Beautiful Moves(Shifting Steel Book 3)(26)

"No!" Ella screamed.

The room started to vibrate, raining dust down on their heads, as Ella's  mind reeled, overwhelmed with panic. She felt a sharp pain in her neck  then nothing at all.



Ella awoke and bolted upright. Her hand flew to her sore neck.

"You're fine," Drake stated.

Drake was sitting in a new chair, blocking the metal door. Beside him  stood the two goons she'd seen earlier. Instantly her gift surged, and  the light started flickering overhead.

"None of that," Drake grimaced at her, baring his fangs. "See what I was  saying boys. The way her power washes over you. It's invigorating,  though rather messy." Drake rolled his head from side to side, like he  was bathing in the unseen force she threw at him.

The two burly guys smiled menacingly, baring fangs like Drake's. As  frightened as Ella was, she instantly put a lid on her curse. Whoever,  whatever these men were, her gift had little effect on them. They even  derived some sort of pleasure from it.

Ella looked around. She was in the same concrete room, though the light  she shattered had been replaced, and the glass cleaned up. Ella looked  down to see she was sitting on a bare mattress. A horrific thought  entered her mind.

What did they do while I was passed out?

Ella was relieved to see her skirt and blouse didn't look like they'd  been messed with, and she wasn't sore, besides the spot on her neck.

"Do you think you can behave?"

"What the hell are you, and what do you want?" Ella demanded ignoring Drake's question.

"What the hell are you?" Drake countered.

Ella was silent, because she had no answer.

"We," Drake gestured to his companions, "are Shifters. Jackals to be precise."

Shifters? Jackals?

"You, my little treasure, are going to be my guest. I'm sure you will  prove invaluable. I think it's only fair since you were attempting to  steal from me," Drake replied casually, as if holding someone prisoner  was an everyday occurrence.

Ella closed her eyes as the weight of the situation pressed down on her.  This was exactly what she feared when she thought about being  discovered. Except this nightmare had a twist. Her captors were  aberrations, who were just as odd as she was. Ella felt her panic rising  again.

"Calm down! If you wreck this room again, you'll be left in the dark, and can sleep on the hard concrete," Drake snarled.

Ella took several deep breaths and reeled it back in.

"So, I'm to remain in this prison? As what? Your slave?" she spat out.

"You prove you can behave yourself and do as your told, and we'll see."  Drake stood and left the room, leaving his two thugs behind.

Ella dropped her head into her hands as she fought to maintain her  composure. It wasn't just that she'd been discovered and was now the  prisoner of some psychotic creature. Her failure had far broader  consequences.

I'm sorry Sabine.





9 Lost and Found




Wolf

"Ella didn't say a word about where she was going?" Wolf demanded.

"No. She just said she'd be back in a few days." Char sat nervously petting Wright, who was curled on her lap.

"Well it's been more than a few days. This isn't like her." Wolf paced  his apartment. "I'm going into her place to see if I can figure out  where she went. Maybe I can find out which hospital her sister's in. She  might know what's going on."

Wolf didn't like the foreboding feeling he was getting. Ella would've  called him by now, for sure. After the party, when he and Ella reached a  truce, they had talked or seen each other daily. Of course, there was  always the possibility Ella got cold feet about their relationship.  Maybe she was using this time to clear her mind.                       
       
           



       

No, I don't think so. Something isn't right.

Wolf shoved his keys into the lock and entered Ella's apartment. He  walked over to her desk, in the corner of the living room. There wasn't  any clutter or papers sitting out. She was as neat in her housekeeping,  as she was in her personal appearance. Wolf didn't expect anything less  from his Little-Miss-Straight-Laced. There wasn't a lock on the  two-drawer filing cabinet, so he slid open the first drawer and thumbed  through the manila folders.

Sabine's Hospital Bills. Wolf pulled open the folder and paused.

"Holy fuck."

"What?" Char asked, as she put Wright down.

"Her sister's bills are astronomical, and that's with insurance." Wolf  glanced at the most current statement. "It looks like Sabine is at The  University of Chicago Medicine."

"Um, Wolf."

"Huh?"

"I think I found something."

Char stood at the kitchen counter holding the box of dog treats in one  hand and a letter in the other. Wolf took the letter and read it, then  glanced back at Char.

"When I asked Ella if someone died, she said not yet." Char's chin quivered.

Wolf couldn't believe a hospital would send a letter like this.

"This is criminal! How the fuck do they expect anyone to come up with  this kind of cash so quickly? I've met drug lords that are more  forgiving." Wolf slammed his hand on the counter, cracking the tile.

"But why would she leave town so suddenly?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." Wolf took a picture of the  letter then looked up the hospital number and placed a call.

"Sabine Roulant's room." The phone rang several times before it was picked up.

"Hello."

"Sabine Roulant?"

"Yes. Who is this?" the woman asked.

"My name's Wolf."

"Oh, uh, hi. Ella mentioned you." Ella's sister spoke with a slight slur.

"Have you talked with Ella since Friday night?"

"No. What's going on?" Sabine's voice suddenly filled with panic.

Wolf closed his eyes. Sabine obviously didn't know Ella had left town.

"Is there someone she'd go visit? Someone who might help you out?"

"Help us out? Oh, god she owes you money. That's why she was doing that  job for your motorcycle club. Where's Ella? What have you done?" Sabine  started coughing violently.

"Fuck." This conversation turned to shit fast.

"I'm sorry but Sabine can't speak right now," a nurse said.

Wolf still heard Sabine coughing in the background.

"Alright. Let her know I'll call back." The phone clicked before he  finished the sentence. "Char I'm real fucking glad we don't get sick,"  Wolf growled.

"Her sister sounds awful, but they're going to kick her out of there anyway, aren't they?" Char frowned.

"Not if I can help it," Wolf replied. He dialed the only person he could think of.

"Hey Wolf. You getting sweet on me?" MD asked when he picked up the phone.

"Funny. MD, I need a big favor. My girl got on a plane and disappeared. I  think it's because of a letter she got in the mail about her sister,  Sabine. The fucking hospital is demanding money or they're going to kick  the sister out. I don't know shit about it, but I need you to go down  there and make sure they don't fuck with my girl's family."

"Anything man. Which hospital?"

"University of Chicago Medicine. I'll send you an image of the letter.  Thanks man. Try to calm Sabine down, and let her know we'll find Ella.  Sabine kind of lost it before I could explain much."

"I'm leaving now."

Wolf hopped on Ella's computer. His fingers flew over the keys as he  hacked into her bank account, using her internet history and saved  passwords. Wolf felt guilty, but in his line of work, following the  money trail was the quickest way to locate someone.

"Ah hell," Wolf exclaimed seeing Ella's last few transactions.

"What?" Char looked over his shoulder.

"She went to Vegas."



Ella

Insanity was counting concrete blocks in the small room, and inventing  ludicrous names for the color gray, like the paint companies do. Only  her names weren't absurdly cheery for an otherwise dull color.

Acrimonious Drab. Choleric Cloud. Immolation Ash.

Ella was past her initial crippling fear. Not that she wasn't afraid …   she was. She just couldn't hold that level of dread for so long. The  first few days, it made her physically sick. Just the thought of food  caused her to retch. It wasn't till the second full day of her food  strike, that Drake threatened to force feed her.                       
       
           



       

Besides that initial encounter, Drake hadn't physically hurt her. But  Ella was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Drake had yet to show his  hand, or make more than the quick occasional visit. Not knowing what he  planned for her was maddening. For all she knew he was starting some  sort of circus freak show. Except she wasn't the only freak here.

Now, more than anything, she felt alone, depressed and guilty. Not only had she exposed herself, she let Sabine down.