Chapter 39

Zain got out of the car and looked around. It wasn’t the best neighborhood, but it was better than the one they’d just left.

“Look at my boot.” Brock came out of the shadow and walked toward them. “It’s ruined.” He whined. “Can I go now?” He looked around at them.

Eaton was smiling. “You can go.” She motioned to the diner. “The two sitting at the back table?”

“Yes. they are both the quiet broody types, so good luck to you.” He spun on his heel and walked the other way.

“Will he be okay on his own?” Eaton turned to Zain.

“I can follow him if you want?” Bear nodded.

“I don’t need a shadow. I’m staying one block from here.” Brock called over his shoulder.

Zain shook his head. There was nothing wrong with his hearing.

“How are we doing this?” Bear turned his attention to the diner.

“Well—” Earon smiled at Oaklyn. “—I think us girls should go in first and see if they’re approachable.”

Oaklyn’s smile was wide. “We can do that.”

Zain looked at the two males sitting at the table. They weren’t small men. “I don’t —”

“Need to worry about us.” Eaton smiled at him and then took Oaklyn’s elbow. “Grab a table by the door in case they’re the unfriendly kind.”

Zain looked at Bear, who blew out a breath.

“They’re not really big guys.” He started walking toward the diner.

“Big enough.” Zain touched his side to check his gun was there. Pulling it out in public would be a mistake, but he wasn’t taking any chances that anything was going to happen to Oaklyn. he caught up to Bear.

They watched the girls go inside and pause near the counter. With a nod to him, Bear started for the door.

Zain glanced at the table and sat down. Oaklyn and Eaton were standing beside the table the two men were sitting at. Grabbing the menu, he looked down at it as he tapped into his wolf—he needed to hear what was being said.

“You all don’t mind if we sit with you for a few minutes, so you?” Oaklyn said with a thick twang. “IF we sit alone, every man that walks by is going to hit on us.”

He wanted to look at her and shake his head, but he kept his eyes on the menu in front of him.

“Thank you,” Eaton said.

He lifted his gaze and saw Bear grinning as he looked at the counter.

“Be out in a sec.” A man called from the window behind the counter.

“So, where are ya’ll from?” Oaklyn asked.

“Around.” One of the males answered.

“Same,” Eaton said.

“Hey, didn’t I see you at that big Enterprises building over by the river?”

Zain set the menu down and looked at the table they were sitting at. Oaklyn was sitting next to the one that had his back to him. Eaton took off her hat.

“I tried to get a job at the catering place in that building,” she shrugged. “They never called back.”

“That’s where we…”

The one beside Eaton glared at his friend.

Eaton glanced at Zain and smiled briefly. “Why are you guys working there? You have to know about the Tomas’.”

Big guy’s eyes went wide.

“What-what do you mean?” The other one said.

Oaklyn laughed. “What clan are you?”

The one beside Eaton looked at her. It was no longer shock on his face. “You need to get out of…”

“I don’t think so.” Eaton was leaning closer. The guy looked down at his lap. “We have a few questions, and if you ever wish to procreate, you will answer them. Yes?”

He nodded without looking up.

“Are you working for Aiden Tomas or any of his associates?”

“What?” The one beside Oaklyn said.

The one worried about his body parts shook his head. “No. We’re only there to try and figure out where he takes our kind.”

“Where’s your clan?”

“Ohio.” He heaved a big sigh when Eaton moved away from him. He looked at her and then at Oaklyn. “Who are you?”

Eaton leaned over and nodded to Zain.

Zain jerked his head at Bear, and they got up and went and sat at the table beside the one they were at.

“We work for the Alliance,” Eaton said. “And you two boys need to go home.”

“We can’t…”

Eaton raised her brows and looked at him. “You will. We can’t have you in that building when we go in and take down Mister Tomas.” She smiled, but it wasn’t pleasant.

The one beside Oaklyn leaned over the table. “The Alliance is going after him?” He whispered.

Eaton nodded and pulled out her phone. She tapped the screen and then held it so they could see it. “These three men work for Tomas.” She slid the pictures slowly. “Do you know them?”

The one beside Oaklyn shook his head.

“The second one. He’s nasty.” The other said. “I’ve seen the other two, but they don’t stray too far from watching the elevators.”

“Do they wear collars? Are their necks scared?” Bear asked.

“I don’t know about the two by the elevator, but the nasty one’s neck looks like it’s been clawed at.” he looked from Bear to Eaton. “What does that mean?”

Eaton blew out a breath and started typing on her phone. “They’re being forced to work for the Tomas’.” she glanced at Bear. “The scared one sounds like they broke him.”

Bear nodded. “What’s their routine?”

Zain pulled out his phone and looked at it. He brought up Brock’s number and typed quickly, asking him if he knew their routine.

“The two by the elevators are there from around noon until the lobby closes.” He leaned forward and looked over at Bear and Zain. “That’s usually around six, but the bar is still open until nine, and the side door is used.”

“And the other one?” Eaton looked up from her phone.

“He’s always there.” The one by Oaklyn said. “It’s like he lives in the building.”

Zain looked at his phone. Brock’s reply was the same information. He asked if the two by the elevator wore collars or had scared necks.

Eaton looked over at Zain. “He probably does in the lower basement.”

One of them scoffed. “There is no lower basement.”

Eaton’s smile was brief. “That’s what they want you to think.”

“Shit.” the men looked at each other. “It was right there under our noses.” The man beside Oaklyn shook his head.

“What can I get for you?” A rotund bald man came out from behind the counter.

“Just coffee for now,” Eaton said.

“A tea for me, please.” Oaklyn smiled at him.

he bobbed his head. “Coming right up.”

“Gideon is still busy with Lakin,” Eaton said quietly.

“Lakin?” The one asked. “He’s with you guys?”

Oaklyn shook her head. “No. He’s on his way home, which is what you two will be doing shortly.”

“Illias is going to reach out to one of the twins to pick them up.” Eaton nodded as she typed into the phone.

Zain’s vibrated. He looked at it and opened the message. “Brock says the one with the curly hair has no marks or collar on his neck. The other one he doesn’t know about.”

“Does that mean they want to work for him?” One of them asked.

Zain tucked his phone back in his pocket.

“Who is Brock?” The other glanced at the kitchen.

“He’s one of us that’s on the inside.”

One of them chuckled. “There’s no one else of our kind in there other than those three and Lakin.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’d know.” He touched his nose.

Oaklyn smiled. “How about the good ‘ol boy that tends the bar?”

His eyes widened. “Him?”

“I told you he wears too much cologne.” The other one said. He looked at Eaton. “He’s one scary dude.”

Zain couldn’t hide the shock on his face. “Brock is?”

He nodded. “He’s like a drill sergeant.”

Oaklyn gave Zain an amused look.

“Okay.” Eaton tucked her phone into her jacket. “Demir is on his way to pick you up.” She looked from one to the other. “You give him the information about your clan, and we’ll have someone reach out to your Alpha and families.”

“The Alliance?” They exchanged looks. Then, one of them leaned over the table. “Don’t. We don’t really have one anymore, and they have nothing to do with the Alliance.” He whispered.

The man came toward them carrying a tray with cups on it. “Hot buns will be out of the oven in ten minutes if you’re in the mood.” He set the cups on the table.

“We’ll let you know, thank you,” Oaklyn said with one of her pleasant smiles.

He nodded and then walked away.

Eaton was on her phone again. “Is it safe to take you guys back home?” She paused and looked from one to the other.

The one shrugged. “Everyone just sort of comes and goes, so it should be fine.” He held his friend's look for a moment. “Can we give you the names of some people we’re looking for?” Sadness clouded his features. “You know, just in case you come across them.”

“How many?” Zain held his look.

“Six. Women and kids.” His gaze flicked to his friend for a second. “One mated, the rest aren’t.”

Oaklyn looked down at her cup for a second and then at Zain. Her eyes swam in unshed tears. “Zain can find out if they’ve already been found.”

Zain nodded, even though he couldn’t. “I can message Illias right now. He can check lists.”

Eaton blew out a breath and got up. She went over to the counter. “Do you have a pen I could borrow?”

The man nodded and grabbed one from beside the cash register.

“Thank you.” She came back over and pulled a napkin out of the holder and set it down with the pen. “Write the names down.”

The one nodded and pulled it over in front of him.

Zain taped on Illias’ name and started typing. I am so sick of the tragedy Tomas has caused. The other two working in the building are here looking for their clan women and children. They’re from Ohio. He hit send.

It was about thirty seconds before Illias responded. No clan registered from Ohio. Send me the names of the missing.

Zain looked up and saw Eaton looking at the napkin in her hand. Her expression screamed retribution, and he was starting to understand that the quiet ones were just as lethal as those like Amari. He almost grinned. There was no one like Amari. She held the napkin out to him.

Taking it, he looked at it and then set it down and took a picture. He didn’t type as fast as Illias. After sending it, he looked over at the two. “It will take him about a minute to check the names.”

The one that wrote them looked at the other. “Should we go back? Tell everyone what’s going on?”

Eaton shook her head. “You can’t tell anyone.” She glanced at the napkin. “If they’ve been found. They’re safe, but they can’t go home right now.” She tapped her hand on the table. “I don’t even know if we should send you home yet.” She closed her eyes for a second before looking at each of them. “Do either of you communicate with anyone from home?”

They exchanged a look. The one nodded. The other one looked at Eaton. “My sister and I send messages to each other as pictures on an app, so they’re not on our phones.”

Eaton nodded. “Okay.”

Zain’s phone buzzed. Everyone looked at it. He opened Illias’ message and then smiled. “All of them are safe.” He looked over at them.

“I want to go where they are.” the one said.

The one who communicated with his sister nodded. “I’ll go back.”

Eaton nodded and looked at her phone again. “You can’t tell anyone. Not even your sister. Just say you wanted to be home for the holidays.”

He nodded.

“My only family is two of those you found.” The other one said.

Eaton typed in her phone. “When Gideon is finished with dropping Lakin off to his transport, we’ll get you on your way to them.” She smiled briefly. “Demir will be here shortly to get you home.” She looked at them. “I’ll wait here with you.” She looked at Zain. “You need to get back to the hotel.”

Zain exchanged a look with Oaklyn. She was nibbling on her bottom lip. He looked away. “What about tomorrow?”

Eaton inhaled slowly and then exhaled. “I’ll let you know. We may need you to check out those three. Once Luka and Jett are here, we’ll come up with a plan.”

Zain nodded and stood up. “Okay.”

Bear reached into his pocket and pulled out some bills and dropped them on the table. “I wanted to try the hot buns.”

Eaton smiled. “I’ll bring some back for you.”

Bear smiled. “That works.”

“Go.” Eaton jerked her head toward the door. “Let me know if there are any problems.”

Zain scoffed. “I think we have enough of those for now.” He nodded to the men and started for the door. he needed air. His wolf felt like he was prowling inside him, and he understood exactly why. Despite his fears and paranoia, he had to help them bring Aiden Tomas to his knees so there were no more families torn apart.

~

The drive back to the hotel was filled with somber expressions and silence. When he parked a block from it, they got out and started walking.

“I feel so bad for them,” Oaklyn said softly.

“I’ve been there for months,” Bear said. “Seeing the state of those we rescued.” He shook his head. “We could rescue them all, and it will never be enough.”

Zain jammed his hands in his pocket. “Once Aiden is in a cage, the Alliance needs to get to the clans on this side of the border and clean up years of neglect.”

“I don’t know if that’s possible.” Oaklyn sighed.

“We’ll make it possible.” Zain glanced at her. “I’m going to call Devin when we get back. There has to be an old list somewhere in some dusty book that has all the clans.” He’d never looked in the volumes lined up on Shepard’s shelf, but he knew somewhere they had to have records. “We need to set up something on this side as a home base and send teams out.”

“I’d like to help with that.” Oaklyn held his look. “I can navigate in the southern states better than someone with a Canadian accent.”

“We don’t have accents.” Zain frowned.

“Oh yes, you do.” She grinned. “Where I’m from, the way I talk is normal and doesn’t draw attention.”

“I get her point,” Bear said.

Zain could only nod. His wolf was right beneath the surface. He couldn’t think about Oaklyn going down south right now. There was no way his animal would accept that she was that far away from him. He looked down at her, and her eyes bore into him. Looking away, he clamped his jaw shut tight so he wouldn’t say something stupid that could get him stabbed.

“We need to talk to someone about how we can hide our scents if we go to that luncheon tomorrow,” Bear said in a low tone.

“As long as we can identify those three, we won’t need to be sniffin’ anyone,” Oaklyn said. “Brock will have to share his secret with us.”

Zain sneered at the ground. He hated having his sense of smell impeded in any way. “I’m hoping Luka and Jett had a solid plan, and those three will be removed before we have to go.”

“In the daylight?” Bear whistled. “that’s a risky thing.”

Oaklyn scoffed. “Everything we do is risky, Timothy.” She laughed. “Just think of the kids in every clan being safe.”

He growled. “I can’t think of the kids, or I’ll start ripping limbs off people.”

Zain gave him a wide-eyed look. “I don’t wish to see that.”

Bear shrugged. “Close your eyes then because if we run into trouble, I have no problems doing whatever is necessary.”

Zain sighed. “I know. All of us are willing to, but if we can avoid bloody spectacles, that would be better.”

“I have to agree with that,” Oaklyn said. “Here isn’t like we’re out in the bush, there are so many people everywhere.”

They reached the back of the hotel and stopped.

“I’ll go get the door.” Bear pulled off his bright hat and tucked it in his pocket.

They stood there in the quiet, waiting. Zain was trying to focus on one thing at a time. They had to get through so much before the future could even be spoken of. He glanced at her. She had a faraway look in her eyes, making him wonder what she was thinking of. His wolf stirred inside him.

“I wish we could go for a run.” She said quietly. “Just to clear our heads.”

He grinned. “Yeah. If there’s time tomorrow, we’ll go out and look around the area.”

She snorted. “Finding somewhere without pavement and cement is going to be hard.”

He nodded. “There are ways, trust me.” He’d lived in the city since he’d finished school. There was always a way to go for a run. “It might be a midnight run, but we’ll be going for a run.” He looked down to see her eyes sparkling again. His wolf approved.

The door opened and Bear stuck his head out. “Let’s go. I need sleep.”