Rescuing Their Virgin Mate(23)

He almost regretted going into the bathroom this morning. He knew she was in there. He’d heard the shower running. What the fuck had he expected to find—Elena standing at the sink fully clothed? She must think he only wanted her for sex. Walking out of the bathroom wasn’t cool either, but he hadn’t trusted himself.

Dirk left and then relayed Elena’s description of the warehouse location to headquarters. The general asked if he needed help.

“I’m only there to find the right spot, not to capture a bunch of Colters.”

“See that you don’t stir up a mess.”

As he drove down Seaside Drive, he slowed to check out the area. The seaport was expansive and dotted with a ton of metal buildings. If there were two windows on one end of Elena’s warehouse, it was possible she was housed in a building attached to another. Shit. This wasn’t going to be easy.

Dirk drove up and down Seaside Drive until he spotted a building with red lettering. Across the road, set far back, was a lone warehouse that fit the description. He parked and got out with his camera phone in hand. Tourists wouldn’t come here, so he needed to be as discreet as possible. He videoed both the building across the street and the potential warehouse where Elena might have been held.

Unsure if she’d recognize the building from the side, he strode toward the warehouse for a better angle. While there were no fences or no trespassing signs, he didn’t want to attract attention by walking right up to it. Instead, he headed to an area a few buildings down. If he came in from the rear and took the picture from there, his chances of being spotted were slimmer.

As he inched closer, his senses shot to high alert. A werewolf was near. Many wolves, both good and bad, worked the docks, so he couldn’t conclude this one was a Colter. He slipped his camera phone in his pocket and acted as if he belonged there. Several vans were parked in front, and cranes sat two buildings over. A large tug was in dry dock.

He got within three feet of the side door and sensed a werewolf inside. He moved closer and tested the door. It was locked. Fuck.

Time to retreat. He stepped behind one of the vans and kept an eye on the exit believing the person would investigate his handle jiggling. While he waited, he emailed the video of the area to Clay. He’d show it to Elena. He also texted the werewolf’s presence.

Time seemed to slow the moment the door to the warehouse squeaked open. The werewolf would know another member of the clan was nearby, but hopefully he wouldn’t assume it was a member of the Pack. Best case scenario, he’d conclude Dirk belonged to Hood’s team.

As soon as the large man stuck out his head, Dirk snapped a picture and sent it to Clay. This guy could be her Russian guard. The question was if he worked alone. Colters often recruited humans to do their dirty jobs.

Drawing on his acting skills, he stepped from behind the van, looked up at the building, and shielded his eyes, hoping the mark would think he was there to check out the building.

“Hey,” shouted the man. It was hard to tell much with one word, but it might have been laced with a Russian accent.

Dirk returned his gaze to the man. “Hood sent me.”

The man grunted and mumbled something foreign. The guard pulled out his phone. Shit. So much for deception.

#

Clay had graciously offered to take Elena shoe shopping. Not only didn’t she want to walk around in four-inch heels every day, she appreciated the diversion of going to the mall. The place was packed and being in a crowd made her feel safe. The only negative was that Dirk was out there looking for Hood’s men and in possible danger while she enjoyed herself with Clay.

Clay looked around and moved her away from the rush. He held up his phone and pressed a button. “Dirk just sent this over. I’d like you to watch.”

For the next twenty seconds, the nightmare returned. Chills raced up her spine and her pulse raced. At first, she wasn’t sure if he had the right warehouse until he moved across from the building with the red letters. She swallowed the lump in her throat and slapped a hand to her chest to calm her beating heart. As much as she tried to push aside those horrible two weeks, she couldn’t.

“Yes. That’s it.”

Clay texted her message back to Dirk.

Because they were within hearing distance of a ton of people, it probably wasn’t safe to say too much. “You said he sensed a you-know-what. Do you think that could be the guard or Hood himself?”

“I’m sure Dirk will find out.”

“What if it is? Shouldn’t he get someone to help him?”

“He can handle himself. Dirk won’t go on the offensive if the odds are stacked against him.”