Kodiak Moment: An Alpha Werebear Paranormal Shifter Romance (The Arcadia Knights Book 2) (15 page)

E
very inquiry into the whereabouts
, or existence, of Sonya Jackson in Arcadia turned up nothing. If she was a Shifter, there should have been something on file about her transfer into the area. If she was human, surely someone would have reported her by now.

It made no sense.

“Why was the house demolished?”

Ever’s question came from over his shoulder, her scent wafting to his nostrils. The visceral reaction his body had was distracting, to say the least. “Right, yes,” he stumbled, pulling up the city records and typing in the address. The city’s database had merged years ago with the police department’s at the Brahm’s orders to make research like this that much easier. “Looks like it’s been scheduled for demolition for a while,” he said after a moment’s search. “It was abandoned and condemned.”

“Well, that’s bullshit. It was the address she gave me and this picture proves she was there.”

Ever’s voice held a stubborn note, and Aidan wondered what she was thinking. Then her hand came to rest on his shoulder, and all he could think about was the warm contact there, and how much he wanted to wrestle her to the ground and…

Does everything with this girl have to come down to sex?

In a word? Yup.

“I don’t doubt you,” he said, getting his jumbled thoughts back together. God, if a hand on his shoulder could elicit this kind of reaction, imagine what it would do on his…

He cleared his throat. “Let me make a few calls. Do you have a recent picture of her?”

“I can find one on Facebook.”

“Do that and print it out, and we can start asking around town.”

Aidan let her use his computer as he stepped away, pulling out his cellphone to dial his father, only to have it ring in his hand. He answered it immediately. “Sheriff Tucker.”

“You son of a bitch.”

The angry tones of Julian Murphy made Aidan clench the phone hard enough to hear plastic crack. “I take it this is about the Landry farm.”

“Do you understand how loans work? I give out money and expect to be paid back. When I’m
not
, shit happens.”

“Those folks are good for their payments and you know it.” Aidan glanced at Ever quickly, then stepped away a few paces. “I assume you spoke with the Brahm?”

“Oh no, he wouldn’t
deign
to speak to a lowly peon like me. No, he calls my father and has him, as he put it, deal with me. Do you have any idea what it’s like to be a grown man and have your
father
lay into you?” Julian snorted. “Of course not, your daddy’s the big shot isn’t he?”

If Julian knew how often Marshall Tucker’s anger had been directed at his son, he wouldn’t say that. Then again, the smarmy little bastard probably would anyway. “You’re a selfish bastard, Julian,” Aidan said through clenched teeth. “Could probably do with a few beatings.”

“You’re one to talk, you…” Julian cut himself off from whatever he was going to say. “This isn’t over between us, Sheriff.”

The last word was said with a verbal sneer, and Aidan just rolled his eyes. “Have a nice day, Mr. Murphy,” he said in a tight voice and ended the call. What a prick.

Julian’s call left him not in the mood to speak with his father. The elder Tucker would definitely pick up on the tension and want to know details, and Aidan wasn’t ready to hash out his personal beef with Julian Murphy. Instead, he opened his email and typed out a terse message, giving the details so far and his course of action.

“Will this picture work?”

Aidan looked up at the image Ever was holding up, and frowned. “You two are twins?”

“Twins?” She looked at the picture, then back at Aidan. “No, but I suppose we look similar in this picture. People used to mistake us for each other when we were kids, but we grew out of that.”

Aidan wasn’t so sure. The hair was different—Sonya’s dark hair was a wavy bob, while Ever’s was long and straight—but their facial features were close.

What do you expect from sisters, I guess.

“That’s perfect. I’m assuming you want to come with?”

“Hell yeah, but this time I ride shotgun.”

That made Aidan grin. “Yes, ma’am.”

T
hirteen salons in the town
, and none of them had ever seen Sonya.

“Would she work anywhere else?”

“Well, yeah, sure. But most of her experience is in hair and makeup. She tried waitressing once for extra money, but it went badly. She tends to be a bit clumsy.”

Aidan scratched his head, staring out the window and thinking. “Okay, we can file a missing persons report for her and try to go through official….”

His phone buzzed through with a text, and Aidan checked the message.

I want to see the girl.

His father’s text made Aidan’s blood run cold. How had his father even known about Ever? The answer was obvious: someone who’d seen them together today must have told him.

Just in case though, he sent the image he’d taken of Sonya’s picture, hoping that was who his father meant.

No dice.

The one with you.

Well, there went that hope.

“What is it?” Ever asked from beside him.

He wasn’t sure what to tell her. “We need to take a detour.”

“This have to do with my sister’s disappearance?”

“Maybe.” If anyone would know information, it was the Brahm. “My father wants to speak with you.”

Ever jolted at that news. “Your father?” she echoed.

Yeah, meet the family.
His father would feel the mating bond immediately, Aidan was sure of it. He probably already knew; the man was strange like that. It was what let him run the community, and what had gotten Aidan in trouble so much as a child.

Well, that and he couldn’t lie for shit.

“If anyone knows about your sister’s presence in this town, it would be him.”

“Then why didn’t we go to him first?”

He shot her a look, then started the car. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Warn me about what? Is he a crazy recluse? Some Scrooge McDuck wannabe?”

The imagery almost made him laugh. Nerves had him on edge; between his father and Ever, he wasn’t sure what was going on anymore. Being summoned by his father was certainly one way to clear up any remaining thoughts of sex at least. Now, all he felt was a fierce protectiveness over the woman beside him, and it scared him.

Because he’d be willing to go up against the Brahm to protect her, battle to his last breath to keep her safe.

And he knew for certain that he’d lose that battle.

O
kay
, so of course they’d be heading up to the haunted house on the hill after she made her quip about billionaire Scrooge McDuck.

Of course they would.

Ever stared up at the dark Victorian structure as Aidan pulled to a stop in the round driveway. It looked like something straight out of a gothic novel, complete with black wrought-iron gates and an overgrown garden to complete the look. “Wow,” she murmured, not sure what else to say, “you grew up here?”

“Home sweet home.”

He seemed on edge, and Ever glanced back. He was staring at the steering wheel, and Ever couldn’t help but notice his knuckles were white. His response made her heart speed up a bit. “Not much one for family visits, are you?” she quipped, trying to cover her own growing nervousness.

Aidan tipped his head in a small shrug, still not looking at her, then opened his door and stepped out.

Very reassuring.

The stone walkway led to a black monstrosity of a front door. The frame here was metal, and looked thick. Even the windows seemed reinforced the same way, and if Ever had her guess, she’d bet they were bulletproof too. “He afraid someone’s going to try and break in?” she wondered aloud.

“More the opposite, actually.”

What was that supposed to mean?

Aidan pulled out a key and turned the lock. There was a
thunk
from inside the door, and Ever jumped. It sounded more like a vault door than a front door, but swung open easily enough.

What the hell kind of place was this?

“Ladies first.”

Ever glanced at the sheriff to see if he was being patronizing. He just stared at her placidly, and with a sniff she entered the house. A long entryway greeted her, and she stopped in the middle of it as Aidan stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The dark wallpaper didn’t make her feel any better, nor did the old pictures lining the walls.

The place looked as if it had stepped straight out of the Victorian era. “And I thought it was just spooky on the outside,” she said, her voice echoing down the hall.

“We try to keep the look consistent.”

The deep voice from behind her made Ever start violently. Apparently, the ambience of the house had gotten to her more than she cared to admit. She whirled around and came face to face with another man. “Shit, you scared me!”

“My apologies, that wasn’t my intention.”

The newcomer was tall, taller even than Aidan, with wavy dark hair and green eyes. He was dressed in business attire, slacks and a button up shirt, with a thin pair of glasses atop his nose. There was an obvious family resemblance between him and Aidan, but Ever doubted this could be his father. Far too young, closer to Aidan’s age.

She glanced at Aidan. “Your brother, I take it?”

Aidan cleared his throat again. He did that a lot. “Ever, this is Marshall Tucker.”

Ever had never really been one for suspense, so stuck out her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”

Marshall stared at her for a long second without moving, then reached for her hand. Instead of shaking it like she’d expected, however, he brought it to his lips. “The pleasure is mine.”

Something growled behind her and Ever jumped back, bumping into Aidan. She looked wildly about, expecting to see a guard dog, but there was nothing there. “What was that?”

“Interesting.”

“What’s interesting?” Ever shot back.

But Marshall’s eyes were on Aidan, who was glaring back. “You left out a few details in your report.”

Ever searched around the room, then looked up at Aidan too. Her eyes narrowed. “Were you the one that growled?”

A faint rose bloomed on Aidan’s cheeks. Behind them, Marshall laughed. “You don’t like animals?” he asked, sounding amused.

Ever tore her eyes from Aidan to stare at the other man and shrugged. “I can handle puppies and kittens, but generally try to stay away from anything that can bite my head off.”

Her answer surprised a laugh out of Marshall. “I like you,” he murmured, reaching down to pick a watch up off a nearby table.

“Well, that’s peachy.” She turned back to Aidan, deciding to deal with that growly bit later. “I thought we were here for information, not to impress anybody.”

Aidan’s hands crept up to her shoulders, giving them a squeeze. “We’ll find your sister,” he murmured, “I promise.”

Some of the worry went out of her body at his words. It felt so strange to trust him, especially since he’d all but kidnapped her beforehand. Involuntarily, her eyes dropped to his lips, his sweet, kissable lips. Maybe just one taste, to see if they were as soft as they looked…

Someone cleared their throat, breaking the moment. Aidan released her and Ever jumped away, frazzled, as Marshall looked on with some amusement. “As a matter of fact, I do have some information I’m willing to share. Unless you two would rather be alone?”

His insinuation was like a slap in the face for Ever. Here she was, mooning over a man she barely knew, while only God knew what was happening to her sister. “Yes,” she said, stepping away from Aidan to help clear her head. “If you have something, I want to see it.”

“Right this way.”

Ever glanced back at Aidan, then squared her shoulders and followed the other man. “So let me guess,” she said, unable to keep a rein on her nervous tongue, “you were named after the Western TV character?”

Marshall gave her a dry look. “Not really, although I get that a lot.” He entered a living room with tall ceilings and wooden bookshelves on almost every wall. A fireplace set at the far end and, just like in the movies, a single tall chair and small table sat in front of it.

She could almost imagine him sitting there reading, a glass of Scotch in one hand.
Damn. He really
is
Scrooge.

“I was alerted this morning by an associate about an unauthorized entry into our camera systems.” Marshall went over to the far wall and tilted one book back. There was a click and a whirring sound, and he stepped back as the bookshelves opened outwards. A sea of moving squares was revealed, and Ever realized it was dozens of images, most likely live, located all throughout the town.

“Cameras?” Ever stared at the wall of screens dumbfounded. “Wait a minute, you spy on the town?”

“He works with the Sheriff’s office,” Aidan said behind her. “It’s all legal and sanctioned, I promise.”

“Not by me,” she protested, glaring at the screen. “What if I don’t want to be videotaped?”

“Miss Jackson,” Marshall said smoothly, but not without a hint of iron, “my loyalty extends only to those in my care, which includes this town.”

“Well, I moved in yesterday.” She folded her arms, glaring at both men in turn. “3257 Browning Street. Signed a lease and everything.”

Aidan and Marshall exchanged glances. The sheriff looked annoyed that he hadn’t known this, but Marshall shrugged. “Welcome to Arcadia then, Miss Jackson. As I was saying.”

He turned back to the massive computer, pulling up several screens simultaneously. “Whether intentionally or not, the hacker didn’t delete the backups.” He punched in a few buttons, and the screen cleared, only to be replaced with one large video encompassing the whole monitor.

“Wait, I recognize those homes. That’s the street where my sister lived.” She turned wide eyes onto Marshall. “Where
don’t
you have cameras?”

“We have a very robust neighborhood watch in Arcadia, Ms. Jackson. Now, observe.”

The camera angle was a long view of the street, but someone was walking down the sidewalk toward the furthest view. Ever’s breath hitched in her throat as she saw the short hair and thin frame. “That’s her, that’s Sonya!”

Neither of the two men said anything, but Ever drank up her sister’s image. She’d never been this thin before, even when they were growing up. The long jacket hid much of her body, but the way it hung on her was such a shock to Ever.

But it was her sister. She knew it the moment she saw her walk, her eyes darting around the dark street as if afraid of what might jump out of the bushes.

“Did you know she was part of this town?” Aidan asked.

“I didn’t know,” Marshall said flatly, “and that bothers me.”

Sonya was almost to the little house Ever assumed was the now-demolished wreck when a van appeared toward the edge of the screen. Ever’s heart raced as it came to a stop right beside her sister, and men in dark clothing jumped out. “Oh, God.”

Aidan’s hand came to rest on her side, just above her hip. “We’ll find her, I promise.”

His touch was like an electric shock. She looked up and saw the conviction on his face then, flustered, danced away out of his reach. He didn’t hide his disappointment fast enough, and the hint of sadness she saw momentarily hurt her heart.

Why the hell was she so invested in what he thought of her?

She turned her eyes back to the screen and watched the struggle. For a moment, her sister was obscured by the van, then a white dog appeared and took off across the street. Ever didn’t remember seeing her sister with a pet, but the men gave chase and, moments later, appeared with the wriggling dog in their arms.

Beside her, Marshall and Aidan exchanged glances, but Ever’s eyes were glued to the screen. “What happened to her?” she demanded, tears rising in her eyes as the van drove off and out of frame. “Where is she?”

Marshall sighed. “I’m afraid, my dear, that your sister’s been kidnapped.”