Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Kingston
The next few days passed slowly without any update from the coalition besides being told to stay home.
I figured it would take some time for them to sort out what to do about the exposure threat, which was why I was taking a long overdue break from work.
Besides a few administrative things I had to take care of, my businesses were well-oiled machines where I had people I could trust to run them for me in my absence.
At least, I hoped so.
Powering down my laptop, I left my home office and wandered out to the living room where Wren, Zayn, and Sullivan were watching a movie and playing cards. I'd been answering emails since midafternoon and had tried my best to tune out the laughs and giggles coming from them.
Since Wren had said she was staying, there had been a shift between all of us. There was no more holding back and no more uncertainty about what we meant to her. Having the three of them comfortable in my home gave me a sense of pride I hadn't felt in a long time.
I sat down in my chair and reclined back, letting out a satisfied sigh. "The only thing that would make this even better is having the game on."
Wren snorted a laugh and let out a groan, putting her cards down on the table. "I'm out."
"For being a fox and an agent, you sure do suck at poker." Sullivan didn't take his eyes off the television as he waited on Zayn to decide if he was going to fold. "As for baseball, I'd rather not be lulled to sleep."
"Have you even watched an entire game?" Shutting my eyes, I sank into my chair. When was the last time I'd simply relaxed?
Wren shimmied into the recliner with me, and I groaned as she elbowed me. "Oops. I didn't think this through very well."
Grabbing her waist, I adjusted her, so she was halfway on me. "No, you didn't, but I'm not going to complain."
She laughed, and my heart squeezed. Damn. I was a goner when it came to her. She could have asked me to cut off one of my nuts and I'd have done it in a heartbeat.
"We were talking earlier... and when all of this is over and hopefully none of us end up locked in a cell, we thought a vacation somewhere would be nice." Wren was drawing circles on my chest, and I barely comprehended what she was saying. "I mean, if you want."
"And if you don't want to, then you can stay here and keep an eye on my ice cream. What if the freezer in my garage goes out?" Zayn was shuffling cards and then suddenly put them down, starting to get up. "I need to go check on it."
Sullivan grabbed his arm and yanked him back down to the couch. "Your ice cream is fine. If not, you can buy more."
"No. You don't understand! They discontinued a few flavors, and I won't be able to find it." Zayn crossed his arms and damn near looked like he was pouting. "Just for that, Sully, I'm not going to share any of it with you."
"I don't want any of your ice cream anyway. I'm lactose intolerant." Sullivan threw his arm around Zayn and pulled him into some kind of awkward headlock hug.
Zayn shoved him away with a scowl but then kissed him before turning his attention to me and Wren. "What do you say, bestie? Can we go on vacation?"
"Let's make it through this, all right?" I wasn't completely convinced we were all going to make it out of the situation unscathed. Apollo had only really talked to Zayn about making sure he didn't end up locked away.
"Hey, don't do that." Wren cupped my cheek, her head resting on my arm.
"I'm not doing anything." I squeezed her side and looked at the ceiling. "I-"
Wren's phone rang, and she sat up, nearly putting her hand on my crotch and attempting to lean enough to grab it from the table. "Hand me that."
Sullivan handed her the phone, and she answered, putting it on speaker. "Trevor, I have you on speaker."
They went through some coded verification of each other and then it was silent for a moment before Trevor started to speak.
"We were able to locate the videos Marcos has of Kingston's sister as well as additional videos that appear to be hidden cameras in the locations where wolves shift for fighting. "
Fuck. I never thought to check for cameras in those rooms. They must have been well hidden because someone would have noticed otherwise.
"Once we hacked into his computer it was quite easy to trace all the places he had them stored and who had access to them.
The files have been altered so they appear to be the same files, but without any evidence of wolves.
What we need you to find out is if any other wolves were sold.
" Trevor paused and there was the rustling of papers.
"From phone tracing and offshore wire transfers, we were able to identify the vet as Matthew Jones.
We only saw evidence for one wolf being bought, but there's always the possibility someone paid cash. "
"Fuck." I ran my hand down my face in frustration. "That's the vet who one of the fighters ended up at after he downplayed his injuries. He drove away from the fight, but I guess once he got home, he was disoriented and shifted. The next thing he knew, he woke up in a cage at a vet."
"So that's what happened? Zola said she woke up in a vet clinic too and wasn't sure how she got there. Do we know anything else about the vet, Trevor?" Wren was all business, and it was turning me on to watch her take charge.
"He deals with a wide range of animals beyond only house pets. It looks like he volunteers with a wolf rescue organization too."
"How much was she bought for?" Zayn's face had gone from calm to devoid of any emotion.
"Half a million."
Zayn's fists clenched in his lap, but he didn't move or say a word. That concerned me. A lot.
"Once we get answers from the vet, what would you like us to do with him?" Wren had her eyes on Zayn too, concern written on her face.
"There's enough dirt on him to keep him quiet. I'll have a team on standby to take care of silencing him. Marcos is still in a coma, but as soon as he's released, we'll pick him up."
"We should go in and kill him now," Zayn bit out. He was growling low in his throat in warning, and Sullivan put a hand on his thigh to try to calm him down.
Trevor blew into the phone with a sigh. "Unfortunately, he is heavily guarded. You're to follow my orders and find and question the vet only. After that is done, you are all free to do as you wish, although we will need to debrief about best business practices moving forward."
"Thank you, Trevor." Wren looked over at me with relief in her eyes. "We'll do as directed."
"Don't mess this up. Your father might have a say in what happens with you four, but don't forget that it's not just you who have your lives on the line. It's all of us." With that, he hung up, leaving me feeling like a piece of shit.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go." Zayn jumped to his feet, fury in his eyes. "He didn't say we can't rearrange the vet's face."
"Zayn, sit down." I squeezed the bridge of my nose. "Maybe you should stay here."
"That vet helped sell my sister!" His eyes flickered between his and his wolf’s. "She was leaving her life behind to come here, and they ruined everything!"
Wren stood and went to him, taking his hands and uncurling his fists where his claws were digging into his skin. "No more killing, all right? They'll get what's coming to them."
"The only thing they deserve is death." Zayn's heaving chest began to calm as he stared into Wren's eyes. "Just because they're humans doesn't mean they should be given leniency."
"They aren't." Wren's hands glowed as she held onto Zayn's, both healing his hands and calming him. "You can get one good punch in. No claws."
"Fine." Zayn pulled his hands away and looked at them in amazement. "Let's go and find this bastard."
As much as I hated carrying weapons, we would have been stupid not to arm ourselves. If a vet was collecting wolves, he probably had weapons of his own.
I pulled into the parking lot of an office building next door to the vet clinic.
It was out of sight from the front of the vet building so he wouldn't see us pile out of the SUV. From the information online, the clinic had normal business hours and an emergency number that could be called outside of those times. It was close to closing time, and judging from the parking lot of the vet, there were still three people inside the vet’s office.
Sullivan unhooked his belt and turned in the passenger seat so he could see Zayn and Wren in the back. "So, how are we going to do this? Waltz in there and demand answers?"
"That's what I should have done as soon as I got here. If I would have come here first, I would have smelled what he was up to." Wren released a heavy sigh.
"There's no way you could have known he was involved in anything." I turned in my seat and looked back at her. "I didn't think to investigate any further either."
Zayn crossed his arms over his chest. "Can we go beat the shit out of him now?"
"If he sees the four of us walk in there he's going to freak out. He probably knows me and Zayn." I rubbed my hand over my face before turning off the SUV and pocketing the key. "What if I shift and Sullivan carries me in like he found me somewhere."
Wren sat up straighter, a smile spreading across her face. "Then while he's distracted with the excitement of a wolf, Zayn and I can secure the entrance and make sure no one else is in the building."
"What if he tranquilizes you?" Sullivan was the only one that seemed unsure of how we were going to infiltrate the vet's office.
"I'll shift back before he does." It was a possibility for sure, but the vet would also have to get a tranquilizer out first.
Two women dressed in scrubs came out of the vet's office, locked the door, and got into their cars, leaving only a truck in the parking lot. It was time for us to make our move.