by Welsh, Hope
Storm was carrying his child. A child that deserved to be with him. A child that deserved the power that came with the Samuels name. He’d been angry when he’d gotten his gun back at that idiot’s house. Otherwise, he’d have simply shot the town cop, rather than aiming at Storm. No, Storm would live until she’d had his child. Only then, would she finally be freed in death.
Once he was released from the hospital, he’d put the rest of his plan into motion. It would be nothing to get someone else to admit to killing that idiot, John. Nothing at all.
He’d bide his time until Wilson had time to arrive.
§§§
It only took about an hour to do the paperwork. There was not really anything that had to be kept a secret—other than the fact that Luke, Storm, and Samuels were not exactly your typical normal person.
After they’d done the report, Luke convinced Storm they should see a bit of the town.
He pulled into the lot at Drake’s Diner. “You’ll love the food here,” he promised. “Are you hungry?”
“Actually, yeah, I am,” she decided. “I’m so glad to see the sun finally.”
Luke grinned at that. “Did you have anything to do with it?” he teased.
“I have no clue, but I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth!”
Luke was chuckling still as he climbed out of the Jeep, then he opened the door for her and held out his hand. “Let’s go have the best hamburgers in Indiana.”
Storm rolled her eyes at that boast, but took his hand and let him lead her into the diner.
§§§
A little more than an hour later, and they were headed back to Luke’s house. Samuels’ men had Storm’s missing items and such, as well as her wallet and keys. They’d picked both up from TJ at the station.
“I’m glad my wallet is here. Getting new ID would be a pain.”
Luke didn’t bother telling her how easy it would have been to take care of that in this town. “Me, too.” He was just glancing over at her to smile when he caught a black SUV in his rear view mirror just as his cell rang. He put up a finger to Storm, and answered it.
He felt the hair rise on the back of his neck. “Hey, love, could you tighten that seatbelt?” he said carefully .“Steele,” he snapped into the phone.
Storm was instantly alert. “What’s wrong?” she asked worriedly.
He shook his head at her, and listened.
“If you want her alive, Steele. Stop the car. Give her to the man behind you.”
“Why would I do that?” he asked.
Just then, Storm cried out and clutched her stomach. “Luke? Something’s wrong,” she cried.
Luke recognized the voice on the other end of the phone line. It didn’t take a genius to know that somehow, he was affecting Storm. “Let her go,” he snapped.
Samuels laughed. “Oh, I think not, Steele. It is you who will be letting her go. If you want to keep her alive, that is. I am connected to that child.”
Storm was frantic. “What? What’s he doing? God, Luke, I hurt.”
Luke’s mind raced. It was obvious Storm was in severe pain. “Stop it and let’s talk.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Storm calmed, though she was still deathly pale when Luke looked at her.
“Now, pull over and leave Storm with my friend who is behind you,” he said carefully. “Do it now.”
Luke put his foot on the brake and slowed the car. Of course, he wasn’t going to give Storm over to anyone, but he needed to buy time. “I’m stopped.”
“Good,” Samuels said, and Luke could hear the satisfaction in his voice.
He handed the phone to Storm. “Hide it,” he said quickly. “And don’t do anything else.”
“Why are we stopping? Who is that? Is he after us?” Storm asked. “I—I think something is wrong with me. The pain stopped, but it was really bad.”
“Shh, stay calm, love. It’s one of Samuels’ men.” His mind raced. What could he do? If Storm had his cell, TJ could at least track it. He was guessing that Samuels wanted Storm alive. He was counting on it. “Don’t fight him, Storm. Do whatever he says.”
Storm paled even more, but hid the phone in her bra and nodded as a man walked up to her side of the Jeep. She gave Steele a panicked look. “Is he here to kill me?”
“No, he’s not! He’s taking you to Samuels. I’m going to follow! I need you to trust me,” he said urgently.
The door to the Jeep jerked open and Storm cried out.
“I take it you understand the situation,” the man said. He was dressed in black, with a ski mask covering his face. All Luke could see were a pair of dark brown eyes.
“She’s not going anywhere without me,” Luke insisted.
The man smiled. “Oh, we will see about that. Step from the vehicle, Ms. Reynolds,” he drawled.
Storm looked at Luke, who gave a slight nod. “Do as he says,” he said calmly.
Storm unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed from the Jeep, shaking and terrified. She looked at Luke. “Luke?”
“Don’t be afraid, love. I’m right here,” he soothed. He opened his own door and climbed out, slamming it behind him.
“I’m coming with her,” he snapped to the other man.
“I think not,” the man replied dryly.
The next thing Luke saw was the flash of something just as an explosion of smoke and sound blasted. He saw a flash of white, and then nothing. His last thought was, not again.
§§§
Luke awoke to the sound of quiet sobbing, and a pounding head. It took him only a moment to realize that he was bound, hand and foot, blindfolded and gagged, and resting on something hard.
He froze and listened. Storm. It was Storm crying—so that meant, at least, that she was alive.
He figured quickly that he was in the back of a moving vehicle. Storm was somewhere in front of him, though he couldn’t see anything, of course.
He could feel motion, of course, so if he was going to do something, it needed to be soon. It was only a forty minute drive to the hospital they’d have taken Samuels to—if that was where they were going.
Luke had no idea if they’d moved his Jeep. If not, there was a chance that someone he knew would spot it.
“Why are you doing this?” Storm ranted. “Just let us go, please.”
“My employer would be displeased, Ms. Reynolds. We’ll be there shortly. Just relax,” the man drawled, not sparing her a glance.
The voices were close, which meant that he wasn’t in a trunk. He thought he could feel carpet against the bare skin of his face when he moved his head.
“Ah, back with us, Mr. Steele?” the man taunted. “The woman has been quite concerned. We’re going to be making a short stop here in just a little bit. Sit back and relax.”
Luke just seethed. He considered just shifting and attacking, but the vehicle was going too fast. If there was a wreck, Storm could be hurt. He considered his options.
The best option, he figured, was to make his move whenever they stopped. He growled low in his throat and heard the man chuckle. He’d signed his death warrant, Luke decided. Samuels and this man were dead. It was as simple as that. Storm had been right; she’d never be safe as long as Samuels was alive.
“Just let us go,” Storm said again. Luke heard a smacking sound, and Storm cried out. The damn bastard had struck her! That was the last straw.
It was only a moment before the vehicle stopped. Luke tensed, waiting to see where they were. He couldn’t tell by the scent alone, but he didn’t think much time had passed. Half an hour at most. The ache in his head told him that he’d been struck—probably with a gun—but he didn’t think he was seriously hurt.
Of course, this man likely knew nothing about shifters, which was Luke’s only advantage. He knew he’d have to act quickly to stop the man before Samuels showed up—from wherever he was.
Luke heard two doors shut, and knew the man had taken Storm out of the vehicle, too. That could make things a bit tricki
er, but he figured he could take him if he could shift fast enough.
He heard a hatch open, and felt a blast of cold air. As he’d thought, he must have been in the back of the SUV as he’d assumed. “Out you go,” the man said icily, and began to drag him by the feet. He felt air, then pain as he hit the ground hard.
Not snow. A parking lot? If only the blindfold was gone. His eyes were damn good, but not that good. But, his hearing was acute, and he realized that he heard very little.
He wished Storm would say something so he’d know she was okay. Next, he felt a boot kick him in the ribs and sucked in a breath when Storm screamed.
“Stop it! Don’t hurt him. I’ll go with you,” Storm cried. “Just don’t hurt him.”
Luke would have cursed if he could have. The whole point was to keep them together. He didn’t want Storm separated from him. He prepared to shift. He knew the bindings would fall off in his tiger form.
“No! Don’t shoot him!” he heard just as he started to shift, then nothing but a burning pain in his chest before the world went black.
Storm fought him as he pulled her back toward the SUV he was using. Frantically, she looked over her shoulder as he pulled her, to see if Luke was moving. He wasn’t. He was in shifter form, but perfectly still. It was too dark to see if he was breathing or not.
As he pulled her to the car she considered raising a storm the likes of which this bastard would have never seen, but what would that do to Luke, assuming he was alive? When he got to the SUV, he shoved her into the door roughly, facing it. Her arms were yanked behind her back and she felt cold metal surround her wrists.
“Why are you doing this?” she asked, hoping to stall for time. Maybe one of Luke’s friends or the chief would show up. She was terribly afraid that Luke was dead. At the very least, she knew he was seriously injured. Nothing short of that would have prevented him from trying to help her.
“Stop fighting me and get in the vehicle,” he said calmly. “Or I’ll knock you out.”
Storm, furious and terrified, didn’t fight him as he helped her into the passenger side of the SUV. She was shivering from cold. With the sun going down, it was getting cold fast.
She stiffened when he climbed in. Heat. She needed to make heat. She’d burned Luke without even meaning to, hadn’t she? Surely, she could do the same to him? Why hadn’t she thought of it sooner? She’d figured that fear was the trigger for that skill—and she was certainly afraid enough. Why hadn’t she been able to burn him when he’d grabbed and cuffed her?
He reached across her to pull the seatbelt and she considered trying to bite him. Likely, though, all that would get her is slapped or punched. She didn’t want to risk him hitting her in the stomach and harming her baby.
“Please, you don’t need to do this. Just let us go,” she begged. “At least call an ambulance for Luke.” Likely wasting her breath, she realized with a huge surge of fear, but she had to try.
“No,” he said flatly and started the vehicle. Storm turned and watched Luke, but in the fading light, he disappeared quickly.
She knew that he was taking her to Raymond—and her death.
§§§
Luke groaned and opened his eyes when he felt eyes on him. He tried to focus and realized it was Mercedes. In her crow form. Although injured, and knowing he’d heal better if he stayed shifted, he changed back to human form. “Please, follow them. Let me know where he’s taking her.” His voice was weak. He’d lost a lot of blood.
Mercedes, unable to answer in speech as a crow, released a caw and took flight. Luke shifted back to his tiger, praying he’d heal fast enough to track the SUV before the tracks disappeared.
§§§
Samuels feigned sleeping when he heard the cop outside the door say he was going to check on the prisoner. It was going to be so easy to get away from these country bumpkins. They were no match for a wizard of his strength. After the cop came in and looked around the room, he left quietly and Samuels was alone once more.
They’d offered him an injection of a painkiller, but he refused. Drugs dulled his powers, and he couldn’t have that right now. He needed to set an illusion so they would think it was him in the bed sleeping.
Cursing at the pain, he stood by the side of the bed and did a quick spell that would allow him to escape with, hopefully, no one knowing before the morning, if he was lucky. Next, he pulled out the IV.
The doctor had decided to keep him overnight just to be sure there was no sign of infection.
Samuels wasn’t worried. He had healers he could call if the need arose.
If all had gone as planned, his man should be waiting for him in the parking lot. All he had to do was get out of the room. The clothes he’d been wearing were covered in blood, but he had little option. Of course, the shirt and coat were damaged, but at least they would protect him from the cold. He had a home near here. He could change into something better suited for his status.
His men had assured him that the white camouflage snowsuit and pants would keep him from being seen as easily in the woods surrounding Steele’s home. Now, they were covered in dark blood—at least the top half.
With a shrug and a mental note to punish Storm for this, too, he pulled on his ruined shirt and coat after pulling on his pants, socks, and boots.
Now, it was just a matter of getting out of the room. He couldn’t make himself invisible, but he could control the thoughts of the two men in the hall enough to believe him when he told them that it was a misunderstanding and that they were free to go.
The illusion of a body in the bed would keep the doctors from disturbing him at this late hour, and the nurse with the medication had already left. Excellent, he decided when he looked down at the bed.
He opened the door to the room and smiled at the two cops. “You were notified I had been released. You’ll be wanting to give me a gun. Now,” he said.
§§§
Luke didn’t take more than a half hour or so to heal enough that he felt tracking would be safe. And, he needed to get to a telephone. He had to let TJ know that Samuels was up to something. He’d shifted almost immediately back to his tiger when Mercedes had left. He figured she’d call the reinforcements in as soon as she ascertained where the man had taken Storm.
But, he wasn’t going to wait around to be sure. He took off at a run, following the quickly disappearing tracks. It didn’t take long to realize that they were heading toward the hospital.
Thanks to the road conditions, he was able to run faster in his tiger form than the man was likely able to drive.
Still, it was a forty minute drive in good weather. And the bastard had a good head start. Luke had been unconscious after getting shot, but wasn’t sure exactly how long he’d been out.
He wasn’t surprised to find that the car had ended up at the old Convent. It was abandoned, of course, save for the caretaker. It wouldn’t be difficult for a man with his abilities to hide his presence from Arnold. He hoped that he hadn’t hurt him.
Once he’d passed through the gates, he picked up Storm’s scent. Hers, and two others. One was Samuels! How the hell had he gotten out of the hospital? He shouldn’t have been able to.
Luke didn’t bother shifting back to human form. He was more lethal as the tiger. He prayed that TJ was also on his way—with backup, in case things went south and he was injured. Storm wouldn’t be able to fend off both men on her own.
He knew he could—but he wished he’d had time to come prepared. As it was, he had nothing but his enhanced senses. Just now, they were telling him that the three were in the basement of the old building.
He quietly jumped inside the same window that Samuels or his man had broken. As his tiger, he could move without making a sound.
The thought of Storm being hurt was tearing at him. He shouldn’t have been so careless until he’d known for sure that Samuels was behind bars. It’d probably been like taking candy from a baby to get away from TJ’s men at the hospital. He truly wished he’d k
illed the bastard when he’d had the chance.
The kind of men that worked for men like Samuels didn’t have a bit of loyalty past a paycheck. Storm would be safe when he was either locked away somewhere without phones, or dead. As far as Luke was concerned—dead was the best option. He’d already escaped once, obviously. And, he’d contacted a man when he should have not been anywhere near a phone.
He heard a whimper and quickened his pace. The sound of a sharp slap caused him to growl involuntarily. The bastard was hurting her. He prayed he was right in thinking that Samuels would want to keep her alive until the child was born. Still, she was pregnant, and this had to be affecting her both physically and mentally.
The baby was, of course, on his mind, but his first priority was getting Storm away from Samuels. At least there were only two of them. His growl might have alerted them to his presence, but that could play to his advantage if Samuels sent the other man to look for Luke. His first priority was Storm. His henchman could wait.
The building was dark, but didn’t present much of a challenge for him. He didn’t believe that the man that had taken Storm was a shifter or a wizard. So, Luke had the advantage in the dark building.
He could see a light under a door near the end of the hallway and moved silently toward it, keeping to the wall just in case they came from the room shooting first and asking questions later. It would make things easier if one of them opened the door. Luke was strong enough to get through it—but the element of surprise would be totally gone then.
Just as he had the thought, the door opened, Luke paused. He could see the man that had shot him slowly exit the room, a gun trained down the hall in the direction he stood waiting. Aimed high. That was good. The man didn’t know he was in tiger form, apparently. For that matter, he likely thought that Luke was dead.
Luke walked silently toward the man moving slowly in his direction. He felt the surge of adrenaline he had always felt in situations like this, which only heightened his senses.
He crouched low and waited. A sudden thought had him waiting before pouncing. If he let the bastard get past him, Samuels might not know just how close someone was to him. That few seconds could make all the difference. Hurry up, TJ.