Chapter 9- Kidnapped

"Feel better?" John asked as he gently massaged his mate's back later that evening.

"Mhmmm." Joss purred as she lay on her side, naked and facing away from John while he rubbed her aching back. Her normally slender body was not used to carrying all that weight so far forward and her lower back had recently taken to protesting its extra duties on a regular basis. Fortunately, John's large, strong hands were tailor made for soothing back rubs and he was more than happy to oblige her whenever she asked.

Dr. Cho had assured them at Joss's appointment earlier that day the baby was growing and developing normally and Joss was as healthy as the proverbial horse.

"She's certainly eating like one," John had teased her, earning him a sharp poke in the ribs.

Dr. Cho grinned widely at his Alphas. "Whatever you're doing, keep it up. I couldn't be happier with how well this pregnancy is going. It's been textbook so far, let's keep it that way."

Carter and Reese had left the Wolf Clinic in an elated mood. To celebrate, John had taken Joss to their favorite Indian restaurant, where the stout little owner happily stuffed Joss with all sorts of healthy vegetarian fare. Then they returned to Joss's apartment for the back rub John was now giving her and a good night's sleep.

John eyes roamed over his mate's body as he massaged her back. She complained that she looked fat and gross, but as far as he was concerned, she was absolutely perfect. Her breasts were growing along with her belly, and her skin, normally very soft and smooth anyway, was positively glowing.

John lay down behind her, spooning her small body with his much larger one. He loved the way she fit against him, the way he could completely surround her and protect her and his child. Deep down inside he knew she didn't really need protecting; she could shoot the wings off a fly at 50 yards and dump a man twice her size on his ass, but John was Wolf and protecting his mate was an integral part of who he was.

Gently he trailed a line of kisses down her naked shoulder while his hands reached around her and began playing with those full breasts. John heard Joss's sharp hiss as he pinched her nipples and he smiled into her shoulder. Her breasts had always been sensitive but since she'd become pregnant they were even more so. He could feel her body responding to his expert touch and that got him even more aroused. She squirmed as his hand roamed down between her legs and her butt rubbed against his growing erection. John moaned and then sank his teeth her shoulder, renewing the mating scar that marked her as his while she cried out.

"Oh John," his mate mewled as he buried two fingers inside her while his thumb rubbed her clit. She started to squirm some more but John held her firmly against his body, grinding his hips into her buttocks and pleasuring her with his hand until she came.

Joss had no time to recover from her orgasm before John was rolling her onto her hands and knees and burying himself inside her from behind. He pressed his forehead into her shoulder and pumped into her until they both came with each other names on their lips.

John gently laid her down and stretched out next her. He took her hand, brought it up to his lips, kissed it and held it against his cheek. "You're my anchor," he whispered.

"I love you too, John. Now sleep, we have a busy day ahead of us."

She looked over to see John already closing his eyes in sleep.


There was one black mark on Jocelyn's happiness that night and that was thought of the abused Wolf child. Whenever her mind was unoccupied her thoughts would return to him. Joss tried, she really did, but she simply could not get the poor little Wolf child out of her mind.

That night she lay in the bed she shared with John while he slept peacefully next to her, one hand laying protectively on her round stomach. She stared up the ceiling fan over their bed as it went around and around, as she worried about the boy. Her own teenaged son lay fast asleep in the next room, safe and secure in the love of his mother, stepfather, adopted uncles and the pack. Tibor had none of those, he had no one at all apparently and it ate at Joss. She could not stand by and let the abuse continue, she had to try to connect with the boy and get him away from those people.

She turned her head and looked at her mate as he slept. His face was relaxed and peaceful. He looked almost boyish and her heart nearly burst from how much she loved him. She really didn't like making John worry. As frustrating as his protectiveness was, she knew he did it out of love for her and the baby, but the mother in her could not forget Tibor's haunted eyes. She could only hope John would forgive her for doing what she was about to do.


Later that same morning at the precinct, Fusco hung up his phone and stood up.

"Four Eyes got a name on that Visa number and I have to go meet a CI who thinks he knows where the Wolf Hunters are holing up. I should be back in a couple of hours. Stay in the precinct until I get back." He glared a warning at his partner.

Joss rolled her eyes, "I'll be fine, Lionel."

Lionel continued to glare at her, "I'm serious, Joss. Stay here. John's already upset about yesterday. Hell, I'm upset about yesterday. You met with a Wolf Hunter!"

Joss glared back, "Tibor is no Wolf Hunter. He's just a scared, abused kid."

Lionel stepped over to her desk bent over, placed his hands flat on her desk and leaned into her face, "He keeps lousy company. I know how he's scared and abused, but he is helping them find Wolves to kill. One of which was a member of our pack. He'll turn you over to them in heartbeat."

Joss could barely contain her fury at her partner, "Don't you dare forget I'm the Alpha here, no one knows better than me what they did to Patty. Tibor is our only lead, I have to follow through."

But Fusco was not about to back down, "Well Ms. Alpha, show some responsibility to your pack mates and the baby, our future Alpha and STAY HERE. WE can run leads TOGETHER when I get back."

"He won't come near me if you're with me."

"We'll just have to take that chance, Joss. I'll be back soon. Stay here. I promise we will go looking for him when I get back."

Fusco spun on his heel and left. Joss watched him go barely containing her fury. How dare he order her to sit and wait around when there were brutal killers out there hunting her friends and family!

Joss waited several minutes, long enough to be sure Fusco was well away, then she stood up. Joss Carter could not sit idly by and waste the one good lead they had. Tibor would never let Joss approach him again if anyone was with her; she had to go it alone. Tibor would not hurt her, she felt it.

Joss hurried out the door and turned in the direction of the alleyway where she had found Tibor last time. She opened her Wolf senses and began to feel for him. She was disappointed when she reached the alley and she still could not feel him. "Where are you?" she mumbled to herself as she walked down the street.

She was so focused on her task that she did not notice the large man following her.

Slowly she circled the block, concentrating on finding Tibor, completely unaware that she was not alone. She turned down a quiet street, hoping that having fewer distractions would help her focus better. The man followed her, unseen.

Joss stopped about halfway down the block and closed her eyes, she thought she felt something and focused, trying to grab that tantalizing hint of the lost Wolf.

Instead she felt strong arms grab her from behind and a cloth with the unmistakable stench of chloroform was clamped firmly over her nose and mouth. She struggled, but the assailant had her arms pinned and the chloroform was rapidly putting her under. She slowly lost conscious.


A few blocks away at the library, John and Shaw were listening as Harold described the number.

"The owner of the Visa number is a Sandor Schiffer," Finch said as he hung the picture of big, burly dark haired man on the pane of glass. "25 years old, the oldest of five brothers, the youngest is apparently the Wolf child Tibor that Joss met yesterday. Tibor and Mother Schiffer have been in New York for approximately 11 months, the other four brothers only recently joined them. No Social Security numbers for any of them on file."

"Any idea where they're living?" John asked quietly while he stared at Sandor's picture. John's lip lifted in a tiny snarl, this was one of the men who killed those Wolves, including his pack mate, and would kill his family.

Harold shook his head. "These people are very low tech as far as I can tell, which is probably why the Machine had such a hard time tracking them. Their online footprint is non-existent, and I can't find any bank accounts. I spoke with Detective Fusco a few minutes ago, one of his CIs might have a lead."

Suddenly John's hackles rose. He felt Joss's fear through their mating bond as she was attacked and then there was nothing where his link with her had been before. Shaw, standing right next to him, felt him go rigid with fear and anger.

"Harold, track Joss's phone NOW!" John barked sharply.

Harold did not waste time questioning why, he swiftly pulled up his tracker app. "She's only two blocks away, over on 7th."

John raced out of the building as fast as he could run. He exploded out of the back door of the library at a dead run without checking to see if anyone was around first. He flew down the street with such a grim expression on his face that people hurried to get out his way.

Shaw raced after him but she was no match for how fast his long legs could cover ground. She was far behind him in nothing flat.

John reached the street and looked around frantically, but the only sign of Joss he found was her phone laying in the middle of the street. She was gone. Focusing on their mating bond, he tried to feel for her, but there was only a lonely void where she had been before. For the first time since they had mated, John was truly alone.

Shaw found him a few minutes later taking out his frustrations by beating the crap out of an innocent and handy garbage can. "John, stop!" she cried as she grabbed his arm, his fists were already bloody from pummeling the receptacle.

John collapsed to his knees and covered his face with his bloody hands, "I can't feel her!" he cried. "She's gone!"

"John, John," Shaw shook him as hard as she could. "You didn't feel her die, did you? You would have felt her die! She's still alive, just unconscious. As soon as she wakes up you can track her."

John struggled for control. He knew Shaw was right; Joss and their child were still alive, he had to focus on that and be ready when she returned to consciousness. He slowly got to his feet and allowed Shaw to guide him back to the library but he walked like a man in daze.

Finch paled when he saw the condition of John's hands and he hurried to get the first aid kit. He and Shaw attended to John's battered hands while Shaw brought him up to date. "All we found was her phone. But the good news is that John didn't feel her die; Wolves always feel it when their mates pass on."

Finch closed his eyes in gratitude; he didn't want to think about how John would react if Joss had been killed. John simply sat quietly with his head down, not making any outward sign that he heard a thing Shaw said or felt anything as Shaw and Finch cleaned his bloody knuckles.

"The problem is, whoever took Joss knocked her out using drugs, which means John can't track her using their mating bond until she wakes up." She managed to refrain from adding, "If she wakes up."

John continued to hang his head as Finch and Shaw cleaned up the first aid supplies and put the kit away. Harold's heart hurt to see his friend so bereft.

"You can't track her scent?" Finch asked hopefully.

"Nope," Shaw said. "They took her in a car, and we can't track cars in the city, too much traffic."

Finch laid a hand on John's shoulder. "We will find her and get her back, John. She's smart; she'll be alright."

John looked up at Harold with tears in his eyes. "I can't lose her and the baby. I can't…"

"You won't. I promise John." Finch desperately hoped he could keep that promise.

"She's my mate; I'm supposed to take care of her and keep her safe. I failed, again…"

Harold shook hi head and put his hands on his hips, he was having none of it. "John, you have done an exemplary job of keeping her safe. But Joss is a police officer and a strong willed woman; she will never be completely safe. You both have dangerous jobs and the fact that you are both still here says volumes about how you two care for each other."

John just hung his head again, refusing to accept any comfort from his friend. The Dark had returned to his life and stolen his mate and child out from under his nose.