Shadow Effect - 18. Chapter 18

Elijah recited the code and watched Tyler punch it in the keypad for the outdoor storage facility’s security gate. The lock clicked and the iron bars slowly opened. As soon as there was enough clearance, they drove in and followed the signs for row K, passing each lettered aisle, one after another, until they reached the right one. One more turn brought them to door sixteen, the second to last on the right.

Getting out, Elijah shut the door to the Jeep, undid the flap of the envelope he received from the lawyer, and pulled out the key. The sun was warm on his back as he jiggled the key in the padlock until it opened with a click. Bending down, he grasped the handle of the garage-style door and pulled up. The wheels rumbling loudly as they rolled along the tracks.

Tyler let out a whistle as the daylight hit the antique car nestled in the bay. “Now there’s a beauty!”

Elijah had to agree. “Let’s get a closer look,” he said, stepping into the cool unit. He flicked the switch on the wall, lighting up the further recesses of the space. Upon closer inspection the ‘55 Chevy Bel Air revealed itself to be in good shape. “She’ll need a paint job. I don’t see any dents or major rust issues. Whoever owned her before must’ve been prepping to do that. They’ve already sanded and primed a few spots.”

The car was unlocked, so he opened the door and gave the inside a cursory glance while Tyler groped the grill in search of the hood release. Elijah went to the front when he heard the pop. There it was; a 265 cubic-inch V8 engine; the heartbeat of the vehicle. Back in the day, these cars came with a double-barrel, 162-horsepower carburetor. However, this baby had the Power Pack option; a quad-barrel carburetor which could crank out 180 horsepower. Perfect for street drag racing, which this old girl probably did in her heyday.

He and Tyler stared in awe, his woes momentarily forgotten. The car was just like the one his grandpa owned. Elijah knew if he kept it, he would need help restoring her. He didn’t know enough and didn’t have the skills or tools to do the job properly.

Walking back to the driver’s side, he opened the door and slid onto the red leather seats. They were cracked and worn in a few spots, but otherwise in good shape. The huge steering wheel with the chrome horn bar was also worn, a testament to its longevity on the road. The gear shift had a huge, round knob; its grip smooth from regular use. The windows had crank handles, and the doors could only be locked by actually pushing a button on the door itself. There was even a separate key for the trunk. An actual key. Damn.

Elijah got out and went to the back of the car. The trunk door lifted smoothly and he stared at what was inside. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!”

Tyler came hustling over at his cursing and peered over his shoulder. “Shit. Is that what I think it is?”

Elijah nodded. A laptop. The fucking laptop. The goddamn, motherfucking, son of a bitching, cursed missing laptop. His heart squeezed painfully. What if there was information on here that could’ve prevented Kage’s death?

“Hey, we don’t know what’s on there,” Tyler said, gripping the back of his neck gently, instinctively knowing where Elijah’s mind went.

“I know,” he sighed, trying to stay positive, but with limited success.

He opened the laptop and hit the power button. Nothing. The battery needed to be charged. Figures.

“Let’s go. I’ll decide what to do about the car later. I need to plug this thing in.”

While Tyler drove back to his house in silence, Elijah let himself get lost in his own thoughts. This damn computer seemed so important before. Then it was tossed to the side for a suicide mission. Christ, if he could find Kage’s boss, he’d fucking kill him. Long and slow. Torturous even.

Finding a charger that worked wasn’t difficult. Tyler had a few hanging around in his junk drawer; the one place where cords go to become hopelessly tangled and hide out after their equipment dies or goes obsolete. Every household had one of those places, a veritable electronic accessories graveyard.

Elijah plugged it in, leaving the damned thing on top of the counter, while anxiety gnawed away at him. To keep his mind occupied, he set about cleaning the apartment. Tyler, the lazy shit that he was when it came to anything other than wiping down a surface or swiping at some dust, let him have at it. Two hours later, it looked like a whole different place.

The computer was fully charged by the time he finished. This time, when he hit the power button, it booted up.

Locked, of course.

He stared at the keyboard, silently willing it to type in the correct password all by itself. Wishful thinking on his part.

“Any ideas on what your dad used for his passwords?”

Elijah shrugged. “Nope. I’ll try the obvious, but he was a stickler about keeping stuff like that confidential. I doubt if he even had them written down anywhere. I haven’t come across anything so far and Kag–, um, we looked everywhere and didn’t find anything.”

His chest was gripped by a tightness he had to choke down before it migrated to his eyes and leaked out.

“It’s okay, E. Maybe your dad didn’t even have the password. I mean, why would he if the thing really does belong to Huntington?”

“You’re right. I’d still like to try though.”

“Then let’s bounce some stuff back and forth until something makes sense. We know he’d never use birthdays or anniversaries. What about pet names?”

Elijah smiled at the memories of his parents calling each other silly little terms of endearment. They loved using the good old stand-bys like honey, sweetie and darling. He couldn’t picture his dad using any of those in a password.

“No, nothing like that. It wouldn‘t have been anything obvious.” On the off chance, he typed in a few combinations of birthdays and their anniversary with no luck. Mockingly, the damn screen let him know he had two more tries before he would be locked out. His brain didn’t want to siphon through his backlog of information for anything which could remotely be used as a password.

“Fuck!” Frustration caused tension to pull at his shoulders and neck.

Tyler took the piece of electronic shit out of his hands before he could do something rash, like throw it across the room in a fit. “Let’s just stay calm, E. Now think. What’s the weirdest thing your dad ever came up with?”

Elijah tried to focus. His dad had such an oddball sense of humor he made Einstein look sane. Shit! That was it!

“Gimme that back! I got something,” he exclaimed as he reached for the computer.

Tyler held it out of his reach. “Uh-uh. I don’t trust you not to do something rash if it doesn’t work. Tell me what to try.”

Elijah sighed, but capitulated. “E=MT2”

Tyler raised one eyebrow as he typed. Elijah held his breath, then let it out in a huff as his friend shook his head.

“It was worth a try. What the hell was that, anyway?” Tyler asked, looking confused.

“It’s a play on Einstein’s E equals MC squared. E in this case, is me. M is Mary, T is Tom. Mary plus Tom, the two of them, make Elijah. Silly, I know, but that’s how Dad was. Dammit, I was really hoping it would work, but you’re right. Huntington is probably the only one with the password. We don’t stand a chance unless you happen to know a hacker?”

Tyler didn’t say anything, instead he hurried out of the kitchen and to his room. When he returned, his head was down and his fingers tapped furiously on his phone. He finished whatever it was he was typing and looked up. “I think I know a guy who knows a guy who might be able to help.”

Elijah stared at him, questioning only with his eyes.

“One of my classmates who worked on a few projects with me has a friend who’s a computer whiz. Got an offer from Google that came with a six-figure salary and some killer benefits. My buddy is going to contact him and give him my number if he thinks he can help.”

Elijah sat down at the table, somewhat dejected. “Well, it’s worth a shot, I guess.”

“Hey E, if this doesn’t work, then I think you should take the laptop to your furry friends in Montana. You did say the Alpha dude, Sebastian, is a security guru, yeah? I’m sure he has the connections to get access to what’s on there.”

Mentally rolling his eyes at Tyler’s description of his wolf shifter friends, he dismissed the slight and ignored it. There was no doubt Sebastian had a slew of connections. Elijah knew Tyler was right about that. Regardless of whether or not the friend of a friend could help, he would contact the Alpha and go to Montana if necessary.

Just then Tyler’s phone pinged. “It’s him.”

Tyler read the message and then tapped his phone, putting it on speaker. The guy who answered the call sounded busy. They could hear the clacking of a keyboard in the background.

“Tyler?”

“Yeah, thanks for calling me. Got a quick question for you. Is there any way to get into a laptop that’s locked and we have no clue who the owner is?” Ty asked, not volunteering any information that wasn’t necessary.

“Depends on what type of laptop it is and whether or not any extra firewalls or such have been installed. If it’s a personal computer, then there are software programs which can be used. If it’s business or government owned, then it would take someone with some mad skills. I’m good, but I’m not at that level.”

Ty gave Elijah a concerned look. They both knew Huntington probably had extra security measures in place. This was looking more and more likely to be something that was way out of their league.

Tyler thanked the guy and ended the call.

“Yeah, I know. Looks like I’m going back to Montana,” Elijah said. The last thing he wanted right now was a two-day road trip.

Knowing how much Elijah would rather crawl under the nearest large rock and hide away from his pain and grief, Tyler nodded sympathetically. Instead of saying anything, Elijah felt himself pulled into one of his best friend’s signature hugs.

“I know you’re still really hurting, but maybe your Best of Breed buddies can shed some light on this?”

“Would you stop making fun of them? They’re wolf shifters. They exist, get used to it,” Elijah scolded, a little irritated. He knew Tyler didn’t understand shifter culture, but calling them names was unacceptable. He wasn’t in the mood to put up with bullshit, even if it was done in an effort to lighten his mood.

“I know! I know! It just freaks me out that all those werewolf movies we watched as kids are real. You remember the ones that scared the shit out of us? I mean, come on, you can make yourself look like a wolf, but hell, you don’t turn into one,” Tyler replied, trying to defend himself.

Elijah sighed. “For Christ’s sake, we were eight years old! Look, I know it’s hard for your little pea brain to grasp right now, but they’re good guys and I’d appreciate it if you laid off the sarcastic shit, okay? You, of all people, should realize that being different is no reason to put someone down. Your best friend is different from everyone else, you idiot.”

Tyler at least had the decency to look contrite. “I’m sorry, E. You’re completely right. I’m letting my childhood fears cloud my judgment. I won’t do it again.”

Elijah nodded, not saying anything else. It was the way he and Tyler always handled each other when one of them was being an ass. The other one would call him out on it, whomever was being an ass would apologize, and they’d move on.

“I meant it though, not the best of breed part, but do you think your Alpha friend can help?

“I’m not sure. He runs a highly respected security company, so it makes sense he should have some connections to help him out. If he’s successful at cracking the password and we find that everything is encrypted, which is likely, then Zev can have a go at it. He’s some sort of genius at deciphering patterns. But first I need to get the laptop to them.”

His mind was spinning. He just couldn’t help but think if he’d found the laptop earlier, Kage might still be alive. Then again, the rational side of his brain told him if they found the laptop sooner, Kage might have died sooner, as his boss would’ve sent him in for the kill the moment the computer was in his possession. It meant he wouldn’t have gotten those extra days and never would have made love to him. He wouldn’t trade those moments for anything, not in a million years, unless it was getting Kage back.

“I want to go back to my house. I need to make sure-I-I—” Elijah hesitated, not wanting to put words to anything related to Kage being gone. “I need to make sure there’s nothing of Kage’s left there.” His voice hitched.

Tyler took hold of Elijah’s shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze. “Let’s take a run over there now and get it taken care of.”

Elijah’s anxiety ratcheted up a few notches on the short ride. Walking into the kitchen, he thought about how much his life had changed in the last six months. He went from waiting tables in a small town diner to becoming eyeballs deep in trying to bring down an international shifter trafficking ring. How the ever-loving hell did this clusterfuck become his life?

His thoughts were halted when he stepped into the house. The physical changes inside took him by surprise. He’d honestly forgotten about the renovations. Not only were his parents and Kage gone, but his house no longer felt like home. It was a sobering realization.

He did a sweep of the living room and kitchen, only spotting a stray charger Kage had left plugged in on the counter. It wasn’t until he got to his bedroom that the shakes hit. Seeing Kage’s clothes folded neatly on top of Elijah’s dresser, waiting to be put into the drawer, it touched something he couldn’t put into words. The wound was too fresh, his grief imponderable.

“Let me go get a bag and I’ll take care of this for you, okay?” Tyler offered as he made Elijah sit on the bed. At least he knew the sheets were clean, having been laundered just before they left. Elijah didn’t think he could handle knowing if the sheets he and Kage spent two days tangled up within, still held their muskiness. Somehow it was easier not having Kage’s smell lingering in his bed. If it did, he wouldn't have wanted to leave.

Tyler made quick work of placing the clothes in a plastic bag. There weren’t too many. Kage traveled light. Whenever he needed something he didn’t have, he bought it, then dropped things off at thrift stores when he was done with them. It seemed like such a simple way of living.

Elijah decided to follow Kage’s lead and have Tyler stop at the donation center. He would keep the shirt from the hotel. Its scented muskiness would have to suffice, at least until it too, faded into nothingness.

As they went through the house, making sure everything was secure, a weird feeling came over him. Without Kage, this was merely a house. It wasn’t a home anymore. There was a detachment which hadn’t been there before. He wasn’t sure what direction life was going to take him, but everything he’d ever known until now was not going to factor into it.

“What’s the matter E?” Tyler asked, knowing something wasn’t right.

“I’m not sure,” he answered. “It feels like I won’t be coming back.”

Surprisingly, Tyler didn’t call him crazy. Once again, he said something that made sense. “Elijah, that might be true. You don’t know what’s going to happen. We don’t have a crystal ball to see into the future. You’ve gone through more shit lately than anyone our age should have to deal with. No matter what happens. I’ll be here for you. I promise.”

“Thanks Ty. If I had to go back in time and someone told me I could pick anyone in the world I wanted for a best friend, I’d still pick you.”

The sound of hands clapping together slowly startled them. “Well, doesn’t that just make one want to pull out a hanky and flood it with snot?” a sarcastic voice called from behind them.

Elijah whipped his head around and saw a man standing there, leaning against the far side of Tyler’s Jeep, legs crossed at the ankles, arms folded across his chest. He was wearing dark blue jeans, a black shirt and a dark brown leather jacket. He wasn’t very good looking. As a matter of fact, he had a sort of edge to him, like he’d been ridden hard and put away wet, as the saying went.

“Who the fuck are you?” Tyler snarled, taking a half step in front of Elijah protectively.

Elijah’s eyes went wide at Tyler. Did his best friend in the whole world, the one who still read bedtime stories to his little brothers and sisters, really think he was intimidating? Or was Elijah just so vulnerable right now, it brought out Tyler’s big brother, don’t mess with my family, instincts? That was more likely than the first scenario. Intimidating was not the first adjective which came to mind when he described his best friend.

“Doesn’t matter who I am. All that matters is what will happen to you if you try to pry into shit that doesn't concern you,” he sneered. Looking directly at Tyler, he added, “‘Twould be a shame if one of those pretty, little sisters of yours got hurt. Or worse....”

Tyler lunged, and Elijah grabbed him around the waist. He had a good idea who the man was, and if he was correct, they could both be dead within the next few heartbeats.

“That’s a good boy, Elijah. Keep your pet on a short leash, otherwise his happy little family, well– they might not be so fucking Beaver Cleaver happy anymore. Oh, sorry about your boyfriend. No hard feelings, huh?”

The man walked down the driveway and got into a sporty little red BMW coupe. He waved as he got inside, then drove off. Elijah didn’t bother noting the plate. He was sure it was either stolen, or rented under a fake name.

“Who the fuck was that?”

“Pretty sure that was the notorious Trevor.”

Tyler blanched. “The guy who killed Kage?”

Nodding, he turned to look at Tyler directly. “This changes things, Ty. You need to bring me back to your place so I can pack some stuff and get my car. I need to get as far away from here as I can. Right now. You’re not safe, and neither is your family, as long as I’m in town. I won’t put you guys at risk.”

“No way, Elijah. There is no way in hell I’m letting you do this on your own. Your friends in Montana are your best option right now, but you can’t go off half-assed without having some idea of what your next step is.”

Elijah was just about to retort when his back pocket buzzed. It was Kage’s phone. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to part with it. Looking at the notification, he saw it was from ‘B’. The only other contact he had. Holding his breath, he read the text.

“What is it?” Tyler asked, his brows furrowed.

“Just an address. In Crescent City,” he replied, his expression matching Tyler’s.

“No. DON’T even think about it. You are not going up there, Elijah. What if it’s a trap? First this asshat Trevor-the-Tool shows up, and then Kage’s ex-boss sends you a text that points the way to his lair? Fuck no!” Tyler shouted.

“Calm down Ty. I didn’t say I was going to jump in the car and haul ass up there right this second, but I am going to think about it. I mean, what if it’s not a trap? What if this guy doesn’t know that Trevor-the-Tool killed Kage? Shouldn’t he be warned if there’s a fox in his henhouse? There’s more at stake than just me and my feelings, Tyler. There’s a bunch of hybrid kids out there in the grip of fucking pedophiles! Perverted sons-of-bitches who deserve to have their ball sacs twisted into knots and ripped from their bodies!” Elijah replied, slightly out of breath from his tirade.

“I get that Elijah. I really do, but I don’t want you risking your life.”

“Tyler, what good is my life right now as it is? My parents are gone. My-Kage is gone. You’re all I have left. I know you don’t want anything to happen to me and I feel the same way about you, but nothing is guaranteed. Not today, not tonight, and definitely not tomorrow. I have to give this some serious thought. If there’s anything I can do to help find those kids, then I have to at least try.”

Tyler’s eyes softened. He was a hothead, especially when it came to those he loved, but he meant well. He just let his knee jerk emotions take control when those closest to him were involved.

“I’m going with you.”

Elijah shook his head emphatically.

Tyler interrupted before he could say anything. “Stop shaking those pretty blond curls at me. It won’t work. I. Am. Going. With. You. Now hear me out. Graduation is the day after tomorrow. As soon as it’s over, we pack our shit and get on the road. If I miss it, Mama and Papi will kill me, and then they’ll probably kill you when they find out you were the reason. We’ll stop at Crescent City. You can go see this mysterious “Mr. B”, and I’ll wait close by, keeping the hot little laptop safe. You will not mention that we are in possession of it. The very second your meeting is over, we will get back on the road and head to your friends in Montana. I really think they can shed more light on things than this boss guy, so you better call them and let them know we’ll be there in a few days.”

Elijah let Tyler’s suggestion sink in. It had merit, he gave him that. He wasn’t completely on board with Tyler coming along, but at least if something happened to him in Crescent City, the laptop had a good chance of making it to Montana. Do it, a voice inside him said, a soft, but insistent heat spreading out from his chest.

“Okay."

“And another thing—wait, did you say okay?”

Elijah chuckled and shook his head. He did enjoy bursting Tyler’s ranting bubble. It was oddly satisfying.

“Yes, for once, your inferior human brain came up with a good idea. I’m not happy you’re coming along. I’d honestly feel better knowing you were safe at home—”

“I’m not safe at home,” Tyler butted in. “That’s the thing, Elijah, the second that creepy Trevor showed up and threatened our family, it became unsafe for me. I won’t risk them. I’d much rather risk myself out there than have anything happen to any one of them. You said it yourself: nothing is guaranteed, especially tomorrow. We’ll just have to take things one day at a time.”

“I feel the same. I won’t risk your family, either.”

“Our family, Elijah, our family.”

Tears welled up once more, unbidden, but warranted. Tyler and his kin were the only family he had left. He knew it deep in his heart and he’d never take it for granted again.

“Speaking of our family, I guess I need to break the news about Kage to them,” Elijah said sadly. He wasn’t relishing going through the whole process yet again with Mama and Papi, but he knew they would wonder where Kage was and ask about him at Tyler’s graduation.

“Yeah, I suppose it’s best to get this over with,” Tyler agreed. “What are you going to tell them?”

“The truth. At least the abbreviated version. Kage died. He has no family. He wanted to be cremated and didn’t want any sort of service. If they wonder how I knew, I’ll tell them it came up when we were discussing my parents one evening. That way, I won’t have to pretend to want some sort of service. I know Kage wouldn’t have wanted anything of the sort.”

“I think you’re right. Elijah, I also think you were right about Kage. He was a good guy. He might not have been perfect, but he was good.”

“Thanks, Ty. He liked you, you know. Even if the main reason was because you agreed with him and didn’t think he was good enough for me. He still liked you. I’m pretty sure he was warming up to your family, too.”

“Yeah, Mama asked me to find out what his favorite dessert was. You know she means business when she starts in on people’s favorite dishes,” Tyler laughed.

“I hate bringing her news like this. She won’t be happy.” Elijah sobered at the thought of the task at hand.

Tyler grabbed his keys and headed for the door. “Come on, I’ll drive.”

Mama was crushed. She cried, both for the loss of a wonderful life and for Elijah. She hated seeing any of her kids hurting and according to her, “Lord knows, Child, you’ve been through too much.”

Her solution to everything was food. Elijah was not permitted to wallow in grief until his stomach was full. He had no idea how anyone in that family wasn’t three hundred pounds. Granted, Papi carried a little spare tire around the middle, but he wasn’t obese by any means; just hauling a few extra layers of padding around. Good genes definitely blessed their genealogy.

Elena cried. Elijah suspected she had a little crush on Kage. Hell, who didn’t in this family? He was charming, and he was stunning to look at. The other kids were saddened by the news, and a pall hovered over dinner. Even talkative Micah was quiet.

Elijah was tired by the time dessert was served. Tyler made their excuses without dropping the bomb that they were planning on disappearing for a little while in two days. He would cross that bridge when they got to it. There were some things you just didn’t give your parents advanced notice of, and taking off into the unknown was one of them. Mama and Papi already had a hard time when he moved out into his apartment. The only reason he’d been able to do it was because he had saved his money since his first part-time gig at fourteen, doing lawn care for the neighbors.

Tyler started investing in the stock market when he was eighteen, and while he didn’t make millions. He managed to monitor his stocks with some degree of success and did okay for someone his age. It was enough for him to live off while he got his degree, covering rent and utilities every month. Scholarships and grants were enough to pay for tuition and books, allowing him to graduate with no student loans. The rest he made working part-time, giving him some extra cash without having to dip into his savings.

His goal was to buy a house by the time he was twenty-five. Elijah wasn’t sure what their immediate plans would mean for his long-term goals. He didn’t want to hold Tyler back, but at the same time, if the situation was reversed and the shoe was on the other foot, he would do exactly for Tyler, what Tyler was doing for him.

Shit, life was complicated.