Page 118 of Healer's Call

“That’s why you pay me the big bucks,” Stu says.

“What is it?” Cade asks impatiently.

“Just watch,” Stu says. He speeds up the tape and then slows it down. I suck in a breath as we watch Jacob walk down the hallway of the facility. Cade curses low under his breath, and Mav looks like he’s ready to murder somebody. We watch as he talks to somebody and then continues down the hallway. We watch for a while. You can’t hear voices, but we catch Jacob coming and going several times over the course of a few days. And then I see something that makes my blood run cold.

“Stop!”

The men turn to look at me, but I’m staring at the screen. “That man.” I point at the screen as a sick feeling fills my stomach. “I think I know him,” I whisper.

Three sets of eyes face me. “Who is it?” Mav growls.

I lean forward, studying the screen. “Is it possible to get a closer view of his face?” Stu works his magic, and I get a better shot of his face. “I’ll have to ask Raechel for sure, but I think that’s the guy she fought when he openly challenged her in front of everybody during one of the meetings Garrett had when he brought in other packs.” Three sets of eyes focus on me.

“Want me to call her?” I ask. Cade nods, and I pull out my phone.

Raechel answers on the second ring. “Hey, Chica! How’s it going down there? Have you bedded your wolf yet?”

I feel my face heat up, even as I watch a devilish smirk cross Mav’s face. I turn away from all three men. “Uh, so I’m here with Cade and Mav and Stu.”

She laughs out loud. “Are you trying to warn me that they can hear me?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m doing. And I have something serious to talk to you about.”

She immediately changes her tone. “What is it?”

“Do you remember that guy you fought in front of all the packs when they were gathered together before the great war with the vampires?”

“You mean Ajax?” Her voice has lost all its warmth now.

Ajax.I remember now. Raechel had been beaten badly by him in an underground fight ring; he hadn’t stopped when she went down. He kept beating on her. Max wasn’t there for it, or Ajax would have been a dead man. But then, he showed up at the meeting of all the packs and called out Raechel in front of everybody after Garrett informed them that she would be training the females for the war to come. She had to fight him in the ring to prove herself. And prove herself she did. It was amazing to see her knock him out; it had been an amazing night.

“Yeah,” I say into the phone. “If I send you a picture, can you tell me if it’s him?”

“Yes, but why?” Her voice has an edge to it that I don’t like.

I glance at Maverick for confirmation to continue. He nods, and I swallow. “I think he might be back.” Raechel is completely silent on the other end. “If it’s the same guy, he was working with one of the shifters from the Orlando pack...the one that tried to,” my voice pauses. I glance at Mav and his jaw is tight. “The one that tried to kill me,” I finally say.

“Show me the picture,” Raechel says in her no-nonsense voice.

I look to Stu. “What’s her number?” I rattle it off. “Sending it now.”

We wait in silence. “That’s him.”

I take a breath. “Thanks, Rae. Are you okay?”

“She will be.” Max’s voice comes across the line, and I smile.

“Hey, Max.”

“Rose,” he says in response. “I want to know everything,” he says in his deep voice that means business.

I look to Mav, but it’s Cade that speaks. “Max, this is Cade. We’re trying to piece things together, but we have photos of one of our former pack members meeting with this Ajax guy at the vampire facility.”

“Former?” Max growls out.

“Yes. He came after Rose,” Cade begins.

“And I killed him,” Mav finishes without an ounce of remorse in his voice.

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