All Chapters of Bounty for the Lycan Princess ~Nichols~: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

Harley~ This was a goose chase; I knew it as soon as I got out of my car to take a look around -there was no trap house or anything else to be found here. I'd been so lost in my head with Nick, absent-mindedly following the GPS, that I hadn't paid attention to where I was going. However, I end up on the Southside of town, in the middle of nowhere. My wolf is quick to point out my poor decisions. 'I told you it was a waste coming out here, and you see so is trying to run from Nick. Something doesn't feel right about this, Harley. We came, we saw, now let's go! 'In a minute, Rae, false reports and mis-sightings come in all the time, and I'm not discussing Nick with you.' I raised my arms out to my sides. 'Look at where we are.' She is right, but so am I, and we might as well enjoy the scenery, as it is beautiful. The clear blue sky provides a perfect backdrop for the distant mountains, and the lush vegetation covers the valley floor with precision. This is why the Rolling Bridge com

Nick~ Never could I have imagined that I would know the inside of a police station with the level of precision that I do now. But since Harley has been gone, these concrete walls and shatterproof windows have become my grim existence. From the yellow-walled break room to the co-ed, always-cold locker room, I've paced every inch over the past two days. Other than raw adrenaline, the only things keeping us going are my working closely with the other detectives by day, and Zeke continuing the search by wolf at night. He's still big mad at me and hasn't let me forget for a millisecond how this is all my fault, and I can't argue with him for being right. 'We can't just sit here and do nothing; there's more ground we need to cover!' 'You don't think a 500-pound wolf roaming LA in broad daylight will raise a few eyebrows? How are we going to save Harley if we get caught ourselves?' 'I'd rather get caught productively than spin our wheels. She wouldn't need saving if you hadn't drive

Nick~ I'm not given any slack as I pulled into the parking lot of Harley's apartment building and parked the car. All I can think about are the nights I'd sat here and waited for her light to go out. It still didn't seem real to me that she would be gone in a flash. I've never lost anything I ever missed until now. My hands were wringing the steering wheel as I took a deep breath and looked over at my shoe in the passenger seat. Despite it all, a smile comes to my face as my wayward mind must be playing tricks; I could almost see my ride-or-die sitting there smiling back at her Wolfman. 'Nick, I know this isn't easy for you, but we must find her. The only way to do that is in there.' 'I'm going, Zeek, but I've never done this before; a little support would be nice. We need to call a truce at least until we find her. After that, you can go back to being an ass.' The parking lot is dark and deserted, other than a couple of the 3rd shifters coming in from work as I get out. It'

Nick~ The ride back to LA took me half the time it had taken to get to Melinda's place. Still, only the big trucks and I remain as the sun is coming up over the mountains. The morning light is painting the sky with deep burnt oranges and light shades of blue against a cloud-textured background as I roll into Santa Monica's city limits. It's beautiful, but also just another sunrise without my Amante. I hope this day ends better than it started. My inward eye refuses to give up the image of my beautiful Harley sitting on the barstool at McGilleys, reminding me of what's at stake. My alter ego kicked in. Agent Reins gave a tactical analysis of the situation, reminding me there didn't need to be any question about why I hadn't called for backup. So I called the captain, putting the word in his ear that the FBI got a tip, and Steve had Harley at one of the pier warehouses along the bay. Of course, I kept the location Lauren had given me to myself. Zeek and I wanted to be the ones t

Nick~ On our way back to the ravine where I'd hidden my clothes, Zeek covers his tracks; we take a little longer, but at this point, it's an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure type of situation. When we reach the clearing, we shift, and I head off in the opposite direction, doubling back after about a mile or so; that should do it. Images of Harley flood my mind, and I'm wishing I'd taken the time to clean her up a bit before the cops arrived. It may be vain or prideful, but I didn't want anyone to see her as the broken, naked mess I left in the warehouse. The nagging truth was that I only wanted to make it better, and that was all I had to offer. 'So what's our next move, Nick?' 'We don't have one. You have done your part, and I need you to lie low. Now it's my turn to be the FBI agent. If I pull this off, I deserve an Oscar.' Before I get too far, the ground under me quakes, and the sky rumbles with thunder. 'We have company, Nick.' 'Can't say as I am surprised,