Page 26 of Hunted Temptation (Alpha Nights: Unlikely Heroes #4)

Chapter Twenty-Five

VAUGHN

The house isn’t just a house. It’s basically a mansion. I don’t spend a lot of time in the city, but the fact that a neighborhood with houses of this magnitude exists inside the city of Raleigh just shows how rapidly the city has grown around it.

Just a few years ago, it didn’t seem so congested. Now, it’s a nightmare to even drive within city limits, which is why I prefer Nights over the capital city.

When I pull up to the gated entrance of the home I’m scheduled to visit, I reach out and touch the keypad. There is a little speaker button, so I touch that and wait for someone to respond.

“May I help you?” the person on the other end of the box asks.

“I’m here from Securus to put together a bid for a security system.”

I don’t know why I’m here at all, though. I can see four cameras focused on me just from where I’m sitting inside my car. Maybe they don’t like the current service, but I find it odd that they would even call me out here if they already have a service. We’re not typically a monitoring company.

We set shit up for people to monitor on their own. The only place we monitor full-time is the Night Devils MC, and that’s just because of a deal we made with them and not because we want to. But I’m wondering who the fuck this person is and what the fuck they want.

The gate opens, and I shift the car into Drive before I move forward. The drive isn’t too long until I reach a circular driveway. Pulling up, I shift the car into Park and turn the engine off. I open the driver’s door, unfold from the car, and look ahead at the brick building.

The front door of the house opens, and a woman stands in front of me. She’s beautiful, albeit she appears frail. She’s petite with long dark hair and lifts her hand into a wave as she smiles at me from across the drive.

Moving toward the house, I close the distance between us as I extend my arm, holding out my hand to shake hers. “Hello, I’m Vaughn McCrae from Securus.”

She doesn’t speak immediately, her frail hand slipping into mine as she gives me a weak shake.

She’s smaller up close than she was from a distance.

Her features are sunken in, and it’s clear she’s not been eating enough, though I’m not sure for how long.

Could be months, could be decades. Hell if I know.

The woman’s hand falls from mine as she shifts to the side. For a moment, I think that maybe she’s a maid or something, the way she holds out her hand for me to pass through the doorway.

I move through and stop in the foyer. This is an odd encounter already, and it makes me feel uneasy.

I’m not sure what is happening here, but I don’t like any part of it.

I don’t say that, though. In an effort to remain completely professional, I give her a small smile and dip my chin in a single nod.

“My husband would like to have the home under surveillance, inside and out .” The last three words are said in a whisper.

My brows snap together, not because I have a problem with the surveillance aspect of this, but more because I think she might have a problem with it. I don’t say that, though. I’m not going to say a word until I can be sure of what the fuck is going on here.

“Every room?” I ask.

She opens her mouth, but a man’s voice echoes from somewhere else in the house before she snaps her lips closed and dips her chin, her gaze quickly moving to the floor.

Turning my head, I watch a man move down the spiral staircase.

And if I weren’t so concerned about what the fuck is going on here, I could appreciate the grandiosity of this mansion.

The man makes his way toward me, his eyes dark and sharp. He’s like every cocky man in power that I’ve ever come across, and I’ve come across a lot. I don’t know if he’s just a dick or if he’s one of those sick fucks.

I don’t make a judgment about him, at least not until I’ve had some kind of conversation with the guy. Although I am judging him a bit, based on the way his wife has completely shut the fuck down at his presence. He could be just a cocky, egotistical dickhead… hell if I know.

“I’m Lucius Tannon,” he announces.

Cocky fucker.

My lips press together in a tight smile, and I keep my gaze focused on his. If I look away or appear intimidated, a man like this will pounce. And I’m not that man, never could be.

“My name is Vaughn McCrae. I noticed that you already have the entrance under surveillance. I assume the rest of the outside is as well. Do you want me to do both inside and out? Or just inside?” I ask.

I’m assuming he didn’t give the exact details to Theron. Otherwise, he would have told me before I got here. Theron doesn’t really give half information. He’s thorough. If he’s got it, he’ll give it.

“The current system was set up by the previous owners. My wife and I just moved in here a month ago. I want all their shit gone. I want mine in its place and add the interior.”

Dipping my chin in a single nod, I turn to the formal sitting room that is on the right, then shift my attention back to meet his. “Do you have any areas of concern?” I ask.

He hums. “Every single room. I want every square inch of this house visible. Zero blind spots.”

That does not give me a good feeling. “Bathrooms?”

“Bathrooms,” he confirms.

What the fuck?

Instead of asking him that, I jerk my chin in his direction. “Shall I get started outside and then knock when I’m ready to do the inside?” I ask.

I’m trying to stay cool with this, but I don’t like it at all. Lucius gives me a smirk, then turns and walks back up the stairs. He snaps his fingers, and I watch the woman sprint to follow behind him.

The moment I step outside, I take my phone out of my pocket and text Theron.

SOMETHING ISN’T RIGHT. DO YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THIS LUCIUS TANNON?

THERON: DO I NEED TO SEND HALE OVER?

I pretend to begin working, looking around for the cameras in place. I notice several blind spots, much like the ones at Elodie’s father’s place. The house looks as if it was built in the mid-nineties, so it’s possible that’s when the surveillance was set up.

The cameras don’t look new in the slightest. Granted, they’re outside, so they appear more worn than if they were indoors anyway.

THERON: THAT’S NOT THE CLIENT’S NAME.

The incoming text causes my heart to slam against my chest. I quickly begin typing my response, but it doesn’t get sent because I hear my name being called. I shove my phone in my pocket and turn my head to look in the direction of whoever is calling my name.

It’s Lucius.

Turning toward him, I give him my attention. “Yes?”

He moves toward me, not speaking until he’s standing directly in front of me. He tilts his head to the side, his gaze searching my own, then he gives me a smile. It’s a slick oil, used car salesman type of smile. And it sends a chill down my spine.

“Where is she?” he asks.

“She?” I ask.

His smile turns into a cocky smirk. “Where is Scoggins’s daughter?”

“So you’re the one who hired a PI?”

He snorts. “I am. But he said he has nothing on you. He also said that he’s seen the girl. Pretty young thing. I think it’s time you hand her over to me.”

“Why?” I ask. “What do you think she’ll give you?”

“Everything,” he states.

He takes a step closer, his gaze searching mine for a long moment. He is watching me, waiting, and I can’t help but wonder what the fuck he wants. He’s playing mind games, but he doesn’t realize that my entire life has been nothing but games.

“Let me guess?” I begin. “You’re into sick shit like your brother.”

His lips curve up into another sinister grin. This time, he hides absolutely nothing from me. He gives me everything as he leans forward, and if I were a man who scared easily, it would probably terrify me, because he clearly has nothing but black tar that makes up his fucking soul.

My phone is buzzing inside my pocket, but I ignore it. Not like I could speak freely to whoever is on the other end of the line anyway. Lucius lifts his hand, and I hadn’t noticed it, but there’s a knife in his palm. He touches the point to the center of my throat.

“I created him, Vaughn, and that little bitch was meant for me. He was supposed to have his doctor examine her and bring her to me. She is mine. I fucking paid for her.”

His doctor.

What the actual fuck?

Before I can say anything, before I can respond, something pinches the side of my neck. I know what it is without having to even reach out and touch the spot. Not that I can, because seconds later, I’m surrounded by darkness.

ELODIE

My stomach clenches the moment we walk back into the office. We went through all the security points to get into the building and upstairs, but something is wrong. Nadine, Colette, and Lucille are chatting among one another, but I can’t concentrate on their words.

I haven’t been able to all day.

Distraction, gut feeling, whatever you want to call it, I need Vaughn to come back.

Theron steps out of his office almost the moment we move into the main room as a group. It seems like we’re all walking as one, which is probably hilarious to watch. But the moment my gaze connects with Theron’s, all humor vanishes.

The seriousness on his face, the expression he wears, is one where I know something is wrong.

I knew it.

“Where is he?” I demand.

Theron shakes his head. “Hale and Boden are on their way to him. I need you girls to go into the surveillance room and keep an eye on whatever needs to be watched.”

“No,” I snap instantly without even thinking. “I need to go to him.”

I’m not sure what I expect Theron’s reaction to be, but it isn’t for him to smile softly at me. Lucille moves behind me. I can tell it’s her. There is just something about her. I can feel her. Then she places her hand on the small of my back as Theron speaks.

“You can’t go to him,” he says. “I don’t know what we’re walking into, but I want you four here. Safe. Merrick will be outside.”

And with that, the conversation is over because he walks away.

At least I think it is, but when he stops to look over his shoulder past me to Lucille, then flicks his gaze to meet someone else, I’m not sure whose, he speaks again, and I know it’s Colette he’s speaking to.

“I’m going to get the kids and take them to my place. You good with that?” he asks.

Colette hiccups, then she clears her throat. “Can I come with you?”

Theron’s gaze shifts back to Lucille’s. The room is silent, and she must give him some kind of signal, because he dips his chin with a wink, then tells Colette to go ahead and follow behind him.

Maybe he wants to have extra hands for the kids. Maybe he just wants someone there in case whatever is happening with Vaughn gets intense and he needs to leave. That thought alone causes my stomach to cramp. I almost double over in pain, but I bite the inside of my cheek until blood fills my mouth.

They are gone just seconds later, and I’m alone with Lucille and Nadine. “Okay, let’s go to the surveillance room, lock ourselves inside,” Nadine murmurs.

We do that, but it’s the last place I want to be. I should be wherever Vaughn is. I need to know that he’s okay. As each second passes, I can’t help but grow more and more uneasy and feel like I was right all along.

Something is wrong.

Something is very wrong.