The Finding (58 page)

The grey wolf
chose that moment to growl and took a step closer to Mr.
Aldrich.

Frowning Cassie
studied her wolf companion, understanding dawning. How could she
have been so dense? In all the excitement of nearly falling, she’d
ignored the fact that Marla had disappeared and been replaced by
the grey wolf. But how could that be? From everything she’d heard,
Marla would have pitched her off the roof, not saved her. Was it
possible that Marla’s inner wolf was as nice as the woman was
nasty? It was a question she’d have to ponder at another time for
Mr. Aldrich was talking again.

“Don’t come any
closer, beast.” Mr. Aldrich levelled his gun at the wolf. “I’ll
have no compunction about gunning you down. I don’t need all of
you. One will be sufficient proof for the scientific world.”

“Put the gun
down, Aldrich. You won’t be shooting anyone.” Bryan narrowed his
eyes, his fists clenched ready to act. There was such confidence in
his voice; was he crazy? Cassie stared at him in surprise. Mr.
Aldrich had a gun! What was Bryan thinking? Was this his Beta mode
he’d been talking about last night?

Mr. Aldrich
laughed and swung the gun towards him. “You’re hardly in a position
to be making demands. There might be three of you, but I’m the one
with the weapon and I actually have silver bullets, specially made
just in case.”

Bryan snorted.
“Fallacy. It only causes a mild allergic reaction.”

“Really?” Mr.
Aldrich nodded. “Thank you for the information. Still, I’m sure a
bullet of any form will do some damage at this close range. Perhaps
I should test my theory out right now?” He cocked the gun and
Cassie flinched as did the other two.

Mr. Aldrich
laughed darkly. “Point proven. You all reacted so now I know this
gun is a satisfactory weapon.” He waved the weapon negligently at
Bryan. “You and Miss Matthews stay put. Miss Greyson, come here. If
you cooperate, and get on the helicopter with me, I’ll leave your
friends alone.”

Cassie
hesitated and then took a step towards Mr. Aldrich. She couldn’t
let anything happen to Bryan, and Marla, regardless of her past
sins, had just saved her.

“Cassie, no!”
Bryan reached for her and Marla growled, but Mr. Aldrich merely
raised his arm and pointed the gun directly at Bryan’s heart.

“Cassandra, you
will do as you are told or your friends’ deaths will be on your
head.”

Cassie had no
question in her mind that Mr. Aldrich meant his words. In fact, she
was sure he’d kill them anyway, but at least this bought them a few
precious minutes for whatever good it might do. She took another
step towards the lawyer.

“Good doggy.
Nice to see you won’t need obedience school.” He chuckled at his
own joke and began to back away. “Head towards the helicopter,
staying directly at my side. I don’t want you attacking me from
behind.”

Desperately,
Cassie tried to think of something to do. Aldrich was right beside
her, his thigh level with her mouth. If she bit him, could she
throw him sufficiently off balance that his shot wouldn’t hit the
others? It wasn’t much, but it might be their only chance.

She flicked a
look behind her. Her gaze briefly caught Marla’s then Bryan’s.
Understanding flashed between them.

For a moment,
everything seemed to happen in slow motion. She turned her head and
opened her mouth wide. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mr.
Aldrich glance down. His mouth began to open to say something, his
face contorting in anger. Her teeth pierced the cloth of his
trousers, she could feel the material against her tongue. Bryan
gave a cry and launched himself forward at the same time that Marla
barked and jumped.

Then time
returned to normal. Cassie felt her teeth sinking into flesh and
blood spurting into her mouth. The gun cracked down against her
skull, pain exploding in her head. With a yelp she let go, and
collapsed. Bryan knocked Mr. Aldrich to the ground and Marla had
his wrist in her mouth.

The gun hit the
ground and a shot rang out. Bryan swore, grabbed his leg, and fell
backward. Mr. Aldrich scrambled to his feet. Cassie shook her head,
trying to clear her blurred vision, but everything was growing
dark. She had a vague impression of the grey wolf circling around
before leaping to attack again.

Just as the
wolf jumped, Mr. Aldrich kicked out catching the animal in the
ribs. It flew through the air, hit the ground, and rolled over the
edge of the roof.

“Marla!”

Chapter
26

Mel and Elise
stared upward, wondering what was going on in Aldrich’s penthouse.
The chopper had disappeared from sight, but they could still hear
the sound of the blades.

Tired of
sitting, Mel stood and began to pace back and forth. “I hate this
waiting. I hate not knowing what’s going on. I’m an action type of
person. I know being pregnant I can’t do much right now,
but...argh! It’s never bothered me before that were society is so
male dominated, but this...” She swept her hand out to the side,
“is driving me crazy!”

Elise frowned.
“I’ve never thought about it—the men being in charge, I mean.
That’s just the way it is.”

“Well, I grew
up in human society, with equal rights, women climbing the
corporate ladder and all those other ‘advanced’ ideas. Aren’t there
ever any female Betas or Alphas?” Mel warmed on her theme, her
frustration coming out.

“Well, you and
I—being mated to Alphas—wield a certain amount of power because of
our mates.” Shrugging, she glanced around as if searching for
words. “The males are—” Suddenly, she broke off what she was saying
and jumped to her feet pointing skyward. “Oh my goodness, I thought
I saw people near the edge of the roof!”

Mel turned and
looked up, a hand clasped to her mouth in horror. “Do you think
it’s...?” She couldn’t bear to finish the question.

Elise squinted,
then shook her head. “Even with werewolf vision, I can’t tell for
sure from this distance.” She flicked a glance at Mel then returned
to studying the roofline. “I might have been mistaken.”

“I hope so.”
Mel relaxed slightly, but kept glancing up nervously. “What could
be going on up there?”

“Excuse me
ladies. What are you two doing out here?” A voice spoke behind them
and they both spun around in surprise. It was the security guard
they’d been hiding from earlier. His name tag said Vanderpelt.

“We...er...”
Elise shot a panicked look at Mel.

Mel rubbed her
hand over her extended abdomen in a circular motion and smiled
ruefully at the guard. “I had to use the bathroom and we spotted
this cute little patio area and thought we’d check it out.” She
widened her eyes and slowly batted her long lashes in a manner she
knew usually distracted the male population.

The guard
frowned, but his voice softened. “This is a private building,
ladies. You have no business being out here.”

“Really? We
didn’t know that. I’m so sor—” She didn’t get a chance to finish
what she was saying for Elise suddenly let out a piecing
scream.

“Oh my God,
someone’s falling!”

The words
weren’t even out of her mouth when a sickening dull thud echoed
through the small courtyard. For a moment everyone stood frozen in
place, then as one, took off running towards the fallen figure.

The guard was
slightly ahead of them and tried to block their view. “You’d better
stay back, it’s just a dog, but if it isn’t dead, it might be
vicious. I’d better shoot it just to be sure.”

“No!” Mel and
Elise spoke as one.

Mel grabbed his
arm. “My friend here is a...a...vet. Let her check the...er...dog
first.”

Relenting, the
guard nodded and stepped back muttering to himself. “What the hell
was a dog doing up there? This is a no pet building. I’d better
call Brown and see if he knows anything about this.” Pulling out
his cell phone, he turned his back to place the call.

Mel and Elise
clutched each other as they slowly stepped closer, both dreading
seeing who it was yet knowing they had to look. As the guard paced
back and forth waiting for someone to answer his call, Elise gave a
quiet gasp.

“Who...?” Mel
peeked at the broken body, not recognizing the wolf at all.

“Marla.” Elise
breathed out the word as she slowly sank to her knees beside the
animal. For a moment her hand hovered over the broken body, then
with shaking fingers she stretched out her hand to touch the wolf’s
neck.

“Is she
dead?”

A faint whimper
came from the wolf in answer. It looked at them blearily and
attempted to lick Elise’s hand. Then, as the light faded from its
eyes, a shuddering breath signalled the end.

“Oh God!” Elise
started to cry and Mel crouched down beside her, cradling her in
her arms and making soothing sounds.

“It’s all
right. Shh...”

“She’s dead.
All these years I’ve hated her, but now...” Shaking her head, Elise
tried to bring her tears under control. “She apologized. Her wolf’s
last act was an apology. Why?”

“I don’t know,
Elise. It must have something to do with what’s happening up
there.” Mel glanced up at the roof, wondering what was going
on.

*****

“Yes!” Aldrich
gave an exultant shout as the wolf—his former assistant, Miss
Matthews—disappeared from view. One down, two to go. They might
have kept him hiding in fear for three years, but in the end, he
was the one who would be triumphant.

He swung
around, and scooped up his gun noting in passing that the young
wolf—Cassandra—was limp on the ground beside him, a faint trail of
blood showing on her head where he’d hit her.

“Aldrich!” The
male werewolf—Bryan—growled at him from where he lay a few feet
away. Blood was pooling on the ground around him as he clutched his
thigh.

“You thought
you were so tough, but you’re nothing better than a dog. Perhaps I
should put you out of your misery.” With a sneer, Aldrich pointed
his gun at the man. Surprisingly enough the fellow didn’t flinch or
cower, instead narrowing his eyes and growling even louder. In
fact, the creature seemed to be tensing its muscles as if preparing
to attack.

Aldrich quickly
calculated the odds. If his bullet didn’t kill this Bryan fellow,
there could be trouble. It was a noted fact that wounded animals
were twice as vicious. And then there were witnesses to consider.
The pilot had undoubtedly observed some of the interaction.
Self-defence would explain one shot, but a second... Aldrich shook
his head. It was better to make a strategic retreat but
first...

Without
warning, he swung his foot and kicked the man in the ribs.

Even as Bryan
yelped and curled over, Aldrich was turning, shoving his gun in his
pocket and hefting the Cassandra in his arms.

She was a
heavy, limp weight and he hoped he hadn’t killed her. It suited his
plans so much better, if she were alive for a few more years. Well,
either way, he had a specimen to show the world.

He began to run
towards the helicopter. His thigh throbbed in protest from where
the wolf had bitten him, damn the creature. Clenching his jaw, he
ignored the pain in his limb and kept his eyes focussed on his
means of escape.

Behind him he
could hear a horrific growling and pushed himself even harder. His
feet pounded across the surface and he fought to pull in air for
his starving lungs. Aldrich dared to glance back and saw Bryan
struggling to his feet. A movement by the patio doors caught his
peripheral vision next. Swivelling his head in that direction he
could see two half-naked men barrelling out onto the terrace. Damn,
they looked like the men he’d seen in the surveillance video tape!
Now there were three werewolves on his rooftop!

Swinging his
gaze back to his goal, Aldrich saw that the chopper was just yards
away.

“Get ready!
We’re taking off now!” He shouted the words at the pilot who was
staring in shock at the scene taking place before him. “Move! Don’t
just sit there gaping like an idiot! Move!”

Finally the
pilot seemed to come to his senses and grabbed the controls.

The chopper’s
side door was open and Aldrich threw the wolf inside, then jumped
in himself, quickly turning so he could check on his pursuers.

*****

Franklin stood
on the sidewalk in front of the building that housed Aldrich’s
penthouse. It was an impressive structure of steel, glass, and
cement. The lower floors appeared to house exclusive businesses. He
scanned the list of names noting expensive lawyers and
psychiatrists for the wealthy, a jeweller, a few dummy
corporations... Nothing for ‘off the street’ customers, though.
Only private clients would get inside. The upper floors were
high-priced condominiums. Again, no one could just walk in.

He rubbed his
chin thoughtfully before giving a decisive nod. Bluster and bravado
might just work. Exchanging a glance with Meredith he jerked his
head, knowing she’d follow his lead. They worked together like a
well-oiled machine.

Lifting his
chin, he set his face into an expressionless mask and strode up to
the building. He pulled open the door without even a glance at the
sleepy security guard posted there.

The man grunted
in surprise and stumbled to his feet. “Hey, you can’t—”

Franklin didn’t
break his stride, merely flashing his Service badge. It was
outdated, but if no one looked too closely they’d never know.
“Government business. Out of the way unless you want to cited for
obstructing justice.”

Meredith
followed behind elbowing the guard in the stomach when it appeared
the man might try to stop her.

“Hey! Lady,
watch it!” The guard rubbed his stomach and hurried after them,
straightening his jacket in what was likely a feeble attempt to
look in control. “This is a private building. You can’t just walk
in.”