Werewolf CEO 4, page 17
“This is it,” I said as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “You girls stay here. I need to handle this alone.”
“Are you sure?” Hallie asked with a frown.
“Yeah, I don’t want to overwhelm her,” I said. “Plus, it will be more convincing if it’s just me.”
“Do you know what you’re going to say?” Mia asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “And if it doesn’t work…”
“It will work,” Hallie reassured me. “You’re a natural charmer, Josh.”
“Thanks, Hal,” I said with a weak smile.
“Good luck,” the blonde Omega said as she leaned over and kissed me on my cheek. “We’ll be right here.”
I nodded again as I opened the car door and climbed out. Then I looked left and right before I crossed the road and opened the white picket fence gate so I could get to the front door.
I knocked loudly three times so Amanda would hear, and I could hear someone shuffling around inside the house. Their footsteps got closer before the lock clicked in the door.
“Hello?” a small blonde woman with a deep frown line asked as she cracked open the door.
I noticed that her eyes were the same dark brown as Samantha’s, and it was clear she’d been crying from how bloodshot they were. I could smell the salt on her skin, and I could hear her heart thumping in her chest as she looked me up and down in concern.
“Hi there, Amanda?” I asked with a charming smile. “I’m a friend of Samantha’s, from Brooklyn college. Can I come in?”
“Y-You know Sammy?” she asked in a trembling voice.
“Yeah, we had a few classes together in our first year,” I said. “I heard she was missing. I just… well, I guess I wanted to come and see if she was back or not.”
“She’s not,” Amanda said in a hoarse whisper. “But… come in. Please, come in.”
Samantha’s mom pulled open the door and allowed me to step inside. It was a cozy home, and I was hit with the smell of cats and homemade stew cooking on a stove somewhere deeper in the house.
Two tabby cats hissed at me from a beige-colored couch as I stepped into the living room, and I resisted the urge to growl back as I turned to Amanda. The small woman quickly shut the door behind me, and she brushed off the loose cat hairs from her fluffy white sweater.
“So...” She cleared her throat in an attempt to compose herself. “You and Sammy were classmates?”
“That’s right.” I nodded. “We haven’t been in contact for a while, but when I heard she was missing, I suppose I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help.”
“That’s very sweet of you…” she trailed off expectantly.
“Harry,” I lied and held out my hand. “Harry Peterson.”
“Nice to meet you, Harry.” She smiled weakly as she shook my hand. “But I don’t know what you’ll be able to do that the police aren’t already doing.”
“Well, if it’s alright with you, would you mind telling me what happened the night she disappeared?” I asked. “When was the last time you heard from her?”
“It was two weeks ago,” she said as she brushed past me, and she sat herself down on the couch and picked up one of the cats. “She’d just left work.”
“The homeless shelter?” I asked as I moved further into the living room and sat down on one of the patchwork armchairs.
“Yes, that’s right.” The blonde nodded and cradled the tabby cat to her chest like a baby. “Sammy always loved people, and helping people. She was a natural at it. She volunteered there because she wanted to help. That’s all she wanted to do.”
Amanda sniffled, and her eyes turned glassy as she fought back tears. She stroked the cat’s fur harder as she buried her face into his neck and started to rock back and forth.
“God, I just don’t understand it, Harry,” she said brokenly. “This isn’t like her. Sammy wouldn’t just vanish. She wouldn’t.”
“I know,” I said sympathetically. “It’s unlike her.”
I felt bad for lying, but I needed to get into her room and get a scent to track. All I could smell right now was cat, and that was definitely not going to do any good. Not to mention, it was clear Amanda needed someone to listen.
“So, you spoke to her the night she disappeared?” I asked.
“Yes,” Amanda said in a whisper. “She texted me before she left the shelter. She told me not to wait up for her, and she was going to get a cab back because she was staying late. It must have been around ten o’clock.”
“And then she never came home,” I finished with a frown.
“Yes.” Amanda nodded as tears started to fall down her chubby cheeks. “She stopped responding to my texts, and I knew something was wrong, so I waited up. And when it hit midnight, I called the police and reported her missing.”
“I’m so sorry, Amanda,” I said softly. “I really am.”
The blonde human nodded and wiped her eyes with the sleeves of her sweater.
“It’s been hard, not knowing what’s happened to her,” she said in a shaky voice “But I’m not giving up hope. I know she’s still out there. I can feel it. She’s not dead, and I won’t hear otherwise.”
“I don’t think she’s dead, either,” I said. “Samantha is… a strong woman. Whatever has happened to her, wherever she’s gone… I know she will be doing everything in her power to come back home.”
Amanda nodded again, and her bottom lip trembled. I didn’t know what Samantha was like, but it was clear she and her mother were close, and if she was as caring and as giving as her mother described, then she would be putting up a fight to get back home to her.
I’d be doing the same thing, if I was in her situation. If I didn’t have my girlfriends and still had my parents, and I was still living life as a regular human, I would be fighting like hell to get back to them and make sure they knew I was okay.
Amanda needed that hope. And I think I did, too.
“Could I see her room?” I asked. “I know it’s strange to ask, but… I’d like to see it-- see a part of her-- and maybe there’s something in there that will help?”
“I’ve already turned that place upside down looking for something that could give me answers, but you’re more than welcome to,” Amanda said as she gently put the cat down on the knitted pillow beside her and stood up. “It’s up the stairs, first door on the right.”
“Thank you,” I said softly. “I won’t take up too much more of your time.”
“No, no, really, it’s fine,” the small blonde woman said with another sniffle. “It’s nice to know Sammy has friends looking out for her. And I think I needed a bit of company. A bit of hope.”
“Well, I’m glad to provide it,” I said with a genuine smile.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” she asked. “I’m making Sammy’s favorite stew. I’ve been making it every night in case she comes home.”
My heart lurched at the sweet sentiment, and I knew I had to find this girl and bring her back to her mother, for both of their sakes.
“That’s very kind of you, but I’ll have to leave soon,” I said. “But thank you, Ms. Parker.”
“Very well,” she said with a brief smile. “You’re welcome to come back, Harry. Hopefully, next time my Sammy will be back.”
“That’d be nice,” I agreed, and I felt the overwhelming need to get her home safe weigh down on me even more.
Amanda’s eyes filled with tears again, and she gave me one last trembling smile before she shuffled toward a door in the corner of the living room. I waited until she entered the adjacent room, and from the sudden waft of stew that hit me, I knew it was the kitchen.
I headed up the stairs once the door closed, and I noticed the staggering amount of picture frames lining the walls on the way up. They were all pictures of Samantha at some point in her life. Baby pictures, her first day at school, prom pictures, graduation pictures. I spotted the one that had been in her file right near the top step, and I paused as I looked at it.
It was like she was looking back at me. I couldn’t tell if it was everything just getting to my head, but I genuinely felt like her dark brown eyes were piercing into mine. She really was a beautiful girl, and I didn’t want to think about what Mitch might have done to her in the time she’d been missing.
I forced my eyes away from her and carried on walking up the stairs until I reached the landing. Then I stopped in front of the first door on the right.
There were faded hand-painted flowers of varying shades of pinks and blues scattered against the door. On the white frame itself were pencil marks with different dates written next to them to show how tall Samantha was. The last one was dated ten years ago.
I let out a shaky breath as I reached for the brass knob and pushed open the door. This house was so full of love it was overwhelming, and the rage I held toward Mitchell Moore increased tenfold.
Samantha’s room still had a bit of childlike charm to it. Her double bed pushed against the corner of the wall next to the window had a pink bedspread on, and a mountain of teddies was smothering the pink pillows. The curtains were a thin pink fabric that allowed light through, and they had hand-stitched white stars on them.
The walls were a light baby blue, and she had a white desk with a super old computer on it that looked like it weighed a ton, a pink notebook, and a pink pencil case next to it.
As I fully stepped into the room, I spotted a white bookcase behind the door filled with books ranging from academic to classic literature. Picture frames of Samantha and her mom littered the shelves, taken at various stages of her life again.
There was a small white vanity next to the bookshelf that was cluttered with makeup and perfume bottles, and I took a deep inhale through my nose to see if I could pick up a scent.
I leaned my head toward the perfume bottles, but the scent of the perfume wasn’t strong near them. She must not have used it for a while, otherwise that would have been the first thing I would have noticed.
I walked toward the bed, picked up one of her teddies, and held it to my nose. But there was nothing. Just the smell of fresh linen and washing powder.
I sighed and looked around the room, and there was a small chest of drawers at the very foot of her bed that faced away from the door. I pulled open the second drawer and grabbed a t-shirt to smell, but it was the same as the teddies. All I could smell was a chemical floral scent. Not Samantha. Maybe her mother had done some anxious cleaning over the last few weeks, and while I couldn’t blame her, it definitely made things more difficult.
I neatly folded the shirt back into the drawer and closed it as my eyes scanned the room for anything else I could use. And then I spotted a metal hook on the back of her door. There was a denim jacket hung up on it, and a red scarf draped over that. I sniffed the air deeply, and I caught the faintest hint of her perfume coming from it, so I walked over and grabbed the scarf.
I covered it over my nose and breathed in deeply, and I immediately smelled something other than just clean washing. The scarf smelled of outside, chicken soup, raspberry shampoo, and then a faint scent of vanilla perfume.
I breathed in deeply again, and when I pulled the scarf away from my face and inhaled the air in the room, I was able to follow the faintest trace of her scent. I could almost envision her mulling around the room, getting up from her bed, organizing her teddies, and grabbing clothes out of the drawers before heading over to the vanity to get ready. And then, she’d put on her jacket and scarf and head out of her door and down the stairs.
I tucked the scarf deep into my pocket with a determined look on my face before I quickly exited Samantha’s bedroom and walked down the stairs.
“Ms. Parker?” I called out as I reached the door.
I made sure to keep the side of my suit jacket that had the scarf facing away from her. I sure as hell didn’t want her to think I was stealing from her missing child like some freak.
“Yes, Harry?” the small blonde woman called out from the kitchen before she shuffled out. “Is everything alright? Did you find something?”
“No, but I’m not giving up,” I said. “I need to head out, but I’ll help look for your daughter. I promise.”
“Thank you, Harry,” Amanda whispered with a grateful smile. “You have no idea how much that means to me. I’m glad Sam made friends with good people at college.”
I smiled tightly as I felt a bit of shame over my web of lies, but I pushed through the feeling. It was a necessary lie. Otherwise, she would have never let me in, and I didn’t want to use my mind control on a grieving mother.
“Take care, Amanda,” I said sincerely. “And keep that stew on.”
I opened the door and beelined for my Porsche without looking back. I didn’t know if I could take seeing her teary face again. The only thing that mattered right now was getting Samantha and every other missing person back to where they belonged and out of Mitch’s clutches.
I knew it was naive to think every person who had vanished over the past few months was going to be alive, but I needed to have a bit of hope if I wasn’t going to just go ballistic once we found out where they were. Mitch had already tested my patience, and don’t get me wrong, I was going to tear that guy’s head off, but I needed to keep a clear and level head if I was going to do this right.
I couldn’t do this alone, though. I’d need my pack for this, in case we did end up finding the place where Mitch was testing wolves like his own personal lab rats.
Listen up, I said down the bond to all of my pack. We have a potential lead on where the guy behind Z-TECH is testing his serum on wolves. I need you all to meet me on the corner of east one hundred and twenty-fourth street and third avenue.
Immediately? Katie asked.
Immediately, I said. We’re doing this now. Are you guys ready?
Born ready, Alpha, Luke’s voice said down the bond with a cocky twang. Let’s do this.
We’re getting in the van now, Finn said in a stern voice. We’ll see you there, Alpha.
I’m getting a cab up there, too, Emily said. I won’t be long.
Alright, stay safe, I replied to her. See you guys in a few.
I finally reached my car and jumped into the driver’s seat. I wasted no time in starting the engine and heading for east one hundred and twenty-fourth street and third avenue, and I didn’t even bother fastening my seatbelt.
I was on a goddamn mission, and I was going to bring Samantha Parker home.
“You got her scent?” Mia asked from the passenger seat as she quickly buckled up and reached over to do my seatbelt, too.
“Faint, but it’s there,” I said as I pulled out her scarf with one hand and threw it to her to smell. “Her mom is a wreck.”
“I’m not surprised,” my mate said with a sad sigh. “I would be, too, if my baby went missing.”
My heart ached at the thought of it being our child in this situation. Mia and I had spoken about starting a family one day in the near future, and the thought of us being in Amanda’s shoes made me want to throw up. I’d tear New York apart looking for my kid, so I could imagine what Amanda was going through right now. And I could also imagine how powerless she felt.
“Maybe it’s not too late for her,” Hallie said with a hopeful optimism in her voice. “It’s only been two weeks. Maybe Mitch hasn’t had enough time to… well… turn her into a monster.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat at the thought of that, and at the thought of all of the other wolves and humans we were inevitably going to be too late to save. This had been going on longer than we were even aware of, and it wasn’t our fault, but it was still a shitty reality.
The rest of the car journey was spent in silence. Mia had handed the scarf back to Hallie so she could get her scent before the blonde tucked it into her pocket.
I parked us on the corner of east one hundred and twenty-fourth street and third avenue, and by the time we’d gotten there, Finn had already parked the van across the street, too, and the entirety of my pack was waiting on the sidewalk.
“Mia, give them the scarf,” I said as I locked my car and slipped the keys into my pocket.
The blonde Omega handed the red scarf to Klaus first, who took a deep sniff of the fabric before passing it onto Tyler.
“This is one of the missing people’s scents who we believe was taken by Mitchell Moore, the guy behind Z-TECH,” I quickly explained to my pack. “This was her last pinged location on her phone.”
I waited for my pack to smell the scarf before Mia took it back and slipped it into her pocket. All at once, we breathed in the cool night air. At first, it was nothing but the breeze and the smell of hotdogs down the street, but then I caught it. It was the faintest hint of vanilla and chicken stew that they served at the homeless shelter Samantha volunteered at.
“Does everyone else have that?” I asked in a hushed voice as I tried to focus on the smell.
“Yep.” Amy nodded, and she closed her eyes and took another deep breath in. “I’ve got it.”
“Then let’s go,” I said as I started to follow the scent trail.
The light wind made it harder to follow it directly, but even with it blowing the smell around, there was a clear path Samantha had walked the night she went missing.
I led my pack further down east one hundred and twenty-fourth street and away from third avenue.
We ended up walking across the street and further down twenty-fourth until we reached a dimly-lit stretch of path. The scent grew in strength the further away from civilization we got, and there was a sudden sharp scent of chloroform and blood that made me freeze.
I looked down at the pavement below and could see a single drop of blood by my shoes. Then I turned my head to the left and saw an alleyway, just as imposing and creepy as every other one we’d been led down by Mitch.
“Oh, god…” Emily trailed off as we all pieced together what had happened.
“He drugged her and dragged her down there,” I mumbled as I started to take tentative steps down the alleyway.
There was no one down there now, save for a few rats feasting on torn open trash bags, but Samantha had been down here. Her scent was getting stronger, the more we walked further in, as was the metallic scent of her blood.
