by Shea Balik
He knew Evan was just being mean to him because Bodhi had witnessed Evan’s pain. It was obvious Evan didn’t like others to see his weaknesses, and when they did, they bore the brunt of his anger.
If Bodhi knew how to find Slash, nothing would stop him from kicking the man in the nuts for hurting Evan so deeply. How anyone could put their own mate in so much pain was beyond Bodhi’s comprehension. So Bodhi took Evan’s abuse, for now.
“Hi, little butterfly. You about done?”
The sound of his mate’s voice was music to his ears. All thoughts of Evan and Slash disappeared as Bodhi released the clamp holding him high above the ground. He dropped like a rock straight into Kai’s arms, where he belonged. Lips captured his, and suddenly everything was right in the world.
He wrapped his legs around Kai’s waist and held on as his mate devoured his lips like Kai was a starving man and Bodhi was a buffet. Fingers dug into the cheeks of his ass, pulling him impossibly closer.
“Seriously? Are you two trying to put on a show?” Gibson’s exasperated tone was too funny. The Alpha’s mate had been busy meeting with Etzel to plan the next event, which was only a week away.
Bodhi broke the kiss and turned to where the chef stood with his arms crossed as he watched them. “Jealous?” he asked.
Gibson scowled. “Yes, damn it.”
Bodhi chuckled at his friend. “Aww, don’t be a hater. I’m sure Talon will kiss you senseless the moment he sees you.”
He heard Evan’s snort of derision before the man mumbled, “Fuck this.”
It broke Bodhi’s heart to see the man walk away completely dejected. Bodhi amended his earlier statement. If he ever saw Slash, he not only was going to kick the man in the nuts, he was going to rip them off and feed them to the man. No one should be made to feel like Evan did by their own mate.
Gibson either didn’t notice Evan’s departure or didn’t care as he stared hard at Kai. “Where’s Talon? Why didn’t he come with you?”
Kai’s body immediately tensed. Gently, his mate set Bodhi back on his feet. “Um, well, there’s been a situation, and Talon’s trying to handle it.”
“Is everything okay?” Bodhi could tell something was upsetting his mate. From the way the other mates talked, the constant state of danger was normal. Maybe it was, but that didn’t mean Bodhi had to like it.
At least, for now, his parents and the kids were still staying with them. With Roberto on the loose and Cynthia’s nightmare that someone knew about her abilities, it was felt she needed the security of the Alpha and the inner circle, at least for now.
Bodhi’s earpiece flared to life. By the looks of the others, so had theirs.
“We’re under attack.” Gunfire could be heard as Talon spoke. “I need as many men as possible at the military base.”
Gibson’s eyes were huge as he listened to his mate’s voice. “Who’s with Talon?”
It was obvious Kai didn’t want to answer, most likely because it wasn’t nearly enough to fight off an attack. “Just Paytah and two of the Elite Guards.”
Kai grabbed Bodhi’s hand and gestured for Gibson to follow. “We need to go.” Wyatt and Evan joined them just as they got to the vehicles.
When Kai started to get into one Hummer, and Evan and Wyatt into another, Bodhi knew his mate was going to get them home instead of heading straight to the military base. “No. You need to go with Evan and Wyatt.” Bodhi grabbed the keys out of a stunned Kai’s hands. “We’ll be fine.” Before Kai knew what was happening, Bodhi started up the Hummer and took off with Gibson in the passenger seat.
It wasn’t until he arrived at the manor that he realized just how stupid that move might have been.
* * * *
“The threat has been contained, for now.” Kai was pissed. Either Roberto hadn’t bothered to join in this attack or the man had managed to slip through their fingers once more.
As much as he hated having Bodhi and Gibson drive themselves to the manor, it was a good thing Kai had been there. The enemy had Talon’s men overrun. It would have been a matter of minutes before the enemy would have captured or killed the Alpha.
Federo strode over to where Kai and Talon were standing, wiping the dirt and sweat from his face with a towel. “I managed to make sure each warhead is inoperable, but we’ll still need get a team together to take out the nuclear material and dispose of it properly.”
These human-made weapons were becoming a pain in the ass to deal with. Talon gave the man a nod. “Thanks, Federo. Make a list of what you’ll need to do that, and I’ll make it happen.”
Federo nodded and walked off, presumably to do as Talon ordered.
“What I don’t understand is, why risk coming after these five when they had twenty-five more?” Talon stared hard at the weapons in question as if they would tell him.
“Maybe Roberto doesn’t have the other twenty-five. There were other groups involved. Maybe they split what they found, and these are all Roberto can get his hands on.” At least Kai hoped so. Not that the prospect of the others involved having the rest of the weapons was any better, but if they’d managed to knock Roberto out of the running for having nuclear weapons, so much the better.
Talon shook his head. “I just wish we knew what they were planning.”
If only that were possible.
“Talon, we may have a situation.” Rune’s voice came through the man’s earpiece, but with his shifter hearing, Kai could hear both ends of the conversation just fine.
Kai could see the frustration in Talon’s body. He couldn’t blame his friend. The man had a huge job in cleaning up the Latin Territory. It seemed like no matter which way they turned, there was always another problem popping up.
He imagined it felt like the weight of the world rested on Talon’s shoulders. Fortunately Talon had really broad shoulders.
“What’s up, Rune?” Talon asked.
There was a pause, as if Rune didn’t want to say the words. Instantly Kai was on alert. “I got a distress signal from Gibson, but I can’t get him or any of the mates to answer me. And from the biorhythms, I would have to say all the guards have been knocked out.”
Talon let out a roar of rage that would make the strongest of men run in fear. “Roberto dies,” the Alpha declared as he strode to the nearest Hummer. “Elite guards, stay and protect Federo and the warheads. Inner circle, you’re with me.”
Kai had just managed to jump into the passenger seat when Talon took off, knowing the others would follow. If Roberto was in fact behind this, there would be nowhere on Earth he’d be able to hide from their wrath.
Chapter 21
The moment Bodhi and Gibson rushed into the manor, Bodhi realized his mistake. The guard that stood by the door at all times was now in a heap on the marble floor. He tried to grab Gibson and backtrack, but he was too late. Someone came up behind them, pointing a gun at their heads.
A knot of fear started to build in his stomach as they walked toward the kitchen. When he crossed the threshold, his heart stopped. There, sitting at the large table, were the other mates, Bodhi’s parents, and his foster siblings, all looking terrified. But it was Cynthia he couldn’t take his eyes off of.
An obese man with pure evil in his eyes stood over her with one of his big, meaty hands on her shoulder, holding her in place. The cruel smile he wore said he knew exactly who she was. Bodhi didn’t know how that was possible, but he could only pray he could stop the man from taking her.
“Well, if it isn’t the Alpha Mate.” The look of glee on the man’s face as he looked at Gibson sent a shiver of fear through Bodhi. There was no way this was going to turn out well.
In the entire time Bodhi had known Gibson, the man had never shown fear. It was like the feisty chef didn’t know the meaning of the word. Even now he stood with his head held high, sneering at the man that made Bodhi want to find the nearest hiding place and curl up in fear. “I don’t remembering inviting you into my home, Roberto.”
Laughter had always
been something that was supposed to be a good thing, but the way Roberto cackled gave Bodhi his first sound bite of what evil sounded like. “Since this isn’t your home, I didn’t feel an invitation was necessary. Your mate stole this manor from the Cadre, and I intend to get it back.”
Gibson rolled his eyes. “You can try, but I must warn you, Alpha Ramirez has killed everyone who thought like you do.”
Roberto’s cruel fingers dug into Cynthia’s delicate skin. “They were idiots. None of them were smart enough to have captured Talon’s mate. Killing you will drive Talon out of his mind, making him useless as an Alpha. The Alpha Primus will have no choice but to put Talon out of his misery, leaving me to take the spot of Alpha of the Latin Territory.”
Gibson cocked out his right hip and brought up his right hand to his face to inspect his nails, showing complete disinterest in Roberto’s plan. “And you think you’re man enough to kill me?”
Bodhi had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing at how red Roberto’s face got. The man was practically spitting he was so angry, but more importantly, he released Cynthia, who scrunched further down in her seat, hoping to avoid the man’s hand once more.
A thick finger was shoved in Gibson’s direction, which Gibson completely ignored as he continued to study his nails. “I’m more than man enough to kill you.”
A gun was shoved in Gibson’s direction, but instead of cowering, Gibson laughed at Roberto. “Really? That’s your idea of being a man? No wonder you Cadre members are dropping like flies. Being a man means doing it yourself, not relying on others”—Gibson waved his hand toward the gun—”or weapons, you weak excuse for a man.”
Bodhi had no idea what Gibson thought he was doing, pissing Roberto off like that, but he hoped the man’s plan worked. If it didn’t, they were all in trouble, because one thing Roberto had said was true: if Gibson died, the Alpha would go insane.
Roberto stalked closer to where they stood, the gun never leaving the man’s hand. “That may be true,” he said when he stood less than a foot in front of them. “But I prefer my weapons, less messy.”
The report of the gun echoed through the kitchen. Bodhi turned, staring in horror at the red stain forming on Gibson’s shirt even as his friend started to fall to the floor. Moving on instinct, Bodhi reached out to catch the man before he hit the hard surface.
“Gibson.” Bodhi shoved up the man’s shirt to find a hole in his chest, blood pouring from it. Whipping his own shirt off, Bodhi pressed it against the gaping wound, praying Gibson would survive. “You have to stay with me. Talon would be devastated if you died.”
Gibson raised his hand, brushing it against Bodhi’s. “Hide my movements,” the man whispered. His arm continued to rise to his head and Bodhi bent further over him, blocking the movement.
He had no idea what his friend was trying to do, until he heard the faintest of beeps. Their earpieces. Gibson must be alerting Talon there was trouble. Why the hell didn’t Gibson do that the moment they entered the manor? Bodhi really needed to start using the device to become more comfortable with it so he would know what to do.
At least now help would be on the way. There was no way Talon wouldn’t drop whatever he was doing to get to his mate. Bodhi just hoped he was in time.
A cackle of glee sent chills down Bodhi’s spine. “Was that man enough for you?” Roberto moved his foot back as if he were going to kick Gibson while he lay on the floor in a pool of blood.
Bodhi didn’t think. He just moved, putting himself between Gibson and Roberto. Pain lanced right through his side. Bodhi was pretty sure he heard a crack as his ribs took the brunt of the blow.
“Grab the girl,” he ordered one of his men. “We need to be gone before Talon gets back.”
Cynthia screamed. Bodhi breathed through the pain in his side, determined to ignore it. Taking one of Gibson’s hands, he placed it over the cloth that was pressed against the man’s wound. “You need to hold this as tight as possible.” Gibson nodded, understanding what Bodhi was about to do.
He never wavered in his resolve to get to Cynthia. He was surprised he hadn’t been stopped on his way to his foster sister, but the eruption of the other mates and Bodhi’s parents at the table held the attention of the men working for Roberto.
Once he was standing behind the man who dared to throw Cynthia over his shoulder, Bodhi did exactly as Kai and Paytah had trained him to do. He turned slightly to his side and slammed the heel of his foot straight into the back of the man’s knee.
He didn’t hear the crunch of bones breaking like he’d hoped, but the man did go down, releasing Cynthia in the process, who rolled, then bounced right back up to her feet, running right into Bodhi’s arms.
“They’re coming,” she whispered into his ear.
Bodhi knew she meant Kai and the others. He just wasn’t sure it would be in time. A high-pitched scream caught his attention. He turned to find Roberto holding Wally up by the scruff of his neck, a gun pointed at the kid’s head.
“This one, I don’t care about and will shoot if you don’t hand over the girl, now.”
Bodhi cried out. What was he supposed to do? If he gave Cynthia to Roberto, there was no telling what would happen to her, but if he didn’t, Wally would die. Not for the first time, he cursed the Gods for creating the new race.
It was an impossible decision, one he wasn’t sure he could make. He had to hope Kai and the others would make it in time to stop Roberto from taking Cynthia. As much as he hated doing it, he had to hand her over. Wally’s life was on the line right this minute. Roberto would never kill Cynthia, not when he believed she could help him.
“It’s okay, Bodhi,” Cynthia whispered as she gave him a big hug. “Kai will save me.”
She scooted down his body until her feet touched the floor, and walked slowly over to Roberto. When she was just over halfway, she glared at him. “Put my brother down.”
Damn, but Bodhi was proud of her. Even at six, she was willing put her own life on the line for someone else.
Movement outside the big sliding doors caught Bodhi’s eye. Trying not to be obvious, he looked through the glass. Hope flared as he saw Evan, Blade, and Forest making their way across the lawn, trying to be as invisible as possible.
One of Roberto’s men was just turning to open the doors when he saw the three coming. “Shit. Take cover.” With the doors still closed, the man opened fire. He obviously didn’t know the glass was bulletproof. Bodhi wanted to laugh at the look on the man’s face as he stared in disbelief at the still-intact, albeit damaged, doors.
Bodhi’s parents gathered all the children except Wally and Cynthia, who were now both being held by Roberto, and ushered them as unobtrusively as possible out of the kitchen. Anemone and Aidan went to move Gibson and Basil, who’d been busily trying to save the Alpha Mate’s life.
With Roberto and his men focused on Evan, Blade, and Forest, they didn’t even notice the mass exodus of hostages. Idiots, but then again, no one ever said these men were smart. If only Bodhi could get Roberto’s meaty hands off Wally and Cynthia, Kai and the others could easily kill the man stupid enough to shoot Talon’s mate.
Chapter 22
Kai’s heart stopped the moment he heard shots being fired. He was with Talon coming in through the front of the house. Carver, Rune, and Wyatt were entering from the east, Paytah and Hunter had the west, while Evan, Blade, and Forest entered the back.
No longer needing to stay hidden, they converged on the house, heading straight for the kitchen, where the shots had come from. “Fucking idiots tried to shoot through the bulletproof glass,” Evan said through the earpiece. “I have eyes on eight targets.”
“All but two children are safe and accounted for,” Wyatt informed them as Kai and Talon entered the hallway that led into the kitchen. Ahead of them Anemone and Aidan were carrying someone as they rushed out.
The moment Talon’s eyes landed on Gibson’s pale form, the Alpha roared. Kai swore the house shook
from the force of the man’s rage.
Basil, who had his hand pressed tightly over the Alpha Mate’s bloody chest, said, “Roberto just shot him. We’re heading to surgery now, but he’s lost a lot of blood.”
It was clear Talon was torn. The Alpha in him demanded revenge, but Gibson was his mate. The need to hold Gibson had to be strong. Kai completely understood the internal struggle, but if anything happened and Gibson didn’t survive, Talon would never forgive himself if he wasn’t there with his mate.
“Go. I’ll kill the son of a bitch.” Kai held Talon’s gaze for a moment before the Alpha gave a nod and took off after Gibson, picking the man up into his arms as he ran to the surgical suite with Basil hot on his heels.
“Roberto has Wally and Cynthia. The coward is using them as shields,” Evan reported.
It didn’t matter. Evan was one of the best shots in the world. He just needed an opportunity, and Roberto would die.
“Evan, you are clear to kill at first opportunity,” Blade ordered.
“Yeehaw. Consider him as good as dead,” Evan promised. “Come on, boys, we need to get inside so I can kill that son of a bitch.”
More shots rang out. This time they didn’t come from inside the house, but somewhere from the back.
“Fuck, there are ten more coming out of the woods.” This time it was Forest who was in Kai’s ear. A barrage of gunfire was heard, but Kai ignored it as he entered the kitchen.
Carver, Rune, and Wyatt entered from the hall to the east of Kai’s position. In seconds, the four of them had killed every one of Roberto’s men inside the kitchen. Roberto was alive only because he was using two small children as shields and none of them had a good shot.