Page 13 of Stalked By the Alphas

12

ZACH

I sit at the side of the lake, unable to get Hazel out of my mind. She watched me pass her in the street earlier, but she wouldn’t have known it was me. I’m a little annoyed to be out here when I should be staking out her shop to see when she leaves. I want to leave the figurine where she will see it when she arrives in the morning.

My phone rings, and I answer it. “Noah. What’s up?”

“Where are you?”

“Out by the lake with a dead body in the boot, ready to dump as soon as this idiot with his canoe leaves.”

Noah snorts. “Oh, fun. Rob, is it?”

“Yes. You’ve spoken to Carter?”

“No, I just figured it would be. Did you get the masked doll?”

“Yes. I’m going to leave it for her later when I’m done here. ”

“Good. I went in last night, swapped the card, and took the photo. When she looks again, she will wonder if she imagined it all along.”

I nod slowly. “She is spiralling. She has lost weight in the last few weeks.”

“I’ve noticed that as well. It means all of this is working, and soon we will have her right where we want her.”

“Chained to a bed while we force her into a mating?” I ask bitterly. I have no idea why I sound so angry about it. I just wish things had gone differently sometimes.

Noah is silent for a moment on the other end of the line. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

I clench my jaw, staring out at the still lake. “No, never,” I lie. “She deserves everything we throw at her and more for hurting us the way she did.”

“Then stop moping and dump that body. You’ve got work to do.”

I hang up without answering and tuck my phone away, watching as the man with the canoe finally gets out and takes far too long to drive off. Once he’s out of sight, I climb out of the car. Moving around to the boot, I open it and heave Rob’s lifeless body out, wrapped up in a black tarp. I carry him to the waiting motorboat and dump him in. Jumping in, I find the key under the seat and set off into the middle of the lake. It is quiet now. It’s that time between people coming back from work and heading out for summer activities. Another hour or so, and it will be busy again. Stopping the engine, I weigh the body with rocks that were stashed in the seat as well and shove Rob’s body overboard. Watching him sink, I feel nothing.

Switching the engine back on, I make my way back to shore, where I lock up the boat, knowing it won’t be the last time I use it. That alpha who took Hazel for tea earlier will no doubt find himself joining Rob all too soon unless he backs off.

My boots crunch on the gravel as I climb back into the Range Rover and head off back to the village.

By the time I reach the high street, all the shops are closed, but the pub is doing a roaring trade. It’s a bit down from Hazel’s shop, so I shouldn’t be disturbed. I ignore my phone ringing this time, knowing it will only be Carter asking for an update. He can wait. This can’t. I’m itching to get the doll into position.

After I park the Range Rover in a secluded spot, I lean over to the glove compartment and pull out the white tape. I tear a piece off and wrap it around the figure’s face, creating a half mask that will freak Hazel out. I wait until the street is clear before slipping out. The doll feels heavy in my hand as I make my way to Hazel’s shop, keeping to the shadows.

At the door, I pull out my lockpicks and make quick work of the lock. I slip inside, closing the door silently behind me.

The shop is dim and still. I breathe in deeply, catching traces of Hazel’s sweet scent lingering in the air. For a moment, I’m transported back to happier times. Lazy summer days spent lounging on the beach, Hazel’s laughter ringing out as we teased each other. I shake my head, pushing the memories away. That Hazel is gone. This is about revenge now.

I make my way through the shop, careful not to disturb anything. I want the masked magician to be the only sign I was here. Reaching the counter, I unwrap it and place it carefully next to the register. Its mask seems even creepier in this light.

“Sweet dreams, Hazel,” I murmur, running my finger along the figure’s white cheek.

I slip out of the shop as silently as I entered, making sure to lock the door behind me. The street is quiet as I make my way back to my car, satisfied with my work.

As I drive away from the village, my phone buzzes again. This time, I answer.

“It’s done,” I say without preamble.

“Good,” Carter replies. “But we have a development. Hazel has freaked out about the card swap and knocked herself unconscious.”

“Where?” I ask with a frown.

“At home.”

“Should we go to her?”

“No, leave her to come to on her own. She only banged her head lightly on the wall. I think the meds and the panic made it worse than it looks.”

“Are you sure?” I don’t like the sound of this.

Carter’s voice is firm on the other end of the line. “I’m sure. We can’t risk revealing ourselves yet. She needs to feel completely isolated and unhinged before we make our move. ”

I grip the steering wheel tightly, conflicting emotions warring inside me. Part of me wants to rush to Hazel’s side, to make sure she’s truly okay. But I know Carter is right. We’ve come too far to jeopardise the plan now.

“Fine,” I growl. “But if she doesn’t come to within the hour, we’re going in.”

“Agreed,” Carter says. “We’ll keep watching.”

I hang up without responding and press down harder on the accelerator. As I speed back towards the rented house around the corner, the image of Hazel lying unconscious and alone haunts me. But then I remember what she has done to us, and I grit my teeth.

We’re doing this for her own good. She needs to learn that she can’t just cut us out of her life without consequences. Once she’s back with us where she belongs, everything will be better. She’ll see that in time.

When I pull up to the house, I see Noah waiting outside with a grim expression. I kill the engine and climb out, slamming the car door harder than necessary.

“What’s with the look?” I growl as I approach him.

Noah’s jaw clenches. “We may have a problem. That alpha who took Hazel for tea earlier is not who he seems. I’ve been doing some digging. His name is Ayden Donoghue, and he’s not just some random guy passing through town.”

I freeze, my hand on the doorknob. “What do you mean?”

Noah pulls out his phone, swiping through some files before holding it up for me to see. On the screen is a photo of the alpha from the tea shop, but he’s wearing a police uniform.

“He’s a detective,” Noah says, his voice low. “Transferred here from London about a week ago. I think he might be investigating the disappearances connected to Hazel.”

“Shit,” I mutter. This complicates things. “Does Carter know?”

Noah nods. “I told him as soon as I found out.”

I push past Noah into the house, my mind racing. A detective sniffing around Hazel is the last thing we need right now.

“We need to get rid of him,” I growl, pacing the living room. “He could ruin everything.”

Noah nods grimly. “Carter’s already working on it. But we have to be careful. If a detective goes missing, it’ll bring even more attention.”

I run a hand through my hair, frustration building. “So, what do we do? We can’t just let him keep getting close to Hazel under the guise of an interested alpha. This guy is a cock. He knows nothing about her.”

“Look, I hate this as much as you do, but we might not have a choice,” Noah says. “At least for now. We need to find out exactly what he knows and why he’s here before we make any moves.”

I slam my fist against the wall, leaving a dent in the plaster. “I don’t like this. We’ve come too far to let some fucker mess it all up now.”

Noah growls, responding to my aggression as Carter joins us from upstairs. “Don’t worry about this arsehole. Hazel is ours, and no one is going to take her from us.”

I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. Noah’s right. We’ve overcome every obstacle so far. This is just one more hurdle.