“But I—”
A sudden yelp had Maarten opening his eyes. A man—presumably the one who’d made the crude comment about Maarten’s clothes—made a gargling noise as his throat was slit. Blood spewed out and the pungent scent of death filled the room. A second man grunted and let the lifeless body drop to the floor at Maarten’s feet.
Butler wiped off the blade of the knife he was holding. “I can’t tolerate such stupidity.” He tucked the knife into his sleeve and arched an eyebrow at Maarten. “Surprised? Very few people are all good or all bad. Even your beloved boyfriend must surely be an ass at times.”
“Not a drug dealing, kidnapping, murdering ass,” Maarten finally said, his voice so rough as to be unrecognizable to him. He was thirsty and miserable, and Butler was an idiot to compare himself to Ryder.
Butler gave him another of those weird smiles. “Sadist. You should add that to your list of my faults. I do try to keep that contained to willing partners, however—with the rare exception of enjoying a prisoner’s pain. Besides, we can’t all be the good guys, can we?”
Maarten didn’t get a chance to answer. At that moment, his arms were unchained and the pain caused upon having them moved was unlike anything he’d ever felt before.
Butler liked to see people hurt, he was enjoying himself for certain when Maarten bellowed as stiff muscles were forced to move.
“Very nice,” Butler murmured. “Very nice indeed.”
Maarten blacked out for a moment when the rest of the restraints were undone. He woke up on the floor with one man aiming a wicked looking gun at him. Maarten could see that it was loaded with darts attached to vials of gold liquid.
The dead man was gone and a middle-aged woman knelt, scrubbing the floor. As far as Maarten could tell, Butler wasn’t in the room anymore.
“Ryder?”
“We’ll be there soon, Maarten. Olin is checking into some things. He thinks Butler had people spying on our pack all along. This guy was able to shut down Keegan and Olin’s phones, so he has power, money, access to equipment and—or—people who can do things like that for him. He’s not some stupid, small time criminal like I first thought. And he knows where we are, so we can’t sneak in yet. Soon, but not yet.”
Maarten trusted his mate. “I’ll just wait here for you then. Be careful.”
Ryder’s amusement was slight but there. “Yeah, wouldn’t want you to run off—unless you can, then do it.”
“I can’t even stand up.” Maarten was so weak it was pathetic. Between the dehydration, the beating, and being pinned like a bug to the wall, his strength was gone. “Thirsty,” he complained out loud.
The man holding the gun shook his head. “Señor Butler said nothing for you.”
Butler didn’t want him to regain his strength. That was one thing, but, “I will die if I don’t get a drink.” Eventually, he would. Not right away. There was no need to say as much.
The door came open.
Maarten knew it was Butler just from the way the energy in the room ramped up.
“Now, I do think you’re exaggerating.” Butler grinned as he strolled over. “Zito, you can step back. The tranq gun is quite effective at a distance, remember?”
Zito, the man holding the weapon, took a step back. “He is fast.”
Butler chuckled. “Not now he isn’t. He’s hurting and thirsty. Luis, bring a half-cup of water from the yellow jug in the refrigerator downstairs. The rest of you may move back as well.”
Maarten tried to move his arms. The pain was incredibly sharp.
Butler squatted beside him. “There are snipers outside, waiting for your friends to arrive. I’m sorry, your boyfriend and friends. I wouldn’t want to negate your relationship. You…” Butler stared at him, taking a slow perusal of Maarten’s body.
Did he hesitate over Maarten’s private parts? Maarten thought he might have but wasn’t certain.
“You fascinate me,” Butler murmured. “Strange, because men hardly ever appeal to me and when they do, they’re much more flamboyant—more flamboyant than bright green pants and orange underwear. It’s usually the makeup and, well, the swish, as I call it.” Butler laid a hand on Maarten’s side, on the very spot he’d been punched earlier. “I do like the way you flinch. Such a strong, silent type. If it makes you feel better, I wouldn’t rape you. I’m not that kind of monster.” His mouth kicked up in a grin on one side. “Just a common drug dealer, not a sexual predator. However, if you decide to try something different than your usual fare, I’d be interested in exploring your potential as a sub with you. Or just fucking you, though I will warn you—there will be pain involved.”
Maarten had to work very hard to keep the disgust from his expression as he listened to Ryder rant in his head about how he was going to kill Butler.
“Just something to think about. No need to answer right now.” Butler ran his hand up to just under Maarten’s pec. “Ah. So tempting, but there’s the line I won’t cross.” Butler stood, taking his creepy touching with him. “You look so repulsed, and how odd that such an expression also turns me on. You are very unique, Maarten. I intend to have you, so start thinking about the best way to capitulate to me while maintaining a semblance of that pride and distaste.”
“You’re fucking warped,” Maarten couldn’t help but utter.
Butler nodded. “That I am.” He met Luis at the door. “Oh good. Set it on the floor about four feet from his left hand. If Maarten wants a drink, he’ll find a way to get it. Of course, if he tries to attack or turn into a demon, shoot him with the tranquilizer. But…” He looked at Zito. “There are cameras in here, and if I see that you simply panic and fire, I will eliminate you like I did your brother for his comment.”
Zito nodded. “Yes, I understand.”
Butler left the room and Maarten found himself being watched by six very nervous men. He knew the names of two of them and from that, he could perhaps begin to work on them. Not if the other four remained in the room. And not if they all kept looking at him like he really was a demon. Butler had them all brainwashed.
Now that Maarten could smell again, he scented a great deal of fear, some anger, blood—because scrubbing the floor hadn’t rid the room of the smell of that or death—and a rich, pungent odor that belonged to Butler. He also knew each man’s individual aroma.
Whatever Butler wore for cologne was unlike anything Maarten had smelled on a man before. He suspected pheromones were used in it because it appealed to his wolf’s nose.
It did not make him want Butler. “He’s such a weird mix of bad and not exactly evil.”
“He’s a sociopath,” Ryder growled. “If he isn’t, he should be.”
“But he has a point. Most people aren’t all bad or all good. I still think he needs to die, mind you. I’m just saying, he’s not simply one thing—a drug dealer.” Maarten wasn’t defending Butler, more like defining him. It would be easier if the man were truly evil incarnate. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t.
Maarten tilted his head and spied the cup. It was out of reach, and he was going to have to roll and reach for it. The imploring look he sent first to Zito then to Luis got him nothing but scoffing laughter.
“Fine, then.” Maarten remembered the whole demon thing and grinned to himself. “I will pox every one of you. Imagine the things a demon can make go wrong.”
Someone whimpered. Maarten tried not to gloat. He did some whimpering of his own as he forced himself to sit up. He was short of breath just from that small movement. His ribs were definitely cracked. In a couple of days he’d be fine, as long as he was left to heal.
Maarten inched toward the cup. He was so thirsty he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. He lifted the cup in both hands, trying so hard not to spill a drop. Butler intended to keep him weak and wounded. He knew that. A half cup of water wasn’t nearly enough to do him any good.
Maarten still wanted it ferociously.
He brought the cup to his lips and almost wept with relief as the
wetness spilled into his mouth. The bitter, acrid taste and scent registered right after, and by then it was too late. Maarten swallowed compulsively and screamed as agony ripped through him.
“Ah, so that does work,” he heard seconds later as he lay curled into a fetal position, shaking, convulsing, waiting to die.
Ryder was shouting in his head, telling him to hold on.
Maarten didn’t know if he could. He had thought the pain was bad when he’d been taken down, but it was nothing like what he felt now. His insides were hot, his tongue thick and swollen, his throat the same. Each breath was a battle.
“Hmm. It might be too effective. Damn. Bring some clean water in. Damn it. Damn it!”
It brought him no comfort that Butler sounded almost as upset as Ryder.
* * * *
“There are types of datura in Brazil, yes,” Olin said, reading off his phone. “One kind is locked up and controlled because it’s dangerous. There are other forms.”
“You have one of the pills,” Marcus murmured to Ryder. “Is it with you?”
“No, goddamn it!” Ryder snapped.
“What pill?” Olin asked. “What’s in it? What are you talking about?”
“Nothing that I can share with you,” Marcus replied.
“Well fuck you too,” Olin muttered. “Jerk.”
Marcus was tempted to snap at the man but there was no point. Everyone was frustrated, and Olin didn’t know why he wasn’t being told about the small capsule that contained some of the powdered remains of what was said to be the first shifter. It was powerful medicine, too powerful for word of it to get out. There were also a limited supply of the things, and they were to be used sparingly. “If it was datura in the drink, it must not have been much at all.”
Ryder glared at Marcus. “It was enough to make Maarten wish he was dead. He is in agony.” Ryder slammed the car into park and shouted at the top of his lungs.
For a moment, Marcus feared the worst, but Ryder pounded on the steering wheel and ranted.
“He can hardly breathe and he’s terrified, and I’m not there!”
“Then get there,” Marcus snapped at him. “Now!”
“There are snipers. They know where we are.” Ryder got out of the car.
Marcus, Nathan, Keegan and Olin did as well. The guards following them in the other vehicles also got out.
“Stay back,” Marcus told them. “Keegan, if you would explain to them what’s going on?”
Keegan and Olin left to speak to the guards. Olin sent Marcus a look letting him know Olin wasn’t letting go of feeling slighted.
“He’s going to be difficult,” Nathan said.
“Yes.” Marcus took Ryder by the wrist. “You have to calm down.”
Ryder jerked his arm back. “Don’t tell me what to do, Marcus. Not now. This is my mate who’s suffering!”
“And you must be clear-headed and putting him first, not your goddamned temper,” Marcus replied, showing a bit of his own anger.
Ryder sneered, and Marcus prepared for a fight. It would be a waste of time, but if Ryder didn’t get his shit together then it was going to happen.
Fortunately, Ryder slumped against the car. “I can’t think straight, Marcus, not when he’s hurting. I have to get to him.”
“Alive,” Marcus added. “You have to get to him alive. That means taking a moment to plan.”
“Right.” Ryder’s shoulders curved even more. “I’m not good at this. I should step—”
“Stop it, right now,” Nathan chided. “There’s no time for self-pity. Your mate has been taken and that is understandably causing turmoil. I can’t imagine being in your shoes, so don’t start making judgments on yourself now.”
Ryder nodded jerkily. “Okay. Yeah, okay.”
Marcus waved Keegan and Olin back over. “Maybe we can figure out how they’re tracking us and slip past them.”
“They’ll still know we’re coming,” Ryder said. “It’s a moot point now.”
“No, it isn’t. They’re expecting humans to approach. I don’t give a fuck that it’s in the middle of one of the biggest cities in Brazil, we’ll shift and take them on as wolves, if that gives us the upper hand.” Marcus knew it was a risk, a big one, but Maarten had to be freed. The sooner it was done, the better for all of them, and Marcus could go after Dallas himself if he was still missing after this.
“I’d say ditch the phones,” Olin began with. “I’ve been using Juanita’s since mine keeled over in the plane crash. I’m leaving it here. Or better yet, we should put them in the trunks of the vehicles, leave the keys in the cars and—God, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but let me—two other of your weakest links drive the cars. We’ll get lost and take our time while y’all get to Maarten. Also, I’d suggest ditching all jewelry and clothing if it’s come from the pack property. I don’t know what may have been bugged to begin with. I never checked.”
“You’re not a weak link,” Marcus told Olin, beating Keegan to it. Then again, Keegan likely told Olin that in his mind. “You’re new to being one of us, which doesn’t make you weak at all.”
Olin gave him a petulant look. “Nope. You’re not making up for the pill shit. I’m still mad.”
“Do you have relatives in Texas? Someone by the name of Gabe, maybe, as a cousin?” Marcus asked. “You remind me a lot of him, and I believe he’s a native Texan. You two could be long lost something or anothers.”
Olin’s expression went from petulant to disdainful. “Texas, phftpt! My family had better sense than to have anything to do with that state, and I doubt this Gabe guy is anything like me.”
“You do realize you’ve just committed a hanging offense by mocking the Lone Star State. Any native Texan will recognize you as a criminal on sight. As for Gabe, I think you’d be surprised. He’s as snarky as you are, and he’s deadly with a spatula.” Marcus stopped joking then. “Ryder, how does that sound?”
“Good. Let’s do it.” Ryder stood up straight again and tugged at his shirt. “All my clothes were from the beach house.”
“There were no bugs there, I’d think, but if you want to be extra safe…” Olin flapped a hand at him.
“We’re in Rio. How many people will notice wolves, do you think? Wouldn’t it be better to have Keegan borrow another car or two? We could get close to the place then get out,” Nathan mused. “Also, for what it’s worth, I think the clothes from the beach house will be fine. There is no way Butler could have known we’d end up there.”
“True.” Olin stepped back. “I was just seeing who all I could get naked.”
Marcus left his phone and wallet in the trunk of the car. He couldn’t assume his phone was safe as Keegan’s hadn’t been. Nathan put his in with Marcus’, and it was decided that the drivers would be the pack members who only had clothes from Ryder’s pack with them.
“The mansion is about five miles from here. We could run, but it will attract attention and we don’t want that. Same reason we aren’t going to shift. Yet.” Marcus wiped at the sweat on his brow. It was barely morning and already hot. The humidity was what got to him. New Mexico had temperatures from hell sometimes, but it was arid.
Brazil was going to make him melt.
“All right. I’ll be back in five minutes or less.” Keegan jogged off.
Olin smiled fondly. “My mate the car thief. My heart goes pitter patter.”
A ringing sound came from the trunk.
Ryder ran over to it. “That’s my tone. Could be Guillermo or Vero. It is one of them.”
He opened the trunk and grabbed his phone. “Guillermo, did you find him?” Ryder asked before he even had the phone to his ear. He tapped the screen and Guillermo was on speaker.
“We think so. The jaguar took him to a cavern behind a waterfall. His scent ends there, and unless he can escape from another exit, he will still be in the cavern.” Guillermo took a quick breath then continued, “Vero and I haven’t found any other trace of the jaguar, and we were lucky to ha
ve picked up the trail several miles down the river. He could have escaped too easily.”
“Did his scent change?” Ryder asked.
“Something changed,” Guillermo answered. “We, uh. We heard moaning when we neared the waterfall. For now, we have backed off. It, um…doesn’t sound like anyone was in pain, either.”
“What?” Marcus snatched the phone from Ryder. “What are you implying?”
“S-sir?” Guillermo stuttered.
“He’s saying they were fucking,” Vero said in the background. “Loudly.”
Marcus didn’t know whether he should be glad for that or angry. He was leaning toward the latter. “Are you certain? And was it consensual?”
“I don’t know, sir. We will check—”
“Just stay nearby and watch them,” Marcus ordered. “Do not interfere unless you believe Dallas is being harmed. We won’t have our phones on us. Keep yours on silent but check it frequently. I will call you when we have Maarten back.”
Guillermo cleared his throat. “Will that be soon?”
“Damn right it will,” Ryder snapped.
Marcus ended the call after making sure Guillermo and Vero would follow his orders. He tossed the phone in the trunk then locked it up.
Keegan pulled up in what looked to be a decrepit van. “Everyone load up. Sirs,” he added to Marcus and Ryder.
Chapter Eight
Tiago still hadn’t decided what to do when he woke up the next morning. He liked the way Dallas fit against him. He really liked the sounds Dallas made, the way his body clutched so tightly around Tiago’s cock when Tiago was fucking him.
Which reminded him. Dallas had mentioned he would want to top at some point.
Tiago clenched his buttocks. That had always been no man’s land for him. Maybe he’d been kind of ignorant in his thinking that it also was a sign of weakness for a man to let another fuck him.
Sweet baby Jesus, he really was a bigoted jerk.
“Told you,” Dallas said. “I am not a weakling because I take it up the ass. I don’t take it up the ass because I’m the runt, either. I take it because I like it, and admitting to something that feels so good when others look down on you for it… That takes real strength.”
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