The Landleys' lived on one of the more expensive streets in town. That side boasted of newer larger homes. It reminded Elena of a perfect town. A cherry-red Dodge Charger whipped past them blaring loud rock music. The car's tires screeched as it neared a corner and did a quick left before coming to a stop in a driveway. As they neared the address they had been given for the Landleys, they realized the hot rod that had rushed past them was parked at the Landley home.
A tall, teen boy wearing a black AC/DC T-shirt and jeans hopped out of the car. He stopped and stared at Elena for a moment.
Damon pulled into the curved driveway, and she rushed out of the SUV to speak to the kid.
"You look just like Roxy," the boy exclaimed. His gaze roamed over her face with wide-eyed surprise.
"Thanks, she is my cousin."
Damon met her at the front of the SUV.
"Are you Josh?" Damon asked, his voice serious.
The boy's dark brows rose high when he noticed Damon. Damon tended to have that effect since Elena met him. He was pretty intimidating. Even though the kid was tall compared to most teenagers, he paled.
"Why are you asking?" He threw a glance over his shoulder to the house. From what Elena could tell, there didn't seem to be anyone home.
"When was the last time you spoke to Roxy?" she asked. She pulled Josh's attention to her in hopes he would cooperate.
"A few days ago," he shrugged slim shoulders, the T-shirt so big she wondered how he didn't fall out of it.
"And you haven't called or wondered why you haven't spoken to her since?" Damon pushed.
"Nah. We had an argument," Josh fidgeted. He took a step as if ready to run. In a heartbeat, Josh turned to go, hurrying to get away. Except, he wasn't moving. His legs were doing the motions of someone running at a fast speed, but his feet weren't touching the ground. His arms flailed at his sides. "What the hell?"
"Where do you think he is trying to go?" Damon cocked his head and folded his arms across his massive chest.
"I would take a wild guess and say away from us."
"Hmm. Now why would you want to leave so fast, kid?" He chuckled.
"Let me go, man! I don't know where she is," Josh yelled a high-pitched squeal.
"You definitely don't. Why don't you turn around?" Damon suggested.
At that moment Josh whirled in the air. His eyes were huge in his small face, making him appear almost bug-eyed. He inhaled sharply, mumbling under his breath, something Elena couldn't understand, and started to breathe faster and faster. He had realized Damon wasn't holding on to him.
"What the hell? What did you do to me?" Another screech of words. Elena wanted to make the kid shut up and talk at the same time. The tone of his voice grated on her last nerve.
"Relax, kid. I will let you down in a moment. We just need some answers." The way Damon said those few words, there was no arguing with whatever questions he had.
A wave of heat pulsed from him towards Elena. She became lightheaded with how draining it was to have so much energy so close to her, pushing out.
"Josh, calm down."
Easier said than done. If she didn't know Damon better than she knew herself, she would probably be freaking out over the effect his energy had on their surroundings. Josh's car shook hard. Shit. Everything shook. Wind howled around them, lifting her hair up and blowing it across her face.
"Wh-who are y-you people," Josh managed to get out.
Elena watched him carefully. It wasn't that Damon was doing anything to the kid. However, it didn't take more than a second for the kid to realize that Damon could probably destroy him without even touching him.
"We are the FBI," she replied. She hoped he would calm some. Maybe talk to them. Hell, something other than the glassy stare he gave her.
That wasn't the case. Josh paled even more. She started to think he would pass out at any moment. Crap. It was very possible they had nothing when it came to Josh Landley. If Damon could tell Josh didn't know where Roxy was, they weren't going to get much out of him.
Elena glanced over to Damon. He shifted his attention from Josh to her. His eyes had turned pure black. The demon controlled the man.
"What do we do?" she asked him, ignoring the heat of his gaze as it trailed down her face and to her lips. One of the things Elena had never gotten over about Damon was the power and its side effects. When his dark demon was out and he used his power, he would want sex after. She wondered how he had controlled the beast while she was gone. Or had he given into temptation with other women? Surely he had. Who the hell waited five years for someone who disappeared to never return?
"There is only ever been you."
"Don't go into my head!" Elena snapped.
Damon grinned, showing his slightly elongated canines. "You are projecting. I'm just listening to you, darling."
"Hello?" Josh screeched. "I'm still here. Put me down!"
"Why did you argue with her?" Damon cut in.
Josh kicked his feet to no avail. He wouldn't touch the ground until Damon let him. "We had an argument over Luis, and I refused to call her until she apologized."
"Luis the ex-boyfriend?" Damon asked.
"Apologized for what?" Elena asked at the same time.
Josh nodded and glanced back and forth between the two before answering. "She was going to go hangout with Luis and broke our date. I told her it was me or him. She said he was her friend."
"When was she with Luis?" Elena jotted down notes.
"Wednesday. They supposedly had something to figure out."
Josh shoved his hands in the sides of his baggy dark jeans. He looked so strange trying to act in control while dangling in mid-air. "Look, I haven't talked to her, and I'm still waiting for her to apologize. What is with all the questions?"
Elena snapped her notebook shut. "She is missing."
Josh's dark eyes widened with alarm. "Are you serious?"
"Very, kid," Damon answered. "Do you know who might know where she could be?"
"Only Luis, as far as I know. I mean she was going to see him, and I didn't hear from her again after that."
"And where does Luis live?" she asked.
"How the hell should I know?" Not the right answer. His body shook in mid-air.
Damon took a step closer, crowding the kid.
"Fine! In a trailer across town. Now let me go."
Damon put him down so fast the boy's knees buckled, and he fell on his ass. Josh stood slowly. Fear filled his eyes. He didn't try to leave again. Instead, he waited to see if they had any other questions.
Elena squinted against the sun's glare. Though he dressed very much a goth, Elena could see how insecure the boy was. The way he kept twining his hands told her he was uncomfortable being questioned. "Any reason you could think of for her to just up and take off?"
Josh stared at Elena for a moment, biting his lip ring. "She sometimes went a day or two without talking to me if she argued with her mum."
Probably typical teenage arguments and disagreements, Elena thought. Especially when you have an odd family.
"Why would she stop talking to you if she had problems with her mother?" Damon asked. He took a step closer into Elena's side. His body heat curled around her like a protective blanket. She didn't like that her mind was so weak she constantly strayed to how big he was. Or how wonderful it felt to be near him again.
Mind in the game, woman, she reminded herself. She would never survive a working relationship with Damon if all she kept thinking about was him, her, and sex. Lots of sex. Everywhere.
"She wouldn't want to see me or anyone. I think her mother grounded her or something. She would take days and lock herself in her room." Josh frowned. "I tried calling her. I even tried to see her, but she would refuse or ignore me altogether."
Elena couldn't try to begin to understand her family.
"So where exactly does Luis live?" She brought Josh's wary attention to her. The boy hadn't run. Yet. She could tell any moment he would and there wouldn't be a reason to keep him there.
"I told you. The other side of town where the trailer park is."
A horn blared at their backs. Josh rushed past them to the car in the street. He jumped in and took off without another word.
"Kids these days have such great manners," Elena grumbled and headed for the SUV.
"Why didn't you tell me to stop him? I wasn't sure if that is what you wanted."
"No. It would have been wrong. He didn't have anything to hide from what you said."
Damon shook his head. "No, I said he didn't know where Roxy was. He wasn't projecting, and since it wasn't regarding your niece, I didn't feel the need to go digging in his mind."
"So what do you think about all this. Roxy and this Josh kid?" Elena asked, hoping to distract her turbulent thoughts and get some feedback from Damon.
"Not sure what to think. He clearly doesn't know where Roxy is, but he is hiding something. Fear poured off him in waves."
x x x
"I have an idea. Maybe we can get some background on these people." Elena pressed a button and connected with Enzo at the agency.
"Boss lady, how are you holding up with big and grumpy?" Enzo greeted.
Elena had to smile. She could hear the laughter in the shifter's voice. Damon had never been grumpy, so she was unsure what the tiger was talking about.
"I got him on a tight leash," she muttered and glanced at Damon.
Damon's lips curled into a sinful grin. And suddenly her body started to heat.
He flashed black eyes at her and licked his lips. "Leashed?"
He touched her then. Not with his hands which were busy grasping the steering wheel. But with his power. It was intoxicating. Like having his hands all over her body at the same time. Only, there were no hands on her. She became slick between her legs. Christ. That was all she needed, to walk around with wet panties.
"Cut it out!" Elena whispered, placing a hand over the speaker on her cell phone.
Damon chuckled. "Cut what out? I'm driving."
Elena didn't buy his innocence. She knew Damon too well. Plus the light tickling at the centre of her crotch—which she knew was all his doing, was going to make her come. Then they were going to have even more trouble because Enzo would find out she was a screamer. Not something she needed him to know. Ever.
"If you keep it up," she panted. "I…I…"
Damn! Elena leaned against the cool leather of her seat and bit her lip. Struggling to not call out to him, she shut her eyes and panted. She squeezed the phone in her grasp, waiting for the tension mounting inside her to continue.
He stopped.
"Asshole! I'm going to get you for that. I'm going to tie you to the bed and torture you until you beg me to make it end."
"You think so?" Damon's eyes glowed with the power of his wolf now. His voice sounded so rough she could hardly make out the words. He lifted a dark brow. "Wonder what Enzo thinks."
Elena blinked. Damn. Damn. Damn. Enzo. She still had him on the phone.
Enzo guffawed so loud she heard it before putting the phone to her ear. "Oh, hell. You are probably worse than Bonnie."
"Focus, Enzo. I need you to do something."
"Boss lady, I don't know what was happening a minute ago, and while you sounded mighty sexy, Bonnie and I have this understanding that she plays hard to get, and I chase. You should know, I couldn't take any of your propositions seriously."
Elena growled. Damon's lips lifted in a not so subtle smile of success.
"I'm not going to proposition you. If you stopped thinking about Bonnie for a second, maybe I can tell you what I need."
"Don't know if I can stop thinking of my sexy Bonnie. She is a firecracker. But I am here for whatever you need from me, so go for it, boss lady."
Elena sighed. If Enzo wasn't so good at tracking and an amazing field operative, she would wonder why they kept him around. Bonnie would probably be upset if Elena got rid of the tiger. Just her luck that Bonnie was a lot more special than all of them.
"See if you can dig up any criminal background on anyone in this town. I mean everyone from the Sheriff to the damn paper boy. I'm running low on patience and time. Call me with anything."
"I'm on it. By the way...I meant to ask..."
"What?"
"Did you and big and grumpy really do it in the car just now?"
"Shut up!"
"Give me some credit." Enzo chuckled. "I think I can figure out what had happened."
Elena shut the phone off with a groan. "How in the world can you handle him?"
"Just wait until he and Mason are together. They are a team."
"It can't get any worse than that, right?" She shifted in her seat to watch Damon drive.
"Yeah. It can. You are on Lockwood break, and you should be grateful. He was far worse than Enzo, but he has mellowed. Last year, he and Jules finally stopped going around in circles with their feelings and let things flow. He and Enzo have been the bane of the females and my existence." Damon took a breath. His chest expanded in the too tight black T-shirt she kept visualizing him tearing off like a stripper.
"So how do we find Luis's address?" Damon asked.
Elena pressed a button on her cell phone again.
"Couldn't stay away, could you?" Enzo laughed.
"Put a sock in it, Enzo," Damon ordered, his hands squeezing at the steering wheel.
Elena smiled. "I need an address."
"Let me switch screens. Okay, shoot." The sound of typing sounded over Enzo's words.
"Luis Gomez. I don't really know the names of his family, but with the size of this town, I'm sure you can figure it out quickly."
"Got it. Damn, you are right too. That place is like the size of a shoe box. Luis and his family live at Nineteen Rock Road. His mother is Rocio Gomez, and he has a little sister too." More typing. "Do you need the father's name too? He doesn't live with them."
"Thanks, but I'm interested in Luis right now." Elena put the address on the GPS and watched the road. Her mind kept straying to Josh. She couldn't understand why Roxy would ignore her boyfriend just because she had an argument with her mother. It was something she would have to bring up when she spoke to Jenna later.
They took a turn down a road in the SUV. The difference between that street and the one the Landley's lived at was astounding. Gone was the green, perfectly cut grass. Gone were the large homes, expensive cars, and picket fences with gorgeous gardens. This was definitely a poverty-stricken area. The streets were paved, but there were enough potholes to damage a tank.
"This is different," she murmured. "I wonder how Roxy went from Luis to Josh."
Damon noticed the change in Elena instantly. Her hands went from laying loosely on her lap to curl into fists.
"Something wrong?" He glanced at the trailer numbers, searching for the one they needed.
"This reminds me of a case from a few years ago." She cleared her throat, her husky voice filling the interior of the SUV.
With a quick glimpse, he turned to see her staring out the window. "What happened?"
"The child was killed by her father. He was angry over a divorce, and on a visit, he took her off to a cabin and shot her and himself," Elena said softly. "The mother lived in an area much like this one. It is one of those situations that I don't forget."
Damon knew all about that. There had been far too many cases in which he had found the victim already dead. They knew better than anyone that the first forty-eight hours were crucial in a missing person's case. Unfortunately, they weren't really sure if Roxy was truly missing yet.
Damon grabbed her left fisted hand, covering it with his. "Relax, we will find her."
Her gaze swung to his face. His chest tightened at the sadness he saw in her eyes. He wanted to make it all better for her, but he knew that wouldn't be easy. The SUV bumped slowly over potholes, further and further into the crowded trailer park.
"There is number nineteen." Elena pointed at a smaller trailer parked by a large Oak tree.
The SUV came to a halt near the trailer and Elena got out of the vehicle immediately. Damon rushed after her. Not that he detected any danger, but he had to be near her. To protect her. His animal and the other darker force within him would kill to keep her safe.
Elena knocked on the door. A moment later, a woman's loud voice sounded from inside. "Get the door and stop being so useless!"
A little girl, no more than eleven years old opened the door.
"Can I help you?" the little girl asked.
Elena gasped. Damon didn't have to see her face to scent her distress. The little girl had bruises and scratches all over.
"Is Luis home?" Elena's voice was soft, addressing the child.
"What the hell is taking you so long?" Asked the woman's voice closer to the door. A large heavyset woman with dark eyes and the smell of liquor filled the entrance. "Who are you?"
"We are looking for Luis," Elena answered.
The little girl pushed further into the trailer, hidden from their view.
"Yeah? And who the hell are you?" the woman shouted.
Elena's hands curled into fists. "I'm—"
"We are from the FBI, ma'am. We need to see your son," Damon cut in. He didn't dig into people's minds unless necessary, but the bruises on the child and the complete fear in her eyes screamed for help.
"Too bad. I don't know where the hell that little good for nothing is, but when he gets back, he will be regretting leaving without a word," she sputtered. A lit cigarette hung from the side of her lips.
The hatefulness he saw in her eyes made the decision for him. He shoved his way into the woman's mind. Fury burned in his chest at what he saw. The woman beat her kids in order to cope with her anger of their father leaving them.
"Damon?" Elena whispered, tapping his shoulder. "Why is she just standing there all frozen?"
"Hang on a sec, sweetheart. I just need to see something," he murmured, digging through Rocio Gomez's mind. The last time she had seen Luis, they argued over his step-sister, Rosalinda showing up. The girl was his older sister and the reason Luis's father had left their family and returned to his ex-wife.
Damon dug through, searching memories and feelings. Darkness swirled around them, controlling the woman, holding her immobile while he searched. Power spread outward, shaking the ground, the trailer, and everything around them. Roxy's name popped up about Luis hanging with her and his half-sister.
"Damon?" Concern laced Elena's voice. "This is really creeping me out."
He took a moment to put some suggestions into Rocio's mind. Mainly, about how to treat her children and being a better parent.
"Okay, we are done here," he slowly breathed the words out, reining the power in.
Rocio blinked a handful of times and glanced back and forth between Elena and Damon. "I'm sorry, what did you say you needed?"
Elena's head snapped to the side so fast Damon worried she had hurt her neck. He met her wide-eyed stare with small grin.
"You already said you didn't know where Luis was, Rocio," he answered smoothly.
Rocio frowned, rubbing a hand over her forehead. "Right. I don't. He left a few days ago and hasn't returned."
"Thank you for your help," he said, pulling out a card and handed it to the confused-looking woman. "If you hear from him, please have him call us. Or feel free to give us a call."
"I will…" She trailed off and turned into her trailer. "Lucy? This place is a mess. Why don't we clean up some, and then I will make us some lunch."
"But what about your bottle, momma?" the little girl asked hesitantly.
"I don't need that stuff. That is disgusting," she answered with distaste.
"How in the hell did you do that?" Elena grabbed his T-shirt and tugged to get his attention. "What did you do to her head?"
The sun beat down on their heads as they walked to the SUV. Damon sensed her awe and confusion over what he had done to Luis's mother. He didn't want to worry Elena. That had never been the idea. There was no way he was just going to leave and let that woman beat her kids any more if he could do something as simple as change her thinking. Elena truly didn't realize how much power he had inside. It was better to keep it that way. He didn't need to scare her. That was the last thing he ever wanted.
"She wasn't going to give us any information on Luis. I just put some suggestive thoughts about parenting and taking care of her home before I retreated," he said over the roar of the engine.
"I understand that, but she did an about face. I mean, in front of my own damn eyes," Elena gasped. "You are a lot more powerful than I thought." She blinked and gave him one of those soft smiles that could drive him to his knees. "You helped those kids. I would have done the same."
"It wasn't a big deal." Damon slowly drove them away from the trailer park. Elena's emotions overpowered the inside of the vehicle. She was grateful, happy, and if his animal and the beast were right, she was also highly turned-on.
There was a brief silence.
"Stop the car," Elena ordered on a quiet stretch of road.
Without hesitating, Damon put the SUV on park and turned to her. "What is wrong?"
She unclipped her seatbelt and leaned forward, cupping his face in her small hands. "This is the reason you deserve to be in charge. You don't need to use force to make things happen."
Pleasure roared inside him. He tugged her closer, draping her on his lap. "The bureau doesn't see it that way."
She rubbed her lips lightly over his. "That is because they are stupid. And scared. You are powerful. Sexy. Strong. Too much for them to handle."
"You think I'm sexy, darling?"
Elena placed butterfly kisses over his jaw, twirling her tongue over his bristly day's old beard growth. "You are hot as hell."
"Elena," Damon whispered, digging his hands into the mass of dark hair and holding her face still in his grasp. "Those are the kind of words that will get me to make love to you in this car."
"Mmm," she moaned. "I think I can live with that."
Their lips brushed. Instant fire shot through his veins. She wiggled her ass on his lap, turning him instantly hard. Then she pushed her tongue into his mouth. Never tentative. Never scared. The way she rubbed it over his, sensually, drawing him into the erotic pull his beast wanted. Craved. Needed. He wanted to bury himself deep inside her so that she would be squeezing his hard-on with each of her contractions when she came.
Elena dug her nails into his shoulders, ran them down his arms and under his T-shirt. The bouquet of her arousal thickened at the same time her fingers traced his abs. Shudders pulsed down his spine, straight to his cock.
"Damon…" She moaned, rocking on his lap. "Make love to me. Here. Now. Do it."
Of course he wanted that too. It wasn't the time though. He wanted her on a bed. Spread open and showing her body to him. Displayed for his pleasure. He wanted to feel her body give with the force of her release. Then he wanted to push deep inside her and claim her all over again.
Damon pulled away from her. Hell did that hurt. Both his wolf and the beast wanted a taste of her. Now. Though he would gladly let her body dictate his actions, now wasn't the time. They had work to do. Elena would regret later that she let her desires stop them from searching for her cousin. Tonight would be soon enough.
"Elena, sweetheart," he groaned.
Elena nibbled on his jaw and raked her nails over his nipples. "Hmm?"
"We should try to figure out who we want to speak to next." He lifted her off his lap and deposited her in her seat again.
She blinked aroused eyes at him. "You are right." She cleared her throat, ran a shaky hand through her hair, and adjusted in her seat. "Let's go have lunch at that diner and decide what we should do next."