Free The Finding by Nicky Charles Page B

examine the photo displayed on
the computer screen. It was grainy, but... “Hey, I think that’s
her! Zoom in a bit... Uh-huh... Uh-huh...” A slow smile spread over
his face. “Yeah. I only saw her for a moment, but it looks like the
same girl.” Straightening, he shook his head in obvious amazement.
“If it is her, we’re damned lucky. After all this time, and only
having a description to post rather than an actual picture, it’s
amazing anyone made the connection.” He paused and rubbed his neck.
“This was taken in Las Vegas you said?”
    “Yep; in a
grocery store of all places.”
    “Hmm... That
could work to our advantage.” Crossing the room, Ryne rifled
through some papers on a shelf, then pulled out a map and spread it
out on his desk. Bryan followed, leaning his hip casually against
the corner of the desk as he stared at a map of North America. It
showed all the packs and their respective territories.
    Tapping the map
with his finger, Ryne indicated the area in question. “There are
other packs in the area, but as you can see, Las Vegas is
considered neutral territory. Being a major tourist destination, it
would be too difficult to constantly have wolves reporting in and
signing out. If Cassandra is there, it will be a lot easier for you
to bring her home; no Alphas making you wait while they contact me
for confirmation and no paperwork to be processed, either.”
    “And we all
know how efficient you are when it comes to paperwork.” Bryan
quipped, trying to keep a straight face.
    “I get the work
done...eventually.” Ryne scowled at him before relenting under
Bryan’s steady gaze. He gave a self-deprecating laugh. Everyone
knew his strength was in leading, not administrative paper-pushing.
“Anyway, paperwork aside; it was a clever place for her to hide.
With visiting wolves leaving their scent everywhere, no one would
pay any attention to one more being in the area.”
    “When I went
there to check out the ATM security footage three years ago, I
thought I searched everywhere, but I never checked the suburbs or
the grocery stores. I never pictured a rich girl choosing that as
her hideout.” Bryan chuckled softly. “If this guy hadn’t become
lost while sightseeing and his mate hadn’t made him stop to ask for
directions, we’d probably never have found her.”
    Ryne sat down,
folded his arms behind his head and propped his feet on the desk.
“It’s probably one for the record books; an heiress worth millions
of dollars working as a grocery store clerk.” He paused and quirked
one eyebrow. “You know what this means, of course.”
    Bryan could
feel his wolf rising inside him, anticipation surging as the beast
strained to be set free. He couldn’t totally suppress the grin that
threatened to spread across his face. “I get to go hunting?”
    “Uh-huh. Find
the girl in the picture, determine if she really is Cassandra
Greyson, and if it is her bring her back here. Once we’re sure of
our facts, I’ll get on the internet and contact the Lycan Link
network. They’ll make arrangements to slip her through Customs.” He
gave a satisfied sigh. “It will be good to get this wrapped up
before the pup is born. Rogue werewolves can be dangerous. You
should have her in line by then.”
    “She’s not
exactly a rogue.” Bryan felt the need to qualify his Alpha’s
statement. Rogues were loners with no packs, out for themselves and
possessing no sense of duty towards the well-being of others of
their kind. Some even teetered on the border of sanity, having no
pack to keep them grounded. They could be unpredictable and often
became a menace to those around them. Originally, that’s how he had
viewed the Greyson girl, but the longer he’d searched for her, the
more his opinion had softened. He frowned inwardly, not sure why
that was.
    Ryne frowned
and began to enumerate the facts. “Cassandra Greyson might not be a
rogue yet, but I’m sure it’s just pure luck. From what we’ve been
able