Shadows of the Moon Ch. 05

"And you never picked up anything? You know... Conversations he had with coworkers or hints he might have revealed?"

"They did a lot of testing on animals. I know that much. Once when you were five and Lily was two he left a folder with horrible pictures in it laying openly on the kitchen table. You were eating breakfast just next to it and when I confronted him about it he got angry at me for looking at it!"

"What kind of testing was it?"

"I don't know Nattie! The pictures were horrible! Dead animals, caged animals, some with horrible wounds."

"That's horrible!" Natalie couldn't believe what she was hearing. She had always had a bad relationship with her father but never would she have accused him of torturing animals. "What kind of animals?"

"Dogs mostly. A few monkeys."

"I can't believe this mom. I've always known dad was an asshole but this is insane! What kind of person would do that?"

"Sweetheart, it's not like that. I don't think he expected it at first either. He sort of grew into it. Sometimes he had nightmares and the work he did haunted him. It was one of the reasons we split up. I would beg him, argue with him, do anything I could to make him walk away. But he never did. He buried himself in his work to the point where he was spending more time with his coworkers than with us. I couldn't take it."

She sat in silence trying to piece her past together into something that made sense. "Who did he work with?"

Her mother's outlook turned dark and she scowled. "Dr. Jessica Tiller. I suspected that they were having an affair but I could never prove it."

The silence settled in between them again, both women lost in thought.

"Nattie. Why are the FBI looking for you? What happened to Lily?"

"They weren't feds mom. They were fake agents. I think they are looking for dad. He disappeared a few days ago and these really bad people are trying to find him. Apparently they think I know something about this shit, but I swear to you I don't. Neither did Lily."

There was a loud banging on the front door and a familiar male voice called to them. "Ms. Bryant. This is agent Brian Cox open the door!"

Natalie flew up from the chair so quick it tipped backwards and fell to the floor with a loud bang. Her hand went to the gun in her pocket and nervously she gripped it through the cloth. "Come on mom! We need to run." She hissed and grabbed her mother's hand pulling her off the chair and through the house to the back door.

Another set of loud bangs from the front door and someone tried the handle trying to get it open. "Ms. Bryant! Don't do anything stupid. Open the door."

Reaching the back door Natalie pushed it opened and without caution threw herself out of it. It never crossed her mind that they would be waiting. One arm wrapped around her torso pinning her arms to her sides and a hand slapped over her mouth before she had time to call out.

She sensed another presence to her left. As her assailant turned them about and stared to pull her backwards into the house she pushed back and kicked the other man as hard as she could aiming for his head. There was a satisfying crunch as her heel connected with the man's nose and he roared in pain stumbling backward.

The man holding her chuckled. "Yeah watch out for this one Trey. She's a fighter alright. No valiant strangers with guns coming to save you now bitch." The last part he whispered into her ear as they passed the threshold into the house. It was Neil. She had hoped she'd killed him with the stone but here he was, still standing.

The gun.

She could feel it against her wrist. The way he was holding her she had no way of reaching it but it was a comforting thought to know it was close. If she could just get her arm free she would be in control. Doing her best to tuck in her elbow to stop the weight in the pocket from banging against her side she calmed herself and let the man drag her back towards the kitchen without struggle.

Her mother hovered next to them her eyes wide in shock. She begged the man holding Natalie to let go but the man with a broken nose roared at her to shut up as he pulled the door shut with a bang. Both Natalie and Lucy were forcefully pushed into a chair and Neil nodded towards the front door. Walking with his head tilted backwards and his hand holding his nose shut to keep the blood from flowing he moved to the door and unlocked it for Brian to enter.

The three men stood side by side in front of the two seated women. Brian had a tired, annoyed look on his face, Neil looked at her with malice but also a fair amount of respect, the third unknown guy looked younger and more hot headed. He stared at her with unbridled fury and despite the blood running down his face he seemed more set on revenge than seeing to his injury.

"Wow. You are one slippery bitch you know that? I can't remember ever working this hard before." Brian took a seat on the third and last chair by the table. "Believe it or not but I don't like to do this. If you would just cooperate, things would go so much smoother; both for you and for us. All we really want is Anthony Bryant."

"And I have the same answer for you; I don't know where the bastard is! I haven't spoken to him in years."

"Well... We believe he will be coming for you. If you can help us lure him out then we will let you go."

"Who the fuck are you!? Who the fuck do you work for?"

"If I tell you that I can't let you go now can I? You're better off not knowing."

She glared at him with hatred but knew better than to argue. He wouldn't tell her. After a moment he cleared his throat and looked from Natalie to her mother.

"This is what's going to happen. You-" He pointed at Natalie. "-are coming with me. And you-" His finger shifted to Lucy. "-will stay here. If he contacts you then you will tell him that we have his daughter and that the only way he will get her back is if he comes out of hiding. If you, for whatever reason, involve the police I will have Trey here kill this one too."

Lucy nodded looking at her daughter with tears in her eyes.

Grabbing Natalie by the elbow he pulled her up and yanked her towards the front door. "Remember this woman..." He whispered in her ear. "If you do anything stupid then know that we will set this house aflame and her with it."

It was easier not to struggle. She let herself be led out to a van; she noted a missing side window and figured it was the same car as last time. Trey jumped in before them and pulled her in. There was a rubber carpet covering the floor but that was all they had to sit on. Natalie was pushed down on the floor and Trey took a seat next to her. Too close for comfort. Brian took the wheel and Neil took the passenger seat.

Before the car even started Trey scooted even closer and it sent shivers down her spine. There was something disturbingly wrong with him. The energy he projected was like black tar trying to infect the people around him.

"Hi." He said cheerily, blood still decorating the lower part of his face. "Don't be afraid. We'll take good care of you."

He actually sounded friendly and his body language was open and innocent but when she looked into his eyes there was an insanity barely contained behind the glassy orbs. "Get away from me." She hissed and tried her best to move away.

To counter her moving he slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer. "I'm sorry." He whispered almost lovingly while pressing his lips to her hair.

"What the fuck for?"

"For your sister. It was an honest mistake, I promise. Do you think you can ever forgive me?"

The car started and they were both jolted to the side by the motion. Natalie was disgusted. She wished she could run as far away from this horrible being as she could. Wherever he touched her she felt tainted. "I will never forgive you and someday I will kill you."

"Shh... Don't worry. You will like me just like your sister did."

Natalie slipped her hand into her pocket and her fingers wrapped around the handle. His hand slid down her shoulder to rest on her back, the tip of his fingers brushing the side of her left breast.

"Hey, Trey. You doing okay back there?" There was suspicion in Brian's voice and he shared a look with Neil.

"Yes, boss!" He answered with enthusiasm. "We're just peachy."

They shared another look in the front and Neil twisted around to look at him. "Hey shit for brains, come here." He motioned for Trey to join them and with an irritated sigh his hand left her, caressing her back for as long as he could before they parted.

Neil grabbed the back of the man's head and pushed him closer so he could speak quietly in his ear. Trey's head bobbed up and down in agreement to everything his superior told him, pretending to cooperate.

The golden opportunity was upon her. Easing the gun out of her pocket she leaned back until she was half lying on her back with her arms straight, aiming for Trey's back. It crossed her mind to aim for his head but figured she had a better chance of hitting the largest part of him rather than his head.

"Oh fuck!" Neil exclaimed a fraction of a second before she pulled the trigger. He had spotted her and in panic he pushed his partner backwards straight into the bullets. Three loud bangs echoed deafeningly in the metal husk of the car and all three bullets hit Trey straight in the back, close to his spine. The car swiveled back and forth across the road as a very shocked Brian tried to get his bearings. They hit the sidewalk hard and Trey's body was flung upon her pinning her down. The next minute she and Trey's remains were both flung forward to forcefully slam into the back of the driver's seat.

**

As they drew closer to their goal Liam grew more and more agitated. There was a nagging feeling within him that they would be too late. Before the car stopped outside a small one story house he was out the door slamming it shut behind him.

On the front steps sat a middle aged woman crying. Her eyes widened in fear as he came running and she held up a hand to ward him off before he reached her.

"Go away!" She screamed at him and climbed to her feet.

Liam slowed his step holding his hands out to show he meant her no harm. "Lucy? Lucy Bryant?"

Halting at the door she looked back at him with suspicion. "What do you want?"

"Natalie. Where is she?" He knew the answer but hope was hard to kill.

New tears burst forth and she turned away from him. "They took her."

Ice washed over him, chilling him to the bone. Turning in a half circle he sniffed the air desperately. There had to be some trace of her. Something he could follow. He refused to come so close and then loose her.

Three loud bangs rolled through the silent night and Liam was shifting before he knew it. Shrugging off his clothes in wolf form he raced towards the source of the sound. The terrified scream of the woman behind him didn't even register. Only a few seconds later there was another loud bang sounding very much like a car crash. His claws tore into the asphalt to propel him forward faster.

**

The wind had been knocked out of her and something heavy weighed her down. Gasping for air she clawed herself out from under the body of Trey. The gun had been knocked from her hand; she had probably hit her wrist on something because it hurt badly.

She managed to suck some air into her lungs and slowly her surroundings came back into focus. Neil was shouting something at Brian in the front seat but neither of them seemed interested in her at the moment. Getting up on her knees she reached for the back door handle. She half climbed, half fell out of the door and heard Brian curse loudly. Her only thought was to run away. Stumbling down the street she tried to coordinate her legs to move in the same direction.

"Don't move! I'm not letting you get away again." Brian said behind her and she twirled to face him. He was leaning heavily against the car door aiming a gun at her.

"What the hell do you want?" She screamed at him in anger.

Waving her back with the gun he ordered her to come closer. "Come here! We'll have to move on foot now."

A deep blood chilling growl coming from the darkness behind her had the air vibrating. Natalie turned towards the new threat. The blinking lights of the van reflected in a pair of predatory animal eyes. The eyes were fixed on the man with the gun and she could have sworn she saw hatred in them. Brian switched target and aimed for the eyes instead.

The creature stepped closer and Natalie could see huge front paws and a muzzle belonging to the biggest wolf she had ever seen. In terror she backpedaled away from it, unwittingly moving closer to her would be captor. The wolf moved after her, matching every step she took and the growl grew even more threatening. Natalie's back hit the corner of the van and she closed her eyes, shaking from fear.

With her eyes tightly shut she heard the beast moving closer. There could only be one or two steps between them now. What a bizarre way to die. She had been kidnapped, been in a car accident, almost raped by a glorified pimp but this was how she would go: eaten by a wolf.

Something soft tickled her hand. Fur. Keeping perfectly still, her arm hanging limp down her side she felt the wolf move forward under her hand. Her fingers brushed past its muzzle, she could feel it vibrating from the growling. But the wolf didn't stop; she could feel his head passing, then soft thick fur on his neck. There was something comforting with burying your fingers in its softness.

"One more step and I'll shoot!" Brian yelled, his voice shrill with fear.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came a deep voice from the darkness.

Natalie opened her eyes in surprise and found a man standing in the darkness not far away. The wolf was poised beside her in a protective stance, her hand resting on the scruff of his neck.

"That bullet won't kill him. You will only make him angrier. Not that I think that is possible considering that you tried to kidnap his mate... Twice."

"Holy fuck!" Brian cursed, his eyes shifting nervously between the wolf and the man trying to decide what to do.

There was some rustling and the sounds of the other car door being pushed opened. A terrified Neil stumbled out and hurriedly ran into the night to be swallowed by the darkness. Just a moment later a shrill scream of pain came back to them and what sounded like several more wolves snarling and growling in the night.

Brian was visibly shaking now, the barrel of the gun wavering back and forth. "We were just following orders. If it hadn't been us they would've just sent someone else. Please."

"The only thing keeping my friend here from ripping you to pieces is that I suggested you might be of some value to us. Can you? Be of value?"

"Yes." He opened his hand letting the gun dangle from a finger before it fell to the ground. "I can tell you things."

"Good. I like people who value their life." The man stepped closer, entering the light. He was naked and gave Natalie a friendly smile. "You okay there Natalie?"

Mutely she nodded. She didn't recognize the man but he seemed friendly. Still the surreal situation made it hard to grasp and it was difficult to formulate a coherent answer.

The headlights of an approaching car suddenly flooded the strange scene with light. The black SUV stopped not far away. Relief flooded her when some normality entered her world again as two familiar faces stepped out of it. First was Dael from the driver's side and climbing out of the passenger side was her mother.

"Nattie!" She cried as she spotted her daughter.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she stumbled towards her mother. They hugged each other and Dael handed some clothes to the naked man.

"We need to get a move on. Officials will be here soon enough." Dael said to the group holding a pair of pants out questioningly towards the wolf. "I sent the other two back to the other car."

While the now clothed older man grabbed Brian around the back of his neck and dragged him closer to the group the wolf looked back and forth between the pants and Natalie as if he was trying to decide on something.

"Come on Liam. She'll find out sooner or later and we can't have you in wolf form in the car."

There was a moment's hesitation then Natalie's breath hitched as her world turned upside down watching the scene unfolding before her. The huge gray wolf morphed into the man she had slept with a few hours ago. The beautiful naked man with scars running all over his chest and the mesmerizing green eyes lit up by the headlights.

Her eyes wandered between all the people gathered looking for some sign that this wasn't normal. That they had shared the insane vision but no one seemed bothered by what had just happened. Dael exchanged a few words with the older man holding Brian and Liam struggled into his pants casting anxious looks her way to see how she was reacting. Her mother was gripping her arms tightly looking at him in fear.

"Liam." She whispered unable to believe any of it.

He took a step closer to her and involuntarily she took a step back.

**

He couldn't take her rejection. The wolf within him who had sent him careering into danger without a second thought refused to lose her again. Stepping forward purposefully, she backed away half a step for each one of his, until he was standing in front of her. She was still shivering and her eyes were wide with fear. He knew he must make a very imposing figure but he had had enough. They belonged together and he needed her to understand that.

Never breaking eye contact he stopped only inches away from her. "Don't you ever leave me again." He growled and slipped his hand around her neck pulling her in for a kiss.

She managed a surprised yelp before their lips connected and a shock of electricity raced through her. "Liam." She whispered breathlessly. It felt so damn right. It felt so safe. He wouldn't let her get hurt. She would stay with him forever and everything was going to be fine. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him closer into what should have been a perfect moment.

The first punch hit the side of his head followed quickly by a series of punches against his shoulder and arm. "You let her go!" A furious and equally terrified Lucy wailed in desperation. Bewildered he held up his arms to shield himself, unsure of what to make of the situation. He couldn't very well hurt the mother to the woman he loved and he wasn't sure how to reason with her.

Blows continued to rain over him until Natalie managed to pull her back. "It's okay! He's one of the good guys!"

"You can argue in the car. We need to get going." Dael laughed before he ducked inside, adding privately to Liam; Rookie mistake boy. Everyone knows you charm the mother first. Now she will be on the defense. Good luck getting back from that.

After some resistance from Lucy they finally climbed into the car. Liam first wanted the backseat with Natalie but Lucy wouldn't hear of it. It was either the three of them in the back or him in the front. With dismay he pushed down his need to be with his mate and gave the spot to her mother. Ralph and Brian got into the other car together with Aeryn and Mace.

"Where are you taking us?" Lucy asked as calmness once again settled over the passengers in the car.

"Where do you want to go?" Dael asked in his usual chirpy way.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Uh... Well I would like to go back home."

"Can do, but they will find you and I can bet my left hand that they won't be as pleasant the second time around. I have a suggestion if you want to hear it."

"Ah... Sure. I guess." His friendliness had her clearly confused.

"How about we find a nice place to spend the night, at our expense of course, and then eat some good food, relax and talk some things through. I'm sure you have plenty of questions."