Shadow Effect - 24. Chapter 24

Elijah rapped on the bathroom door leading to Tyler’s room. There’d been animalistic noises coming from there last night, and he wasn’t sure if Logan was still there or not. He didn’t care one way or another. In fact, he was happy his best friend was getting laid. As far as he knew, Tyler had just come off a dry spell. From what he could remember, Tyler had been semi-dating some chick right before his last trip here. The tryst didn’t last very long.

A muffled voice granted entry, and Elijah pulled the door open. Tyler was by himself, but evidence of Logan was in plain sight. A bright blue jock dangled off the empty side of the bed, partially covered by the tangled sheets and comforter.

“Get up, ya lazy shit. We’ve got stuff to take care of today. Sebastian called for a meeting later and we haven’t finished scrutinizing the information he gave us.” He and Tyler had gone over the files several times, but they still needed to decide how to proceed. Combing through the information again was the only way to do it.

Tyler’s hand came out from where it was burrowed under the covers, and slowly the middle finger took an upright position high above all the other digits.

Screw that shit. Elijah grabbed the comforter and whipped it off as fast as he could. One look and he almost regretted his rash decision. “Ah, shit! You couldn’t at least keep your skivvies on?” he exclaimed as Tyler’s bare ass mooned him.

“I didn’t ask you to pull the fucking covers off, asshat. Serves you right.”

“C’mon, we’ve got more homework to do. I’ll meet you in the kitchen. If you’re nice, I’ll save some coffee for you.”

“For being a pain in the ass, you should pour it for me and fix me breakfast too,” Tyler growled at him.

“Like hell, Williamson.”

“Bite me, Garrison.”

“In your dreams.”

Elijah left the room, pulling the door shut behind him a little too loudly. He stopped in his room to grab the folders with the information on the ten pups who had been sold to humans. He was hoping the new information Sebastian and his team gathered would prove fruitful and fill in some of the gaps. During their brainstorming, he and Tyler had come up with a couple of pages of notes, and more than a few questions they would like answers to before starting.

Before he finished his first cup of coffee, Tyler trudged into the kitchen, still half-asleep. A tray with a variety of danishes and bagels had been left out, as well as a big bowl of fruit, most likely courtesy of Sandi. Elijah nodded toward the toaster oven, where he was keeping an everything bagel warm for his friend.

Tyler grunted his thanks as he slathered cream cheese over the slices.

Once his best friend had coffee and food in front of him, Elijah scooted over to make room at the breakfast bar. They sat in comfortable silence, enjoying the simple fare. When they were done, they topped off their coffee before tackling the dossiers. Elijah pulled out the sheaves of paper from the manila folders and stacked them on the big table. Ten pups, ten folders.

Sebastian had arranged them in order of abduction, the most recent first. Everything gathered on each pup neatly was organized and paper clipped together. Elijah laid out the folders side by side, quickly scanning the cover sheet on top of each one, maintaining the chronological order.

Tyler and Zev’s handiwork was easy to read. Elijah focused on the first two columns to start. Name and age at the time of the abduction.

Neall Carpenter, 14; Cameron Nading, 14; Erik Monroe, 13; Luca Brouillette, 12; Shawn Emmett, 14; Wyatt Rykers, 12; Dante Tillman, 13; Jonah Mathers, 14; Ashton Laramee, 13; and finally; Austin Laramee, 13.

He and Tyler read through the files again. They had already reviewed them a dozen times, but they needed to know every detail by heart.. Sebastian was leaving it up to each team to decide what order they wanted to attempt the rescues.

They spent the morning scrutinizing every little fact contained in the files, jotting down more notes. Finally, Tyler slid the last of the files to the middle of the table and looked up. He sighed heavily

“Thoughts?” Elijah asked.

“Well, my first instinct was to try to rescue the pups who’ve been missing the longest, but now that I’ve read through all the information for the hundredth time, I think we should focus on the more recent abductions first.”

“I was leaning toward the older ones too. Why do you think the more recent ones would be better?”

Tyler leaned back in his chair and raked his fingers through his hair, leaving it sticking out all helter-skelter. “I don’t want to sound callous, but look at the oldest dossier. These two,” he said, tapping his index finger on the files. “Ashton and Austin Laramee. The twins were abducted almost seven years ago. That would make them part of the first group of successful hybridizations, based on the information we have. If they’ve been with the original buyer all this time, it would be a miracle. Hell, if they’re even alive, it would be a miracle on the same scale as a virgin-birth. No, I think we have a better chance of recovery if we go after the more recent ones. Those kids are probably the most scared and traumatized. The sooner we can get them back, the better. The older ones, if alive, are probably resigned to their fate by now. I don’t think a few extra weeks or even months would make a difference.”

Elijah nodded. Tyler had a valid point. Still, he couldn’t help thinking that the pups who had been held in captivity for so long shouldn’t have to spend one more day being held prisoner. He didn’t want to ignore the prickling feeling in his chest. “Don’t you think these older ones have spent enough time away from their packs and families?”

“That’s just it. They’ve been gone so long, it’s highly likely they’ve been sold again, or even killed. Pedophiles like kids. These guys don’t qualify as pups anymore. Hell, Elijah, these two are about our age now. Who knows what condition they’re in? Are they even still hybrid? Remember what Sebastian brought up the other day, being feral? Isn’t isolation a huge factor in those guys' wolves taking over? Seven years is a long time to be held captive. We can’t be sure they’re even together anymore.”

“Fuck, this is getting complicated.”

“Hey.” Tyler reached out and covered Elijah’s hand. “We’ll figure this out. What’s the saying? Rome wasn’t built in a day? Sebastian is giving me a chance to be involved, to help you out any way I can, and to make sure you’re safe. He’s entrusting you to do everything your Wonder Twin power can do to make sure the outcome is positive.”

“Got it. Now all I have to do is find myself a water shifter boy and my life is complete. I already have you, my own little Gleek.” Elijah grinned and dodged the punch Tyler aimed at his arm.

“Gleek my ass. I’m Superman, Man of Steel. Just ask Logan.”

“Ask me what?” Logan said, coming into the kitchen from the back door. It looked like he and Cooper, who was right behind him, had just come back from a run.

Elijah didn’t miss the appreciative look Tyler shot the handsome shifter. A pang of grief clutched at his chest. Damn it, not the right time for waterworks. He pushed back the wave of emotion threatening to turn into a tsunami.

“Nothing,” Elijah said, diverting his attention, then rolling his eyes at his friend’s antics.

“So, have you guys settled on a game plan yet?” Logan asked, reaching for a coffee mug. He held up the pot, and at Elijah’s and Tyler’s nods, refilled their cups.

“We were just discussing that. Pros and cons of going most recent to oldest or oldest to most recent,” Tyler informed them.

“Yeah, Coop and I were doing the same. We’ve come to the conclusion that unless there’s more information forthcoming from Sebastian and his teams, then we’ll start with the most recent.”

“I guess that makes sense. I just feel so bad for the ones who’ve been alone for so long,” Elijah commented. The niggling feeling in the back of his mind, telling him to prioritize the older pups, wasn’t going away.

Elijah took the file for the most recent pup sold and read through the information one more time. He grabbed the notebook Sebastian provided and jotted down some follow up questions he hoped the new research would answer.

According to the information, Neall Carpenter had been abducted on his way home from a friend’s house last summer. At the time of his abduction, he was fourteen. He had just celebrated his birthday the month prior, which meant his fifteenth birthday was just over a month away.

Elijah’s first thought was to get this kid reunited with his family in time for his birthday. He really hoped it was possible.

Neall’s pack was in the south-central part of Oregon, in between Crater Lake National Park and the Fremont Winema National Forest. Humans were scattered throughout the area. No cities to speak of, just some rural towns. Most areas didn’t even have traffic lights.

His parents were Tim and Dorothy Carpenter. He had two sisters, both younger. Their pack was small, numbering twenty-three, including the missing Neall. It had to be a devastating blow.

“Do you know which pup you’re going after, and who has him?” Logan asked.

Elijah felt Tyler looking over his shoulder as he read the information out loud. “Neall Carpenter, He was sold to a Roger Kenneman, forty-two, entrepreneur in the adult entertainment industry. He has his own porn production company, ChickenHawk Entertainment, specializing in what else? Young boys. Supposedly, his ‘actors’ are all over the age of eighteen, but we all know that ain’t always the case.”

He jotted down a note, he wanted to ask Sebastian what the two Council guys came up with. He didn’t think it was anything legal.

“Where is this Roger dude located?” Cooper asked.

Elijah shuffled through the notes, already knowing the answer, but wanted to double check. He and Tyler had looked over the information on all the pups so many times, he was starting to get them mixed up. They really needed to focus on one at a time.

A quick glance at the appropriate page confirmed what he thought.

Tyler was still looking over his shoulder and gestured for the papers. Elijah handed over the notes. He already read that Kenneman had homes in Southern California and Las Vegas. Why did he have the gut feeling they’d be going to the Devil’s den just when the hot season started? People could say ‘but it’s a dry heat' all they wanted. A hundred and fifteen degrees was brutal. Humidity or not.

“Shit, Vegas?” Tyler groaned as he read the information for himself. Logan clicked his tongue sympathetically.

“Maybe. It’s one of two possibilities. Don’t forget, that’s not where we start. We get to head back to Oregon first to talk with his family. At least the rainy season is done.”

“That’s going to be hard, isn’t it?” Tyler asked, biting his bottom lip, and not in a sexy way. His friend was worried.

“Yep, it sure is. I guess we need to brush up on our empathy skills,” Elijah replied.

“Nah, you guys will be okay,” Cooper assured them. “We’ve already seen how you deal with people, Elijah. Not to mention, I’ve seen Tyler single-handedly win over Lila. She can be a tough nut to crack. You’ll manage just fine. At least you’re not permanently stuck with my numb-nut brother here.” Cooper elbowed his twin in the ribs.

The remainder of the morning saw both teams pouring over the information until they were cross-eyed. They also compared files, discovering the demographics were similar. Sebastian, it seemed, had been thorough in his method of sorting the hybrid pups. It made sense that he and Tyler were given those who were sold to humans. Reading the background on some shifters who’d won the auctions proved that evil could be taken to a whole new level.

Sebastian, Reilly, Hunter, and Kellan joined them for lunch. Afterward, they gathered in the common room, each team holding onto their folders for dear life.

“What questions do you have?” Sebastian asked, not beating around the bush.

“What information has Simon and Roberto come up with on the two humans identified as being part of the illegal porn industry?” Elijah asked.

“You can ask them yourselves when they arrive in about an hour. Does this mean you’re going to go after the more recently abducted pups first?”

“Yes,” he replied.

“What is your reasoning?” the Alpha asked.

Elijah laid out their thoughts on the matter, including all the pros and cons. Part of him still wanted to start with the pups who'd been missing the longest, but Tyler's argument was valid.

“I agree it’s a sound decision, especially after the most recent information our research teams have discovered,” Sebastian said. He handed packets to Reilly to pass out. “Here, this new information may or may not influence your decisions.”

Reilly handed him four additional folders. Glancing at the names, he saw they belonged to the three of the most recent pups to be abducted. To his surprise, the fourth had the name of the twins, the oldest of the group.

Curious, he opened that one first, wondering if any of the information would sway his and Tyler’s decision. Tyler leaned over and together they skimmed the data. It wasn’t very promising. In fact, it would make their job harder. The latest information could not pinpoint the current location of the brothers. Bank records showed a trail of no less than eleven transactions over the past four years, indicating they’d been moved around a lot. Luckily, it looked like they were still together. One small speck of hopefulness, in an otherwise dismal situation.

Jesus, those poor souls.

The rest of the information was a little more encouraging, with the exception of Neall Carpenter. There hadn’t been any signs of him for close to two months. Prior to that, some disturbing content had been posted to some very dark, notorious websites known for videos that would have the authorities knocking on someone’s door in a heartbeat if they were posted to mainstream media. It looked like he and Tyler would have their work cut out for them.

Their meeting was interrupted when Simon Jones and Roberto Mata arrived. Elijah recognized them from their previous trip during the Idaho facility take-down. Sebastian introduced Tyler. Both men seemed surprised a human was present, and even more shocked he was part of a team to be sent out.

Sebastian assured them Tyler was up to the task. “These two have been friends most of their lives. Elijah entrusted Tyler with keeping his shapeshifting abilities secret from a young age. The trust they share is a huge part of why I’m making him part of this operation. Elijah’s abilities give him an advantage when it comes to dealing with the human traffickers. He can get in and out of most places undetected. That being said, he still needs someone who can have his back, be his eyes and ears, and yes, do some of the heavy lifting.”

Inwardly, Elijah was proud of his best friend. He was relieved when he saw some of the newcomers’ skepticism fade at Sebastian’s endorsement.

The meeting commenced in earnest. Simon and Roberto gave him and Tyler a much-needed boost of information on Roger Kenneman. The guy was pure scum. He was well known to human law enforcement. They had been trying to take him down for years. He was the main suspect in control of a dark website catering to pedophiles, often depicting children as young as four and five. Elijah felt sick at the revelation.

“This Kenneman guy is bad news all around,” Simon said, garnering their undivided attention. “He’s been known to do whatever is necessary to get a good clip. Intimidation, browbeating, and outright physical, emotional, and mental abuse are his favorite tactics. He hooks his ‘actors’ on drugs so they become dependent on him. We couldn’t find more than two guys who were able to break away. Neither of them is unscathed. A lot more we confirmed dead, either by drug overdoses, which was common, or suicide.”

“If you boys happen to come across any incriminating evidence, we’ll make sure it gets passed on to the proper authorities,” Roberto interjected, insinuating that justice, as in shifter justice, would be served.

“Trust me, we’ll be more than happy to,” Tyler assured them.

Elijah was surprised he’d spoken up. He knew Tyler was still wary of shifters he didn’t know. The past week and a half had eased ninety-nine point nine percent of his misgivings, but he still held strangers at arm’s length. The same could be said for himself.

The meeting lasted well into the evening, and by the end, Elijah felt reasonably sure they had everything they needed. The other teams seemed well prepared, too. After Simon revealed they had a location confirmed for a pup on Logan and Cooper's list, the brothers made him their top priority.

Sebastian was waiting for the delivery of three custom-order minivans, expected to arrive the following day. After that, the teams could start their quests to find the hybrids.

The Alpha gave them a description of the modifications he ordered. Each van had tinted windows and a partition, making it impossible to see in the back. The rear section was converted into a cargo hold, rather than fitted with passenger seats, as was normal. They needed to be able to transport any hybrids in comfort while shielding them from view. Another upgrade was the engines. These were not your average mommy-vans. Nope. High performance engines, tires, and suspensions ensured they would be able to outpace most anything that might be apt to give chase. Human or otherwise.

It was well past midnight when they retired to their rooms. Elijah noted Tyler went to his room alone, which was probably a good thing. They all were going to be on the road for a long time. Maintaining a long-distance relationship was next to impossible, especially when everyone was under a lot of stress.

The following day, Hunter and Kellan invited them over to the lodge to check out the progress that had been made thus far.

Kellan’s dad, Jack, greeted them when they arrived. “Hey boys! Good to see you. Come to check out the changes?”

Kellan gave his dad a hug. “Yep, wanted to show off the work my old man was doing.”

“Old my ass, you impertinent pup,” Jack quipped as he tried to put Kellan in a headlock.

Kellan laughed as he broke free.

Elijah felt a wave of loss and longing hit him as he realized he would never again joke or horse around with his dad again. Ever-watchful, Tyler saw his reaction and he felt his best friend’s arm sling itself around his shoulder, before giving him a quick squeeze hug. It sucked when you couldn’t predict what would trigger yet another wave of grief. It seemed life wanted to blindside him every chance it got.

During a heart-to-heart Elijah had with Donovan while Tyler was out gallivanting with Logan, the doctor told him grieving was a lifelong process. It got easier to cope with, but would never completely go away.

Pushing aside the maudlin reaction, Elijah followed behind Jack as he led them into the lodge. They greeted pack members as they toured the first building. The resort was divided into three parts. The main section was the largest, and housed most of Sebastian’s original pack. The resort-style living suited them perfectly. Each family had their own suite, or a combination of suites with connected rooms, whatever accommodated them best. Single pack members had their own studio rooms, complete with a living room area, small kitchenette, and en suite bathroom. Everyone had access to one of two main kitchens, the smaller of which had temporarily served as Donovan’s clinic and lab.

The doctor had his own private space in the section Jack was leading them toward. The adjacent building could house approximately a hundred to a hundred-fifty people. Sounds of hammering, drilling, and other construction noises greeted them at the main entry.

Jack swept his arm out, tour-director style. “Sebastian is having us convert all the single rooms into suites similar to the main building, only bigger. When it’s completed, there will be two, three and four-bedroom apartments to create a home-like environment for larger families.”

Elijah knew a few of the missing pups had several siblings, so the bigger spaces made sense. The renovations seemed to be going quite well. Judging by the materials laying in neatly stacked piles in the corridors, Sebastian’s upgrades were high quality.

“Follow me, I’ll show you where we’re going to put in new lab facilities,” Jack instructed, leading them to the elevators where he hit the button for the fourth and highest floor.

The elevator opened to a vast area. All the non-weight bearing walls had been removed. The few left would be replaced with columns.

Jack continued his narrative. “When we’re done, this entire floor will be dedicated to the research to find a cure. Sebastian has convinced the Council to fund this little project, and he’s sparing no expense. It’s the least they can do after dropping the ball on Alberts and Belland, if you ask me.”

Elijah agreed. Even though he’d been on the fringes of the entire debacle that proved to be the downfall of the centuries-old High Council structure, he agreed the Council needed to make some serious reparations. This new lab was a good start.

“Hey!” Hunter interrupted, looking at his phone. “Sebastian says the vans are here. Let’s go check them out. Sorry to run out on you Jack, but Sebastian outranks you.”

Jack snorted. “He certainly does.”

They thanked Jack for the tour, making him promise to keep them updated.

Pulling up to the McDen, they saw three shiny, black, brand-spanking-new Toyota Siennas parked side by side.

Tyler let out a long whistle. “Mama would kill for one of those.”

Elijah grinned. He wasn’t wrong.

Sebastian, Reilly, Logan, and Cooper came out to join them.

“So, what do you think?” Elijah asked no one in particular.

“I think you need to get all the teams bumper stickers that say ‘Tiny Poop Generator on Board’ or maybe ‘My Kid is an Honor Student at Butthole Academy’.” Hunter laughed.

“I’d say Sebastian needs to buy you a fucking Smart car, but pretty sure the car would be smarter than you,” Logan shot back, giving his friend a good-natured shove.

“Knock it off, you two,” Sebastian ordered half-heartedly, knowing he’d be ignored.

Elijah climbed into the driver’s seat of the closest van. The seats were comfortable. It seemed Sebastian spared no expense. The remote start fob was on the console. Elijah pressed the brake and hit the start button. The inside lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Can we take it for a test drive?” Elijah asked excitedly. There was nothing like that new car smell, not to mention the feeling you get the first time you roll out on the road with a new vehicle. He wanted to see what the souped-up engine could do.

Sebastian nodded.

“You coming, Williamson?”

Tyler trotted around the front and got in the passenger seat, buckling up as Elijah dropped it into drive. “Let’s see what this baby can do!”

He drove down the long lane and made his way to the highway. Once on the straight and narrow, he notched her up to a hundred and ten within seconds. The way she handled was as close to a high-performance vehicle as a mother-fucking minivan could get. Eat your heart out Jeff Gordon, Dale Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch combined.

While the minivan wasn’t aerodynamically designed like a race car, it was clear that, with the right stuff under the hood, this mom-machine would outperform any regular vehicle on the road.

Elijah caught sight of two black blobs in his rearview mirror and slowed down. The other two teams quickly caught up, and they took turns taking the lead in testing out what the new vans could do. They went another twenty miles before turning around.

All three vans opened up the throttle, zipping down the highway with no other traffic in sight. Ten miles down the road, blue flashing lights appeared behind the mini-convoy and gave chase. They led the State Police car straight to the McDen. Every one of them was laughing as Wayne got out of his patrol car with a stern look on his face.

“I had a feeling you all would be out tearing up the highway. I oughta ticket you,” he said, half-serious.

“Sebastian said we could!” Hunter replied, throwing the Alpha under the bus.

Wayne and Sebastian exchanged looks, the same kind Elijah had seen their parents exchange whenever he and Tyler were caught getting into mischief.

For the umpteenth time since he’d been back among the pack, Elijah felt a sense of belonging. He sure as hell hoped he and Tyler could help find the missing pups. As soon as they packed the vans and headed out tomorrow, they would be on their own. It would be a long time before he could even think about putting down roots here, or anywhere else for that matter. He hoped he was up for the challenge.