by Paige Tyler
Rachel could have kicked in the door easily, ripped it off the hinges, and gone in shooting. But that would have alerted everyone else in the house, and that wasn’t something Rachel wanted to deal with, not when she had to worry about Addy and her mom.
Turning to the girl, she motioned her back down the hallway, then followed.
“Your mom is in there, but there are two men with her,” Rachel said. “I need you to stay here while I deal with them. Then we’ll get out of here.”
It was obvious from the look on Addy’s face that she had a hundred questions, but Rachel didn’t give her a chance. Motioning for her to stay, she slipped her small pistol into the back pocket of her jeans, then headed for the workshop.
Rachel pushed the door open quietly, not wanting to alert either the men or Jennifer that something unusual was coming their way until the last possible second. The two dirtbags were leaning back against a workbench, eyes focused on Jennifer. The ADA was sitting on the floor with her back to a built-in cabinet, dirt on her clothes and a bruise forming on her cheek.
The men were so focused on Jennifer they didn’t realize Rachel was there until it was too late.
As they reached under their jackets for their weapons, the urge to extend her claws and tear out their throats was difficult to ignore, but she did—not only because she couldn’t let Jennifer see something like that, but because she had no desire to give the clown an opportunity to make an appearance. She wasn’t completely sure there was a direct connection between her inner wolf and the clown, but every time she’d been in high-stress situations—chasing the killers at the mall, trying to find Addy when Aaron had slipped away with her, the shootout at the courthouse, the therapy session with Hadley—the clown had come out. She hoped that staying completely calm would keep it from happening now.
That was hard to do as the men aimed their guns at her, but she forced herself to stay calm as she closed the distance between them, intent on ending this as quickly—and as quietly—as possible.
Before the man closest to her could pull the trigger of the large-caliber automatic in his hand, Rachel grabbed his wrist and slammed a palm into the underside of his elbow. It snapped easily, but before the man could scream in pain, she punched him in the throat as hard as she could.
Rachel was in the second guy’s personal space before he could even understand what was going on. She batted his gun hand aside, then drove a knee into his crotch. While he was busy trying to recover from that, she got one hand on his chin and the other in the hair at the back of his head and twisted. The crack his neck made echoed in the room like a gunshot.
She glanced at Jennifer to make sure she was okay, ignoring the stunned expression on the ADA’s face as she collected up the dead men’s weapons. They were large-frame Glocks loaded with 10 mm ammo. They were too big and unwieldy for her hands, but they were better than the little .380 she’d brought. She was rummaging through the men’s jackets for spare magazines when Addy peeked her head around the corner of the doorway.
Addy slowed when she saw the two bodies on the floor, but then ran over to her mom, hugging Jennifer even as she tearfully helped her mother to her feet. Rachel hated to break up the moment between mother and daughter, but she had to.
“Jennifer. Addy. We need to go.”
They both looked at her as they wiped away tears.
“Does that door lead to the garage?” she asked, pointing at the far side of the workshop.
Jennifer nodded. “Yes. My car is in there, but the keys are in my purse in the living room.”
Crap. She’d been hoping Jennifer might have the keys on her.
“That’s okay,” Rachel said. “We’re going to open the garage door and the moment we can run under it, we’re heading around the side of the house and the perimeter wall, then we’ll hightail it to my SUV parked down the street. Sound good?”
Mother and daughter nodded, but when Rachel turned to lead the way, Jennifer put a hand on her arm. “You need to know that you can’t trust the DAPS people. They’re not being paid to protect Addy and me. They work for my husband and, by extension, Alton Marshall. If they see us, they’ll kill us.”
Addy looked devastated all over again—maybe because she’d been holding out hope that Rachel had been wrong and that her father wasn’t wrapped up in this mess. Hearing her mother confirm it seemed to be the last straw and fresh tears filled her eyes.
“I know,” Rachel said. “We won’t let them catch us.”
The moment they were in the garage, Jennifer hit the button to raise the door. Rachel said a silent prayer of thanks when she realized it was the quietest garage door she’d ever heard—or didn’t hear. Rich people had all the nice toys.
The door was at knee level and the three of them were just about to duck under it when the scent of several men hit Rachel from outside.
Crap. They were screwed.
She was already dragging Addy and her mom back to the workshop as the door lifted high enough to reveal Theo and a bunch of his DAPS buddies. Jennifer was smart enough to grab Addy and run before the shooting started. Rachel only wished she’d put a bullet in Theo before turning and running after Addy and Jennifer.
As she followed them through the workshop and into the maze of hallways beyond, Rachel tried to keep Theo and the other men from getting too close, but within moments, she realized the a-holes were herding them away from the exits and any possible escape. Instead, Theo and the other armed goons pushed them toward the depths of the house until they were trapped in a cul-de-sac created by the intersection of three different hallways. Rachel shoved Addy and Jennifer behind her as rounds started coming at her from every direction. She dropped to a knee and returned fire, forcing herself to time her shots. Even if it seemed impossible right then, she had to hold out until Knox and the rest of her backup arrived.
Chapter 16
Diego pulled his Mazda RX5 to the side of the road a few hundred yards short of the Lloyd residence, out of sight of the gatehouse. Moments later, a big SWAT SUV pulled up behind them. Knox opened his door and was heading toward the front gate without slowing down to think about what he was doing.
“Wait a second, dude.” Diego ran around the car to catch up with him. “I know you’re freaked out, but we can’t go in there without a plan or we’re not going to be any help to Rachel at all. If anything, we’ll make things worse.”
Knox growled, grinding his fangs together hard enough to almost break them off. His fangs and claws had made an appearance on the drive over, and it had taken all his energy to not jump out and run all the way to the Lloyds’ every time they encountered the least little bit of traffic.
Before he could say anything, Zane and Trey jumped out of the SUV, concern on both men’s faces.
“What did you mean when you called and said Rachel’s in trouble?” Zane demanded. “She’s not even supposed to be working.”
“She went to see Addy,” Knox said. “Apparently her parents got into a huge fight and Addy needed someone to talk to, so of course, Rachel ran right over. She didn’t care about being off the detail. But it wasn’t until we got her text saying Conrad Lloyd and DAPS are working with Alton Marshall and they’re planning to kill Jennifer that we realized something was wrong. I’m just hoping she waited until we got here before doing something crazy.”
“Bloody hell,” Zane muttered.
Trey shook his head. “Yeah, well if Rachel thought for a second Addy was in danger, there’s nothing in the world that’d keep her from going in there.”
No frigging kidding. “Tell me something I don’t know. If DAPS is working for Marshall, she’s going to be heavily outnumbered.”
Diego and Trey nodded in agreement, but Zane was frowning.
“First off, we have no idea if Rachel is still in there. She might have already gotten in and out with Addy and her mom,” the British werewolf said. “Seco
nd, even if we go in, you aren’t. You’re not a cop, and we can’t have civilians going in there, especially if you’re with DAPS.”
Knox didn’t realize he’d lost control of his inner wolf and was moving forward to attack Zane until Diego intercepted him with a hand on his chest.
“Dude, relax. Zane won’t try and keep you out. He knows better than anyone how impossible that would be for you.”
“I won’t?” Zane asked, confused.
Diego glanced at his pack mate. “He’s The One for Rachel. And before you ask, I only found out about it myself yesterday. So don’t bother trying to stop him, because it won’t work.”
The muscle in Zane’s jaw flexed, and for a second, Knox thought he was going to have to fight the guy, but then Zane turned and walked to the rear of the SUV. He came back a few moments later carrying two SWAT tactical vests to match the ones he and Trey were wearing, a radio headset, and an M4 carbine. He handed a vest, the radio, and the carbine to Diego and the other vest to Knox.
“I don’t have a radio for you, but the vest will at least make it look like you’re one of us in case any DPD officers arrive on scene,” Zane said. “The rest of the Pack is in Irving, raiding a drug dealer’s place, so we’re on our own for now.”
Knox tossed his jacket, shrugged into the vest, and cinched down the Velcro straps. His urge to take over and establish the plan for moving on the mansion was hard to ignore after so many years in the SEALs, but he knew it wouldn’t fly here, not with these guys having so much more experience at being werewolves than he did. “What’s the plan?”
“We take it slow until we have a better idea what’s going on in there,” Zane said. “We’ll jump the wall on the north side of the property, since there are fewer cameras there. Once we look around a bit, we’ll go from there.”
Okay, he could work with that, Knox thought.
As plans went, it was nice and simple. Too bad it barely lasted the two minutes it took them to move into position at the north wall and jump over. That’s when they heard the chatter of gunfire coming from the far side of the mansion. A few moments later, half a dozen armed men ran out of the front door.
A stab of fear shot through Knox’s chest.
Rachel is in trouble.
“Diego, you and Knox get into the house and find Rachel,” Zane said. “Trey and I will work along the perimeter and attempt to draw as many of the bad guys out of there as possible to make it easier for the two of you.”
Knox didn’t wait for more instructions but immediately turned and ran for the house. Diego followed close enough to cover him but far enough away to avoid a single burst of gunfire getting both of them. There weren’t any doors on this side of the mansion, but Knox didn’t slow. He simply ran as hard as he could, the muscles of his legs and back flexing and twisting until he swore he heard bones crack.
He didn’t slow as he reached the house but, instead, launched himself off the ground and right through a window. Glass shards sliced into the skin of his arms, but he ignored it. He hit the floor inside at a roll, then was on his feet and running again as Diego joined him.
More gunfire echoed from somewhere inside the house, but he couldn’t trust the sound to lead him and Diego because it was bouncing off walls and floors, going in every direction at once. Instead, he allowed his inner wolf to pick up Rachel’s scent and let that guide him. His nose led him down a series of corridors until they came up behind three men blocking the way and shooting toward the far end. One of the men must have somehow realized Knox and Diego were there because he turned to engage them.
Knox didn’t hesitate and was glad to see Diego didn’t, either. They simply kept running, putting all three men down before continuing along the hallway. At the end of it, he found Rachel, Jennifer, and Addy crouched down, doing their best to avoid being hit by all the bullets coming their way. The sight of blood running down one of Rachel’s arms and staining the material of her jeans along both thighs had Knox close to losing it, but he had no time for that. Biting back a growl, he forced himself to run past her, emptying an entire magazine of ammo down one of the two hallways ahead of them, where Theo and a handful of other men hid. At the same time, Diego turned and fired down the other.
As Knox reloaded his weapon, he wished Zane had been able to provide him an M4 like Diego carried, but unfortunately, he’d have to make do with his Glock. It was enough though, and within seconds, Theo and the other guys from DAPS fell back and disappeared down the hallway. The same thing happened down the corridor Diego was firing, and for a few blessed moments at least, they weren’t under threat of being overrun.
When Knox turned back to Rachel, it was impossible to describe the relief he felt at the sight of her beautiful face—even if she was bleeding. He would have pulled her into his arms and kissed her right then, but she was already dragging Addy and her mom up off the floor and down the hallway he and Diego had arrived from. They barely made it a few feet before they heard the stomping of feet coming toward them. Theo was coming back and he had help.
Shit.
“Diego, get Jennifer and Addy out of here,” Rachel shouted. “Knox and I will slow Theo and his buddies down and give you time to get out.”
Knox was prepared to argue his ass off, ready to tell Rachel to get Jennifer and Addy to safety herself while he and Diego stayed behind, but Diego was already hustling mother and daughter down the hallway.
With a growl, Knox turned to cover the hallway Theo’s group had reappeared in, while Rachel handled the other corridor. Their position wasn’t very defensible, but they held out as long as they could, knowing every second they delayed their attackers was another second Diego had to get Addy and her mother out of the house.
He and Rachel lasted another forty-five seconds before they had to fall back. But even then, they made Theo and his band of gun-toting dickweeds earn every inch of floor space they gained. As he passed the three dead men on the floor, Knox leaned down and scooped up one of their weapons and a magazine full of bullets. The gun was a Glock—that was good. The 10 mm rounds, on the other hand, weren’t his preferred caliber. But when his own weapon locked back on an empty magazine, he was damn glad to have it.
A few moments later, after both he and Rachel had been clipped by one of the dozens of bullets ricocheting off the floor, it seemed like their careful retreat was about to dissolve into an all-out withdrawal. That’s when Knox looked over his shoulder and recognized the library was behind them. The first floor didn’t have any windows, and he was hesitant to trap the two of them in there, but it wasn’t like they had a shitload of options. He’d discovered that getting shot hurt, and he’d prefer not to have it happen again.
Grabbing Rachel’s shoulder, he guided her backward, letting her cover them as they slipped through the doorway. He didn’t stop moving until he reached the conference table near the glass-enclosed fireplace with its roaring flames. Momentarily taking his hand off her shoulder, he flipped the table on its side, then dragged her down behind it.
He heard Theo order some of the men to keep going after Jennifer and Addy, but he wasn’t too worried about that. They’d easily given Diego enough time to get Jennifer and her daughter out of the house, if not over the wall and completely off the property. Now, he and Rachel had to keep Theo and the other men occupied until the cavalry arrived.
“I can’t fucking believe you turned your back on your teammates!” Theo called through the open door. “All for a piece of ass. Then again, that’s your MO isn’t it, running out on your team?”
Coming from someone he respected more, those words might have stung. “I only bail on people when they give me a reason to,” Knox shouted back. “Like when I found out you’re an asshole willing to kill women and children for profit. I have a strict policy against working for douche canoes, so I guess that means I’m going to have to quit your crap-hole organization.”
That must have p
issed Theo off because he leaned in the door and began peppering rounds into the thick oak of the table they were hiding behind. Thank God the Lloyds had a thing for quality antique furniture. The bullets weren’t making it through that wood no matter what. Unfortunately, the moment he and Rachel ducked down, Theo and several other men took the opportunity to slip into the room, spreading out to get around the table. It was a foolhardy tack to take, but Knox had no doubt Theo was aware their time was running out. They had to kill everyone who knew what had happened here before the place was crawling with cops.
Beside him, Rachel nodded. A moment later, they both popped up and started shooting as fast as they could, no longer able to think about waiting for backup. For a few seconds, it looked like they had a chance. Until he and Rachel ran out of ammo.
Silence filled the room as their attackers realized he and Rachel were essentially defenseless. Then Theo stepped around the table with a superior smile. Lifting his gun, he pointed it at Rachel.
“Her first,” he said to Knox. “Then you.”
Knox didn’t even think—he just reacted. His fangs and claws extended so hard and fast it actually hurt, but he ignored the pain as he went for Theo. He had no idea how to fight with these new weapons he possessed, but that didn’t seem to be a problem, as his wolf instincts took over.
He didn’t count on one of Theo’s employees getting in the way. Knox slashed the guy’s face with his claws, then picked him up and tossed him at Theo, messing up his aim and sending the bullet into the floor instead of Rachel’s chest.
Something smacked Knox in the stomach, but he ignored the flare of pain as he reached out and tossed yet another man across the room. He hadn’t been aiming, but from the corner of his eye, he saw the guy smash through the glass enclosure of the fireplace. He couldn’t help cringing as the man’s fire-engulfed body tumbled and rolled across the floor until it slammed into one of the bookcases, sending flames everywhere. The man tried to get up and run, but that only spread the fire more, and Knox was stunned at how fast flames roared up the wall of books the dying man finally stumbled into.