Chapter 18: Griffin

18

GRIFFIN

J ack's expression is stern as he studies me, checking for signs that I'm about to lose control again.

Forcing myself to stay composed, I nod.

Jack steers us to the corner, away from the chatter around us from scared locals pouring over the details of Scott and Serena's attempt to kill Holly, and Kali's disappearance.

I tune them all out, focussing instead on the huge, agitated man in front of me, and the heavy footsteps of Henry marching over to join us.

"Did you hurt her?" he asks straight out, crowding into my personal space, trying to intimidate me. For once, the thing inside me doesn't react, seeming to understand he's just looking out for Kali. He takes my non-response for something else and presses closer. "DID YOU HURT HER?"

"No." My reply is calm, but strong. Much as I'd love to take out my anger on somebody, it's not going to help me find her.

Jack grinds his teeth, unimpressed at my presence here. The thick muscles in his neck bunch as he observes me from under the brim of his worn trucker cap. He thinks I'm trying to cause trouble, but that's the last thing I want.

"Tell me why I shouldn't kick you out of here right now. Or why Henry here shouldn't lock you up until you can give us an iron-clad alibi for last night. Because last time I saw you, Kali was kicking you out of the bar, and you didn't seem too keen to leave. And the first time we met, you were practically feral. That makes you a person of interest."

Jack's face twists into something darker, and I can see the menace of the animal inside him shining through his coal black eyes. This is no gentle giant. Chest to chest with me now, he keeps his voice low.

"The King's would probably love to hear about you harassing their cousin right before she goes missing. Give her back immediately, and if she's unhurt, I won't let them tear you limb from limb."

Red clouds my vision as the thing inside me reacts to the suggestion I've harmed my woman. Fuck. I concentrate on not lunging at Jack while Henry stands side by side with him, waiting for my answer. His hand rests casually on his side-arm but the message is clear. Don't do it. Because he'll take me down if he has to.

I can't blame them for being suspicious, my temper makes me look guilty, but they're looking at the wrong man.

I clench my jaw, hesitating before answering, trying to figure out how to convince them I'm normally a stand up guy. But in the end, I decide the truth is the best option here. Hopefully they'll understand when I tell them what's really been going on.

"Let me introduce myself. It might make more sense then. I'm Griffin, the new ranger in Sutton."

Jack's eyes widen as my words sink in, but they practically bug out of his head when I add the next part.

"And Kali is my mate."

Henry turns to Jack, and they both stare at each other, dumbfounded, a silent conversation going on as they both process this new information.

"Damn. I thought you were just some stalker ex." Jack shakes his head, looking at me in wonder. Clearly, being a mate is a big deal. I don't really understand why. But if it gets their attention and keeps me out of jail, I'm not beyond using it to my advantage.

"When Jack told me about a weirdo who flipped out and then was harassing Kali at the bar, I was pretty sure we were heading out this morning to find you and haul you in." Henry's eyes drift over the swelling crowd, all pushing in to get out of the driving rain. "Shit. Then it looks like we have a real mystery on our hands."

They both look concerned. Instead of having a solid hunch to work on, they're back to square one.

"Stalker, not exactly. Weirdo, maybe," I admit. "Ex? Hopefully not."

"You've gone from prime suspect to probably the most useful man here. Even if you have a shocking lack of control over your beast," Jack comments, frowning as he releases his hold on my shoulder. "But I suppose until I experience it myself, I can't judge."

Again, I have nothing to compare my behaviour to so I keep my mouth shut.

"How are you holding up? I'm surprised you're keeping it together today when you lost it so badly after just smelling her on me."

I shrug, not understanding how I'm keeping it together so well, either. Before now, I couldn't wait in line at the store without worrying about flying off the handle, but today, I have endless calm. Maybe it's because I've satisfied my blood lust.

It's a scary and yet satisfying thought.

"I don't know. I just need to find her." Admitting the next part feels like failure. "But we just only met, so I don't even know where to start."

Guilt churns inside me. I should have done a better job of taking care of her. I should never have left her side. And above all else, I should have talked to her and gotten to know her instead of sleeping together and then sneaking out like a fucking coward.

Feeling like my terrible behaviour is there for everyone to see, I growl. This is torture.

Jack saw her kick me out of the bar, and he knows she didn't want me there, despite our beasts connecting. I pray that he doesn't tell Henry she didn't want to be near me.

"This is all new to me."

Jack nods, thinking I mean finding a mate, when what I really mean is this whole entire thing. Sharing my body with my other half. Beasts. Claws. But now isn't the time to correct him.

Henry sighs, and takes a deep breath, his quick mind running through the pros and cons of whatever he's considering.

"Right. Let's keep the mate thing on the down low for now. Even if I believe you, which I'm not sure I do completely, it's not pertinent to the investigation right now. Let's just keep everyone focussed on finding her."

With a tip of his head, he gestures for me to follow him to the front of the room.

Every set of eyes tracks me as we stop in front of the dozens of volunteers. This isn't a town that welcomes strangers easily.

With an ear-splitting whistle, Henry calls everyone to attention, and the murmurs around the room stop immediately.

"You all know what happened last night. I'm not at liberty to discuss it, but what I can say is that we believe this is an unconnected incident."

When the whispers in the room begin again, he angrily shushes everyone. Henry looks like a man who's running on fumes. His patience is thin.

"While I'm dealing with that, Jack and our new ranger, Griffin, who's kindly starting early to help us locate Kali, are going to run point on the searches, along with Officer Peters, who you all know. We appreciate you coming out in this weather, but please people, mind yourselves out there. I don't think I can cope with anyone else getting lost or hurt."

Nobody laughs, because it's not a joke. The strain on the young deputy, and the residents of Sutton, is easy to see.

"Take a pack with you on your way out. Keep in contact, and if the weather turns bad again, come in. Good luck."

Henry's sombre as he shakes Jack's hand and then heads straight for the door before any of the lingering Sutton residents get to corner him with questions. He looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.

"Where's he going?" I ask, annoyed that this isn't his top priority. Nothing could be more important than finding Kali.

"To bring in Evan King. That's why he looks like he's heading to his own funeral."

Head down and shoulders hunched, Henry disappears out the door and leaves us to give out instructions. One team volunteers to search along the riverbanks, and another, to the hot springs, somewhere that might have been a good hiding spot on a cold, stormy night.

As we go through the motions of creating teams, handing out maps and radios, and setting out the search grids, my sense of impending doom deepens.

Finding Kali in any of these places doesn't seem likely to me. Those are all fine if we're looking for spots that Kali might have hidden in if she'd wandered off, injured and confused, but not somewhere a kidnapper would stash his victim. And with the bad weather and the extent of Kali's injuries, if she's found in any of these places, they'll be finding a dead body. Exposure would have gotten her, or she'd have bled to death.

This feels more like we're trying to find a body than a missing person.

As the small group collects their packs, I pray that none of them find her out on the mountain.

"Jack, this isn't going to work. She's not some lost hiker, someone took her." Desperation rises inside me. Maybe it's because they know she has a beast and isn't as fragile as your average, but nobody seems to be worried enough for my liking. Inside, I'm panicking, and nothing about this search and rescue operation is reassuring me.

"You're looking in the wrong places." My voice is getting louder as I despair about how little I know of Kali. Friends? Ex boyfriends? Favourite hang outs? I know nothing that could help us.

Jack tugs me over to the side, waving everyone out the door, and then waits until the chatter from the departing groups fades into the distance.

"You're right. But Griffin, nobody here knows anything about Kali. She just moved here. Ben is the only person who can fill in those blanks with Evan locked up, and he's working with the police on their investigation." Jack scans the room. Two coordinators and one officer are the only people left in the building. "Don't forget, these people are here to search, not to go on a dangerous man hunt. The police are working that angle and will do everything they can. But this is all we can do. We might find a clue out there, or a piece of evidence that will help them locate her. Focus on that."

Gritting my teeth, frustration builds inside me. He's not wrong, but I can't spend the day traipsing around the forest knowing full-well she's not out there. It's a waste of time. Whoever has her would have taken her far away from Sutton by now, unless they want to get caught.

"Fine." I grumble, closing my eyes and forcing myself to breathe and calm down.

Jack watches me warily as I shake off the overwhelming feeling of uselessness.

I follow him outside, watching the search parties split up and head in all directions. "But you tell me if they find anything. I need to know, even if it's bad."

Reluctantly, he agrees, knowing that trying to keep me out of the loop won't work anyway. I can't rest until I know where she is, and that she's okay. Even if she still doesn't want me anywhere near her.

"Don't do anything reckless, Griffin. If he wanted to kill her, he'd have done it at the cabin. But if you force his hand, this could end badly. Let the police handle it."

We stare at each other, him knowing full well that I have no intention of doing what he says.

With a resigned sigh, he turns and heads for his truck, waving over his shoulder and climbing behind the wheel. As he pulls out, he rolls down the window.

"At least take a radio with you if you're determined to go find trouble."