“Shit,” Tanner muttered, wishing Cam would stop. He would have been better off not knowing any of this.
“Kellie had some problems for a while,” Cam continued. “She missed you like crazy, but she’s doing okay now. She’s a lot more serious than she used to be. Same pixie-style haircut with all the crazy colors, but she got rid of her piercings. She’s a senior in high school now. Plans to join the army as soon as she graduates, which is freaking Mom out.”
Tanner would have crawled under the table at that moment if he would have fit. Kellie was his youngest sister and also the most bubbly, idealistic, and outgoing member of the family. At least she used to be. Getting a chance to see her had been one of the highlights of his visits when he used to come home on leave. She would sit for hours and listen to his stories. It sounded like he’d barely recognize her now.
“But on the bright side, Raquel hasn’t changed a bit.” Cam’s mouth tightened. “She’s pissed you left, but only because it hurt Mom, Dad, and Kellie. She never says your name, never talks about you, even changes the subject anytime your name comes up. She finally got married to that accountant boyfriend of hers, Darrin.”
Raquel was two years younger than Tanner, so there’d always been a lot of sibling rivalry between them. She’d started dating Darrin when he’d done her taxes, and Tanner had teased her about it, saying she only went out with him for the free tax advice. His sister had never said he was wrong.
“You know, with the exception of Raquel, they’d all love to see you,” Cam said cautiously. “I could arrange something casual if you want to work your way back into things slowly.”
Tanner’s heart suddenly started racing, and he cursed silently as he felt his fangs trying to force their way out. He quickly dropped his hands under the edge of the table, terrified his claws would spring out and give him away. Without a word, Zarina reached over and placed a warm hand on his forearm, silently letting him know she was there. He closed his eyes, focusing on that touch as he tried to get his breathing back under control.
This was what he’d worried about most when he’d agreed to meet with Cam, that his brother would say something that would make him mad and the animal inside would make an appearance at the worst possible time.
Tanner took a breath, calming his racing pulse and envisioning the hybrid part of himself as a physical animal that he had to shove back into a cage and lock away. He’d been working on this technique for the better part of a year, and normally, it worked. But now that he was in a crowded diner with his brother sitting across from him, it wasn’t doing a damn thing.
He breathed deep and tried again, mentally shoving his inner lion into its prison and slamming the door shut. When he finally got himself together, he dreaded opening his eyes, afraid to see the look on Cam’s face. But Tanner couldn’t sit there like that forever.
As it turned out, his brother was sitting there calmly sipping his soda. Tanner waited for Cam to ask what the hell that was all about, but thankfully, the waiter chose that moment to bring their meals.
Tanner immediately picked up his cheeseburger and bit into it, mostly to avoid having to say anything. He almost groaned in appreciation at the combination of the spicy chips and scrumptious beef. It had been a long time since he’d eaten anything like that. Damn, he’d missed it.
“Okay, so as much as I’d like to think you called me just because I’m your brother and you wanted an update on your family, my gut tells me that you didn’t,” Cam said in between bites. “I’m guessing you needed a cop and didn’t feel like you could call one out here in Wenatchee. So, what’s up?”
Tanner took another bite of burger, using it as an excuse to delay answering for a moment. Once again, Cam had surprised him. First, by moving beyond the near hybrid shift he’d almost certainly seen, and second, by the way he’d pegged the situation with the preppers perfectly. On the downside, Cam’s blunt words made Tanner feel shittier about using him than he already did.
“Over the past couple of weeks, at least half a dozen people have gone missing in the Wenatchee Forest,” Tanner said.
Cam frowned as he dunked his waffle fries in ketchup. “I haven’t heard anything about that. I mean, we don’t hear about everything back in Seattle, but something as big as half a dozen missing people moves the needle. I would have thought it would be all over the news.”
“The people who have gone missing are either homeless or preppers,” Zarina explained softly, almost like she hated admitting that was a valid justification for the media to ignore it.
“Ah, I see,” Cam said. “So these missing people aren’t even being reported, are they?”
“No,” Tanner told him. “Which is probably why they’re being targeted. Whoever is capturing them has to know there’s little chance anyone will call the cops. These kidnappers are smart, well armed, efficient, and know exactly what they’re doing.”
Cam looked at him sharply. “Well armed? Okay, this is sounding like more than just some homeless people disappearing. What’s the rest of the story?”
Tanner and Zarina told him everything they knew about the first few people who’d gone missing, the attack on the preppers’ camp last night, the use of automatic weapons, and how he’d figured out both men from the encampment had been thrown into a waiting van or SUV.
Cam looked at Tanner a little oddly when he mentioned tracking Josh and Bryce through the woods, but he didn’t ask for details.
“This is way too big for me, Tanner,” his
