Chapter Thirty-Six
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
AFTER OUR CONTACTS at the FCDA confirmed the Silverstone police department hadn’t done more than log the initial missing persons reports for the slew of missing women we’d discovered, Ridley and I began combing the city. We have to stay under the radar while pretending to play nice with Captain Orelta and his officers.
Someone in their precinct knows more than they’re saying.
I fucking hate dirty cops. Growing up, I dealt with more than enough of that type of asshole. They used their position to line their pockets without a care for the lives their ‘friends’ destroyed. It’s despicable.
Adjusting my hood, I jog along the dark dirt path known to be a hot spot for addicts to find a fix. We’ve been tracking rumors of an underground market for pharmaceutical drugs for over a week now. Progress is slow with local law enforcement monitoring our every move, but we’re getting closer.
Movement ahead has me ducking behind one of the cement pillars from the highway that runs above us. I watch as two men stumble down the path beneath the overpass. They’re obviously intoxicated, bouncing off of each other and talking loudly. Too loud for their topic of conversation.
“This place really has crazy shit like that?”
“Yeah man, I swear! Last time I got my hands on the stuff that makes you rut like an alpha! I was hard for hours!”
Their laughter echoes around the empty underpass, hiding my feet shifting on the gravel as I follow them. They veer off the path and slipped between two pillars into the woods. Grabbing my phone, I shoot Ridley a text telling him to grab the car and wait nearby, just in case this goes south.
I follow them for several minutes before an old manufacturing plant comes into view. A metal-roofed building sits closest to this edge of the lot. The doors have been removed, leaving the interior open to the elements. Inside, I spy rows of tents and tables holding everything from jewelry and weapons to drugs.
Fucking hell, there is a black market in Silverstone.
A car pulls around the side of the building, so I duck behind an old propane tank. The bold black letters on the side identify it as a police vehicle, but the officers inside aren’t here to shut the place down. They’re here to shop.
Snapping a few pictures with my phone, I slip back into the trees. There’s no point in lingering and risking getting caught here with no backup to pull me out.
Ridley has our van idling at a small pull off up the path from the underpass. I jump into the passenger seat and buckle in. “Get us out of here.”
“What did you find?”
“Proof Silverstone PD are corrupt.”
He whistles, focusing on getting us back to our hotel on the other side of town. I watch the mirrors, noting all the cars pulling onto the road behind us. It’s unlikely anyone noticed me nearby, but it would be reckless to act as if the enemy isn’t aware of our every move.
Back at the hotel, I grab our secure laptop and set up a video call with Porter. It’s late, nearing one in the morning now, but this is urgent. We need backup and a plan to deal with the police presence here.
“Ferguson. Hale,” He greets gruffly, his voice still thick with sleep.
I jump right into it, relaying everything I saw tonight.
“You think this market could lead us to Harrison?”
“It’s likely his drugs are being sold there, which means he is supplying the dealers here.”
Porter hums, moving off camera and rustling around. When he returns a moment later, he’s dressed in professional clothing. “I’ll get a team ready and mobilized within the next few hours. You two lie low and keep your heads down until we get there.”
Ending the call, I sink back into the desk chair and rub my temples. The hunt for Doctor Harrison is tiresome. Having the local police working against us doesn’t make our job here any easier. I just hope this lead pans out.
The sooner we get this bastard in custody, the better. For everyone.
“Get come sleep, Lex. You’re overworking yourself, and I don’t want to take care of your ass when you get sick.”
I scowl at Ridley, ignoring his demand, and opting for a shower instead. With the water washing the sweat and stress from my body, my mind drifts to fantasies of a future I cannot have.
The scent of pineapple and coconut permeates my clothes and brings a smile to my face as I get dressed for work. In the kitchen, Bea’s soft curls bounce as she sings and dances while she makes breakfast. Her tiny shorts hug her ass, leaving her long legs on display. Fates, do I love her legs.
She hears me walk in and turns, smiling brightly. Embodying the nickname Ridley has given her—our very own sunshine to light up the darkest of days. “Good morning, Alpha,” she murmurs, leaning up to press a kiss to my jaw.
I wrap my palm around her throat, feeling the flutter of her pulse and the silvery scar of my bite mark. Pressing my lips to hers, I savor the taste of coffee on her tongue. “Good morning, mate.”
Blinking, I wipe the water from my face and push the wet strands of my hair back. Imagining a life with Bea is a torment I have grown addicted to. Waking up next to her, taking her on dates, building a pack together. I’ve imagined it all a thousand times.
Longing for a lifetime at her side doesn’t make accomplishing that any less dangerous. The lingering effects of the abuse I endured as a child is still too rampant in my nightmares to burden her with a bond to me.
The longer we’re away from Starburgh, the more intense my desire to be with Bea grows. Maybe I need to start seeing the DAU therapist Donovan recommended. She’s worth facing my trauma for.
After we catch this asshole Doctor Harrison and dismantle the breeding ring he’s connected to.
A knock at our hotel door has Ridley and I on alert. Porter’s team won’t arrive until later tonight, and we aren’t expecting company.
Ridley holds the door handle, waiting for me to get into position across the room with my gun ready. When I nod, he inches it open. “Hello, Chief Orelta.”
I stash my gun before Ridley steps back and allows the older man into the room. It’s still within reach from my spot on the bed because I’m not taking any chances with the corrupt cops in this city.
“Mr. Hale, Mr. Ferguson. The medical examiner from the neighboring county reached out about a body that was found washed up on the shore of Branch Lake.” He hands Ridley a file, nodding to its contents. “Another alpha with the same drug in his system. I have dinner plans in the hotel bar, so I thought I would drop this off. Seems your case might be leading you all over Alabama.”
Keeping my face neutral, I sit up and look over the picture evidence and blood work results. The results match, though I hadn’t doubted they would. We expected them to try to lure us away from Silverstone by releasing the drug in another city.
A tactic we will use to catch them off guard when we take down their drug market tonight.
“Well, Captain Orelta, looks like we’re out of your hair. Please pass on our thanks to your team for their assistance and call us if you encounter any other cases of this ferality drug in the city.” Ridley offers him a smile, holding the door open.
Orelta studies us for several seconds, likely trying to determine if we’re really leaving, before he nods and walks into the hallway. “Best of luck, gentlemen. With a case like this, you’re going to need it.”
I grab our go bags and double check all of our equipment is inside. We’ll check out early and drive out of the city. Put on a nice show for Silverstone PD, so they think we’ve moved on.
“I’m craving something sweet,” Ridley grumbles as we head to the elevator. “Let’s swing through a convenience store before we head to the lake.”
Rolling my eyes, I press the button to take us down to the lobby. “You’re going to get a toothache eating all that sugar.”
Ridley shrugs and grins, a glint in his eye that has me narrowing a hard look his way. “I can’t help it. Without our omega here to let me feast on her pussy, I have to satisfy my sweet tooth somehow.”
Fucking dickhead. I growl, slamming my shoulder into his on my way out of the elevator. He’s been relentlessly tormenting me with visions of Bea. Even going so far as sending me the erotic pictures she took for him.
It’s okay. As soon as we get back to New York and step into the ring, he’ll regret taunting me. I hope he enjoys showing up at Bea’s place with a black eye and sore ribs.
With a quick stop at the gas station to get Ridley’s snacks, we head to the meet point. A little over an hour after we arrive, two armored vans pull onto the access road behind us.
Leaning against the back of the van, I’m surprised when Creed steps out of the passenger seat. “I thought you were on desk and training duty now?”
“Still haven’t caught Marcus,” he replies, lips thinning.
Clapping him on the shoulder, I join the rest of the team to go over our plan for the evening. “We’ll get him. He’s too involved in all this shit to get away with it.”
Creed nods, crossing his arms over his chest. He looks stressed. The high top fade he usually wears has grown out, and the stubble along his jaw is thicker. My friend needs a trip to the barber’s and the weight of his half-brothers sins lifted from his shoulders. One of those I can help with.
Night falls, the sky growing dark. Silverstone’s city lights glimmer in the distance, their intensity brightening as we edge closer to the underpass, where the walking entrance to the drug market is. Both armored vehicles are approaching from the other side, leaving our group of four to travel on foot and catch any runners.
Crouching behind rusted equipment from the abandoned sand plant, I watch for the signal from the other teams. Another police cruiser sits outside of the barn entrance, but it is quickly blocked in when our teams fly into the gravel lot. Raising my weapon, I watch through the sights as the teams sweep into the building.
“Shit,” Creed curses beside me. I echo his feelings when he ducks from behind cover and starts running through the trees, chasing two men who slipped between the empty cop car and the FCDA truck.
“Ridley, cover Peterson!” I don’t wait for his response as I follow Creed. This asshole is going to get himself killed!
I crash into the gap between buildings, stumbling into Creed’s back as shots echo off the metal siding. “What the fuck, Barrett,” I growl, jerking him back seconds before a shot hits the corner he was leaning around.
“Marcus and an upper level Eternal are here.”
Sighing, I swap places with him and peek around the corner in time to see both men slip into one of the larger warehouses. The building is too big for us to sweep alone, but I know Creed isn’t going to back down now that he’s laid eyes on his half-brother.
“You are not going to be reckless and get yourself killed tonight. You got me?” I ask as I grip his bulletproof vest and slam him against the wall. He’s taller than me by half a foot and just as bulky, but my alpha presence is stronger. I’ll bark his ass into submission if I have to.
“Yeah, I hear you.”
“They’re in the building to the Northwest. You go in through the front. I’ll sweep the back and we’ll meet in the middle. If things get dicey, we bail out. No arguments.”
When he nods, I drop his vest and cut through the overgrowth between buildings. The windows on the bottom floor are boarded up, leaving very few gaps for Marcus and his boss to fire out. The back of the building is open, leading to a dirt parking lot. A single car is parked beneath the trees lining the far side.
Approaching the door, I duck beneath the windows and grab its handle. Swinging it open, I stay out of the frame and wait, but no shots are fired. Glancing inside, I find an empty hallway littered with trash. Silence greets me as I sweep the building, searching offices, storage rooms, and bathrooms.
Movement ahead has me ducking behind a wall, but I hear Creed call out. “Anything?” he asks as we meet in the middle. I shake my head, listening to the creak of the building. An engine roars to life outside and we both curse. Running to the back of the building, we swing the door open in time to see the black car whip out of the lot, traveling down the dirt path to the main road.
Creed drops to one knee and steadies his gun. Aiming down the sight, he pops three shots off. One shatters the back window. Another hits the rear driver door. The car swerves wildly before correcting, but it doesn’t stop.
“Motherfucker!” Creed bellows, dropping his weapon to hold his head.
This is a shit show. Not only did he go off script, we’re sitting blind out here if anyone else escaped the raid. “Let’s go. We need to check in with the others.”
He’s quiet as we trace our way back to the barn. Ridley raises a brow when we appear in the tree line, lowering his weapon when he realizes it is us.
“Barrett, you’re benched.” Catalco, the team leader for the FCDA raid, spits as we approach their group. One of their trucks is open and filled with captured vendors, including the two Silverstone cops. At least we didn’t lose all our leads in this mess.
“Man, for an alpha who just discovered he has a Fate matched omega, you seem to have a death wish,” another agent comments dryly. “I wouldn’t be chasing ghosts if I had a mate waiting for me.”
I glance at Creed but remain silent. There isn’t room for me to comment when I’m in the same situation. Running is what we do best. Joining the military was just another way to escape the pasts that haunt us.
Ridley and I leave Creed to deal with his boss, focusing on looking for clues in the barn. Another larger truck arrives, with more agents piling out. They all have gloves on and begin to catalog the weapons, stolen goods, and drugs inside.
“Over here.” Peterson flags us down, pointing to a bag being held up by one of their crime scene techs. “Looks like the same pills that alpha in Silverstone had on him.”
“Let’s hope one of those assholes outside has another lead for us to follow,” I grunt. “Or these drugs tell us where Harrison is getting his supplies from.”