Dashiell stood on top of a table in the center of the same cafeteria he had been in less than two hours ago. Various faces of men and women faced him, about twenty to twenty-five people were waiting for him to speak. This was just his rotated group of people that did daily patrols. He spotted Michael in the crowd his naturally dark hair sticking out like a sore thumb.
"Thank you all for coming to the meeting. I understand that some of you had to make calls to work today and I appreciate that." He made sure to keep his voice strong and steady. Dashiell drew on his beta power, the wolf in him would not rest. There was that uneasy feeling that had been following him around since late last night. It didn't feel like it was about this meeting or even the potential attack. His wolf, he felt ready to attack. There was more to his unease.
"News travels fast in the pack, yesterday I was attacked by three werewolves. We have eight days before a moon and these wolves shifted during the day." A couple of people within the group shared a gasp. "Alpha Evander and I are doing our best to find out how."
"Were they rouges? We have handled our own against the rouges for many years. It isn't uncommon for a few of them fuckers to group together and attack." Dashiell recognized the voice as Michael and followed his gaze to the man. He was standing tall and when Dashiell looked him in the eye the man did not back down. After a few seconds of eye contact the man bent his neck in a sign of submission but he didn't break his eye contact with Dashiell.
"They were not rouge wolves." Dashiell started off softly but sternly. He relaxed his intense eye contact with a slight nod of his head. The beta respected his pack mates challenge. The man believed in the pack's strength in battle. It made Dashiell feel pride, and he made sure to send a thread of that throughout the crowd starting with Michael. "I am positive the weres were not rouges. But they were weres, I got lucky. I was not prepared yesterday. Today we start harder training. Evening times will be available, give me a day or so to plan out a specific time. Those who work nights, there will be a time provided during the day. If we need to add more times we will. We are increasing patrols; every shift will have four people, shifts rotate every four hours. Sign up for your times. Try to pick good team mates. I do not want to baby sit you over this."
"I can increase the boarder protection with a spell!" Dashiell grimaced, and several of the girls groaned. A tiny thin young woman with long copper red hair squeezed her way through the crowd. Theodora gave every one of the girls her best haughty glare and then paired it with a smile.
"I have been practicing. We could start small. I'm sure I can handle protecting the Quade Night." She placed her hands on her hips, as if challenging her beta. Theodora was the pack's fifth lead. Hell, he believed that she would challenge him if he didn't give her the chance. It took a lot in Dashiell not to roll his eyes at his adoptive cousin.
"I'm sure we could test out the theory correct?" He asked Theodora hoping she would be able to fill in the dots so he didn't have to refuse her and the crowd would go along with another one of her witch-brained ideas. He didn't mean to make it sound like a question. But it was a question. He wanted to know if she was actually going to be able to preform a high enough spell. Theodora made a face, but he couldn't decide what it was she was thinking and he didn't dare reach out through the bonds to feel her. Theodora held an unnatural hold on her pack bonds and it became- uncomfortable to try to pry too far. Her feelings were not always so easy to feel through the pack bonds. Similar to her cousin.
"I agree. Testing it out does sound better first." She said with a smile. The little wolf didn't move back from where she stood, instead she waited for Dashiell to continue with his meeting.
"Now that that is agreed to, I want to discuss
the possibilities that are to come. We are concerned with how weres were able to to shift during the day without a full moon. I was shifted against my will. Evander and I believe it's connected." A mummer went through the crowd. It would be a very useful tool to have for lone wolves, rogues or for packs in battle, the ability to shift without their Alpha or the full-moon. It could also be a very scary tool in the wrong hands. "If there was one attack, it is likely there will be another. The pack will be ready. Please be aware that going on patrols can result in risk. That risk being your life. I don't want to scare any of you. But I want you to be aware of all possibilities. Patrols is to keep our people safe. Be strong. Be brave. Always be brave. I'll see ya guys later on rounds." With that he held out a hand for them to be released. He hoped his people understood this was the time be serious about their rounds. All left but Theodora. She waited in the same spot with her hands crossed over her chest.
"Yes, Theodora?" Dashiell said, hoping down from the table he had been standing on for the meeting.
"What was the meeting really for, Dash? I understand patrol increase. But you didn't tell the pack everything." She arched a brow, waiting for his response. It didn't matter if he'd shielded his feelings in the pack line, Theodora more than likely could feel his concern. Her pack line block was only one way, no one could feel her feelings, but she could feel everything from everyone.
"Privately, Theodora. And I would like to wait for your cousin to get here tomorrow morning before I really talk more on the subject." He said with a quick look around to see how many lycan ears could be possibly listening. Even in human form their ears were very advanced. There were at least three people still in the same room as them. If Theodora was determined to get her answers, and he knew she would be, they would be better off moving to where nobody could hear them. He knew it would only be for so long. The pack found out everything. Plus, he had a couple questions of his own about her spell.
The red haired woman flipped her long hair and turned to walk out of the room. Dashiell knew he was expected to follow. This time he did roll his eyes. She-wolves. He did follow after her though. Theodora led the way to the elevators and clicked the button. Dashiell caught up to her in time for the doors to open and allow them both in. Once inside she clicked the 18th floor, taking them to the top. Where his office and his apartment was at. It didn't take them long for the elevators to ding signaling the reach to their desired floor. Theodora led the way to his office, passing by a small secretary desk with an older she-wolf.
"Are you finished making me follow you to my own office? You know Theodora you could always just have easily said 'ok Dashiell let's go to your office to talk' it would have done just as well." Dashiell said without any real heat to it. He walked across the room to the long dark grey desk and leaned against it facing the woman. His office was decorated in shades of navy blue and grey with black accents.
Theodora rolled her eyes and snorted, "Oh, plu-ease. Tell me about the rest of the plan. You're seriously going to have me believe that you are only increasing patrols. We should do signs up and allow more pack members to volunteer. We don't know the odds that are against us yet. It's incredibly stupid for any werewolf to go up against a Lycan, but for three to go up against you? It's like did they know you were the beta of our pack? And if they did, then that means it was a planned attack. Going after our beta would weaken us, distract us for a much larger attack."
Her words were fierce and she did not move her arms from her chest, but Dashiell could see her body do a very small shake. She was pissed. And Dashiell had to admit he hadn't thought of it as simple as weakening them by taking him out. But it did make sense. If he was seriously injured Evander would be weaker too, with Dashiell unable to curb some of the alpha burden.
"Evander and I believe it was a planned attack. And we do have the beginnings of a plan. Like I said I would prefer to wait until Evander gets here tomorrow to talk about anymore." Dashiell knew that that wasn't going to be enough for her.
"What's the plan? Do you have an idea of who? Evander will be here when tomorrow?"
Theodora had released her arms from her chest and began to pace in front of him. "Where is Maverick?"
"Maverick took the plane. Evander said something about silver bullets. De Godhiere has made a few enemies since Evander became the official alpha. We are going to start with those. Evander said morning, he didn't give me a time." Dashiell answered her questions with ease.
"Silver bullets? Are they more advanced than our silver lined bullets? You don't have to answer that, I just was asking out loud." Theodora was still pacing, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
"Evander was unable to reach him and I haven't been able to either. You should try to give him a call. You know he has a soft spot for you. He listens to you better than either one of us." At that Theodora stopped and pulled her phone from her back pocket. She held it to her ear listening to the ring. Dashiell could hear it when the phone was answered. The ringing stopped and he could hear a faraway voice. He was going to wring the younger wolf's neck.
"Get your ass home. Don't ask questions. And learn to answer your phone. You are useless to us all if you can't answer a phone." She briefly waited for a reply, then having received the response she was hoping for Theodora smiled into her phone. "Great to hear, see you soon."
"Maverick's on his way. He's super sorry for not answering the phone," she gave him a look that said she didn't believe that Maverick was actually sorry, "but he did receive your message and will be bringing the bullets."
"Thank you. I will call Evander and tell him that we can call off the search party and will need to plan a funeral instead." Dashiell was grinning at Theodora. She always knew how to get shit done. And she hated waiting on anyone to do it for her. She shrugged and placed a hand on her hip. Her body was relaxed and facing him. Nothing about the way she stood was submissive. Dashiell walked over to her and through an arm around her, making sure to bend just slightly for her height.
Pulling her in close, he said. "Can you tell me a little about that spell, please?"
Theodora completely relaxed against him. He could hear her heart beat, it's pace steady. He worried about his little adoptive-cousin. Sometimes she was wound up too tight. He didn't know if it was a size thing- no offense to short people- or if it was a fight to keep her rank constantly. That was possible. The De Godhere pack rarely resorted to fighting for rank positions, his ranking being an inherited honor. But there was a certain power of wills when it came to wolves, a wolf had to show strength in every thing they did or they would loose their respect and could loose their position if challenged to a battle in wills.
"Tell me about your new mate, Dashi." She said using the nickname she had for him and changing the subject at the same time. The only person who ever called him that. She'd wrapped one arm around him in a half hug. His beta influence had worked its magic. She'd let down her guard. He smiled. Plus, she was the only one who had asked about his Elizabeth. His Elizabeth? That had happened extremely fast. But he felt in his bones and teeth that she was his.
"I don't know much about her. Her name is Elizabeth Jones. She owns a bookstore named A Likely Story. That about sums up everything I know about her." He knew she had blonde hair and big blue eyes, that she smelled like the freshest running river water. Dashiell looked down at Theodora who was looking back at him with a smile on her face. "I really want to take it slow with her. Get to know her a little before we just throw her to the wolves, ya know what I mean?"
"I heard she was human."
"Very. I didn't even give her my name." Dashiell admitted. And he hadn't. Even with her asking for it twice. Theodora gaped at him for a moment.
"So you haven't even begun the soul process? She doesn't even register that your souls are two halves of the same coin? I guess it is possible she might have a sense of it but as a human she wouldn't truly understand." She pulled slightly away from him to look at him better a scowl starting to form in her brows. She was going to reprimand him.
"Before you start in on me with all of your 'it's fated', 'the souls burning as one', and 'universe this or that', try to understand. She is a non-magical being who has no idea that our kind exists. I don't want to scare her away by immediately telling her I'm a monster-"
"Lycans are not monsters and neither are werewolves, that's all Hollywood." Theodora interrupted.
"I'm a monster to the humans. She will be scared of me. I want her to learn to like me first-"
"Before you tell her that your skin irrupts into fur every full-moon?" She said interrupting again. Dashiell chuckled.
"Yes, before I tell her that. Humans believe in soul mates, but-"
"Oh but Dashiell the humans have learned about twinflames! The internet is buzzing all about it all the time anymore." Theodora was smiling so happily at him. Her hands had clasped together. Dashiell couldn't help but be pulled in by her enthusiasm.
"I have seen it, but we both know that it is so much more intense than the non-supes could understand. I want to ease my way with her, take her on a few really dazzling dates, and win her heart the old fashioned way. It shouldn't take me long." He said with a wink and a school boy grin. "Being a wolf-mate can be very intense and she's not pack. I would have to explain what marking is and then pray she will not run away from me. If she hasn't already because I confessed that werewolves, vampires, and witches have always existed right underneath her human nose this whole time."
Human mates weren't impossible they just had to be taken very seriously. If a wolf told their human mates that their kind was really real and existed among the humans, and then that human decided that they didn't want to be apart of the supernatural lifestyle and keep it a secret from the rest of the world, the human was killed. Always. There were steps that had to be taken in order to secure the supernatural world's safety. Killing a wolf's mate was as if killing the wolf itself. The pain was said to be unbearable.
Theodora nodded, "I understand, Dashiell. It is important for her to accept you. Her life might very well depend on it." She had guessed exactly where his mind went. "When are you going to go and formally introduce yourself? Showing up naked on a girls doorstep is definitely a way to make an impress but it's not exactly the impression you want to make on a woman who doesn't even know your name." She giggled putting a hand over her mouth.
"I want to go today. Early afternoon. Maybe catch her before she eats dinner and as she's closing her store. Surprise her with some flowers. I really haven't ever wanted to be so romantic with another female."
"Dashiell, you're a perfect romantic. You always get your girlfriends the best of everything."
"Can we not talk about my previous girlfriends when she arrives? I haven't had a real girlfriend in almost two years. And I didn't feel like I wanted to be romantic, I felt like I had to be romantic. I want to do anything I can to make her blush like she did yesterday." His heart rate had increased just thinking about the blush on her face.
"That's horse shit Dashiell. You're a soap opera romantic with every woman you date. It was just the universes' way of setting you up with the right skills to "woo" your dream girl." Theodora was giggling.
"Fine, you may have a point," The look she gave him told him that she knew she had a point.
"Stop selling yourself short. You're literally a charming billionaire most girls fantasize about that kinda stuff. And if she's a reader I bet you a million dollars she's read a sleazy romance story about falling in love with the wicked rich man who has a dirty secret." Theodora rolled her eyes looking way too amused with herself.
"Thank you, Theodora. I am not trying to be hard on myself but I just want to do more for her than I have ever done for anyone else. And my wolf won't stop his whining. He doesn't even know why we aren't trying to mate her right now." Dashiell was as annoyed with his wolf as his wolf was with him. He had just explained to Theodora that he didn't want to rush into things and it wasn't entirely true. Part of him wanted to go over there right now shift in front of her and mark her so she will hopefully just accept her fate at his mate. That's not what he was going to do though.
"Anytime, cousin. Listen, I'm going to get out of here and go practice that protection spell. I'll get back to you later on explaining the details of it. Cool? Love ya." She quickly stood a little taller to reach his cheek for a quick kiss, before she was back out his office doors. Dashiell frowned. He had forgotten he had had his own questions when he had followed her up here to his office. A quick check on his phone gave him the time, 2:12. He had a couple hours to kill before he wanted to go over to the store and ask her to dinner.
His phone buzzed, Maverick.
T-minus 3 hrs, Ready for battle sergeant.
Dashiell slipped his phone back into his pocket. Maverick would be here tonight and his brother would be here tomorrow. Fuck it. Dashiell strolled through his office doors, stopping at the same desk Theodora and him had passed by earlier. Mrs. Rooney lifted her old blue eyes to meet his.
"How may I be able to help you, Mr. Quade?" She asked him pausing in the activity she was doing at the desk. Probably sorting out the valid complaints from the residents- humans and supers- and the not important complaints in his emails. He leaned his elbows on the desk. Mrs. Rooney beamed at him, for an elder she-wolf she looked fairly well. Her face had few wrinkles and her cheeks still flushed when he gave her a side grin.
"How are you today, Mrs. Rooney?"
"Wonderful, Mr. Quade. Your mother called while you were away at the patrol meeting. She was..." she paused. "Well, there was a lot of screaming." Mrs. Rooney finally said. He didn't want to laugh, but he couldn't stop it from coming out of him.
"I will call her, and if I do not call her I am sure she will hunt me down. If she calls again tell her I went out for the day and I'll be back when," it was his turn to pause, "I'm not sure when I'll be back tonight but it will be tonight. Have a good afternoon, Mrs. Rooney. And how about you go ahead finish up what your in the middle of and head home to Mr. Rooney." He left before she could protest. Dashiell decided that he was feeling especially light hearted, but the unease that had been in the back of his mind suddenly hit the bottom of his stomach.
He pushed the feeling away and took the elevators down to the lobby. Once there he stopped in the gift shop to snag a dozen red roses. He hurried out into the parking garage directly next to the hotel, grabbing the keys to his Cadillac as he passed through security. The guy on clock waved at him as he looked over someone's pass and then didn't pay much more attention to him. He was practically skipping to his car, he tossed his keys into the air and caught them as he reached the Cadillac. Dashiell unlocked the door and slid behind the wheel. Time to go woo his mate.
The drive didn't take very long, and he parked his car in the ally behind the store. There were stairs that led to a balcony above the store. I wonder if there is an apartment there? Dashiell went around to the front of the store. The sign read A Likely Story above clouds, books on little stems, and butterflies in with books for wings flying around the words. Yesterday when he had ran into the store, the door had been open. He had shut it and locked it. Today the door was already shut. It was a little chillier today than it had been all week, but he hadn't worn a jacket because he hadn't really noticed the chill. His lycan blood making him a little bit warmer.
Dashiell stepped closer, the door's sign still read: closed. The back of his neck tingled and his wolf was awake; alert to the possibility of a threat. Dashiell turned the knob to the door. Of course it was locked. But she had been here. He could still smell her scent even in his human form. The beast inside of him sought out her smell, sweet summer rain. It was fainter than it would be if she was actually behind this door. It was midweek, he highly doubted she would not have her store open. She sounded very proud in her work when she had introduced herself.
New plan, he had to get inside. The roses he had been carrying momentarily had been forgotten. He now set them down on the ground and wished he had worn a jacket, because he was going to break the only window the store had; her display case. It had a hung up white background, with more clouds and more of those book-winged butterflies. The butterflies were flying around a giant teddy bear sitting in a rocking chair holding a children's book. Dashiell would apologize later. Better to do the deed and ask for forgiveness. Before he could think about much else, he punched the glass. It shattered the sound ringing around him and probably the neighboring stores, too. He had to be quick.
Dashiell winced, blood was streaming down his finger tips onto the group. He slowly pulled a short piece that lodged itself between his pointer finger and middler finger. Damn, he wouldn't be able to flip Maverick off when he got home for answering Theodora instead of Evander or him. He would heal but unless he shifted it would take some time. When the piece was removed the wound bled faster. He held his hand up and used his other to brush away the other broken pieces of glass. One more solid hit and there would be room enough for him to crawl through into the store. With a deep breath, he flexed his already injured hand and punched just slightly to the left of the already open break. The glass shattered again ringing out once more.
He cringed. And gritted his teeth, for another two pieces of glass were stuck in his fist. His held his fist and removed the first shard from his palm. It had slipped past his thumb and into the meat of the palm there. Biting his lip the sliver of glass came out, it was deeper than he had thought. And blood spurted out on the release. The second was much smaller and was embedded in his middle finger. There was blood, but not as much as the first two wounds. Dashiell brushed away more glass making the opening bigger he was careful not to cut his self further. There had been no screaming. Police hadn't been called. Yet. It was eerily quiet.
He stepped up onto the display platform, glass crunching under foot as his did. The white background was easy to remove, since it was held onto the wall with thumbtacks.Once inside, the store was dark. The lights had not been turned on, he didn't have to search the rows of books to know that she was not here. Her scent was faint like it had been outside. Dashiell did wait for a moment longer, listening. He was waiting for the sirens of police cars that had not came yet.
Dashiell was also listening for any other sounds. His skin felt tight and itchy. Suddenly, he felt the urge to shift. His wolf wanting to be released to hunt for its missing mate. Dashiell physically shook his head, no, I'm not sure if she's missing. But I want to be sure that she's not missing. He followed her scent thorough the store to a back door located behind a nice selection of comic books. His head lifted automatically when he came through the door to the same set of stairs he had passed earlier. Why hadn't he noticed her scent before? It doesn't matter now. Her scent is faint here, too.
The stairs were made of metal and they swayed just so when he walked up the steps. A few of the steps were very rusty. If this led to her apartment he would make sure to fix these stairs to know without a doubt she was safe getting to and from work. And he was pretty positive this led to an apartment that was hers because that sweet freshness that he was starting to recognize as Elizabeth led all the way up to another door. He tested the door and it was unlocked he stepped through to a small hallway, with one door on one side of the hallway and a door on the other side of the hallway. Dashiell walked to the door on the left already knowing that that door led her living space.
Again, he tested the door to find it was unlocked, too. Dashiell made a mental note to do an upgrade with the entire security of this building. Neither person's' store or apartment was safe. But before he even entered the room, he picked up on two other scents. Scents that weren't human. Immediately, his animalistic instincts were on alert. He knew his eyes were glowing bright. Dashiell stepped into the room slowly opening the door with his now almost completely healed hand. There was a small walkway and a closed door to his right. He could see a couch walking a little further in and to his left was a very small kitchen.
Her apartment wasn't too small once he got through the short hall. It was cozy. The couch was printed in a paisley style blue and light blue, there was a simple grey rug under a nice coffee table. Against the left wall there was a tv placed on the wall, above it a clock, and a bookshelf. He noticed that this was a small bookshelf compared to the two on the right side of the room on either side of the wall. There were various plants that probably needed a little watering. The curtains covered a small glass door that led to the balcony he had seen earlier.
Other than the scent, he couldn't see anything out of place. There wasn't anything over turned or broken. But he could smell her everywhere. Dashiell smelt the two separate scents of werewolves. Two werewolves had been in here with her. Dashiell walked over to the slightly open bedroom door. The light wasn't on in there, but he knew there wasn't anyone in there. As soon as he reached the door, a flash of fur sped passed his feet. Dashiell jumped, momentarily scared. He chuckled. It was just a cat. A very interesting looking cat.
An all white face with bright blue eyes stared at him from the middle of the floor. The cat's all white tail swished back and forth. It was still watching him and waiting. Dashiell bent downwards making a taking sound as he did. The cat simply lifted an all white paw up to its face rubbing it in a bored manner. It replaced its paw down next to a matching one and blinked its glittering blue eyes, the eye slits narrowing as it did. Dashiell tried taking again at the cat. Noticing the purple collar around the cats black neck had a skull shaped pendant. He wondered if Theodora would be able to do some sort of magic to see what the cat had seen here.
Dashiell went to move forward, but the cat pounced on his face, slashing at his forehead. The screeching meow coming only when the cat attacked.
Dashiell hollered as the claws made their impact. For tiny claws they were very sharp.
"I'm not going to hurt you!" He said sharply not wanting to be any louder than he already was being. Then he made to grab the cat, but it darted away. It jumped up to the couch and crouched down into an attack position. The cats ears, one white and one black, were pulled flat against its head. A low growl was coming from the animal. It was at war with Dashiell. He wiped the the still wet blood from his healed forehead. If it was war the cat wanted then war it could come to, because if war would help him get Elizabeth back then he knew his pack would go to war for her, for him.
The cat's tail continued to flick, waiting and watching. It's claws were extended into the couches seat. Dashiell didn't want to harm this cat, but he did want it to come with him. It was the only thing that might be a clue as to what happened to Elizabeth. And by the way the cat was acting he would say it remembered what had happened to it's mistress. He had a plan and whispered.
"Here, kitty, kitty."
The cat's tail stopped flicking at his voice. He took his step forward; the cat didn't take a leap at his throat with the step. So Dashiell stepped forward again, the cat reared its body back and launched its body at Dashiell. It's flaws extended fully and it's fangs bared. Dashiell was fast grabbed the cat's neck from mid air. He quickly angled his body away from the claws that came for his middle section. The cat was screeching louder and louder with each swipe of its claws. Dashiell whipped his head back and forth, looking for anything to throw the cat into until he could safely calm it down.
He spotted a hand towel in the kitchen on handle of the stove. Dashiell quickly sprinted over to the towel and wrestled the cat into submission with the towel wrapped securely around it. Satisfied, Dashiell goes back to the bedroom door and judges it further open with his foot. Like he had known it would be the room was empty. The bed wasn't made as if she'd been sleeping and was woken up to be taken away. There wasn't anything here left of her except her scent and the scent of the two wolves that had been here with her.
A new scent came to him suddenly and he turned back into the living room just as the sound of footsteps came from the short hall. An older man stood in front of him. He was bald with a white mustache and a round belly. And his eyes narrowed in on Dashiell and then the cat in Dashiell's hands.
"Who are you?" He took a one step forward with one hand reaching for his back. When the hand returned to view it held a Ruger 5-7 pointed directly at Dashiell's chest.
"My name is Dashiell Quade. I am here to ask Elizabeth on a date." Dashiell held up the one hand that wasn't securing the cat in a surrender. He figured the truth was better than telling him that he believed that Elizabeth was missing.
"The store's glass was shattered. Do you think that if I call the police the blood on the window would match yours?" The man said his eyes barley flickering over Dashiell's person looking for injury. Dashiell silently cursed himself. He knew had been too good to be true when the police had not shown up, yet.
"I admit to breaking the glass in-front of the store." Dashiell said low and calm. "How did you know about the glass?"
The man narrowed his eyes in at Dashiell.
"My daughter never answered my phone call this morning. Or this afternoon. And when I called Travis, that dumb ass kid told me he heard glass breaking, but turned up his music instead." And maybe for the first time Dashiell heard the music from downstairs.
"Elizabeth is your daughter? Listen, Mr. Jones, I came here looking to-" he paused searching for the right word, he hadn't even told her his name, "court your daughter. And when I found that the store was not open I reacted rashly. Don't worry I will have everything fixed and better."
Mr. Jones snorted, "Court? You don't look old enough to be usin' that kind of language, son. You said your name was, what? Quade. Why does that sound familiar?" The bald headed man did not move his stance or his finger from the trigger of the gun.
"I am almost 30, sir. I am owner of the Quade Night Hotel, can you please put down your gun? I want to help." Dashiell was desperate that the man would believe him.
"I remember when your daddy first built that hotel. Damn. You wanna date my baby? My Beth is special. She's all I got in this world. And she would not ignore her father's phone call." The gun finally lowered, but only half way. Mr. Jones' tone was harsh. Dashiell couldn't help but say his next thoughts out loud.
"What if she were taken? I'm a rich man. My family has made enemies." Dashiell told him honestly.
"I always thought your family was a little weird." Said Elizabeth's father. He lowered the gun all the way and relaxed his stance. Dashiell actually laughed.
"Thank you, you don't have to trust me. But I want you to believe that what I want is what's best for your daughter. If I have your permission that is?" Dashiell smiled and reached out his free hand. The other man switched the gun to his other hand to grasped Dashiell's in a firm grip.
"You're right I don't trust you. But I think you're telling me the truth. Don't make me regret not killing you today. Call me, Marlin. Do you really think some one came in here and snatched my little girl because you have money?" Marlin replied rubbing his chin.
"Do you have any reason to believe she would be taken for something else? Any hurt past lovers I should know about now before we search any further?" Dashiell relaxed a little because now he had two ways to try to find Elizabeth. There was no doubt in his mind that her disappearance and the attack yesterday was connected. It was the only explanation. But Dashiell couldn't very well explain to her father about the supernatural battle that was taking place within his walls. So he made it about his money.
"Beth didn't tell me about you. She doesn't date much. She would have told me about a new man in her life, especially a man like you." The man's mustache grinned with him and then he continued.
"There isn't anybody I know that would want to harm Elizabeth. If my baby is gone we need to call the authorities." Marlin went to take his phone from his pocket, but Dashiell hurriedly swatted his hand away.
"We shouldn't get the police involved. I have connections to things the police can't. Elizabeth will be found. You can come with me." Dashiell waited for Marlin to protest that police were needed to find his daughter. And when all that came from the man was a determined expression, Dashiell started forward towards the front door with the cat now sleeping in his hands. Marlin followed behind him, replacing the gun where it had been as he did.
"I've been meaning to ask you, but uh I was trying to decide if I should shoot or not before, why are you holding Beetie?" Marlin asked following Dashiell out the back door and down the terrible stairs.
"The cat? Oh it attacked me. I think it might know something about Elizabeth's disappearance." Dashiell walked over to his Cadillac. Marlin made an appreciative whistle. Both men got into the vehicle.
"Right, and you can talk to cats?" The man looked at Dashiell with a raised eyebrow.
"This cat wanted my blood I guarantee it knows something." Dashiell replied placing the said in the back seat gently not wanting to wake it.
"Right, of course." Out of the corner of Dashiell's eye he saw Marlin twirl his finger in a circle by his head. Dashiell could only hope he really wasn't being crazy.