The Maverick Pride Tales - Chapter 177: Chapter 177

“What do you mean, she is not here?” Pierce asked.
The male normal, who was acting desk sergeant at the Burlington County Sheriff’s Department, rolled his eyes before turning back to Pierce. He looked bored, and frankly, uninterested. Neither of which gave Pierce any confidence the man knew what he was doing.
“Sir, like I have said ten times already, no one with the name Antonetta Golden, or matching her description, has come through these doors today.”
“This is insanity. Where is Lieutenant Langley? I need to see him. She was in Officer Duluth’s car.”
“Who? There is no Lieutenant Langley or Officer Duluth here, sir. Is this a prank? I warn you there are serious consequences for wasting the time of law enforcement,” the man retorted, shaking his head as he went back to sorting the mail.
Thunder roared in Pierce’s ears. What the fuck was going on? He needed answers, and he needed them now. But before he could reach across the desk and shake the unhelpful human, Hunter came bursting through the doors, Uncle Uzzi in tow.
“Pierce,” he called his name, and the Tiger obeyed, forcing his feet to move.
“Any news?” Uncle Uzzi asked.
He had called both from his car after the two Sheriff’s Department vehicles left with Toni in tow. Pierce had run inside to grab his keys, wallet, and phone before jumping in his Jeep and trailing after them. He hadn’t even bothered to dress, which had caused some friction when he arrived since he’d been shirtless and shoeless in a bathing suit.
Thank fuck, like most Shifters, he had extra clothes in his trunk and went to put them on before returning. Clad in jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers, he paced the floor. Anger and fear rolled through him as he spoke to Hunter and Uncle Uzzi.
“No. They don’t have her. It seems there is no Lieutenant Langley or Officer Duluth. Fuck, I could not have been more than five minutes behind them! There was an accident on the highway, and I got stuck behind it. Nevertheless, they should have been here if they were fucking real,” he growled, earning him some strange stares from the humans afoot.
Shit.
He covered his face with his hands and agreed to moving their conversation back to the Pride House. They would not get any answers from the normals. He’d sniffed the air inside.
Toni never stepped foot inside there. There was absolutely no trace of her peaches and honey scent anywhere. In fact, he did not get a single hint of any Lioness at all.
She was gone.
Something froze in Pierce at that terrifying thought. Toni was gone. She’d been taken. But by whom?
Fuck. He hadn’t even realized Hunter and Uzzi had herded him into their car until they arrived back at the Pride House. Elissa, the Nari of the Maverick Pride, was standing on the wraparound porch, her swollen belly outlined in her swing dress, her cubs, Melly and Celia playing at her feet.
“Did you find her?” she asked, worry creasing her brow.
“No, my love. But we will,” Hunter said, kissing her sweetly, and bending down to lift his girls.
Normally the scene would warm something inside of Pierce, but not then. His mate was missing, and he did not know how to find her. Shit. He’d fucked up badly. What was happening to her? Where was she?
Rage at his own impotence filled him, and he cursed and paced, pulling on his hair as he held his head.
“Fuuuucccccckkkk!” he roared, falling to his knees as two more cars pulled up.
“Pierce!” Uncle Uzzi walked over to him. “Come, this is not helping her,” the old man said, and yes, he was right.
People spilled out of the newly arrived cars, one held the King and Queen of the Blue Valley Pride. The Lioness was an older version of Toni, and Pierce introduced himself and explained what he knew.
By the time he was finished, all of her sisters were there, two of them with their mates, and Toni’s mother looked ready to kill someone. He felt about two inches tall. But he didn’t blame them for his shortcomings.
What the fuck had happened?
“I did not notice anything wrong with the two officers. Toni was upset, but I needed her calm. I was fighting my change. There were humans. She trusted me to get her out. I failed her,” he growled, tears pricking his eyes.
“No, son. You did right. You could not have known,” the King said magnanimously.
“Where is my sugar cub? Where did they bring her?” Patricia Golden-Crowley asked, emotion making her voice vibrate.
“Easy, love. We will find her,” King Donovan, Primus of the Blue Valley Lion Pride, murmured and put his arm around his mate.
“Let’s go over it again. When and how did this all happen?”
“I messed up. We had spent a wonderful afternoon together, I was so happy. She was, too. Then, when we got back to the cabin, they were waiting. They had proof she’d stolen a laptop. Fuck, the whole search was illegal. I should never have let them take her,” Pierce replied, more than willing to accept the blame.
His chest squeezed him. The beast inside raking his claws over his soul, shredding him. Pierce felt as though he were suffocating.
“No, no one is saying that,” Hunter said, joining them. “Look, Pierce, you did the right thing, the only thing you could have. If you would have shifted, fought humans, I would be calling the Shifter Council on you right now,” Hunter told him, clapping a hand on his back.
“Pierce, back up a second,” Uncle Uzzi said, dragging his attention down to the older Witch.
“Yes, Uncle Uzzi?” he asked, shoulders tense.
“You said there was no way that laptop was there beforehand, correct?” the older male asked.
“Wait, I mean, Toni is a workaholic. She might have snuck one on her vacation,” Annabeth, one of her sisters, inserted.
“No, she wouldn’t. You weren’t there Annabeth. Toni was really upset the day her new boss told her to go home and specifically mentioned him telling her not to take the computer,” Adrianna, another sister, added.
“That’s right,” their mother said, turning to Pierce. “Did you see her with a computer during your little rendezvous, hot stuff?”
“Hey,” growled the King, glaring at his mate.
“What? My sugar cub is a looker, makes sense she would match up with one, right Uncle Uzzi?”
“I am not quite certain that is how it works, Patricia. But yes, I agree she is very lovely, as are all your daughters. Now, Pierce?” Uncle Uzzi replied, getting them back on track.
“Oh, uh, no, she didn’t have a computer. In fact, she barely used her phone,” Pierce said.
“Wait. I know! What about you?” Elissa asked. “Can’t you track her through your matebond?”
“No,” Pierce replied, teeth clenched. “I didn’t claim her⁠—”
“I take it back, you’re no hot stuff, you’re an idiot!” shouted Patricia, ramming her painted claw into his chest.
Pierce winced, but he would never raise his hand to a female, much less the mother of the woman he intended to take as mate. All three Golden sisters bared their fangs, giving him dirty looks, but he shook his head.
“Ladies, please. I love your sister and have every intention of claiming her, but she will decide when she is ready. Not me or you or anyone else,” he replied with muted power lacing his voice.
There were things Pierce would always be willing to bend on. But this was not one of them. Toni was quite capable of making her own decisions, and it was time everybody recognized that fact.
“You love her? It’s been like a second,” Adrianna scoffed.
“Well, to be truthful, Adrianna, I fell in love with Toni in far less time than a second. More like a moment, then boom, lightning, thunder, universes exploded into existence, and I loved her,” he said, truth ringing in his voice.
“But you still didn’t claim her,” Adrianna stated, as if that said everything.
“Look, Toni is not the kind of woman who needs a man browbeating her into accepting his claim. I promised I would wait until she was comfortable and ready, and I will. But that is none of anyone’s business but ours,” he growled.
“I take it back. You really are perfect for my sugar cub, hot stuff,” Patricia said, grinning like the devil.
The older Lioness’ face sobered, and Pierce knew what she was feeling because he was feeling it, too. The fact Toni was gone, missing, kidnapped hit him harder than a ton of bricks.
“I promise I won’t stop looking. I can’t. I refuse to lose her,” Pierce vowed.
“Okay, so we know the laptop was planted,” Uncle Uzzi said, getting them back on track. “What else do we know?”
“Toni devoted lots of time to work,” Annabeth said.
“Yeah, she was promoted to a new department last year, and given her own campaign to run, which was like a huge deal,” Adrianna added.
“Is that usual? To give an expensive marketing campaign to someone new to the department?” Pierce asked.
“Um, no,” Ariella spoke up. “It is not usual, but we never questioned it. Toni is great at whatever she does,”
“Yes, she is,” Pierce said, a tight smile on his face, “King Donovan, excuse me? But who runs EWLP?” Pierce asked, going full on lawyer mode.
There were pieces to this puzzle missing, and he needed more information if he was going to get to the bottom of this.
“You mean am I a figurehead incapable of running the day-to-day operations?” the man growled.
“Oh, well, no, sir. I am simply assuming you are busy with the Pride,” Pierce said, trying not to offend the powerful Primus.
“Ha ha! You should see your face, dear boy. You assumed correctly. Maggie Pierce has recently been promoted to CEO of Eat Well Live Proud. Matthew Periwinkle, an old friend, has taken her job as regional manager, and let me see. Hmm. I am afraid that is all I can recall offhand.”
“What about a Mr. Bixby? He was the male who came to the cabin with the imposters.”
Another car arrived to join their party, and Leo Crowley, King Donovan’s son, and a detective with the Blue Valley PD, exited the vehicle along with his mate, Sheila Rand. Concerned expressions on their faces, they were greeted by the other Lions. The couple stopped and said hello to Hunter, Elissa, and the other Maverick Pride Tigers, as well, but Pierce did not care about formalities. He needed info.
“Have you found out anything more about Toni?” Pierce asked, desperate for any hint of news.
“I’m sorry. No, we have not. Annabeth filled me in on the way over. Tell me, did you see any badges on the two officer impersonators?” the Lion asked, no nonsense while his mate comforted Toni’s mother and weepy sisters.
“Yeah, of course. They had badges, official vehicles, everything but a warrant. The bastards,” Pierce growled. “I was asking your father about the changes to personnel at EWLP. Do you know a guy named Bixby?”
“Bixby? Marion Bixby?” Leo asked, head canted to the side.
Electricity charged the air, and Pierce froze. Dread filled him, and his gut twisted. Why was Leo’s face contorted into a mask of horror at that name? He did not want to think bad thoughts, but right then, he imagined the worst.
Whoever the fuck Marion Bixby really was, Pierce was going to tear him a new asshole if he so much as touched a hair on Toni’s sweet head.