“I want you to know that if you ever need anything, you can call me. I know Lucy and Mike are going to be busy with the baby, but I’m here.”
“Okay, thanks,” she said. She thought maybe he was being a little too intense, and she didn’t really plan on taking him up on that offer, but it was nice to know she had someone she could turn to.
“Well, I need to get back. Don’t be a stranger,” he said with a smile and stood up. “I won’t, and thanks.” Lexi was amazed. They had actually had a conversation. A real one, with no grunting involved. She wanted to have another one with him and soon. Maybe she was going to have to come back soon and visit.
*** Paul stood at the dining room table with the map spread out in front of him. He was trying to think of the most likely places Stacy would be kept. It was hard because things in the organization changed so much. For all he knew, half of these compounds had been abandoned and replaced with new ones. It wasn’t likely, considering Zeke’s injury, but it was still possible.
“How’s it going?” Emily asked as she walked in.
“Weren’t you supposed to not be here while I did this?” he asked. “I just thought I’d bring you some coffee. You seem to like it a lot,” she said with a smile. He knew she was a little upset about Carrie. He couldn’t figure out why, but he wasn’t going to question it.
“I do like coffee. If I could, I’d drink it all the time,” he replied.
“Well, it’s a good thing I’m a caffeine addict then, because there’s always some in the kitchen.” He watched Emily walk over to his list and study it. He wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t like they could go immediately. They had to figure out a plan and get a team in. Then they could go in on their horses and save the day. “Thanks,” he said, and took a sip. “Perfect.”
“Okay. Well, I’ll let you get back to work. Let me know if you need anything,” she said with a kind smile and left. She must be up to something. That woman never gave a sweet smile. She was probably buttering him up so he’d finish faster. For all he knew, she’d put some extra stuff in the coffee to make sure he worked faster.
***
Richard watched as the girl sat on her cot, her body facing away from Zeke. However, he could tell she’d started listening to the old man ramble on. He had no idea why, but maybe she was just bored. It had to stop, though. He didn’t want Zeke getting attached. If he couldn’t break her, she would die. He was starting to regret showing her to Zeke.
*** Stacy sat on her cot and listened to Zeke. She was starting to like listening to him talk. In all the unknown and craziness, he was comforting.
“I’ve never had a relationship. I don’t know why, but it never happened. I guess I was too busy or didn’t find anyone I wanted to be with. Well, I shouldn’t say that; there was a girl when I was young. I was madly in love with her, but was too afraid to talk to her. I think she’s married now, has kids, and even grandkids. After her, I just didn’t see the point. I wasn’t exactly the best choice out there.”
Stacy wondered if he really was that bad of a guy or whether he was just reacting to the attack on him. He had a reason to hate shifters. He was being a little extreme about it, but he wasn’t just killing for the sake of killing. He thought he was protecting people.
“After her, I just never met anyone. I didn’t want to. I just concentrated on my work. I didn’t want to have anyone who could be used against me. That’s what happens when you love someone, they are used against you. That’s why I didn’t want anyone that special to me.”
She wasn’t ready to talk to him, but she wondered if she could convince him shifters weren’t all bad. Maybe soon she’d get the courage to talk to him. She just hoped this wasn’t all a ploy to get information from her. She’d wait just a little longer to see what happened.
“I had a friend once. He betrayed me. I trusted him and he switched sides. He was my second-in-command and he decided he didn’t trust me anymore, so he sided with the shifters. The ones who kill people.”
She wanted to tell him that he was wrong, but she wouldn’t talk to him. She wouldn’t allow herself to get caught up in that. Instead, she just stayed where she was, facing the wall and trying her best to ignore him. She hoped he would go soon. She didn’t like him being there. Not while he was talking about shifters being the enemy.
CHAPTER 10
Emily stepped into the dining room again. She wanted to see if Paul was hungry, and maybe hurry him up a little.
She didn’t say anything, just watched as he looked at the map. This was something she was really enjoying, him being bent over the table and his eyebrows scrunched up in thought. She couldn’t believe she was thinking he was handsome. She couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off of him. She was happy to just stand there and watch him work, but she knew she should let him know she was there. There wasn’t anything wrong with having her fill first, though.
His hair was a little rumpled and messy, but it just added to his sexiness. And the fact that he wasn’t even trying for it just made it so much better.
Paul looked a little thin, which was her fault, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it, other than try to fatten him up. His being thin didn’t take away from his muscular frame, though. You could tell he used to work out, and probably had while in the cell. After three months of no use, there was no way he’d look that good. Emily looked a little further down and saw his perfect ass. The jeans one of the maids had gotten him fit perfectly. All she wanted to do was walk up to him and squeeze it. She knew she couldn’t, but that didn’t make her want to any less.
“Are you done staring?” he asked her with a knowing smile as he turned around.
*** Paul had known Emily was there from the moment she stepped into the room. He just wanted to see how long she planned on standing there. He knew she was eager, and he seriously wondered if she was just going to stare at him until he had answers for her. When she didn’t say anything for a few minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore.
He held in his laugh when she jumped at the sound of his voice. It was hard, but he did it. He was shocked he could scare a shifter. Looking at her, he saw anger in her eyes. She apparently didn’t think he would notice her.
“I came to see if you were hungry,” she said. “Actually I am. Can you ask Maggie to make me a sandwich?” he asked her.
“Sure, I’ll be right back,” Emily said haughtily. Paul watched as she stomped out of the room. She was beautiful when she was angry. He knew he’d never have her, but there was nothing wrong with looking.
He went back to the map. He hoped Stacy was staying in one of the locations he’d marked. He couldn’t think of anywhere else she’d be kept. He wanted to take one last look, though, just in case.
Emily walked back in a minute later and said, “She’ll bring it in in a few minutes. Have you found anything?”
“Yeah, I think I’m just about done. I want to take another look, but we’ll talk when lunch gets here,” he said with a smile and sat down in a chair. He patted the one next to him, trying to annoy her and to get her to sit next to him. She gave him an evil look before sitting down.
“What now?” she asked after a minute of silence. “Now, we wait for our food,” he smirked. He knew she was having a hard time sitting next to him in silence. He didn’t mind talking to her; he just had no clue what to talk about.
“So…” he began, and that was when Maggie walked in with their plates. Saved by the cook.
“Here you go,” Maggie said, putting their plates down. “Thanks Maggie,” Paul said with a smile. It was always good to kiss up to the cook, especially when they were as good as Maggie.
“No problem,” she said, smiling back at him and leaving the room.
*** After they had finished eating, Emily wanted to get down to business. She was getting antsy. Standing up, she looked over Paul’s list. The locations were all over the country: Alabama, Nevada, Maine, and Illinois. How was she ever going to find her sister when she could be kept in any place ac
ross the country? She could be moved from place to place, meaning Emily might never find her.
“I have a plan,” Paul said as he came up behind her. She didn’t know why that felt so right, but it did. She wanted to think more about it, but she was too worried about the list in front of her. “If we try to hit the compounds one at a time and from one side of the country to the other, they’ll be able to figure out our next move. I want to start at a random one. I know she probably won’t be there, but I think if we take down a few she might not be in, together with the ones she might be, it will probably throw them off. I know it’ll take a little longer, but if we’re caught and killed, she may never be freed.”
“That’s actually a good plan,” Emily said with a smile. She never thought he would be so conniving. She’d see how things went, and maybe if there was no sign of double-crossing, she’d let him go.
“I know, I’m a genius,” he said with a big shit-eating grin.
*** Stacy had been waiting for Zeke to come all day. She still wasn’t ready to talk to him, but she did enjoy listening to him. She never would have thought that a Hunter would be so interesting. If she ever got out, maybe she would tell Lucy about him – she might be able to use the stories in one of her books.
Stacy listened closely for those familiar footsteps, but nothing. She heard the guard shuffling outside and the sound of muffled voices in the room next to hers, but no Zeke. She was starting to wonder if he’d given up on her.
CHAPTER 11
Bill was hoping Paul and Emily had a plan. He’d been thinking of the best way to find out where Stacy could be, but there was no way of knowing. They could capture Hunters and try to find her that way, but that would probably take too long. Odds were, unless they captured Zeke or his new second, they wouldn’t be able to get any real information.
When he got to Emily’s, he actually knocked. He knew Maggie would be pissed if he made that much noise again. The woman may be younger than some of them, but she was one to be afraid of. As long as you respected her and listened to what she told you, she’d love you with all her heart. And no one had better go after those she loved.
Emily answered the door with a smile. Good, that meant they had a plan. “So?” he asked her. “Paul came up with a brilliant idea to keep us from getting caught while taking out a few Hunters in the process.”
“Good. Tell me over some waffles,” Bill said with a sigh. They walked into the dining room and found a full spread of food. There were waffles, pancakes, fruit, eggs, bacon, sausages, and anything else you could imagine on the table. Bill loved Maggie so much. She always knew when he was coming over.
Paul walked into the room and headed straight for the food. Bill guessed he hadn’t had much real food while he was locked up. Maybe he was making up for lost time, but he didn’t seem to stop until he’d cleared two plates.
“Okay, so what’s this brilliant plan?” Bill asked when Paul had finished eating. Paul told him and he couldn’t help but be impressed. It was the best way for them to not get caught, and they could seriously wound the Hunters. He just had to assemble the team, which wouldn’t take long. Then they could attack.
“Good. I’ll call Jason now and have them on a plane within the hour.”
*** Jason was sitting in his living room, enjoying the peace. He’d been on a mission all week and was happy to finally have a day off. He was hoping to have the whole week, but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. There was always some shifter crisis. He was happy to help, but sometimes he just wanted a chance to relax.
His phone rang, and there went his day off. Maybe he could talk Bill into getting a few weeks off. He could use Emily instead. She was just as good as he was. That was something he was seriously considering.
“Hey,” he said when he answered the phone. “I need you here,” Bill said.
“Why?” he asked. He was never called to the East Coast. Emily always took the missions there.
“Because you’re the best soldier I have and I need you,” he said. “What about Emily?” he asked. He wasn’t trying to be a prick, but handling one half of the country was hard enough. He didn’t want to take on the other half.
“She’s in trouble.”
That made Jason sit up. “What?” he asked. “It’s her sister. She’s been kidnapped and Emily needs your help.”
“I’m on my way,” he said and hung up. Jason called in some of his best men and told them to meet him at the airport. He knew Bill would give him more men, but these were the best ones on his team. Emily deserved the best.
He used to be really close friends with Emily, so he didn’t want to let her down when she needed him the most. He couldn’t do that to her. He would find Stacy and maybe fix their friendship along the way. He had never wanted anything more from her, but one stupid night had ruined it all.
*** Richard watched as the girl sat and waited for Zeke. He knew she was becoming attached to him, and him to her. He also knew it was too late. They both seemed to have found a friend in each other, even though the girl never talked. He’d have to try to keep them separated, and maybe get the girl to hate Zeke. That might work. He just had to make sure he broke the attachment.
The girl stood up and walked around the room, he guessed in the hope of finding Zeke. He knew she wouldn’t. He had told Zeke there were problems at another compound and had told him he should take care of them in person. It had worked this time; he just didn’t know how long he could find excuses to keep the man away.
Paul was sitting at the dining room table. He’d written down the most likely locations, as well as some others he thought they should hit. He was getting tired of staring at the same thing over and over again. There wasn’t much more they could do until Bill’s friend arrived.
He stood up and walked to the porch. As soon as he was out of the house, a guard appeared. He knew he’d been followed, but he wanted some air. He was getting tired of just sitting there uselessly. He wanted to get Stacy back, just to see the worry gone from Emily’s eyes. He didn’t like seeing her stress.
He felt like a lot of this was on him because he was the one who had brought Zeke here in the first place. He didn’t want to see an innocent child hurt just because she could turn into an animal. Now that he’d spent time with the shifters, he had found the whole thing amazing. The fact that they could turn into animals and run through the woods, feel the wind in their fur, and feel free. He dreamed of doing that, feeling the freedom.
There was a rustling in the woods next to him. He knew it was Emily watching him. It was so quiet that there wasn’t really anyone else it could be. Paul smiled, knowing she wasn’t as unaffected as she pretended to be. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw some orange through the trees. She was beautiful, and he wasn’t afraid to admit that… to himself.
*** Emily watched Paul walking. She knew Sean had been watching him, so there was no way he could escape, but she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off of him.
He seemed to be enjoying the walk, because there was a smile on his face. He took a deep breath and exhaled, letting out his frustration. He looked a little more relaxed after the breath, his muscles unbunched, his shoulders relaxed. She liked that look on him. After this was over, she was going to have to make sure she put that relaxed look on his face more often.
Not wanting him to catch her, she ran off into the woods. She didn’t want to chance him thinking there was more to it than there really was. It was nothing. She was just checking up on him, making sure he didn’t escape. Nothing more. That was her story and she was sticking to it.
Zeke was in a meeting with Gus, the man in charge of the compound that was supposedly having trouble. Neither could figure out why he’d been called in, considering there were no problems and no one had reported anything. Well, Zeke knew why he was there: Richard wanted him gone.
“Sir, I don’t know why you were called. Everything here is going fine. I’m sorry you made the trip out here for nothing,” he said, looking a l
ittle scared.
“Gus, don’t worry about it. It wasn’t a wasted trip. I got to see what you’re up to when I’m not here, and I like it. You’re organized and your men listen to you. I was glad nothing was wrong,” he said with a kind smile. Maybe he was getting soft in his old age. Maybe it wouldn’t be a bad thing to show some kindness to his people. They might think something was wrong with him, though. Maybe it was the girl getting to him?
“Thank you, sir,” Gus said, sounding a little confused.
“I’m heading back. If you need anything, just call,” he said.
CHAPTER 12
Emily was going stir crazy. She had been in her tiger form for a few hours, trying to blow off some steam. She knew Jason was on his way, but she didn’t understand why they couldn’t start looking before he got there. Why couldn’t he just meet them there? Why had Bill insisted on Jason meeting them at her house?
She put on another burst of speed and ran around the house. She was worried about Stacy and didn’t know what to do.
Then there was Paul. She didn’t know what to think about him. For so long he had been the enemy and now… Now she was seeing him in a different light. She was starting to like him and for some reason, he didn’t seem to be holding the fact she’d locked him up against her.
Emily needed to clear her head, get both Stacy and Paul out, just for a little while. She needed to calm down and let her tiger take over for a while, so that was what she was doing. She let her tiger loose and roamed the woods catching prey.
*** Bill was standing in the kitchen, watching Emily. He didn’t know how she was coping with everything. He knew she could handle Stacy being taken. She was strong and able to handle hard situations. She would put her feelings aside and get the job done, even if it was about someone close to her. It was her feelings for Paul that he was worried about.
Emily was never one to express her feelings; she was more likely to ignore them and go on, but for some reason she was having trouble ignoring the ones she had for Paul. This was the first time Bill had ever seen her like this. He didn’t know what to do to help her. He knew if she needed him she would come to him, and he’d always be there for her.
Emily's Captive (A Lilly Town Shifter Novel Book 2) Page 5
