by Tl Reeve
“What are you doing? You gonna get yourself killed, or worse, them?” The snarl on Christoph’s face brought Nico out of his haze.
“Sorry.” No, fuck that, he wasn’t sorry. How the fuck would Christoph or Jackson react if it was Bell inside? “I have to get to them. Hayden is in there, and so is my son!”
“Breaching now will only cause more collateral damage. We have to wait. We have one minute to breach.”
A minute was too long. Nico could feel it. Whatever Worthington was doing in that fucking space would destroy all the progress Nico and Hayden had accomplished. He couldn’t stand for it. “We have to go.”
Christoph shook his head. “Not yet.”
“He’s got a point,” Black Jack said. “I saw her. This shit needs to end.”
“We ha—”
A scream tore through the air. Hayden. Nico launched himself at the building. Fuck them. Fuck her family. Fuck the mission. His mate was being hurt, and he was going to put a stop to it. Nico kicked down the metal door. The resounding crash echoed off the walls of the empty building. His eyes adjusted to the minimal lighting and found Hayden chained to a table; the sick fuck Worthington had been poised to climb up over her prone body.
Nico charged.
He didn’t need the gun in his holster. He didn’t need the knife at his thigh. He wanted to use his hands. Tear the son of a bitch limb from fucking limb. A red film colored his vision, washing everything in his line of sight in the same hue. His wolf joined him, pushing forward enough to give Nico an added boost of strength and agility. His canines grew, curving like his wolf’s counterpart. The thrill of the hunt was upon him, causing his blood to rush through his veins with an extra push of adrenaline.
Worthington grabbed his gun, leveling it on Nico. He pulled the trigger, shooting him in the shoulder. Nico paused momentarily. The wild edge he’d been grasping at since waking up in the desert surfaced. He used his claw-tipped fingers to dig the bullet out then dropped it on the floor. Worthington recoiled. Nico licked the tips of his fingers, cleaning up the mess he’d made while the hole in his shoulder knitted together. Worthington shot at him again, missing Nico by less than an inch. The projectile grazed his arm, leaving a white-hot strip of agony in its wake.
His wolf howled in outrage.
Nico curled his lip, letting loose a vicious growl of vengeance. He closed the distance between himself and Henry Worthington before shoving the naked man off the table. The gut twisting thud of Henry’s body hitting the metal wall behind him sent a thrill through Nico. The gun in Worthington’s hand went skittering across the floor out of the motherfucker’s reach. No one would touch his mate.
No one.
Worthington groaned. He braced his hands on the concrete floor before pushing himself up into a standing position. Blood trickled down his forehead as he wobbled on his feet, naked as the day he’d been born. Scars crisscrossed his body. Some reminded him of the ones Danielle had as well. Around Worthington’s neck, Nico saw the healed remains of ligature marks. A drop of sympathy infused the rage, but not enough to keep Nico from killing him. Henry squared his body. Both of his hands were clenched in front of him. If he wanted a fight, Nico would give it to him.
“You should have never touched my mate,” Nico growled.
“You mean my niece?” Worthington spat out a wad of blood. “She is a sweet little morsel. I’m going to enjoy fucking her in a puddle of your blood.”
Nico bared his teeth. He couldn’t focus on what the asshole had said. Later, when he could investigate Henry Worthington fully, he would find out the truth. For now, he considered the words a bait to catch Nico off guard. He glanced over at Hayden, who fought against her restraints. The vicious snarl on her lips gave him an extra kick of eagerness. His mate was with him.
Worthington charged at Nico on unsteady legs. His body weaved as he got closer. Nico used it to his advantage, swiping at Worthington’s chest. Blood poured from the wound. Henry paused. His body shuddered before he turned around and came at Nico again. At the last second, Nico crouched down and sliced the bastard’s lower stomach. His nails dug through flesh and muscle. The smell of blood and death sang through Nico’s senses.
“Whoever tried to hang you should be shot,” Nico muttered. “They didn’t finish the fucking job.”
Worthington chuckled. Blood dribbled from the corners of his mouth. “I killed them. After I toyed with them like they did to me.”
“Boo-freaking-hoo, cry me a fucking river.” Nico grabbed for his arm.
Worthington blocked him, knocking Nico on his ass, then crawled toward the gun. Pain bloomed in Nico’s skull and his back. White spots danced before his eyes. He shook his head to clear his vision. If Worthington got to his gun, the whole thing would be over. Nico knew the man wouldn’t hesitate to kill him and Hayden.
The snap of metal drew his attention. Hayden broke free of the chains restraining her arms and lurched to her side, grabbing Worthington by the hair as he continued to crawl. Nico watched in fascination as her claws dug into his scalp. His terror-filled screams echoing off the walls were music to Nico’s ears.
Worthington grabbed ahold of Hayden’s forearm and desperately tugged at it. Instead of loosening her hold, she curled her fingers in, ripping at the man’s scalp, exposing bone to Nico’s gaze. A hunger he couldn’t properly explained took root in his belly. It had been a mix between arousal and the need to murder. To kill. Not even as a wolf had he experienced it before. Could it be what killers felt the split second before they dealt the final death blow?
He rode the waves of it along with adrenaline as he stepped closer to his mate and the man who thought he’d get away with taking what belonged to Nico. Hayden’s breath came in soft pants. Her eyes were wild. A part of Nico wanted to continue to toy with the man, let him think he had the upper hand, but when he heard the soft cry from the corner of the room, Nico knew he had to make it quick.
Lightning flashed in the windows, illuminating the room. He saw the little fur ball then, chained to a post near a lit furnace. Parts of his son’s fur had been singed. A blister covered his small paw. Thunder rumbled in the distance as the first pitter-pat of rain hit the roof of the building. There’d be no more playing around.
They were out of time.
In the distance, he could hear someone yelling his name along with something else he couldn’t make out. Lost in the fog of retribution, Nico let time slip away. He forgot all about the mission and let nature take its course.
Fuck.
The stench of urine and shit hit his nose, and his stomach turned. He glanced down at Worthington and shook his head. For such a tough guy, the bastard couldn’t hold his bowels or his piss. “I’d love to stay and play, but I have better things to do.” With one final swipe of his claws, Nico cut through Worthington’s throat, leaving a hole where his esophagus once belonged. Hayden let go of the asshole’s head, allowing his body to crumple to the ground.
Nico stood over him for a moment more, then went in search of the keys to let Hayden the rest of the way out. He found them in Henry’s pants pocket. Once he had his mate free and had given her his shirt, he went to his boy. The poor little cub shivered in the corner, half from the pain and Nico believed half from scents in the room. No child, especially a baby, should have to witness anything of the sort. He hated himself for letting go as he did, but Worthington deserved it. He’d never make excuses for that fact.
He gathered the boy up in his arms and gave him a quick once over. Besides the injuries he’d already seen, he also noticed his back foot had a gash in it as well. Hayden joined them moments later. The smell of sunshine and cotton candy enveloped Nico, settling him some. He pressed his face to the crown of her head and inhaled. He got to her in time.
He saved her.
The ground rumbled below their feet. Hayden looked to him, her eyes round with surprise and a hint of fear. He knew that sound. They had to go. Now. He chided himself for taking way too damn long. He knew a sto
rm was coming and realized what would come with it, if he didn’t hurry. Now, he could only hope they beat it.
“We need to run. Can you?”
Hayden nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry about me. Just don’t let him go.”
Not in this lifetime would he ever let either of them go. “Run.”
Shouting filled the comms as they ran for the exit. The remains of whatever Worthington had been working on would have to wait to be sifted through after the storm passed. Nico understood some of it would be destroyed, but whatever had been left would be used to tear apart what this new organization had intended to accomplish.
Nico pushed through the door first as a wash of mud and debris cascaded down the hillside. Rocks the size of Enforcers tumbled down the lane. “This won’t be easy.”
“Like it has been already?” Hayden pushed her wet hair from her face. “We’ve done this as kids. We can do this again.”
He shook his head. “You’re crazy, mate.” The rumble of flowing water grew louder, until the ground was washed out from under him.
Hayden screamed. Muddy water rushed around him as he was washed away from the building. He clung tight to the boy in his arms, unable to control which way he went. His heart pounded. He’d come so far, and he wouldn’t see it ending by him drowning in a pile of shit because of a monsoon.
He clawed at the ground trying to slow himself down, but all he’d been successful at doing was tearing up his hands. The cub in his arms squirmed and cried out. His eyes were round with fear. No, he couldn’t let his boy down. He’d do whatever it took to keep them safe. He’d already made the promise to him.
“Any help would be nice,” he said, hoping someone would hear him.
A crash above him drew his attention as a giant boulder ripped through the center of the warehouse and careened off the cliff to the valley below. Nico tucked the bear closer to his chest as debris came crashing down around them. He glanced over his shoulder and found a muddy-faced Hayden right behind him, with her hands over her head, for protection. This shit was getting crazy. There had to be a way to stop. Someone had to have seen them, and pretty soon there’d be a rope he could grab onto.
Instead, he went flying. Nico cursed as the blustery wind whipped rain around him. He opened his eyes to find he and Hayden had been picked up by Jackson. The damn dragon glided over the muddy hilltop holding onto both of them, like it’d been no big deal. He looked to his mate who pushed her mud and trash covered hair from her face. Tracks of brown and red dirt rolled down her face as the rain continued to batter them. In his arms, the cub squirmed then sneezed, blowing mud all over Nico’s chest.
Hayden laughed, then so did he.
“Take us back to base,” he said.
* * * *
Hayden emerged from the back of the SUV, dried and in clean clothes. She hadn’t anticipated being washed away by a flood, but so be it. When she got home, she’d take a shower and wash the rest of the grime and muck away. Until then, she’d deal with it.
She hadn’t expected Nico to show up when he had. Hadn’t predicted the way she’d react to the man who said he’d been her uncle. Crazy, she came to realize, ran in her family. She frowned. She learned so much from Henry, most of which she’d have to tell her uncle about. Some of which she knew would destroy Mackenzie. Pfft, who was she kidding? All of it would destroy Mackenzie.
She walked over to where Nico sat holding their son while Maxwell did a little field medicine on their son. Later, she’d take him to Danielle and have her heal him. Until then, she sat beside Nico and placed her hand in his. “What a day, huh?”
He snorted. “I thought I lost you.”
She grinned. “Rafertys don’t die.”
Kalkin laughed. “If you weren’t Jace’s, I’d swear you were mine. Both of you need your asses whooped for that little fucking stunt up there.” Their Alpha and uncle had been covered in mud, as were all the other guys. None of them escaped the torrent of rain, except Jackson who stood to the side talking to Christoph.
“Wasn’t like I planned on it,” Nico answered. “Kind of got washed away.”
“We’d only been trying to tell you for ten minutes,” Kalkin grumbled.
“We were taking out the trash.” Hayden shrugged. “Can’t fault us for having a little fun doing so.”
“You better have gotten me good intel, too,” Kalkin snapped. “We wanted him alive.”
“I did,” Hayden answered. “But, you won’t like it.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Kalkin ushered them over to his Enforcer, after Maxwell finished fixing up their cub.
The boy needed a name. “What do you think of Asher, as our son’s name?” The little boy peered up at her with hopeful green eyes.
“I think you got it right,” Nico said. “Asher it is.”
The cub made a soft squeaking noise of approval then crawled over into Hayden’s arms and fell asleep. The whole ride back to town, she contemplated what would happen once she explained Worthington’s plans and who he’d been to her. Not even she could fully grasp the situation. How could she expect anyone else to do the same? They pulled up to the Sheriff’s Department and got out. As soon as her feet hit the asphalt, Danielle was there, taking the small bundle from her.
“Don’t worry, he’ll be right as rain soon.” She hugged Hayden tight. “There is so much we have to talk about, but right now isn’t the time. Just know, Keeley and I are here for you.” She gave Hayden a knowing smile before crossing the road to Annabelle’s shop, a mainstay for their family.
When they entered the building, it’d been like the weight of the world landed on Hayden’s shoulders. She’d done so well to hold back all of the emotions running through her. However, when time came to explain everything, she didn’t know if she could. She didn’t know if she had the strength to do so.
Kalkin led them back to his office. The familiar place didn’t feel so familiar without Loraine sitting behind the desk, and with Brooklyn there instead, her stomach twisted. The girl hated her for no other reason other than she’d been friends with Adam. Hayden slumped into the chair across from Kalkin. She’d been bone-tired and heart-weary. The injuries she sustained weren’t as bad as she thought, or maybe they’d healed quicker than she expected due to her wolf genetics, and her aunt’s restorative abilities.
Kalkin took a seat as well and turned on a small recorder he kept on him at all times. “It is fourteen hundred hours, June fifteenth. In the office with me is Nico Lopez and Hayden Raferty Lopez.” He continued to relay information pertinent to the case. “Hayden, please state your name and to the best of your knowledge what happened to you along with any information you deem important to this case.”
For an hour she sat there and spilled her guts. She told them about PBH—Paranormal Bounty Hunters—and about her life. About Holly. She told them what Worthington said about Hazel and Simon, how they used Henry for their messed-up games. Then she gathered up the tattered edges of her nerves and explained the new experiments Henry wanted to conduct on her. The army he hoped to build to fund the new forces of PBH.
When she was done, she sat back in her chair, emotionally spent and physically tired, aching from head to toe. All this time she thought Holly meant to keep her safe. All this time she thought Holly would never hurt her. All this time she put her faith in someone who more than likely saw her as a pawn in some game or a shield to keep her own ass from frying. When her aunt said she was leaving Window Rock all those years ago, she should have let her. Their lives would have been the same, only Holly wouldn’t have destroyed Mackenzie’s life or Liam and Riley’s. The boy and the girl had come to Mackenzie and Holly as babies, Mackenzie’s way of creating a family with Holly, to make her feel included. Now, Hayden understood it for what it was; Holly didn’t belong because she wasn’t supposed to stay.
For a long time after she finished spewing her guts, Kalkin sat across from her with a blank expression. He didn’t say anything, and she worried he would tell her, t
hough she’d been born a Raferty, she couldn’t stay either. In a way, she didn’t blame him. She couldn’t be trusted. She’d hidden her abilities, just like she’d hidden being able to shift for as long as she could remember. But how was she supposed to know, like with being a wolf, she too had abilities like her Aunt Keeley? When Worthington tried to hurt her and Nico, she’d acted on instinct. Something inside of her broke.
“You also don’t have to worry about me passing along the crazy gene,” she muttered. “Henry said there is a blocker inside of me. Something only he could fix. He said Holly has been keeping it in place for all these years.”
Shame washed over her. She’d always figured there’d been something wrong with her, just not this. She couldn’t look at her uncle or her mate, too afraid they’d see her as a monster of Worthington’s making or worse, her aunt’s. Nothing, she realized, would ever be the same after that moment sitting in her uncle’s office. Now everyone would know she was broken.
“Horse shit,” Kalkin snarled. “There ain’t a damn thing wrong with you. If there was, your Aunt Danielle would have found it years ago.”
Hayden looked up at Kalkin, who scowled. “But he sa—”
“Don’t give a shit. He only said it to get into your head, girl. Wisen up. As for your aunt Holly, she won’t be able to hurt you or this pack anymore.” Kalkin’s hand curled into a fist. “I let her run roughshod over Mackenzie for years now, because we didn’t want to hurt you. Well, no more.”
The door to his office opened, and Mackenzie stood there. His face was pale. His hands were shaking. She’d never seen her uncle look so weak or out of sorts. She rushed to his side, along with Nico, and guided him into the chair. He bent his head and ran his fingers through his hair before snatching at it.
“She’s gone.” Mackenzie voice relayed none of the emotion his body conveyed. “All of her shit. All of our money. Gone.”
Before Hayden could say anything, Kalkin was out of his chair and out his door. The sound of a body hitting bulletproof glass rattled Hayden’s bones. She and Nico hurried after her uncle but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Brooklyn against the glass, her feet dangling off the floor.