Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Matthias
Minutes later, my brothers assemble at Daisy’s. The triplets are even here, looking more serious than I’ve seen them.
Everest paces around in bear form, snuffling at the ground and pavement.
Axel, our car and motorcycle expert, squats by Maisy and Daisy’s mailbox. It’s white and decorated with hand-painted yellow daisies. On the pavement in front of it are fresh tire marks.
“They put her in a van,” Axel says. “And drove that way.” He starts jogging, following the tracks.
“And no one saw?” I ask.
“Go door knocking,” Teddy orders The Threes in his special ops command tone. “Find anyone who saw anything.”
The triplets salute and scatter.
Daisy and Darius emerge from the house.
“Her phone is still in her bedroom.” Daisy hands it to me. She looks pale and shaken.
I scroll through Maisy’s phone and see that there are no more calls from the unknown number. It looks like she kept it blocked.
Canyon dashes up to us. He’s sweating like he sprinted up the whole mountain, but he’s not breathing hard.
“Old Man Luther saw a white van hanging around here two hours ago,” he reports.
“And Jasmine Wilkins was at the playground with her son. She told me about a ‘creeper van’ driving past real fast.”
“They’re off the mountain then.” I sound wooden because it takes all my effort to hold back my bear, who is tearing to the surface.
“I’ve got Black Wolf online,” Teddy says, holding up his phone. “They’re expanding surveillance to Route Seven and the highway all the way to Santa Fe.”
“It’s too late. This happened at least an hour ago, maybe more.” I resist the urge to lift my face to the sky and give a full bear roar. “Who took her? And where? And why?”
Daisy’s legs buckle under her. Darius and Teddy are right there to catch her and ease her down.
“I can’t do this,” she whispers, dazedly. All her spryness is gone, and she looks like she’s shrunken.
I crouch, checking her vitals as I’ve done for years–since before I went to med school. Daisy’s been my number one patient for a long time–since she adopted Maisy and came to me and begged for help staying healthy, so she could raise her granddaughter.
She’s okay, she’s just in shock.
“She’s alone. She might be hurt. Who would do this?” She turns wet eyes to me.
I see so much of Maisy in her.
“I don’t know,” I growl, no longer interested in hiding my ferocious side. “But I’ll find them. And I’ll make them pay.”
I stand but stay close to Daisy in case she faints.
“Wren’s at Mission Control,” Canyon says.
I thought it was cute that they called their large TV gaming set-up at Paloma’s home movie theater “Mission Control,” but now it fits.
“She’s contacted Kylie. They’re both digging into the dark web, trying to see if anyone posted a job about Bad Bear Mountain. ”
Kylie is a wolf shifter billionaire and genius hacker. Wren is Paloma’s younger sister.
“Do you think we’re the target?” Darius asks in a low voice. “Or Maisy?”
I rub the back of my neck. “They took her. But there’s no way to know until we find her.”
“Kylie will look into Maisy’s background, too,” Teddy said.
“Her father,” Daisy mutters from her huddle on her front stoop. She’s looking a little stronger. “He’s been calling her. I bet he’s behind this.”
“Tell Kylie to look into Maisy’s father too,” I order.
“Allen. Allen Dankworth,” Daisy tells us the name. “He and my Donna met in Vegas. I think he still lives there.”
“He’s been calling her.” I hand Canyon Maisy’s phone. “It’s a Nevada number.”
“I’ll see if Hutch and Wren can get an exact location.” Canyon rushes off.
“I’ll tell Black Wolf to look at routes between here and Vegas,” Darius says and strides off.
I stand still for a moment, feeling helpless.
“She’ll be okay, brother,” Teddy murmurs to me. “If it’s her dad, that means she’ll be alive.”
“He’s not a good person.” Daisy’s voice quavers.
“No, he’s not.” I’ve never met him, but I already know he doesn’t deserve Maisy. “But Maisy is strong.”
A helicopter zooms overhead with Bern at the controls. The wind whips around us as it lands in a field at the end of the street.
Daisy grabs my hand, her frail fingers turned to claws, her grip surprisingly strong.
“You bring her back, Matthias.” Her voice is almost swallowed by the noise of the helicopter. “You find her and bring her back home.”
“I will,” I vow with every molecule of my being.
Her hand goes limp in mine, like it took all her energy to grab my hand and make me promise to save Maisy.
I let her go and stride towards the waiting helicopter, ripping off my glasses as I go.
My eyesight is perfect; I only wear them to make me look more scholarly.
It’s part of my persona to get my patients to relax. I won’t need them where I’m going.
I’m no longer the kind doctor of Bad Bear. I am a bad bear ready to rampage, and I’m on a mission to find my mate.
I will destroy anyone and everyone who touched her.
Maisy
There’s a nail in my skull, splitting it down the middle. At least, that’s what it feels like. When I move to touch it, the pain is drowned out by the aches in my entire body. My hair is a curtain over my face.
I’m lying on a bed, on top of the blankets. The only light in the room comes from the glow around the window.
My mouth feels like it’s been filled with rancid cotton.
I try to sit and a wave of wooziness washes over me. I feel like I’ve been drugged.
Because I was.
I slide to the edge of the bed, closing my eyes when the room spins. Baby steps.
At least this place is small. It’s nice enough for a generic hotel room, but the whole place stinks like cigarette smoke. The smell doesn’t help the state of my head.
I make my way to the bathroom and gulp water then empty my screaming bladder. There are white towels neatly folded under the sink, and I wet one and use it to wipe my skin. It makes me feel a little bit better.
But I keep the lights off in case it’ll summon whoever kidnapped me.
Because I have been kidnapped. Those two guys ambushed me at my house and committed several felonies.
I look pale in the mirror. I’m not okay.
“Don’t eat a clock,” I whisper to my reflection. “It’s time-consuming.”
My favorite joke doesn’t dent my fear, but it’s familiar. I’m an adult. I can get through this.
Bad jokes won’t get me through this fear. When I close my eyes, all I see is Matthias. His beautiful brown eyes looking at me. Seeing me. The real me.
I missed our date. If I think about that too much, I’m going to cry.
Focus, beautiful, I imagine Matthias saying to me. You got this. Baby steps.
I’m still in my yoga pants and a soft sweater–the outfit I was going to wear under my coat on the hike.
They’re a bit worse for wear–dirty, like I’ve been rolling around in the back of that creeper van–but at least I have clothes.
It doesn’t seem like anyone has touched me, other than sticking a needle in my neck, drugging me, and dragging me to the van. Then driving me here, wherever here is.
The clock reads just after midnight. Which means I was asleep for ten hours.
I take a deep breath. First things first, I’m going to figure out where I am.
Then I’m going to figure out what I can do about it.
I’m still weak from whatever they drugged me with, so I need to move slowly.
I go to the door and try the handle, but it’s locked. I fight my panic.
Instead of turning on the lights, I head to the window and pull back the curtains. And almost have a heart attack.
I’m in a room high above a nighttime cityscape. The city below is a flat grid stretching to the distant mountains. A few miles away are a bunch of glittering towers and a huge lit up dome.
Vegas.
I’m in Vegas.
What the F? Did those guys toss me in the back of a van and drive me all the way here? No wonder my whole body aches.
This has to do with my dad. He used to live in Vegas, probably still does. Somehow, this has to do with him.
That thought should comfort me, but it doesn’t. Why would my dad kidnap me? I knew he ran with a bad crowd, but they’re all pretty stupid. This is an elaborate scheme that requires focus. A bunch of druggies couldn’t do this, could they?
And why would they do it?
I put a hand on my chest and belly and start deep breathing exercises before I have a panic attack and pass out. Whatever they used to drug me is still in my system, making me sluggish, but my heart is racing.
I look for a phone, so I can call 911. Or Matthias. For some reason, I’d rather call Matthias, which is illogical, since he’s back in New Mexico, and I’m in Las Vegas, but I need a dose of his cool, calm, and collected demeanor. I need him to tell me what to do.
I find the phone jack, but the phone has been removed. Dammit! Maybe I can bang on the door and attract some attention.
I start toward it, but just then, the handle turns, and the door swings in.
I gasp, taking a step back.