Finding Chrissten: Legacy, Book 5 (2 page)

Knowing he was done with sleep for the night, Hank padded to his closet and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He might as well start his day. There would be no more rest for him.

They’d been so close to finding Quinn’s sister. He glanced at the two blankets folded at the bottom of his bed. A slightly dirty pillow sat next to it.

Unable to stop himself, he went to them. He picked up one of the blankets first and inhaled deeply. Her scent was fresh and he could almost feel her warmth.

Chrissten. She smelled like a fresh summer day, like promises in the dark of the night. It was overlaid with a much deeper, musky scent. Male.

Hank growled, dropped the blanket and picked up the pillow instead. Her scent was fainter here, but it wasn’t tainted by the male’s smell. He’d found it when they’d stormed one of the places where she’d been held. They’d been too late to rescue her as her captors had already moved her. But Hank had taken the pillow.

He knew she’d been a captive for more than a year. Knew she’d been taken against her will, mated to a male not of her choosing.

That didn’t sit well with him. Especially since he wanted her for himself.

He breathed in her lovely scent once more and then carefully placed the pillow back in its place.

Her scent haunted his nights and filled his days. They would keep looking until they found her, dead or alive. He’d find her if it was the last thing he ever did. And then he’d kill the bastards who had taken her.

He flexed his hands, fisting them at his sides. His breathing got deeper and his wolf pushed to get out, forcing him to control the other side of his nature. Oh yeah, he’d find her. It didn’t matter that she was mated to another male. He didn’t care. Rescuing Chrissten had become an obsession for him. It was his mission and he would not fail.

The focus helped ease the restlessness that had been plaguing him lately. He didn’t know what was wrong with him. He hadn’t felt this way in years. Maybe it was all the upheaval in the pack. In the last six months or so, things had changed dramatically. Meredith had taken a mate, they’d met an entire pack of werewolves, purebloods who didn’t want to kill them—that was certainly a twist—and Quinn had come to them, bringing his problems with him.

He rolled his shoulders. Whatever happened, he would protect his pack. They were his family, the only real one he’d ever known. He would allow nothing or no one to hurt them.

After he pulled on his socks and sneakers, he made the bed. The discipline the army had drilled into him was too ingrained to ignore. His room was neat, his belongings sparse and his life simple. Just the way he liked it.

Chapter Two

Hank stared at the front door of the bar, willing Damek to arrive. The vampire was unpredictable and would arrive in his own good time. The bastard certainly liked making an entrance. Hank hated having to deal with the arrogant creature, but he was their best hope for information when it came to finding Chrissten, other than Craig, that is. Who’d have thought a group of werewolves would be so dependent on a vampire and a human for help.

The difference was he trusted Craig. He might be human, but he was also Chrissten and Quinn’s brother—same mother, different fathers. Craig wanted her back as badly as the rest of them did. He was also hell on wheels with a computer and had been working nonstop tracking down every lead they could sniff out.

Damek, on the other hand, was a wild card. Hank had no idea why the vampire was even helping them. Vampires and werewolves were natural enemies, suspicious of one another. But the rise of paranormal bounty hunters had changed all that. Now they had a tentative truce between them, focusing their efforts on the threat to them all.

It was dangerous to owe a vampire a favor. But Hank knew he’d pay whatever debt was incurred if it allowed them to rescue Chrissten. For some unknown reason, he was obsessed with finding her. From the moment he’d first heard her name, he’d wanted to meet her. From the moment he’d smelled her unique scent on a pillow left behind by her kidnappers, he’d wanted her more than he’d ever wanted anything in his life.

He kept that information to himself, not wanting the others to suspect how invested he’d become in finding Chrissten.

He picked up another chair, turned it upside down and set it on the round table. Everyone was busy doing the necessary nightly chores to shut down the place. The club had been hopping tonight. The jazz band was well known in the city and Haven had been filled to capacity. But now it was quiet, the music nothing more than an echo. The patrons were all gone. Only members of their pack remained.

“He should be here soon.”

Hank grabbed another chair before turning his attention to Quinn, who’d come up alongside him. “Yeah. Shouldn’t be too long.” The other male practically vibrated with barely suppressed energy. He was anxious and Hank couldn’t blame him. Quinn looked better than he had since he’d known him though, his eyes not quite so haunted as they had been, his features not as drawn. Obviously mating with Bethany had helped drive out some of the demons he’d had inside him. Hank wished them well.

Isaiah raised his head and sniffed the air. “He’s coming.” Isaiah scowled at the main door as it swung open slowly, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. Michael and Benjamin stepped out from behind the bar to stand beside Meredith. Hank knew the action was instinctive and that both men would protect their mother with their lives.

Hank lowered the chair he was holding and moved to stand in the shadows by the wall. He didn’t like having his back exposed when there was a potential enemy around. His eyes narrowed as he studied Damek. The vampire looked the same as he always did, tailor-made black suit, crisp linen shirt and silk tie. Dapper bastard must have a closet full of those expensive suits he seemed to favor.

A movement off to his left caught Hank’s attention. Teague had situated himself and his mate, Neema, just outside the kitchen door. Kevin was standing in the entrance of the hall that led to the office.

He turned his attention back to Damek and Isaiah as they exchanged terse greetings.

“Do you have any news?” It was Craig who stepped up to ask. He might be human, but he didn’t seem to be afraid of any of them, werewolf and vampire alike. Hank had a great deal of respect for the younger man.

Damek nodded slowly. “Yes, my friend, I do.” For some reason known only to Damek, he’d taken a liking to Craig. Personally, Hank figured it was because he viewed humans as a food source. After all, vampires needed blood in order to survive.

The vampire slowly turned his head until he was staring directly at Hank through the shadows. Hank kept his arms loose by his sides and his expression impassive. In his mind he pictured a steel vault door and slammed it shut. He didn’t want the vampire poking around his head.

Damek raised an eyebrow and slightly inclined his head in acknowledgement. No one knew how powerful the bastard was, but Hank had seen him take control of a pureblood werewolf’s mind like it was nothing. Hank wasn’t under any illusions that the vampire couldn’t break down his defenses given time. But he wanted the creature set on notice that he wouldn’t make it easy for him, would fight if necessary.

“What did you find out?” Quinn stepped up with Bethany right beside him. She rested her hand on his arm and Hank had the feeling that light touch was the only thing restraining Quinn. They were all on edge after missing rescuing Chrissten less than a week before.

“I have a possible location.” Damek’s declaration had Hank moving away from his post by the wall. His heart was pounding with anticipation.

“Where?” Isaiah stepped in front of Damek, making the vampire frown.

Instead of telling them, he glanced out the window. “Dawn is getting closer. I suggest we hurry.”

Quinn swore and lunged, but Isaiah blocked him with his big body. “Get a grip on yourself, Quinn. We need Damek’s help.”

Quinn tensed but nodded, and they all trooped out to the vehicles waiting in the alleyway behind the building. Hank thought about his sniper rifle tucked away upstairs in the back of his closet, but dismissed it. This fight wouldn’t be about conventional weapons. If it came down to a fight it would be all about brute strength and cunning.

Isaiah, Meredith, Quinn, Bethany and Craig all went in the SUV. Michael, Benjamin, Kevin, Teague, Neema, himself and Damek all piled into the van. The silence was deafening as they drove through the lonely city streets with Damek barking the occasional direction.

As Hank expected, they were heading to a derelict and dangerous section of the city. Not surprising in the least. The people who lived here didn’t ask questions and minded their own business. Drug dealers, the sound of gunshots and the cries of despair were a part of their daily life. If they noticed some shady looking men going in and out of an abandoned building, no one would think to call the cops. They didn’t want to bring trouble down on themselves and many of them had things they wanted to hide from the authorities.

Hank forced himself to relax, but it wasn’t easy. Every muscle in his body was primed and ready to explode into action. His heart rate settled into a heavy, steady rhythm and his breathing was even. It was the same way before he went into any battle. His body knew what it had to do and did it, turning him into the perfect fighting machine.

A bead of sweat formed on his temple but he ignored it. This wasn’t Iraq. This was Chicago. He refused to allow nightmares from the past to intrude on the present. A woman was depending on him.

Chrissten. He could easily picture her face. Craig had shown him several photos and the images were ingrained in his brain—her long blond hair, pale blue eyes and slender, athletic body. But it was her smile that had captivated him, full of mischief and life. He took a deep breath and swore he could smell her, the light fragrance that never failed to remind him of a summer’s day.

He felt someone watching him and slowly raised his head. The vampire was staring at him with black, soulless eyes. Hank ignored Damek as best he could, focusing on the fight ahead.

“Turn right at the lights,” Damek instructed, and Michael turned the van down the road with the SUV following close behind them.

Hank started to take note of the people on the street. Even at this time of night there was plenty of activity. A man with baggy pants and a flashy leather jacket sold drugs on the corner to a trio of young men. On the opposite side of the road two women in skirts so short they were probably illegal in some states plied their trade. By a crumbling stoop, a drunk curled up with the remains of his bottle.

“Pull over here.” Damek had the door open and was out before Michael had brought the vehicle to a complete halt. He turned back and pinned Teague and Kevin with his dark gaze as they stepped out of the van. “You two stay with the vehicles. We can’t afford to lose our transportation.” His gaze seemed to soften as he looked at Neema. “You better stay with them to keep them out of trouble.”

Hank climbed out and looked around, studying the terrain and the locals. Three tough looking dudes with tattoos and piercings on their faces started in their direction. Before Hank could do more than growl at them, Damek waved his hand and the men suddenly turned and went back the way they came.

“Weak-minded idiots,” Damek grumbled under his breath.

Hank suddenly had a new respect for the vampire. His power seemed limitless. He was damn glad Damek was on their side in this fight.

The vampire suddenly whirled around. “Women are to be protected, wolf.” He disappeared in a blur only to reappear twenty feet down the road. “Are you coming?”

While he’d been watching Damek, the rest of the pack had emptied out of both vehicles. All were ready to fight. Hank didn’t think Quinn could take another disappointment. He didn’t think he could either.

Damek pointed at a dilapidated three-story building. It had probably been a single-family dwelling at one time. Over the years it had been remodeled into apartments. Now it stood empty and boarded up.

Hank loped toward the side of the building and hurried around to the back. The rest of them could take the front. He wasn’t waiting. His heart started pumping faster when he saw a garage out back with a shiny new lock on it. He took a few precious seconds to glance inside the tiny window in the door. With his preternatural sight he could see a white van just like the one that had fled from the scene the last time they’d hunted for Chrissten.

This was it. Hank could feel it in his gut.

He raced to the house, senses flaring open. He forced himself to slow down and use stealth. No need to alert the bad guys to his presence. He ignored the secured back door and jimmied a basement window instead. The lock was old and rusty and gave easily under the steady pressure he put on it. He raised the glass slowly and listened.

All was quiet.

He grabbed the upper sill and slid his body through the small opening, landing sure-footed on the gravel floor. This part of the basement wasn’t finished and the musty stench of mildew and mold assailed his nostrils. He ignored the pungent odor and took a deep breath. The smell of garbage, urine and sweat seeped upward from the ground and outward from the wooden structure.

He heard a squeak in the floorboard above him and knew the others were swiftly moving in. If there was a rogue werewolf in the building he would have heard the noise by now. Unless he was otherwise occupied.