Darkness Sheds into Light {Watty 2012}

Chapter 16

Ariana glanced behind her at the clock and saw it was nearly three hours since Shelby had been taken. “Waiting for him to make a move is just going to drive us all mad. We need to find him.” she slide out of her chair and he noticed her slightly limping. “Hey Boy Wonder bring your laptop.” She hobbled back to her seat.

“Why do you call him boy wonder?”

“He’s a genius with a computer. He’s been supporting himself on the streets since he was eight running searches and scams for different clients. He takes and adapts well to anything you teach him.” The dark look in her eyes from traumatic memories faded as she spoke with admiration for the young boy.

“At your service.” Kid joined them at the table. “What can I do?”

“I want to find Shelby before Clive does something stupid or he makes a demand setting Andrew and Marc up for a trap.”

Kidd nodded. “I’m going to need everyone to help answer some questions about his guy.”

Jax stood and took on the task of getting Marc and Andrew downstairs.

When he returned Christina had also joined them, she sat across Jax’s lap while Andrew sank into one of the empty chairs with Marc keeping close to him. Andrew’s green eyes were shimmering with yellow of the wolf wanting to claw free and reek havoc, they couldn’t let happen and with the alpha near he could keep Andrew in check.

Marc said, “You have questions?”

Ariana nodded and explained the plan. “Kid created software that the more information you feed it the more it can track down, real hidden facts and the trails many people don’t even know they leave daily. Clive would be here in town laying low to make his move and more than likely he’s going to try and strike up and deal just to make you both walk into a trap.” The day had been too long for her to pretend, Jax saw the emotions in her, that she was worried for Marc, Andrew, and Shelby. His heart inflated with faith his Ariana, the real Ariana, was still in there. 

Andrew slowly nodded as he accepted what they were telling him was true. He was their own computer genius and knew all the gateways a computer can hold. “His name is Clive Morrison. He and Theo went to high school with me, all the same year, and they lived next to each in the apartments of Spring Hill.” He was giving Kid enough to get a lock on the right Clive Morrison and follow the trail.

“That place is a dump.” Ariana said around another slice of pizza.

Jax’s eyes left Andrew and trained on Ariana. “How do you know that?”

She stopped cold, mid chew of her latest bite of pizza. “I don’t know…I visited there?”

Jax nodded. “You had a friend in high school that lived there.” He didn’t want to put her on overload by explaining her friendship to Charlie that started out a nightmare until her kind heart forgave him and they found common ground. Charlie was also a werewolf part of the Reed pack after Jax had bitten him one night. Another long story.

Her eyes went far away as her mind worked over time to fish out what had made her remember. “Brown eyes blonde hair….Julie had the biggest crush on him.” she was remembering something vividly.

Relief was slamming into Jax hard enough to knock him breathless with undeniable faith. “His name is Charlie and Julie is my sister.” He could try to accept they could no longer be together in the romantic sense but he still wanted her back, to have her whole and complete back in his life. He couldn’t live without her.

“I know the facts about your family tree after Kid did a search but I hadn’t remembered her or my mother.”  Her words were soft and distant as her mind was somewhere else.

Marc reached cover and cupped his hand around her cheek with intimate comfort. “Don’t push yourself.” There was a serious reason he was saying that to her but one Jax didn’t know.

“I’ll be fine.” She blinked a few times and sent her focus to Kid. “Anything?”

Kid nodded and began to explain. “Clive Morrison has trouble of the human kind too, he’s been arrested for grand theft auto, breaking and entering, hell name it and it’s here including attempted murder of a fellow cellmate. Thanks to these criminal records there are names of his known associates here. Clive himself has no property in his name and no relatives in the area to speak of.”

Ariana pushed the last of her slice away. “I tracked rogues and the one thing they all had in common was the lay low as soon as possible. Clive would have picked somewhere remote to hold Shelby but comfortable enough to keep her calm and not have a fight on his hands.” Nine year old girls made most men nervous. “Let’s find out what’s nearest here fitting that description and also check in with his friends.”

Kid smiled big enough to show all his teeth and dimples. “Done.”

Ariana shared a look with Jax. “See? That makes him Boy Wonder.”