Chapter 34

“What does it say?” asked Lizzie.

“Dad had a tracking device implanted in him,” Dylon murmured, quickly scanning the paper.

“When did he do that?” asked Jackson.

“Twenty years ago…when he was sent to settle a dispute between the Alphas of the Russian and Tundra Wolves,” Dylon said.

“Twenty years?” Jackson thought for a moment before saying, “You think it’s still working?”

“I don’t know,” Dylon replied. “I’m not familiar with the High Council’s technology from back then.”

“Would Glenn or Smokey know?”

“Maybe,” Dylon muttered. Reaching into the box again, he pulled out a tiny, silver object and held it up for Jackson. “According to the note, this is a replica of what was implanted in him.”

“It’s a starting point at least,” Jackson said.

“Yeah…” Dylon murmured, turning the device over in his hand. Then, glancing at Lizzie, he asked, “Mom, did Dad tell you anything else, other than to give it to me?”

Lizzie’s brow furrowed as she thought about Dylon’s question. Then she said, “Just that he could count on you to know the most important date in his life.”

Frowning slightly, Dylon asked, “Are you sure that’s all he said?”

“Yes, sweetie,” Lizzie replied. “I remember specifically asking him what he meant by that, but he assured me you would understand. ”

“You sure,” asked Jackson, “he didn’t leave another note or a box or…maybe a file for Dylon?”

“No, I’m quite sure,” Lizzie said. “Frank was very clear that Dylon would know what to do.”

Glancing at Dylon, Jackson asked, “By chance, did your father say anything to you twenty years ago…maybe told you which date meant the most to him?”

“No…I don’t think…oh shit!” Dylon said. “I know what it is! I remember a conversation Dad and I had just before he left on a trip back then. We talked mostly about my plans for the future, but toward the end, he told me there as a very important date he wanted me to always remember. At the time, I thought it was strange, but I agreed.”

“I’m not following,” Jackson said. “What does a date have to do with a tracking device?”

“Because it’s the frequency his tracker is using…I need Zane,” Dylon said, before heading out of Jackson’s study.

“Wait, Dylon, I’m coming with you!” exclaimed Lizzie.

“We’ll both go,” Jackson said, getting up and escorting Lizzie out of his study and down to Zane’s computer room.

~/~/~/~/~

After thanking Remy and Cason for their help, Tristan watched them disappear before turning to Heath. “I want the enforcers and the pack members who volunteered to stay here to assemble in the community meeting room in five minutes.”

“They’re already waiting for you in there,” Heath replied .

Nodding, Tristan asked, “Where’s Reeve?”

“I’ve put him in the conference room along with every map I could find of the Silver Point Pack Land.”

“Thanks. C’mon…time to set a trap,” Tristan said.

Hurrying after his mate, Heath smiled to himself at the confidence emanating from Tristan. For someone who’d never been trained to be an Alpha, his mate wore the mantle of authority effortlessly. But what really surprised him was how quickly the pack members had given their loyalty to him.

Heath knew how resistant to change Wolf shifters were, especially if the change involved a new Alpha. His father, who was head of the English and Welsh Wolves, had been called on repeatedly to settle grievances pack members had against their Alphas. In fact, it had gotten so out of hand that he finally had to rule that no one could bring a complaint against an Alpha who had led a pack for less than three years.

When Heath asked him why three years and not less, his father told him it took that long for a new Alpha to earn the loyalty of his pack. Obviously, Tristan was an exception; he’d done it in just a matter of days. But that wasn’t all. The willingness of pack members to fight by their Alpha’s side when they weren’t ordered to, made his mate an Alpha’s Alpha. And Heath couldn’t wait to introduce Tristan to his father.

Entering the conference room, Tristan greeted Reeve before turning his attention to the many maps on the table. Going through them, he picked certain ones and discarded the rest. Spreading the ones he selected out on the table, he pointed to the largest one that outlined the borders of his pack land. “There’s the main road, but are there other ways Rudy can get access to us? ”

“That’s the only road,” Reeve replied, “but there are several trails he could use if he came on foot…but they’re overgrown and it would slow him down.”

“The road would be faster,” Heath agreed. “But considering how poorly Josiah maintained it, I’m not sure it would necessarily be that much faster than the trails.”

“Would the trails be quicker if Rudy shifted?” asked Tristan.

Shrugging, Reeve said, “They might be for Rudy’s wolf.”

“Do you have a list of the other escapees yet?” asked Tristan.

“Not yet,” Reeve growled, pissed off that the High Council had not yet responded to his request.

“So all we know is Rudy and those who’ve been associated with the Silver Point pack are wolf shifters, is that correct?” asked Tristan.

“That’s right.”

Glancing at the map again, Tristan murmured, “About fifty prisoners broke out, so we have to assume there may be other kinds of shifters with him, and since we don’t have the numbers to guard all the trails and the road…”

“What if there were small groups of enforcers guarding each trail?” asked Heath. “That way you’d know which one Rudy was using.”

“Too risky,” Tristan said. “Normally I’d agree with you, but I bet Rudy knows them like the back of his hand…and my men haven’t been here long enough to le arn them that well, giving his bunch a distinct advantage.”

“The only option left is to wait for Rudy here,” Reeve said, drawing a circle around a building with his finger.

“That won’t give us any advantage,” Heath muttered.

“You got a better idea?” growled Reeve, glaring at his friend.

“Well, I do,” Tristan replied, using his Alpha Power to end the disagreement between his mate and Reeve. After they both tilted their heads in respect, he continued, “Without knowing what types of shifters we’re facing, I don’t want to give Rudy and his cohorts the opportunity to sneak up and corner us…whether we are inside or outside. Given that, this is what we’re going to do…”

~/~/~/~/~

“I need you to find Dad!” Dylon snapped, after entering Zane’s lair without bothering to knock.

Looking up from his computer screen, Zane surveyed the wild-eyed man before saying, “Dude, that’s what I’m trying to do.”

“No…”

“You’re wrong, man…I’m doing exactly what you and Jackson told me to do.”

“What Dylon means,” Jackson explained as he and Lizzie entered the room, “is we just found out Frank has a tracking device implanted in him, and we need you to use it to find out where he is.”

“A tracker? Really? Wow…why didn’t you tell me that to begin with? Does the High Council know about it? Duh! Of course they do…but wait, if they do, why have n’t they told you? Or Lizzie? By the way, hi Miss L…good to see you again,” Zane said, flashing a smile at her before continuing. “Did you check to see if they’ve rescued Frank yet? Maybe that’s why they didn’t tell you or Miss L because they were in the process of doing it.”

“Whoa…slow down,” Dylon replied. “First, according to the note, no one knows he has a tracker, and second, Dad hasn’t been rescued. I have the frequency for the tracker in Dad and I need you to use it to locate where Rudy is holding him.”

“Gotcha.” Turning back to his computer, Zane opened a program and said, “Gimme the frequency.”

Grabbing a notepad, Dylon scribbled down the numbers his father had given him and, after handing it to Zane, said, “Here…the tracker is twenty years old so it might not be working anymore.”

Jackson watched as Zane entered the numbers but when his brother’s computer screen remained blank, he murmured, “Time for option two.”

“What’s that?” asked Lizzie.

“We want to use your mind link with Dad,” Dylon replied.

“Willya all be quiet for a minute?” Zane asked, grabbing a pair of headphones and putting them on. Then, listening intently, he increased the volume on his computer, smiling at the results. Removing his earphones, Zane announced, “I found Frank…well, I found the signal and if you’re sure there aren’t any other trackers using this frequency, then I can safely say I found Frank. ”

Peering over Zane’s shoulder, Dylon concentrated on the tiny red light flashing in time to a beep from the computer’s speaker. “Holy fucking shit! It’s still working,” he muttered. “You’re a fucking genius!”

“Can you give us an address or location?” asked Jackson.

“Gimme a minute,” Zane mumbled, typing furiously. It took less than that before he found Frank’s location. Entering the coordinates into another program, Zane zeroed in on the property at that spot. Then, sending the information to the big screen monitor on his wall, said, “That’s where Frank is. According to the property records, it’s owned by the CC Corporation, an offshore company, and its sole owner is…you guessed it, Rudy.”

Dylon studied the picture of a dilapidated warehouse sitting in the middle of an old deserted industrial complex. It would be impossible to approach undetected; there wasn’t any cover he could use. “Can you find a blueprint for me, Zane?” he murmured, his mind quickly formulating a plan.

“Maybe…” Zane replied, turning back to his keyboard. In a few minutes, he’d retrieved the blueprints that had been submitted for the building permit. Putting them up on another large screen, he said, “These are the original ones and the only ones on file. If there were changes made subsequent to these plans, there’s no record of them.”

“It’s one big open space,” Jackson murmured, examining the blueprints before concluding, “Rudy would never hold Frank there…it’d be too easy for him to escape.”

“Agreed,” Dylon muttered, his eyes shifting between the current photograph of the warehouse and the blueprints. “There has to be a room in there that isn’t on the plans…”

“Zane, can you narrow down the location of where the signal is coming from in the building?” asked Jackson.

“I’ll try,” Zane replied, returning to his keyboard. After several minutes, he pointed to the third big computer screen on the wall. “The signal is coming from the northeast portion of the warehouse.”

“Well done,” Dylon said staring at the composite picture. “Given the location, a room has been built within the building…using no outside walls or windows. There’s no way anyone can get to Dad undetected since Rudy’s chosen a perfect location.”

“Not only that,” Jackson added, “but we have to assume Frank has been drugged, making it impossible for him to use his Alpha Power to subdue his captors.”

“Or to shift,” Dylon added. Finally, what had bothered him from the moment Jackson told him about his father’s kidnapping suddenly became clear. Rudy had no intention of using Frank as a bargaining chip, instead, he planned to use his father to settle the score with him. Shifting his gaze to Jackson, he said, “I need Remy, Sawyer, Colton, and Zane to go with me to get Dad.”

Jackson stared at Dylon for a moment. Then, seeing the urgency in his face, he said, “I’ll get Remy, you get Colton, and Zane, go get Sawyer. Meet me in the great room in five minutes.”

Lizzie grabbed her son’s arm as he headed for the door, “Wait…I must go too. ”

Shaking his head, Dylon replied, softly, “Not this time, Mom. I can’t be worrying about your safety while rescuing Dad.”

“But he’ll need me,” Lizzie said, softly.

“He will,” Dylon agreed. “But after we get him here. C’mon, you can wait for Dad with Ian.” Putting his arm over his mother’s shoulder, he ushered her out of the room and led her down the hallway toward the doctor’s office.

~/~/~/~/~

Landing on the cracked asphalt of the parking lot surrounding the warehouse where his father was being held, Dylon looked at the men who’d accompanied him. “There’s a change in my plan…Remy, instead of waiting out here for us to get back, I want you to come with us so you can zap us back as soon as I find Dad. If Rudy did to my father what he did to me, time will be of the essence if he’s to be saved.”

“I can use my power on him right away,” Colton said.

“I know, but we won’t have the time for you to do that,” Dylon replied. “Remember, these assholes have guns, so I don’t want to take the chance they might decide to use them. Just because Sawyer’s cloaked us all, it doesn’t mean we can’t be shot, even if they can’t see or hear us.”

“Who do you want me to take first?” asked Zane.

“Me and Sawyer,” Dylon said. “Followed by Colton and Remy.”

“You sure you don’t want me to translocate all of us inside at the same time?” asked Remy .

“I can’t take the chance since Rudy may have a magic user who’s working with him,” Dylon answered.

“Good thinking,” Remy murmured. “There are spells a magic user can cast to hide their magic.”

“Let’s hope we don’t run into any spells, “Dylon muttered under his breath, as he headed for the north side of the warehouse with everyone following him. It took several minutes to get everyone inside, and Dylon was relieved that they hadn’t tripped an alarm.

Moving up next to Dylon, Remy murmured, “There’s a magic user here…a weak one but with enough power to kill one of you.”

Nodding, Dylon replied, “Can you disable him?”

“You mean…remove his magic?” asked Remy.

“Yes.”

“Only Carson can do that, but I can put him in a light sphere that will immobilize him and his magic.”

“That’s good enough for me. Keep a lookout for him and if you find him, go ahead and do it.”

“Where do you want me to send the light sphere?”

“Back to the pack…Carson can remove his magic there.” After Remy agreed, Dylon looked around the dim space, finally spying a guard standing in front of a door to a room that was newer than the rest of the building. Pointing to it, he murmured, “Stay here…I’m going to check it out.”

Quickly closing the distance to the room, Dylon touched one side of it, finding concrete beneath his hand just as he’d expected. After walking along the outside of the walls and finding nothing other than a solid structure, he finally motioned for everyone to join him. He knew there wasn’t time to waste.