The Finding (54 page)

“My apologies
for not cooperating sooner.” Mr. Aldrich inclined his head, his
face expressionless. Cassie wondered what he was feeling. Just a
moment ago it had sounded as if he cared for the woman and
now...”

“I won’t be
cheated out of my commission.” Sylvia continued. “I’ll have to
shoot you here and unfortunately, these two ladies as well.” She
flicked a glance at Cassie and Marla. “Sorry about that, but I
can’t leave witnesses. The helicopter is a bonus though; it will
provide my escape and the people who are presently breaching your
security can take the blame for your deaths.”

Mr. Aldrich
frowned and cocked his head to the side as if trying to figure the
woman out. “Who hired you?”

“Anonymous.”
She answered in clipped tones. “In this business you don’t ask for
names.”

Mr. Aldrich
sighed heavily and shook his head. “I actually liked you, Sylvia.
Do you know how few people I’ve ever said that about?”

Sylvia shook
her head and spoke with mock regret. “Sorry. I should feel honoured
I’m sure. If it makes you feel any better, I did briefly consider
forgoing the hit and staying with you.” She glanced around the
room. “You’re wealthy enough, but after considering the matter I
decided you were too unreliable. I know your type. You dispose of
‘friends’ when the novelty wears off and by then my reputation as
an assassin for hire would be ruined.” She shrugged and raised her
gun. “So unfortunately...”

The quiet yet
unmistakeably muffled sound of a bullet fired from a gun with a
silencer filled the room. Cassie started at the noise, staring at
Mr. Aldrich in dismay. His arm fell limply to the side, his face
greying. “You’re right Sylvia. I am the type to dispose of
friends...” His head fell forward and his shoulders slumped, then
he slowly slid down to sit on the arm of a chair. “... and enemies
who pretend to be friends.”

For a moment
the room was silent, expectation heavy in the air. Then he breathed
deeply once more and straightened, tightening his grip on his gun.
“Goodbye Sylvia. I did...care for you.”

Realizing that
it hadn’t been Mr. Aldrich who was shot, Cassie snapped her head
around to look towards where Sylvia had been standing. The woman
was now lying on the ground, a red stain showing on her prim white
shirt.

“So Cassandra,
it’s just me and you now.” Mr. Aldrich shifted his attention back
to her. His face looked worn and tired.

“And me?” Marla
suddenly jerked as if coming out of a trance and began wringing her
hands, looking nervously behind her, then at the dead body and then
back at Mr. Aldrich. She’d been surprisingly quiet throughout the
whole dramatic event almost as if she were unaware of what was
going on around her.

Mr. Aldrich
looked at Sylvia’s body, then gave a negligent one shouldered
shrug. “Sure, why not? There seems to be an empty seat on the
chopper now. And at least I know where I stand with you. You’re a
conniving bitch, but I won’t make the mistake of expecting anything
more than that from you.” He flicked a glance up and down her body
and then barked out a laugh. “It might even be fun availing myself
of you after all these years of resisting your attempts to seduce
me.”

Cassie watched
as Marla frowned, her eyes seeming to grow unfocussed, but then the
woman gave her head a brief shake and stepped forward. “Whatever
you need, Mr. Aldrich. I’ll be happy to help.”

Using his gun,
Mr. Aldrich indicated that Cassie should stand up.

Cassie obeyed,
but her vision blurred and there was a buzzing in her ears. She
hoped she wouldn’t faint. Maybe it was the shock of another person
being killed in front of her. Her stomach felt queasy and she
swallowed hard to keep from being ill as she cast a final look at
the body on the floor.

“What are you
going to do to me?” She forced the words passed her numb lips.

“I have big
plans for you Cassandra, don’t worry.” Mr. Aldrich opened the
French doors and ushered her out onto the roof top.

The terrace
appeared to cover about a quarter of the roof. There was a hot tub
and several groupings of patio furniture as well as a barbeque with
a wet bar beside it. Several lattice screens and some large cement
flower boxes surrounded the space, serving to delineate the
entertainment area from the rest of the roof. Beyond them, Cassie
could just make out the painted markings for a helicopter landing
pad and several jutting metal objects that appeared to be air vents
or other structures to deal with the internal workings of the
building.

“We’ll wait
here.” Mr. Aldrich sat on the edge of the planter, near an opening
that allowed access to the rest of the roof. He was seemingly
oblivious to the strong cold wind that blew across the open
space.

Cassie shivered
as the wind buffeted against her body, actually forcing her to take
an unplanned step before she steadied herself. At this height the
wind was stronger and colder than at ground level. It tugged at her
hair, pulling strands free from her pony tail so that they whipped
about in her face, stinging her eyes and making it hard to see. She
wished her hands were free so she could at least push the hair
behind her ears. Tugging and twisting her wrists, she tested the
strength of the tape again but it was holding firm.

Marla stood
silently beside her, seemingly lost in thought again. The woman
occasionally brushed the hair from her own face but didn’t seem to
care that the wind was blowing her skirt scandalously high.

After a moment
of studying her, Cassie ignored her, deciding that despite the
men’s warnings, Marla posed no threat; she seemed more like a
wind-up fashion doll than an evil villain.

A noise in the
distance caught her attention and she looked up to see a helicopter
approaching. It was like a huge dark bird of prey, waiting to pluck
her up and carry her off. The sinking feeling in her stomach grew
as she wondered where Mr. Aldrich might be taking her and what his
‘big plans’ might entail once they arrived.

Desperately,
she wished Bryan were there, holding her close as he’d done last
night. It had seemed so right to be with him, like she’d finally
found her home. She cursed herself for not making use of the
opportunity to share her feelings. Instead, she’d just absorbed the
security of his presence and listened to the rise and fall of his
voice as he spoke. Why hadn’t she said something more than ‘I
really like you’ when she’d had the chance? ‘Like’ was so banal.
‘Like’ was vanilla ice cream or toast with butter. There were lots
of things she
liked,
but her feelings for Bryan were so much
more. And this morning in the alley, she’d told him to be careful,
but something had held her back from saying more. She’d wanted to,
but the words wouldn’t come.

Swallowing
hard, she faced the cold reality that now it might be too late.

*****

They’d finally
done it. They’d reached the penthouse. Now, only a door separated
him from Cassie. Bryan wiped the sweat from his eyes and grasped
the handle only to jerk back swearing.

“What is it?”
Ryne was breathing heavily as he pulled himself up the final steps
followed by Kane.

“Damn! The door
has an electric charge.” Bryan growled in frustration as he
examined the burn marks on his palm. His skin was already healing,
but it still hurt. He shook his arm trying to rid it of the
tingling feeling the electrical jolt had caused.

Kane
immediately began examining the door. “There’s no obvious wiring
for us to disconnect.”

“What about
behind this plate?” Ryne hunkered down by a rectangular piece of
metal located beside the door. He tried to work his fingers around
the edge and pry it off but couldn’t find anything to hold on to.
“Anyone have a screwdriver or a knife on them? If we can get inside
here, maybe we can short out the system.”

“Sorry, didn’t
think to pack one.” Bryan answered distractedly as he stared at a
metal grate near the ceiling. “This looks like an air vent.” He
reached up and worked his fingers between the slats and pulled.
There was a screeching sound of metal against metal. Taking a deep
breath, he pulled even harder and suddenly he was stumbling
backwards as the covering came loose. Setting it down, he grasped
the edge of the opening and chinned himself to peer inside. “Damn!
Too small. None of us would fit inside.” Dropping to the floor, he
ran his hands through his hair in frustration. “How the hell are we
supposed to get in? We haven’t climbed forty storeys just to be
stopped by a door.” He reached out and grabbed the handle only to
jerk back as, once again, it shocked him.

Kane had his
hands spread before him and was hovering them over the door’s
surface. “The charge doesn’t seem to be deadly, at least not for
me. I think I can drain it or maybe even short circuit it.”

“No way. It’s
too dangerous.” Ryne looked up from where he was still trying to
loosen the metal plate, a frown on his face.

Bryan shook his
head. “I agree with Ryne. We use energy from our surroundings when
we transform, but we only absorb the minimal amount required. The
energy in the door will come at you in one big jolt. Your body
won’t know how to handle it.”

“I don’t think
so.” Kane was studying the door, his eyes narrowed. “I can almost
see the electrical current. I’m sure it’s only marginally more than
what I use when I change. Besides, without sounding like I’m
bragging, I’m a strong Alpha. Controlling a bit of extra input
might tire me out, but that’s all and it will only be for a moment.
If I touch the door and channel the energy into a transformation,
it should give you a chance to grab the handle and yank the door
open. Once you’re in, I’ll let go.”

Rising to his
feet, Ryne nodded slowly. “I hate to say it Kane, but you’re on to
something. The plan just needs one modification.”

Kane quirked
his eyebrow. “Such as...?”

Ryne grinned.
“We both do it. Two Alphas absorbing the energy are better than
one.”

Bryan shifted
uneasily. The idea of both men risking their lives at the same time
didn’t sit well with the Beta in him. Protecting the pack, taking
the risks; that was his job. Yet he knew he didn’t have the mental
control needed to channel an external charge of that magnitude.

“You two better
be right about this because I don’t want to face Mel and Elise if
something happens to either of you.” He expressed his concern
through a joke.

Ryne clapped
him on his back. “It’d be a good experience for you. Who knows, you
might be placating an irate mate sooner than you think.”

Bryan didn’t
have an opportunity to respond as suddenly Ryne was all business.
The two Alphas stood side by side, hands outstretched ready to
touch the door.

Kane looked
over his shoulder at Bryan. “As soon as we touch the door, we’ll
start to transform. It’ll be fast and probably won’t be pretty, but
don’t worry about us. The charge in the door will have dropped
sufficiently that you’ll be able to pull it open safely. Once it’s
open, we’ll let go and the door will recharge so don’t brush
against it when you go through.”

“We might need
a minute to recuperate but don’t wait for us.” Ryne added. “Just
get in there and find Cassie. Make sure she’s safe before you start
to deal with Marla and Aldrich. We should be there to help you by
then.

Nodding, Bryan
braced himself, his hand held out, ready to grab the door. His
teeth were clenched and he felt a muscle throbbing in his jaw. If
there was any other way, he’d try to dissuade them, but another
solution wasn’t apparent. And Cassie was inside and in trouble; he
couldn’t not do everything possible to get to her. Taking a deep
breath, he called out. “Ready.”

The brothers
looked at each other, their faces grim and then as one leaned into
the door.

Immediately
they gave a loud cry of pain and their bodies went rigid. Wincing,
Bryan forced himself not to look and grabbed the handle instead.
Only a slight tingling affected his palm as the Alphas absorbed
most of the charge. He yanked the door open with all his might,
kicked the attached door-stop into place and immediately released
the handle. The momentum dislodged the Alpha’s hands and they
dropped to the ground, writhing as the forced transformation swept
through them.

The change
happened at an alarming rate. Instead of the usual gradual morph
when skin and bone melted and reshaped with fluidity, this appeared
to be a sudden agonizing slam with all the grace and finesse of a
train wreck. Limbs cracked loudly and reshaped in the blink of an
eye, hair tore itself through skin, joints shifted, nerves and
muscles spasmed, teeth ripped through gums while muzzles pushed
outward grotesquely distorting features. It was like something out
of a horror movie, too terrifying to watch yet holding the observer
captive with morbid curiosity.

In mere seconds
it was over and two black wolves lay unmoving on the floor.

*****

Elise dropped
her tea cup on the floor, gasping as pain slammed through her. She
gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles white as she fought not
to pass out. “Something’s wrong.”

“Wha...? Oh
God!” Liquid sloshed over the table as Mel set her own cup down
abruptly. She seemed to be struggling to breathe, her eyes squeezed
tightly shut.

Around them
patrons turned to stare and Elise forced herself to stay calm,
fighting the panic that welled up inside her. They were in public,
surrounded by humans. She couldn’t give in, no matter how
desperately she wanted to. Leaning forward slightly, she whispered
to Mel. “We have to get out here!”

Mel nodded, her
arms wrapped around her abdomen, as she rocked in place. Her lips
tightly compressed as if she were fighting to stay in control.