18. Kato

Chapter 18

Kato

T he house looms in front of us, dark and silent, the kind of quiet that seeps into your bones and makes every breath feel too loud. Callie is already in position, her hands steady on the trigger of her M24 rifle, her eyes fixed on the door.

The rest of the team spread out around the perimeter, waiting for my signal. Elara is in the car, and she is threatened with arrest for interfering with a case if she leaves it; I think it will be the only thing that keeps her there.

As happy as I am that Elara has let me into her mind again, I can’t afford to be distracted right now. Taking a moment, I close my eyes, slipping into the fortress of my mind. The bond between Elara and me—shimmering bright gold—must be muted. Carefully I erect a massive wall between us, instantly dampening the feelings of her anxiety and worry.

I take in a deep breath as I open my eyes. The scent of blood hangs in the air, a fresh, metallic tang. My chest tightens. We are too late. Again.

“Move in,” I command, locking eyes with Callie. She nods, remaining firmly planted where she is.

In one swift motion, my team breaches the door. We move through the house methodically and efficiently. My wolf stirs beneath the surface, itching to tear into something to find him—Richard Brown.

I’ve spoken to him. He was the one I talked to that first night in the bar. I didn’t pick up on a thing from him. No one did. I hardly even remember him past that interaction. What a wrong damn move that was.

Every room we sweep empty, every second that passes, my anger grows. My fists clench at my sides, fighting back the urge to shift.

“Clear,” Bruce calls from the back, his voice frustrated. “Let’s move to the garage.”

Bruce pushes open the door, and the smell of iron, fear, and rot rushes out like a wave, slamming into us. Loops with empty chains drilled into the wall. Dried blood against the metal. My wolf howls, raging within the same shackles that once held Elara.

This room holds an energy of its own, the kind of terror that lingers long after death. But it’s the fresh blood pooling on the floor that stops me cold. Another shifter. Another young woman. And she is still out there.

I grind my teeth, taking in the empty rooms. There is no sign of Richard. The bastard is gone. How did he manage to slip through our fingers again?

“Damn it,” I growl, crouching to inspect the blood. “She’s hurt, but she’s alive. We need to find her before he finishes what he started.”

Hati meets my eyes, a grim understanding passing between us. He gestures to Gun, who’s already tracking the scent. “Let’s move.”

We push through the back of the house, following the trail of blood of fear. It leads into the woods, the scent hanging like a beacon, and my pulse races with each step. My wolf paces beneath my skin, desperate to break free, to hunt.

But the scent fades.

“Her scent’s getting weaker,” Gun says, his frustration bleeding through.

I can feel it, too. It’s slipping away, vanishing into nothing, and then, just like that, it’s gone. Once again, the trail runs cold.

“Shit!” Gun curses, turning on the spot, his nostrils flaring as he tries to catch even a whisper of her scent. But there’s nothing.

Retracing our steps back to the house, we comb through every inch of it again. Searching desperately for a clue to where Richard might have gone. But we can’t seem to find anything. The panic is growing. Minutes tick by, and we’re left with nothing but a sickening silence.

Yelling from outside and a tug of desperation down the bond snaps me out of my pity party. I rush to the front door, and Elara is charging toward the house, her eyes blazing with determination.

My heart lurches in my chest. She should be in the car, damn it.

“Stop!” one of the agents’ barks, moving to block her path.

“Let me through! Kato!” Elara shouts, pushing against him, and the barricades set up to keep the accumulating crowd of nosy neighbors at bay, but they don’t budge.

“Elara!” I bark, my voice cutting through the chaos. “Let her through,” I snap at the agents. They hesitate, but I don’t have time for hesitation. “Now.”

“What the hell are you doing? I told you to stay in the car.”

“I wouldn’t need to come here if you haven’t shut me out again.” Guilt twists like a knife in my stomach. “I can’t just sit there and do nothing.”

I should be furious. I should drag her back to the barricade and lock her down, but all I can do is stare in awe. She’s shaken, but she’s not backing down. She’s truly a force to be reckoned with.

She stops in front of me, breathless. “What did you find?”

My jaw tightens, its weight sitting heavy in my chest. “He’s gone. But there’s fresh blood. He’s got another victim.”

Her eyes widen, horror washing over her. “Where?”

“We don’t know,” I say, the frustration cutting through me. “Her scent went cold. We’re trying to find anything to tell us where Richard took her.”

Elara’s gaze shifts past me to the house, “We’ll find her,” she says quietly, but there’s no doubt in her voice. It’s not a question. It’s a promise. And for the first time tonight, I believe her.

After a moment, she lifts her chin, takes a deep breath, and says, “Take me to where he held me.”

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