Chapter 97
Xavier's
POV
"Are all these people incompetent?" I roared out, furious, standing in the small restaurant security room.
Everyone in the office lowered their heads and was trembling out of fear; no one even dared to speak.
I watched as one of the tech people nervously flipped through the camera footage, searching for any signs of when and where Kate was taken.
So far, there have been no leads, and it is now working on my last nerves.
"Jackson," I said, getting impatient, "take a group of men and follow Kate's scent; if you can't find her, don't dare to return!"
Jackson, the head of security, nodded and rushed out of the office.
How the hell did this happen?
I should never have let Kate go without anyone to guard her.
I was angry at myself.
I was angry at whoever took her!
I was furious in the deepest pool of my soul, and Ray was fueling the anger inside of me. I resented myself for being so bloody stupid!
Both my hands were balled into fists, and I slammed my hand on the office desk out of frustration.
The warriors jumped out of fright; they had never seen me this angry.
"I found Luna's phone on the floor," Kelly said as she entered the office, and my head snapped toward her. "Seems like someone took her by surprise, and she dropped her phone, too."
Who would be so bold as to kidnap Kate here, where there are so many people? Was it John? His mate? Or was his brat of a daughter involved?
"They are at the party," Ray commented.
Those three were under a watchful eye the whole night. None of us could do anything without anyone else knowing about it.
"Also?" I growled darkly at Kelly.
Kelly hesitated, but she handed me a bag with a syringe in it.
"I suspect it is wolfbane," she said, worried and lowering her head. I knew what it meant, and I could just imagine the excruciating pain Kate must have been in when someone injected her.
A cold chill ran down my spine, imagining the burning sensation that would flame through her veins, and I closed my eyes, picturing feeling the poison force me to my knees. If they gave her too much of the stuff, it would knock her out in seconds. Ray whimpered in my mind, feeling afraid for our mate's sake.
Kate's phone suddenly rang in my hand, and, startled, I dropped it on the table.
"Answer it," Ray growled, pacing up and down my mind, "it could be the kidnappers."
I picked up the phone, looked at the unknown number, and pressed the answer button.
"Black, speaking!"
"Alpha Black," the husky voice said, sounding amused. "I hope I am not interrupting anything."
A cold, sinister feeling moved down my spine, and I shivered at the sound of his voice.
"Who is this?" I growled.
"I guess you have noticed that your precious fiance has gone missing, Alpha Black?" He said, ignoring my original question. "I am disappointed at how easily I could get through your security system, enter the hotel without anyone seeing me, and remove your mate from the premises." I gestured to Greyson to trace the call, and he nodded.
"I have to say, I was surprised at Ms. King's strength; she put up a decent fight before I could inject her with wolfbane; it took five of my men to pin her down. She is such a feisty little bitch."
"Who are you?" I growled furiously, shaking the windows in the office.
"A friend..." he answered and chuckled.
Did he find the situation amusing?
"Friends do not kidnap friends' fiances," I yelled over the phone.
"Temper, temper, old friend!" The man said this and slapped his tongue.
I could sense he was enjoying every second of tormenting me.
"Is Kate unharmed?" I sighed, feeling my insides burn out of hatred.
"Ms. King is fine, at least for the moment. It all depends on you." "What do you want?"
"A small favor," he answered.
"Why go through all of those just for a favor?" I hissed impatiently.
"To ensure that what I need gets done properly," he answered. "Your fiancée has been a very naughty little girl and has mingled in affairs that don't concern her. She has cut off my resources, and she will be punished for it if you don't comply with my request." My thoughts raced; there were so many people Kate had pissed off over the last few weeks that I couldn't pinpoint who I was speaking to.
How do I play this?
How do I know she will be fine?
"What kind of favor do you need?" I asked impatiently.
"I need you to transport something," he answered. "I will send you the location in a minute."
"How do I know Kate is still alive and you didn't kill her?" I asked, feeling a sense of worry fill my mind.
"Alpha Black," he said, chuckling over the phone, "you would have known already if she was dead. Your claim on her nape is quite impressive; I have never seen such a remarkable print."
I scrunched my eyebrows together- all I could remember were two small holes in Kate's nape, which indicated she was mine.
The man on the other side of the call suddenly went quiet, and for a second I wondered if the signal had been interrupted.
"Now," he said, taking a deep breath, "make sure you send me at least two trucks to the destination I just sent you. Make sure they are not late."
A beep sound followed in my ear and I opened the message, reading the address.
"And then, will you release her?"
"Only when the packages have safely crossed the border," he said, "and Alpha Black, I suggest you don't try and trace the call or send the police... You surely love your mate, and should my package not arrive on time, I can't promise you that your mate will survive-I know about quite a few wolves who would like to have a piece of her."
With that said, the unknown man cut the call.
I stared at the phone in my hand for a second, before my gaze snapped toward Greyson.
"Tell me you found something," I asked.
"Yeah," he said with wide eyes, "but it is a bit... complicated..."