Page 7 of Healer’s Reckoning (The Healer’s #3)

Bryce

I manage to chuckle at Wyatt. I’ve managed to calm down since the accident...somewhat. It took a while for the rage to stop coursing through my veins. Even now, I can still hear Ava’s scream and see the blood on her forehead and the scratches on her arm. I take a breath and push those memories deep down and focus on the fact that she’s enjoying herself with her friends. I think of the smile she gave me on her way back from the dessert bar. It’s the first time she’s ever smiled at me, and I think my heart stopped beating for a few minutes. My mate is always gorgeous, but that smile? It knocked me for a loop. I smile to myself when I think of the little stunt I pulled to let the idiot at the grill know that Ava’s mine. I thoroughly enjoyed the look of fear on the kid’s face, but I didn’t enjoy it nearly as much as I enjoyed having my mate in my arms. Breathing in her scent like that nearly did me in, and I could tell that she was affected as well. Even now, I can’t help but feel really good about the fact that she seemed just as turned on by me as I was by her. I shift restlessly in my chair, needing to lay eyes on her again. I know she’s safe. Hunter’s keeping her in eyesight for me, knowing she’d never allow me to. I also know that all the men at my table are mentally connected to their mates and would know instantly if there was a problem. Still, I’m anxious to see my gorgeous mate.

“Did we lose you again, Bryce?” Liam, Garrett’s beta, asks with a knowing grin.

I don’t even try to deny it. “Yep.”

The guys all laugh before turning back to the conversation we were having. We’ve beaten the issue of our accident to death. We’ve all decided that it seems like a random hit and run. It still doesn’t feel good, and I’m going to take a better look tomorrow in the daylight, but that’s all I’ve got for now.

Bryce, Hunter says through our pack link. I instantly tune in. Was Ava not feeling well?

Why? I demand.

She’s been in the bathroom for a while.

I’m already moving. Garrett, immediately picking up on my mood shift, stands as well. “What is it?”

“Not sure yet.” I leave the room we’re in and make a beeline for the bathroom. I can smell my mate’s scent. She was here recently. I take notice of the Out of Order sign on the door and frown. “Ava,” I call out, knocking on the door. “Ava, are you in there?” There’s no sound. I try the door, and it’s locked. A bad feeling comes over me. “Ava, I’m coming in.” I kick the door in, and my mate’s scent hits me even harder. “Ava?” I open each of the stalls. They’re both empty. Hunter comes into the bathroom behind me. I spin around as my heart begins to race. “Where is she?” I demand.

“She came in here a few minutes ago,” he says in confusion.

“Make sure she didn’t double back to the group, and we missed her.” He disappears, and I shut everything else out and focus on just her scent. The bathroom is saturated with it, along with a million other scents from other people that have been in here recently.

The door opens, and Hunter enters looking mad. “She’s not out there. She never came back to the table.”

The door opens, and Rose pushes inside. “Where is Ava?” I can’t stand the fear in her eyes. I turn away, trying to figure out where in the world my mate is. Panic is coursing through my veins, an unfamiliar feeling for me. I open the bathroom door and step out.

“She’s gone.” It’s more statement than question from Garrett, and anger like I’ve never known races through me. I shove past Garrett and make my way outside. I circle the building, looking desperately for my mate. Maybe she needed a breath of fresh air. “Ava?” When I circle to the back of the building, I catch her scent. I race forward. Her scent is strong near one section of the wall, and I see the window from the bathroom. The pit at the bottom of my stomach hollows out.

“She came from the window,” Hunter says from behind me.

I focus on her scent and block everything else out. I follow her scent, and then suddenly it disappears. My eyes open, and my wolf snarls at me. How can it just disappear? Hunter squats next to me. “Bryce, there are two sets of footprints. One is heels, and the other...” He looks up at me, his face grim. “A man’s foot.”

I feel like somebody has taken a sledgehammer to me. I stare at the prints. There’s a crowd gathering around us, and everybody’s asking questions. I have no answers to give them. I’m confused. More than that, I feel like my heart’s been ripped out of my chest. Did she run away with another man? I can’t even process the thought. “Bryce,” somebody says, snapping me out of it. I turn back and realize the entire group is outside.

“Check the cameras,” Garrett orders. I give him a grateful nod as Liam and Mav disappear. It doesn’t take them long to return.

“They were turned off,” Liam says, sounding annoyed.

“Did their people turn them off?” Hunter asks.

“No,” Liam answers. “They’re shocked and working on turning them on now.”

Hope returns like a blast to my chest. Because if the cameras were off, then Ava didn’t just run away. I doubt she would have gone through the hassle of hacking into the restaurant's security cameras so she could run away with a lover. It hits me then. If she didn’t run away, she was taken. Fear slams into me, and it’s an odd feeling. I can’t remember the last time I was afraid. But it’s not me that I’m afraid for. I shove my fear into a deep, dark place and take control. I reach out to my pack members back home.

Leo, Ava’s been taken. I need you to hack the security system of the restaurant we’re at and find out what happened.

Like the loyal pack member he is, he doesn’t even question me. On it. Where are you? When did she disappear?

I give as many details as I can. He goes quiet, and I know he’ll do everything in his power to figure out what happened. I reach out to Cody next. Cody, my mate is missing. Leo is hacking the security system of the restaurant we’re at. I need you to assemble the team.

I can feel his shock, but he quickly recovers. Sending out the message now. I’m sorry, Alpha. We’ll find her. We should be in the air within the hour; I’ll keep you updated.

Thank you, Cody.

Cody’s the head of our security team. His attention to detail is unsurpassed. I’ve sent our security team all over the world to handle cases—missing people, stolen goods...any case that’s brought to us. But never have we had a case as important as this one. My team is the best; I believe in them. And now, I need them like I’ve never needed them before.

Cody and the team are enroute within the hour , I inform Hunter. Cody’s the team leader and the closest thing we have to a doctor if we need it. Leo is our IT guy. He can hack into any system in the world. Hunter’s the tracker; he can find anyone and can slip in and out of any place totally undetected. I'm not even sure how he does it; he’s a ghost when he wants to be. Alicia is our conman, or woman. She can talk her way into or out of anything; she’s also a wicked lock pick. She can get into any locked door, pick any lock box, and crack any safe. I round out the group of five but travel only when I’m needed. With my alpha power, I can control any shifter or human we come across, whether they’re in my pack or not, unless it’s another alpha. Not every alpha can do that, but it’s an ability I’ve honed over the years. And it’s certainly been helpful for what we do. I don’t always go with the team, but when I do, I leave my beta in charge of the pack. I reach out now to him.

Ryan, I’m calling out the team. Ava’s disappeared. I can feel his shock through our link. I fill him in quicky on what I know, which isn’t much.

I’ll hold down things here. Be safe and bring her back.

I will. Thank you for keeping things going.

Of course. Go find your mate. Don't worry about the pack; we’re fine.

I’ve been checking in with him daily, but it’s still good to hear that the pack is doing well. “Bryce,” Garrett calls out, and I turn around. “What can we do?”

I take in the females huddled together. “Get your mates home safely. My team is heading out and will be here within a few hours, and we’ll get to work.”

Garrett frowns. “Are you sure?”

“Yes. Get your females back to the safety of the packhouse.”

That’s all it takes for Garrett to move. “Let’s go.”

“What can I do?” Maverick asks, coming to stand next to me.

I shake my head. “Nothing yet. Not until my team gets here.” That’s not exactly true. I plan to get to work immediately, but I don’t need all the extra people getting in the way. Since he’s still standing there, I ask him the one thing that doesn’t make sense to me. “I don’t understand. Why is there no scent? I can follow the faintest thread of my mate’s scent anywhere. Why is it gone?”

“That’s what they do now,” Wyatt says, coming over to stand next to us. “They have some kind of scent blocker.”

My anger rises swiftly. “How?” I demand.

“I think they inject something,” Wyatt says. His words are dark as they dart to his mate.

“Go, get your mate to safety,” I tell him quietly. “There’s nothing more you can do tonight.”

Soon, everybody but Garrett and his mate have headed towards their cars. “Ava’s one of ours too,” Garrett says calmly. I resist the urge to growl at his words because she’s not his pack member; she’s mine. But I know what he’s trying to say. I know they’ve kept her safe when I couldn’t. “We will do anything in our power to help find her.”

“Thank you.”

“Keep me updated.” With that, he and his mate leave.

“Your laptop’s in my truck,” Hunter says as soon as everybody is gone. We walk that way. As soon as I’m inside his truck, I turn on my laptop. Leo may be our expert IT guy, but I’m not about to wait until he gets here to figure out where in the world my mate could be. Somebody took her from me, and I’m going to find out who. Leo may be a genius; but I'm no slouch. I settle against the seat. It’s going to be a long night, but I’m not moving from this location. Somebody took my mate from me tonight. I don’t know who, and I don’t know why. But I will find them. There’s not even a doubt in my mind. My team can find anybody anywhere. We’ve never failed at our task, and we won’t now. My mate is out there somewhere, and it’s my job to find her. I won’t rest until I do. And I will destroy anyone or anything in my path until I find her. That’s a promise.