Shifters Gone Alpha (16 page)

Asia stood and handed Day the box. He stared at her for a few moments, respect shone in his eyes. “Nice meeting you, Ms. Montgomery.” He turned and ordered the men to secure the building.

They ushered Asia and everyone off the premises.

Chapter 10

Kyle Madison always knew he’d been born for a special purpose. The past few years he joined a group of patriots who loved this country and refused to see it destroyed. In a way they became soul mates committed to the cause of alerting the world to the atrocities happening in America by the government.

Meeting Ruth had been a bonus. He smiled, thinking of their last time together, in this life, anyway. She promised to be waiting for him on the other side. Life had been good, not with his birth family, no, with his new, chosen family. Xavier brought them all together and unified their group with a single purpose, to expose the government’s crimes. Soon the world would see the American government for the murderous entity that it was. His heart leapt in excitement to do his part.

Kyle pressed his stomach gently, impressed with how good he felt considering the small device inside. Pity his parents couldn’t see him now. They never believed he would amount to much, and until he met his brethren a few years ago they were right. Now he had a calling in life. Not seeing Ruth again in this life was his only true regret.

He itched to call her, to hear her voice one last time. But they both agreed it was too risky, and he refused to do anything that could hurt her or put the mission in jeopardy. Glancing at the clock, he pushed away from the table, dinner had been great. He cleaned the kitchen and dressed. Jeans and a tee shirt, nothing conspicuous like Jim wore the other day. Turning from side to side, he looked at his image, and thought he’d never looked better. No one would suspect an average man, with light brown hair, wearing glasses and jeans. He smiled at his ability to trick them all. At least until he delivered his message, then they would know.

Kyle locked his front door and waved at Mrs. Beeman before leaving the house for the BigMart superstore. Waving, she winked at him and smiled. When he parked, he used his phone to activate his device. With ten minutes clicking, he strolled into the store with his handmade sign rolled tightly in his hand. The older woman at the front door greeted him with a smile, he wanted to tell her to go home but didn’t.

Walking up and down the aisles, the clock ticked counting down the minutes until he told the world how wicked the government had been. A sense of satisfaction filled him when the last minute arrived. Eager to present his message, he stopped in the middle of two aisles in the center of the store and held up his hand-made poster. People stopped, read it and moved on. Some made snarky comments, others pointed and others agreed. Nothing they said or did mattered, he thought of Ruth, her gentle smile and spirit.

A Latino woman with long black hair read the sign, grabbed her child and ran toward the front of the store. Kyle wondered if she made it as the bomb on his belly detonated, destroying everything in the building and his sign that read: “The President and CIA murder innocents every day. I’ve had enough.”

Chapter 11

“When are we going home?” Danielle lay with her feet in Tyrese’s lap on the sofa in their bedroom in Alpha Jayden’s guest house. The past few days had been challenging, at times Tyrese wasn’t sure if they’d catch a break. One thing for sure, Silas was spot on when he created KnightForce. If Asia didn’t have the chameleon they might not have ever tracked Ruth and the bombs. The Alphas didn’t have the resources or altered full-breeds who could tackle abnormalities. Even Tyrone couldn’t shift to the same sizes he, Asia and Angus could.

He frowned. Had Angus checked in?

Danielle pushed her foot against his leg, gaining his attention. “I asked a question.”

“Home, don’t know if we’re going home or back to the mountains to finish there.” His thoughts returned to Angus as he massaged her foot. Silas told him Angus was unable to contact anyone but that was yesterday or the day before, he couldn’t remember.

Danielle jumped up. “No… baby, look,” she said in a horrified whisper as she reached for the remote control and turned up the volume on the TV.

Tyrese stared at the black smoke rising from a popular large chain store. Dread filled the pit of his stomach. The bomber struck again, in Virginia this time.

“What the hell… people are crazy,” Danielle said listening to a Latino mother holding her son close. The little boy cried and turned from the cameras as his mom, dirty with cuts, scratches and bruises talked to the news anchor.

“He held a sign complaining about the president and the government, accusing them of killing innocent people. The Lord told me to run. Thank you Jesus for saving our lives. Time is nearing down people,” she yelled. “We need to serve the Lord –”

The anchor turned from the woman, who started her personal worship service in the background, and spoke to the camera.

“So far we don’t know the death toll, estimates have it in the hundreds. One thing of interest, this store has security scans as you enter and the bomb was undetected. The question is why? There are so many questions in this senseless act –”

Danielle jumped up and ran to the bathroom, he heard sounds of her relieving her stomach. The images on TV were horrific, something out of a bad movie, fiction not real. He tried to make sense of this. Ruth claimed to have a vendetta against Silas and wanted to bring him down but this bomber claimed to be about the government. Were there two separate groups? Thinking back on the box, he didn’t think so. Maybe Ruth thought they were headed in one direction and the core group used her facilities while hiding their true agenda. That would explain the hidden box.

The bathroom door opened. Tyrese held out his hand toward her and pulled her close when she took it. She sat curled in his lap, holding him tight.

“What’s going on? Why kill innocent kids like that?” she whispered, pain laced her voice.

“Like you said, crazy people.” He rubbed her back in small circles, while flipping through channels, they all carried the explosion. There weren’t many survivors, a few who were in the parking lot, but none who were actually in the super-store, except the Latino woman.

People stood on the other side of the police tape crying and screaming for their loved ones who’d run to the store for a few items. Moved by the pain and suffering on the screen Tyrese vowed silently to help catch those assholes who decided to play God with the lives of innocents.

Tyrese wasn’t surprised when Silas contacted him. The human police were good, no question, but they wouldn’t find these bastards quickly without Silas’ help.

“
Sir?
”

There was a long sigh. “
Homeland Security contacted me, they’ve asked for our help with this recent bombing. Although this isn’t a pack matter directly, Alpha Lyle lost three pack members who were at the store running errands for their jobs.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Yes, so am I but with the death toll climbing, I’m also grateful he only sensed the loss of three. It could’ve been worse.”

“True. How’s mom handling this?”

“Mad, angry and crying. It’s upsetting and makes no sense.”

“Dani lost her dinner
.” He placed a kiss on the top of her head. “
Did you agree to help
?” Tyrese asked as a formality, Silas wouldn’t have contacted him if he hadn’t accepted.

“
Yes, but as consultants with full access to the information. Alpha Lyle is staying out of it since it’s not a pack matter. The agents you’ll be working with are full-bloods with the exceptions of one. Agent Day asked to be placed on the team. A shifter saved his life when he was a small boy, I believe he lived with a half-breed family a while but didn’t know it. At any rate, he’s the only agent that’s allowed to work the field with the full-bloods in the agency.”

“He was the one Asia gave a hard time.”

“Probably. Your mom is telling her about my decision now. I’ll be glad when she can link to me directly.”

“It bothers her that she can’t so I don’t tease her about it, but it would make things easier when we’re working if I could talk to her
,” Tyrese said.

“
Once you get an idea of what’s what, let me know. I’m not sure how much longer Hawke will stay in the lab while Asia is there, he’s getting edgy and that’s not good. I saw him train the other day. The fact he is in total control at all times makes him a serious threat. If he shifted to fight, he would scare the shit out of the agents and that would start another type of battle.”

“Yes, Sir. When do we fly out? Or are we driving
?” Tyrese asked. Tired, he wanted to lay down next to his mate, sleep, wake up to love on her a bit and then go back to sleep.

“
Expect a call from Jayden soon. He’ll let you know when his pack members will arrive. But it will be soon, they want to jump on this as soon as they have clearance to enter the building.”

“Yes, Sir
.” Visions of lying next to his mate fizzled. He sighed, tipped her chin up and kissed her long and hard.

“When are we leaving?” she murmured against his lips. He swiped his tongue along the seam and sucked the bottom one.

“Don’t know, but soon.”

She changed positions and straddled him. Holding him close she whispered near his ear. “Ruth had a boyfriend, or someone special besides her brother.”

Tyrese leaned back and stared at her. “What makes you say that?”

“I took pictures of her closet, the contents of her dresser and her bedroom. There were new silky nightgowns, bra and panty sets.”

“Huh?”

Danielle leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. “These were new, all the rest of her underwear were serviceable cotton, nothing sexy. She bought those for someone else to see.”

He nodded. “Any clues to who he is?”

“No, but I’ll upload the pictures and look.”

“
Tyrese
,” Alpha Jayden said through their link.

“
Sir?”

“Your ride to Virginia will be here in thirty minutes, let Asia know.”

“Yes, Sir
.” He kissed Danielle again, lifted her from his lap and stood. “I’m going to tell Asia we leave in thirty minutes. Be packed and in the shower waiting for me when I get back.” He smiled as she spun around and grabbed her camera bag.

Chapter 12

Blue lights flashing, their unmarked vehicle pulled into the parking lot of the BigMart store. On the drive down Asia napped as much as possible but couldn’t get her mind to settle down. Ruth killed herself. Xavier Rush was missing.

Now this explosion.

After the Chief dismissed them from the case, Karney and Solis went to Rush’s home and found it empty. Even though they put out an all-points bulletin calling the former agent a person of interest who needed to be brought in, chances of finding the man were slim. People like Rush knew how to become invisible.

“Did someone clear it for me to take pictures for La Patron?” Danielle asked the two full-blood agents, Meeks and Fogg. Agent Day was already on the scene.

“Yes. You’re cleared for the crime scene, there’s another photographer for the agency,” Fogg said in a low, drawl.

Tyrese helped Danielle out the back of the SUV and Meeks opened the door for Asia but knew better than to offer his hand unless requested. Even though her mate was absent, pack protocol stipulated no other male should touch her without Hawke’s permission. So far the only men he allowed that privilege were Angus and La Patron. A strange masculine scent on her skin would agitate his wolf.

Asia wore her Federal identification on a lanyard hanging from her neck, and along with her team, walked toward the store. Several officers nodded as they allowed them to move closer to the building. “Meeks, have two of your men talk to the few witnesses, get statements.”

“On it.” He spoke into his headset as she looked around.

Several damaged cars filled the parking lot, and she wondered if the bomber parked close or far to the building? Would he have thumbed his nose at them all by parking a distance away so his vehicle remained untouched?

“Is this all the cars that were here after the explosion?” She asked a uniformed cop.

He looked at her badge and then at the parking lot. “The perimeter was taped off by the first group of officers who arrived on the scene. But back there wasn’t, some cars may have left.”

She nodded, stepped away, and spoke quietly to her team. “This guy holds a sign in the middle of the store, not giving a damn, I’m thinking his car is still here. These bombs are triggered either by certain words or an activation device. Since the witness says he stood alone, quiet, I’m thinking he activated the bomb before entering the store, did some type of countdown. Probably triggered it here or before he arrived.”

“Easiest way would be a code he phones in,” Tyrese said looking at the parking lot.

“I agree. Since we cannot access the building yet, we’ll split up and search the parking lot for his car. The witness said he had brown hair, average height, wore glasses. Maybe he left an eyeglass case, or the cellphone in the car. I don’t know. Let’s look at the cars not inside the taped area first and then work back toward the building,” Asia said.

“On it,” Fogg said as he and Meeks split up and headed to the far end of the parking lot, Tyrese and Danielle went in the opposite direction. Asia headed toward the middle section when she heard her name called. Turning, she saw Agent Day jogging toward her.

“I’ve been temporarily assigned to work with your team.”

“Okay.” She turned and walked toward the center of the parking lot, ignoring news station cameras along the way. Day walked alongside and stopped when she did, almost bumping into her.

“If you’re going to work with us you need to understand a few things,” she said in a low tone meeting his gaze. “I’m mated, that means no bumping or touching.”

He frowned, looked over his shoulder and leaned forward. “But touch is important in your culture.”

Out the corner of her eye she noted Meeks and Fogg had stopped and looked in her direction. Great, she didn’t need this. “True, but not you. You’re not pack and need to work with Fogg and Meeks. Let them teach you pack protocol, I don’t have time.”

“Understood,” he said but didn’t leave.

Asia inhaled deeply and isolated the scents in the vehicle. Day pulled on a pair of gloves, walked to the other side and looked inside. He didn’t speak or come near her again as they moved from car to car, searching for the bomber’s car.

After an hour of tedious grunt work, Tyrese walked toward her and whispered. “I think we found it.”

Asia nodded and followed him. “Come on, Day,” she called over her shoulder. Next she had the police extend the barrier to the northern part of the parking lot where the car remained intact. News cameras and bystanders yelled questions while following them across the lot. Asia motioned to an officer to get help to keep everyone back. She didn’t want the scene compromised.

Meek wore gloves and stood next to a brown, older Chevrolet Cavalier. “Car wasn’t locked. There’s a cell phone on the seat. Markers and rolls of drawing paper in the back. Spare in the trunk, otherwise it’s clean,” he said.

“Get me a name, an address and have this car towed so forensics can go over it. Bag and tag everything in the car.”

Meeks nodded.

She glanced at Agent Day. “I want to know who he called, and if he used that phone to activate that bomb. Perhaps we can learn something that’ll help with the next three.”

He nodded, stepped away and made a call.

“We can go in and look around. The fire department has markers all over, be careful not to move anything.” She looked at Tyrese. “You have the scanner?”

“Yes. What am I looking for?”

“Verification that a certain type bomb was used. Otherwise, there’s not a lot we can do here. For some reason he chose this store, my guess is to send a message, which he did, but this place wasn’t personal.”

Meeks rejoined the circle.

“Got anything from that license plate?” she asked.

“Suspect’s name was Kyle Madison, Caucasian male, age 51, worked as an orderly at a nursing home, lives two counties over. Single, never married, no children, parents live in Likeny, Alabama, no living siblings. In a few hours we’ll know the last time he sneezed.”

Asia nodded and headed toward the building. The Fire Chief stepped in front of her and introduced himself. “If you follow me, I’ll show you what we found.”

As a full-blood, the scents of flesh and blood, mixed with food, beverage, and household cleaners stung her nostrils. Her eyes watered until she toned things down a bit.

“Thank you, I appreciate that,” she said, ignoring Tyrese’ smile. This explosion made the one in Maryland look like child’s play. She wondered if the bombs Corrina Griggs used caused this amount of devastation or had someone modified them.

Her stomach lurched at the smell.

Danielle photographed everything while Tyrese scanned around the detonation site. Half-listening to the Fire Chief, Asia watched Tyrese reach the detonation point. He stooped and scanned a large portion of the area. Standing, he shook his head once, glanced at her and then rejoined his mate. Three more bombs were somewhere and they didn’t have any clues where they were or their next target.

Asia’s heart sank at the destruction. Stopping abruptly, she looked up at the Fire Chief, “We may have a lead. I need to go check it out. Forensics is here and I’ll meet up with them later.” He opened his mouth but she had turned and walked away. An hour later, her team pulled into the driveway of Madison’s home.

“Nice place,” Meeks said of the small, brick home situated in the middle of the block. “Looking at this place, no one would suspect a murderer lived inside.”

“Tyrese, complete a full scan before we go inside, I don’t want any surprises,” Asia said.

He left the SUV with the equipment.

She looked at Meeks and Fogg. “Talk to the neighbors, let’s get an understanding of the type of person he was, check to see if he had visitors. Try to get descriptions of anyone coming or leaving this house other than Madison.”

“On it,” Meeks said opening the door.

Asia and Danielle sat in the car, her thoughts on the inconsistencies of the case. Ruth hated Silas, the bomber hates the government. Where was the connection?

“I wonder if Ruth and this guy knew each other. Lovers or something like that?” Danielle said.

“What? Why do you say that? She lived in Maryland, a good distance away.” Asia turned and looked at the younger full-blood.

“She was seeing somebody. What if she killed herself to keep from saying something about this guy or to make sure no one stopped him from completing this job or something. I don’t know, could be nothing, but seems to fit in my mind.”

“No, anything you can offer to make sense out this mess is appreciated. If I didn’t have Hawke, I wouldn’t believe anyone would sacrifice themselves like that, it makes no sense outside of the relationship I have with him.”

“True. But we’re mated, it’s almost spiritual for us. I’m not sure humans can love to the same degree.”

Asia snorted thinking about Jasmine. “Mistress does. What if Ruth was a breeder like her sister? If so, she could be capable of giving her life for someone she loved, and hiding that information from me.”

“Huh?” Danielle asked.

“There was no lover, or sweetheart in her memories when I scanned her. She didn’t want me to touch her, she must’ve known what I was doing. Matt will be happy to learn something new about breeders.” She paused, thinking. “If she and this guy knew each other, the group could be spread out over the country. Wonder how often he left to go out of town, and how long he stayed away. They had to meet at some point, and if it wasn’t on the computers, it may have been face to face.”

Tyrese returned to the car. “It’s clean. I picked the lock on the back door, so we can go in whenever you’re ready.” He looked at Danielle. “I like the way you think. If Ruth and this guy were an item it would connect a few dots.”

Danielle picked up her camera and stepped outside. They walked to the back door and placed covers on their shoes and wore gloves. Tyrese walked in first, Danielle followed and then Asia. They stood in the kitchen inhaling and sorting scents.

“Bastard ate earlier,” Tyrese said shaking his head. “Showered, put on cologne, got dressed like he was going on a fucking date.” Danielle touched his arm as his voice roughened.

Asia continued dissecting scents, she searched for metallic devices. Something small that he would have stored information. Chances are he took it with him to the store but just in case, he got sloppy, she checked.

“Have Fogg call in Forensics,” Asia called from Madison’s bedroom. “This is the bastard.” She stared at the scraps of paper on his dresser with different messages. The one on top mirrored the words the witness said he held in his hand. “The President and CIA murder innocents every day.”

Danielle entered the bedroom and snapped picture after picture. Asia intensified her search for clues for the next attack. When forensics arrived, she still hadn’t found anything. Fogg, Meeks and Day entered with the techs and gave updates.

“Neighbors claim he was a nice guy. Mrs. Beeman from next door said he was pleasant, smiling when he left. He’s renting this house; the owners live in Canada. He’s lived here ten years. Seems his life got interesting the past year. He was gone most weekends, never said where he went, but she thinks he had a sweetheart, somewhere. Whatever he was doing, he seemed happier when he came home,” Meeks said. “Beeman had a lot to say about everyone on the block.”

Fogg chimed in when Meeks took a breath. “Same thing with the neighbors I talked to. Good, clean-cut guy, easy going. Everybody liked him. Nothing negative. No visitors, though. When I asked if this one neighbor thought it was strange he never had company, she said Madison was probably gay and ashamed.”

“The magazines beneath his bed says Madison was straight,” Tyrese said.

“What’d you find on his phone?” Asia asked Day glad to see he had returned.

“The last call activated the bomb, had a ten minute delay. There were two other calls placed on the phone. One to Maryland number and the other to a number in Texas.”

Asia’s heart raced at the mention of Texas.

“The Maryland call went to Herbert Green.” The address matched the one they visited. “The Texas number is dead, probably a throw away that’s been deactivated.”

Asia’s heart dropped. “So we have a connection between, Ruth, Herbert and Madison.”

“Could be Madison called here for Ruth,” Tyrese said, glancing at Danielle.

“Neighbors could’ve missed her visit,” Meeks added.

“Why would Madison call Ruth?” Day asked, looking at Meeks and Fogg. “What am I missing?”

Tyrese explained a possible romantic connection.

“There are three more bombs, we cannot allow another explosion like this one. We just can’t. So let’s tear this place apart, examine everything.” She looked at Day. “Did forensics find anything at Ruth’s that could help us?”

“Not yet. They’re still at it,” he said pulling on another pair of gloves and then headed to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Day walked into the guest bedroom where she scanned the wall, holding a ring of keys. “Found these in an empty can in the cupboard. Two of these look like padlock keys.”

“Danielle, did you see any bills for a locker or storage company?” she asked. Danielle and Tyrese were in the third bedroom which had been turned into an office, along with a technician going through papers.