“I just saw Ellie. She’s been kidnaped.”
“Wait—you saw Ellie? You know—”
“That she’s been kidnapped. That’s what I’m telling you.”
“I just found out, myself. How did you—”
“I was coming back from running an errand for Mr. Costas. I was driving the Bentley, the black one. I’m on my way back, when I keep noticing this van, this unmarked van behind me. I’m on my way to the compound, and it’s not like there was a lot of traffic out, so I noticed it. I started wondering if maybe it was following me. Right before getting home, I turned off on Providence Drive and drove a little way, like that was my destination. Then I did a u-turn, flipped off my lights, and sat there in the dark, waiting. The van drove past me. I crawled out a bit to watch it. Keep an eye on it. I had a funny feeling, y’know?
“I saw the van pull up next to the compound wall. Then, here came this—this dark figure jumping over the wall, like a kangaroo. I couldn’t believe it. Are the security cameras down or something? James’ people should have caught that, but I didn’t see anybody coming out to inspect.”
She didn’t wait for a reply.
“Anyway, it was some shifter I’d never seen before. Not only could he jump, but it looked like he was carrying something over his shoulder. I couldn’t tell what. I saw him throw whatever it was into the back of the van. There was at least one other person waiting there, beside the driver. They took off, went right past me. Must not have seen me. I tried calling the house, tried calling you, but couldn’t get through.”
“There’s been a hacker. James is working on it. Did your phone not ring earlier? I tried calling you also.”
“My phone never rang,” Tracy said, “and I couldn’t get you till now.”
“Crap. Something must have been jamming signals to or from the house. I’ll let James know.”
“Okay. I didn’t know what was going on, but I followed the van back into town. Kept my lights off until we got into the city and there was enough traffic that I could turn them on without the van noticing. Anyway, here I am, across from Westside. I still don’t think they’ve seen me, but I saw them get out of the van and, Carter? I’m pretty sure it was Ellie they had with them.”
The news struck him like a blow between the eyes. Of course, he’d known Ellie had been taken, but to hear how and where they’d taken her filled him with cold dread.
The Pit.
“You need to get here now,” Tracy was saying. “Bring backup.”
He was already on his feet. Grabbing his SIG, he headed out the door.
“Did you see anyone else?”
“Two men have Ellie. The van driver took off. I haven’t seen anyone else around, but who knows what’s inside.”
“Right. Stay put, Tracy.”
“I was planning to try and follow, see if I could at least keep tabs on what’s going on—”
“Are you armed?” he barked, interrupting her.
“Always.”
“Fine. That’s up to you. I’d rather you stay put, but if you go, be careful. Don’t risk your life.”
And don’t give me two victims to rescue.
He thought it, but didn’t say it. Tracy with her sawed off shotgun was lethal. She could probably take care of herself. Still, if the worst should happen, he didn’t want to have to worry about trying to pull her out too. One problem at a time.
“I’ll be careful. Get here fast.”
“I’m on my way.”
She hung up. Carter’s next call was to Goren, who ran the armed guards, as well as managed the men and women who either worked security or had special training in combat, in covert operations. Who were equally lethal as armed humans as they were in their shifter forms.
“Goren, I need every body you can spare to meet me at Westside Baptist.”
“Westside Baptist? The Pit?”
“The Pit.”
“What the hell, Carter?”
“Don’t have time to get into it. Ellie’s been kidnapped. Probably by Nosizwe. We’re going to get her back.”
“Ellie? That human girl who saved the Costas kid? The one you, uh, marri…”
“That’s the one.”
“Crap. Why would Nosizwe take her?”
“I don’t know.” Carter felt his teeth gritting in frustration. He was outside the house now, running for the garage. “Doesn’t matter. All that matters is retrieving her. Get your people there. Now. Also, call Sean for me and let him know what’s going on. I don’t have any more time. I’m going.”
He ended the call without a further word, thrusting his phone in his back pocket. A terrible fear gripped his gut as he climbed into his Jeep, brought the vehicle to life, and backed out of the garage. He took the corners and curves of the driveway much too fast. He’d already alerted the guards at the gate, and they waved him through. Once on the open road, he poured on speed, but no matter how fast he drove Carter couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom. That Ellie’s life hung in the balance. That if he didn’t hurry, hurry, hurry and get there in time he was only going to arrive to find her dead.
Nosizwe wouldn’t bring her to the Pit without a purpose.
The place was part of local shifter lore, well known in their community. The old church building, Westside Baptist, had been built a century ago over a sinkhole, a cave, by a minister who was a shifter himself. He’d also been in league with the Costas family. Building the church had been a way of securing the cave with its passages as a place where shifters on the run could hide, if need be. Where, if spotted by humans, they wouldn’t be lynched or hunted down. It had been a place of refuge for Carter’s kind, many decades ago, as the Costases forged their empire. The need for the cave—known simply as the Pit by most shifters like himself—had finally been outgrown over the years as the Costases made room for shifters in their homes, their businesses, even their own compound.
Eventually, the church building had passed into human hands, its secret entrance to the cavern below sealed up and forgotten by all except descendants of the first shifters to settle in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Then the fire had happened, the deaths, shutting down the church itself. Many locals swore the burned out shell of a church building was haunted, haunted by the spirits of those who’d perished in the blaze, unable to escape. Little did they know the building, overgrown with vines and weeds, last time Carter had seen it, held secrets of a much stranger past.
Why would Nosizwe take Ellie to the Pit, unless she had some awful purpose in mind, one that required not only secrecy but was historically a hiding place for shifters in this area? Carter didn’t know, but he was certain it couldn’t be anything healthy.
Faster, he told himself, pressing the gas pedal, praying he wouldn’t run into some cop looking for a speeder. No matter how fast he drove, Carter couldn’t get there quickly enough.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Anything was possible, but Detective Candace Ewing hadn’t really been prepared to see any action at Westside Baptist. She’d driven by tonight more to satisfy the itch of one last step toward solving her case than anything else. The practical side of her said she wouldn’t see Elia, wouldn’t see any shapeshifters, wouldn’t see anything except the church itself.