Chapter 407 Chapter 407
Noah stood in the small yard and looked at the house. Inside the three women were looking after Emersyn. His mind was stuck on a loop, replaying six years ago when he’d first seen her, that part was nothing new, but now it had an extended play version adding seeing her chained to the wall. When he’d looked into her eyes in that basement, all his nightmares and dreams came true in one moment.
This house was small, and he had no idea how long they were going to be there, but eight people inside were going to have the walls closing in on him. It had been three hours and Illias still hadn’t gotten back to them about her family. He didn’t know if she wanted to go back to her family if there were surviving members, but if that’s what she wanted, he’d make sure it happened.
Family. He blew out a breath. He still hadn’t spoken to or seen any of his own. Shaking his head, he kicked at the ground with the toe of his boot. It was worse than that. Ed had told him to come to see him when he was ready, and that had never happened. He didn’t even know if his parents were both still alive. How could he ever face them? It had been his responsibility to watch over his little sister, Carlene and he’d failed. The last time he’d seen her sweet little face, she was four and it was when the men that had taken them pulled her from his arms.
Spinning around, he glared at the fence, he wanted to go for a run, his cat was demanding it, but this area wasn’t in the middle of nowhere and he didn’t trust that he wouldn’t end up killing some neighborhood dog in a blind rage.
Blair and Deacon had gone back out to get groceries and other supplies. He shook his head because that wouldn’t look out of place in this small town, two large men roaming around the grocery store together. Deacon looked like a burly lumberjack and Blair, some kind of playboy rockstar.
Calum came out the door, a somber look on his face. He walked toward him, his eyes scanning Noah, assessing him. “Shae says her ankle will be fine in a few days.”
Noah nodded; his guts were too tense to speak.
“There’s a few minor scrapes and bumps, but nothing serious.” Calum stopped and crossed his arms over his chest, holding Noah’s look.
“Scars?” He could barely say the word out loud, the thought that her body could be marred like his own made it hard to breathe.
“Some,” Calum jerked his chin in his direction, “nothing like yours.”
Noah blew out a quick breath and nodded some more. “Good.”
“Deacon and Gia will be leaving when he gets back.” He moved over to the fence and crouched down, resting his back against it, “Konner called on route home, there are two members of Deacon’s clan being smuggled across some borders tomorrow.”
“Smuggled across borders?” He’d hoped for a distraction from the cycle of self-loathsomeness stirring in his head, this was a good one.
“Yeah, Shep knows about them, but this isn’t being done through the regular channels.” Calum watched him for a long moment before continuing. “There are some issues with the treatment of clans and ambassadors not being allies.”
Noah gave him a hard look. “Ambassadors with the Alliance?”
Calum just nodded.
“I don’t know how any of it works,” Noah shrugged, “not really. Issues in other countries really aren’t my problem.” He rolled his eyes, he had so many problems, most of them were internal that his mind couldn’t even begin to process the workings of the organization he was now with.
“It’s all of our problems now.” Calum stood up and glanced at the side of the house. “What’s happening with Tomas we are pretty sure stems from other countries.”
Noah stared at him for a second, trying to process what he was saying. “Tomas is working with other countries?”
“That’s the way it’s looking now.”
Noah reached up and rubbed his hand across his forehead and then squeezed his temples, hoping the pressure in his head would go away. Opening his eyes, he looked at him, “what’s being done about that?”
“To be determined.” Calum waved his hand around, “we’re just focusing on close to home right now. Until we can pin down some help on the other side of borders.”
Noah nodded, “yeah.” He looked at the house for the hundredth time, wondering how they were doing inside. “How did, uh, the other teams do?”
“Success on all fronts. Twenty-two women and children. Fifteen males.”
Noah looked back at him, noting the way he said males, meaning they were guards or collared and doing Tomas’ bidding. “Any of Tomas’ people?”
“No.” His tone was low.
Noah’s muscles tensed. If those that worked with Tomas were out there, the damage they would cause other shifters would never end. “When are we going to go after them?”
Calum blew out a breath, “not until we find all the locations they’re holding our kind.” He shrugged, “if we go after the top people, then the lower ones will panic, and we’ll never find them or where they’re being held.”
Noah nodded; it made sense. “We’ve gotten almost all the places I know of.” He lifted his hands and pressed on either temple; the pressure was bad today.
“Before our last break, they found ledgers and records…”
Dropping his hands, Noah looked at him again, “of?”
“Where ours were being shipped or came from. One of Konner’s clan members helped to decipher it.”
Noah squatted down, mostly of his own accord, before his legs gave out. “This is never going to end.”
Calum moved closer and placed his hand on his shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. “We’ll end it, we just have to move slow and carefully, and not rush it.”
Noah nodded, keeping his eyes down.
“You should go rest for a while, we’re here until things are sorted out.”
Standing up, Noah rolled his shoulders, trying to get the muscles to relax, even just slightly. “I won’t rest until I know the plan.”
Calum studied him silently for a few moments. “When was the last time you slept?”
Noah attempted to shrug it off, “before the ops, I’m good though, just don’t like being on hold.”
Calum smirked, “get used to it, we’re going to be doing a lot of it for a while until we figure out each stop.”
The van pulled up to the house, and both turned to watch Blair and Deacon get out.
“I’m going to tell Deacon the good news.” Calum looked amused; Noah had no idea why.
Noah looked at the fence again, his cat didn’t want to go for a run now, but he did. Rubbing his hand over his chest, feeling the ridges of the scars under his shirt. His cat, according to Coop didn’t behave the same way as most. His cat was afraid to come out and didn’t understand that he wasn’t going to get beaten when he came out. Noah had no false hopes of ever being normal, with or without fur.
“Kobie and Shaelan are getting some food happening in there.”
He turned to see Blair coming toward him. He wasn’t hungry, never really was, but he understood he needed to eat. “Great.” He mumbled, hoping it sounded more enthusiastic than it did to his own ears.
“I thought you’d be in there talking to Emersyn.” He shrugged, “she’s a little shaky, but open to conversation.”
Noah frowned, not sure how he felt about Blair talking to her. “There’s not much to discuss until we have an idea of where to find her daughter.”
Blair braced his legs wide and crossed his arms over his chest, “but she’s your mate.”
Noah held his look, waiting for him to say more.
“Even before I knew about that with Kobie, I wanted to see or talk to her all the time.” He cocked his head to the side, “don’t you want to go in and talk to her,” he shrugged, “see her?”
Noah looked at the ground, flicking his eyes to look at the other man a few times before exhaling the breath he held. “I’m sure she’s fine. Shaelan is a good healer.”
Blair made a scoffing noise, “I don’t get it, she’s your mate.”
Noah needed him to drop it, just walk away. “What good is me being in there going to do?” He squeezed his eyes shut for a second, trying to reign in the anger building inside him. Opening them he looked at the house, “yeah we’re mates, but there is no happily ever after here, Blair.” He shook his head, “what do I have to offer her? Seeing me is just a constant reminder that I left her behind six years ago to be abused.”
Blair opened his mouth and then snapped it shut. Shaking his head, he looked at the house quickly, “so you’re going to find her daughter and then wish her a happy life and go back to Ed’s?”
“I don’t know yet.”
Blair raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Calum called them from the door.
“Foods on, come inside so we can try to sort some things out.”
Noah stood there, his gaze locked on Blairs, waiting to see if he was going to continue.
Blair gave his head a shake, “I’m here if you need to talk.” Turning he went back toward the door that Calum stood in, watching him.
Sucking in a deep breath, Noah clamped down on demons trying to make him think of the day he’d first seen Emersyn Knox. Exhaling, he started for the door with long strides. They weren’t going to win this time, he had to focus on figuring out where her daughter might be held. Despite what she’d been through, her child was a part of her, and she would never have a chance of some kind of normalcy without her.
Noah sneered at the thought of what he was going to do to the people keeping her away from her mother. They may wish for death when he was done with them.