35. Connor
35
CONNOR
“W hat do you mean, Sunny’s gone?” I demand, hearing the panic in my voice. “ What the actual fuck, Branson ? She was there yesterday— I texted her! And I know she got my text because she blocked me.”
“I’m sorry, Sir but this morning she didn’t show up for work at the diner,” Branson tells me. “ I had our informant go check on her and she found the door wide open and Sunny was nowhere to be found, though there were signs of a struggle.”
“What signs?” I demand. “ And what else did she find—anything? We need to know what happened, damn it!”
Branson details the fact that there was popcorn spilled all over the living room floor, which isn’t like Sunny —she keeps everything neat and tidy at all times.
“There were scents in the air too—the scents of three males, from what our informant could smell,” he says. “ And I’m sorry to tell you this, Sir , but she’s certain that one of them was a Rogue Alpha —most probably the girl’s brother. He was in the diner earlier and she smelled him there.”
I groan and rake my hand through my hair. I should have gone after her yesterday as soon as we got word that Kane was in Singing Rock . But last night was the full moon and I couldn’t risk driving when I knew I was going to have to Shift .
The night of the full moon is the only time Male Weres are forced to Shift to our Wolf forms. And once in that form, we can’t change back again for hours. So I had stayed home and Shifted and roamed the woods on the edge of our property, as I always had growing up.
But all night long my Wolf was worried. He wasn’t joyful and excited to be out hunting as I had thought he would be when I first got out of prison. All he could think about was Sunny .
Danger! Our mate is in danger! he informed me over and over until I thought I was going to go crazy!
By the time I was finally able to Shift back to human form, I was worried to fucking death for her. Sometimes the animal side of me knows things my human side doesn’t. I was praying my Wolf was wrong but almost the minute I got back to the mansion, I got the call from Branson that Sunny had disappeared.
“Kane must have taken her somewhere,” I say, raking a hand through my hair distractedly. “ But where?”
And what had he done to her? I felt protective fury rising inside me. If he’d touched one hair on her head I was going to fuck him up beyond all recognition and then fucking kill him!
I could feel my Wolf growling his agreement. Sunny was our mate—no one else was going to touch her and live!
“Well, Sir , I know that the night after the full moon is generally the time when the Elite Bitch Auction is held,” Branson offers.
“The EBA ? Fuck — I forgot about that! It’s still going on?” I ask.
“The authorities shut it down for a while but it’s made a comeback, from what I’ve heard,” he says blandly. “ If Sunny really is a Recessive Omega , like you believe her to be, she would fetch a pretty penny at a place like that.”
“Where is it at? Where is it being held?” I demand.
“I don’t know—the location is changed every month,” Branson says. “ I only know as much as I do because I’m careful to keep tabs on the Were world. It behooves me to know the family’s business, since I am a mere human myself.”
“Can you find out the location and get me an invitation?” I ask him.
“I’ll do my utmost,” Branson promises.
“Work fast,” I tell him. “ I don’t care how much it costs in bribes—get me a time, a place, and a ticket. I have to be there!”
“What if that’s not where Kane took her, though?” Branson asks.
“He took her there—or he’s taking her. The EBA is where he’ll get the most money for her. The bastard makes most of his money in trafficking,” I growl. Inside , I can feel my Wolf agreeing with me and I know I’m right. The Wolf’s gut instincts are never wrong—tonight when the auction opens, Sunny will be there, up for sale.
And I’m going to be there to buy her freedom and kill anyone who’s dared to touch her or hurt her in any way.