What he couldn't do was evade motion sensor lights, but that wouldn't matter. Once he had a lock, strength and speed would make up for losing the element of surprise.
Prowling around a bank of industrial trash receptacles, he padded as close to the courts as he dared and visually swept back and forth, ears perked and eyes sharply searching for the slightest sound or displaced shadow that would indicate movement.
He didn't wait long, but it wasn't a fluid shadow that snared his attention. In the farthest corner of the court, something caught moonlight and shimmered, nothing more than a hair-thin slice of silver, but it was enough. Sticking to the fenced parameter in order to mitigate the chance of setting off the lights, he made his way toward the place he'd caught the glint. But when he reached the site, the only thing that occupied the corner was a fat, pale spider scrambling along a massive, undisturbed web suspended between the chain links.
Biting back a snarl, he left the creature to its work and wheeled around. As he did, the lights flared to life, temporarily blinding him. He hissed and threw his main, and by the time his vision cleared, he stood alone in the court.
Where Jude would have doggedly continued searching for the trail, his lion twitched its tail and demanded a return to their unattended mate. After giving the perimeter one last visual sweep, he acknowledged the beast's instincts and retraced his steps.
As he reached the shadow of the Dumpster, a strong wind beat down on his back. He crouched and raised his gaze skyward in time to catch a dark shape swoop in low, its wingspan broad enough to inspire human chaos if ever caught on camera. Two bodies hit the ground a few feet away and the direction of the airflow changed, sucking up toward the sky as the creature started its climb. Ducking just in time to avoid talons in his mane, Jude tossed a narrow-eyed look at the two men hunkered nearby.
Cavin caught his balance with three fingers on the pavement and then flowed to his feet with the springiness that comes naturally to a cat. The man who'd landed beside him didn't recover so quickly, shaking his head as he crouched on all fours.
"The next time you need me for a job, get a fucking taxi."
"Air is faster," Cavin replied. He met Jude's eyes long enough to establish a communication link, and then looked away to survey the lot. Perimeter search?
I got the field and tennis courts. Nothing. Unwilling to risk a wider search.
That's why he's here. Cavin glanced at his companion. "You picking up anything yet?"
"Besides the stink of the city?" Eyes gleaming wolf-blue, the other male, finally reacquainted with terra firma, straightened to his full, impressive height and lifted his nose to the air. "There's something, but nothing I've ever caught before."
Lowering his chin, he glanced at the tennis court, then toward the lights and noise of the busy main strip, before turning and heading back into the lot. Baring his teeth, Jude rumbled a warning.
"I'm not interested in your woman," the wolf shifter said without turning or slowing his stride.
There was truth in the male's words, but it meant nothing to Jude's lion, who prowled watchfully in the other man's wake, a boundary fixed in his mind. If the wolf crossed the invisible line, if he got too close to the building that housed his mate, the lion would shred his throat-ally or not.
He's necessary.
Cavin's cautionary communication meant nothing. The wolf was a tool that could be destroyed and replaced if it erred.
For now, the tool was proving useful. The unknown male headed to Lily's car, circled it once, and stopped at the passenger side door. There, he stood stock still, muscles tight, posture on high alert.
Unease settled over as he followed the wolf's line of sight to the oily, reddish-black substance dripping down the door to splatter on the ground. This close, the scent was unmistakable, and the lion hurled itself forward, only to slam up against the limit of the chain Jude had managed to lock in place without a moment to spare.
"What," Cavin asked evenly, belying the dangerous vibe emanating from him, "is that?"
"Come," the wolf replied succinctly.
The stench of sex rolled off the viscous fluid, leaving no doubt as to the fact someone had jerked off on Lily's car. Semen didn't begin to cover it, though, and Cavin snarled his displeasure with that response.
The wolf glanced at him and shrugged. "What do you want from me? Something emptied its balls here."
"Don't fuck with me, Bailey." Cavin's eyes flashed. "Can you track it?"
Recognizing the name, Jude's lion eased back marginally. The Kings maintained a group of contacts who provided unique services in exchange for certain privileges of territory and reciprocal favors. Cavin managed them, which meant Jude didn't have much contact, but he knew of Bailey, a wolf shifter who had conducted searches for the Kings in the past.