Bonded

by Nicky Charles

  Reno felt his heartbeat quicken. This sounded like the break his team had been looking for. “Are they using the tunnels now?”

  “Not yet but there’s been a steady stream of visitors in and out of town for the past few months. My spies have told me a big meeting is about to happen—we just haven’t figured out exactly when. I plan to wait until a number of them are in the tunnels along with Victor and then blast the entrance.” He gave a dry laugh. “Payback for what he tried to do to me.”

  The old Alpha’s plan had Reno chuckling even though he couldn’t officially approve of the method. “So you’re lurking under the town hall to… ?”

  “Pay a visit to Peter. I check on the prisoners every few days. Victor’s had him and the others locked up for weeks now. Thankfully we’ve been able to maintain enough rumbles of dissent within the pack to keep them safe—”

  “And you don’t dare just help them escape in case there’s retribution against their families.”

  “You know about the children?”

  “I scouted out the town earlier this evening and located them living only with full-blooded weres. That made me wonder where the human parents were.”

  “You’re good at this, boy.” Klaus sounded impressed.

  “It’s my job.” Reno bit back his ire over being called ‘boy’ again. What was with these people?

  “Klaus?” A man’s voice—the human, Peter—sounded from above. “I’ve been listening to you two yammer away long enough. Brandi and I want to know what’s going on.”

  Klaus chuckled. “Hold your horses, Peter. You got company, in case you haven’t figured it out yet. Says his name is Reno and he’s a friend of Brandi’s.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  The scraping sound of furniture being pulled across the floor echoed through the cellar. Reno looked up at the grate to find the pale face of a middle-aged man looking back down at him.

  “Hi! I’d shake hands but… ” Peter indicated the grate ruefully.

  Reno nodded while trying to look beyond the man. “Where’s Brandi?”

  “In the room next door. And before you ask, there’s no floor grate in her room. We’ve been talking through an air vent near the ceiling.”

  “Glad your jailers are stupid.” Reno grunted.

  “Or they just don’t have very high expectations of a mere human and a female were.” Peter added.

  “Whatever.” Reno shrugged off the information and reached for the grate. “I can pull this loose, shimmy my way up and get Brandi out.”

  Klaus’ hand landed heavily on his shoulder. “Not so fast, boy. If Brandi disappears, they’re going to wonder how it happened and I can’t have them discovering this access. Right now it’s the only means of escape Peter and the others have if something goes wrong.”

  Reno let his arms drop to his sides. As much as he wanted to get to Brandi and rescue her, he couldn’t endanger the others.

  “So what do you suggest? I’m not willing to leave without making sure Brandi is safe and—no offense—leaving that job to someone else just doesn’t sit well with me.”

  “Best bet is for you to leave town in the morning, then circle back through the mountains and head for the mines. I can have my granddaughter meet you near the base of the mountain and lead you back. We can formulate a plan then.”

  “This granddaughter, is she about twelve or thirteen with blonde hair and lots of ambition?” Reno thought back to the youngster he’d encountered earlier. “I think I met her today near the old coal conveyor.”

  Klaus shook his head. “That’d be her. The minx isn’t supposed to be there but she keeps wanting to help and has decided that guarding my temporary home is her job.”

  “Well, she did her best to scare me away,” Reno chuckled thinking of her tales of ghosts and falling into mine shafts.

  “Humph. I’ll still have to speak with her. She’s going to get into trouble one of these days.” Klaus grimaced and then sighed. “Well, you’d best be off before Walt comes by for his three o’clock inspection.”

  Reno hesitated then looked up through the grate. “Peter, tell Brandi I’m here and that I’ll get her out of this and I said she shouldn’t do something stupid like agreeing to mate Victor.” The last words left a bitter taste in his mouth and he fought the urge to spit after uttering them.

  Peter nodded and conveyed the message. Reno strained to hear Brandi’s answer. It was faint but he was sure she was cursing over him insinuating she’d do something stupid. Klaus chuckled and Reno grinned, pleased to have riled her—it would keep her mind off her problems—then he slipped away. At least she wasn’t losing her fire being locked up, he thought.

  Making his way back to the hatch, he cracked it open and then froze. Someone was out there! Peering out, he saw Walt standing near a street light, examining a large ring of keys. Damn, the man must be early.

  After easing the hatch shut, Reno retraced his steps.

  Klaus frowned when he saw him returning. Reno gave the man no time to talk.

  “Walt’s outside. I can’t go that way and if I stay here he might scent me.”

  “Peter, you’ve got company. Walt’s early. Cover up the grate.” Klaus issued the order to the man who quickly complied.

  “What do you want me to do?” Reno asked tightly hoping his presence didn’t end up harming those above. He rubbed his eyes and gave his head a shake. Two nights without sleep were slowing his thinking.

  “We’ll hide in the entrance to the mine shaft until Walt leaves.” Klaus led the way to the tunnel he’d used to enter the cellar. “The natural scents of the cellar and the way the dresser blocks the grate should keep him from discovering we were here.”

  Reno followed, recalling how he’d frozen in the blackness of the cellar; a tunnel might even be worse. He swallowed hard but steeled his nerve. There was no way he’d show weakness in front of the Alpha.

  To keep his mind off the lack of light, he questioned Klaus. “It’s hard to believe no one has noticed you’ve been down here.”

  “It’s usually just Martha and Walt upstairs. Victor spends most of his time at his project down by the mines. Martha’s one of my spies so she airs the place out if my scent is noticeable and Walt… Well, he’s an unknown factor in all of this.”

  “How so?”

  “The man’s smart but he’s weak and he runs with whoever seems to have the power at the moment. I know he has his suspicions that I’m still around—he’s alluded as much to Martha. Apparently he hasn’t decided what to do about it yet. Near as I can figure he’s waiting to see who comes out on top before making his allegiance known.”

  Reno narrowed his eyes. “Doesn’t sound very trustworthy. Why not eliminate him?”

  “He has his uses. If someone completely loyal to Victor was in charge of the prisoners, they would have mentioned their suspicions about my presence already. And if Walt decides to play his hand early, well, I have people in place who are watching him and they’ll give me warning.”

  Reno grunted. “Victor doesn’t strike me as being stupid. Why is he putting his faith in Walt?”

  “Victor’s arrogant; his superiority complex is his weakness. And while I’m sure he knows Walt can be duplicitous, he doesn’t think the man would dare double cross him.”

  A dim light began to glow in the depths of the tunnel and Reno stiffened wondering if it could be Victor’s people, but Klaus gave a string of whispered curses. “Katherine, I told you to stay behind. I ought to tan your hide for not listening.”

  A young girl appeared, holding a flashlight and in its glow Reno saw the youngster he’d met earlier.

  She lifted her chin and tossed her hair over her shoulder then looked the Alpha directly in the eye. “You always tell me not to go in the mines by myself so I’m just making sure you follow the same rules.” The effect of her show was then ruined when she threw her arms around the man in a bear hug. “Besides, I love you Gramps.”

  Klaus sighed and returned th
e hug. “I love you, too. But I still should tan your hide.”

  Reno suppressed a smile as he noted the girl winking at him over her grandfather’s shoulder before she kissed the man’s cheek. “But you won’t because you’re just an old softie.”

  Klaus released her. “Softie or not, I’m still your Alpha and you need to show respect and follow orders. Someday I won’t be in charge and then you might find yourself in more than a spot of trouble for your defiance.”

  The gentle warning had the girl hanging her head. “I’m sorry, Gramps.”

  The Alpha accepted her apology before nodding towards Reno. “Katie, I hear you already met this fellow out by the mines.”

  “But we weren’t properly introduced.” She held out her hand and Reno shook it, amused at her boldness. Either she didn’t know he was an Enforcer or she was very brave. Few greeted him with that sort of aplomb.

  “Reno Smith.”

  “I know. Everyone’s talking about you.” She giggled but subsided when Klaus gestured for them to be quiet. The faint sound of footsteps could be heard. Walt was in the Town Hall.

  Chapter 23

  Brandi sat on the lumpy sofa, grumbling under her breath, while she waited for Walt to finish his ‘inspection of the detainees’ as the man had loftily put it. Good Lord, why hadn’t she ever noticed what a bag of hot air the man was when she was growing up?

  Walt had already poked his head in her room and was now checking on Peter. A quick trip out back to check on the rest of the prisoners and then he should be gone, which would leave her free to resume finding out what was going on below her.

  As she waited, she mentally berated Reno. She might love the man, but he still drove her crazy. Why was he still in Kolding’s Pass when she’d told him to leave? Was it stubbornness or hadn’t he believed her? A part of her hoped the latter was the case.

  The idea that he thought she held him in contempt made her stomach ache. She didn’t want to hurt him. Of course, her words would only have hurt if he cared about her opinion. But did he? Or had he returned only because he was stubborn and his sense of duty wouldn’t allow him to leave before he checked out her story. She knew him well enough to be certain that he wouldn’t knowingly leave halves in possible danger, regardless of any danger to himself.

  That brought her to another point. How dare he tell her not to do anything stupid while he was carousing around a town full of unfriendly Lycans? Didn’t he realize that someone was bound to pick up his scent? When she got out of this darned room she’d give him a piece of her mind over that stupid stunt.

  There was a rattling at her door as Walt presumably double checked that she was locked in. “I’ll be back in a few hours, so don’t even think of trying to escape.”

  She made a mocking salute even though he couldn’t see it and then leaned her head back against the wall and slowly exhaled. Waiting sucked.

  Barely a moment had passed though before the sounds of a commotion outside her room had her sitting upright and then hurrying to the door. She pressed her ear to the panel in an attempt to hear better.

  “What do you mean, he isn’t in his room? You told me the three of you had scared him spitless; that he wouldn’t dare go out tonight.” Walt was yelling at someone.

  A voice she didn’t recognize answered. “We did. We all beat on him, but when I went back to check, he wasn’t there.”

  “Did he leave town? Is his car still there?” Walt sounded agitated.

  “Yep, and his suitcase is there, too. He must be snooping around town somewhere.”

  “Well why the hell didn’t you just track him?”

  “I tried, but there’s no scent.”

  Walt must have started pacing for the clarity of his voice kept changing. “Don’t be an idiot. Everyone leaves a scent.”

  “Well, I’m telling you he didn’t. Maybe it’s something they teach Enforcers how to do.”

  “Right. As if some magic button turns our scent on and off.” Walt snorted. “No, it’s more likely he pulled some fancy trick. Climbed on the roof or something and you’re just too stupid to figure it out. Get a bunch of your buddies and hunt him down. He has to be somewhere. When you find him, bring him here. I’ll get Victor and see what he wants done. Damn, why does all this have to happen just when we have a mess of visitors coming?”

  The other man concurred. “Yeah, it was bad enough when we got word that Brandi was coming for a visit, but at least we could have handled her; kept her busy and out of the way. Having an Enforcer wandering around, though… If this meeting gets messed up, Victor will be majorly pissed off.”

  Brandi could almost picture the man running his hands through his hair or perhaps wiping the sweat from his forehead. Hmm… Special visitors were coming and outsiders weren’t supposed to know. Purists? Maybe even some of the leaders? The thought had her heart pounding.

  Walt continued. “They’ll be here by noon and we need to get this under control before then.”

  “Can’t we just call and tell them to stay away?”

  “Nope. Thought of that when we heard about Brandi’s visit. Victor says it wouldn’t look good. He’s trying to impress someone and this has to go smoothly.”

  The sound of the outer door slamming had Brandi scrambling across the room. Oh God, the Purists were holding a meeting in town. And Walt was sending some of the locals out to go hunting for Reno! A sick feeling filled her stomach as gruesome images flashed through her mind. While she had great faith in Reno’s abilities, one wolf against a hunting party didn’t stand a chance! Damn Reno for being so pigheaded. Why hadn’t he listened when she’d told him to leave? If he had, he’d be safely out of town right now.

  Brandi rattled the grate. “Peter? You there? Did you hear any of that?”

  “Some, but my human ears aren’t as keen as yours. Fill me in on the details.”

  She did and by the time she was done both she and her wolf were fighting a frenzied need to escape and find their mate. “I’ve got to get word to Reno and tell him to get out of Victor’s territory.”

  Peter swore. “Okay. I think Klaus might still be below. Let me see if I can get his attention.”

  Brandi listened to the sound of furniture being moved about and then heard Peter calling out. As she waited, she kept glancing nervously at the door. Any minute now she expected Victor to appear demanding to know what was going on.

  After what seemed like ages, Peter called to her again. “It’s okay, Klaus has your friend with him.” Brandi slumped against the wall, relieved to know that for the moment Reno was safe. “But he says it’s time we make our move if Victor’s visitors are on their way.”

  “Move? Does that mean he can get me out of here?” She straightened and pressed her hands tightly against the wall wishing she could talk to Klaus herself rather than receive the information second hand.

  “He has a master set of keys that should still work. He’s going to get us all out of here. Word will be sent to our spouses and pups to head into the mines. There’s a prearranged meeting spot, everyone’s just been waiting for the signal.”

  “And then what?”

  “We sit tight. Klaus has a plan to rid our pack of the Purists. That’s all we need to know.”

  Brandi clamped her mouth shut, not at all pleased with the idea of ‘sitting tight,’ however, making sure Reno was safe was her first concern. She’d deal with the rest later. “So, how’s this going to work?”

  “Someone is coming to unlock the doors. We’ll slip out of the building and head for the tunnels.”

  Brandi made a small noise of acknowledgement, while glancing at her watch. How long would it take to get someone up here? Worrying her lip nervously, she paced the room, hoping Reno would listen to Klaus and stay below. If he came up his scent would be a red flag to every Lycan in the town, though how he’d managed to get this far undetected had her completely puzzled.

  She could just imagine the war of wills that was going on below her. Both men would be glaring at ea
ch other, brows lowered and chins jutted. Reno would demand the keys, believing that as an Enforcer it was his job to lead the rescue of the trapped humans. And knowing Klaus from years past, the Alpha would feel the job was his.

  A sound drew her attention from the confrontation she was imagining. A door was opening. Now soft footfalls. Someone was unlocking her door. Brandi tensed, hoping it was a friend but prepared to fight if it wasn’t. The knob turned and the door cracked open.

  “Brandi… ?” A soft voice called out sounding quite young.

  She stepped forward warily in case it was a trap. “That’s me.”

  The door swung completely open and the hallway light revealed a young girl of about twelve or thirteen. “Hi! I’m Katie. Do you remember me?”

  Brandi felt her eyebrows shoot up. Klaus’ granddaughter? She was certainly older than the last time she’d seen the youngster which was several years ago, but still way too young to be involved in a situation as dangerous as this!

  “Sure, I remember you, but—"She glanced behind the girl thinking Klaus or some other adult must be there as well.

  Katie followed the direction of her gaze and must have quickly figured out what was on her mind. “No one’s with me. Gramps and Reno were busy arguing about who should come up here, so I just grabbed the keys and came myself!” She rolled her eyes. “No one notices what pups do. Come on, let’s get Mr. Channing and the others and then we can get out of here.”

  Brandi opened her mouth to scold, but then thought better of it. She’d let Klaus deal with the child. Leaving the room, she kept watch while Katie released Peter and then slipped to the old jail cells in the back. When everyone was free, they quickly made their way to the front door.

  “Which way?” Brandi paused, her hand on the door knob. There was no way this many people could sneak out of the middle of town.

  “Just off the step. There’s an old cellar hatch concealed by the bushes. It’s unlocked. There’s a tunnel below this building that leads into the mines. That’s how Gramps and I got here.”