Chapter 57
ADAM
I drove through the night, my fingers tight on the wheel. The headlights illuminated the way, but I felt lost in the darkness. Like losing Sky had removed a key component of my life, of how I lived and breathed and moved, and I was struggling.
In the passenger seat, Fletcher’s face was lit by the dim glow of the small device Gracie had given us to track the locations of their tracking collars. He was studying the screen like it was the most important thing in the world—and to us? It was.
“Any luck?” I asked.
“They’re still moving,” he murmured. “Keep driving.”
I drew in a deep breath to calm my rattled nerves and did exactly that.
After we’d brought the news of Sky’s kidnapping, Gracie had reached out to a few of her local shifter police force contacts and made them aware of the situation going on. They’d been more than willing to help.
Fletcher and I were the ones responsible for getting the pack’s location—and therefore, Dr. Thompson’s location—to the cops.
I hated it.
I wanted to be on the front lines. I wanted to be there to collect my mate in my arms when this was all said and done, but I knew why Gracie had sent us away.
We were a risk. We were too attached. Things could go awry, people could get hurt, and I might let my emotions dictate my actions in the heat of the moment.
Still, I ached. I ached for Sky, the fear and pain in his voice when he’d called River, begging him to come. I’d wanted to snatch the phone away from the other Alpha and assure my mate that we were coming, but I knew I couldn’t do that either.
It was damned if I do, damned if I don’t, and I hated it so fucking much.
We drove in complete silence. No radio turned down low to our favorite channel. No subtle conversation. Just quiet. My thoughts swirled around the drain, running circles in my head.
Streetlights passed us by when suddenly Fletcher straightened in his seat. “Wait! I think we have a hit,” he said, sounding almost breathless, like he wasn’t sure if speaking it aloud might make it not exist. “They’ve stopped.”
Immediately, I pulled over onto the shoulder of the road. I put my hazard lights on so that I could look at the screen and leaned over the center console.
Fletcher was right. The two dots—Kace and Gracie—had stopped moving. They were split up, several paces apart. They blinked on the screen, showing their exact location.
I was half-tempted to pull up a GPS and say “fuck it,” but I knew Gracie would be pissed if we showed up unannounced. Not to mention, we could ruin the entire sting.
“Damn it,” I growled. “Alright.” I took a deep breath. “Let’s call this liaison of hers.”
I pulled out my phone and dialed the number Gracie had given me. A smooth, feminine voice picked up on the first ring, as if she’d been waiting for him to call.
“Hello, is this Officer Cuddy?”
“Perhaps. Who am I speaking with?”
“Adam Rose, from the Rubydawn pack. Gracie Howell said you were willing to help us out tonight,” I explained.
“Oh, yes, I’ve been expecting a call from you. Gracie said there would be some sort of tracking device?” she asked.
“Yeah, we have it with us.”
“Could you pull up the coordinates, please?”
I did, then read them off to her. “Gracie said that she and her son would stay on the outside perimeter of where the incident is happening. It should give you a guide, at the very least,” I told her.
“Good. This should help,” Officer Cuddy said. “Thank you, Adam.” Half a moment later, the phone line went dead.
I sat there for a moment, just staring at the “call ended” screen, feeling achingly numb.
“What now?”
I looked over at Fletcher, who gnawed voraciously on a thumbnail, bitten down to the quick. I batted his hand away, taking it in mine instead.
“We’re gonna get him back, kitten,” I promised him.
Fletcher nodded, but it was very small. It wasn’t that he didn’t believe me, but I could tell he didn’t have faith in the situation.
“I’m just scared,” he whispered.
I whispered back, “Me too…”
We drove a little further, pulling into the empty parking lot of a closed cafe. “I guess we wait for Gracie’s okay,” I said finally, but Fletcher shook his head.
“If we see police cars and EMS, we’re following them,” he said matter-of-factly.
“Alright, kitten,” I agreed.
We left the engine running, heat trickling out of the vents, and we sat together in the quiet, hand in hand.
Waiting. Hoping.