Shadow Effect - 26. Chapter 26

Las Vegas. Sin City. The Strip.

Casinos, hotels, restaurants, and attractions of all kinds. Something for everyone, or so they say. Everyone else could have it, Elijah thought to himself as they drove along the street famous for its glitter and gilt. Oh, and the other guilt too. He was glad Tyler was driving. The sights and sounds were too much for him. Sensory overload was threatening to bloom into a motherfucker of a headache.

Traffic was insane. Cars were bumper to bumper as they crawled along, their occupants all but hanging out of the windows, gawking at the sights. Sidewalks were crowded with tourists, jostling each other as they too, took in their surroundings with something akin to awe.

Awe was the last thing he would ever feel about this city. Leaving couldn’t come soon enough for him, and unfortunately, that option was not on the table any time soon.

“How far to the condo Sebastian set up for us?” he asked, as a dull throb tapped a steady beat within the confines of his skull.

“About another twenty minutes. I’m sorry E, if I knew the traffic would suck this bad, I would’ve stuck to the highway. Are you okay?”

Elijah closed his eyes and let his head flop back on the headrest, murmuring a vague mmmhmm. Tyler wanted to see the Strip, and Elijah agreed, not realizing the effect the place would have on him. If ever a city had too much energy, it was Las Vegas. He could practically feel the air buzzing with it.

The condo Sebastian arranged was in a residential area on the outskirts of the main drag. It took them close to another half hour before they reached the entrance to the parking lot. Tyler found the marked space for their unit and parked. The sound of silence as the engine stopped, was a blessed relief to Elijah’s brain.

“Let’s go get settled, then find somewhere to order some food. I’m starving and it’ll help your headache,” Tyler said as he got out, popping the lock for the back door. Elijah stepped out, then stretched his back before meeting his best friend behind the vehicle. He grabbed his two bags and backed up a couple of steps so Tyler could close the rear hatch. The thunk as it closed felt like a bolt of lightning shooting through his head.

Sebastian reserved a two-bedroom condo through one of the vacation rental home sites. Tyler checked the email confirmation, then pointed left, indicating which way to go. Elijah followed blindly, nearly ramming into Tyler as he stopped abruptly in front of their unit to fish the key out of the lock box and let them in. The condo wasn’t anything unusual. It was relatively new, tastefully furnished, and would suit their needs for the duration.

How long the duration would be, was anyone’s guess. Elijah pulled out his phone, snapped a picture of the tidy living room area and open kitchen, then texted it to Sebastian with a thank you and thumbs-up emoji, letting him know they arrived. He’d call later, but right now he was hungry, and desperately needed to find the bottle of ibuprofen before doing anything else.

Finding it wasn’t necessary.

“Here,” said Tyler, handing him four burnt-orange pills and a bottle of water.

Elijah took them gratefully, popping all four into his mouth, washing them down with most of the water. Apparently, the dry, desert air intensified his thirst.

Tyler pointed to the black leather couch, and Elijah plopped his ass down. He kicked off his shoes before stretching his legs out. Closing his eyes, he let the soft hum of the nearby refrigerator soothe him. He heard Tyler rummaging through the kitchen drawers, searching for the take-out menus that were a staple of every home rental they’d ever been in.

Sure enough, it only took a couple of minutes of searching before Tyler uttered a triumphant “Aha! We got the usual suspects; pizza?”

Elijah shook his head gently.

“Chinese?

Nope, shake.

“Thai?”

Ehh, another shake.

“Fondue?”

"What the fuck, Williamson? I know we’re in Vegas, and that’s probably the most Vegas-ie thing to eat right now but I ain’t— "

“Oooooh, barbeque?” The hopeful lilt to Tyler’s voice gave away his preference. Actually, barbeque sounded perfect. Elijah opened his eyes and nodded. Tyler handed him the menu. One quick glance had him sitting up and taking a closer look. The restaurant was called Pig Out. It boasted a six-story high smoker in a converted warehouse. The origin story on the back of the menu described the conversion of the warehouse to luxury condos. The entire ground floor was bought by one of the condo owners who created the restaurant, and the old smokestack was renovated into a giant meat-smoker.

Elijah perused the offerings and decided on the Old MacDonald platter. Your choice of two smoked meats and two sides. He went with brisket and pulled pork, adding roasted brussel sprouts and a salad for his sides.

Tyler snagged the menu when he was done, and in short order, pulled up the online app and tapped out Elijah’s choices as well as his own.

“What’re you getting?”

Tyler looked at him and grinned. “Pulled pork and brisket like you, but I’m going to be bad and get a double order of fried mac-n-cheese.”

“That sounds good.”

“Don’t worry, I ordered double of everything so we’ll have leftovers. It looks like Sebastian set up a grocery delivery. The fridge is stocked with basics, so we won’t have to go out, or order out all the time. How long did you say he reserved this place for?”

“One week with an option to extend. I really hope we don’t need it that long. I’m already over this town. It’s just too much, yeah?”

“Agreed. I don’t know how anyone can stand to live here.”

Elijah closed his eyes again, slowly willing his headache to recede. It seemed to be working. He and Tyler were used to rural living. Small towns were more their speed. Small towns or certain wolf shifter packs. Whichever the case, they both craved a tight-knit community.

The throbbing in his head finally dialed back to a dull ache when the buzzer rang, signaling the arrival of dinner. As soon as Tyler brought the bags inside, his mouth started to water. There was nothing so heavenly as the smell of smoked anything, slow-cooked meat being the epitome of barbeque perfection.

They dug in, involuntary moans of delight slipping from both of them as they savored the smoky flavors. Four types of sauce, as well as some sort of spicy, dipping concoction for the fried mac-n-cheese, teased their taste buds unmercifully. The portions, like everything else in this town, were bigger than life. Never mind enough for another meal, they’d have enough for the rest of the week.

After they stuffed their bellies, Tyler packed up the leftovers while Elijah took care of the dirty dishes. Not wanting to do any exploration whatsoever, they decided to stream a movie, settling on an old James Bond flick, Moonraker. The premise was ridiculous and the character Jaws was a riot.

“What’s the game plan for tomorrow?” Tyler asked when the movie ended.

“I’ll give Sebastian a call to touch base, make sure nothing new came up. Then I’ll scope out Kenneman’s house and business with a flyover. It shouldn’t take too long. Afterward, we can figure out the next step.”

“What do you want me to do?”

“It would help if you went through Sebastian’s notes again. We need to be certain we’re not forgetting, or overlooking something.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Tyler replied, stifling a yawn.

“Why don’t we turn in, so we can get an early start tomorrow? I’d rather not be flying around in the afternoon when it’s hotter than Hell.” Elijah wanted time to get his thoughts together, now that his headache had been banished by painkillers and food.

He took the better of the two bedrooms after Tyler lost two of the required three rounds of rock, paper, scissors. The rooms were about the same size, but he had an ensuite bathroom, while Tyler would have to use the one in the hall.

“G’night Ty,” he said as he went into his room.

Goodnight E.” Tyler closed the door to his room, leaving a quiet stillness in his wake.

Elijah took the time to unpack and hang his clothes in the closet, stuffing underwear and socks into a drawer. He put away his toiletries in the bathroom, brushed his teeth, and stripped down to his boxers.

Climbing into bed, he wished for the millionth time that Kage was there for him to snuggle up to. He tried not to dwell on his loneliness. Tyler was a great friend, but he couldn’t fill the void that Kage had left. Elijah had been trying his damnedest to put up a good front, not wanting Tyler to worry too much. He forced himself to smile and laugh when expected, but knew it wasn’t genuine. Tyler knew it too. He just wasn’t saying anything. Yet.

Elijah was certain his friend would call him out on it one of these days. For now, he would ignore it for as long as he could.

He pulled the covers up to his neck, allowing the cold air from the air conditioning to drift over him from a vent above his head. It didn’t bother him. He liked the room cooler, it helped him sleep better.

His thoughts drifted to Kage, like they did every night. Memories of their brief time together, still sharp and crisp in his mind. Naturally, those thoughts settled on the more intimate of memories. His traitorous cock perked up, remembering how they made love that last night. He tried to ignore the incessant way his cock throbbed, in sync with his heartbeat. His broken heartbeat.

Giving up, he reached down and pushed his boxers down, hooking them under his balls and grasping his hard shaft. He let the memories fuel his fantasy, pretending Kage was still here, next to him, stroking him. It didn’t take long before he spilled into his palm, immediately feeling guilty for using Kage’s memory that way. Before Kage came into his life, Elijah questioned his sexuality, not knowing if he was heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or something else. Now, he didn’t think he’d ever want anyone other than Kage. Maybe that made him shadowsexual, if that was even a thing. Why not? There was a label for just about everything else.

He made another trip to the bathroom to clean himself off before finally settling back down. Even with the physical release, it took him a while before finally drifting off, not until a warmth centered in the middle of his chest spread through him in a comforting way.

The following morning after breakfast, Elijah checked his phone for any messages from Sebastian. He was surprised to see a text asking him to call.

"Hello, Elijah." Sebastian greeted him with his sexy Irish accent. Elijah envied Reilly a little, being able to listen to that voice all the time. He imagined it made sexy time even sexier.

"Hi. So, what's up? New information?" he asked, anxious to hear what the Alpha had to say.

"Yeah, it looks like Kellerman is heading out to L.A.. He booked a flight late last night for departure this morning. He's probably on his way to the airport now. My guys should be able to disable his security system and cameras to give you time to look around his home, at least. His studio is another matter. You need to stick with the original plan and do your reconnaissance at night. We'll be able to get you in and out undetected."

While Elijah was well aware Sebastian had his own security company, he didn't realize the extent of what the wolf shifter was capable of when it came to hacking. They witnessed firsthand the sheer genius of the contractor the Alpha used to break into anything he, or his regular security detail, couldn't get into. It was amazing the way the guy, Lex, had been able to sneak in through the backdoor of the laptop, allowing Zev access to the information contained within. Without it, they wouldn’t be here now.

"Okay, that sounds great. How long will I have?"

"We'll shut off the entire system for forty-five minutes. Long enough for the security company to get a notification that the system is down, but not long enough to trigger an alert so they’ll call the police to check things out. We’ve also verified there are no service calls scheduled, no cleaning lady, no pool boy, so it should be quiet. Even so, you’ll need to remain alert at all times.”

“I will,” he promised.

"I know. I can't help worrying about all of you. Well, you know the drill. Stick to the protocols we put in place. They're there for a reason."

Elijah promised once more before ending the call. During the final days before the teams were set into motion, Hunter and Kellan drilled into them the measures they, Sebastian, and Reilly put into place to keep everyone as safe as possible.

Protocol number one? Listen to your gut. If something doesn't look or feel right, abort the mission, regroup, rethink, and revise the plan.

Tyler nodded. "I feel better knowing Kenneman isn't around. So, what do you say we get going?"

Elijah didn't answer, merely grabbed the keys and tossed them to Tyler before stripping down and shifting into a large common blackbird. He hopped into the bag Tyler opened. Once they were outside, he'd take to the skies.

They already determined the perfect spot for Tyler to wait and keep watch. Kenneman’s gated community was nestled in a new development. Across the street from the back gate was an upscale open-air shopping complex and movie theater. He would park there in order to be close by, should Elijah need him.

He couldn't carry a cell phone with him, but Sebastian had given him an alert button, similar to what old people used. There were several harnesses which could be attached, depending on what form he took.

Tyler attached the harness with the small device, which looked like a button battery, to his chest, looping the straps around his wings before zipping up the bag.

Five minutes later, Elijah spread his wings and took to the sky, a warm breeze flowing over his feathers. It would take Tyler about a half an hour to get to his spot, so Elijah rode the updrafts of air leisurely toward his target.

He silently alighted in a shady spot on the roof of Kenneman’s six-thousand square foot, Spanish-style house. Ruffling his feathers, he settled down and waited until he saw the minivan pull into a space in the parking lot.

Wings fluttering, he took to the air, circling over the expansive back yard three times, the signal that he was ready. Tyler would text Sebastian to go ahead with disabling the security system. When he got out of the van, it would signal Elijah that the coast was clear.

It didn't take long, and when Tyler's door opened, Elijah flew down into the backyard and shifted on the deck. He bent down to pick up his emergency beacon from where it fell. Standing up, he used the tip of his fingernail to carefully tap the code into the security pad, and let himself in when the door clicked.

He headed straight for the home office, which earlier he identified from the layout Sebastian’s team provided. As quietly as he could, he rummaged through drawers, easily finding the hidden key to the lock on the filing cabinets.

He hit pay dirt when he opened the second drawer down. A file labeled Item Auctions caught his attention. He quickly rifled through the pages. It seemed to be a legitimate record of items Kenneman purchased through an auction house in one of the big hotels.

One glaring mistake caught his eye. It was the procurement of not one, but two, 1999 Jaguar XJ220s. First of all, that particular model sold for half a million, straight off the assembly line back in the 90’s. The auction price was listed at two-point-six million. Each. Secondly, the last year of production was 1994.

There was something about the information that left him unsettled. He replaced the file and shut the drawer softly.

There was a computer on the desk and he shook the mouse, just as a longshot, surprised when the screen flickered to life. Kenneman had to have been the world's biggest idiot, overconfident in his home security system, or just plain stupid not to have his screen locked. Glancing at the corner of the screen, he saw he still had sixteen minutes. His fingers flew over the keyboard as he pulled up the IP address. Grabbing a pen, he wrote it on his forearm.

After poking around the rest of the house and not finding anything that looked suspicious, he went back to the office. He had enough time to grab a tissue from the box on the desk and wipe everything he touched before heading to the back of the house. A quick detour to a small guest bathroom allowed him to flush the tissue, thereby erasing the only sign he’d been there. Once outside he shifted, picked up the tracker in his claws, and took flight, circling the backyard again. His bird's-eye view gave him a clear view of Tyler getting back in the van.

Elijah flew to the parking lot, landing next to Tyler's door, which was still open. He hopped up and waddled between the seats to the back. As soon as Tyler was on the highway headed back to the condo, he shifted and threw on the shorts and t-shirt waiting for him.

"You okay back there?" Tyler asked, only a hint of concern in his voice.

"Yeah, no problems or snags. It went just how we planned. I found something Sebastian needs to follow up on. I'll call him as soon as we get back and tell you both at once."

He checked his arm to make sure the IP address was still there. Good. He hoped Sebastian or his colleague could remote into Kenneman’s system and poke around. He had a sneaking suspicion Roger Kenneman wasn't as tight with his security as he should be. Leaving his computer on and unlocked was a dead giveaway. Elijah was willing to bet if Kenneman hadn't been a bachelor living by himself in that large home, his computer would have been locked. Getting away with shit for a long time tends to make a person complacent. That's when mistakes happen. Mistakes they could take advantage of.

Back at the condo, he called Sebastian and gave him a quick rundown of what he saw, as well as the information from the computer. “Make sure you check that auction file. There’s something about it that’s important. I just feel it.”

“I told you to listen to your gut. If it’s telling you the file is important, I believe you. Good job, Elijah. I’ll have my team get on this right away. What time are you going to the studio tonight?”

“About ten. It’ll be fully dark by then. Tyler will let you know when I’m in place.”

Kenneman’s “film” studio was in a seedier part of Vegas, known for its abundance of questionable film and photography studios. He wasn’t all that worried for himself, but rather for Tyler. He wouldn’t be able to park in a strip mall like today. If he did, someone would try to jack the van for sure.

Nope, this time Elijah would ride in the van all the way to the studio. Once there, he’d fly out the window and Tyler would call Sebastian. When Elijah saw the headlights flicker off and on, he would know the coast was clear, allowing Tyler time to drive to a safer location. When he was done, he would meet Tyler in the parking lot of a movie theater in a better area, not too far away. They had already scoped out the area where Tyler would wait for him. He knew all too well how anxious his best friend got, but he wasn’t going to take any chances.

“You two seem like you’ve thought this through and have things under control. Call me if you need anything before you head out. My team has everything in place. Once we hear from Tyler tonight, it should only take a minute or two to shut down the building’s security. There’s no time limit, like with the house. We have a loop ready to go, so it will look like everything is in order, even if someone is monitoring the cameras. But I really don’t anticipate anything of the sort. Most of these so-called businesses don’t bother paying anyone to actually watch the camera feed. A lot of them don’t even bother with them. They don’t want their comings and goings recorded.”

When Sebastian ended the call, Elijah was surprised to see it was only one o’clock. They had a lot of time to kill.

“What do you say we check out the pool for a couple of hours, then come back and chill out or nap before dinner?” Elijah suggested.

“Sounds like a plan. Make sure you get my back good with the sunscreen.”

Both he and Tyler burned pretty easily, and he sure as shit didn’t want to try to fly with sunburned skin. He changed into navy board shorts, with tiny fluorescent green dots, and grabbed a couple of beach towels.

The sun was hot, and being a weekday, there weren’t many people at the pool. Most local folks were working, and the tourists were at the casinos. Slathered with sunblock, he and Tyler swam laps for a while, then horsed around. His heart really wasn’t in it, but it was a distraction nonetheless.

They got out of the pool and relaxed on a couple of chaise loungers under a shaded canopy while they dried off.

“Do you think you’ll find anything useful?” Tyler asked.

“I hope so. I mean, it would be nice if I went in, snooped around, found a secret room where Neall was being kept, rescued him, and hightailed it out of there. You and I both know that’s about as likely as Mama saying she doesn’t feel like cooking.”

Tyler laughed. “Not fucking likely in this lifetime!”

Elijah smiled, knowing that it was only half-hearted.

Tyler shot him a look that was half pity, half sympathy.

Sighing, he grabbed his towel and headed back to the unit, Tyler following.

Later, after showering and heating up leftovers for dinner, they were on their way out the door again. Elijah waited until they were close to the studio before shifting. Darkness was his friend, and the area they were going to wouldn’t have many people around to see a bird fly out of a minivan. If they did, well, it wasn’t likely they would do anything about it.

He flew to the top of the building and waited for the van’s lights to flicker off and on, before flying down, shifting back and letting himself in, using the same code for the keypad as Kenneman used for his home. Definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed.

The studio took up three storefronts and immediately upon entering, Elijah got a whiff of something gross, as if someone had forgotten to take the trash out. His nose wrinkled as he walked past the front reception area.

There was something weird about the place. There was a sort of stale air smell that a building gets when it hasn’t been used in a couple of weeks. Maybe they were on some sort of filming hiatus? Elijah shook off the creepy feeling, chalking it up to being in a dark building by himself. The only light was from the soft glow of moonlight from the evenly spaced windows.

Making a spur-of-the-moment decision, Elijah shifted into a black cat, identical to when he first met Kage. Immediately, his vision sharpened and his eyes picked up more details. As he explored the rooms, he could easily make out the various settings they used for their ‘films’. There was the standard bedroom. An office with an oversized desk as its centerpiece. Something right out of a BDSM club, complete with a St. Andrew’s cross, spanking bench and wall of floggers, whips, canes, and other devices capable of inducing pain and pleasure.

As he made his way through the building, the malodorous stench increased. Now, it smelled like an animal had died and nobody bothered to figure out where it had crawled off to. His little cat nose twitched in disdain.

There was one more room to check out, but the door was closed, so he shifted back in order to take advantage of opposable thumbs.

Two things happened at once when he pushed the door in. The stench amplified itself a hundred-fold, making him gag.

An overhead light automatically turned on, bathing the room in bright white light.

What he saw made him blanch. It took everything he could possibly muster to keep from vomiting all over the room.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck, fuckity FUCK!

He shifted back to a cat and bolted.