Zeus's Pack 9: Rave by Lynn Hagen Read Free Book Online Page A

holster.
    Dorm knocked on the front door as Tony crept around back. He glanced around the chain-link fence, seeing that the backyard was just as dark. Tony eased the small gate open, but the metal creaked, sounding like a marching band was coming straight into the yard.
    Tony silently walked to the back door, and stilled. The lock was busted, and the door was hanging halfway open. It looked as though someone used force to break in.
    He pulled his Glock and slowly eased inside, checking the small house. He met Dorm in the front room. “No one is here.”
    So much for catching a break on day one.
    Tony checked the bedroom, rifling through the drawers, trying to find a clue as to who lived here.
    “Hey, I have some papers here with the name Cal Winters.” Dorm sounded optimistic.
    Tony found some mail and sighed. “And I have some mail here for a Logan Albinster.”
    “Well, we narrowed it down to two names. That should make things a little easier,” Dorm said as he tossed the papers he had onto a table in Logan’s room.
    Tony knew better. From the looks of the back door, things were about to get harder. He hadn’t a clue where to look or who could have possibly broken into this place. Was the suspect kidnapped, killed, or had he been the one to do the damage? Tony wasn’t sure, but he knew he would be back here.
    “Let’s get moving.” He tossed the mail aside and headed for the door. Tony caught movement from the corner of his eye and had his Glock pulled and pointing in under a second.
    “Tony?” Dorm said his name questioningly as he stood frozen in the living room. “There’s nothing there, man.”
    Tony blinked, seeing shadows all around the house. There wasn’t a light on, but he knew he saw something. He didn’t spook easily. He glanced around the thin shadows again, pools of light softening the edges of darkness from the streetlights outside. He shoved his gun back into the holster and grunted as he headed toward the door.
    “You all right?” Dorm asked as they walked to the car. “I’ve never seen you this jumpy before.”
    That was because Tony had never tried to shoot a damn shadow before. What the hell was going on around here? Things weren’t adding up, and he didn’t like it. Tony drove to Pride Pack Valley, arriving after midnight. There was a small motel on the outskirts of town where he and Dorm checked in. They got separate rooms and Tony gladly went to his. His eyes burned he was so damn tired.
    Sliding his gun under his pillow, Tony lay down and closed his eyes. He had thought about calling Rave to come to his room, but it was late and all Tony wanted right now was some sleep.
    Tony’s eyes flew open, his hand sliding under his pillow. He grabbed his gun and eased it from its hiding place. He glanced at the clock to see it was after three. The room was bathed in darkness, the curtains drawn tight.
    “I hear you are looking for me.”
    A wave so subtle, so caressing wrapped around Tony’s mind. The ripples were soft, comforting, like being held in his mother’s arms. He lay there feeling as though he really didn’t want to work this case and needed to just close it. There was no such thing as mind controllers, no such thing as styre mentes.
    Tony fought against the invasion in his mind, knowing that what he was thinking was wrong. He knew what the person in his motel room was doing, but Tony felt powerless to stop it. The need to walk away was strong, and the pain in his head was getting worse, as if the shadow in his room knew Tony was fighting him.
    Tony rolled from the bed, aiming his gun at the darkness. He let his eyes adjust to his surroundings, but as he darted them around, he didn’t see anyone.
    But he could feel them. He could feel a presence somewhere in the room, watching him, mocking him.
    As Tony glanced around the motel room, his fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, his wrist bending awkwardly as the gun slowly began to turn. Tony gritted his teeth as he tried