Dark Refuge (5 page)

He took a sip and winked at Em. She turned and smiled at Sissy, and that’s when she saw the tears rolling slowly down the woman’s face. Carefully Em took the glass from her hand. Sissy hadn’t even tasted it, but this whole evening had to be overwhelming for her.

Em wrapped her arms around Sissy once more, but this time she hugged her close. After a moment, Sissy hugged her back, sobbing against Em’s shoulder. Her thoughts spilled out, scattered and so jumbled it was hard to interpret what she was saying. It took her a few minutes, but finally she got herself under control. Gabe hadn’t said a word, but he must have made a quick trip into the executive washroom because he handed her a damp washcloth. Sissy wiped her face, and then held it against her eyes for a moment, almost as if she hid herself from the two of them.

“That explains so much.” Her words tumbled out as she scrubbed more tears away. “I have dreams of running through the forest. I can smell trees and fresh clean grass and feel pine needles beneath my paws. Those dreams are all that keep me sane. I know what Chanku are, and I took the pills before, because I was so sure, but I never shifted.”

“How long did you take them?” Gabe sat on the edge of his desk, while Emeline and Sissy each took one of the big overstuffed office chairs in front of him.

“Only a few days. Then I was abducted. I was hiking on Mount Tam, it was early evening and I think they darted me. I remember a sting in my leg, and the next thing I knew I was waking up in a cage somewhere in the city.”

Em took her hand. “Do you have family? Anyone who would be looking for you?”

Sissy shook her head. “No. I was a foster kid. My mom was a drug addict and a whore. She died when I was ten. I don’t know who my father was. One of the johns, I guess.”

Gabe went around to the back of the desk and pulled a bottle of pills out of a drawer. “Here are enough nutrients to get you all the way to changing. Is there a way you can hide them when you go back?”

“Go back?” Em looked at Sissy and then Gabe. “She can’t go back.”

“She has to, Em. I don’t like it either, but there are six women being held captive. One of them is kept at all times to insure the others return. If Sissy doesn’t go back, whoever is being held as collateral will die.”

Sissy took a sip of the cognac and smiled at Em. “Gabe’s right. I have to go back, but somehow we need to figure out how you can get all of us out.”

“Where are you kept?”

“I don’t know. There’s always a handler with us, and we’re taken out blindfolded. Russo’s mine tonight. He’s so mean.” She swallowed, and the tension radiated off her in waves. “How long have we been here?”

“Only half an hour or so.” Gabe laughed. “You’re pretty high-priced, Sissy. You can tell Russo that I wanted my money’s worth. Here’s what we’re gonna do.” He walked across the room to a small cabinet, spun the combination lock, removed an envelope and took out what looked like a clear bandage.

He showed it to Emeline and Sissy. “Em, do you remember that espionage case Dad had me investigating, the contract employee we suspected was stealing company secrets? This is how we got him.”

“What is it?” Em took the item from Gabe and showed it to Sissy. “A plastic bandage?”

“It’s a location device with a built-in GPS. I have a pretty sophisticated tracking system built into my mobile that can lock on to the signal this thing throws out once it’s activated. It’s linked specifically to my equipment, but I can add the app to yours, Em. We’ll be able to track Sissy and find where they’re keeping her.”

“I actually have a bandage over a scrape on my thigh. Can we stick it there? No one should think anything of it, in case they notice it.”

Gabe knelt beside Sissy as she pulled up her skirt, exposing what looked, to Em anyway, like an inordinate amount of perfect creamy thigh. She felt like a troll next to this beautiful woman, but she watched, fascinated by Gabe’s strong, dark fingers as he peeled the older, more traditional bandage off her thigh and replaced it with the GPS.

His phone rang, and Gabe answered as he stood. “Okay. Let him stay in the lobby. Tell him we’ll be down in about ten minutes. Thank you.”

“It appears Russo is growing impatient.”

Sissy shuddered. “I hate him. He rarely lets me go with someone he doesn’t recognize. He probably thought you must have a lot of money, and he’s greedy.”

Gabe nodded. “Gotcha. Emeline, I’ll go down with Sissy. I want you to wait here. Use the tablet to familiarize yourself with the app. The tracking software’s already loaded on it, too. In fact, go ahead and download the app to your phone while we’re gone.” He grabbed the computerized tablet and clicked it on, typed in a password, hit one of the icons and handed it to Emeline. A schematic of the CGI building came up on the screen with a yellow dot blinking right where it should be. She showed it to Sissy. “There you are. Just make sure you don’t wash the bandage off.”

“Not a problem,” Gabe said. “It’s got waterproof glue. That thing’s not going anywhere without solvent.” Then he grabbed the bottle of pills and dumped about a dozen into a small plastic bag and gave it to Sissy. He watched while she stuck them in her pocket. “Your mindspeech is already strong, Sissy, but if you can take more of those pills, at least two a day for the next few days, you should be able to project a couple of miles, at least. Are any of the other women Chanku?”

“I don’t know. I can’t talk to them without words, not the way I can with you two.”

“When are you all there at the same time?”

“Generally during the day. We sleep then. Russo’s anxious because he still expects me to go out and pick up another john tonight.”

“Crap.” Em grabbed her hands. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m okay.” Sissy sighed. “I’ve been doing this now for way too many years. One more won’t be a problem. Not when I know there’s actually someone trying to help me.”

“If anything happens, you’re at Chanku Global Industries on Kearny. This is a safe place for you. You have my word. Your image is already in our security files, and I’ll make sure our men know you’re to be offered refuge at any time. If you have the other women with you, that’s even better.” Gabe stood. “Now, though, we need to head down to meet Russo.” He went back to his desk and reached inside. When he shut the drawer, he was holding a stack of bills. “There’s three thousand dollars here.”

Sissy gasped. “But why?”

“Because you’re very good at what you do.” He laughed, but Sissy looked at him like he was nuts.

“I’m teasing. We’re going to work with your bodyguard’s greed. I’m going down there with you and I’m going to peel off two thousand and then tell Russo there’s a tip in it for him if I can have you again tomorrow night. And only you. He’ll get the other thousand then, and I imagine there won’t be any problem arranging for your time. We’ll move as fast as we can on this, but you might have to be patient for a day or two longer. I don’t want to go in without backup, and not until I know you and either Em or me can communicate telepathically for a fairly good distance. That way we can let you know when we’re coming and you can tell us what to expect, how many guards there are, that sort of thing. You okay with that? We’ll only come after you when we can get all six of you out at the same time.”

Em squeezed her hand. “Whatever you do, Sissy, don’t tell the others. We can’t risk one of them giving anything away, okay?”

“Okay. I understand. Thank you. I don’t know what to say.”

Em grabbed her glass of cognac and tapped the one she put in Sissy’s hand. “I know what to say. Goddess be with us, and here’s to springing you from those bastards ASAP.” She tipped her glass, took a sip of the cognac, and memories flooded her mind. Memories of home. Of life with the pack.

Of her life before whatever happened that made everything change.

She raised her head and caught Gabe staring at her. His eyes were troubled, and she knew he must be horribly worried about Sissy. Still, she sent a silent message, directed only at Gabe.
She’ll be okay. We will save her.

The corner of Gabe’s mouth twitched into a small bit of a smile.
I know we will, Emy. It’s not Sissy I’m worried about. Whatever has put those shadows in your heart, I promise to help you find out what they’re hiding. But you’re right. We’ll save Sissy and the other women first. Time to get going.

Gabe upended his glass and finished the cognac. Em and Sissy did the same, and then both of them got the giggles when they started coughing. Em wiped her eyes, still giggling, and grinned at Gabe. “Well, that’s certainly not the way Anton’s precious cognac is meant to be enjoyed.”

She gave Sissy another tight, fast hug. “Good luck, and remember, we’re going to do everything we can, as soon as we can. And when you’re free and we’ve got the time, I’m going to have Gabe tell you everything about his father. That’s where the cognac comes from.”

“Okay.” Sissy looked confused, but she took a deep breath and turned to Gabe. “It’s time, right?”

“It’s time.” He took her arm, leaned over and gave Em a quick kiss, and before she had time to react, he and Sissy were out the door.

Em grabbed the tablet and her phone, downloaded the app and watched the little blinking light move down the hall to the elevator. Sissy had guts. She was the bravest woman Emeline had ever met. And she hoped like hell that between Gabe and herself they’d be able to save everyone being held by Sissy’s captors.

And Gabriel Cheval had kissed her.

• • •

Gabe sipped at his cup of coffee while he flipped through email. It was early, barely after five in the morning, but he was enjoying the quiet, and since his body was still on Mountain Time, it felt like his usual time to get up.

The fact he and Emeline hadn’t gone off to their respective beds until around three this morning was going to catch up with him later. Of course, if he’d been in Em’s bed, he’d probably still be there, but that wasn’t going to happen. She obviously had some huge issues with him, issues she wasn’t about to share, and if he was totally honest, he had issues of his own.

He still saw her as that adorable—and then as she got older and more mobile—irritating little sister, tagging along with little Luci and bugging the hell out of Aaron and Jace and him. But somehow, those visuals were becoming less important the more time he spent with her.

Physically, she didn’t resemble the munchkin of his memories at all, and Goddess be damned, but he certainly wasn’t thinking of her as a kid sister anymore. They weren’t related at all, though they shared the last name, but when she was little and he was a cocky teenager, it had been easier to lump all the little girls who played with his sister Luci into the same mold—they were all bratty little sisters.

Not anymore. No, now she was funny and smart and so fucking hot. All that glorious long black hair waving around her shoulders clear to her waist, her silky skin the color of toffee. He’d fallen asleep early this morning with images of Em wearing nothing but waves of dark, shiny hair and a beautiful smile.

He glanced up as she shuffled into the kitchen, looking all sleep-rumpled and hugely approachable, but she went straight to the coffeepot and poured a cup before taking a seat across from him at the long trestle table. This place was designed to feed a crowd, but it somehow felt terribly intimate with just the two of them.

“Rough night?” he said, grinning at her.

She merely glared at him and took a sip of her coffee.

“Ah. Not a morning person, I see.” He held up his mobile phone. “Sissy’s still in the same spot.”

“She’ll probably get to sleep until noon. Shouldn’t we go rescue them, while everyone’s sleeping?” Scowling, Em took another sip.

“I don’t think we should attempt the rescue today. I want to go out in a couple more hours. We go snooping around too early in the day it’s going to look like we’re snooping.”

“Well, of course it is. Because that’s what we’ll be doing.”

He couldn’t believe how cute she was like this—grumpy and rumpled and not at all trying to put him off. He really liked her like this. “Exactly,” he said, “but I don’t want Russo and his buddies to know that. Today I only want to find out which floor they’re on where they live, see if we can make mental contact with Sissy from outside the building. We’ve got the address because of the mapping feature with the bug. Tonight I’ll wait for her on the corner, hire her for the evening, and that will give us time to go over the layout of the place. Plus, we can figure out the best time to go in. I’m going to call Alex later this morning. I don’t want us to go in on our own.”

“Shouldn’t we contact the local authorities?”

“Not with Chanku involved. We’re not required to, and the more people we involve, the harder it will be to insure the women’s safety. There have been too many bungled rescues of women in the past few months. I worry about a snitch inside the force.”

“True. There’s always a risk, the more you involve.” She yawned and stretched her arms up over her head.

Gabe caught a glimpse of honey-colored belly between her gray knit yoga pants and white tee. He practically salivated, he wanted so badly to taste her. Instead, he glanced away. “You know, you didn’t have to get up so early.”

“I smelled coffee.” She glared at the cup, took another sip.

“We could always go back to bed.”

Her head shot up. She frowned again. “What did you say?”

He grinned and held his cup to his lips. “We could always go back to bed. You. Me. Warm, rumpled sheets. Warmer bodies.” He dropped the leer and set his cup back on the table. “And no, Em. I’m not teasing and I’m not kidding. You really are beautiful, and looking like this, all tousled and sleepy, you’re too damned hot for me to ignore. Besides, it’s a big bed. I was lonely last night. I don’t like to sleep alone.”

She took another sip of her coffee and stared at him, and he wondered if he should apologize. But she was beautiful, and she was definitely sexy, and they were Chanku. They had sex with their packmates all the time, but for some reason, with Emeline it felt like a monumental step even to suggest it.

She set her cup down, brushed her tangled hair back from her face with one hand, and the knot between her eyebrows went even deeper. She was obviously thinking this through. Then she pushed her chair back and stood. “Okay. Your room or mine?”