AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, let’s hope I find her and then you can try getting her back.” I didn’t foresee that happening, but the kid had been helpful, so he deserved a bone. “Now go clean yourself up, you reek.”
I left him sitting in his piss and sniveling. At least I’d learned something useful. AJ’s uncle and his cop friend were now persons of interest in the missing girls’ case. But first, I wanted to talk to Carlos.
If girls were going missing, he had to be aware, if not directly involved.
“I’m looking into the disappearance of some shifter girls.”
Carlos sat behind a huge teak desk, watching me with a faint smirk. I couldn’t stand the guy on a personal level, but he had his uses.
I wasn’t afraid of Carlos. Yes, he was the mafia in these parts, but in this room, I was stronger than him. If I pulled my gun, at least 20 guards would come running, which would be entertaining as fuck. Not that I had any intention of going against Carlos unless he provoked me.
“And you think I might know something about this?”
“You know everything, Carlos.”
Pandering to the fucker’s ego always worked. The man was incredibly arrogant. He smiled and reached for the bottle of bourbon he kept in his desk drawer, refilling his glass.
“Drink?”
“Sure.” Carlos liked expensive bourbon; Pappy Van Winkle was a personal favorite of mine and hard to come by. The fact Carlos had a bottle was no surprise.
“How many girls have been taken?” Carlos asked.
I noted he said taken rather than disappeared. Something told me it wasn’t just semantics.
“Five that we know of. There are likely more.”
He sniffed dismissively. “Trafficking is not one of my business interests. Too much hassle, and I don’t want the feds sniffing around.”
“I thought the local cops were on your payroll?”
“Most are, but there are still a few do-gooders watching me. Sadly, I can’t kill honest cops without attracting attention.” The way he grimaced told me it was an issue he lost sleep over. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and instead maintained a neutral expression.
“If you hear anything, I’d appreciate a head’s up.”
“Of course,” he smiled.
I swallowed the rest of my drink and stood. Carlos’s office, with its dark paneled walls and lack of a window, was claustrophobic as hell. It was secure, though. I’d give him that.
We said our goodbyes, and I left. Carlos’s most trusted guards followed me as I walked down the hall toward the front door. They were all scary psychos, just like me, but his second, a big beefy guy called Enzo, was a real asshole.
Still, the way he kept his hand on his gun told me he viewed me as a threat. I smirked as I stepped through the door and inhaled a lungful of fresh air.
Carlos’s estate at the foot of the valley covered more than a hundred acres. I hopped in my 4X4 and started the engine. From here, it was a short drive to the spot where I usually parked when snow blocked the road to our cabin. Just as I started the engine, my phone pinged. With a frown, I tapped the screen.
Something had triggered the cameras. As I watched, a guy I didn’t recognize passed the camera with a female slung over his shoulder. My blood ran cold when I realized who that female was.
The wheels of my SUV squealed in the gravel and snow as I shot toward the gates. Two guards with semi-automatics looked up and frowned at my high-speed approach.
“Open the fucking gates!” I roared. I didn’t have time for this shit. The gates slid open at a torturous rate. The moment they were open just enough, I drove through, ignoring the scrape of metal against paint.
Cole didn’t pick up his phone, so I tried Silas.
“What’s up? Did you find out anything—”
“Someone has our mate!” I yelled.
“What?” I heard something clatter and a door slam. “She’s in the kitchen…”
