Chapter 137

Art POV

Dropping Lewis had been a risk I needed to take. Justice had him chained somewhere safe for the time being courtesy of an Alpha Council containment chamber.

The Alpha Council had specialized containment chambers installed in private homes, wolfen government buildings, businesses, and even in emergency bunkers. There were fugitives of every species kept in care for trial or imprisoned for punishment.

Lewis was only one of the masses now---I didn't have the energy to deal with him while the Flores woman was the victim of an abduction. I couldn't even think of the fallout if her captors killed her. Two packs losing an heir at once? Two Alphas who wanted to claim her for their mate losing her at once?

Just the thought was enough to make me nauseated from a migraine.

All these people gave me a headache; I couldn't wait for this assignment to be over.

Getting Wright to the drop with the money was an agonizing series of steps I couldn't even think about. I was amazed I got him into his car without attacking any of those involved in the ransom drop.

The Flores woman was smarter than most I dealt with which was evident the moment the abductor came for the money.

Hooded, careful to avoid looking into any cameras, no one would have been able to describe the male using any specifics. He was only a male of average height, build, and nondescript in plain clothes and a solid hoodie. His description could have matched any number of men.

Except.

He reeked of Rachel Flores's blood.

Frenzy drove me to tackle him to the ground hard enough to break ribs on both sides of his chest, dislocate his shoulder, fracture his collarbone, and a dozen other injuries I could sense without any real understanding of the damage done to this man, this lowbreed wolf, this prey.

"Help! Help!" the man yelled, struggling underneath my bulk as I banged him onto the ground once more to shut him up.

"The Flores woman," I snarled, vision narrowed down to bursts of color from heat signatures, "Where is she?"

My teeth were pure fangs at this stage. I cut my lips as I tried to speak in spite of the urge to bite, tear, drink, drain the scum beneath me.

I realized I was no better than Lewis right as I was leaning down to feast on the fiend's blood.

Pulling back, I hissed at him, "Show me where you're keeping her or I'll show you your insides."

Both of us were in a heightened state of agitation -me from the desire to ravage this cretin for being coated in Rachel's blood and him from the pain of his injuries- but I was able to clear my head enough to focus on his thoughts.

A hotel suite. Boring decor. Only one entrance door with an electronic card reader. Rachel.

"Show her to me," I demanded.

Keeping my face as close to his as possible without actually touching him, I breathed out so he was forced to breathe in my air, making it so we were recycling the same breath between us over and over. It was a suffocating experience for us both.

The difference between the sensation for me and the same for him was I knew I was in control of the situation.

I could lean back at any time. Draw in fresh oxygen. Purge this vermin from my lungs permanently while he could only breathe in what I breathed out for him, choking on my leavings until I chose to let him go.

I wasn't sure I was going to let him go when he flashed a memory in his mind of Rachel placing a bleeding hand to his arm.

Was she reaching out for help? Or mercy? Had this creature harmed her or had she been injured accidentally or by her own design?

I couldn't tell from his memories; I couldn't focus enough to force him to remember what he knew exactly.

My curse was a curse. I was damned to it. The vampire demon caged in my head with my wolf was not easy to control.

"We're going back to her. Now!"

I latched onto the man's thoughts as he instinctively recalled Rachel's location, then I slid us through space to appear before her in the sitting room of the suite they were holding her in.

Throwing the abductor away from me, I moved to kneel before Rachel, "Are you alright? Did they cut you or was it an accident?"

"I did it," Rachel said, a bright grin bursting across her face before she launched herself against me, "I'm so glad it worked! I knew you said you could track my blood. I cut myself on the water glass. Can you take me to Tyler? Can you take me right now?"

I returned her embrace for a moment. There was never a time when I would turn down a hug from a soft, willing female. Rachel was a beautiful woman.

"I can," I agreed.

I took a moment to focus on where I could put her easiest and where she would be safest. My decision was Bella's apartment as I knew she would be safe with Lindy and Wright could get to her quickly while I went back to deal with the ones who'd taken Rachel.

"Rachel!" Lindy shrieked, rushing over to tug her away from me and into her arms for a fierce hug. The bruising on her face was still stunning. I supposed they'd done a more thorough number on her than I had imagined.

Lindy might not be totally useless after all. If only Lewis could be made to see that, I thought with a wry grin.

"Call Wright to come to you. I'll go back to handle the ones who took you. They'll face justice. You have my word for it."

"My fathers did it!" Rachel said suddenly, "It was Patrick and Richard Campbell. They're working together. My mother is alive, too. They have to tell us where she's being kept. You have to find out, Art. I can't let them keep her locked up. She needs to come home to me and to Ethan. Please."

Nodding, I agreed easily enough, "I can go get her as soon as they come up with her location. Rachel, I need you to understand you're safe here. Don't go looking for trouble by running off, alright? Stay here until Wright gets to you."

Rachel sank into one of the oversized chairs in the living area, saying, "Yes, I'll stay here. Tyler will come for me. You'll make sure to get them, won't you?"

I made the symbol of an 'x' over my chest and grinned, "Cross my heart and hope to die. They'll regret this."

I took a moment to memorize Rachel's face, the slight curve of her baby bump, and the myriad marks on her body from her ordeal. I wanted to have her image in my mind so I could remember why I was doing this in case I had to chase her abductors to ground again.

"I'll be back when things are in hand."

It was as much a promise to her as to myself. I'd developed a fondness for the Flores woman even if her case was one of the most annoying I'd ever been assigned.

Sliding back to the hotel suite, I was unsurprised to find the one man still there. He was collapsed on the sofa, holding his broken ribs while talking on the phone.

I overheard him saying, "---then that Alpha Inspector just took her. Poof! She was gone! What do you mean why didn't I stop him?"

"You should tell them they'll need to call you back. A lot later. Think: decades later," I warned before I grabbed for his wrist and slid us to the nearest containment facility for those who would await trial.

Justice was there already, barely glancing at me as she continued flipping through a magazine, "New arrival is special order or just part of the current case?"

"Current case. He's one of the pair who took the Flores woman. Toss him into a wolfen cage and alert the Council to begin proceedings."

Justice waved her fingers at me without bothering to get up. I knew she'd simply portal the wolf to his new cage as soon as I was gone. I hoped she only had a little time left on her shift. I knew our kids would be missing her.

On a whim, instead of going for the other abductor, I slid back to where I had left Rachel. She once again threw herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pressing her body against mine from chest to knees.

"Art! Did you get them? Are they in jail?"

"I got the one we had with us. I'll get the other in a moment. I just wanted to make sure you were safe."

I found I was telling the truth, too. I wanted to know she was safe before I left.

Rachel surprised me with a sweet smile, kissing me softly only for me to hear a growl come from behind me.

Tyler Wright roared, "Get away from my mate!"