Jodi_ByTheLight Read online

  The couch shifted as Ava slid closer. Damon reached for the folder and wrapped his free arm around Ava. The picture of the victim was paper-clipped to the top. Haley Guthrie was beautiful, with blond hair and blue eyes. She looked like she should be getting ready for some beauty pageant, not getting kidnapped to become a sex slave for rogue red wolves.

  “She’s the same age.”

  Damon looked at Ava. “What?”

  “She’s twenty-four. She’s the same age as me.” He felt her shudder against his chest.

  “Which seems to indicate that Ava’s kidnapping wasn’t an isolated incident. Haley went missing the same night as Ava.” Jayden’s expression was grim.

  “This probably means there are other girls out there.” Her eyes widened in terror as she looked up at him.

  “Possibly. But the only one we know for sure is Haley.” He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

  “Then we’ll start with Haley.” Ava stood.

  “What do you mean, ‘we’?” Damon eased to his feet, already hating where this conversation was heading.

  “I mean, we are going to go find this girl.”

  “There is no ‘we.’” He growled. “You aren’t going anywhere.”

  “I won’t just sit here and do nothing. Especially since I know what they’re planning on doing to her.” Sparks built up behind her emerald gaze.

  “I won’t let you put yourself in danger to save someone you don’t know.” His heart pounded between his ears as he curled his fingers into fists.

  “Why not? You did.” Ava cocked her head to the side.

  “That’s different. I’m a Guardian, a soldier. It’s my job. This is what I do.”

  “There’s been no trace of Haley, no sightings, no credit card activity. It’s like she vanished.” Jayden frowned and took the folder.

  “I guess that means we’ve got to start from the last place she was seen.” She stuck her hands in her pockets and met his gaze.

  “They searched her car and found nothing. Besides, they already towed the vehicle so the scene has been compromised.” Jayden rubbed his neck.

  “We start with where her car was found, back on the highway.” Damon shrugged into his leather jacket. He had to figure out what to do with Ava before they took another step.

  “I’ll get the coordinates off the computer.” Jayden called over his shoulder as he headed into the next room.

  “If you’re going, I’m going.” She raised a beautiful eyebrow at him, as if daring him to stop her. Now he remembered why he never dated women like her. He liked a woman who wouldn’t defy him at every turn.

  “Fine, but you’re going to have to do exactly what I say.”

  Her lips trembled, as she fought back a smile.

  He gritted his teeth. “I mean it, Ava. You listen to me, or you’re staying here. Even if that means I have to tie you to the bed.”

  “While that sounds fun, I suggest you save that entertainment for tonight when we get back.” She winked, sauntered to the door and opened it.

  He slammed his hand against the door, closing it, and scowled. “I’m not kidding. I won’t have you out in the open unless you agree to listen to me. I want your word, or we both stay here.”

  She huffed and turned around to face him. “Fine.”

  “Swear it to me.”

  “I swear I’ll listen to you, Damon.” She gave him a smartass salute. “Happy?”

  “Ecstatic. You know what would make me even happier?”

  She propped her hands on her hips and narrowed her emerald gaze. “I’m not staying here, so you can forget it.”

  “I wasn’t going to say that.”

  She gave him a doubtful look. “I can’t image what else would make you happy.”

  “I can. Tying you to the bed.”

  Her lips curled into a sexy smirk. “If anyone’s tying anyone to a bed, it’s going to be me doing the tying.”

  “I don’t think that’s going to happen.” He reached out and ran his finger across her cheek. He couldn’t seem to stay away from her, even if it cost him everything.

  “I think I might persuade you, especially if I tied the knots with my mouth.”

  His smile slide off his face like hot butter. His gaze drifted down to her mouth.

  “As I recall, you seem quite fond of my mouth, or was it my tongue you liked so well?” She took a step forward. Her warm breath tickled his face. He briefly entertained the thought of taking her up against the door before Jayden came back.

  “If you two are finished sniffing around each other, we need to hit the road.” Jayden stuck his head in between them.

  “We’re done, for now,” Ava said. Why he found her sarcastic tone such a turn-on, he had no idea. What he did know was, this female put him in a constant state of arousal.

  That was a very dangerous place to be.

  ***

  “Where do you get your Intel?” Ava leaned forward from the backseat of the black Mustang.

  “A lot of it comes from Facebook, Twitter, social media.” Jayden and Damon spoke in unison.

  She snorted, “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “No. You’d be surprised how much information people are willing to share. It’s like they think life is one big reality show. It’s really pretty pathetic.” Jayden pushed the CD button, and Emimen filled the interior of the car.

  “Are you on Facebook?” She looked at Damon.

  “Yeah.”

  “I can’t imagine you posting much.” She wished she had her phone. She was dying to see what kind of profile picture he had.

  “He doesn’t. He’s a lurker.” Jayden drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat of the music.

  “Oh, one of those.” She eased back in her seat and grinned.

  Damon twisted in his seat to scowl at her. “What do you mean, ‘one of those?’?”

  She shrugged. “There’s nothing wrong with being a lurker.”

  “You make me sound like a stalker.” He shook his head. “Just because I don’t post every insignificant detail of my life doesn’t mean I’m a lurker.”

  Jayden smiled. “I believe your quote was, ‘I don’t feel the need to post every time I take a shi–.”

  Damon slugged him in the arm.

  “Hey, man.” Jayden made a face and rubbed his arm, pretending great injury.

  “It wasn’t that hard.” Damon snorted.

  Jayden glared and slowed the car to the side of the road.

  “What are you doing?” Ava angled forward.

  “We’re here. This is where Haley’s car was found.” Jayden killed the engine and opened his door. Ava crawled out and arched her arms over her head stretching out her back as she inhaled the crisp autumn air.

  Immediately, an overwhelming sense of dread hit her in the pit of her stomach. Frowning, she looked around trying to find some visible sign of danger to confirm her fears.

  It was an isolated stretch of blacktop with barbed wire fence and trees framing both sides of the country road. Past the row of trees lay pasture land where cows grazed. It looked peaceful enough, yet something felt off.

  She looked back at the guys. Damon and Jayden stood at the hood of the car discussing something in the folder.

  The eerie sensation didn’t ease. Something was very wrong about this place. She didn’t want to be here anymore. She wanted nothing more than to run to Damon and wrap her arms around him, so she could feel protected.

  She shook her head and sucked in a deep breath. She knew if she started depending on Damon, she would be devastated the day he left. And, he would leave. Men like Damon didn’t stick around. He’d made it perfectly clear what his intentions were with her and they didn’t include a future.

  She shoved away that feeling of dread and focused on the reason she was here. Haley was out there somewhere. Ava wasn’t going to stop looking until she found her.

  She glanced down at the withered, yellowed grass and tried to find a trace of the girl who ha
d been here only a few days ago.

  She meandered down the shoulder of the highway as bits of dried grass clung to her boots while her gaze swept the ground. Occasional bits of dirty cigarette butts and wrinkled gum wrappers littered the grass like unwanted confetti. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something shiny. Dropping to her knees, she combed her fingers through the grass.

  “Did you find something?” Damon crouched down beside her.

  She picked up a tube of lipstick.

  “Someone probably chucked it out the window.” Damon shrugged and stood.

  “I don’t think so.” She frowned, turning the tube over in her hand.

  “Why is that?”

  “Because it was placed standing up and from my brief knowledge of physics, I don’t believe a tube of lipstick that’s tossed out the window will land on its end.” She cut her gaze up at him.

  “Did you find something?” Jayden came up behind them.

  “She found an old tube of lipstick.”

  “Actually, I think I found a clue.” She stood and held out the lipstick.

  Jayden took it from her. “Why do you think that?”

  “One, it’s not a cheap lipstick, it’s a very expensive brand. Two, it’s not old. This color just came out a few weeks ago. Three, not only did I find it standing on its end, but it was also dug into the ground by someone. All this makes me believe Haley knew she was in danger and wanted to leave a clue.”

  Both men gave her doubtful looks.

  She sighed. “A woman never leaves behind an expensive lipstick she’s barely used.” She took the tube out of Jayden’s hand and pulled off the top and twisted. A full length of lipstick shot up. Smiling, she reversed the twist and replaced the cap before tossing it to Damon who caught it in midair.

  She called out over her shoulder as she made her way to the car. “And then there’s the biggest clue of them all.”

  “Yeah? What’s that?” Damon called after her.

  “The name of the lipstick.”

  ***

  As Ava walked away, a surge of pride washed over Damon. Smart and beautiful, Ava would definitely make the perfect mate for… someone else. Thick, hot jealously spilled into his gut. He would never be okay with the idea of Ava with another male. Never.

  “Well?” Jayden looked at him expectantly.

  “Well, what?”

  “What’s the name of the lipstick?”

  Damon turned the tube over and groaned. “Lethal Red.”

  “That could mean she was kidnapped by the same group of rogue red wolves that kidnapped Ava.” Tossing the lipstick to Jayden, Damon headed for the car. He crammed himself into the backseat next to her.

  “What are you doing?” She narrowed her eyes at him.

  “Sitting.”

  “There’s not enough room for both of us back here.” She pushed against him, but he didn’t budge.

  “You were right. It’s a clue.”

  “Really?” Surprise spread across her face.

  “You have excellent instincts.” He cocked his head as he studied her.

  “Thanks.”

  “I was thinking we need to head back up the interstate to the last gas station we passed and see if the clerk remembers seeing anyone with Haley.”

  She reached for his arm and looked at his watch. “If it’s the same clerk, he should be getting there soon.”

  Ten minutes later, they were pulling into the country gas station. As Ava climbed out of the back seat, Damon kept his eyes on her tight ass. He remembered the feel of her in his hands and he craved to touch her all over again. God, he was pathetic. He couldn’t keep his mind on his job for three minutes without thinking about taking Ava to bed.

  That could not happen. Not again.

  Shaking his head, he slid out of the car, a little more than irritated for letting a woman cloud his thinking when it came to a case like this. He needed to be focused in order to keep her safe. Ava was his responsibility and his job, nothing more.

  Inhaling the crisp, cool, fall air, he forced his thoughts back to finding the kidnapped girl.

  Damon opened the door of the convenience store. He let his eyes briskly roam the interior of the sparse store before letting Ava walk across the threshold. He walked in behind her and let the door slam in Jayden’s pretty face.

  “Nice manners you got there, asshole,” Jayden yelled through the glass before tugging the door open.

  There was one customer at the register buying cigarettes and three teenage boys hanging out at the beer cooler trying to build up the nerve to buy a six-pack with a fake ID. The teens spotted Damon. He shot them a glare and they immediately forgot their beer and headed for the exit.

  He waited until the paying customer left before he approached the counter. The tall, lanky clerk in his early twenties had a textbook spread open beside the cash register.

  The clerk’s startled expression when he saw him made Damon want to shake his head. He knew he was big and intimidating and the ugly scar across his cheek didn’t exactly look like Mr. Sunshine. It was the same response he’d gotten from countless humans over the years. He’d never known a human or wolf to not seem uneasy around him. Well, that was until he’d met Ava. She didn’t seem scared of him, in or out of bed.

  “We’re looking for someone.” He narrowed his eyes at the young man. “A young woman who came in here last night.”

  The clerk gave him a wary look and stuck his hands under the counter. Damon growled at the sudden movement.

  “Oh, for goodness sake.” Ava shoved him to the side. “You sound like something out of a mafia movie.” She gave him a warning glare.

  “I do not.” He gave her an offended look. It was how he did his job. “I’m asking questions.”

  “You really need to work on your people skills.” She smirked.

  Jayden clamped his hand on his shoulder. “The lady is right, my friend. Your social skills are lacking.”

  Shaking off Jayden’s hand, he turned his attention back to the clerk, but the guy’s focus was pointed elsewhere. On Ava.

  She gave the clerk a smile. “Sorry about that. He’s not really a people person.”

  Damon grimaced. “I’m not that bad.”

  “Of course you are. But that’s how I like you.” Ava winked.

  She turned her attention back to the clerk. “I’m hoping you can help us. Did you happen to work last night?”

  He nodded, obviously eager to help her. “I came in after my Anatomy and Physiology test. I got here late, a little after nine.”

  Her smile widened. “A&P is hard. You must be going into the medical field.”

  The clerk relaxed and placed his elbows on the counter. “I am. I want to be a cardiologist.”

  “Wow, that’s really ambitious. I bet you’ll make a great doctor.”

  The clerk blushed and shrugged.

  Damon scowled. Was there a male Ava didn’t affect? Probably not.

  “We’re looking for a friend.” Her expression became serious. “She was on her way to visit her boyfriend and never made it. Her car was found a few miles from here.”

  The clerk straightened. “The cops showed up here at lunch. Chet, the guy who works the day shift, said they were in here asking questions about a missing girl. They showed him a picture, but he didn’t recognize her. He said they’d be back tonight to see if I recognized her.” The clerk narrowed his eyes on Damon. “Are you a cop?”

  “Do I look like I eat fucking donuts all day long?” He scowled. A cop was the last thing he wanted to look like.

  Jayden laughed. The sound echoed through the empty store.

  She shook her head. “No, we’re not cops, but she is a friend of ours. The cops aren’t putting much effort into looking for her, so we decided to look ourselves.” She shrugged. “If they knew we were here, we’d probably get in a lot of trouble. But I don’t care. She’s out there, alone and scared.”

  He could hear the fear in Ava’s voice. The fear she had for Haley w
as the same fear she’d experienced the night she was kidnapped.

  Damon cupped her cheek. “We will find her, okay?”

  She looked up at him and nodded. Even if they found the girl she might not be alive, and if she were alive, what kind of condition would she be in? He wasn’t sure how he could tell her if that happened.

  “You guys got a picture of her?” The clerk looked between him and Ava.

  “Right here.” Jayden stepped up and pushed a photo across the counter with his finger. The clerk’s eyebrows shot up.

  “I remember her.” The clerk tapped the photo with his finger and looked up at Ava. “She came in around ten. She was by herself.”

  “Did she seem okay?”

  “She seemed fine, nothing out of the ordinary.”

  “Did she talk to anybody?” Damon cocked his head.

  The clerk shook his head and stopped.

  “What is it?” She leaned across the counter.

  “Well, I remember she was in line to pay for her gas because the debit machine wasn’t working on the pump. In fact, it got kind of backed up in here because people had to come in to pay for their gas. The guy in front of her was kind of an asshole, griping about how I wouldn’t accept his check because it was an out of town check. He even asked your friend if he could borrow some cash. She said she didn’t have enough, even though she was holding a hundred-dollar bill in her hand.”

  “Do you remember the name that was on the check?” he asked.

  “No, but I do remember it was an out-of-state check.”

  “What state?”

  “Arkansas.”

  Chapter Six

  Damon snaked his arms around Ava as she paled.

  “Are you sure?” He spoke to the clerk but kept his gaze on Ava.

  “Yeah. When I didn’t accept his check, he said he had some cash out in his truck.” The young boy raised an eyebrow. “I knew that was a load of crap, so I went to the door to get his tag. He sped off without paying.”