Page 40 of Finding Her Panthers

“Yes, well, once you hear about her past, you may understand more. Not that I agree with her methods.”

“Just get on with it.” Blue’s patience isn’t good on a regular day.

Ryker gives him a dirty look. “Sure. I have to say, though, you panthers have some big balls.”

“Ryker,” Jax grits out.

“Cindy Willis, age twenty-two, blonde hair, although she was born with brown. Coyote, a pain in the ass species. Her parents died when she was five, and she went to live with a grandmother until she was seven. Her grandmother died a year later. She had no other family. She was sent to foster care, had difficulty adjusting, and caused all kinds of problems. She beat up a girl or two there, stole things from the other kids. Nobody liked her, as I’m sure you can guess.”

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach.

“She finally got a couple to take her in, with two other girls and a boy. I couldn’t find anything for a few years. Then back in the system after the man that took her in was found guilty of child abuse. He killed the wife and continued to abuse the kids sexually. Sick bastard.” Ryker doesn’t notice all the blood draining from my face or my mates' shock and concern. Blue tightens his grip on my hand, and James moves to the floor to sit at my feet. “She was with the man for two years. The other two were also abused. Of course, the boy was beaten whenever he tried to intervene between him and the girls. She had no luck finding another home. As you can imagine, no one wanted to take on an abused wild child. They put her with a counselor and made an effort to help her get past it, but she just got worse. The day she was eighteen, she fell in with the coyote pack. Not a good idea there. She slept her way through some of the men. Who, of course, had women they were involved with. I’m sure you know where I’m going with this. They ran her off. They told her never to come back. She committed several thefts, but no charges would stick. That’s when she made her way to your club. I spoke with a few people that knew her, and she liked to start trouble. She liked to seduce those that had no willpower. Everyone I spoke to had bad things to say. She is conniving and uses anyone she can. She has informed many that she will be the mate to the panther Alpha and his brothers.”

“Bitch,” Jax exclaims.

“Yes. Recently she was seen talking with two men at a bar. Looked really cozy. The bartender overheard her bragging about bringing three men to heel and giving the woman to the men she was sitting with. A coyote and a wolf.”

“I’ll kill her. That will not happen.” Jax hands fist on his thighs, the tension in his frame.

“So I assume she is speaking about you three and your mate.” Ryker finally looks at me, noticing my pallor.

“I grew up in foster care,” I say simply, not sure how much I should tell him.

“That explains some things.” He looks at Jax, questions swirling in his eyes.

“What else?” Jax asks.

“The rumor is it wasn’t by chance that she stumbled onto a panther pack. It seems she was specifically looking for one. The reason is a mystery.” He looks around at, us trying to fit it all together. “She’s been meeting with these men, in different places, for at least a month.”

“This is so fucked up,” I whisper.

“Clue me in.” Ryker leans towards us.

I give my attention to Jax. “Harmony was in that house with Cindy. The night the wife helped her escape because of the husband's abuse and wandering hands, he killed her. She promised Harmony she would get the other kids out. She never had the chance. The night Harmony found us, she put Cindy in her place and up against the wall as a consequence for touching me.” Jax explains.

“Shit.” Ryker is looking at me with new respect. “The other information I have is going to mean something entirely different than I thought.”

“More?” James is surprised.

“Cindy has been communicating with another man too. Mikey Willis.” He sits back after he drops that bomb.

“This is a whole new level of fucked up.” Blue grinds his teeth.

I have lost the ability to process it all. This can’t be happening. I’m not sure how to feel about Cindy now. I know what shaped her into the woman that she is today. Yet for her to plan this, to still be talking to that man. How could she? Why would she? All this has brought me is more questions.

“Do you have a list of all the locations they meet?” Jax asks.

Instead of answering, Ryker hands over a piece of paper. “It’s never the same place twice, but maybe someone will slip up. Here’s all the last known phone numbers and locations of where they stay.”

“Any idea of the names of the men?” Jax passes the paper to Blue.

“The only name I could get is Scotty. No last name. I have the descriptions from the bartender.”

“Thank you. I do owe you, Ryker,” Jax says humbly.

“No problem. I was bored. If you want me to take care of the molester, it would be a pleasure. Guys like that are the worst of the worst. Over the many years I have been on this earth, I hoped men like that would no longer be an issue. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.”

I decided that I like him. Ryker may be a vampire and rough around the edges, but I think he’s honorable.

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