The first thing both Beau and Titus noticed when they pulled up to the building several minutes later was that the silver razor wire had been stripped from the fence around the property. Just completely gone, as though it had never existed. Beau commented that it was probably because “that shit’s expensive”, and Titus really couldn’t disagree with that assessment. Titus also noted that the fence sections that had been flattened by the police incursion the other night were still lying on the ground. But it seemed like the rest of the rubble from the firefight had been fastidiously picked up; not a single car part or bullet casing was to be seen at a glance. All the vehicles had been removed from the parking lot, in fact. The door that had been busted in was still hanging from one hinge, as there wasn’t a whole lot to be done about it, and the light Titus had shot out was still a shattered remnant. Otherwise, the building just looked like an abandoned derelict rather than the scene of a major law enforcement altercation. 

Beau parked the car directly in front of the address this time. They both sat there for a while, though, just staring at the seemingly innocuous building. Titus spent the time trying to decide how best to proceed. His confidence was still pretty shaken and he was questioning his ability to lead an investigation into what now seemed to be a mass kidnapping and human trafficking case rather than just a simple runaway teen. But there were at least two people depending on him right now, one of whom he knew rather more personally than he really wanted to thanks to Danni’s shenanigans. 

“You gonna get out any time soon?” Beau finally prompted after nearly ten minutes of just staring at the warehouse. 

“I didn’t realize we were waiting on me,” Titus shot back with no real heat.

It still caused the left side of Beau’s monobrow to lift. “Well, it’s your case,” he retorted. “Who else would I be waitin’ on?”

Titus dragged a hand down his face, though he was also fighting off a small grin at Beau’s welcome sass. “Yeah, I guess so. Let’s do this, then.” Even still, Titus waited for Beau to lock up the car and set the alarm before starting forward onto the property.

“Hey.” Beau’s hand on his arm stopped Titus in his tracks with very little effort. “You don’t gotta be nervous. You ain’t alone.” The hazel eyes were filled with concern.

A huge sigh slipped out of Titus. “I know. I just…don’t like the idea of any of this. What if they booby trapped the place on their way out or something?”

“I’ll smell it if they did.” Beau sounded so confident, Titus couldn’t help but feel a little better. “You've trusted me so far, Titus. Don’t let that falter now. I got you.”

Titus closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath before nodding, then released it in a rush. “Thank you. It’s not you I don’t trust, Beau. It’s these bastards. They ambushed us once already, and there’s nothing that says they wouldn’t do it again if given half a chance.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, I don’t smell a damn thing. There’s no scents strong enough here t’be a live person. Though I prob’ly ought to do this in full shift. But I don’t like the idea of not bein’ able t’communicate clearly with ya, since I can’t exactly use m’words while I’m a wolf.”

Titus looked around for a minute. “Is there enough room in the guard shack for you to shift?”

Beau followed his line of sight to the little watch post and considered it for a bit. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Okay. Give me your keys, then. You go in and shift, then I’ll pick up your clothes and put them in the car for you when you’re done.”

Surprise flitted across Beau’s face. He opened his mouth, but no words came out before he closed it again and in the end, he settled for just nodding agreement before handing over the keys and trotting off to take advantage of Titus’ suggestion. Really? Titus mused. Beau Black, rendered speechless? He upheld his promise, though, and turned his back to the guard shack as Beau moved off.

It wasn’t until Titus heard the door begin to creak shut that he thought of another question. “Does it hurt?” he called over his shoulder.

“What?” The creaking paused.

“Shifting. Does it hurt?”

“Not really.” Titus could clearly imagine Beau shrugging. “Won’t say it feels good. More like it just feels strange. Humans and wolves have similar bones and muscles, just in different proportions. The skull and tail changes are the weirdest. You’ll prob’ly hear some strange sounds, but don’t be too concerned. Ain’t gotten stuck halfway in several years.”

Beau shut the door the rest of the way before Titus could inquire about that further. It almost tempted Titus into turning around in shock and surprise, but he managed to stop himself before he did more than glance toward his own shoulder. It just figured that Beau would still find a way to get in the last word.

The sounds that emanated from the guard shack definitely would have worried Titus if he hadn’t been forewarned. Mostly, there were low groans and grunts of discomfort. A couple of odd popping noises were slightly more concerning, and Titus did fret a little. But he kept his eyes off the events occurring behind him. Because he’d promised, damn it. And Titus tried very hard to be a man of his word. 

Maybe that was what was bothering him the worst about this whole situation, he reasoned. He’d promised Beau that he’d retrieve Danni, and then hadn’t been able to. It felt to Titus like a betrayal of the other man’s trust. And it followed that Beau should be angry with him for that. 

Yet, Beau swore he wasn’t. That he was only pissed off at the perps. Which, Titus understood, was also a reasonable response. But Titus also knew that if it had been one of his cousins or one of the Lyco fosters he’d grown up with, he’d have been absolutely livid with whoever had let them be taken. They were just kids.

And that was the lightbulb moment for Titus. He realized he was looking at it from the perspective of someone protecting another person that was fundamentally helpless. But Danni wasn’t helpless. They were a grown ass adult in their own right. And while Titus only saw someone that needed saving, Beau had an entirely different perspective on his sibling’s abilities. 

It was the creaking hinges of the door being opened again that pulled Titus out of his musings. Beau was probably done with his shapeshift, Titus reasoned. But still, he remained facing away from the little shack. Beau had asked to be trusted, and Titus did. But he also wanted to show that it worked both ways. That Beau could trust him right back. So he kept his eyes firmly turned away and waited, despite an eagerness to see what Beau looked like as a wolf. A clicking sound approached Titus. It was followed by a brief whine, and a damp nose pressed into the palm of his hand. Only then did he look down.

The hazel eyes peeking up at Titus immediately confirmed that this was Beau. The fox red fur was the same, too, but it was the eyes of this wolf that Titus recognized. There was a cunning intelligence in those orbs that Titus had never seen in any of the dogs his family had owned over the years. And something about them was just fundamentally Beau. 

As a wolf, Beau was huge. He was compact in a bulky way, without the usual sleek lines of a wolf but still conveying a powerful hunter. Wolf Beau looked like what Titus imagined a wolf would look like if one underwent a rigorous training program to become a bodybuilder. That ruddy ginger fur covered Beau in a thick coat and darkened to a deep russet on his paws and tail, while lightening to almost vivid orange on his chest. Titus’ fingers itched to dig into that gorgeous pelt. But it would have been just as awkward as if he'd given in to the impulse he’d had with Beau’s beard.

“Let me just tuck your clothes back into the car, then we’ll be ready,” Titus commented. The nod that Beau conveyed back looked sorely out of place on a lupine body. “It’s creepy when you do that. Just so you know.” Beau canted his head inquisitively. “Wolves shouldn’t nod! It’s just weird.” The way Beau opened his mouth to allow his tongue to loll out gave Titus the distinct impression he was being laughed at. With a chuckle and a shake of his head, Titus retrieved the discarded garments from the guard shack and tucked them away quickly. Once the car was securely locked up again, he turned back to the building. “Ready?”

The huff of air from his side sounded strangely like an agreement to Titus.