Chapter 21

21

" I 'm looking forward to meeting your parents," Fisher said to Kira, "though they might be a little shocked to learn that we're dating."

"They'll be thrilled and love you like I do." Kira and Fisher sat down at a table and began eating their slices of pizza at the convenience store.

"Oh, shoot, Demetria or Everett probably called Martin, but I need to check in with him now that we caught one more of the guys. The head honcho, actually." Kira got on her phone and called Martin, putting it on speakerphone. "One of the Andersons probably already let you know that we captured Reggie, the leader of the kidnappers."

"Yeah, Demetria told me what had happened with you and Fisher protecting each other when Reggie was shooting at you. I couldn't be gladder that I hired Fisher. He seems to be your perfect partner," Martin said.

"I so agree. He and I work well together." Kira was so glad her boss felt that way because she would have a greater chance of being paired up with Fisher on future missions.

"I want everyone to keep on their toes with the last guy. Unless he just decides to take off to Alaska or somewhere else that no one knows him, he may still go after his cousin, and I don't want anyone to get hurt. These guys have proven just how dangerous they can be. Keep me posted."

"We will."

"You're both doing a great job. Keep it up," Martin said.

"Thanks," they both said.

Then they ended the call.

"I was afraid Martin might give me grief about allowing myself to be taken hostage," Kira told Fisher.

"It could have happened to any of us."

They finished eating their slices of pizza, then picked up some chips and sodas, paid for them, and then walked out to the car. "I'm glad we came back here so that I could have a better experience—this time with you," she said.

"I agree. We'll have to return to the national park and run as wolves together, just enjoying ourselves, not worrying about kidnappers, protecting a hostage, and getting shot, or searching for a little lost girl or boy," Fisher said.

"Let's make it a date."

"I'm all for it."

They got into the car and decided to just crisscross the area, looking for any sign of the other vehicle that had taken off. She hoped that they would get lucky. She knew that if the others saw any sign of the vehicle, they would let them know, and she and Fisher would join them.

Twenty minutes later, Fisher spied a vehicle that fit the description of the Ford Escape that Oscar had taken off in. "Do you think that's the car Oscar drove off in that the others had described?" Fisher pointed out the car at a service station/convenience store.

"They didn't know the license plate number, but it's the same color, make, and model. Let's check it out."

They pulled in next to the vehicle, got out of their car, and looked inside the Escape. Food wrappers were scattered all over the floor. They smelled Oscar's scent outside of the vehicle. Fisher ran the license plate. "Stolen."

"That's what I figured," Kira said.

But then Oscar raced out of the woods behind the store, dragging a little boy with him.

No, no, no, no!

He tossed a couple of pairs of handcuffs to Kira and Fisher, and they landed on the asphalt parking lot in front of them. "Put them on and come with me. Then I'll let the kid go."

Ohmigod, she couldn't believe she was going to be one of the kidnappers' hostages again. Yet she couldn't think of any way out of it. But what if he didn't let the boy go, once they had the handcuffs on?

"You don't have any choice," Oscar said, sounding angry at the delay. "Put your phones on the ground."

Reluctantly, they both did.

"You, Red, put the cuffs on your boyfriend first. Not in the front, but in the back."

"I can't twist my shoulder back that way," Fisher said. "Your cousin shot me in the shoulder."

"Do it," Oscar said.

"Just shoot me. Go ahead and get it over with. I can't pull my injured shoulder behind me."

"Do it in front then," Oscar growled.

She hoped Fisher wasn't hurting as much as he was acting like he was and instead had a plan. She went ahead and cuffed him. He groaned as if he was in serious pain even though she cuffed his hands in front of his body.

"Now, Boyfriend, do the same to your girlfriend."

Fisher began cuffing her hands in front and Oscar said, "No, wiseass. Was she shot too?"

They could have pretended his friend had hit her when he was shooting down on them when they were on the ledge below the cliff, or even before they took him into custody, but it was a little late for pretenses.

She felt just like she had the other time this had happened, except she wasn't knocked out with chloroform and she was glad for that.

"Get in the back seat of your car," he said.

"What about the boy?" Kira didn't trust Oscar to do what was right.

"Get in the car," Oscar ordered. He was in charge, and he didn't like them questioning everything he was doing.

She knew Oscar had a gun on him, though it appeared he had it in his jacket pocket.

"Come on, let's do it." Fisher and she climbed into the back seat of the car.

She eyed the boy and wished she could give him a hug like she had done with Billy and tell him everything was going to be alright, even though she didn't know that it was going to be.

Then Oscar pushed the boy in through the driver's seat and once he was in the front passenger seat, Oscar got behind the wheel and drove off. "Okay, who the hell are you two?"

They couldn't say that they were with the USF, not in front of the boy, though he wouldn't know what it was.

"We're law enforcement special agents," Kira said. "You, your cousin, and your friend are wanted for the kidnapping of several boys. We handle cases like yours."

"So you didn't just run into us accidentally in the national park?" Oscar asked, sounding surprised.

"No. We were following you."

"You're like us."

"Yep. But we can't discuss it in front of the boy," Kira said.

Silence.

"Where are you taking us?" Fisher asked.

"Where are they taking my cousin?" Oscar asked, not answering Fisher.

"To Houston," Kira said.

"Why?"

"Reggie and he will be incarcerated. What did you think would happen once we caught you? You could just continue to do this and get away with it?" Kira was irate. These men had no conscience. They were destroying lives, impacting on them in a way that could never be undone.

Oscar didn't say anything for a long time, just kept driving. They weren't going to Houston, but someplace way out in the country. Then they finally arrived at a desolate cabin. "You're going to call whoever has got my cousin and tell them that they have to drop him off with bus money to a place I designate."

Then he parked Kira's car and got out. He opened the door for Kira and told the boy to get out. "Kid, you're not going anywhere. We're too far out for anyone to ever find you. So you will stay here until they release my cousin and then you can go home to your parents."

Then he opened the door for Fisher to exit the vehicle. "All of us are going inside."

Once they were inside the dusty cabin, Oscar made Fisher sit on a chair, then he moved another one with its back to Fisher's and made Kira sit there.

He brought out some rope and began to wrap it around the two of them.

Kira sure hoped they could get themselves out of this mess without anyone having to rescue them. Two times on one mission? Martin might want to fire her this time!

After Oscar had tied them up sufficiently, he made the boy sit on another chair. Then he got Kira's phone and said, "Unlock it."

"Hold it up to my face." If she could just get a cryptic message to Demetria, maybe she would realize that they had been taken hostage.

Oscar did, and then he searched her contacts. "Who has my cousin?"

"Demetria Anderson," she said.

"You tell her to put Royce on a bus at Trinidad and take it to Colorado City."

"Alright."

"You tell her I have you and your boyfriend and another kid, so don't try any funny business."

"Alright."

He called the number and held the phone up to her face.

"Hello?" Demetria said.

"Hi, Oscar took Fisher and me and another boy hostage." At least Kira didn't have to be cryptic about it.

There was dead silence on the other end.

"Hello?" Kira knew Demetria was on Bluetooth and that Everett had heard what was going on. Royce too. He was probably grinning his fool head off. "He wants Royce put on a bus in Trinidad and sent to Colorado City."

"How do we have any guarantee that the three of you will be alright?" Demetria asked.

"You don't. If any of you meet at the bus station or follow him, I'll end the three of them. Desperate men take desperate measures. You've probably heard of that before, right?" Oscar said.

"How will you know we've put Royce on a bus at the location you indicated?" Demetria asked.

"You give him a burner phone and he can call me when he leaves and when he reaches his destination."

"And our people and the boy?" Demetria asked.

"Once I know my cousin is free and not in your custody again, I'll tell you where your friends and the boy are, and you can come and get them. No one rides on the bus with Royce. I can smell you like you can smell me. And you know I'm armed with a couple of guns."

"Alright. I've got to check the bus schedule for times of departure," Demetria said.

"Call back when you have the information. And I want Royce to call me on the burner phone when you get him one."

"Alright. Call you back as soon as we have the information." Demetria sounded calm and Kira loved that about her.

It helped to keep a situation like this less emotional and keep the rogue shifter from getting more riled up. Then Oscar ended the call.

"What's your name?" Kira asked the boy.

"Tommy Jones."

"Hi, Tommy. I'm Kira and he's Fisher."

The boy was a redhead, freckles smattered across his cheeks and nose, and his green eyes were red with crying.

"Okay, you and I are going for a trip," Oscar said to Tommy.

"You were supposed to leave the boy with us," Fisher said.

"You're not in charge here, if you didn't realize it," Oscar said. "Come on, kid."

The boy looked at Fisher and Kira as if he had hoped they were going to save him, but all tied up, they couldn't do a thing. Not at the moment. They just hoped Oscar would be honorable enough to leave the boy somewhere safe. She suspected Demetria would make sure everyone was watching for Oscar to pick up Royce. But he might get off at another stop. They would have to have all the places covered.

In the meantime, Kira and Fisher needed to get themselves out of the bind they were in.

As soon as they heard car doors shut—her car, which so irritated her—they began to try and get loose. Then the car engine revved up and Oscar drove off.

"Can you make any headway with the ropes?" Kira asked Fisher.

"I'm trying. What about you?"

"A little, but he tied them tight."

"I'm going to try and shift."

"Can you?"

"I think so. You can't with your wrists cuffed behind your back, but I should be able to."

Then the ropes began loosening and she heard his cuffs drop on the floor.

"Yes! Omigod, we're mating," she said, loving him for being so resourceful and quick thinking.

He woofed, but he was still trying to get out of the ropes. But they were looser, and she was wriggling and wiggling, trying to get free of them. She was still pulling against them, which meant that they were tightening against the fully dressed wolf behind her, though Fisher had lost his shoes.

No one ever liked to shift while they were wearing clothes, but in an emergency, they would do whatever they had to. If they had to, she thought it was like when a dog was dressed up for a human's entertainment.

"Oh, oh, I'm nearly out." Well, not quite, but she'd managed to get one loop of rope over her head. With all the wiggling and jiggling, they ended up knocking over the chairs.

Unlike in the movies where they likely used breakaway furniture, these chairs were solid and didn't break. Darn it.

Okay, so being on their side on the floor wasn't easier.

Then she heard chewing and glanced back at Fisher and saw he was chewing through the rope coiled around them, snarling and growling. She loved him.

With a snap, he was through one coil of the rope and that was enough to loosen it further and she fought to get out of the remaining rope. Her hands cuffed behind her back was what was giving her fits.

Then Fisher shifted and pulled the rest of the rope off himself. She was freer now, and he hurried to remove the rest of the rope tied around her and helped her up. He hugged and kissed her, and she loved him so much.

His mouth lingered on hers and he was still holding close. "We get into the worst binds."

"It's all in the job description," she said, then he released her. "But I'm serious. You're mine."

He laughed and began rummaging through drawers in the kitchen. "I love you and I am thrilled about mating you. I'm looking for something that can open your handcuffs."

"I've got a Swiss army knife in my pocket that he didn't take." She was so glad she had that on her and Oscar hadn't searched her for anything.

Fisher slid his hand in her pocket, but it was the wrong one.

"Other one."

Then he pulled out the knife and smiled. "You're prepared for most anything."

"Your teeth sure came in handy on that rope."

"At 1200 pounds per square inch while biting down, our wolf teeth sure can help when we're in a tight spot." He quickly removed her handcuffs, and she rubbed her wrists.

"Were you in a lot of pain when I put on your handcuffs?" She was worried about him still when it came to his injured shoulder. She gave him a warm hug and kissed him.

He hugged her back and kissed her willing mouth. "No. I knew I would have a better chance getting out of the situation we were in if I was handcuffed in front and not in the back. I was doing a lot of playacting to get my way."

"Not a little bit?"

"Oh, if you had pulled my arms back and handcuffed me, sure I would have been in some pain, but I was doing all the groaning for effect. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Let's go. We have no phones or a car and we're miles from civilization, but we need to head in the direction we heard him go and hope we'll soon find someone that will help us out," she said, heading out of the house.

"I guess we'll jog and maybe we can see a vehicle and flag it down. Do you ever commandeer a vehicle in the name of the law?"

"No. We have to make sure we don't break any laws since we're truly not a human law enforcement agency."

"You know, I could run as a wolf and sprint ahead to see if I can locate anyone," he said, holding her hand as if he was on a date, or maybe because he was so happy she wanted to mate him.

"You're not running as a wolf. Not with your injured shoulder. But it's a great idea." She pulled her hand away from his, gave him a hug, stripped off her clothes, and saw his appreciative smile as he watched her. She laughed at him. "Quit drooling."

He smiled. "I can't help it. And I can't wait for us to become mated wolves."

"Me either." She wished they didn't have to delay it, but of course this business took priority over anything. They needed to capture Oscar and get the boy home to his family.

Fisher bundled up her clothes and then she shifted and took off running. At least both could hear if anyone was in the vicinity with their enhanced hearing. She hoped that the other members of the teams wouldn't worry about them because for now, they were fine. They just needed to find someone who might be able to help them out.

She ran about a mile in one direction, but not hearing any cars or people or seeing any homes, she ran off in another direction. Still, she couldn't find anything and ran the opposite way. This was going to be harder than she thought. They were just miles away from anything. She raced back to where Fisher was walking, and he shook his head.

"You look defeated. No luck?"

She shifted. "Nothing. I thought if I could at least find a house, store, gas station, or something, I would run back to you, and we would head in that direction. But there's nothing out here." She took her clothes from him and dressed. "Maybe we'll get lucky, and someone will come our way."

They started walking again. "I smell my car engine had traveled this way, and I recognize the woods we passed through. See that dead tree over there with one branch sticking out? I was watching for anything that would give us a clue as to how we had gotten here. I was glad he hadn't blindfolded us."

"I was doing the same thing. That fir tree with the yellow top? That's the one I saw on the way here."

"Good. Then we're in sync with doing what we need to do. I guesstimated we are about fifteen miles from where he took us at that service station."

"Me too. And along the way, businesses were situated on either side of the road for the first two miles. After that, traffic and businesses were few and far between. Then farms sprouted up here and there, the farmhouses way off the main road. I saw some silos, and then we turned off on this road and were soon into forested land. No cabins that I saw, just the one he drove us to."

"I didn't go far enough to reach any of the farmhouses. No one's harvesting anything now. But maybe we can find someone out feeding cows or something."

"The first farmhouse was about ten miles back," Fisher said. "It'll take us about four hours to reach it."

"Unless one of us runs as a wolf. Then it'll only be an hour."

"Yeah, but it won't help us because we can't talk to a farmer as a wolf. And with me walking as a human, I still wouldn't be there for another three hours."

Then they heard a van headed their way and she immediately worried it was the kidnapper.

"He was driving your car, and no one will know it, so I'm sure he wouldn't ditch it to grab a van and come back for us," Fisher said.

"I think you're right. At least I sure hope so."