Series: Shifter Ops Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 65371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
“Apologies, sir. We ran into a…rough patch at home.”
“Is it your brother-in-law?”
“Partly,” I admit. “He’s gone. He left. For good.”
My boss peers at me. “Is everything all right?”
“Oh yes. We’re fine.” If I say it firmly enough, maybe it’ll be true.
“And everything’s set for Geo to go to Woodman?” he asks.
“Yes, thank you.”
Geo’s been moping lately. I encouraged him to go on a run, but he says his wolf isn’t in the mood. A fresh start will be what he needs. I can hold things together, pretend everything's fine, for Geo. I can guide us through our day-to-day routine, pretending there’s not a gaping hole in my heart.
Channing
“What I don’t get is why they targeted you,” my alpha, Rafe, muses. I’m on the phone debriefing with him and his brother, Lance.
“I don’t know.” I rub my face. It’s been thirty-six hours since the big fight, but my wolf has barely let me sleep. I have Buddy watching Julia’s house, but I stay away while checking the security system every hour on the hour. “They had silver bullets, so they knew they were targeting shifters.”
“They wanted to kill you,” Rafe muses.
“Then why didn’t they shoot me off the bike?” I’ve mulled over this question over and over until I feel insane.
“You’re lucky they didn’t. You’d be dead. Their hesitation allowed you to get back up,” Rafe says.
I don’t feel lucky. I feel like death. But I don’t say that.
“The round went to you,” Lance says. “But this isn’t over.”
“Agreed.” I bet Hannibal is still out there, licking his wounds, biding his time.
“I got intel from both Jared and Trey, who cleaned up the battlefield. Whoever backed this fight had serious cash,” Rafe says.
“Yeah, Channing, why’d you have to go and piss off a billionaire?” Lance jokes.
My silence tells him I’m not in a joking mood. There’s an awkward pause.
“Hang on, Deke’s trying to join,” Lance says. The sound of typing comes over the phone.
“I have news,” Deke says. He doesn’t sound happy.
“Is this about the app?” Rafe asks. “Did Kylie hack it?”
“Not yet. But I did a few general searches, asked around. Looks like some shifter kids have gone missing.”
“Runaways?” Lance asks.
“Some of them. But there’s reports of a higher than average amount of shifter teens disappearing.”
Images flash through my head, too horrible to dwell on. Teens like the bear shifter triplets, lured from their homes and trapped. Some could be hunted to death.
“Were these kids on the app?” Rafe is asking.
“I can’t confirm it. I can’t link the two yet, but my gut says yeah.” Deke’s voice is heavy. “My guess is Hannibal’s involved.”
Someone set this app up, and creeps like Hannibal infiltrated it to prey on shifter teens.
“We have no proof,” Lance says.
“We don’t need proof,” Rafe says. “We find Hannibal. The answers lie with him.”
“On it,” Deke says. “Kylie can hack any security system around Flagstaff coordinates.”
“I’ll put the word out,” Lance types furiously. “Alert every shifter pack and family we can. And a BOLO for Hannibal.”
“I’ll search the area where we last saw him,” I say. I’m still in Flagstaff. I can’t bring myself to leave.
Part of me wants to drive over to Julia’s house right now, put her and Geo under house arrest. Because that will get her to forgive me.
I shoot a text to Buddy, asking him to keep eyes on the house. He texts back a picture of the front of Julia’s house. With the new door and windows, it looks brand new.
The sight makes me ache.
I shake my head and force myself to focus on Rafe’s final orders.
“Watch your six,” he says. “You see anything, you radio for backup.”
I hang up. My wolf is unsettled. I knew Hannibal was trouble, but this is nuclear. A shifter like him, preying on kids? I’m going to hunt the fucker down and put him in the ground. It’s my life’s purpose.
After that, I’ll ask Rafe to give me a mission on the other side of the world. Something dangerous and lucrative that will take all my focus. Maybe if I spill enough blood, I’ll drive the scent of lilac and lavender out of my head.
Chapter Twelve
Julia
Friday comes, and my eyes are bleary from staring at my computer. I push away from my desk, desperate for a break, and my stomach growls. The clock on my computer reads four forty-nine pm. I worked through the day without lunch. I’ve barely eaten since Channing left. The grief has made my stomach a ball of nerves.
Since Channing’s been gone, I’ve been going through the motions. Keeping my head down, working hard. Trying to forget how nice it felt to have him in the house.
In my bed.
In my heart.
How amazing it was to feel cared for. Loved. Protected.
But I sent him away, didn’t I? The pleasure of having him didn’t outweigh my fear of losing him.