actually thought Mike and Lucy would have told her, but it wasn’t his business. That would explain a lot of what Lucy was going through. When a woman is pregnant with a shifter baby, they always have to eat more and have more mood swings.
“How long are you staying?” he asked. “Not too much longer. I have to get back to Lucy,” she said with a small smile. He could tell she was tired.
“I meant, how long are you staying in Lilly Town?” he asked. “Oh,” she laughed. “Maybe another two weeks. I have an audition for a movie. I have to get back for it.”
“Wow!” Bill said in surprise. Well, one sister was a writer – why shouldn’t the other be an actress?
“Yeah, I didn’t plan on doing it, but a friend of mine talked me into it.”
“Well, good luck,” Bill said, and turned to leave.
“A… are you busy? I mean, can you sit for a few minutes?” she asked. “Sure,” he said. He was surprised she asked. Mike said she liked him, but he hadn’t really believed him.
***
Lexi didn’t know what she was going to say when Bill sat down in the chair next to her. She honestly didn’t think he’d actually sit. She didn’t think he even liked her. He barely said anything to her, and even when he did, he was pretty much grunting. But for some reason, tonight he wanted to talk to her, so she wasn’t going to complain.
“So, what movie are you auditioning for?” he asked. “An action movie. I don’t think I’ll get it, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try,” she said with a shrug.
Lexi never thought she was very good at acting. She preferred talking to people and getting to know them, not being chased by a bunch of fans. What she really wanted to do was own a club or
something. Something where she could meet new people every night, talk to them, and have fun. She loved doing that.
“I think you’ll get it. You’re beautiful, and from what I can tell, an amazing person. You’d be great,” he said with a smile.
Lexi wished he’d do that more often. It made him look a little less dangerous. He wasn’t the normal guy she was attracted to. She liked the clean cut guys with the perfectly gelled hair and clean shaven face. Bill was rough around the edges and bald with a lot of tattoos. One of them looked new.
“Did you get a new tattoo?” she asked. “Huh?” he said, looking down. “Oh, yeah.” He pulled his sleeve down so she couldn’t see it any more. She had seen only part of the flower. It wasn’t something she would expect to find on someone like Bill, but she didn’t understand why he was hiding it. They sat there silent for a minute. She didn’t know what to say to him.
“How do you like the town?” he asked. “It’s not bad. Not my type of place, though. It’s too quiet. I like the no
ise and busyness of New York.”
“The quiet’s not so bad. I used to live in DC and I loved being there, but after I got used to the quiet, I realized that Lilly Town really was a nice place. I still go to DC occasionally, but something about a small town and knowing everyone is comforting.”
“I never thought of it that way,” she said with a smile. Maybe she could come to love it here, if she decided on moving. Maybe if things didn’t work out with the movie, she’d move here and be a livein nanny for Lucy. No, she might not be able to handle Lucy. It was hard enough while she was pregnant. She couldn’t imagine being there with a baby screaming and Lucy trying to juggle five things at once.
“I’m glad I could open your eyes. Lucy would love to have you here. I think Mike would too. I love Lucy, but I hear things from Mike and well, I just don’t know how he does it.”
“What’s she done?” she asked. “She flooded the bathroom when she turned on the water to take a bath because she was writing something down for a story. She didn’t realize until it was almost dripping on her.”
“Wow!” Lexi laughed. “That does sound like something she’d do.”
“It’s a good thing she makes good money. It cost a lot of money to repair.”
“I can imagine.” “Mike flipped out when, a week after they found out she was pregnant, she skipped two meals. Well, replaced them with Skittles. He literally forced her to sit down and eat. He over reacted a little on that one, though.”
“Sounds like it,” she said with a smile. “She also got in big trouble when she couldn’t reach something, so climbed on a chair. She fell off and broke a toe, so I had to stitch up her foot. That’s when Mike decided she needed a babysitter.”
Lexi laughed. “Yeah, that’s our Lucy. I guess that’s why Mike called me a few weeks ago and asked me to come out. Who did he end up getting?”
“He talked his mom into it. She decided to work on the book they’d talked about doing together.”
“Good. Then at least she didn’t feel like she was being watched. I’m glad,” Lexi said with a smile.
Emily's Captive (A Lilly Town Shifter Novel Book 2) Page 4
