Chapter 2 - Landon

“You did what!?”

Landon cringed from Levi’s angry voice.

He didn’t bother calling his brothers last night after he got home from his disappointing and confusion encounter. Instead, he tended to his wounded side and rested so his body could properly heal.

When he woke up with no more pain, Landon rushed to the store and snatched a new phone. He immediately plugged in his brother’s phone numbers, once again feeling foolish for losing his phone.

“I’m going to get it back. I’m heading in right now to see Vincent.”

“Chill, Levi. I can feel your rage from over the phone,” Laurence commented, light-hearted laughter in his tone.

Landon heard Levi growl in the background before a quiet voice murmured in the background.

Landon almost smiled at the reminder of Doriane. She was such a gentle soul.

After being beaten and broken for six years, Landon was out to help get revenge for her. If he could get enough evidence from Vincent about Oliver and Peter Arroyo, he could bring the jerks down.

Just the thought of what his brother had to do to help Doriane gain her confidence again made Landon’s lip curl in disgust. Oliver had really tried to destroy her.

And now it was his job to help bring him down.

“He’s going to get it done,” Doriane coaxed gently.

He wished they were on a video call so he could see his brother visibly relax and melt into her. Landon had never seen his brother be able to control himself that quickly before Doriane came into his life.

After his own mate’s death almost ten years ago, Landon has been extremely bitter when it came to mates. It was a painful reminder of what he never had.

He doubted he would ever forget the encounter.

Landon had tagged along with his father for a business trip to Northern California. Once he had caught sight of the curvy blonde, he knew she was it for him.

He straightway left his father and followed her into the grocery store. Because she wasn’t a wolf, he was slowly started formulating a plan and reason to talk to her.

Before he knew it, his mate was lying on the ground, a bullet sucking the life out of her. He begged her to stay with him while her wide, blue eyes hooked onto his. He watched in horror as they closed, regardless of the pressure he applied to her bleeding wound.

He had gotten her to the hospital, but it was already too late.

Since her death, he became destructive and angry. He would have ruined his life if his brothers and father hadn’t pulled him back together.

Doriane and Levi were really the first two mates he’d ever met that didn’t leave a sour taste in his mouth.

His brother needed her.

“Just get it back, Landon. I want these guys taken down.”

Landon nodded before remembering they couldn’t see him. “I’m counting on it.”

“Good. Do you need anything else from us? I talked to Mateo already this morning and he doesn’t have anything new, but is getting close.” Laurence’s serious voice was a rare occurrence, but when it came through, it reminded him of why he was so good at business, even at only nineteen.

Mateo honestly took all the credit for this undercover operation. He was a Private Investigator. They hired him on when Doriane came into their lives and have been indebted to his loyalty from then on.

“Nah, that’s it. I’ll call tonight and tell you more.”

“Alright. Stay safe, Landon,” Levi countered.

“No promises,” Landon teased as he smiled at the groan from Levi and the chuckle from Laurence.

Landon pressed the red button on his phone and quickly jumped out of his rental car, heading for the door he escaped from last night.

He glanced to his left and saw the large hole he created last night was now covered with a large piece of plywood.

As if that could keep his wolf out.

He chose to ignore the sight and focused on his smell.

Landon hadn’t told his brothers about the intoxicating scent he picked up on last night. Until he knew who it was and why he was so enamored with it, he would keep it to himself.

It was like the scent was never there. He continued breathing through his nose so he could catch a whiff as he came closer to the warehouse, but caught nothing.

When Hunter approached the offices in the back of the facility he was spying on last night, a tall man came out to greet him.

He immediately recognized him as Vincent from the pictures.

He had tattoos lining what little of his arms he could see under his crisp, white button-down shirt. Black ink crawled up his neck as well and he could slightly see the pattern under the top button, which was left undone. His hair was a similar color to Landon’s own at inky black, but Vincent’s eyes were eerily dark.

A friendly smile crawled on his face. “You must be Hunter.”

Landon nodded slightly, almost forgetting his fake name.

“I’m Vincent, your boss. Glad you made it on time, I have a couple of projects for you already. Come, I’ll give you a tour.”

Landon followed diligently as Vincent gave him a thorough tour of the facility. Vincent especially took his time to point the pieces of machinery that weren’t working properly so Landon could go back and fix them later.

“I will warn you as well,” Vincent continued speaking as he stopped walking in another room. “We found a wolf roaming around last night. So if you’re here late at night to be careful and stay aware of your surroundings.”

Landon tried to hide the smirk playing on his lips and nodded instead, not trusting his voice enough to speak.

Vincent continued along with the tour, showing him every last crevice of the place. He spoke smoothly and confidently, a tone that Landon was not surprised about. His voice wasn’t as deep as his own, but it had an addicting quality to it.

Landon was positive Vincent used that voice many times to make his deals.

“Now, do you—”

The obnoxious ringing of Vincent’s phone cut him off.

“Excuse me a moment,” he said before turning around and placing the phone to his ear.

Landon zeroed in on his conversation, hoping to get some sort of clue. He spoke with obvious annoyance, his engaging voice now replaced with an aggravated tone.

The conversation was short and seemingly one-sided before Vincent dropped his phone back in his pocket and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“That was my Fiance,” Vincent sighed. “Her car won’t start and she needs a jump.”

The fact shocked Landon.

“You’re engaged?”

How did Mateo fail to tell him this?

“Yes, recently engaged. But the wedding will be pretty soon.”

Landon’s interest immediately spiked and he craved to know more.

Why the rush? And why does she seem more like a burden?

Landon shrugged a shoulder. “I can go jump her car. I have some jumper cables.”

A wide smile overcame Vincent’s face. “I would appreciate that, Hunter. She can be so needy sometimes.”

Landon could honestly care less about helping the man or his fiance, but if this girl was going to marry Vincent, he was going to use this opportunity to get some information from her.

After pulling up her location on Landon’s GPS, Vincent sent him on his way, once again expressing his gratitude. Landon brushed him off and rushed to grab his keys, heading for his rental car.

Landon didn’t go anywhere without his toolbox. It was a bit tricky getting it shipped overnight to Washington so he could fly in, but it was worth it.

When his mate died, Landon buried himself into any motor he could find. He had enjoyed working on them before her passing, but when the tragic event left him crippled, he could find solace doing nothing else.

So, he always brought it with him.

Landon followed the GPS and noted it should only take fifteen minutes to meet the girl Vincent called Brooklyn.

If Vincent wasn’t willing to waste thirty minutes of his time for his fiance, he was wondering what kind of a connection they actually had.

A small, quaint shop rested against the side-street. There was a wood sign hanging above the establishment, showing that the building was split down the middle. One side was a fabric store and the other a laundromat.

While pulling into the parking lot, Landon started to feel anxious. His feelings intensified as he neared the building, his heart was hammering and his mind was hyper-aware of their surroundings.

Landon unexpectedly felt his wolf stir. He felt confusion flood over him. What was happening? The last time this happened to him, he had met his mate.

Just the memory was enough to bring a harsh sting to his heart. But the feeling was quickly subdued by this wolf, who was stirring crazily in his mind.

On good days, Landon can convince his wolf to go on a run in the woods. This is the most present he has been in almost ten years.

Landon spotted the small black Chevy Cavalier in the distance and pulled into the parking spot next to it. He shook off the feelings of uneasiness and stepped out of the rental car.

He quickly rounded to the other side of the car and grabbed his toolkit before stepping towards the black car.

As Landon approached the driver’s side, he could see nobody was in the car. He used his hand to shield the sun as he peeked into the vehicle, trying to catch sight of a clue to let him know which building the owner might be in.

When Landon noticed nothing was in the car, his attention turned to the buildings close to it. He was shocked by the unforgettable scent of laundry detergent and pears that immediately hit him. His mouth started watering and his wolf stirred restlessly.

He knew that smell.

The sound of a door closing snapped his attention to the laundromat.

There’s no way.