Mayhem: The Order of the Wolf, Book 5 (8 page)

Chapter Sixteen

Mayhem’s shift from beast to man came as the sun sank beneath the horizon, its rays still blasting what they could, lighting the sky with vivid shades of oranges, reds and yellows. A slow, lingering death of the day, nevertheless, occurred when the fiery globe dropped. Mayhem instantaneously shifted from his wolf to human, a transformation that bought both pleasure and pain. Ripping, breaking, tearing, while at the same time mending, melding, making right, and all in a matter of seconds.

The first thing he did as a human was check his phone. One message from Hannah. Good.

She would be on the plane at this point, more than halfway through the flight. Dave had instructions to pick her up and bring her to the mansion, but that wouldn’t be for a while. Mayhem was itching to talk to her. He didn’t like the physical distance, let alone to have her out of communication completely for a few more hours. His wolf was agitated too, pacing restlessly though Mayhem’s thoughts.

It was necessary, though. He needed time to plan the perfect way to show her his wolf. He and the Huntresses were trying to figure things out, set up a scenario that wouldn’t have Hannah running and screaming in the other direction.

He hit the message icon.

“Hey, Mayhem, just calling to let you know that I’m heading home shortly to finish packing.” Her voice sounded a little strange, thicker, but Mayhem figured it must have been a bad connection. “Got the article edited and submitted. Burt seemed happy, kind of.” She chuckled softly. “I guess I’ll be seeing you soon so I’ll keep this short.” There was a brief pause and she cleared her throat. “Oh…and I met the photographer. You didn’t mention anything about him. Anyway, nice guy…”

Mayhem growled, a deep rumble in his chest, his hand clenching the phone. What photographer?

He cursed when he realized he’d missed what she said next, only hearing her last words: “I’m sure you two will get along. See you soon. Bye.”

He hit the back button, starting the message over. “Hey, Mayhem….nice guy, we had lunch, saw all his amazing photographs of you and the band. No wonder you hired him. He has this wicked tattoo on his forearm. You’ll probably like it. It’s a wolf. He said something about it being an insignia for some group he’s in. Oh, wait…you probably already know all about that, he is your photographer. Don’t mind me. I’ve had a bit to drink. No worries though, I’m heading home…”

Mayhem’s gut clenched.
Shit.
“Raven!”

He cursed as he hit Hannah’s number on his phone.

It rang and rang before switching over to her voice mail. He hung up. “Raven!” he bellowed again before hitting Dave’s name next.

“Yo, May, how’s it goin’?” Dave was on the road, the sound of cars whipping by came full blast through the phone. “On my way to the airport in a bit.”

“Is there any way to check the flight to see if she’s on it?”

“Um…I don’t know. Why wouldn’t she be on the flight?”

“She left a message. I’ve got a bad feeling. Can you find out? Do whatever you need to.”

“Did you try calling her?”

“She’s not answering. I need to know if she’s on the flight,” Mayhem growled the last few words, fangs breaking through his gums. A feeling of dread soaked through him.

“I’m on it.” Dave disconnected.

“Raven!” Mayhem stormed out of his room, barreling right into Raven, who’d been rounding the corner. With arms clasped, the men steadied themselves.

“I’m here, don’t get your panties in a knot…where’s the fire?” Raven pulled back, his expression darkening when he saw Mayhem’s building rage. “What’s going on?”

“She left a message.” He held his phone up, hitting the icon that would put the message on speaker. As it played, Hannah’s words about the photographer got the same reaction from Raven as they had from Mayhem.

“Holy shit!” he looked up at Mayhem, eyes wide. “They’ve found her.”

The motherfucking Order had found her. Mayhem hadn’t thought it possible so quickly. Stupid arrogant oversight. “I should never have left her behind.” He hadn’t thought a day would matter. Hadn’t thought the Order would be looking for her yet. And now they’d found her.
Fuck!
Mayhem tried Hannah’s number again, but after ringing a number of times, it went to voicemail. “Shit!”

“What about her cousin? You have her number?”

Dani. Yes, her cousin would know where she was. “No, but I can get it.”

“I’m going to go get Darcy, see if she can find anything out in the magic department.”

“Good, yeah, good idea.” Mayhem moved into his room and opened his laptop. He wasn’t the most tech savvy of men, but he was confident he could locate a phone number.

He typed Dani’s first name and then drew a blank. “Fuck!” He didn’t know her last name, only that it wasn’t the same as Hannah’s. Glaring hard at the computer screen didn’t produce any results either. What was the magazine she worked for again?
Rock Hard? Hard Rock?
He was never great with details like that. He typed in both, got a hit that led him straight to a bio page…that was down for maintenance.
Fuck!
Frustrated, he slammed his fist on the desk, startled when his phone rang a few seconds later.

“May, she’s not on the flight. Her ticket was never claimed.”

“Fuck! She’s in trouble, Dave. I think the Order has gotten to her. Get me a flight, now.”

“You don’t know that for sure. Maybe she just missed her flight.”

“She’s not answering her phone.” His gut roiled, his wolf howling. Should have marked her. The bond would have given him a better sense of where she was, what she was feeling. Without it, he was going blind.

“Tell me what happened. Why do you think the Order is involved?”

“Did you okay a photographer for the tour?”

Dave paused, “Um, no.”

Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
“The Order has her. I need a flight to Cali now. Do whatever you need to do, just get me on a motherfucking flight!”

He hung up just as Raven returned, Darcy and Aubrey in tow. “Still no luck?”

“I can’t remember the cousin’s last name!” Mayhem growled, his frustration making him want to throw his useless laptop against the wall.

“Dani Graine.” Aubrey swooped in and shifted the computer toward her. She was accessing her personal email within seconds “Hannah sent all the details this morning.” She pulled the info up and pushed the computer back to Mayhem, then chuckled when she saw his eyebrows sky high and mouth agape. “What? I am your security chief.”

“Thank you,” Mayhem said as he quickly typed in Dani’s number. “Dani?”

“Yes, who’s this?”

“It’s Mayhem.”

There was a pause, then, “Sorry, whoa, caught me off guard, still not used to this rock star up close and personal stuff. What can I do for you, Mayhem?”

“Have you spoken to Hannah lately?”

“No, not since noon or so. She left the office to head home and pack the last of her stuff. Why?”

“Was she alone when she left?”

Dani paused again and Mayhem’s heart ramped up, knowing instinctively what her answer would be. “Okay, so we met the photographer, Allan? He offered to give her a lift home, I think. Nothing romantic, so no worries.” There was an awkward chuckle. “I mean, all she can talk about is you.”

Mayhem clenched his fist, slamming it into the desk again. “Are you sure?” It was an effort to keep his voice calm. “She left with this man?”

“Yeah, saw them get into his SUV. Why? Is something wrong?”

Damn it. “No, nothing wrong, just need to speak with her. Thanks for letting me know.” He hung up, turned to face Raven and the girls. “They have her. She’s been gone since noon. He could have taken her anywhere in that time.”

“Hunters?” Aubrey’s brows were pulled into a tight frown. “He’ll have taken her to a compound. Possibly the one in Idaho, but there’s no way to know for sure.”

“There’s more than one?” Raven blurted.

Aubrey nodded. “They have three or four situated around the US, possibly some in Europe. One near here, West Virginia, where my sister is. Another one in Idaho, one in Florida, I think.” She shrugged. “They aren’t the best organized. Splintered in the late 1600s over political strife. Seems that some of their scholars thought that the Huntresses would be better off burned at the stake than fighting alongside the Hunters. Stupid chauvinistic bastards had no clue that they were killing off the only means of battling the wolves. Thought the role of the Huntress was hyped up or something. Got cocky because the wolf numbers were so low. That’s why there’s such an infestation now…werewolves, I mean. No one checking their numbers, culling the herd.” She coughed, cleared her throat. “Sorry, not that I wish that on anyone here…it’s just hard to uningrain doctrine.”

Mayhem couldn’t care less about the history of the Order or their stupid fucking politics. If they had Hannah, they were as good as dead. “Can we find out which one they took her to?”

“Do you have anything that belongs to her?” Darcy moved to the door. “I’ve got a spell, like a tracking spell, that might work if you have something personal of hers. The more intimate the better. Lock of hair perhaps?”

Mayhem shook his head.

“Damn, what about a picture?”

“No, nothing like that. Fuck!” Mayhem stood, his fists clenched tight. He couldn’t even track her at this point, not even if he went back to California. Her scent would have died the second she stepped into that vehicle. Even the pull he felt would only get him so far. “I need to find her! I need to get to California.” Despite the fact that all of his ideas seemed like dead ends, his gut told him to get his ass back to point A. She was there, she might still be there. Hannah was in trouble and he was completely useless here.

“Okay, calm down.” Raven pulled out his cell and punched in a number as he nodded to Darcy. “Go get Jay, Dy and Summer. Tell everyone to pack a bag. Looks like we’re going for a plane ride.”

“This isn’t a pack concern,” Mayhem growled, his mind spinning, his ability to lead taking a back seat to his need for Hannah in his arms, safely away from the Hunters.

“Your mate has been taken by our enemies. Possibly by her Hunter. This is most certainly a pack concern. We’re coming.” Raven lifted his phone to his ear. “Dave, you need to get all of us on a flight to Cali. He did?” Raven’s gaze slammed into Mayhem’s. “Well, there’s no way May will be on it. Make it a flight for later tonight and we’re there. I don’t know, just do it.” He hung up the phone. “You’re not going alone.”

“Did Dave get me a flight?” Mayhem’s anxiety spiked. If he was booked on an earlier flight, damn right he was going alone. He snatched his own phone from the table, determined to call Dave back before he did anything stupid like cancelling his flight in favor of a later one that would accommodate them all.

“You aren’t thinking straight, May! You can’t be on an earlier flight! There’s a time difference, remember? The sun won’t be down in Cali if you leave now!” When Mayhem hit redial, Raven raised his finger, eyes blazing. “With all due respect, May, put that fucking phone down or I’ll break your goddamned hand.”

Mayhem’s rage boiled to the surface, his fangs pressing hard against his bottom lip. “You dare threaten your alpha!”

“I do if he’s being a stubborn ass!” Raven made a move to take the phone, knowing just as well as Mayhem that Dave would do whatever their alpha said.

Mayhem swatted his hand away. “I’m leaving on that flight.”

“Like hell!” Raven launched himself, taking Mayhem by surprise with a sucker punch to the gut—enough to stun him, not enough to knock him down.

He dropped the phone as full-blown rage kicked in, swinging up with his elbow as Raven tried to put him in a headlock. He caught Raven under the chin, a loud crack as his teeth slammed together.

Mayhem’s fangs dropped, claws popping from his fingers as he spun to face his pack brother. “You have a death wish,” he bellowed as he charged.

Three hours later, Raven clenched a cold compress to his bruised cheek. Despite his obvious pain—Mayhem was certain he’d broken the man’s jaw at least once—the jackass was still smiling.

“Fasten your seatbelt, gentlemen. We’re about to take off.”

Mayhem sneered in Raven’s direction. “Insubordination. You’re lucky I don’t rip your throat out.”

“Yeah, yeah, keep talking tough guy, I totally had you.” Raven motioned to the flight attendant for a drink. “Besides, you got your way, kinda.”

Mayhem grumbled. Yeah, he and Raven were flying first class to California, the rest of the group to follow on a later flight. They’d be together, tracking Hannah before sunrise.

He didn’t want the pack involved but he had to admit, Raven had his back despite the nasty cut he was sporting on his bottom lip. Mayhem had forgotten about the time change, hadn’t been thinking straight when he ordered that flight booked.

He would have done it too, boarded a plane that would have forced him to change as soon as he crossed the time zone and the sun flashed into existence. It would have triggered a change mid-flight. That would have created some major fucking problems. So, yeah, Raven was using his head, where Mayhem was totally going with his heart, which was in his throat every time he thought about Hannah being with a Hunter. He needed to get to her. He didn’t like the feeling of leading his pack into danger and his gut was screaming that that was exactly what he was doing.

“It’s gonna get bloody, I know it. I don’t like this, not one bit,” Mayhem growled.

Raven’s smile faded. “I know you don’t, May, but sometimes the alpha doesn’t know best.” He raised his hand when Mayhem made to argue. “Seriously, dude, you need your pack on this one. We’ll get Hannah back, I promise you.”

“Or die trying.”

Chapter Seventeen

One minute, all she could think about was packing up her things and heading to catch her flight so she could be with Mayhem. The next she had somehow agreed to go to lunch with Allan, Mr. Hulking Muscles and Sparkling Eyes. She was in his SUV, headed to the outskirts of the city, away from her apartment, toward some remote restaurant Allan said was a must try.

And up until that very second, she was totally on board. “I have a flight to catch,” she said as she glanced over at him, her gaze doing yet another once over, her heart flip-flopping a little at his fine physique.

He cracked a smile in her direction. “Yes, you have mentioned that.” He winked. “It’s just lunch and your flight isn’t until five, right?”

She nodded, biting her lip with doubt. She shouldn’t be doing this. Mayhem wouldn’t approve.

“Plenty of time to eat and catch your flight.” Allan shrugged. “Besides, we’ll be working together for the next while. Don’t you think it’s a good idea to get to know one another?”

Working together? Right. “Yes, actually, speaking of that—” her brain snapped online “—Mayhem never said anything about hiring a photographer. When did you sign a contract?”

“Contract?” Allan frowned briefly before shrugging. “Why don’t you ask Mayhem yourself? Give him a call. I’m sure he’ll clear up any doubts.”

Yeah, why didn’t I think of that?
“You’re right.” Hannah slid her phone from her purse and scrolled through her contacts. When her gaze landed on his name, she got a jolt of giddy excitement, still finding it surreal that she had the personal phone number of one of the biggest, most sought after, rock stars out there.

And he was hers if she wanted him. She smiled to herself as she tapped his name, sending the call through a second after that.

It rang once then clicked over to voice mail. “It’s Mayhem, leave a message.”

Allan pulled into a small parking lot right next to a building that did indeed look posh, and very expensive. Hannah frowned. She couldn’t afford this place. She clicked the end call, deciding to leave a message later, her mind whirling around how she was going to get out of lunch without totally embarrassing herself.

“Allan,” she started, her voice doubtful. “This place looks like you need reservations…maybe we should…”

Allan cocked a smile and patted her arm. “No worries, Hannah, I’ve got this.”

“But…”

“A friend of mine owns the place. He owes me a few favors.” He winked then motioned to the door. “Come on, you only live once right?”

Hannah’s unease melted away under his sparkling gaze and teasing smile. “Okay.” She beamed back. What could it hurt? She needed to eat, and getting to know her new photographer certainly wasn’t breaking any laws. Besides, if Mayhem had hired him, he had to be all right.

An hour and a half later and they’d finished lunch and were into their second bottle of wine, laughing like old friends. Hannah couldn’t even fathom why she had doubts at all.

“I was admiring your tattoo back at the office. Is it new?” Hannah motioned to his forearm, fighting the urge to run her fingers over the stunning art on his flesh.

Allan moved his arm to the side as he glanced down at his tattoo. “Not new, a few years old. I’m glad you like it.”

Hannah smiled. “It’s amazing artwork. I’ve always wanted to get a tattoo, but have never had the guts to do it.”

“Tattoos on women are very lovely, if done right.” He frowned as he scanned her upper body. “Although it would be a shame to mar your skin. It’s flawless.”

Hannah fought to tamp down the blooming blush as best she could. “Flawless? Ha!” She rotated her arm, lowering her head to hide her face a little with her hair. “Can’t you see all the freckles? I’d hardly say that’s flawless. More like blemished.”

“Freckles are not blemishes.” Allan chuckled softly. “They’re like thousands of beauty marks, especially on you.”

Hannah lowered her head more, her mouth suddenly dry, unsure of what to say. “Um…thank you,” she murmured.

Allan cleared his throat. “I brought my portfolio in. Do you want to see some of my pictures?”

Grateful for the distraction, Hannah sucked in a deep breath and snapped her gaze up again. “Yes, I’d love to.”

He slipped a large leather case onto the table. She hadn’t even noticed he’d carried it in with him, opening her mouth to say that when he unzipped it and flopped it open to the most stunning close-up of Mayhem. She gasped as she leaned forward, mesmerized by the sparkle highlighted in Mayhem’s eyes. It was as if he was right there staring at her. “Beautiful!”

Allan turned the book fully to face her and flipped it to the beginning.

It started with a few shots of other musicians, ones she really didn’t recognize—nice photos—but the shots of Riot were what had her riveted. There were hundreds of them.

“This is quite a collection.” She smiled as she flipped from one photo to the next.

There were pictures of Mayhem on stage, screaming into the mic, some of him signing autographs, others of him walking down the street. All were candid shots, and Hannah was pretty sure that Mayhem hadn’t posed for any, seemingly unaware that the camera was on him. It was obviously the best way to capture the man. His personality blasting through each and every picture. Strong, confident, and very, very male. It was breathtaking and Hannah’s heart raced just looking at him. It spoke to Allan’s talent as a photographer. She could see why Mayhem hired him.

She flipped to the next batch to find more of the rest of the band. “You’ve been their photographer for a while then?”

Allan took a sip of his wine and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been studying them for years. Captivating subjects.” He caught her eye and smiled. “Not as captivating as you though, Hannah.” He reached across the table and ran his fingers over her hand. “I’d love to take your picture one day. Would you ever consider posing for me?”

The way he said it held a suggestion of something more, a deeper meaning that had her blushing once again. She pulled her hand back with a shy smile. “There’s nothing special about me.” She shrugged. “Besides, you’ve got your subject. It’s Mayhem that we need to focus on.”

Allan shook his head as he sat back in his chair. “I beg to disagree. Nothing special, with that hair? Those eyes? You’d light my camera on fire!” He shook his head again. “I’ll just have to show you, really show you, how you look under the lens.”

Hannah giggled quietly, her face growing warmer. “Well…”

Allan moved to pour her more wine and she put her hand over the top of her glass.

“Oh no, I think I’ve had enough. As it is, I might have some trouble on the flight.” She pushed her chair back with a little effort, her body feeling very comfortable staying put. “I’m going to use the washroom and then I really need to be going.”

Allan nodded, his smile fading as fast as it had come. “Of course. I’ll get the bill and we’ll head out.”

Hannah nodded as she stood, swinging her purse over her shoulder and steadying herself on the back of the chair.
Whoa, there, girl. Way too much wine.
She chuckled to herself, not really knowing what had gotten into her. She was so not a drinker and had only ever been drunk a couple of times in her life. She wasn’t drunk now, but definitely not sober either. With a small shake of her head, she made her way through the intimate dining suites to the ladies room, pulling out her phone as she did.

Once inside she hit Mayhem’s number again and cleared her throat, hoping to heck that she didn’t sound as tipsy as she felt. “Hey, Mayhem…”

When she returned to the table Allan was signing the credit card slip. He’d left the portfolio open on the table and she glanced down to see a new photo there—one of a forest scene in middle of the day, light streaming through the heavy trees.

“I’m just going to finish my glass if that’s okay,” Allan said.

Hannah glanced up to see that the waiter had left and Allan was motioning for her to sit. She frowned. “I should really be going. I’ll just call a cab…”

Allan smiled warmly. “Don’t run out and leave me here drinking alone.” He motioned for her to sit again. “Please sit, just until I finish this glass. It’s expensive wine. Don’t want it to go to waste.”

Hannah hesitated, before eyeing the tall glass of water that now stood where her wine glass had been. Okay, water, she needed some of that. She pulled her chair out and sat.

Allan beamed at her and she couldn’t help but feel a sense of calm rushing through her once again. There was something about the man that was so disarming.

“That’s a beautiful picture.” She pointed to the forest scene, noting quite suddenly that there was an animal in the frame, just coming out of the bushes, a big, black… “Is that a wolf?” she gasped.

Allan nodded when she glanced up at him. “Yeah, it is.”

He motioned for her to turn to the next page. When she did, she gasped again. Another wolf, or maybe the same one, close up of its face, fangs bared, muzzle scrunched, fully engaged and ready to rip a chunk out of someone. “That is an amazing shot.” She leaned closer, noting the gorgeous blue eyes of the beast that sparked in a way that almost suggested thought, intelligence. “Weren’t you scared? To get that close, I mean?”

“Scared? Um, yeah, in a manner of speaking. One wrong move could be deadly.” When she looked up at him he was smiling again. “But no worries. I know how to handle myself around the beasts.”

“The beasts?” She giggled. “You make it sound like they’re monsters.”

Allan’s smile slipped from his lips, his eyes losing their playful sparkle. “They are monsters.” He pointed to the photo of the black wolf. “And your Mayhem is the worst of them all.”