by Kym Grosso
The reality of what they were about to do made Wynter stop and take a breath. Even though she had to do it, it would be difficult to go back to the same place where she’d been held captive. No longer having an appetite, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and pushed the plate aside.
“Come over here,” Logan told her. Wynter got up from the table and stood next to him, watching him work.
“Here you go…just lift your arms,” Logan instructed, slipping her arms through the black leather shoulder holster. He adjusted the straps so it fit properly. “There you go. Have you ever used a gun?”
“Well, yes, but…” She straightened her back and moved her arms, trying to get used to the feel of it on her body.
“When was the last time you went shooting?” He looked her over, waiting on her response.
“Well, it’s not like I’m a sharpshooter, but Jax insisted that I have one. You know, late night in the city and all that good stuff. Honestly though, I don’t carry it with me most days.”
“When was the last time you used it?”
“I don’t know.” She rubbed her hand over her forehead, trying to think. Geez, had it been that long? “Maybe a year ago?”
“Better than nothing. Take it out and let me see you load it.”
She did as he asked, and then promptly put the gun back into its sheath.
“That’s a girl. Now, let’s review what we’ve got, okay? Silver bullets. Eight in a clip. There’s loaded magazines ready to go both here and here.” He pointed to the ammunition pouches attached to her holster.
She nodded, but her expression didn’t match her assent. Her brow knotted in worry.
“You’re going to be safe, Wyn. If something happens, do whatever Jake tells you, okay? Also, there are stakes in the car. Lots of them. Take one with you when you get the go ahead to come into the lab. Just in case.”
“Got it,” she said with determination. Grabbing a bottle of water, she unscrewed the top and took a long drink, wishing it was whiskey. When she looked up, two large men walked into the kitchen.
“Jake, Zeke, meet Wynter. She’s my…uh,” he fumbled for the word. Mate. No, not the time. “Girlfriend.”
Logan glanced over to catch her reaction. Her face flamed, and she failed to hide the smile evident in her eyes. Yep, girlfriend worked just fine.
“Nice to meet you, Wynter. I’m Jake,” said the taller man. His blond hair was tightly cropped. He confidently strode around the table and joined them. If she hadn’t known any better, she would have thought law enforcement. Maybe military?
The other wolf, standing at the door with his arms crossed, merely gave her a nod. His cool demeanor bristled Wynter. She wondered what his issue was, that he couldn’t even offer up a simple ‘hello’, and determined that maybe her presence wasn’t welcome. Wynter made eye contact with him and set her bottle on the counter.
“Don’t worry ’bout Zeke over there, cher. He’s just the muscle. Lucky for you, you’ve got the brains lookin’ out for you tonight.” Jake told her with a smile.
“When will we know if it’s safe to go into the lab?” Wynter asked Logan.
“I’ll send Dimitri out when it’s okay for you to come in. But until he does, you stay in the car with Jake. We’ve got to be crystal clear on this. Don’t move out of the car until he says you can. Now, the cars…they’ve been specially outfitted for occasions like this. They’ve been custom armored. Bulletproofed. Even so, we’re going with redundancy in case we run into any problems. You, Jake and I will go in one car. Dimitri and Zeke in the other.”
After a long pause, Dimitri rose from the table, as did Jake. Wynter waited until Logan indicated they were leaving and tugged on his sleeve. Without warning, she hugged him tightly. Wynter wanted to tell him how she felt, worried that something bad would happen to him.
“Logan, please be careful. I…I need you,” she confessed. It was as much as she could manage.
Logan cupped her cheek and tilted her head up to his. “Nothin’s goin’ to happen to me, sweetheart. We’ll be in and out before you know it. Then we can come home and maybe we’ll play ‘policeman’ without the gun…just handcuffs,” he teased, trying to make her smile.
“Well, as long as it involves a thorough strip search, I’m in,” she joked lamely.
“Seriously Wyn, we’ll all be safe. Now let’s go get the bad guys.”
“Okay,” she reluctantly agreed.
Before she knew what was happening, Logan kissed her. It was a brief loving kiss, confirming what she felt in her heart. And it could not be more simple…or complicated.
Chapter Seventeen
The short drive from the French Quarter to their destination felt as if it took hours. By the time they’d reached their location, Wynter’s mind raced, hoping the operation went smoothly. With her nerves working overtime, she played with a stake, envisioning having to use it. Vampires were fast. By the time she had it aimed, they’d be at her throat. Now the gun? That would work. Maybe she hadn’t used one in a while, but she reasoned it was like riding a bike. And there was nothing more she’d enjoy than blowing a big hole in one of her former guards.
The Warehouse District had experienced a renaissance of sorts. Many of its abandoned factories had been converted into trendy clubs and condos. Wynter stared at the building where the lab supposedly had been moved. Unlike its chic counterparts, the dilapidated structure looked desolate. The scratched-up tan and black logo depicting leafy sugar cane stalks was plastered on its second story brick exterior. Since it had no yard and edged the sidewalk, she wondered how they’d set up a lab without being seen.
“It’s a go,” Logan stated and opened the car door. He looked to Wynter then Jake. “Wait here. Don’t let anything happen to her.”
“I’ll protect her with my life,” Jake replied. He looked over to the building and back to Logan. “Looks quiet.”
“Yeah, a little too quiet. Okay, gotta go. Devereoux’s here.” Logan watched the dark vampire step out of a black limousine. He shook his head; only a vamp would ride a limo into battle. Both Xavier and Étienne soon exited the car and followed Léopold. With a wink to Wynter, Logan shut the car door. “See ya on the flip side.”
As soon as Logan walked away, Wynter crawled over the center console from the back to the front passenger seat. She glanced to Jake who was performing reconnaissance through a pair of high-powered binoculars. They observed Logan approach Devereoux and gesture for him to go first. The men walked down a side alley until they reached a black steel door. All eyes were on Logan. He silently held up his fingers. Three. Two. One.
Wynter couldn’t see exactly what was going on in the dark of night, but it seemed like they entered pretty quickly. Did they break down the door? What just happened? They’d entered within seconds. It seemed all too easy.
“Not good,” Jake commented quietly.
“What’s wrong?” Wynter whispered.
“Door’s unlocked. Feels like a set up.”
“Oh my God. Can you warn Logan?” she asked, trying to keep her voice low.
“No need. He’ll know. We sit tight. Here’s another pair of nocs. You can help scope the area,” Jake suggested, hoping the task would keep her mind off the fact that Logan was in the building.
The whole vibe felt off. Jake wished Logan would get the hell out of there. Wynter seemed to be holding up well, all things considered. He cracked the window a quarter inch, and concentrated on listening for sounds of a scuffle. The barren silence cloaked the night like an ominous premonition.
“How long will they be in there?” Wynter inquired as she struggled to focus the lenses.
“Something like this shouldn’t take long at all. The building isn’t that big to begin with and I haven’t heard any fighting. It’s dead out there.”
“But that could be good, right? Maybe they just staked them really quickly,” she said hopefully.
“Shhh. Did you hear that?” A tiny click was all he heard, and then silence.
<
br /> “What?”
“Shhh,” he whispered. “Put on your seatbelt. Something’s not right.”
Trying not to panic, Wynter silently pulled the strap into place.
“I can’t hear anything…” she started to say but never finished the thought.
As the blast hit, the car rolled onto its side and Wynter screamed. Mercifully, blackness fell over her the second she jolted against the window.
Bodies. Six dead bodies to be precise. The stench of death hit as soon as the vampire opened the door. With decomposition well under way, flies swarmed around the maggot-covered bodies.
“Jesus Christ,” Logan cursed. He held his sleeve to his face and swatted the insects away. “These are humans.”
“I’m tellin’ ya. This is some sick shit.” Dimitri coughed for air. The smell was nearly unbearable.
Logan moved closer so he could get a better look at the corpses. “With the way they’re bloating, I’m guessing they’ve been in here for a few days. They all look pretty young…in their twenties. What the hell is this, Devereoux?”
“Dinner,” Léopold commented with disgust. He pulled out a neatly folded handkerchief and put it over his nose. “He’s making new vampires. They’ve little control. Kill easily when feeding.”
“Great. Okay, well I don’t like this. The unlocked door. It’s too quiet,” Logan surmised. “We should get outta here.”
“I believe you are correct, Alpha,” Léopold agreed. No one in his line made vampires without registering them. And his tip about the lab’s location was looking more and more like a trap. Never one to lose his cool, he tried to contain his rage, yet could not resist the urge to descend his fangs.
As Logan was getting ready to pull everyone out of the building, a single red flickering light drew his attention. Alerting the group, he raised his hand and pointed silently to an adjoining room. Stealthily he approached, taking care not to fall through the rotted floorboards. The wide open space was empty save for the carcasses of a few dead rats and a portable table. A black laptop sat atop; its power button pulsed a glowing beat in the darkness. As the others gathered round, Logan swiped his finger across the pad, waking it out of slumber. When the screen appeared, a single message in black and white froze on it: ‘The scientifique is mine. Nowhere is safe.’ Logan’s heart lodged in his throat. Wynter.
As fast as his feet would carry him, he ran toward the exit, screaming Wynter’s name. By the time he’d reached the sidewalk, he caught a glimpse of her face through the car window as the fiery explosion detonated. Logan and the others were shoved to the ground as the shock waves hit. The roar of the blast sent rubber shrapnel flying into the air, raining down onto the street.
A split second later, Logan sprinted toward the wreckage of the SUV, which had been thrown onto its side. Through smoke and debris, he climbed up to the driver’s seat door. The blackened windows obscured his view.
“Wynter!” he screamed into the car. A low moan emanated from inside it.
Logan grunted as he yanked open the door. Gas and dust from the airbag deployment wafted into the air, causing him to cough. He managed to elevate the door fully, exposing the deflated white side curtain bags.
“Hold it open,” he ordered, noticing that Léopold had climbed up onto the hood to help. Léopold took hold of the door and effortlessly ripped it off its hinges, tossing it into the street.
Dimitri flipped open his switchblade and passed it forward to Logan, who knifed at the plastic. They tore off the curtain, revealing the inside of the compartment.
“Wyn! Can you hear me, baby? Say something,” Logan called into the car. Silence greeted him. As the powder settled, he was finally able to see Jake, whose left arm and face were badly injured.
“Shit,” Logan spat out upon seeing the damage inflicted on his friend. “Jake, hey man. Come on, wake up buddy.”
With no response, Logan continued talking to him. “We’re gonna get you out now. You’re going to be all right after you shift.”
“Cut ’em down. I’ll hold him up so he doesn’t crush Wynter,” Dimitri suggested. Jake, secured in his seatbelt, hung downward like a marionette on its strings. Thankfully, since he was belted, he hadn’t yet fallen onto Wynter.
“Ready, D?” Logan asked as he started slashing at the nylon belt. Dimitri held tightly to Jake. “That’s it.”
Together, they heaved their friend up and out of the car. Dimitri took Jake in his arms and laid him out on the street.
“Zeke, get him out of his clothes now. He’s gotta shift,” Dimitri ordered. “I’ll be right back. I need to help Logan get Wynter.”
Logan’s breath caught as Wynter came into view. Still in her seatbelt, her head rested against the sagging airbag. Although she was unconscious, her heart still beat strongly. Logan leaned all the way into the car until most of his body was inside. When he reached the straps, he frantically cut at them.
“Wyn, sweetheart. I’m here. I’m so sorry.” Logan pushed the hair out of Wynter’s face and kissed her forehead.
Logan cursed; his heart tore in a million pieces seeing her like this. He’d said he’d keep her safe and he’d failed her. Guilt washed over him, and he prayed she’d be okay. He felt the emotion swell up in his chest. Seeing her hurt and vulnerable was more than he could bear. Her heartbeat was steady, but she remained unconscious. He kissed her again, this time on her cheek.
“Please, baby. Wake up now. I need you here with me. You’re my…” he choked but couldn’t finish.
She moaned and her eyes fluttered. “My Alpha,” she whispered.
Thank the Goddess, she’d woken. He wished he could tell her right then about how she was his mate. But sanity won over and he focused on the task at hand; he needed to get her home. They could talk later.
“We’re goin’ get you out of here, okay? How do you feel? Are you in any pain?”
“Fucking vampires,” she coughed. “Do you believe this shit?”
“Fucking vampires,” he agreed with a small smile. She was a fighter. His fighter, filled with spirit. An Alpha for an Alpha.
“Hmm,” she moaned. “What happened?”
“Someone set off an incendiary device. Not sure how they got it on the car, but it had to be a vampire to get it on without anyone seeing or hearing.”
“Jake…he knew. He heard something.”
“We’ll talk about it later, baby. All right, my tough little wolf. Let’s get you out of here.” Logan hugged his arms under hers. “D, I’m comin’ out.”
Dimitri grabbed Logan’s hips, helping to hoist him and Wynter out of the car. When they were finally extricated, Logan scooped her up, never letting her feet touch the ground. Logan glanced to Jake who had blacked out on the pavement. Naked, he still hadn’t shifted. Second degree burns blistered along his cheek. He began to regain consciousness and groaned in pain.
“Come on, Jake. You gotta shift, man,” Logan heard Dimitri say. Zeke was bent down on his knees at his side.
“D, I need you to take Wyn,” Logan ordered. He couldn’t believe what he was about to do.
Logan had always known that decisions weren’t easy for an Alpha. Challenge after challenge, the brutal mauling between wolves had proved that fact early on in his reign. No, easy didn’t equate with what was right. Even though he’d just gotten his mate back, he’d have to relinquish her. Trust his beta. Jake was his responsibility and damn if he’d let him die because he couldn’t shift on his own.
Dimitri stood, sensing Logan’s internal struggle. But as he expected, his Alpha put pack first, above his personal needs. Arms outstretched, he patiently waited to accept Wynter.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Logan spoke softly to her. She slowly lifted her lids to look at him. “I need you to go with Dimitri for a minute.”
“No,” she protested with a small moan. Within the warmth and safety of Logan’s embrace, she didn’t understand what Logan needed to do or why he’d leave her.
“Just a minute, baby.” He kissed
her cheek lightly. “Jake needs me. He’s burned real bad and is having trouble shifting. I promise you’ll be safe with D. This’ll just take a few minutes. Then we’ll go home. Trust me.”
“Okay,” she agreed quietly.
“Do not let her go. Not one second, D,” Logan instructed, his tone of voice deadly serious. His eyes locked on Dimitri’s as he gently placed Wynter’s body into his arms.
Dimitri cradled her head into his chest, breathing a sigh of relief. Jake desperately needed his Alpha. At this point, he was too far gone to heal on his own.
“I’ll be just a second,” Logan promised, running his hand lovingly over Wynter’s hair.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Naturally, someone had heard the explosion and had called the authorities. Logan wanted to get out of there before the police came asking questions. New Orleans had a supernatural police force, P-CAP: Paranormal City Alternative Police. But at the moment, Logan couldn’t trust anyone, not even P-CAP, to find Dana’s killer. He knew they’d come to him eventually when they found the charred car, but he’d deal with that later. It’d be easy enough to tell them it had been stolen. Besides, after they found the dead bodies riddled with bite marks, they’d be busy breathing down Kade’s neck for a while.
The Alpha crouched down to the pavement so that his head was level with Jake’s, taking his hand. He bent over so that his mouth was inches from his friend’s ear. Concentrating, Logan let his power flow, urging Jake to listen, to obey. No longer moaning, Jake could sense his Alpha. His eyes flew open, staring into space as if he was devoid of awareness. Jake’s comatose expression didn’t worry Logan; the mental connection to the injured wolf strengthened.
“Jake, now listen to me, buddy. It’s me, Logan. You’ve got some pretty bad burns here. I know you’re feelin’ tired but you’ve gotta shift. You hear me?”
Jake’s eyes closed and in that second, Logan’s heart caught in his chest. This would go a whole lot easier if Jake was awake. Jake coughed, his eyes darted to Logan’s in acknowledgement. The flesh on Jake’s forearm and face had already formed boils, and Logan could feel the pain radiating off his wolf.