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Zoe!
The pulse pounding in his ears and his harsh breathing smothered all other sound. He bolted, coming up short. The room was empty. Drapes swaying in the light breeze, the open window taunted him. Fuck, he should’ve told her to close it as soon as he’d heard her open it.
They had her. Not since he’d made his first transition and discovered his fate had he been this scared. His wolf was howling and growling, demanding to be let out to hunt down their enemies. It wanted blood.
Second-guessing and blaming himself would solve nothing. Fear would incapacitate him if he allowed it. Zoe needed him. She needed the white wolf.
Yanking on his emotions, he locked them down hard. He scented an unknown wolf…and blood. His wolf went silent. Ice shrouded him. The single thing keeping him from losing his mind was the fact the blood wasn’t hers. They wanted her alive.
If they wanted a war, he’d damn well give them one.
When he found the ones who’d taken her—and he would—he’d spill every drop of blood from their bodies without an ounce of remorse. History had never recorded a lone wolf as having a mate, but human or not, she was his. He went back to the living room and rifled through the pockets of the dead wolves. Unlike Jacobs, none of these males had wallets or cell phones.
Ripping his shredded shirt over his head, he used it to wipe away the blood staining his arms and chest. He started to toss it to the floor but stuffed one end into his back pocket. No point in leaving evidence in case the police got involved.
To head that off, he yanked out his phone and called the alpha. It went to Stan’s voicemail. “There are nine dead at Jacobs’s apartment. If I find out you tipped someone off, I’m coming for you. Not sure how much time you have before the cops get here, assuming anyone called. Send a cleanup crew. If you recognize any of them, let me know.”
He ended the call and pulled the door shut on his way out. It was partially off the hinges, but that wasn’t his problem. He hit the sidewalk and stared up and down the street. There was no starting point. No way to determine who was behind the abduction or where they might have taken her.
Crack!The ice inside him began to fracture. Shoulders hunched, fists clenched against his thighs, he huffed in a breath. Then another. If he lost control, he was no good to her.
A brush of fabric. An inhaled breath. His head snapped around. Eyes narrowing, he stalked toward the steps of one of the buildings. Two of the shadows started to move. “Don’t make me have to chase you.” His wolf was on such a short leash, he couldn’t be sure he could hold the beast in check.
The shorter of the two men held up his hands, taking in Devlin’s bare chest and the bloodstained shirt hanging out of his back pocket. “Look, man. We don’t want no trouble.”
“Then tell me what you saw.”
The taller of the two was as dark as the other was light. He was lanky and lean but there was a toughness in his gaze as he met Devlin’s. “It happened fast. A woman came flying out the window. Some dude caught her. The other guy jumped. Just jumped down two stories like it was nothing. They threw her in a van and took off.” He pointed down the street.
“Make and model.” No way one of them hadn’t gotten it. They paid attention to what happened in their neighborhood.
“Did better.” He held out his phone to show a picture of the van, a white Chevy. The license plate was clearly visible.
Technology was often a curse to his kind. This time it was a blessing. Devlin took the phone and texted the picture to himself. Then he deleted his number and the photo and handed the phone back.
“Hope you find her,” the tall man called as Devlin walked away, moving quickly and keeping to the shadows as much as possible.
“That is one scary motherfucker,” his friend muttered.
Ignoring them, he yanked the burner phone out of his pocket, grateful he’d kept it. The call was answered on the first ring. “I need a license plate run.” He rattled off the number before the person on the other end could even speak. “It’s for a white Chevy cargo van.” He gave the street address. “It was last seen leaving here. Tap into every camera you can. Find it and there’s a million-dollar bonus.”
“My people are on it. All I need is normal payment for services.” The broker was calm as he turned down a cool million. “Do you require assistance?”
“Just information.” He ended the call, transferred the fee, and waited for the confirmation. It came as he arrived at the parking garage. He hit the automatic door opener on the truck but approached slowly. Taking his time, he sniffed until he was sure no one had tampered with it. Unless his head got severed from his body, he’d likely survive, but it would take time to heal, time he didn’t have. Once he was certain no one had been around the vehicle, he got in and tossed the stained shirt behind the seat.
He sat there, keys in the ignition and hands wrapped around the wheel. Zoe’s scent permeated the cab. Not perfume, but her soap overlaid by her pure essence. He swallowed heavily. “Zoe.” His voice cracked. His wolf whined, feeling the loss as keenly as he did. “I’ll find you.”
It would be smarter to go back to the hotel room and wait. The minutes passed and he made no move to start the vehicle. Closing his eyes, he looked inward, for the first time purposely reaching for the voice that guided him.Where is she?
The silence was deafening.
“Where is she?” He threw back his head and roared his question to the heavens. Why bring Zoe and her light and love into his life if he was going to lose it? He’d given decades in service to the white wolf, never shirking his duties, doing the hard jobs with little or no thanks, learning to live with the blood on his hands. “None of this is her fault.” And that’s what was killing him. All of this was because of who he was, what he was.
Determined to find her, he started the engine and pulled out, stopping when he reached the exit. Right or left?
Right.
A quiver of excitement filled him. Following the voice, he drove through Brooklyn, heading toward Queens. His phone rang. The caller ID was blocked.
