Chapter 3 – BODHI #2
Chase straightens in his chair with a small smile, knowing that their little conversation will have sold me on the case already, while Tripp and Van gawk at me like I’m a wild animal that’s about to tear their immaculate office apart.
“For fuck’s sake,” Van mutters, as I cross to the boardroom table, eyeing the flimsy-looking office chairs and opting for the sturdier leather one at the head.
Jake’s hunched at the far end, hands wrapped around a mug of coffee, like it’s the only thing keeping him upright.
When he raises his bloodshot hazel eyes to mine, there are dark circles underneath, and the dried blood on his collar only adds to the exhausted look of a man whose world has been turned upside down.
He looks me over, and I wait, remaining still long enough that he seems to decide I’m not a complete loose cannon. A brief nod, and I’ve passed his assessment.
“We’ll get her back.” I assure him, holding his worried gaze.
The bruising on his face is fresh for a human with no rapid healing abilities. He put up a fight, but someone worked him over well.
“Bodhi.” Chase’s professional mask slides back into place while Van and Tripp struggle to process my dishevelled state. “Thanks for coming.”
I accept his handshake with a nod, acutely aware of Tripp and Van’s scrutiny from across the room.
Their eyes catalogue every twitch, every subtle sign of the war raging inside me. They’ve worked with shifters long enough to recognise a man hanging onto his human side by a thread.
“Please sit.” Chase gestures to a chair designed for normal-sized humans.
Jake’s bloodshot eyes lock onto mine with a mix of hope and uncertainty.
“What do you need from me?” I have the bare bones of what’s going on. This man’s wife or girlfriend has been kidnapped and is being held hostage. I need to go undercover to find out where and try to break her out without revealing what I am.
Chase is probably already in the process of creating new identities for them or working with the authorities to ensure they’re protected.
“He can still speak. That’s something, at least.” Tripp rubs a hand down his face. Bringing me in was clearly not his first choice.
Chase exchanges a glance with Beau, who gives a slight nod. “As you may have heard, we have a serious situation that requires your... unique skill set.”
Tripp raises his eyebrows but says nothing, unconvinced I have any unique skill set other than being huge.
Chase slides a file across the desk.
“Nikolai Kozlov,” Chase says as I flip open the folder with fingers that feel too big, too clumsy for such a delicate task. “He’s russian, built a criminal empire across three states, operates about forty miles from your clan’s territory.”
So, he definitely knows my father then.
“What’s he done?” Each word requires conscious effort, like flexing long-forgotten muscles. I try to look at the photo Chase has in his hand, but he keeps it angled away from me.
“Extortion. Illegal gambling. Prostitution. Money laundering. And loan sharking, of course,” Chase says.
I’m guessing from the way Jake flinches at the last one, that’s what got him into trouble.
“But the specific situation we’re concerned with is that he’s taken a hostage.
” Chase tips his head toward Jake. “Emma Wilson, 25, as collateral for Jake’s outstanding debt. ”
Jake makes a wounded sound from across the room.
I glance at him, then back at the photo.
“Jake and I did two tours together. Him and Emma are good people who shouldn’t be mixed up with the likes of Kozlov.” That’s Chase’s way of explaining why he’s going above and beyond for this man, and why he’s not giving him a harder time for creating this mess.
“If Jake doesn’t pay his debt in five days, Emma will be put to work in one of Kozlov’s brothels to pay the debt.” Chase frowns, not enjoying spelling out the last part in front of her husband. “And most likely, both of them will be killed and made an example of.”
Jake rubs his hand across his forehead and squeezes his eyes shut.
Chase places the photo in his hand onto the black table, face up, and slides it over to me.
Carefully, I pull the picture closer. Honey-blonde hair. Green eyes that seem to look straight at me. She’s beautiful.
I was expecting to see just another victim. Another job. Instead, the world stops.
My bear surges forward so violently that my vision blurs. Every muscle in my body locks. My fingers grip the edge of the table, the wood creaking under the pressure.
Mine.
The word rises unbidden, instinctive and dangerous.
No. I shake my head hard. There’s no way to know that from a photo.
Ours. Find her. Protect her.
“You okay there, big guy?” Tripp’s voice sounds distant, muffled. “Do you recognise her?”
Shaking my head, I blink hard. I can’t even answer. Can barely breathe. Can’t do anything except stare at this woman who I’ve never met and fight the urge to shift, to run, to tear apart anyone who’s ever touched her.
My bear growls, furious at the idiot opposite me for putting her in danger.
“Don’t look at me like that,” he whispers. “I know I’m a piece of shit. But my sister has a heart of gold. You have to help her.”
His sister. Not his wife.
“Kozlov needs more muscle after losing two men in a territory dispute last week. He knows what you did to Dad and will assume you’ve fallen out with the rest of the Lennox crew,” Beau says bluntly. “He’ll think you’re desperate for work.”
Beau presses his lips together and watches me with a sympathetic expression on his face, knowing how hard it is to talk about him at all, let alone in front of practical strangers.
“How long has he had her?” My eyes remain fixed on the photo.
“Thirty-six hours, give or take.” Chase glances at his watch. “Kozlov gave Jake a week.”
Who knows where she is? Kozlov isn’t a man of his word. My breathing comes faster. I can see it too clearly, concrete walls, a locked door, her alone in the dark with no idea if anyone’s coming.
She’s done nothing wrong. This world is completely alien to her. She must be so scared.
“He said men would pay for her... company.” Jake’s voice cracks. “I can’t let that happen to her. Not because of me.” He shakes his head, guilt and shame written all over his drawn face. “Then…”
Jake slams his eyes shut, breathing through his nose for a second before he lunges to the side, grabs the trash can off the floor, and retches into it.
“What don’t I know? Is she injured, hurt already?” I ask slowly, my temper rising steadily, the angry bear just below the surface and battling to get free. The pencil in my hand creaks under the pressure.
The room goes quiet.
“He hasn’t touched her.” Chase says it with certainty, but how can he be? Not with men like these.
Van and Tripp stare at the table, mouths set in a grim line.
“How can you know?” There’s something they’re not telling me. Someone else on the inside? A sighting? A ransom video?
“Kozlov has… changed his plans for her,” Chase says diplomatically, taking the laptop in front of Van and turning it to face me. There, on screen, is a smiling picture of Emma, in a sundress, standing at the end of a dock. Below it, a countdown, five days from now.
“What’s this?” A pit of dread opens up inside me. That’s Saturday night, before the money’s even due. So Chase is right. Even if Jake comes up with the funds, Kozlov has other plans.
“We know she’s not hurt because Kozlov’s greedy.” Tripp explains without looking at Jake, who’s still crouched over. “He won’t damage valuable merchandise.”
Merchandise. The word makes my bear snarl.
“Tell me what the fuck I’m dealing with here.” I demand, but nobody can bring themselves to say it.
Eventually, Beau clicks on Emma’s beautiful face, and a description comes up, like a fucking sales page.
‘Beautiful, young. And she could be yours. Only yours. Register your interest and buy your seat at our next auction to get your hands on our latest prize. Discretion promised, satisfaction guaranteed.’
Now I understand why Jake’s puking in the corner.
He turns and stares up at me with haunted eyes. “If she’s sold, I’ll never see her again.”
I nod. There’s no point denying it. The types of men who would even consider something like this are sick and twisted. Once they’ve had their fun with her, she’ll disappear without a trace.
“Kozlov changed his plans for her.” I keep my voice neutral as I work through this in my mind. We’re missing a piece of the puzzle. “First, he wanted her as an escort, but now he’s putting her in an auction. Why?”
Everyone turns to look at Jake.
“I don’t know,” Jake says, but his lips clamp together, and his gaze slides off to one side. “He wants to make more money, I guess.”
Well, obviously, but that’s not it.
“You’re lying.” I set the photo down, my fingers lingering on her image, while I pin her brother with a hard look. “She’s beautiful, but Kozlov would have seen that the moment he saw her. So, what’s changed?”
Kozlov isn’t stupid. There’s a reason he changed his plans for her. Why he’s not remotely concerned about getting his money back.
Chase leans forward, eyebrows drawn down. “Jake. If there’s something else, you need to tell us.”
Jake stands with his hands in pockets and his head down.
“I’m not going in blind.” I growl, having no patience for keeping secrets, not in a situation like this. Not with people’s lives on the line. “What made her go from collateral to merchandise?”
Jake looks up to the ceiling and mumbles, “She’s never going to forgive me for this.”
“Jake, spit it out.” Chase warns, tone edging into pissed-off territory. Does he not realise how lucky he is to have Chase and his team of experts at his disposal?
“She’s going to kill you anyway,” I state bluntly. After this, he’ll be lucky if she ever speaks to him again. “Tell us what we need to know so we can do our jobs.”
Jake breaks, stretching across the counter to drag the laptop nearer. He taps the screen and grinds his teeth.
Only Yours. Bold. Underlined.
“She’s a virgin,” Jake whispers. “And when Kozlov found out, he said that changed everything. Then Van found this site, and I knew. That’s why.”
I go very still.
My bear doesn’t.
He explodes inside me with a roar of fury so loud that I’m amazed no one else can hear it.
Red edges into my vision. My claws threaten to punch through my fingertips.
The urge to shift, to destroy, to hunt down every man who’s ever looked at her wrong is so overwhelming that for a moment, I’m not sure I can stop it.
They want to sell her first time to the highest bidder.
A pencil in my hand snaps in two. I don’t even remember picking it up.
“They’re dead,” I mumble.
The room goes very quiet.
“Bodhi?” Chase’s voice is sharp. Wary.
“This is wrong, so fucking wrong.”
Everyone nods, equally horrified, but not filled with the same violent rage that I am.
I force myself to breathe. To push my bear down. To remember that I’m in a room full of people who are already questioning my sanity and my ability to do this job.
Chase is watching me. Of course, he is. Nothing gets past a wolf, especially not a shifter on the edge of losing control.
“When do I start?” The words scrape out of my throat, barely human.
His eyes narrowed, but he doesn’t comment on whatever he’s sensing. “Tonight. Kozlov’s club. We’ll get you credentials.”
I nod once and stand, needing to move, to burn off some of this energy before I do something I can’t take back.
“Bodhi.” Chase’s voice stops me at the door. “Whatever’s going on with you right now—keep it together. This woman’s life depends on it.”
He has no idea.
She’s already mine.
And I will burn this whole damn world down to get her back.