The Finding (59 page)

“What’s your
security clearance?” Meredith snapped the question at the
guard.

“No. Don’t
waste your time on him.” Franklin directed the comment at Meredith,
pleased that his skills hadn’t tarnished from lack of use. “He’s
obviously not involved.”

“Unless, it’s a
clever ruse. Perhaps we should bring him in for questioning. He
might know something.” Meredith gave the man a considering look
before moving on.

Striding
through the lobby as if they had every right to be there, they made
their way to the elevators, the guard trailing behind, sputtering
questions of who and what and why.

“Penthouse
suite, now.” Franklin barked out the command, pleased when the man
jumped. He smiled inwardly. Damn, but I still have it, he thought
to himself.

“I...I’m sorry,
sir, but that elevator is out of commission. Er...what branch of
the government are you with?”

Franklin and
Meredith exchanged looks of concern. How were they going to save
Cassie if they couldn’t get up to the penthouse?

“Alternate
entrance?” Meredith ignored his question and gave him a hard stare.
There was no indication of the worry she must be experiencing.

“There’s just
the stairs, but they’re only used in case of fire.” The man
explained apologetically. “It’s forty storeys up, you know.”

“Johnston!” A
voice called from down the hallway. Another security guard was
walking towards them. “Why aren’t you answering you’re phone?”

“Sorry,
Vanderpelt. I was dealing with these people.” He gestured towards
Franklin and Meredith then added in a sotto whisper, “Government
suits.”

Vanderpelt
nodded. “Sorry to interrupt. When you’re done here Johnston, we
have a dead dog in the courtyard. Seems if fell off the roof
somehow. Big grey brute; almost looks like a wolf.”

“A wolf?”
Meredith started and paled.

Franklin
struggled to keep his face implacable. “Can we see it? We’re
dealing with the illegal smuggling of wolves and have reason to
believe the occupants of the penthouse are involved.”

“Smuggling
wolves?” Vanderpelt gave a disbelieving look then shrugged. “Sure.
Whatever. As long as I don’t have to dispose of the carcass. Follow
me.” He turned and led the way to the patio.

When Franklin
stepped outside, he saw two young women standing near a dead animal
and fear clenched his chest. Could the wolf be Miss Cassie?
Meredith grabbed his arm, obviously looking for support as they
walked closer.

Franklin
narrowed his eyes, wondering who the women were. One looked vaguely
familiar and he searched his memory. Ah! Her pictures were in Mr.
Greyson’s files, the ones he had hidden away along with the wolf
picture that had started it all. It was Miss Greene, the young
reporter. He furrowed his brow in a moment of indecision before
deciding to take a chance on her.

He nodded
towards the women. “Those are two of our agents. We’ll need to talk
to them in private about this matter.”

Vanderpelt
rolled his eyes, but agreed. As he walked away, Franklin could hear
the man muttering about how his tax dollars were being spent on
ridiculous projects like capturing wolf smugglers.

Franklin
loosened Meredith’s grip on his arm. “I’d better approach alone. If
one of them is what I think she is, she’ll be leery of strangers.”
Taking a deep breath, he approached the women. “Excuse me, are you
Miss Greene?” He spoke softly and the woman turned as did her
companion, looks of shock on both their faces.

“I...Yes,
that’s me. And you are...?”

“Franklin. I
worked for Mr. Greyson and am a friend of Miss Cassie.”

Both women gave
him a wary look and he tried to reassure them without tipping his
hand too much.

“I’m aware of
Miss Cassie’s...special qualities...and am only concerned for her
wellbeing. Might I inquire if...” He swallowed and nodded toward
the dead wolf on the ground.

For a moment
neither woman spoke, they just studied him carefully, then Miss
Greene slowly shook her head. “Miss Cassie isn’t here”

“Ah...” He let
his relief be seen. “That is exceptionally good news. Do you know
where she might be?”

Both women
looked up and Franklin followed their line of sight to the rooftop.
He tightened his lips and exhaled in frustration.

*****

Bryan gritted
his teeth as he pulled himself up, one arm cradling his bruised
ribs as he tried to stand on his injured limb. The bullet had gone
straight through and he could feel the warmth of blood still
trickling down his leg. Nope, silver wasn’t deadly to werewolves,
only an allergen, but dammit, it hurt and he was more sensitive
than most. A stinging burn accompanied the throbbing of the wound,
traces of silver left behind as the bullet passed through. It would
also slow down the healing process. Shit! He took a hobbling step
and exhaled loudly trying to rise above the pain.

Looking up, the
sight that met his eyes, drew all thought from his injuries
however. Aldrich had just tossed Cassie into the helicopter and was
now climbing in after her!

Bryan clenched
his jaw and began running. It was a slim chance, but maybe...

“Up! Up! I want
this thing in the air now!” Aldrich was shrieking instructions, the
wind carrying the words towards Bryan.

Damn! He
couldn’t be too late. If Aldrich got away...

The chopper
began to slowly rise, wobbling slightly as the gusting winds
battered it. The pilot seemed to be cautious in his manoeuvres,
perhaps leery of flying in such conditions or perhaps shocked from
what he’d probably witnessed.

Pain rippled
through his body with each breath he took and shot up and down his
leg with each pounding step, but he didn’t falter. Closer,
closer...

Hanging on to a
safety rope, Aldrich was leaning out, looking down even as the
helicopter rose from the rooftop. The man crowed over his success,
calling down taunts. “You lost. I won. I’ll always win against you.
You’re nothing but freaks of nature!”

“What’s going
on” The pilot could be heard shouting questions back at
Aldrich.

“None of your
business. Just get us out of here.”

“Okay, but
strap yourself in and stay away from that door. The winds are
strong and we’re in for a rough ride.”

“Yes, yes. Just
go!” Aldrich waved his hand dismissively at the pilot and looked
out again, no doubt gloating over his escape.

Bryan inhaled
deeply and tensed his muscles. The man might think he was getting
away, but...

Taking two
final running steps, Bryan leapt into the air and grabbed hold of
one of the chopper’s skids with one hand. His added weight made the
helicopter list to the side and the pilot cursed violently. He
could hear whimpering coming from inside the chopper; Cassie must
be waking up! Gathering his strength Bryan managed to bring his
other arm up as well so that he now had a two handed grip.

Above him, he
could hear Aldrich shouting directions at the pilot. “Shake him
off! Shake him off!” There was terror in the man’s voice and well
there should be, Bryan thought to himself with a snarl, but
first...

“Cassie!” He
shouted her name, praying she would hear him. “Cassie, wake up!
You’ve have to get out of there!”

He took a brief
glance down and gulped when he saw how high up he was; the drop was
at least twenty feet to the roof top. If Cassie didn’t wake up and
jump out in the next few seconds, they’d be too high up and the
drop could be deadly.

Out of the
corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Ryne and Kane as well.
They weren’t moving quickly, but at least Cassie wouldn’t be alone
should the worst happen and he didn’t make it.

Suddenly, the
chopper began to swing from side to side and he snapped his focus
back to the skid he was holding onto with all his might. Obviously,
Aldrich had persuaded the pilot to follow the command to shake him
loose.

Bryan tried to
chin himself enough so he could swing one leg up, but his injured
limb refused to cooperate. Cursing, he tried to bring his other leg
up, only the chopper swung around in a circle and he missed. His
arm muscles were burning, trembling from the strain and his bruised
ribs protested being stretched. Fear and pain had his hands
sweating. He felt his fingers slipping and sought to tighten his
grip, when something smashed against his fingers.

Reflexively, he
jerked away and found himself dangling by one hand.

“Ha! Take
that!” Aldrich was hanging half out of the helicopter, and had used
his foot to stamp on Bryan’s fingers.

Suddenly,
Cassie’s head appeared, peering out the door. “Jump, Cassie!” Bryan
issued the command, but her wolf whimpered, instinctively scared of
the height. Its front paws shuffled nervously as it looked down. He
could see the fear and confusion in her eyes, but there was no time
for pretty words. It was leap from the chopper or be carried away
by Aldrich to suffer who knew what.

Better the
devil you know, he whispered to himself. Praying she’d survive, he
growled his instructions. “Now! I’m giving you an order.”

For a moment
their eyes locked. He saw pure trust and belief shining in them,
her faith that he wouldn’t lead her astray and then...Cassie
launched herself from the helicopter, the force of her pushing off
causing the machine to sway even more.

“No!” That’s my
werewolf!” Aldrich shouted in fury.

The man’s words
ruined any chance of Bryan hearing Cassie land. Was she safe? He
closed his eyes; he’d made the best decision he could, he told
himself. Ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach, he was about to
turn and look down when Aldrich swore.

“Damn you!
You’ll pay for this.” The man was inching along the skid, intent on
stepping on Bryan’s other hand.

Bryan clenched
his jaw and slowly pulled himself up with one arm until he could
swing the other up, grabbing onto Aldrich’s ankle.

“No! Let go!
Take your filthy hands off me!” Aldrich kicked and jerked,
obviously desperate to free himself. Bryan tried to hang on, but
knew his strength was almost spent. His fingers slipped a bit more.
The wind buffeted the helicopter again and it swung around, Aldrich
leaned even further out of the chopper still struggling to shake
free, only his grip on the safety rope keeping him from
falling.

And that’s when
it happened. Bryan watched the expression on the man’s face as it
switched from pure rage to terror and then... Aldrich’s hand
slipped on the safety rope and he screamed, toppling into space. It
happened in a split second and before Bryan could think to let go,
the lawyer’s weight jerked against his arm and he too was pulled
down.

There was a
sense of air streaming past him, a crowd gathered below, the
rooftop and the edge of the building rushing closer and closer and
then...nothing.

****

Cassie crouched
near Bryan’s unconscious body, uncaring of the hard surface beneath
her knees or the cold wind that whipped her hair into her face.
People were hurrying past her, but she didn’t look up to see what
they were doing. Instead she kept her eyes glued on Bryan, watching
the steady rise and fall of his chest, the pulsing of the vein in
his neck. She hadn’t dared move him, unsure of what type of
injuries he might have sustained, instead she forced herself to
just stroke his hair and press a careful kiss on his forehead.

Ryne had
assured her, he’d be fine; that Bryan’s metabolism would quickly
heal any breaks or even a concussion, but she hadn’t really
believed it until he started to move about and murmur.

“Bryan. Bryan?”
She stroked his face and grasped his hand. “Please wake up and look
at me so I know you’re really all right.”

Bryan’s closed
eyes quivered, then he slowly opened them and looked at her
blearily. A crooked smile formed on his lips. “Hey! You’re okay.”
He reached up to cup her cheek and she leaned into his caress,
sniffling lightly as a few stray tears escaped. “Ah Cassie, don’t
cry.”

He moved to get
up and she jerked her head away, pressing her hands to his chest to
keep him on the ground. “Don’t you dare! You stay right here until
we’re sure you haven’t damaged anything.” She leaned back and
called for their Alpha. “Ryne! He’s awake. Can you come and check
on him?”

Ryne sauntered
over, a towel wrapped around his waist. He seemed impervious to the
cold temperatures as he hunkered down beside Bryan. “Your mate’s
worried about you. You okay?”

Cassie shot her
Alpha a panicked look at the word ‘mate.’ What was Ryne talking
about? She opened her mouth to protest, but then clamped it shut.
Time for that later, Bryan was what mattered right now.

Bryan moved to
sit up again and Ryne didn’t stop him so Cassie just bit her lip.
Supposedly Alphas knew best. “Yeah, I’m fine. Feel like I’ve been
hit by a truck though.”

Ryne nodded
wisely. “Falling out of a helicopter will do that to you. Anything
permanently damaged?”

Slowly, Bryan
moved his limbs, wincing when it came to the leg that had been
shot. “Nothing permanent though my leg stings. Aldrich was using
damned silver bullets. I’ll probably have a rash for weeks.”

A crooked smile
broke out on Ryne’s face and Cassie sensed he’d been more worried
about his Beta than he’d let on. “Maybe Cassie can help you apply
some cream.” He winked at her roguishly and she felt her face burn
with embarrassment. What was it with Ryne and all the sexual
innuendo?

Bryan jerked
his chin towards Ryne. “A bit cold for sunbathing or were you using
Aldrich’s hot tub?”

Ryne glanced
down at his near naked form and chuckled. “Nah, when Kane and I
switched forms, we...er...were a little low on energy and had to
make some concessions. Luckily two cleaning ladies came along and
we persuaded them to lend us some towels.” Ryne grinned. “They were
very helpful and under the impression that some elaborate security
check was going on. You know anything about that?”