"It's been two months! What am I paying you for?"
Tim Manning jumped as his client's fist came down on his desk hard. Daniel Remington scared the crap out of him. Manning was the third detective Daniel had hired to find Jenna, and so far, he too hadn't come through.
To say Daniel was frustrated would be an understatement. He was cranky and pissed off more often than not. He didn't sleep well, and Rafe was constantly agitated, driving Daniel insane as he whined for his mate in Daniel's head.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Remington, but there's just not much out there I can find. I've done what I can," the detective said, closing the file on his desk, He had done quite a bit of digging, and he had hit a brick wall. Tim no longer wanted Daniel Remington as a client. "Did you ever consider the possibility that someone doesn't want you to find her?"
Daniel stared at him for a moment then stood. "Good day Mr. Manning," he said on his way out.
Tim breathed a sigh of relief when the large man with the suffocating presence was out of his life. Daniel Remington had been one of the most intimidating men he'd ever dealt with and he almost felt sorry for Jenna Browning if Remington ever did find her.
He watched Daniel get into his car through the window. The car sat there for a moment before finally pulling away from the curb. Tim returned to his desk and picked up his phone, punching in a number he had memorized.
"I got rid of the man who is searching for Ms. Browning. He's no longer my client," he said into the phone.
"Good," the voice on the other end answered. "What was your excuse?"
"That I've hit a brick wall and there's nothing more I could find out," Tim answered.
"Tell me who your client is. I'll pay you well for the information."
"No way. He scares me more than you do. I won't reveal my client." Tim ended the call, and sat down at his desk, glad to be out of that mess.
Both of the men made him nervous but there was just something about Remington that made Tim never want to meet the man in a dark alley.
***
Mitch Browning stared at his phone for a moment and sighed. He was alone in his office at home. Worry creased his forehead. Someone was looking for Jenna, and had been pretty much since she'd moved back home. So far, they hadn't succeeded in finding her. He'd made sure of that. The moment someone had started prodding into her background, his man in DC had let him know.
Mitch wondered if it was the father of Jenna's baby. He wasn't happy that the man had left his daughter. He had asked Jenna about it, but she hadn't said much, telling him it had just been a one night stand. Mitch hadn't liked that answer, but he wouldn't push her. He had seen the pain in her eyes and wondered if Jenna was being honest with him. He'd made the decision to keep the man away from her.
Jenna had her family to support her and help her raise this baby. Mitch would make sure she and his granddaughter had everything they would ever need.
So far, this unknown person had hired three different detectives, but he'd had no luck.
Not that Mitch's had been much better. None of the detectives would tell him the man's name. They all seemed afraid of him, which really worried Mitch. Who was this person? What kind of power did he hold and how did Jenna know him.
Now that he was retired, he had all the time in the world. He'd wait and see who the man would hire next. Two could play at this game of cat and mouse.
He hadn't told Jenna any of this, and he didn't plan to unless it was absolutely necessary. She had no phone, no bills, no car, and she'd never switched her license over to Pennsylvania. She was pretty much off the grid. Mitch sighed. He'd keep her that way for as long as possible.
***
Daniel opened the door of his car and slipped in after his meeting with the detective. He slammed the door shut and sat there, trying to calm his wolf down. Rafe wanted to go back inside and tear Tim Manning apart.
'Waste of time and money,' Rafe muttered in disgust. 'Bad detective.'
'We can't just go around killing humans, Rafe,' Daniel reminded him.
His wolf sat down exasperated. 'He didn't find mate. Why pay him when he didn't complete his job?'
'He still put in the time, Rafe,' Daniel pulled out on the road to begin the two hour drive back to the packhouse. Every day that passed made Daniel more miserable. The only good thing was that Jenna seemed happier over the last few months. The sadness was still there, but it wasn't as heavy as it had been.
He also knew Jenna hadn't slept with anyone else. If she did, he'd feel it. He was dreading the moment that happened. Jenna was his.
'Ours,' Rafe reminded him.
He'd learned quite a bit about her over the last few months, though most of the information had come from Talia.
Jenna's father was a retired Marine Corps general, and his information was heavily protected. He knew the man had retired two months after Jenna had left New York, and he knew Jenna was no longer in Virginia, but where she had gone was still a mystery. The easiest information to find out about her was from her time in New York City.
He knew she had never contacted Talia again, nor had she gotten another phone, or at least not one in her own name. Hed had his own tech guys keep an eye on that for him.
'Maybe father is keeping Mate hidden, protecting her,' Rafe said suddenly.
Daniel's eyes widened in surprise at Rafe's comment. Why hadn't he thought of that?
'Too much going on in your head,' Rafe muttered.
'Ain't that the truth,' Daniel responded. He knew he was overthinking the whole thing but he couldn't help it.
'Call Talia,' Rafe reminded him. Daniel had promised her he'd call her after he left the detective's office this morning, and give her an update.
Daniel smiled a little as he thought of the she-wolf he'd gotten to know so well over the last six months. She was his only connection to Jenna and she would eagerly talk about her friend to him. Daniel had learned quite a bit about Jenna's personality, her likes and dislikes, and everything made him love her more and more.
"Hello?" Talia sounded tired.
"Hi Talia. How are you feeling?" She was pregnant with her first pup. She was due in about three months and she was no longer working. Her pregnancy had been a bit rough, and the pack doctor recommended that she not be on her feet as much.
"I feel like an elephant," she said, sounding a little annoyed.
"You're more than halfway through," he soothed, trying to be optimistic.
"Still feels like an eternity," she muttered.
Daniel laughed. He liked Talia's quirkiness. Even when he was in a dark mood, she could cheer him up. "Tim Manning quit on me."
Talia grew quiet for a moment, then sighed. "I'm not surprised. What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know. I almost wonder if word is getting back to Jenna's father that someone is looking for her and he's preventing the information from getting back to me," Daniel said quietly.
"What makes you think that? Do you think he has that kind of power?" Talia questioned.
"Something the detective said today when I fired him. He was a three star General working out of DC. I'm sure he does," Daniel mused with annoyance.
"What did the detective say?"
"He said, 'Did you ever think someone may not want you to find her?'" Daniel sighed. "I may never find her, Talia."
"What will happen if you don't?"
"I will always remain bonded to her, unable to break it unless one of us.." he stopped, not wanting to complete the thought. "And if she's ever with someone else..."
"That's awful." Talia was quiet for a moment. "Don't give up hope. She was mated to you for a reason. I can't imagine that you'll never see her again."
Daniel sighed. "I hope you're right, Talia."
"When are you coming back to New York City?" Talia asked him. She ached for him. She couldn't imagine finding James, only to lose him again. James was her world.
"I don't know. Before you give birth. I've been slacking on everything lately, but I just .." he sighed again. "I don't have the drive to do anything. Fortunately, my dad has been extremely helpful with taking over."
"Come to the City soon. Get away and relax for a bit," Talia said softly.
"I don't know how to relax any longer," he glanced at his phone when a call beeped through. "I gotta go. You take care, Talia. I'll speak to you soon."
"Bye Daniel."