Chapter 8
EIGHT
Christian
“Clamp,” I say as I finish operating on the second gunshot victim.
I work silently as I check one last time to make sure I’ve repaired all the damage. After closing the man up, I take a deep breath.
“That was a tricky one,” Melanie says.
“Yeah. We’ll need to monitor him for the next few hours. With all the pain meds in his system, he won’t wake until later tonight or tomorrow morning.”
Melanie nods. “I’m on it.”
“I’ll take the night shift,” Claire says.
I leave them to figure out the schedule. I need to get cleaned up and get back to my mate.
Yes, my wolf snarls. We’ve been away from her for too long already.
I wonder what she wanted to talk to us about, I reply as my wolf paces inside me.
I jerk to a stop when I see the guys from Midnight Haven as I leave the operating room.
“How’s the guy doing?” Russo asks.
“He’s stable now. He’ll be out of it for a while, but he should live.”
“Good,” Jameson, our leader, says.
“So, we all agree that this is being done on purpose, right?” Reyes asks.
“I mean, if it were a kid, I can guarantee they wouldn’t go out to practice shooting again so soon.
Not in the same place. If it were an accident, they would’ve taken precautions to make sure they didn’t shoot anyone ever again. ”
“We need to run ballistics and see if the bullets are from the same gun,” Abe says.
“I have both of them here,” I tell the group.
Jameson sighs. “The meeting was canceled this morning, but I think we need to have it now.”
“Yeah, I’ll get the Alphas,” Reyes says before heading out.
“What are we going to do?” I ask my friends. “I shouldn’t go out on patrol in case I’m needed here.”
“True,” Abe agrees.
“We’ll come up with a plan. We’ll have to close the northern part of town again,” Jameson says.
“We need to put an end to all this shit,” Russo growls.
“It has to be the cult, right?” I ask. “Who else would be shooting at our people?”
“We should go after their leader,” Abe snarls. “If we take him, maybe it’ll scare the rest of them away.”
“Michael? He hasn’t been seen on the property in weeks,” Jameson says.
“You think someone else is running the cult now?” I ask.
He shrugs. “He could be lying low. Or maybe he’s kidnapping girls himself. Who knows?”
Jameson looks exhausted. He must’ve been up all night and half the day.
“You all need to get some rest,” I advise them.
“We will as soon as we have a plan in place to keep everyone safe,” Jameson says.
“We need to figure out a way to run them out of town,” I say. “I don’t know what to do to scare them off, though.”
“We need to stop them,” Jameson says. “If we scare them off, they’ll only do this shit in a new place with people who can’t fight back.”
We’re silent as we think about that. I know he’s right, but my wolf and I just want to make sure that our mate is safe. If this is going to be her home, we want her to feel safe and secure living here.
“How’s your mate?” Abe asks.
I smile. “Good. She’ll be able to leave here later today.”
“That’s great. So, you don’t need me to grab you another change of clothes?”
“No, I should be okay. Hopefully, we’re back at home tonight.”
“Good to hear, man,” Russo says, clapping me on the back.
“We’ll still keep security outside your place,” Jameson says.
“Thanks.”
“All right, we’re headed to the cabin. Are you coming or staying here?” Abe asks me.
“Staying here. I’ll try to catch up with you in a bit to see what you decide and what you need from me.”
I watch everyone go before turning toward my mate’s room. My wolf is anxious. He hates that we’ve gone so long without seeing her. I pick up my pace as I head down the hall.
What did she want to talk about? What was she going to tell me? I wonder as I reach for the doorknob.
I groan when I see the empty bed and open window again.
“Goddamn it,” I growl as I spin on my heel and stalk out the front door.
We shouldn’t have left her alone for so long, my wolf shouts at me.
We had to, I remind him.
He shakes his head. Our mate comes first. Always. If we’d been with her, she wouldn’t have ditched us again.
You know that—
No! he cuts me off. Fix this. Don’t let our mate get away again.
Working on it.
I pick up her scent quickly and follow it down the sidewalk to a hotel in town. I stride straight up to the front desk.
“Hey there, Dr. McAdams. What can I do for you today?”
I smile at Shawn, an older shifter in our pack. “I’m looking for my mate. She’s staying here. Her name is Quinn Hastings. Can you tell me her room number?”
He looks around to see if anyone is paying attention before typing on his computer. “Room 302.”
“Thanks, Shawn.”
“Anytime, Dr. McAdams.”
I hit the third-floor button in the elevator, find her room, and knock on the door.
It swings open a minute later.
I brace my hands on the doorframe as I lean closer to my mate. “Okay. Now we really need to talk.”
Quinn stares up at me with wide, shocked eyes.