Page 54 of Meant for Them

A few seconds later, he was told he could go back to his uncle’s office. Inside was not only his uncle, but the deputy, Noah Clayton. Since Noah was also a shifter, Benson didn’t have to hide the fact that werewolves might be responsible for the abduction.

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

“Benson. What’s this about a kidnapping?”his uncle asked.

He pulled up a chair next to Noah and nodded to him. “Anna Ackerman has been taken.”

“What? When? How did you find out?” Uncle Adam asked.

For the next half hour, he brought Noah and his uncle up-to-date on the case. “Needless to say, Dennis is highly distraught.”

His uncle leaned back in his chair. “That explains why Dennis’ representation wasn’t as good as usual.”

“Blackmail can cause a person to abandon their ethics. It’s why he put in his resignation today.”

His uncle shook his head. “That is tough, but I might have done the same thing.”

Benson wasn’t so sure. Even though his uncle adored each of his five children, Wildwood’s sheriff probably wouldn’t break the law to save their lives. Why? Because he would believe he could find the person responsible. Benson hoped neither would have to find out how they’d respond in such a situation.

“Did he say what time she was taken?” Noah asked.

“No, but I’m guessing sometime last night. He was told that if he contacted you, Anna would be killed.”

His uncle nodded. “Which was why he told you. He hoped you’d tell me.”

“Yes, but he wants me and Preston to try to get her back.”

“A lawyer and a gym owner?”

Benson didn’t blame his uncle for being skeptical. “With your help behind the scenes, of course.” His cell rang. Normally, he’d ignore it, especially now that he was officially on vacation, but it might be Ariel. He checked the caller ID. “It’s your son.”

“It’s probably about Hammer. Put him on speaker,” Uncle Adam said.

“Mason. I’m here with your dad and Noah. I’m putting you on speaker.”

“Good. I found some information on Hammer Schmidt. Believe it or not, that’s his real name.”

Benson slightly slumped in his seat. “If he is Ariel’s stalker, would he use his real name even if he was only ordering coffee? He paid in cash. He could have picked something less memorable.”

“Criminals aren’t always smart,” Noah chimed in.

“True.”

“What else, Mason?” his father asked.

“I don’t know much other than he lives in Midvale. There is no database that lists whether he’s a werewolf or not, but he works at the Mountain Top Casino.”

“Which is run by Paul Franklin,” Uncle Adam added. He then looked up at Benson. “Rumor has it that Franklin manages the gambling cartel over there.” He refocused on Mason. “Do you have a photo of Hammer Schmidt, or do you need me to pull up his driver’s license, which we know doesn’t always look like the person.”

“I’ll need a photo. If you can send me the DMV picture, I can sniff around the casino. And don’t worry, I won’t be asking questions, nor will I be heading inside with my camera.”

“We appreciate your caution, but time is of the essence. Turns out Anna Ackerman was abducted.”

“Oh, shit. Anna?”

Benson didn’t know his cousin even knew her. “Yes. There is a ransom demand but nothing else.”

“The sooner you send me Hammer’s picture, the sooner I’ll start my surveillance.”

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