Wolf's Fall (Alpha Pack #6)(41)
Annoyance surged inside him. “I should’ve been with them. I could be helping the investigation.”
“Right now, you’re helping my sister, and that’s more important.” Tarron’s gaze telegraphed just how much weight that carried as far as he was concerned.
Nick wasn’t sure how much good he was doing his new mate, considering, but wisely refrained from saying so. “She’s my first priority, too, which is why I want this bastard of a vampire and his minions found and destroyed. I don’t want them coming after her again, or you, for that matter.”
Tarron’s expression was grim. “We’ll find him and he’ll be so f*cking sorry he messed with my family. In the meantime, we need to trust our guys to bring us the information we need to locate him.”
Nick blew out a frustrated breath. “You’re right, but it sucks waiting around. Who the hell is this * and why does he have such a hard-on for all of us?”
“That’s the big money question.”
Just then, there was a loud knock on the door. Tarron called for whoever it was to enter, and the door swung open. A few of Tarron’s men, along with Micah, Aric, and Nix, strode into the room. Nix was carrying a laptop that he placed on Tarron’s desk.
“We found this hidden in one of the dead hunter’s bunks,” he said. “We’ll need someone with hacking skills to get inside and tell us what sort of secrets might be on there. Hopefully the kind that gives us answers.”
Teague stepped up. “That would be me. Let me take a look and see what you’ve found.”
Those around Tarron’s desk gave him room. Pulling up an extra chair, the computer expert flipped open the lid and went to work circumventing the password-protected screen.
“Most people would be appalled at how ridiculously easy it is to get into their laptops,” he said, without any smugness. “That part is child’s play. The real question is, does the vampire heading up this band of misfits know what he’s doing?”
“In what way?” Nick asked, curious.
“Mainly, will he have taken the precaution of coding his messages and hiding the IP address he’s using as his home base of communications? Will his identity be hidden?”
“Seems like it could go either way,” Nick replied. “He hid his identity on the video, but he probably wasn’t expecting us to locate the cabin, either.”
Teague worked for a few minutes, head down, focus intense. After a while, he grunted in displeasure. “Unluckily for us, he’s not that big of an idiot. The IP address is rerouted several times, so it’s going to take a while to track. His messages to his followers were all done by an instant-messaging program and he used the screen name ‘Executioner.’”
Aric snorted. “That’s original.”
Nick hovered over his shoulder, trying to read the print. “What do the messages say?”
“The spewing of hatred that you might expect. He’s going to make us all pay for what we did, but no mention of what that was. If we knew what he’s blaming us for, it would go a long way to figuring out who he is.” Several others muttered agreement and Teague went on.
“There are plans on here from before he had Calla taken. They were waiting on an opportunity to get Tarron, but seized the chance to get her when it arose. Hmm, there’s some disagreement among the ranks as to whether that was a good idea, especially since that group was caught.”
Tarron’s eyes gleamed with malice. “So, they’re still using this messaging thread to discuss their plans?”
“They were, but shut it down a few hours after Calla’s rescue.” The hacker paused, scanning over the rest of the transcript. “Looks like the Executioner was talking with them about their next strike, when and where it would be wise to carry one out, when one of his men pointed out they should change to another thread because of the cabin raid. Damn!”
Nick couldn’t agree more. Such a good break, only to have it vanish in an instant. “Can you find them again?”
“I’ll try. In the meantime, I’ll trace the Executioner’s IP address, as well as the others on the list, and see what I can find.”
“Thanks,” Tarron said. “And bring me a printout of their conversations before this thread was shut down. Nick and I will read over it thoroughly to make sure there’s no hidden clue we’re missing.”
“Right away, my prince.”
Teague took the laptop and headed out to complete his job. Nick and Tarron dismissed the rest of their men and Nick took a seat. For a moment, they sat in brooding silence before Tarron broke it.
“So, you and Calla have Bonded?” His tone was reserved, his gaze watchful.
“I’ve claimed her.” He didn’t offer more, and the other man’s eyes narrowed.
“That should be cause for celebration. And yet I detect a note in your voice that suggests it’s anything but.”
“It’s not that simple.” He pushed his fingers through his hair. “I swear to you I’m doing my best to be the mate she deserves. It’s just taking some time. Let me work this out with her before I end up speaking out of turn. This is between Calla and me.”
“All right, I’ll butt out—for now. But mark my words: Friend or not, you hurt my sister and you won’t have to worry about battling some mystery vampire or anyone else.”