Familiar Desires: 5 (Protective Affairs) (16 page)

“Is this organized or simply a loose group of friends with
the same delusions? Are they among the group you suspect is responsible for the
kidnappings?” She focused past her worries about who these women might go after
in the future. She knew she was still their target.

“For the most part, it’s just a loose group. While they
might be associated with the people responsible for the kidnapping, we don’t
think they’re directly tied to it. Frankly, they’re too vocal and blatant with
their views.” Don grimaced.

“Let’s go, baby. We have a few other errands before we go to
lunch with Kane.” Michael urged her to the door.

“You know that doesn’t sound right. What are you planning at
lunch?” Alana narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ve had more than enough surprises
today, thank you.”

“Well, we’re going to eat and talk. It’s pretty simple.”
Michael smiled as he urged her to the car.

“I really doubt that. Especially with that expression on
your face.” Alana slid into the seat while he held the door open for her.

He closed the door and paced around the car, still wearing
that infuriating grin. She knew he had a few more errands, but something about
the smirk when he said
talk
raised the hair at the back of her neck.

* * * * *

Alana sat across from Kane’s desk with a sandwich in front
of her, fruit in a bowl more to the center of the makeshift table so they could
all share and a drink nearby. The large golden wood desk was placed in the
center of the large office. Shelves lined the wall behind it. The office had an
opulent feel. She liked it. She especially liked the plush, comfy chairs.

She stared at Kane and then looked to Michael. She still
didn’t get why they felt the urge to rehash about the letter. She realized they
hadn’t sent it. Why did it matter? It had happened years ago. What was there to
talk about?

Her cat had settled a little since the confrontation in the
store. Being alone with them helped immensely in that area. Her leopard basked
in their attention. She could easily picture curling up next to them in animal
form and letting their hands glide over her fur. The only thing better would be
if they could be with her in their own leopard forms.

She ate in silence, refusing to bring up the subject of the
letter if they didn’t. She was a little embarrassed about how naïve she’d been.
Not only had she taken that letter as fact without even questioning it, but she’d
bought the scene in the restaurant and run. She should have confronted them,
but admitted she was too insecure about her own feelings at that point. She
hadn’t known what she wanted. She hadn’t had time to figure it out, much less
what they might want. All she’d had were a few hopes, and a lot of fears and
doubts.

“I’ve had a chance to look over the note you received. The
writing is a little loopy and feminine, don’t you think?” Kane tented his
hands.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. “I didn’t know what your
handwriting looked like. Aside from that, I know a few males whose penmanship
is more than legible.”

He smiled. “The only thing missing to make this more
blatantly feminine is hearts over the lowercase i.”

“If we’re going to rehash all of the ‘could haves’ and ‘might
haves’, you two have a few of your own. Why didn’t you two call me any time
during the following day?” Alana wasn’t the only person who had let opportunity
pass them by even though they all needed time to grow and come into their own
before they could stay together.

Michael laughed. “We realize we made mistakes too, but this
letter doesn’t sound like us.”

“Had I been around you that much?” She arched a brow. They
hadn’t known her any better than she did them. “I was aware of you, but you
graduated a couple of years before I did and had only recently returned home
for the summer.”

“She’s a little antagonistic today.” Kane looked at Michael.
“Have you been annoying her?”

“Other than not letting her sleep in when she wanted to, no.”
Michael shook his head. “She’s always been a little heated about her side of
things.”

“I got attitude from my family, mainly my mother and
sisters, every time I called home. Generally, it was my fault and I should come
back and set it right.” She busted into their little chat, because the talking
around her was annoying her more than the rehash of the letter.

Kane grimaced. “I forgot about that. Sorry, we’re not trying
to attack you. We just want to make sure it doesn’t happen again. We shouldn’t
have let you disappear.”

“I’ve come to the conclusion it was a catastrophe all
around, a huge clusterfuck. Yeah, I made some mistakes, so did you, but what
pisses me off is being manipulated. If I’d known, I’d have stuck around just to
spite them.” Alana didn’t hold back her grin at the last sentence.

“Well, to prevent it happening again, we’re going to work
out a few cues. That way if we call or text you, you’ll know it’s us. Nothing
that will sound too out of place, but something to let you know who you’re
dealing with before there’s a chance for emotions to become involved. We’ll
also have a phrase or word for you to use when you call or text us, because they
might try to use a fake message to separate us.” Michael reached over and
gently rested his hand on her arm.

She took a bite of her sandwich and studied them while she
chewed. She hated that it was necessary, but they were right. Their sister
probably wouldn’t give up because Michael and Kane knew what she’d tried. Why
couldn’t it be simple? There was enough difficulty settling the relationship
between them without the added drama of a sister who hated her and wanted her
gone in the worst way possible.

“All right, we’ll do the code words, but the fact it’s
necessary is kind of depressing,” Alana agreed with a shrug.

“This won’t last too long. You’ll see. Soon, we’ll be
together and you won’t have any doubts. No one will come between us again.”
Kane’s voice hardened and the words were an unmistakable vow.

“Kane, this isn’t going to be easy. Not with your sister’s
attitude. I don’t want to cause a rift in your family. Their actions and words
make me want to claim you and start the change. Every word they say is like a
denial of my cat’s rights. Believe me it’s not easy to hold back.” She ran a
hand through her hair and tried to instill some calm.

“They won’t cause any problems in my family. My mother and
father know what Gina has been up to lately. With everything that’s been going
on, we felt it best to tell them.”

Alana frowned when the phone rang. It was in the afternoon,
but they weren’t expecting anyone. After lunch, she’d talked with more of the
victims’ families. Although there hadn’t been any large breakthroughs from the
interviews, the mother of one of the shifter victims had given her something.
The mother told Alana that the young woman had felt as if someone were watching
her.

Michael and Kane had talked about having a quiet night at
home. That she didn’t mind. She could use a little time to think. She had a
feeling any trip into town could mean a run-in with Gina or her friends. The
cat within Alana saw the intimidation tactics as an attack on her claim and
that made it harder to delay the bite. If there were many more incidents,
Michael and Kane would probably be lucky if she could manage to wait until they
got home. More likely, it would be a convenient room with a locking door.

She watched Michael answer the phone. The smile on his face
froze and then died. Alana straightened away from the back of the couch and a
chill crawled up her spine. By his expression, she knew this wasn’t going to be
good. Kane’s hand settled on her shoulder, giving it a little squeeze.

She turned and grinned. The way he’d come up to her and put
his hand on her shoulder sent a little thrill through her. She liked the
reassuring gesture. They were doing things like that all the time. Although the
intimacy and meaning behind the often possessive looks should scare her, she
couldn’t work up anything but a warm burst of pleasure. The small signs of
caring reassured her that she wasn’t the only one with growing feelings.

Michael put his phone in his pocket and took a deep breath.
He looked around the room as if to find something to say other than what he’d
just been told.

“What’s wrong, Michael?” she asked bluntly. If it was
anything close to what she expected, she didn’t want to delay getting there.

“There’s been an incident in the city and we need to get
down there.” Michael grimaced. “Mark’s on his way down there to get a look at
it himself.”

Alana’s mouth dried. She’d known it could happen. Someone
could be kidnapped while they were trying to find more information. She’d hoped
they’d find some clue about the motive or perpetrators before it did though.
Now, they had to hope they could find something useful at this kidnapping or
they’d be back in the same position they were now.

Pushing to her feet, she gathered her thoughts and focused.
She grabbed her weapon and her purse. Her gut churned. The kidnappings were
news and everyone knew about them. At least, she didn’t have to hide the truth and
hope to avoid panic as she hunted. Women knew to take precautions.

Although she knew more information was necessary, she hated
that it might come at some other person’s expense. Anger and agitation boiled
within her. Her cat stirred, wanting to get out. Drawing in a few deep breaths,
she sought calm. She had to be professional when they arrived down there. She
didn’t want to miss anything because she was in a rage.

Kane stepped in front of her. His hands settled on her
shoulders. “We’ll stop them, Alana.”

“I know we will. We just need to catch a break and learn
something about them or what they’re doing. Until we do, we’re going to be
questioning more family members, following any leads and simply watching. I
hate that.” She ran her hand over his chest.

She was silent on the way down the mountain. She tried not
to borrow trouble. They wouldn’t know how bad things were until they arrived.
Since Michael and Kane were with her, they would know if there was any magic
involved in this kidnapping. That was a comfort at least. She looked out the
window, watching it flash by while they drove down the mountain.

They entered Corona City and headed through the city to the
west side. It was a primarily residential area, but there were boutiques,
salons, spas and small businesses in an area near the edge of the city. Officers
stood near the yellow tape strung from traffic signs and light poles. It was a
residential street, but the corner lot was empty and the house next to it had a
For Sale sign stuck into the ground. The tape continued to the fence enclosing
a car and part of the yard in the crime scene.

She saw Mark standing with Captain Parker. There weren’t
many onlookers, only a few who probably lived in the neighborhood. She was
surprised. With as many kidnappings that had occurred, she’d expected the media
to be everywhere. Not that she minded the quiet. It was just surprising.

She opened the door and jumped down from the Jeep before
Michael could get to it. Damn, they were getting bold. Another fairly public
attack. Her eyes swept the area. If this was another human, they would have attacked
while the person went about his or her normal day. So what would the victim
have been doing? Perhaps he or she had gotten off from work at one of those
stores down the block.

They walked up to the tape and an officer moved to block
their way. Alana wondered if she’d have to get out her credentials because
Parker was still being a dick, although she thought he’d gotten over that
particular problem.

“Let them through, Clay,” Captain Parker called.

Alana walked slowly forward and Kane and Michael stayed
close to her. She kept her eyes on the ground, unwilling to let any evidence be
trampled. From what she could see though, most everything had been collected.

“Well, what can you tell me?” Alana asked as she walked up
to shake hands with Captain Parker.

“I was wondering more what they could tell us.” Parker
looked to Michael and Kane.

Both men looked blankly back at him. Alana realized they
must not know what Parker was talking about.

“Is there any magic here, Kane?” Alana asked after a moment.

“No presence of any magic. There wasn’t a witch involved
here.” Kane shook his head. “Sorry, I didn’t think you were asking if I felt
anything.”

Captain Parker scowled. “What did you think I meant then?”

“This is usually when the accusations fly and the wording
threw me a little.” Kane shrugged.

Parker merely nodded.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Alana didn’t want to let
them get into an argument. Clashing male attitudes could cause problems.

“Yes, this one apparently didn’t go exactly as they planned.”
Parker began leading them over to the driveway of the house for sale. “The
victim, Lisa Sargent, was attacked as she got into the vehicle or shortly
after. There seems to have been some kind of struggle. When we arrived, the car
alarm was blaring.”

Alana saw the car dome light shining and made her way to the
driver’s side. The door hung open a little. The window was smashed. The glass
littered the front floorboard and the seat, but there was an area clear of the
tiny fragments. Someone was inside when it was smashed. A faint metallic tang
hit Alana’s nose. It was weak and fading, but she recognized it.

“Someone bled?” She looked to Captain Parker.

“We’re not sure if it’s the victim or one of the suspects.
It was on a jacket over the back of the seat and on the door. The jacket is on
its way to the lab to be tested.” Parker stood to the side.

“Was she visiting the house?” Alana asked.

“No, she worked in one of the boutiques down the street.
Normally, the employees can park in back or on the side of the road. Today was
a street-cleaning day. No cars were allowed to park there.” Parker glanced
toward the shops.

“All right, so was there a reason she couldn’t park behind
the store? There are three or four stores down there. There should have been
room, especially for women given what’s been happening lately.” Alana frowned.

“They’re doing inventory in her store and have been for the
past three days. The owner of the store next door had someone’s car towed the
other day when the person parked behind his store instead of the boutique. The
two female managers took the spots at the boutique and I guess Lisa didn’t want
to chance her car being hauled away. The few spaces out front are for customers
so she parked here.” Parker looked like he wanted to have a long talk with that
store owner.

“Bastard. So did they wait too long or did she get away from
them?” Alana took a deep, calming breath. She had to stay in control. She
couldn’t go storming off trying to find out who had denied the woman a safe
place to park.

The woman had gotten kidnapped because the store owner didn’t
want to share the space behind his store. Alana hoped guilt ate at him. She
turned her mind back to the victim.

“She got to her car after they attacked her. We found this
in between the seats.” Captain Parker gestured to an evidence technician, who
brought over a plastic baggie over to them.

Alana leaned forward and looked at a dart. Plastic and
almost syringe-like in its appearance, it was the first physical proof they had
that the men were drugging their victims. She wished she could catch a whiff of
the chemicals in the dart. She might be able to identify the drug. She’d been
dosed with a couple of them, but had experience with others just in a lab.

“Any idea what was in there?” Alana asked.

She hoped Mark had gotten here quickly enough to be present
when they found it. If he was there before the police bagged it, he might have
managed to catch a hint of the chemicals. They needed to know what drugs were
in the dart. The dart looked to be the type used to tranquilize animals. If
they were lucky, they might be able to trace the drugs.

“No, it’s going to the lab and if there’s enough left in the
dart, they’ll get the answer.” Parker said and handed the dart back to the
evidence technician.

Alana looked to Mark.

“They’d already bagged it before I got here. I didn’t smell
any drug in the car so none leaked out,” Mark answered.

“There were mistakes in this kidnapping.” Alana took a slow
look around the area. Where would they have hidden? Where would they have
waited for her to come to her car?

“Some miscalculations at least.” Parker looked down into the
car. “Either they were overconfident in the quickness of the drugs or they were
too late with the shot.”

“And the broken window. I’m not entirely sure, but I think
the blood might be male,” Mark offered.

“You can tell that from smell?” Parker frowned.

“Sometimes. Raised hormone levels can make it possible to
tell gender from the smell of the blood. It’s just different. It changes the
smell and this one I’m pretty sure is male.” Mark shrugged.

Alana knew what he was talking about when he said the smell
was different. She’d come across it a couple of times herself. She walked
around the car and then to the garage. She found depressed grass near a bush
next to the privacy fence.

“One of them knelt there and likely fired the shot while the
other waited in the van ready to move. No one on the street seems to have
noticed the vehicle. They see too many cars park and then leave throughout the
day.” Parker walked over to her.

“Something threw their timing off a little today. They’ve
done this enough that they should know exactly how long it’s going to take for
the drug to take effect.” Alana frowned.

“There could have been another car going down the street and
he waited for it to go by, but I do agree. These are predators. They are too
practiced to make an amateur mistake without a reason,” Mark said from his
position near the car. “They picked their spot well. If you were kneeling I
wouldn’t be able to see you until it was too late.”

“You’d know one of those when you saw them.” Parker glanced
at Mark.

“Yes.” Mark didn’t blink.

Alana had to give Mark credit. That remark about knowing a
predator had raised her hackles. She didn’t know how he hadn’t responded to it
with more than an acknowledgement of the antagonistic comment. Noble Parker had
issues, which he needed to resolve if he was going to remain in this area.

“Do you think maybe there was a mistake this time around
because this is such an active area? Or maybe she was kidnapped by a person she
knew and this isn’t connected to the other abductions. This place isn’t like
the others in a few ways.” Kane looked to Alana. “The people who’ve taken the
shifters haven’t made a mistake before now.”

“It is a little different, but the organization and the
persistence show experience. The abductors’ confidence has been growing while
they worked. This situation wouldn’t have deterred them.” Alana took a deep
breath as she walked back to the car.

She wanted to scream or hit something. This was as close as
she’d been to the kidnappers and she couldn’t even get a good scent. There were
too many other human scents in the air. Kane and Michael looked tense. Both men
stood rigidly with square shoulders. Michael scowled and Kane’s lips were in a
straight line.

“I’d say probably the same too. This is too bold for a
beginner. I think the men simply want more challenge and maybe a little media
attention. Other than comments on the kidnapping and the search for who did it,
this hasn’t gotten much press.” Mark’s fingers drummed on top of his thigh. “They
might want to cause fear and panic.”

Alana looked over the scene again. They were determined. The
woman panicked and was too drugged to think. Although it probably hadn’t taken
more than a minute to get the woman out of the car, breaking the window might
have drawn attention. The alarm would have sounded after the glass broke. Alana
didn’t know if even a siren in the distance would have stopped them

Kane’s hand closed over her shoulder. “What are you
thinking?”

“They are focused. The car alarm had to go off. He had to
pull her out and get her in the van. If it’s just opportunity, why take the
chance of being seen?” Alana frowned. What was so important that they couldn’t
wait for a better opportunity?