The Finding (50 page)

This particular
area of the penthouse seemed extremely cool and quiet, almost
tomb-like, she thought, the thick carpeting muffling the sound of
her footsteps. Pale off-white walls created an almost clinical
atmosphere while a few modern paintings hung at evenly spaced
intervals added jarring splashes of colour. Cassie was sure it was
all very upscale but far from welcoming and she wondered how anyone
could live in such a sterile atmosphere.

Three doors
down, she was at what was supposed to be the main security room.
She pressed herself against the wall, her heart pounding with the
fear of being discovered, but at the same time filled with a
strange sense of déjà-vu. This was so like what she’d done as a
youngster, sneaking around her uncle’s house, spying on him and the
servants. In a way it was thrilling to feel the adrenaline rush,
the hint of danger. For so long her life had been dull and mundane
that she’d forgotten what it was like to feel so alive.

Forcing herself
to breath calmly, she slowed the thundering of her heart and tried
to listen carefully, scenting the air as Bryan had done. The
faintest of mechanical whirring met her ears and she identified it
as probably a computer. The scents however... She frowned, trying
to sort through them. A myriad of them drifted past; food, cleaning
products, leather... Several humans were in the apartment and one
werewolf too. That must be Marla, she thought to herself.

Unable to
gather anymore information, she resorted to her tried and true
human techniques, crouching down to press an eye to the slight gap
between the door and the frame. What she could see of the room was
filled with gadgets; banks of surveillance screens, buttons and
switches. Definitely the main security room, just as Daniel’s plans
had indicated. Unfortunately, there was a man inside the room, too.
Damn! She’d have to get him out of the room or distract him
somehow. Hmm... He seemed intent on studying the computer screen.
Perhaps... Scanning the hallway, she noted a small nook just a few
feet away. A large floor vase filled with decorative grasses was
nestled in it. Well, it worked on Bryan.

Without a
sound, she removed the vase’s contents and laid them on the ground.
Then she picked the vase up and pushed the security room’s door
open with the tip of her toe. It creaked lightly as it swung
inward, the sound seeming as loud as a gunshot in the quiet
hallway.

Her muscles
tensed as she readied for whatever might happen. Seconds ticked by
and she held her breath, ears straining to catch the sound of the
man approaching the door to investigate what had caused it to move.
Nerves made her palms wet with sweat and she held the vase even
tighter, worried it might slip from her hands. More time passed and
still nothing...

Exhaling
slowly, she frowned in puzzlement, having expected the man to come
bursting out of the room. Lowering her arms, she cautiously looked
inside again. The man hadn’t moved. He was still intent on the
computer screen! What held his attention so raptly? She squinted
trying to get a closer look, then bit back a gasp... A porno
flick?

Cassie rolled
her eyes in disgust and shook her head. So much for the fear of
being discovered! Taking a deep breath, she adjusted her grip on
the vase and walked boldly into the room. Giving the man no time to
react, or even turn around, she brought the vase down on his head.
It made a satisfying crashing sound and the man slumped over in his
chair with only the slightest cry.

Realizing the
noise might have alerted someone, she pushed the man out of the way
and went to work on the keyboard. Following the instructions given
her, she turned off the security system and established a link with
Daniel’s computer so he could purge Aldrich’s files of anything
related to werewolves. In seconds an IM appeared on the screen.
Daniel would call Ryne and inform him the security was deactivated,
then start working his way through Aldrich’s computer system.

Feeling
relieved that her part was done, Cassie turned and hurried back to
the room where Kellen was. She’d agreed to wait there until the
others had taken care of Marla and Aldrich. A smile spread across
her face. It should be smooth sailing now.

*****

Bryan sat
huddled beside a minivan, trying to relax his clenched muscles.
He’d managed to make his way into the parking garage by sneaking in
alongside a car. Then once inside, he’d located the surveillance
cameras that were pointed at the entrance and put them out of
commission. Finally, he’d jimmied open a side door to the parking
garage, allowing Ryne and Kane inside. The entire time, he’d been
expecting someone to notice the cameras at the entrance weren’t
working, but as the minutes ticked by and no one arrived to
investigate, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully,
despite Aldrich’s purported vigilance, it seemed that not everyone
was on the ball. Now hidden, the three of them awaited a call from
Daniel telling them the security had been deactivated. Once that
happened they’d use the elevator and invade the penthouse.

The waiting was
killing him; knowing Cassie was upstairs by herself. What if she
encountered Aldrich or Marla? She’d have no defences against either
of them. He paused, frowning, then changed his line of thought.
Actually, when he’d been grappling with her in his motel room in
Vegas, she’d done pretty well for a supposed ‘poor, little rich
girl.’ If he wasn’t a werewolf, he’d still have a lump on his head
and tender muscles from where she’d kicked him. So perhaps she
wasn’t completely defenceless, but he’d still feel better once he
was in the penthouse watching over her.

A faint buzzing
interrupted his musings. Ryne flipped open his cell phone, murmured
a greeting, grunted in approval, and then quickly hung up.

“She’s done
it.” Ryne’s crooked grin conveyed his approval of Cassie and Bryan
felt a flash of pride that she’d not only completed her part of the
job, but managed to impress his Alpha as well.

Kane slowly
raised himself up and peered around the garage. “No one’s about.
Let’s head to the elevator.”

Silently,
keeping low and darting from car to car, they made their way to the
private elevator that serviced the penthouse. A faint noise was
coming from that direction and Kane put out his hand, gesturing for
them to stay back. A quick peek revealed the cover was off the
control panel and someone was working on it.

The three men
shot each other looks of dismay and frustration.

“What the
hell’s going on?” Ryne hissed the question as he hunkered down
behind a limo.

“I don’t know,
but I’ll take care of it.” Kane moved to leave, but Ryne stayed him
with a hand on his arm.

“Better let me.
You haven’t done this type of thing in a while.” Ryne started to
stand, but Kane glared at him.”

“No. I said I’d
take care of it.”

Bryan rolled
his eyes.. “I don’t care who takes care of that joker. Let’s just
get it over and done with.” He stood up. “I’ll distract the guy
while one of you—and I don’t care who—sneaks around behind him.”
Without waiting, Bryan strolled out of their hiding spot. There was
a brief pause behind him, then the sound of movement. He gave a
nod, thankful personalities hadn’t got in the way, and then moved
ahead.

“Excuse me.”
Bryan stepped up to the man working on the elevator, using a
faintly accusatory tone of voice. Always act like you belong, even
if you don’t; he repeated the rule to himself and raised his chin,
ensuring his stance was wide and authoritative. “What’s going on
here?”

The man jerked
back, banged his head on the panel door, swore, and dropped the
tool he’d been using on the ground. A metallic ring echoed through
the parking garage. Turning around, he looked at Bryan, the scent
of nervousness wafting out of him. “Um... I was just trying to fix
the elevator. I had a report that it was malfunctioning.”

“Let me see
your work order.” Bryan held out his hand and raised an eyebrow,
his look demanding compliance. The guy was definitely feeling
guilty about something and Bryan planned to use the fact to his
advantage.

“Work order?
Well, I...” The man stammered and shifted uneasily, darting his
eyes around as if searching for an answer. “Ah... You see... I was
just doing this as a favour for the guy who owns the
penthouse.”

“A favour? Do
you realize the servicing of an elevator can only be done by a
qualified repairman? You shouldn’t even be opening the panel.
What’s your name?” Bryan pulled out his cell phone as if he was
going to call in a report.

“It’s Jeffries,
but...?” The fellow huffed and threw his hands out to his side.
“Listen, I don’t want any trouble—”

“Too bad,
because trouble just found you.” Bryan looked pointedly over
Jeffries’ shoulder. Jeffries turned...and met Kane’s fist. The man
slid to the ground in an unconscious heap.

Shaking his
hand as if trying to remove the sting, Kane grinned. “Damn, but
that felt good. It’s been ages since I’ve had a chance to hit
someone.”

A chuckle came
from the side and they both turned to see Ryne lounging against the
wall, one ankle crossed over the other, his thumbs hooked in his
belt loops. “Nice to see that parenthood hasn’t turned you into a
complete wuss.” He smirked before pushing off from the wall and
wandering over.

Kane growled.
“Just wait until you’re faced with your first dirty diaper, bro. I
want to be there to see that.”

Bryan
interrupted before they could start with the barbed comments again.
“I’ll drag this guy into that little room over there and take his
wallet. It’ll look like a mugging. You two take care of the
elevator.”

Ryne raised his
eyebrow and Bryan realized he was stepping out of line, ordering
two Alphas around. His concern for Cassie was making him forget
protocol.

“If you
wouldn’t mind, that is.” He added a qualifier to his earlier demand
and Ryne nodded in acknowledgement of his implicit apology.

Rubbing his
chin, Ryne studied the control panel. “I don’t know, Bryan. I work
on cars, not elevators....”

“What’s the
matter, Ryne?” Kane asked with mock innocence. “Been stuck in Stump
River so long that you can’t handle a machine fancier than an old
farm pickup?”

“Me? This thing
is full of electronics. Aren’t you the one that studied that?” Ryne
glared at his brother.

Bryan sighed,
in no mood for sibling rivalry. “Please, just see what you can
do...” He hefted the man over his shoulder, leaving the two Alphas
to stare at the elevator and the open control panel.

*****

Cassie had
managed to free Kellen and ease him to the ground. She’d have liked
to have placed him somewhere more comfortable, but the room was
devoid of other furniture. At least he looked bit more comfortable
than he had with his arms bound behind him.

Sighing, she
brushed his hair from his forehead and stared at his face. Her
exact feelings for him were mixed. He’d been a good friend to her
at a time when she’d had no one and for that reason, she hoped he’d
be okay. But the stunt he’d pulled—planning to hand her over in
exchange for money, even if he hadn’t really meant to carry it
through—had damaged her faith in him. While she still cared for
him, it was with a certain wariness now. Kellen might not be able
to control his addiction to gambling and she felt sorry for him,
but he was accountable for his actions. If they were ever lucky
enough to get out of this, she was giving him an ultimatum. What he
chose to do with it... Well, that would tell the story, wouldn’t
it?

Glancing up,
she checked the door again. She’d jammed the chair under the
handle, not thinking it would stop anyone who was really determined
to get in, but it might slow them down. Exactly what the benefit of
that was, she didn’t know. It wasn’t as if she had a means of
escape. Well, she could teleport out, but that would mean leaving
Kellen behind which sort of defeated the whole purpose of the plan
in the first place.

Sitting on the
floor, she leaned her back against the wall, keeping one hand on
Kellen’s shoulder, just in case he could sense her presence. She
leaned her head back as well, and then began contemplating what
might happen in the next few weeks, if she managed to survive
today. Originally she’d planned on rescuing Kellen and then
disappearing, but now she wasn’t so sure. Did she really want to
leave Bryan behind and never see him again?

The wolf inside
her whined at the very idea and for once she was in agreement with
the animal. Strange, but it was sort of nice to be on the same
wavelength for a change. Tentatively, she connected to the
creature, allowing its emotions to flow and mingle with her own as
she thought about Bryan.

Her breath
caught in her throat at the depth of feeling the creature had for
Bryan’s wolf. The poor thing was devastated by the thought of being
separated from its mate. Cassie felt a tear prick her eye as the
animal’s emotions became clearer to her. Sorrow, despair,
frustration...

For years her
wolf had felt rejected and alone, rather like a puppy that just
wanted its owner to notice and give approval. The silly thing was
thumping its tail with joy over the fact that she was now actually
giving it the time of day. A smile spread over her face at the
excitement she felt growing within her, a sense of unity as if a
missing part had suddenly been found.

A soft laugh
escaped her. The wolf wanted out to play. In her mind’s eye, she
could see it with its front end down and its rear end up, tongue
lolling out of the corner of its mouth as it quivered in
anticipation of being set free for a good romp. Cassie felt a faint
thrill herself at the idea. She hadn’t played or had any real fun
in ages. Perhaps, when this was all over, they could find a park
somewhere and...