Pack Investigator by Crissy Smith

“We’ll have some fun and get Randy back home to his boy.”
    “Sounds good to me,” Garrett agreed. He leaned back, resting against the side of the van.
    His partner sat in front of him writing in a small notebook. Haas glanced at him and winked before getting back to it. The van didn’t have any windows so Garrett couldn’t follow where they were. He pictured the drive to the old property in his mind. It would only take the team ten minutes to get to their position to gather before entering the property. The time seemed to fly by. Garrett shook himself from his thoughts as the vehicle slowed before it came to a stop.
    “Stay here,” Haas ordered then made his way to the back doors just as they opened.
    Haas jumped down. Two men met him at the end of the van and they all leaned in together to talk. Garrett wished he had enhanced hearing like the shifters. Instead he just rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
    “Ready?” Johnny asked as he bumped Garrett’s shoulder.
    “Yeah, can you hear what they’re talking about?” Garrett questioned.
    “Haas sent a couple of boys to keep an eye out while we got organized. There’s an old house with one man that keeps peeking out the front window. That’s where we think Randy is being held. No other suspects have been spotted,” Johnny whispered.
    “So the place isn’t empty, that’s good news,” Garrett said.
    “This is it,” Johnny replied. “I just have a feeling.”
    “I sure hope so,” Garrett said. “I want to get the kid back to his dad.”
    “I’d heard you’ve gone above and beyond for the boy. Everyone’s talking about how you even had him placed with your sister and Cooper. You impressed a lot of the Pack.”
    “I just wanted him safe,” Garrett told him.
    “And that’s how we knew you were one of us.” Johnny slapped his shoulder just as Haas climbed back inside the van. The doors closed behind him and Haas grinned at Garrett.
    “It’s on,” Haas said.
    Garrett blew out a breath that he hadn’t been aware he’d been holding. It was on indeed. Hopefully Randy could make it another hour or even less. They were only minutes away from his rescue.
    The van started moving, and Garrett slammed his hand down on the seat between him and Johnny. The shifter chuckled next to him as they lurched to the side.
    “Hang on, boy,” Johnny teased.
    Garrett huffed but resisted sparring with the man.
    “We’re pulling in,” the driver called back.
    “The van will park at the side of the house. I’m with team one and we’ll head to the front. Garrett, you’re with team two and will hit the back. There will be two more squads covering the sides,” Haas explained.
    “There won’t be any mistakes,” Johnny promised.
    “No, there won’t,” Haas repeated.
    The sound of the tires grew louder when they moved off the blacktop to the dirt road leading up to the house.
    “Countdown,” the driver hollered back.
    Garrett closed his eyes and started to count backward. When he got to ten he could feel the men around him tense in anticipation. Five…four…three…two…one.
    The doors flew open, and Garrett joined the others in jumping out of the van with Johnny by his side. They raced around the side of the house to the flimsy back door. Two of the officers yanked the screen wide before one of them put their boot in the side and kicked it, allowing them entry. Garrett wanted to see what was happening but he had to wait until it was safe. Until he could carry a firearm he couldn’t risk going into the house before the cops cleared the house and had the suspects under control. He rocked back on his heels. Come on, come on.
    “Clear,” someone yelled from inside the house. Garrett rushed forward with Johnny right there with him.
    There was one man in the kitchen, lying on his stomach with his hands cuffed behind his back. Garrett wished he was alone with the creep. The man had taken Nick’s dad from him and caused the boy to go through way too