by Crissy Smith
“Hello?”
“Alpha! We need help. Marcus has been shot.”
“Where are you?”
“In front of his house. Taking cover on the porch.”
“Stay there. We’re on our way.”
The call ended and Chase cursed. It would take too much time for his Alpha to reach them. Marcus was bleeding heavily and Chase needed to get him help.
Crouching, he peeked over the rail.
“Don’t,” Marcus whispered.
“I have to get you out of here.”
“Wait for the Alpha,” Marcus insisted.
Chase peered down at the other man, who was too pale.
“It’ll be okay,” he promised.
“Stubborn ass,” Marcus wheezed.
Grinning at his friend, Chase shrugged. If he could make it back to his vehicle, there was a good chance he could pull close enough that the SUV would block him getting Marcus inside.
It was a risk, but one that he had to take.
He grasped Marcus’ hand in his. “Don’t you dare die on me, old man.”
“I’m too damn mean to die,” Marcus replied softly.
Chase sure the hell hoped so. Putting his plan into action, he leaped over the rail, landing back in the yard.
Immediately ducking, shots rang out as he began running and he barely managed to keep from being hit. That answered his question of whether the shooter was still there. He made a break for the passenger side, yanking the door open when he reached it.
More cracks, sounding too close for comfort, hit the opposite side of the vehicle. When they got out of this, he was going to have a serious talk with his Alpha.
Chase liked to think of himself as more of a lover than a fighter. This kind of shit should be left to his brother. Max would have probably already shifted and tracked down whoever was after him.
He stayed low, thrusting the key into the ignition before climbing into the driver seat. Relief flooded him as the engine caught and the car came to life. He grabbed the gear shift, throwing the vehicle into reverse and slammed his foot on the gas. Whipping the wheel around, he drove over bushes so he was directly in front of the stairway.
Three more bullets hit his SUV.
Chase wasn’t sure how much more damage his ride could take. Pushing the door open, he then dropped to the ground, scrambled up and back to Marcus’ side.
“Hurry, he’ll be headed toward us soon. If you’re going to get us out of here, do it quickly,” Marcus advised.
“Here we go,” Chase said as he hefted the other man to his knees.
Gritting his teeth, Marcus cursed through them. “When I get my hands on this fucker…”
“Easy,” Chase said with a smile. If anyone could lighten the situation, it was Marcus. “Calm down, killer. We can worry about that later.”
Glaring at him, Marcus huffed.
“Ready?”
He waited until Marcus nodded.
“Let’s go!” Chase half-dragged Marcus down the steps to the vehicle. Pushing the older man in through the open driver door, he followed closely, climbing over him and into the driver’s seat to avoid exposing himself to the sniper.
Since no shots struck them, Chase could only guess that Marcus was right and the assailant was coming after them. Not wasting any time, he stomped on the gas and took off.
Lying on the passenger floorboard, Marcus groaned, holding his shoulder.
“You are both incredibly brave and stupid.”
Chase nodded. “Yeah.”
Flying down the dirt road, Chase tried to spot any trouble ahead. There were too many places an attack could come from. While living deep in the canyon kept Marcus isolated and protected, it meant once someone found Marcus’ location, he or she could keep well hidden until it was time to attack.
“What the hell is going on?” Chase demanded.
“Alpha may have waited too long to fill you in,” Marcus replied.
“So why don’t you?” Chase snapped. Now that the adrenaline had started to ease, Chase had problems processing the events that led him to driving his buddy to the hospital. Even with him gripping the steering wheel, his hands still trembled and his stomach remained in knots.
The low groan that came from Marcus had him glancing over. Shit! Marcus’ head had dropped and there was no color in his face at all. Chase shifted to reach his cell.
Trying to get a hold of either his Alpha or brother, he got both of their voicemails. Hopefully Shawn and Max were close to Marcus’ house and could catch whoever was responsible for the attack.
Leaving a message telling them he was taking Marcus to the hospital, he prayed that he would get there in time.
“Hang on, Marcus,” he demanded.
There was no response. Chase glanced over to see that Marcus had passed out. If it wasn’t for the fact he could still hear Marcus’s heart beating, Chase might have driven off the road in panic.
Chapter Three
Kayla rolled over in the bed and buried her face in the soft pillow. Muffled sounds came to her from under the closed bedroom door but she really just wanted to go back to sleep.
It hadn’t been easy settling down for the night. Since Justin didn’t have a guest bedroom, she’d ended by sleeping with him while Randy had taken the couch. Justin’s large body beside her was a comfort.
Resting next to him was no big deal to either of them. Her love for Justin had evolved into seeing him as only a brother.
Since Justin was no longer in bed, he was probably in the kitchen. Randy was no doubt awake also. The two of them alone? That was cause for concern.
Which meant she had better get her ass in gear. Slowly climbing from the soft mattress, she padded over to the door and opened it silently. A soft chuckle came from the direction of the kitchen. Okay, her boys were getting along.
In her borrowed sweatpants and T-shirt, she sauntered into the bathroom to the sink. Washing her face then using her finger as a toothbrush, Kayla went about freshening up as much as she could.
Justin had promised to throw hers and Randy’s clothes into the wash. She needed to get dressed and find out what last night was all about.
She didn’t want to worry her dad but he needed to know what had happened. And if there were a group targeting shifters in the city, she would have her father alert their Alpha.
Canyon, Texas was only a little over an hour’s drive. Since Canyon was a shifter town still living in secret, any threat in Lubbock could spill over to her friends and family.
Strolling into the kitchen, she spotted Randy sitting at the island. Justin busied himself at the stove.
“Morning,” Randy greeted her.
“Hey, did you sleep okay?” she asked as she passed him. She’d left her phone charging on the counter and she grabbed it.
“Fine. How about you?”
Glancing at him, she saw his lifted eyebrow and nod toward Justin. “Justin is a perfect gentleman.”
From his position behind her, the gentleman snorted. “Please don’t try to help my reputation.”
He turned, smiling at her. It didn’t look like he’d slept at all by the dark circles under his eyes. She remembered him getting into bed with her but she had passed out right away, the excitement of the evening too much for her.
“Did you rest at all?” she asked him.
“Some. I sent some friends to Randy’s parents’ place and to both your apartments. There is no sign of anyone having been around any of your homes.”
“Thank God.” A weight lifted from her shoulders and helped to loosen some of the tension inside her.
“I also talked to my father and sister. Angel should be here shortly. She wants to talk to you.”
Kayla definitely wanted to hear what Angelica Salvatore had to say. Justin had been so vague about the group his sister was supposedly a part of that Kayla had always been highly suspicious.
While she knew that Justin was a good guy, that didn’t automatically mean his family wasn’t inv
olved in something questionable.
No one wanted to believe that their loved ones were involved in evil plots. So she would have to talk with Justin’s sister herself. As much as she would have loved to trust them, she couldn’t. Something weird was occurring.
“I need to call my dad,” she told him.
Justin held up his hand. “I know you want to talk to him. Can you just wait?”
Stepping back, she eyed Justin. He appeared earnest as his gaze met hers. Still unsure, she strolled over to the coffee pot. Taking the time to pour the brown liquid into a mug and add sugar and creamer, she thought about his request.
“I’ll wait to call him,” she relented.
“Thanks,” Justin said, turning back to the stove. He pulled the skillet off the burner. “And I made breakfast.”
“Taking her cup back across the kitchen, Kayla sat beside Randy. He rubbed his hand down her arm before linking his fingers with hers.
“We’ll get to the bottom of this,” he whispered.
“I know.” She nodded. Of course, that wasn’t completely true. She didn’t really know anything.
Everything had happened so fast. She and Randy always tried to meet at least once a week for dinner. But it was never on the same day of the week. There was no way for anyone to have advanced knowledge that they met last night.
Since it was a Friday, they could have had dates or other plans. It just so happened that they’d both been free.
Either someone had followed her or Randy—or that person had just stumbled on to him and her leaving the restaurant. She didn’t believe the latter was the case.
And if anyone were targeting Randy, why would he or she leave his family alone?
The sick feeling in her belly made her think that she had been the objective.
Her dad had always told her to trust her gut. Now was the time to have confidence in herself.
She smiled up at Justin as he placed a plate of ham and eggs in front of her. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he replied softly.
They ate in silence. She and Randy sat at the large tiled countertop and Justin leaned back against one of the counters with his own breakfast.
Glancing at the clock on the stove, she saw it was almost ten-thirty in the morning. She was usually an early riser and couldn’t believe that the morning was almost gone. She hoped that Angel would arrive soon. There was no way she could wait around all day.
Between the strong coffee and the wonderfully prepared food, she started to feel more secure in what she needed to do. After she heard whatever it was Angel had to tell her she would call her dad then start looking for whoever had been after them last night.
Her dad had taught her how to handle a weapon and she was licensed to carry concealed.
She wouldn’t be caught off guard again.
Beside her plate, her phone rang. She picked up the small device, not recognizing the number. Glancing at Justin, she pressed the answer sensor.
“Hello?” She met Justin’s gaze as he stepped closer at the same time Randy stood and leaned against her side.
“Kayla Webb?”
Not able to place the man’s voice she tensed. “Yes?”
“I’m Chase Lawson. From Canyon. I know your dad.”
Kayla vaguely remembered who Chase was. He was the Beta for her Pack, so of course she knew. “I know who you are, Mr. Lawson.”
“Call me Chase, please. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is that…um, I think it would be best if you came home this weekend. You’re in Lubbock, right? I can even send someone to pick you up.”
In all the time she’d lived in Lubbock, she had never received a call like this. Wary from the events, Kayla wasn’t sure she could trust the phone call. “Why isn’t my dad or Shawn calling me?”
“I’m sorry. Uh, I was with your dad at the house when…when he was shot.”
“Shot?” she yelled.
“He’s okay! Or he will be. He’s out of surgery and they were able to remove the bullet. He hasn’t woken up yet and I got your number from his phone.”
“Where is Alp…Shawn?”
“He and my brother Max are looking for the culprit. I can have him call you as soon as he gets back. I just wanted to make sure you knew what’s going on.”
The guy sounded so upset and solemn.
“How do I know you are who you say you are?”
“What? What do you mean?” he asked sharply. “Are you okay? Why would I make this up?”
Since she didn’t know whether the call was for real, she had to consider that it could be a trap. A way to lure her out. But what if it wasn’t?
She locked gazes with Justin silently asking what to do. He shrugged, looking as upset as she felt.
“How did you know to call me?”
“What?” His voice rose. “You’re his daughter.”
She waited.
“You want me to prove who I am?”
“Yes,” she confirmed.
“How?”
She wished she knew. Randy tapped her arm and grabbed the phone and putting it on speaker.
“What kind of cell do you have?”
“Who’s this?”
That doesn’t matter. Answer the question.”
“An iPhone 5.”
Randy covered the mouthpiece. “Do you know what this guy looks like?”
Nodding, she thought she was catching on to his idea.
“Kayla will call you right back at this number on video conference.”
“Hold on…”
Randy disconnected the call.
“If he is who he says he is then this shouldn’t be an issue. Plus we’ll be able to see in the background,” Randy explained.
“It’s a good idea,” Justin confirmed.
Kayla took the phone back and hit redial with video call. The line only rang once before she saw Chase Lawson. “Can you see me?” Chase asked.
“Yes,” Kayla answered. “What happened to my dad?”
Chase ran a hand roughly over his face. “Honestly? I still don’t know. I went over to his place this morning to talk to him. We were headed inside, when out of nowhere, a bullet caught his shoulder. I didn’t see anyone, but the sniper kept firing. I called our Alpha and got Marcus to the hospital and that’s really all I can tell you.”
“Where is Shawn?” She noticed Chase had slipped and said Alpha but she wasn’t going to point it out. When in public, they weren’t supposed to use the Pack ranks but Chase was obviously distressed.
“He’s still searching the canyon. As soon as we knew Marcus was okay, Shawn and Max left to try to find the guy.”
“I’m on my way. I should be there in about an hour.”
“Wait!”
She stopped from disconnecting.
“Are you okay? What’s going on that you didn’t believe me?”
“We’ll get into that when I arrive. I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
This time she didn’t give Chase a chance to reply. She leaped from the stool. “I’ve got to go.”
“Hold on!” Justin grabbed her arm as she tried to pass. “We need to think about this. You were almost attacked last night too. They could be waiting for you to head back into town.”
“My dad’s been shot!”
“I know. I do. But we have to be careful.”
“I’m going, Justin,” she told him.
“I’ll go with her,” Randy said.
Justin gripped his hair and yanked. “Fuck,” he yelled, frustration evident.
“I have to go.”
“We’re all going. I’ll call Angel and have her meet us in Canyon. I’m not going to let you two go off by yourselves.”
She grabbed his face and kissed him. “Let’s go!”
“You have to get dressed first,” he hollered at her.
After hanging up with Kayla Webb, Chase’s anxiety rose to an all-time high. There had been something majorly wrong that she hadn’t shared with him. Now that she was on her
way, he wouldn’t be able to relax until she had actually reached the hospital.
Pacing the ICU’s waiting room—helpless once again to do anything—Chase grimaced as aggravation boiled up in his gut. A member of his Pack had been shot right in front of him and he hadn’t been able to do anything about it.
At times like this, he wished he were more like Max.
Max had shown up at the hospital with their Alpha. Both men had shifted then ran the whole way to the Webb residence. By the time they’d arrived, the shooter was nowhere to be found.
Two of the Pack’s other members had driven to Marcus’ with the Alpha and Max's clothes and phones. After they’d heard Chase’s message, they’d high-tailed it to the hospital.
Max had sat with Chase while Shawn had demanded updates from the staff. While his brother had tried to make him feel better by stating that Chase had done his part getting Marcus help, Chase didn’t feel like he had done enough.
Plus he really wanted answers.
“Hey.”
Chase jumped when someone’s hand came down on his shoulder.
“You okay?” his best friend, Alex Wilson, asked.
Chase took a deep breath and tried to smile. “Yeah, sorry. I guess I’m a little…”
“Freaked out?”
“Yeah,” Chase admitted.
“It’s all right, man. Here. I brought you coffee from the bakery.”
Gratefully, Chase accepted the Styrofoam cup from Alex. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” With a hand on the back of his neck, Alex led him to the row of hard plastic seats. “Now tell me what’s going on. Max called and asked that I come sit here with you but didn’t give me much detail. He said he had to take off for a little bit and didn’t want you here alone.”
Slowly sinking into the chair, Chase flipped up the top of the drink and inhaled. Had it only been earlier in the morning he’d had coffee with Kurt and Clint in his office?
It seemed like days had passed since their meeting. Who knew that conversation would lead him into witnessing an attempted murder and he’d wind up in the hospital waiting for something more to happen?