Chapter 746 Chapter 746
“He’s getting ready to leave now,” Brock whispered.
Zain glanced over at Oaklyn; she was smiling. Brock was quite the character. One second, he was panicking and having a complete meltdown, and the next he was some good ol’ boy from the South. If nothing else, it was entertaining.
“Should I follow him?”
Zain jerked his head and looked at the building. He touched his ear. “No. That’s what we’re for.”
“Ten-four, good buddy,” Brock laughed.
Zain rubbed his eyes. He understood the reference, just wasn’t sure this was the time for movie quotes. “Once he’s gone, you get back to your hotel and wait to hear from us.”
“Gotcha. My feet are killing me. How do people do this work thing every day?”
Zain shook his head. “Sheer determination, Brock.”
“Well, I am not that determined about anything. Brock out.”
Zain sighed. “Where are you, Bear?”
“Just hanging out in case he is walking. It’s a little hard to follow in a car if he’s on the sidewalk.”
Zain nodded. “If he grabs a cab, we’ll pick you up.” Zain pushed the earpiece so anything he said wasn’t broadcast.
“Sounds good.”
Oaklyn looked at him. “Brock is a hoot.”
“He’s definitely unique.”
“I like him.” She smiled. “He’s not afraid to go outside his comfort zone.”
Zain couldn’t argue there. The man was working in the building with the organization that abducted their kind. “He’s braver than he thinks.”
“There he is.” Oaklyn glanced at the picture on her phone and pointed to the side door.
Zain leaned forward on the steering wheel. “He’s on his phone.”
“I see that. Is that something Illias could track?”
Zain shook his head. “Maybe if he was right here, but he’s not.”
“I think he’s going to hail a cab.” She said quietly.
He was having a hard time not staring at her. She’d come back with a black wig, which somehow managed to highlight her eyes and made them more alluring then they were normally. He glanced in the rearview mirror and still couldn’t believe he was wearing a blond wig and glasses. He looked like something out of a B-rated movie. At least she’d gotten ones with clear lenses. If they’d been tinted, he’d look like he was stuck in the seventies.
“There’s the cab.” She looked around and then touched her ear. “He’s taking a cab, Bear. We’ll pick you up on the corner.”
“Okay.”
Zain put the car into gear and waited until the cab pulled away. “Now, all we have to do is not be seen. There’s not much traffic right now.”
“You just have to pull over to the curb occasionally, and it will look like you’re a wee bit lost and looking for an address.”
He pulled out of the alley. “Do this a lot, do you?”
“No. I just like to seem unmemorable. No one thinks twice about someone lost or looking for an address.”
Zain gave her a quick look. “Unmemorable is something you are not.” He pulled over at the corner and watched Bear come out of the shadows.
Bear got in the back seat. “I have to say, I’m okay not following on foot. The wind here is relentless.”
Zain could hear him blowing on his hands and rubbing them together.
“Did Brock know when the other two are scheduled?”
He glanced at Bear in the mirror. “He said tomorrow afternoon until close and the same the day after.”
“Here’s hoping we can get this capped off in two days’ time.” Oaklyn turned in the seat so she could look at him. “Tomorrow, I want to go out shopping and get seen in all the right places.”
“Okay. Both of you? I can’t be in two places at once.”
Zain slowed down and let the cab go around the corner. “Would rich people go shopping together?”
Oaklyn chuckled. “If he wanted his wife happy, they would.”
Zain sighed. “I guess I’m going too.” He looked at the sign as they went around the corner. “Someone keep an eye on where we’re going so we can get back.”
Bear snorted. “I am not good at directions in a city.”
“I am good with directions anywhere,” Oaklyn said softly. “Maybe not streets, but I can find North anytime and go from there.”
“I guess you’re our navigator then.” Zain smiled at her and then shook his head when he looked back out the windshield. “I can’t get used to the black hair.”
“I thought it was cute.” She said with a more exaggerated twang than usual.
“It’s not ugly.” Bear blurted out.
Zain met his look in the mirror and almost smiled when Bear had an apologetic look on his face.
“Why thank you, Timothy.” Oaklyn turned back in her seat and pointed. “He’s crossing to the other side of town. The less savory side.”
“Hopefully, he’s alone when he gets there,” Bear said. “I only have one gun on me.”
Zain smiled. “I have mine, and I’m sure Marsha has a small arsenal in her handbag.”
“You know me too well, dear.” She said with a grin. “A girl can never be sure of what they’ll need.”
“Hopefully, we won’t need it. Tonight is just for information.” Zain slowed down when the cab turned to go into the tunnel. That was the one place they wouldn’t lose them.
“When Eaton gets here, what’s the plan?” Bear yawned.
“I guess that’s up to her.”
“I am so pumped that there are women on the big teams.” Oaklyn glanced back at Bear and then looked at Zain. “That would never happen where I’m from.”
“There are a lot of women on the teams,” Bear stated. “Most of them scare me more than the men.”
Zain grinned. “I’ve heard about you, so I don’t know why you’d be scared of anyone.”
“What about him?” Oaklyn turned in her seat again.
“He rips chains out of walls and lifts cars.”
“Really?” She smiled. “I thought bears were the strongest.”
“For the most part, I’d never go against a bear shifter, but my kind, you know, king of the jungle—roar and all that.”
Zain saw Bear grin in the mirror. “I’m just happy to have you watch our backs.”
Bear looked out the window beside him. “I signed up for the retrieval team mostly so I could meet people. My clan moved here last year, and we’ve pretty much kept to ourselves, and it was so boring.”
“You’re not with Benny’s clan?” Zain couldn’t remember the details.
“We are a branch of Benny Giles clan now, but not living on the same land.”
“There are branches of clans? Not all together?”
Zain glanced over at her. “Yeah. Some clans are big, so they’re spread out.” He grinned. “Too many all together with some clans cause issues.”
“Lions would be one of those,” Bear mumbled. “The women are worse than the men.”
Zain wondered why but didn’t ask. “We have two cougar clans with separate Alpha’s, and then there’s the tigers…”
“Which are multiplying like crazy,” Bear said. “We’ve rescued so many that I think they might have any other clan outnumbered now—except for the various wolves, maybe.”
Zain nodded. “There was just Ed Lockman’s clan, but now there’s the Elden-Sorum clan down the road.” He wasn’t sure how that worked. “And then the Elden-Reyes was added.”
“Don’t forget Noah’s family’s clan,” Bear added.
“That too.” Zain nodded.
Oaklyn looked at him. “So there’s two Elden clans?”
“Sort of. Blair became Alpha of what was left of Kobie’s clan, but then he found his family name clan, and Noah watches over them.”
“How many tigers are there?”
Bear laughed. “A lot. If Blair finds any more nieces, he’s going to pitch a fit.”
The cab switched lanes, but Zain stayed in the one they were in. “Keep an eye where he turns. I don’t want to follow on his bumper.”
“This is a long drive to work,” Bear stated. “There has to be other jobs closer.”
“Not if he’s working for Aiden Tomas and not just the company.”
Zain shook his head. “He’d live closer then, I think.”
“So you’re saying he just likes working in a posh neighborhood?”
Zain looked at her. “I’m wondering if he is working there because he’s trying to get information or find someone.”
“Oh. You think he’s out for revenge against Aiden Tomas.”
“If he’s not working for him, why would any shifter work there?” He glanced at Bear in the mirror to see him nod.
“I look forward to answers when Eaton is running the show here.”
Zain watched the cab turn and then waited for another car to turn after them before he switched lanes.
It was another fifteen minutes before the man got out of the cab.
Oaklyn leaned closer to the dash and looked around. “If he’s working for Aiden Tomas, he’s not very well appreciated.”
Zain looked around. The neighborhood was dirty and rundown. Half the buildings were old and probably should have been torn down and rebuilt.
“He’s going in over there.” Bear reached over the seat and pointed.
Zain watched the man unlock a door and go inside. After the door closed, a light came on inside. “Pretty sure he’s alone in there.”
“I’ll go get some pictures of the building and area so Illias can look into it.” Bear got out.
Zain blew out a breath.
“It’s been a long day,” Oaklyn said quietly.
“It has.” He’d flown here and pretended to be a high-level businessman for two hours, they’d all gone out and looked around the area and then sat in the car, waiting on this man to leave Aiden Tomas’ building.
“I, for one, am going to lay in that big tub in the hotel room when we get back.”
Zain pinched the bridge of his nose. The glasses were not something he was used to. He didn’t need the image of her in the bathtub. “I’ll take the sofa tonight.”
“Alrighty. That bed is big enough to park a car on. I might get lost sleeping in it.” She smiled.
His phone buzzed. He picked it up and looked at it. “Illias searched the names Brock gave us, and none of them are registered.”
“Probably fake.”
He nodded.
Bear got back in the car. “Okay. I’ll send these to Illias.” He yawned. “Can we go back to the hotel and sleep now?”
Zain hoped he would be able to sleep. It was unlikely, but if he didn’t try it was going to be a long two weeks.