Chapter 17 #2
"Here." I handed Sullivan my key and then climbed over the center console into the back seat, where I grabbed Wren's face in my hands and gave her a quick kiss. "Be careful."
"Me be careful? You're the one that's shifting." She took my shirt from me after I took it off and folded it. "He's going to shit bricks when you shift."
"Let's hope not." I shimmied out of my pants and boxer briefs and shot a glare at Zayn. "Please try to keep yourself under control."
"I can only try." Zayn shrugged.
That was going to have to be good enough. I shifted, my wolf scrambling to stay perched on the backseat between Zayn and Wren.
Zayn and Wren got out and Sullivan came around to carry me. It wasn't in my nature to pretend to be injured, but I tried my best to let my body lie limp and to keep my eyes closed.
"You aren't as heavy as I thought you'd be." Sullivan was moving pretty quickly to the clinic. He stopped walking and kicked something several times—which I assumed was the door. "Here he comes."
The lock tumbled and a small chime rang as the vet opened the door. "Woah! What do you have there?"
Sullivan started moving again and the door shut with a whoosh. "I think it's a wolf! I hit him with my car and I didn't know what to do besides bring him to the nearest vet."
Sullivan wasn't going to win any Academy Awards, that was for damn sure, but the vet seemed to buy it. "Bring him this way!"
Another door was opened, and a cacophony of barking started as Sullivan followed the guy. "Do I need to call a wildlife place or something? I figured since wolves are similar to dogs, you were my best shot at saving this guy."
"No, you brought him to the right place. Go ahead and put him on this table here and I'll get him sedated before I take a look." It sounded like he patted a metal table.
"Do wolves take the same sedation as dogs?" Sullivan put me down on a cold metal table and I repressed the growl that was threatening to rumble in my chest. My wolf was not liking the situation at all.
"Something like that." I could hear him opening drawers, and Sullivan lightly smacked my muzzle to signal it was time to make our move.
I opened my eyes and shifted as the guy was turning with a needle. In his shock, he dropped it, and I lunged for him, pinning him against the counter.
He paled and opened his mouth to scream, but Sullivan clamped a hand over his mouth. "Listen here, fucker. You aren't going to scream or try to fight us, or I'll have my buddy here shift back and tear out your motherfucking throat. Do you understand?" Sullivan kept on surprising me.
The vet's eyes widened in fear, and he nodded, his eyes going to the exam room door when the front door chime rang. A look of hopefulness passed across the vet's face.
"It's cute how you think someone is coming to help you. Grab that chair in the corner. We'll tie him to it with some leashes." I let him see my teeth with my fangs still out and he looked like he was about to shit himself.
"Wh... what do you want?" The man's voice was shaking so badly he could hardly speak.
"Answers, Matthew. We want answers." I pushed him down onto the chair and Sullivan wrenched his arms back behind it.
"I don't know anything, I swear!"
There were leashes hanging by the door and I tossed one to Sullivan before grabbing two to tie his legs. "Are you sure you don't know anything?"
The exam room door slammed open, and Zayn stood in the doorway, a psychotic-looking grin on his face.
Matthew let out a squeal and nearly kicked me in the nuts as I knelt to secure his legs.
I could already smell human piss and scrunched my face.
"Did all the wolves you handed over to Marcos piss themselves too? "
I'd barely gotten his other leg secured before Zayn lunged across the room, fisting Matthew's shirt, his claws digging into the fabric. "Did my sister piss herself?"
"Zayn, calm down." Wren came into the room with my clothes and shoes in her arms. "Building is secure and the surveillance video should be taken care of already." She handed me my clothes and shoes, which I quickly started to put on while Sullivan moved Zayn away from the weeping vet.
Wren stood in front of him, her hands on her hips. Her posture was all business and promised pain if he didn't give us answers. "How many wolves have come through here?"
"I-" Smack.
She fucking smacked him across the face, sending his head whipping to the side. "I want a number."
Matthew's cheek was a nice shade of red as he turned his head back to look up at Wren. She raised her hand again, and he flinched. "Five."
"Does that include the one that ran out of here naked?"
"Yes." Matthew looked over at me and recognition crossed his face. So, the fucker did know who I was. "Oh, shit."
Wren stepped in his line of sight. "How many were female? Who were they sold to?"
"I don't-" Smack.
She smacked him again, and this time he spat blood. "Let's get this clear, Matthew, there is no 'I don't know.' You will answer my questions, or we'll leave the room and let my friend over here have a turn with you."
Zayn growled from where Sullivan was holding onto his arm near the door. "I say we do that now."
"No! I mean yes, I'll answer!" He fearfully glanced over his shoulder at Zayn. "Only one was female. I don't know who they were sold to. I just handed them over."
"What's in it for you?" Wren went to the cabinets and began opening them. "Let me guess. Money? How much money do you get, Matthew?" She pulled out what looked like nail trimmers.
I could do nothing but watch her. It was like she was a different person and focused solely on the job in front of her.
Quite frankly, it was turning me on, and judging from the look on Sullivan's face, it was doing the same to him.
Zayn was still fuming too much to appreciate the scene in front of him.
"What are you going to do with those?" Matthew started squirming to get free as Wren moved behind him. "Fifty! He paid me fifty."
"Fifty what?" Wren squeezed the tool, and it made a clicking noise.
Matthew let out a shriek. "Thousand! Fifty thousand dollars!"
"How do you know?" She ran the clippers across his ear, and he shuddered violently. "How do you know they aren't regular wolves?"
"Please..."
Wren smacked him on the side of the head with the tool. "This is your last warning. Do you know what I plan to do with these nail clippers? Hm, Matthew? They cut through the thickest of nails, so I can only imagine how they'll slice through the tips of your fingers like butter."
Matthew was a crying mess now, his face covered in tears. His life was going to be ruined after this, and it was a shame considering he only appeared to be about thirty.
"The blood. When I test a wolf's blood, it shows up as human blood. That's how I know." He breathed out a sigh of relief as Wren came back to stand in front of him. "I promise I'll stop."
My phone rang, and I pulled it out of my pocket. "It's my sister." Neither of my sisters spoke to me. Not since I left the pack in order to protect them. I quickly moved to the door. "Lillian?"
"King," she sobbed my name. "Help me."
I walked into the hall so I could hear her better, fear pooling in my gut. "What's wrong?"
"Please," she whispered, "he's going to find-"
Something sounded like it slammed, and she screamed before the sound was abruptly cut off.
"Lillian! What the hell is going on?" I suddenly felt dizzy and leaned against the wall as the silence stretched on. "Lil? Say something!"
Wren came out into the hallway and said something to me, but I couldn't hear what over the deafening silence in my ear. There was a slight shuffling sound and then someone breathed into the phone.
"Lillian! This isn't funny! What the fuck is going on?" My hand was wrapped around the phone so tight that I was surprised it didn't break.
"Hello, Kingston." The voice was raspy and weak but undeniable.
Marcos.
What the hell? My sister lived over an hour away from the hospital he was at, and last we'd heard, he was in a coma.
"Marcos. Let her go. This is between us." My voice was barely recognizable through my warning growl.
Marcos laughed, which turned into a coughing fit. He cleared his throat. "Meet me at my warehouse in Port Trinity. Bring the redhead and the crazy fuck that ripped my arm off."
The line went dead, and I stared down at the ended call.
"Kingston, what is it? Who does he have?" Wren grabbed my chin and forced me to look at her. "Stay with me. You're starting to let your wolf take over."
"He has her. Marcos has my sister."