Page 78 of Waiting for Fate
“Mr. Hale, Mr. Ferguson. The medical examiner from the neighboring county reached out about a body that was found washed up on the shore of Branch Lake.” He hands Ridley a file, nodding to its contents. “Another alpha with the same drug in his system. I have dinner plans in the hotel bar, so I thought I would drop this off. Seems your case might be leading you all over Alabama.”
Keeping my face neutral, I sit up and look over the picture evidence and blood work results. The results match, though I hadn’t doubted they would. We expected them to try to lure us away from Silverstone by releasing the drug in another city.
A tactic we will use to catch them off guard when we take down their drug market tonight.
“Well, Captain Orelta, looks like we’re out of your hair. Please pass on our thanks to your team for their assistance and call us if you encounter any other cases of this ferality drug in the city.” Ridley offers him a smile, holding the door open.
Orelta studies us for several seconds, likely trying to determine if we’re really leaving, before he nods and walks into the hallway. “Best of luck, gentlemen. With a case like this, you’re going to need it.”
I grab our go bags and double check all of our equipment is inside. We’ll check out early and drive out of the city. Put on a nice show for Silverstone PD, so they think we’ve moved on.
“I’m craving something sweet,” Ridley grumbles as we head to the elevator. “Let’s swing through a convenience store before we head to the lake.”
Rolling my eyes, I press the button to take us down to the lobby. “You’re going to get a toothache eating all that sugar.”
Ridley shrugs and grins, a glint in his eye that has me narrowing a hard look his way. “I can’t help it. Without our omega here to let me feast on her pussy, I have to satisfy my sweet tooth somehow.”
Fucking dickhead. I growl, slamming my shoulder into his on my way out of the elevator. He’s been relentlessly tormenting me with visions of Bea. Even going so far as sending me the erotic pictures she took for him.
It’s okay. As soon as we get back to New York and step into the ring, he’ll regret taunting me. I hope he enjoys showing up at Bea’s place with a black eye and sore ribs.
With a quick stop at the gas station to get Ridley’s snacks, we head to the meet point. A little over an hour after we arrive, two armored vans pull onto the access road behind us.
Leaning against the back of the van, I’m surprised when Creed steps out of the passenger seat. “I thought you were on desk and training duty now?”
“Still haven’t caught Marcus,” he replies, lips thinning.
Clapping him on the shoulder, I join the rest of the team to go over our plan for the evening. “We’ll get him. He’s too involved in all this shit to get away with it.”
Creed nods, crossing his arms over his chest. He looks stressed. The high top fade he usually wears has grown out, and the stubble along his jaw is thicker. My friend needs a trip to the barber’s and the weight of his half-brothers sins lifted from his shoulders. One of those I can help with.
Night falls, the sky growing dark. Silverstone’s city lights glimmer in the distance, their intensity brightening as we edge closer to the underpass, where the walking entrance to the drug market is. Both armored vehicles are approaching from the other side, leaving our group of four to travel on foot and catch any runners.
Crouching behind rusted equipment from the abandoned sand plant, I watch for the signal from the other teams. Another police cruiser sits outside of the barn entrance, but it is quickly blocked in when our teams fly into the gravel lot. Raising my weapon, I watch through the sights as the teams sweep into the building.
“Shit,” Creed curses beside me. I echo his feelings when he ducks from behind cover and starts running through the trees, chasing two men who slipped between the empty cop car and the FCDA truck.
“Ridley, cover Peterson!” I don’t wait for his response as I follow Creed. This asshole is going to get himself killed!
I crash into the gap between buildings, stumbling into Creed’s back as shots echo off the metal siding. “What the fuck, Barrett,” I growl, jerking him back seconds before a shot hits the corner he was leaning around.
“Marcus and an upper level Eternal are here.”
Sighing, I swap places with him and peek around the corner in time to see both men slip into one of the larger warehouses. The building is too big for us to sweep alone, but I know Creed isn’t going to back down now that he’s laid eyes on his half-brother.
“You are not going to be reckless and get yourself killed tonight. You got me?” I ask as I grip his bulletproof vest and slam him against the wall. He’s taller than me by half a foot and just as bulky, but my alpha presence is stronger. I’ll bark his ass into submission if I have to.
“Yeah, I hear you.”
“They’re in the building to the Northwest. You go in through the front. I’ll sweep the back and we’ll meet in the middle. If things get dicey, we bail out. No arguments.”
When he nods, I drop his vest and cut through the overgrowth between buildings. The windows on the bottom floor are boarded up, leaving very few gaps for Marcus and his boss to fire out. The back of the building is open, leading to a dirt parking lot. A single car is parked beneath the trees lining the far side.
Approaching the door, I duck beneath the windows and grab its handle. Swinging it open, I stay out of the frame and wait, but no shots are fired. Glancing inside, I find an empty hallway littered with trash. Silence greets me as I sweep the building, searching offices, storage rooms, and bathrooms.
Movement ahead has me ducking behind a wall, but I hear Creed call out. “Anything?” he asks as we meet in the middle. I shake my head, listening to the creak of the building. An engine roars to life outside and we both curse. Running to the back of the building, we swing the door open in time to see the black car whip out of the lot, traveling down the dirt path to the main road.
Creed drops to one knee and steadies his gun. Aiming down the sight, he pops three shots off. One shatters the back window. Another hits the rear driver door. The car swerves wildly before correcting, but it doesn’t stop.
