BK 3 - Chapter 14 - Spying
Melanie and Saxon joined the rest of their family downstairs in the enormous family room. They sat together on one of the loveseats, and Lisa and Alex climbed onto their laps.
"I just want to remind all of you to be careful while you're out there. Don't put yourselves in unnecessary danger. If something starts feeling off, get out of there; follow your gut." Trey looked around, and everyone was nodding.
Melanie looked at her phone when she felt it vibrating in her hand. She'd received another text from Brandon. She looked at her parents.
"Right before we left, I noticed Brandon was standing across the street watching us. He texted me that he and Ava aren't working with the others and wanted to help us. He just sent me another text. *Full disclosure I wasn't completely honest with you earlier. We did join Karlee and Vincent to help shifters being trafficked, but we joined at the request of someone else. Ask your aunt Kittana what her brother does.*" Everyone looked at Kitty, who was staring wide-eyed at Melanie.
"Aunt Kitty, what does Wesley do? I thought he worked in law enforcement." Theo asked.
"He does, but not in the way you think. What I'm about to tell you can't leave this room. Wesley started as a police officer but then went to the FBI academy to become an agent. He impressed a lot of people with his skills, and it wasn't long before he was recruited by INTERPOL. He now works with them, focusing on international human trafficking." Kitty looked around at everyone; all of them were staring at her in shock.
"Can you reach out to him to check Brandon's story and see if it's true? If he's telling the truth, it would be nice to have someone on the inside helping us." Aiden said, looking at his mate.
"I'll send him a text. The unit he works for is extremely secretive, so for Brandon to know about him says something, but I don't know if that's good or bad." Kitty pulled out her phone and sent a text to Wesley.
"Let's go ahead with our plan while we wait to hear from him. Are you guys ready to leave?" Trey looked at those that were heading back to town. They all nodded as they stood up.
Thatcher and Janel didn't bother with taking a car. They could get around better just by running. Michael, Flora, Hilary, and Graham took a car. They decided to go to the warehouse where Melanie was staying when she first came to Rio; she'd given them the addresses before they left. They parked down the street and walked the rest of the way, trying to look like two couples out for a stroll.
As they walked past the warehouse, they noticed some activity. There was a man and woman loading a van. From the descriptions Melanie gave, they believed them to be Eli and Harper. Michael took out his phone and took a few pictures before they continued on past.
"Let's go to the other site. It looks like they're leaving this place. Our appearance at the hotel probably spooked them." Graham said as they turned around.
When they returned to the car, they drove to the warehouse Melanie had been taken to when she was kidnapped. Once again, they parked a little down the street and started walking. The second location had a lot more activity. A man and woman, who they believed to be Karlee and Vincent, were standing in front of a large man screaming at them. Michael once again took out his phone to take pictures. When they got closer, they could hear what was being said.
"I said how did you let her get away?" The man yelled at the couple.
"She attacked us and knocked Ava and me out. It's not our fault that she's so freakishly strong." Karlee said, trying to defend herself.
"I've been waiting for a Caladrius for a long time. The fact that she's part werelion is an added bonus. Now you fucked up, and I may never get my hands on her." Vincent and Karlee exchanged a look.
"What if we told you we could get you two of them?" Vincent said with a smirk. The man instantly simmered down.
"What do you mean? How are you going to get two? The only other one I know of is her mother." He asked, looking from Vincent to Karlee and back again.
"Exactly. Her mother is here in Rio now with Melanie. We can get you both of them, but we'll need triple the money due to the increased risk. They have an entire pride of lions as well as vampires with them." Karlee said, crossing her arms in front of her. The man's demeanor immediately changed.
"If you can get me both of them, I'll give you triple. You just better make it quick." The man walked away, and the two couples continued past the warehouse, but only far enough that Karlee and Vincent couldn't see them.
"How are we going to find them now that they've left the hotel?" Karlee asked.
"You know I've got people everywhere. We'll find them. I've got Brandon and Ava looking for them too. I needed to give them something to keep them busy so you'd stop looking at Brandon like he's a piece of meat you want to devour." Vincent replied with anger in his voice.
"You know he and I were together before we met. Now stop being jealous. He means nothing to me now." Karlee yelled back at him.
"You would think the way you follow him around like a little lost puppy that you still had feelings for him. I swear, Karlee, if I find out you've been doing anything with him behind my back, it won't be good for you." Vincent replied.
"Don't threaten me, Vincent. If I had sex with him, you'd be able to feel it, so stop accusing me of things I haven't done." After they heard a door slam, the two couples walked back toward their car.
"Sounds like there's trouble in paradise," Hilary said under her breath.
"Let's head back and report what we have. Hopefully, Thatcher and Janel are having some luck on their end." Michael said as they got in the car.
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Thatcher and Janel were on the roof of the auction house. There wasn't an auction going on today, but there was plenty of movement. Multiple shifters and humans had been coming and going in the short time they'd been watching. They wanted to go inside but didn't know what they would be facing and didn't want to draw attention to themselves. So they decided to listen to see how people were being let in. From where they sat, they could hear what was being said. A human walked up and knocked on the door just as they got settled.
"Who is it?" A voice asked on the other side of the door.
"Humans are inadequate. Shifters are superior." Janel and Thatcher hid their chuckles at what they were making them say. The door opened and let him in just as another person walked up. They could tell that he was a werewolf. This time the saying was different.
"Who is it?"
"We are the mighty shifters, and we shall rule all."
After he was let in, Thatcher and Janel looked at each other. What was going on in that auction house?
"So, should we go in as humans or shifters?" Janel whispered to Thatcher.
"Let's do, human. I think they could pick up that we're not shifters, but we can pass as humans." He answered. They jumped down into the alley and walked to the front door. Thatcher knocked twice like the others had done.
"Who is it?"
"Humans are inadequate. Shifters are superior." Thatcher answered. The door opened, but the man stopped them before they could go in.
"I haven't seen you here before. Who sent you?" The man, who was short, round, and sweaty, asked, looking them up and down. He was clearly human. Thatcher went with his gut.
"Vincent sent us. Should I get him on the phone?" He pulled out his phone, but the man started shaking his head.
"No need, sir. Please accept my apologies." The way the man's face went pale at hearing Vincent's name caused them concern. What kind of pull did he have in this town?
They walked down a dimly lit hallway toward voices. What appeared to be a small shop from the road was actually quite large inside. What they saw when they came to the end of the hallway made them sick. There were dozens of shifters, from newborns to elders, in cages. People were walking around checking them out like they were looking for a new pet. Starting bid amounts were on the door of each cage.
Thatcher and Janel had rage coursing through their bodies. They wanted to kill everyone in the room and rescue the shifters, but they couldn't. If they did, some of them may die in the scuffle. Their hearts broke a little more with each cage they passed. When they got to the last one, they stopped. There wasn't a shifter in that cage; there was a vampire. She couldn't be no more than a few months old. She reminded Janel of Saxon when he was that age. As they stared at her, someone approached.
"Ah, good choice. We don't get many vamps in here. If you want your chance at her, I suggest you come early. The vamps go quickly. Especially the little ones." The man that spoke was tall and greasy looking. Thatcher could smell that he was a werewolf.
"Can you remind me what time the auction starts?" Thatcher asked, looking back at the little girl.
"Tomorrow at noon. You'll want to get here between 10 and 11 if you want good seats." The couple nodded.
"We'll be here." They headed toward the door, and Thatcher whispered so only Janel could hear. "With our entire family."
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