Chapter 6: Lancaster
Rhydian felt like an intruder standing outside the door he once entered and exited on a daily basis just weeks ago. After not receiving a single response to his text or voicemail messages, he traveled into the city and walked up the four flights to the third door on the right of the hall. He knocked, placing his hands on his hips and blowing out an exasperated sigh. Combing his fingers through his blond hair, he looked up at the ceiling. Did he really expect her to answer? It was clear she didn't want to talk or be with him. Just as he was about to turn around, tail between his legs, he heard the door open behind him. Standing in the doorway, he took in the less than glamorous look of his ex-girlfriend. Clearing his throat, he greeted her. Laura's hair was in a messy bun, her normal effortless look, lackluster and plan. She was adorned in comfortable flannel lounge pants, and oversized t-shirt with her state college imprinted on the tee. Her eyes were puffy, and her skin didn't have the same glow, but was muted and sullen.
She half-heartedly gestured for him to enter and Rhydian slinked inside as would a child ready to be reprimanded. Spinning on his heels, "I'm - "
She raised a hand. "Don't."
"No, this - this was out of my control. Honest."
Laura crossed the loft to perch herself on the arm of their living room sofa. She rubbed her hands back and forth on her pants, looking up at Rhydian, her body folding in on itself, as if succumbing to the weight of holding up their crippling relationship. He cleared his throat again, and drew a small circle in the area rug with the toe of his sneaker. He felt selfish for wanting to keep it alive, but if he could just get over this hurdle, it had to get easier.
"Rhydian," she breathed as if it took such effort. "I don't think you're nothing but honest. I think you genuinely feel you know what the hell is going on . . ." she sucked in a breath, "but I don't think you really do."
"I blacked out."
The way her her head quickly rose up to meet his eyes, skepticism etched on her face.
"I'm serious." He inched closer, feeling like it was safe. This was, after all, her place now. "I transformed last night at the park as planned and the next morning, I was in Stoneybridge."
"Rhydian - "
"You can ask my family. My mother had to fix me up." Rhydian bristled, realizing he had said too much. He didn't want to give up details of what he had been doing, but it was too late.
"Fix . . . you . . . up? What were you doing out there that you got hurt?"
His throat was closing, suddenly swallowing just to keep it open. "I . . . I . . ." He didn't need to supply her a minute-by-minute playback of that day.
She laughed. It was high pitched, almost haughty. "Of course, why am I not surprised . . . Maddy," she conceded, nodding her head in some discovered understanding.
"It's hard to explain."
"No, it's not."
"No, it is," he insisted. This was not how he had expected this to go. Leaving on an impulse to speak with her and understand where they stood - many scenarios played in his head, but his being this forthcoming was not one of them. Sliding into the armchair next to him, he leaned on his knees, "You may want to take a real seat."
If he was going to retell the story, he wasn't going to hold back, and so he disclosed everything - perhaps more than he had recounted to any of his family. It was silent as he finished. He couldn't look at her, so instead he fixated on the coasters that were stacked on the coffee table. He leaned forward and picked them up, letting each one plop into a stack in his other hand, shuffling them back and forth.
"Rhydian," she called, her voice feeling far away. He looked at her, watching slowly cross the space toward him. Taking the coasters from his hand to place back on the table, she cupped his cheek, and for a second he thought they would kiss, something he desperately missed; instead, her hand fell away as she took Rhydian's hands in hers. "You need to follow this . . . wherever this takes you." There was something like hurt or acceptance, or both bellying her words.
"I still want to get back together."
She nodded, her lip trembling. "I know you do. I wanted to, too, but . . ."
The exhilaration he felt overcome him, receded in seconds as he watched Laura slowly rise and move to the kitchenette. She opened the top cupboard and extracted some tea leaves to pour in her tea infuser.
Rhydian tapped his fingers on his knees before joining her at the small island. "So, what are we?" He needed to hear it.
"Separated."
"I - "
"Rhydian, you can't expect me to go along with this. You tell me you are having black outs, you may lose your mind or your abilities! And . . . and it all may - is related to Maddy." The kettle whistled behind her and she turned off the gas and poured herself a cup, the metal ball bobbing under the sudden surge of piping hot water.
"I can't," she choked. "I thought. I tried. But it's inescapable - she's inescapable. Your bond . . ." She turned away to collect herself. "If you need someone to talk to . . . I'll . . . " she paused, grimacing. "Actually," having reconsidered whatever she was about to offer, "just don't."
"Laura . . ." The rest die in his mouth. She grabbed a spoon from the draw behind her and carefully set the ball on a saucer. She cleared her throat and walked to the front door, opening it wide. "I think you should go."
Rhydian does as asked, stepping through to the chilly hallway, the window at the end left wide open. Looking back at her, "I'm going to show you. I want this to work."
Laura's eyes are watering and he knows she's using every ounce of her resolve to not let a single tear fall. She closes her eyes, swallows, and then opens her eyes again. "Goodbye, Rhydian Morris." The door clicked shut and he's standing in the drafty corridor by himself. His knuckles were inches from knocking again, wanting her to re-open the door and explain - impress upon her how much he was going to make this work. But rather than wrapping on the steel door, he backed up, silently vowing to show her. He would return, and sweep her off her feet. He would figure out what happened, solve the mystery, and return to her. He would return.
Rhydian looked left then right before crossing the street to meet at McCardle's. The last time he had paid the place a visit was on assuredly better terms. It was raining, puddles forming like magic around the uneven brick road. The streetlamp that stood forlorn in front of the pub did a lackluster job of providing any sight. The yellow, warm, incandescent light emanating from inside did the job, and Rhydian found himself entering a surprisingly crowded pub. Is everyone in town out tonight? He thought miserably, shaking his coat free of still dribbling rain drops. Stepping further inside he found Tom and Shannon seated toward the back, in a secluded corner. Whether done on purpose or by chance, he was relieved they would have some privacy - if it was even possible. Pushing his way through he throng of patrons, he slid into the booth unapologetically.
Tom was sitting on the end, and he was most thankful as Shannon looked ready to bolt as he settled in. She gave an exasperated sigh, and shot a not-so-discreet glare at her husband. "Let me sit next to you, Shan. It will be romantic . . . 'Romantic' my arse," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest, so they rested on her growing stomach.
Tom sighed and gave a pointed look at his best pal as if to punctuate the difficulty and risk of having arranged this meeting. "You can't avoid him forever, plus he's got something to say."
"Like what? How he's a giant prat? A back-stabbing traitor? And - "
"Actually," he interjected, knowing it would only get worse - and not undeserved either. "You're right. About it all. I'm sorry and I mucked things up. Our friendship - (my promise, he thought) - I should have told you and we figured it out together, just as we always have. I," he paused, looking out the window to watch a couple dart from their car to a restaurant across the way, a futile attempt of escaping the unrelenting rain. Returning his focus on his friends, he finished quietly, " I shouldn't have tried to hide this or make a decision that impacts everyone. I'm really sorry." He looked from Tom and then Shannon, hoping she would agree to see their fight as water under the bridge. The waitress, a cheery blonde that reminded him of Laura bounded up to the table to take their drink orders. Barely able to articulate, Tom translated as Rhydian was beside himself at how closely she resembled his ex-fiancee. "How's things with you and Laura?" Tom asked, his finger tracing the knot in the wood table.
"Miserable . . . I mucked that up too." At this point, it was nearly all said and done.
Tom nodded, "Sorry, mate."
He sighed, turning his attention back to Shannon. Her lips still pulled taunt in a line, Rhydian was sure his plea had fallen on deaf ears. "Well, you didn't come here empty handed now did ya?"
Doing a double-take, he eyed Shannon, wondering if he really heard her speaking to him or if it was a cruel trick of his imagination. "Well?" she pushed.
He shook his head like an invalid at a loss for words. "Oh, um, the woman . . . she - she said Ms. Laurent's Second Hand Treasures and Antiques," Rhydian supplied, his shoulders relaxing at the understanding that while Shannon may not have been in a forgiving mood, she was not one to walk away from finding the truth.
After dedicating several days to searching for the antiques shop, Shannon had come up empty handed. Leading her to accuse Rhydian of lying. It had taken multiple phone calls and finally showing up at his work to convince Tom he was being truthful when he told Shannon the name of the place. Rhydian sighed, reliving the memory of cornering Tom at the small coffee kiosk outside his job.
Rhydian shivered as the sun began to set, taking with it the warmth. April was rolling in like a slow moving snail, and it couldn't come quicker for the young man. Part of him wanted to scream, the other part of him wanted to just put his fist through a wall, but he knew very well he couldn't do the latter. So, as per his usual - a habit he had caught onto to burn off energy when he first began transforming, he went for a run. After blitzing through the town and over the valley, he came to his destination, the plains that buffered the village to the waters. It was beautiful, just as it was ten years ago when he last saw her . . . when they shared their first and last kiss.
He closed his eyes reflecting the warmth of that day, the haze of the setting sun, the wind that seemed to be ushering the Smiths to their next steps . . . quite possibly last. Rhydian felt his chest tighten as the serenity of the memory morphed into something horrifying, a laboratory with three cold steel tables, white sheets draped over bodies: one tall and two petite. Rhydian shook his head, gasped for air as he swore he could hear screaming. His shot open in alarm, tears spilling from them. A tittering of some loose gravel startled the Wolfblood, who jumped to his feet and quickly turned toward the noise.
Tom nearly lost his footing at Rhydian's quick movements. Holding his hands up, "Relax, mate."
"What the bloody hell are you doing here, Tom?" He snapped, feeling exposed.
"You ain't the only one to have lost someone, Rhydian," he shot back. "She was my friend before she was ever your girlfriend." Rhydian knew he was right, sort of. Yes, she was Tom's friend long before Rhydian and she had ever crossed paths, but Maddy was so much more than just a "girlfriend" to Rhydian. He had fallen in love with Maddy and a piece of his heart was stolen, kept by her when she left. And the hole it left now oozed, his heart crippled by the chunk taken, left to wonder if there was enough of itself remaining to give to someone else. If his and Laura's doomed romance was anything to go by, he wasn't hopeful.
Maybe Alric was right . . . maybe a Wolfblood can't survive alone, he thought.
"You have me bugged or somethin'?" Trying to lighten the mood.
"Naw, your father said somethin' like you were going for a walk . . . I just had a hunch is all. . . I sometimes come here myself." He didn't look at Rhydian when he disclosed that little tidbit, just remained stoic, staring into the remnants of warm hues that followed the retreating sun.
"Can I tell you somethin', Tom?" The former football player didn't respond, but just looked at him curiously.
"I wish I had went with them even if it would have created problems, maybe . . . just maybe things would have turned out different."
"Yeah . . . and I wish I hadn't bought that damn dog chew." Rhydian could hear Tom swallow, as if forcing the unspoken guilt back down. The two stood on the hillside until night had suppressed the last glimmers of day.
"I spoke to my aunt . . . she's a partner at Dickerson's Auction. Knows all the little antique shops in England. She says that she had never heard of Ms. Laurent's Second Hand Treasures, yah? But, she had heard of a Ms. LaRue's . . ." Tom paused, watching Rhydian from the corner of his eye process what he had just hinted. "Maybe, yah? What do you think?"
"There's only one way to find out," he answered, a snarky smile playing at his lips.
Rhydian saw Jana leaving a small bakery about a mile from Segolia. If he was going to proposition her on helping with their plans of finding Maddy, he would need to do it today, and do it now.
The last thing Rhydian desired was allowing Segolia to learn that they had reopened their investigation of the Smith family's disappearance without their authority. It could not only lead to Jana being fired, but all of them being detained for intervening in government matters. While he rather not ponder to what extent Segolia would go to shut down their investigation and keep them quiet, he was sure it would be swift and final.
Rhydian was closing in on her, picking up the pace, a loud bang was heard as a car backfired, a cloud of toxic fumes emitting from its tailpipe. When the young Mr. Morris turned his attention back, he was shocked to find her gone - vanished. Rhydian was about to break into a sprint, when he felt a small hands pull him by his hoodie into the rather desolate side street. "Hey!" he hollered, wrenching free from the person's grasp.
It was Jana, one eyebrow cocked in perturbed annoyance.
"What do you think ya' doin'?"
Rhydian looked back from her to the main drag and back. "How?"
"Remember, my job is to track down threats. Not to mention, I was born a Wild Wolfblood, idiot."
She extracted a pastry from a white paper bag and took a bite, tearing into the glazed sweet with more aggression than warranted.
"I wanted to be sure you weren't with anyone before I spoke to you. Listen, me, Shannon, and Tom are goin' to break-in to Ms. LaRue's - "
"To steal the address information for the jacket you believe belongs to Maddy," she finished, a smirk of satisfaction creeping on her face at the way he deflated. "Shannon called me the night you informed her of the name of the place. At least someone feels I should be included."
Rhydian sighed, screwing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. "I wanted - want - you to come. I just wanted to invite you without . . . you-know-who . . . knowing."
"I'm not a Death Eater. I don't work for Voldemort, Rhydian. Segolia does a lot of good too, you know," she chided, pushing the last bit of pastry into her mouth.
Rhydian put up his hands in a show of submission. The last thing he wanted was a fight. Knowing he was on borrowed time as he watched her peak at her watch, he apologized. "I'm sorry, really. I also came," at this he rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "to apologize for what I said at dinner."
It was quiet and she tilted her head from side to side in heavy contemplation of his confession. She crumpled the empty bag and tossed it into a nearby bin. Focusing back on him, "If I thought for a second I could solve the mystery of what happened to Maddy and her parents, I would do it regardless of what it meant for my place at Segolia. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, I know," he murmured, feeling even worse for having said what he did. His expression turning mischievous, "I'm glad to hear you are so willing to do anything because you've heard Shannon's plan. We get caught . . ."
She exhaled, "Oh, I know."
"For the love God, Shan, is it absolutely necessary we break in 'ere and steal the address, yah?" Tom whined, blinking as the current drizzle was edging towards a steady rain.
"Yes, I told you already when I inquired as to the seller of the jacket, I was informed 'it was customer privacy' they couldn't provide that information without consulting the customer."
"And?" Tom pressed, bobbing from one foot to the other, much the way he would when he was about to start a football game when they played for Bradlington High.
"And," Shannon stressed, "If Maddy doesn't want to be found," seeing the look Rhydian had shot her at the mere consideration her disappearance was at her orchestration, "or, is more than likely, being manipulated or held hostage, that person or persons will be tipped off." Suddenly surging with adrenaline, she continued, smiling, "Considering it's been eight or nine - "
"Nine," Rhydian interjected, distracted as she searched for their last member.
"Nine," she corrected herself, "years, then we are dealing with a sophisticated operation."
"If it's so 'sophisticated' then how come she got to sell the jacket in the first place, huh, Sherlock," Tom shot back, blowing out an exasperated sigh.
Rhydian laughed quietly to himself, missing their banter. He caught the sight of his younger brother who was also watching the scene before them, but with less amusement.
"Nervous?" he asked Bryn, off to the side so as the others wouldn't hear.
"Only cause we got them as partners. It'd be better if it was Wolfbloods only. We're more agile, have better sense of smell, and wouldn't get caught."
"We're doing this together," Rhydian said pointedly.
"A pregnant woman and a washed up athlete, I think I'll take this time to pray to the Great Wolf Spirit." At this, he turned away, mumbling under his breath.
Rhydian rolled his eyes at the dramatics, though, perhaps Bryn was being honest as he seemed to be making some type of hand gestures Rhydian vaguely remembered seeing his mother doing during his short lived stay in Alric's pack.
"It's very likely they didn't suspect Rhydian to pick up on the scent . . . Perhaps they are having cash flow problems, resulting in the need to sell items of value or trade. Aha!" Shannon cried out, to everyone's dislike.
"You're goin' to need to be more quiet if we're gonna break in," Jana disclosed from behind Tom, causing him to scream and jump. Bryn shot his brother a look as if to silently confirm his previous statement.
"Son of -" Tom placed a hand to his heart, "Don't . . ." he panted, "Don't sneak up on people like that, yah?"
"You understand why we're here, right?" Jana countered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Yeah, unfortunately," Tom answered, calming himself.
"I searched the perimeter, it's not guarded . . . by people, but it's covered very well with security cameras. But," she smiled like the Cheshire Cat, "I think I found a hole in their coverage. It's tight and we're going to have to be quick," at this she peered at Shannon who was going to be the slowest by sheer physics, "but we can make it."
Rhydian looked left then right, awaiting for the sirens to blare and flashing lights wash across them. But nothing. "Six, eight, eight, four, seven, two, and one." The electronic lock gave a trill celebratory sound, three dots flashing green before cracking open. With a relieved sigh, each of the Scooby Gang tip-toed inside the back entrance. Clicking on her flashlight and taking the lead, Jana slowly navigated them further inside. Rhydian tried to focus, but he couldn't pull his mind away from thinking about how they would find Maddy. What if she was living outside of England? Or worse? What if Shannon was right and she was being held captive? Rhydian swallowed, wondering if it was truly as loud as it sounded in his own ears. They were shuffling through a narrow aisle of different items, each tethered to the back of the shelves. Bryn's footfalls ceased and Rhydian whirled around knowing immediately what he was about to do. His attention caught by the glimmer of moonlight filtering in from one of the thick-glass skylights, the chalice's bejeweled twinkled. Rhydian slapped his brother's outstretched hand. "Don't touch," he hissed. At this he pointed to a nearly camouflaged, black cable that was the relay between a small node attached to the goblet and what Rhydian assumed was a sensor at the base of the shelf. "You touch or move one of these things and sirens will sound. Police will come and we are done. Game Over. Got it?"
Unhappy at being talked to like a cub, Bryn made face, but nonetheless nodded in understanding, retracting his hand to his side. The two Wolfbloods hustled to catch up, stopping short as they burst from the aisle and nearly collided with the group. Spread out in front of them was truly an emporium of antiques, a gallery of history going back hundreds of years, if not more. To their right was a small platform and a lone podium which Rhydian surmised the caller would take bids, before it was a small speckling of empty white folding chairs. Bordering the chairs in front of the group and to their left were tall aisles with different items, ancient artifacts, jewelry, and props from different iconic movies. On the right was a classic 1959 emerald Mini automobile, velvet ropes protecting it from any patron that may not be able to resist touching it. Behind it was a large, wooden wardrobe from the 18th century that had some intricate designs inlaid into each door panel. Past the large, eye catching items, was a staircase that led further upstairs. To the base was tall gate that prevent access to the second floor. Looking about what was on display, he could only imagine what they had stored upstairs.
"Not what I was expecting," Tom breathed, dragging his flashlight over different areas of the the first floor.
"You're telling me. When I came by a few days ago, I was expecting a small boutique, not an expansive place like this," Shannon chimed in, also staring in wonderment at all the different pieces layered around them.
"Don't touch anything," Tom reminded in a strong whisper. Rhydian shot Bryn another threatening look, who sheepishly shrugged his shoulders in return.
"We need to be quick. I cut the power to the internal part of the building, once the back up generators kick on the system's going to try and reboot the connection to the interior cameras, which given the size of this place will take maybe ten minutes - tops - then it will alert the owner and possibly off-site security."
"Wonderful," Tom retorted. "Why didn't you do it for the outside camera's rather than have us runnin' across one-by-one like somethin' out of James Bond film?"
"If I'd cut the lines to the outside ones, it would really draw attention. Those don't wait for a reboot to notify the owner," Jana explained.
"Let's go, you two. Discuss this later. The spot for day-to-day purchases was straight ahead on the left, near the front entrance," Shannon disclosed, guiding them to said area.
"Wait!" Jana grabbed Shannon arm just as she placed her hand on the small door flap to enter behind the counter. Jana pointed to cleverly hidden sensor placed under the lip of the swinging door.
"Well, I'll be. . ." Shannon hummed.
"Paranoid much?" Tom quipped.
"More like extremely diligent," Jana corrected. "You've seen the things they have in here. I haven't lived among your . . ." she paused for a beat, trying to find a better way of saying Natural, "kind . . . that long, but I know this stuff's seriously expensive."
"Now what?" Tom asked, looking left, right, up, and down. The young woman with wild, Irish curls, gently laid her flashlight on the counter, braced herself then hopped over.
"Relax, mate," Rhydian soothed. "Jana's got this. See," he offered, gesturing to her deft skill at clearing the counter without tripping any sensors.
"Okay, let's see what we got, right?" Jana mused, wiggling her fingers.
"Jana's done this plenty, I'm sure," Shannon said off-handedly to her husband standing beside her.
"Well, kind of," the Wild Wolfblood admitted timidly.
"Kind of," Shannon shrieked, flinching as she was shushed immediately by the group.
"Well, I usually have a partner who's job it is to handle this part, or some tech to do it for me. But, since I can't use any of my Segolia stuff, it's a little harder," she explained, looking at Rhydian.
"I. Don't. Want. Them. Involved," Rhydian reaffirmed.
In the small spotlight from his flashlight, he could see Jana roll her eyes.
Jana looked about the place as if searching for something. "Okay, well, here goes nothing." The redhead turned on the laptop and entered into the system.
"Wow, that was quick," Shannon cheered quietly.
"Yeah, well, ninety percent of businesses use their name or a best selling product as a way to get into the main operating screen of their computer. The bright, blueish glow warmed the woman's face as she continued to work. Tom swept the place again with his light, as if expecting Special Ops to drop down from the ceiling any minute.
Rhydian tapped his fingers on the counter, waiting for Jana to locate the address. Said redhead lifted her flashlight and shone it in his face, causing him to cover his eyes. "What?"
"Must you tap your fingers?"
He groaned, but let his hands fall to his sides.
Jana hissed and grumbled.
"What?" Rhydian questioned.
"Having trouble?" Shannon added.
"It's just, I tried twice and have not been able to access their customer list. It's password protected and it's different from the one I used to get in." She looked about, "Maybe I'll - "
"Wait," Tom interjected, shoving his arm in front of Jana, and nearly knocking his wife over, affording him a swat on the arm from his other half. "A lot of places only give you three tries. If you used two of 'em, that leaves one, yah? Last try before the computer locks us out and - and alerts the owner to someone tryin' to break in."
"Ah, he's right," Shannon lamented. "Our phones do it, an' the computers we use in the restricted region of the genetics lab I work at are the same way. It's a real hassle when one of the tech's mistype their password. 'ave to call IT and Security and everythin'," she finished with a disgusted note in her voice.
Rhydian wasn't sure if it was the building or him, but he was beginning to sweat.
Jana groaned, "If you would just let me - "
"No!" Rhydian cut in. "You use one of your gadgets and Segolia is all over us. Wantin' to know what we're doin', and - and tryin' to take over. Leave us in the dark just like before."
"Rhydian, we agreed we weren't leaving without that piece of information," Shannon reminded him, patting his hand. "What other choice do we have?"
"I may have one," Jana gently broached, looking at each of them.
"One where we don't wind up in prison?" Tom asked, half joking, half not.
"I know someone who works in our forensic lab unit for Segolia - computer science division," Rhydian huffed, but Jana continue, "I trust her. We've worked multiple cases together. She's the best. She knows I was on the Smith Case and how much it means to me. I bet she'd help without thinkin' twice 'bout it. But, we're a team, I'm not doing it without everyone on board."
Shannon followed Jana's eyes as did Tom, all three staring at him now. Rhydian hit the counter half-heartedly. To come this far and not get the address was stupid, but how could he trust someone he never met, let alone works for the one company, he wouldn't trust as far as he could throw them?
"I know it's askin' a lot, and maybe it's a long shot because I don't even know if I'll get a hold of her, but . . ."
Rhydian let out a strained breath as he weighed the very limited options. "What do you think, Bryn?" Rhydian eyes grew twice their size as he realized, for the first time, that Bryn was not there beside him. "Where's Bryn?"
"Rhydian?" Tom said, his voice rising.
Rhydian searched the cavernous warehouse with a small beam of light from his flashlight. Four search lights danced across the back wall. Rhydian had just passed over the gated staircase when to his horror he noticed it was ajar.
"Bryn," he ground out. Turning back to his friends, "Call her. Convince her to help. I'm goin' after Bryn."
"What ya mean?" Tom asked.
"He went upstairs," Rhydian called out over his shoulder, already making his way after him.
Rhydian could hear Jana grumble about Bryn as she concentrated on calling her contact. Rhydian pulled at the gate to see that Bryn must have squeezed himself between the door and the frame. Some lazy worker not bothering to secure the chain tightly before locking it. Rhydian winced as his ribcage rubbed uncomfortably between the metal gate and frame as he pushed himself through. He rubbed his skin, hissing at the abrasion. "Damn you, Bryn." Rhydian took the steps two at a time. Reaching the top, he realized it was also locked in such a fashion. Rhydian lunged forward as he nearly popped out of the small space like a cork from a bottle of champagne; the second time hurting twice as much. Panting, he picked himself up from the floor and saw rows of makeshift tables littered with different items waiting to be catalogued. In the far end, was a small office, a single stream of light coming from within. Careful not to bump into the numerous tables, he zig-zagged his way to the office. Much like the small loft area, it was under construction, so much to Bryn's advantage and Rhydian's bad luck, the office entrance was just a plain door. Rhydian burst into the room to see Bryn was pushing about papers.
"What are you doing? We're not suppose to alert anyone that we're here."
"You came to find Maddy, right? Well," he lifted some papers, shaking them at his brother, "that's what I'm doing." Rhydian was about to throttle him, his hands clenched into fists. "You goin' to help or stand there like a tree?" Bryn said huffily. He continued to muddle through the copious amounts of different stacks of paper, buzzing about from one spot to another.
Unsure of what else to do, he joined Bryn. "How'd did you know to come up here?"
Bryn paused as if gobsmacked by the question. "Yo-you being serious, Rhydian?" Rhydian stopped what he was doing now and peered at Bryn, seemingly frozen in time. When the eldest of the two didn't say anything, Bryn shook his head disapprovingly. "You didn't smell it?"
Rhydian blushed, feeling embarrassed. He took some tentative whiffs of the air and was struck with realization. "The jacket," he breathed. "Maddy."
Bryn nodded in a "duh" kind of way. "It was faint downstairs, but I would have thought you'd pick up on it. It's much more" he turned side to side with his arms wide, "heavier up here." Rhydian felt his brother scrutinizing him, the air around him suddenly heavier, stifling. "She could have been in here. This very spot," he said, pointing to where he was standing at that moment.
Rhydian's insides contorted, he was so focused on finding her, he never picked up on her scent . . . or was this something worse? Was he really starting to lose his Wolfblood abilities.
Rhydian gulped, and resumed with searching, pulling open the top draw of the metal desk next to him. A large leather, spiral notebook labeled Les Clients (Customers) across it. Rhydian didn't know French, but he felt confident what was inside. He flipped opened the notebook, and noticed - oddly enough - the names were organized by first name. "M, m . . . m . . . come on," he whispered. Rhydian felt his legs turn to jelly. His whole body wanted to deflate into a pile. No one under the name Maddy, Mads, Madeline, Maddie was listed. They had come for nothing. He threw the leather notebook, not caring to watch its destination and flopped into the old rolling desk chair with the tacky green, cracking leather cushions. He rested his head in his hands, when the stillness caught his attention. Swiveling to look behind him was Bryn concentrating on something in his hands. "Bryn?"
The young, man with chestnut hair flinched, startled out of his reverie. "Look," he handed the picture frame to him. Inside was a photo of two young women, perhaps in their early twenties. They were stretched out, sun bathing on the beach somewhere. There, Rhydian's eyes locked on the one nearest the camera, a petite young woman, with hair captured in a side braid, wearing a red bikini with navy trim. She had rectangular, dark sunglasses, and seemed to be looking out toward the water. It was a three-quarters profile, but Rhydian would recognize her anywhere. The frame read My Girls. Rhydian turned the frame over and quickly extracted a pen from the cup holder resting on the desk behind him. Using the pen as a tiny crowbar, he wedged the metal clips open.
"What are you doing?" Bryn questioned, looking over his brother's shoulders.
"It's a hunch. But most people write something, like a name and date on the back of photos." Rhydian carefully exhumed the print, discarding the cardboard backing and frame.
Sarah and Addie, Amalfe Coast, Italy, August 8th, 2016.
"Addie," he read aloud. "Hold this," he commanded, shoving the picture into Bryn's chest. He had just reached the desk when he heard Tom's voice.
"We need to go!"
Rhydian shook his head as if the man could see him, haphazardly moving items around on the desk, checking under piles of papers. "You go."
"I'm not leaving you," Bryn rebuffed. "What are you looking for?"
"Come on!" Tom hollered. "We have to go! Another time!"
"No," Rhydian murmured. Something inside him warned that he wouldn't get another shot. "Go," he demanded, waving off his brother. "I have to find that leather notebook." He was on all fours, searching for the customer log, cursing for not looking to see where he threw it. "Damn it!"
"Rhydian! Bryn!" Tom yelled, his voice breaking in fear.
Rhydian was about to threaten his brother, but discovered, to his relief, that when he looked, Bryn was gone. Rhydian could hear heavy metal chain clattering, peering through the glass window of the office, he could see an empty warehouse, the metal he heard banging a type of defense mechanism coming into play to prevent thieves from leaving with the stolen goods. "Shit," Rhydian swore. Lights began flashing all over the building. Police would be here in seconds. Rhydian dumped the contents of the waste basket - nothing. Growling in frustration, he moved some boxes packed between a large filing cabinet and the desk. "Come on!" Rhydian could hear voices and they weren't Tom's. Someone was calling for bolt cutters.
Just then a notebook was shoved inches from his face. Bryn was standing, breathing heavily. "It was under the cabinet," he answered, thumbing the tall wooden piece behind them. "I told the others to go. They're not happy."
"Thank you, but . . ."
"Just find whatever it is or all this," he gestured around him, "was pointless."
Rhydian snatched the book, and laid it on the wooden floor, frantically turning pages.
"Ab . . Ac . . . A - oomph," Rhydian was knocked to the ground. Two officers pouncing on him, like a wolves on an unsuspecting deer. Rhydian struggled against them, all the while trying not to wolf-out. From his peripheral, he watched the spiral bound book slide across the floor and bump into the leg of a table.
"Henry, I need som' help 'ere wit' this one," the officer laying on him, grunted to his partner.
Rhydian couldn't see Bryn, his vision impaired by royal blue coats, hovering over him like a canopy. Rhydian was pressed into the floor, a knee firmly placed in his lower back. He rocked to one side, trying to see Bryn, afraid what his brother may do or say. He doubted in his limited interactions with Naturals included encounters with law enforcement. Sadly, his efforts were swiftly met with a hard thwack with the hilt of a truncheon.
Rhydian's cut to the forehead was stitched and he soon found himself sitting in a solitary cell. He called out for Bryn, but no answer. Rhydian paced the six feet to the door and back to the far wall, considering howling, knowing it was the best opportunity to reach Bryn.
What if he wolfs-out?
What if he hurts someone?
What if -
"Rhydian Morris." He froze and rushed to the door immediately, trying to see through the small grate that was his only window to the outside world.
"Yes?"
"You are being released."
Not to say he wasn't grateful, but why?
Rhydian watched the two officers unlock the prison door and proceed cautiously toward him, placing the cuffs on his hands, escorting him to the front office. Did they contact his parents? Did maybe Tom or Shannon or Jana return for them?
Worse.
Waiting for him was none other than Dacia Turner. If looks could kill, he would have been dead there on the spot. She didn't so much as acknowledge him. She signed the necessary paperwork and left. Rhydian followed her, his head hung low. Waiting outside was a black BMW with tinted windows. "Get in," she instructed, opening the drivers seat and already easing herself inside. Closing the door, the driver's window lowered, "Come on. Don't got all day."
Rhydian considered for the briefest moment just making a run for it, back to the warehouse. However, of his own accord, he found himself crossing the short distance and opening the back passenger door. Rhydian stopped with a jolt, inside were Tom, Shannon, Jana, and Bryn; all looking at him quizzically. Rhydian slowly took a seat, closing the passenger door.
"Well?" Shannon asked immediately.
"What's goin' on?" Rhydian asked, ignoring her question.
"I called Dacia," Jana answered from the front seat, next to Dacia. "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure what to do," she said somberly. "I . . ." she began looking at Bryn who clearly had a broken nose, darken half-moons violet bruises cushioned his eyes. His lip was cut, and there was some definitive greenish-purple discoloration circling his wrists where he must have tried to break-free from his cuffs.
"By far the best decision you made all night, I would say," Dacia chimed in, rather coldly. It was quiet for a few seconds, the SUV rolling to a stop at the next light. "What the hell were you thinking?" she asked, hitting the steering wheel. It was the first time he had ever seen the woman lose her composure before.
"Outside of exposing our secret, you broke federal laws. Do you know the amount of work it took to approve your release, the favors I needed to call-in, and the paperwork waiting for me as I had to rush to collect any blood samples, finger prints, and reports they had not only entered on paper but tried archiving digitally," she ranted, staring at Rhydian from the rear mirror. "Bloody nightmare," she hissed. Fixing her gaze from Rhydian to Jana, "I would have thought as a Segolia agent you knew better. Understood not only the consequences but would have put a stop to this asinine plan of his."
"How do ya know I, or anyone else, didn't come up with it, yah?" Tom interjected offended. Rhydian watched Jana slump in her seat, like a teenager caught out at a party riddled with illicit drugs. Dacia shot Tom a hard look through the mirror. In spite of not being able to look directly at him, the stare wasn't any less effective.
Rhydian caught Shannon quietly consoling her husband, patting his hand with hers. "Did you all get out?" he asked, looking over his should at Tom.
"Yah," Tom replied, "but by just hair, though." If Rhydian didn't know better, Tom almost sounded bitter.
He wanted to say something, but knew now wasn't the time.
"So, now what?" Rhydian asked.
"I will take each of you back: the Okanawes' to their apartment, Jana to the office," as she said Jana's destination, the redhead shifted in her seat. Rhydian felt a lump grow in his throat, feeling this wasn't going to just be some mild warning. "Bryn to the port, and you - you will be escorted by two agents back to Stoneybridge, that is your new residence, correct?" she asked a little smugly.
Rhydian refused to give her the satisfaction of goading him on his recent failed relationship. "Why not leave Bryn with me at my parents?"
"Your residence is with your parents, not Bryn's. Per our records, he lives with his mate's pack in Alby, Sweden. Thus, we are deporting him back," she said with finality.
"The rest of you will be on strictest probationary watch," Dacia added. "And for the bloody last time. This case is a Segolia matter. Plain and simple. You all need to move on. I'm sorry what happened to the Smith family. I really am," at this Rhydian locked eyes with her and he understood her to mean it. "It will always be present with me, in the back of my mind - more than any other case - but you can't keep resurrecting this. I will not bail you out again."
Rhydian dug his finger nails into his palm until he was almost certain they would bleed and then relaxed them. The disappearance of the Smith family was more than some cold case, a smudge on a rather impressive agent record. His whole family - life had been ripped from him!
With nothing more to add, the only sound to fill the space was the hum of the SUV speeding down the highway in the early morning hours. Rhydian leaned back in the seat, staring out the window, his mind wandering to how he was to break the news to his parents of Bryn's exile back to Sweden.
It would be an understatement to say his parents were unhappy to learn that he and Bryn had elected to spend quality time by breaking and entering into an antique dealer, almost being incarcerated for trespassing, data theft, and resisting arrest, only to have Bryn displaced back to Sweden for an undetermined about of time. This resulted in Rhydian staying at the nearby lodge for a few days until his father finally arrived late one night stating he had calmed his mother enough that he felt it was safe for Rhydian to return home again.
Furthermore, Rhydian was to have no contact with Jana, who was demoted to junior officer and regulated to desk duty - as he had learned from Tom, who was in fact bellying a sure amount of animosity at Rhydian for unnecessarily endangering both he and Shannon, nearly getting them arrested as well. Shannon, from the stress of the night, was ordered to be on bed rest by her physician, leading to her to relinquish the role as project leader to another team member at work. No surprise, Rhydian hadn't tried connecting with either of them since.
And Bryn, well, after being sent away, Rhydian hadn't heard from him at all. That was until about a week later. Looking out the window, musing what would happen during the next full moon, Rhydian looked over his shoulder from his spot on the edge of his bed to see his mother drop an envelop on his desk. She said nothing, just spun on her heels in a huff and retreated from his room. She was very, very good at the silent treatment, whether she knew what that meant or not.
Rhydian waited to hear her cross the living area and back outside before moving to the desk and looking at the mail. It was addressed from a Mrs. Mikkelsen from Denmark. He was about to rip it up, assuming it to be junk mail and his mother not knowing any better, but at the very last second he reconsidered and shoved his index finger under the edge of the flap and hastily tore it open.
Inside were two pieces of paper. The top sheet written in child-like hand writing:
Deer Ridean,
Hop tis elps. Sry its messd up. Gud luk!
Luv,
Bryn
Rhydian chortled at the misspelling. "Good luck for what?" he asked aloud, placing the first page of the letter on his desk. Inspecting the next piece of paper was laughable. It was wrinkled as if someone had balled it up over and over again. The one side was frilled where the binding had fought back to release the page. Parts of it were darkened with sweat, and smudged from where said perspiration smeared the ink. It wasn't uncommon for Bryn to gift ordinary things to his brother, thinking they were the most clever things he had ever seen, as if he had found lost treasure would he share them with Rhydian. Carefully pulling the paper taunt to better read it, Rhydian's eyes widen as he reached about the middle of the page.
Addie Heart
Heart & Soul Photography
230 Friars Sorrow Lane
Lancaster, QA4 2WC
UK
A/N: Thank you for reading.