by JJ Anderson
He blew out a breath and nodded, unsure if David knew what that meant or how hard it would be. His father meant destruction for him. How could one man go up against that?
He was alone in the truck, watching the street and parking lot. If someone recognized him, it would all be over.
After making love to David, he felt he could really trust him. There hadn’t ever been anyone other than Ruari he trusted. Not even his mother had gained as much trust as he gave David.
David was taking a while, and Ronan wanted to get out and go looking for him, but as Ronan moved to open the door, someone stepped around the side of the building. In an instant, Ronan recognized the man. It was one of his dad’s guards who had never liked him. If this guy saw him, he’d be dead in an instant. There was no escape and no place to hide. He was trapped.
Chapter Ten
David arranged for a room and then stepped around the corner and placed a call on a burner phone he had with him.
“Hello,” the person barked on the other end of the line when they answered.
“I have something you want,” David said.
The guy snorted. “What could you have?”
“It’s not a what, but who.”
Silence greeted David. If Ronan knew what he was doing, the young omega would freak out. Hell, Ronan might even try to kill him. Maybe he deserved death for this, but Richard Marks wanted his young omega son home with him, and David planned to deliver.
“Where are you?” Richard’s interest was piqued.
David chuckled. “I’ll contact you by email.”
“No, tell me!” Richard’s voice rose, and David had to pull the phone away from his head. He almost chuckled at how unhinged the man was, but he held back his mirth.
“When I’m ready, I’ll tell you where. I want to make a trade.”
“Why?” Marks barked. “What do you want?”
“Money. Oh, and bring your other kid too, or the deal is off.”
“I don’t have another child,” Richard spit out.
“Sure you do. His name is Ruari. Now don’t disappoint me. I’ll get back with you on the details.
David ended the call, turned off the device, and shoved it into his pocket before he headed out to the truck to get Ronan. A man stepped out from a room directly across the parking lot. Panic filled David as he picked up the hint of rising pheromones. This would ruin everything. David cleared his throat, and the man who’d been staring at his truck glanced his way.
It only took a second for David to move close enough to knock him out. He reached into the guy’s pocket and pulled out a key card. Then Ronan was there beside him.
“What are you doing?” Worry clouded Ronan’s face as he opened the hotel room for David.
“He saw you. We need to incapacitate him for a while.” David hauled the guy into the room and deposited him unceremoniously on the floor.
Ronan closed the door and leaned against it. His hand went to his mouth, and he chewed on a fingernail. He was nervous as he should be. This was about to get real even though Ronan had no clue how real it would get.
“I-I wasn’t sure if he recognized me.”
“His pheromones were rising. He was about to shift and run off, possibly to tell your father you’re in town.”
Ronan dropped to the bed and put his head in his hands. David moved to him and placed his hand on Ronan’s back, hoping to reassure him even though David had just spoken with his dad and planned to reunite the pair.
David’s stomach twisted with guilt. His plan could fall apart, and this guy could have ruined everything. He prayed Ronan couldn’t smell his worry. If he wanted this to work, he would have to be cool and calm.
“I need to tie him up.”
Ronan chewed on his thumbnail. “If he shifts, he’ll be able to get free.”
The omega had a point, but David had a surprise. He’d used a special device when he was on the police force in Canada. Its use was frowned upon heavily in the shifter community. The device was seen as an abuse of power, but what else were the cops to do when the criminal could turn into an angry bear and kill everyone at the station?
“I need to run out to the truck and grab something.” David jumped up and took two steps before Ronan’s hand on his arm stopped him.
“You’re leaving me here with him?” Ronan’s fingers dug into David’s flesh. “Wait.”
David turned to Ronan and pulled him into a hug. “Trust me, okay. He’s out cold, and I’ll be back in a flash.”
He headed to the truck and grabbed the cuff. He didn’t want to lose the device since it would be almost impossible to get another one so they would have to take him to their room. It might freak Ronan out, but this couldn’t be helped. David needed this cuff back, and he couldn’t have it fall into the wrong hands.
David stepped into the room and Ronan breathed out a sigh of relief. The man still lay on the brown carpet and wasn’t even moaning yet. The punch he’d thrown had been with the right amount of force to knock the dude out.
He placed the cuff on the man’s leg and then pulled out regular zip ties and secured his hands. Ronan watched from the other side of the bed.
“For years I’ve feared them,” Ronan whispered.
David’s gaze landed on him, and he felt the weight of the young omega’s fear. The poor kid had been through so much, and he was going to have to go through more. “I know.”
“Do you think he’ll wake up before we leave the room?”
David sighed. “We can’t leave him alone here.”
“What?”
David noticed Ronan’s hands shaking as he moved to him. He wanted to say something to calm Ronan, but his stomach twisted, and his throat closed.
This poor omega didn’t deserve the hell he was about to go through. David pushed away the guilt before he spoke. “I know this is difficult, but I can’t allow that cuff to fall into the wrong hands.”
Ronan pointed at it. “What does it really do?”
“It suppresses your ability to shift, locking you as human.”
Ronan shivered. “How?”
“It shorts out a bit of the electrical energy running through your body. Shifting takes a lot of energy. With this cuff on, he won’t be able to shift. He’ll still be a jerk, but he won’t shift and run away.”
Ronan stared at the other shifter, his lips turned down in a frown. “I don’t like being this close to him.”
“I’m sure you don’t.” David couldn’t tell Ronan they already had plans on meeting with his father. He couldn’t let on what would happen. The information would crush Ronan. But Marks was bigger than Ronan, bigger then himself. Marks ruled this area, that much was clear. “We need to get some sleep. We’re in room two hundred and two. You go on up, and I’ll bring our friend. Once I have him in the room, I’ll go get our bags.”
The nod Ronan gave wasn’t reassuring, but he took the key card and headed out. Less than a minute later David had the guy up and was headed out the door. This wolf shifter wasn’t too big, but he was larger than Ronan. Midway to the room, David glanced around to make sure no one was watching. After a brief pause, he threw the guy over his shoulder and took the stairs two at a time.
Ronan opened the door for him to a small room that was an exact copy of the room below. They wouldn’t have much space with the guy here, but it would have to do. He dropped the guy in the corner and moved to Ronan cupping his cheek.
“We need to have a plan.”
Ronan’s hands shook and his eyebrows bunched with worry. “Going to my house will be dangerous.”
“I know, but we need to get your brother.” The lie slid easily off his tongue, and he wondered what was wrong with him. He’d made a soul-deep connection with Ronan, and he had to ignore that, or he’d risk everything.
Ronan began shaking his head as he stepped away. “This is impossible. Why are we here? This is never going to work.”
Maybe Ronan sensed what he’d done. Heat washed over David as s
hame and regret twisted through him. He would put Ronan through hell, but he didn’t see any other way.
“We’ll figure something out.” David wrapped his arms around Ronan and held him close, all the while thinking this trusting wolf omega would be devastated once he found out what David had planned.
Chapter Eleven
Banging woke Ronan. He cracked open his eyes, realizing it was the shifter they were holding slamming his head against the wall. David got up and punched the guy, knocking him out again.
Ronan groaned and rolled over then realized his bladder was full. He stumbled to the bathroom and peed, then headed back to bed.
When they went to sleep, David had stretched out on the bed next to the door, and he was alone in the bed closer to the closet. Desire to get up and snuggle with David grew, but it would be weird with his dad’s guard knocked out in the closet. He shivered, thinking of the enemy so close.
Why had he come back here? Ruari.
Anticipation wound through him, and it took a while to get back to sleep. When he woke, David was sitting up staring at his phone.
Ronan stretched, working through the kinks of the rock-hard bed and barely there pillow, then headed to the bathroom. The tub shower was small, the sprayer low even for him. He couldn’t imagine how David had to contort his body to get clean. The shower felt good, loosening him up and getting him warm.
He dressed in black jeans, a black T-shirt, and a hoodie to cover his head and cast his face in shadows so he could hide from those who knew him.
Ruari was so close and yet so far. A few minutes after nine, he stepped out into the main room and spied David back on his phone, his lips pressed together hard. He nodded and hung up, his gaze meeting Ronan’s. For a second, Ronan saw the hint of guilt shining in David’s eyes. Something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t put a finger on it.
“My brother will be in class if he’s allowed to still attend.” He had his doubts. His father may not allow Ruari out of his sight. The firm grasp his father had on Ruari’s life had to be even tighter. Richard wanted everyone to obey him without question even when obedience meant doing something stupid. Sure, they’d been allowed to shift as children and teens, but only with guards around. They’d run with big enforcers who would bite them if they got out of line. He wondered if his dad would put one of those enforcers on Ruari full time now.
The man they had bound in the corner grunted, and Ronan turned to face him. The snarl from the guy was loud and clear. If he could shift, he would.
Ronan wouldn’t trust anything this guy said, and it wasn’t worth questioning him. He turned back to David and shrugged. “What’s the plan?”
“We should go to your father’s house. We’ll set up and see what we can find.” David reached for the guy and pulled him up. “I’ll put him in the bed of the truck and cover him with a tarp, then, we’ll head out.”
“We have to take him with us?”
“Yes,” David said. “I need the ankle cuff back. If we take the device off, he’ll shift, and we’ll be shit out of luck.”
Ronan didn’t like having the shifter close, but he didn’t really have any say in the matter. He went first, unlocking the truck and David followed with the man they’d taken and handcuffed. Once he was stowed in the bed of the truck, David got in and started the engine.
Ronan thought David seemed off, but he was too distracted since they were so close to his father’s house. He really felt like he was entering the danger zone.
They drove the route he was too familiar with. Tall trees lined the roadway, and the drive for old mister Smith’s farm was on his left. Next would be the road to the old sawmill. Familiarity increased his fear which made his spine tingle and his hands sweat. When they turned onto the highway near his father’s place, Ronan reached out and grabbed David’s arm.
“This is too close.”
“We’re safe. Your father doesn’t know you’re here.”
He wanted to believe David and trust him, but if his dad saw him, it would all be over. His hands shook, and tears pricked the back of his eyes. David grabbed his hand and squeezed.
“Please trust me. Everything will be fine.”
David’s phone buzzed, and he checked the display. His lips thinned. He wanted to ask David what was going on when they pulled into the lot of an abandoned gas station.
Panic grew as his hands began to shake more. They were stopped too close to his father’s house. Something would go wrong, and his dad would find him.
David turned to face him, his eyes dark with something Ronan didn’t like. “Listen, Ronan, everything will be fine. I swear you’ll be fine.”
His spine stiffened at David’s tone, and unease filled him. “I don’t feel like it will be okay.” There were times in the past he knew something was off, maybe it was his shifter senses or one of his relatives warning him of danger, but he felt that now. He’d put his trust in a stranger, and now he worried he’d made a huge mistake.
David reached out to touch him but jerked his hand back suddenly. “Just trust me, I’ll keep you safe.”
Ronan closed his eyes, trying to push away the fear. Could he trust David? Back at David’s place, he felt safe, secure, but right now with the weird light shining in David’s eyes, an odd feeling hit Ronan in the chest. A car approached, the sound of its tires slowing on the pavement. Ronan opened his eyes and watched as the car pulled in.
Fright zipped through him and his head spun. This was wrong. Panic was too simple a word for what he felt. Then he saw the person inside the car and all hell came raining down on him. Ronan froze. His life was over.
The black as hades eyes of his father stared back at him. Ronan tried to scramble out the door, but David’s big hand landed on his forearm, holding him in place.
He whipped his head around and his gaze landed on David. Pain crushed his soul. He’d trusted and lost. Betrayed by the bear, he had nowhere to turn. He had to get out of here.
His heart thudded and his ears rang. David had called his father.
Ronan had known not to trust others. How could this man who he’d grown so close to, close enough to have sex with, betray him so harshly?
He tried to pull away, but David’s grip tightened, keeping him in place. David’s gaze met his, and a chill slid down Ronan’s back.
“Stay with me,” David barked and opened the door before pulling Ronan across the seat and out the door.
His heart galloped, and his legs were like jelly. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to go. Ronan imagined his dad had hundreds of people in the bushes. They would attack, and he would die.
“I hope he kills you too,” Ronan spat out.
“If he does, he does. Please do as I say,” David whispered.
“Fuck you.” No way would he do as David asked. There wasn’t any reason to help him. Ronan knew without a doubt he’d be dead soon. He wouldn’t even make it to dinner.
He wouldn’t cry. No, he’d face his father and tell him exactly how much of a prick he was.
Richard stepped out from the back of his car. He had Ruari with him. Icy fear made Ronan’s knees wobbly. His brother had bruises and cuts over his arms and face. Then he realized Ruari had a cast on his arm. What had his dad done?
“Ronan, it’s time to end this,” his dad called out. His voice was strong, powerful, and had always made Ronan quiver. This time wasn’t any different.
Ronan forced his knees to still and had to straighten his spine, so he didn’t fold. “No, I don’t think I’m going back to you or ever doing what you ask again.” Ronan needed to get away, preferably with his brother at his side. Ruari looked miserable.
Escape seemed impossible, but he had to try. He had to fight to escape the torture that would surely come.
Ronan wrenched free from David’s hold. His dad threw back his head, his laughter filling the air, causing even the high sun to fell chilly.
“Tell me, Ronan, what are you going to do?” his father called out. “You can’t escape. Br
ing him here.”
David’s hand clamped down on Ronan’s shoulder. He glanced up, meeting the gaze of the betrayer. How could he have trusted this man?
“Fuck you,” Ronan spat out.
“I’m sorry. There was no other way.”
His words were like a knife to Ronan’s soul. From the moment they met, David had been manipulating and using him. He would never trust another person again.
David pushed him forward, forcing him closer to his father. Hate welled up so strong he almost burst. How could this man who had made love so beautifully to him turn him over so callously to this bastard? David knew he would die, and yet he still marched him to his death.
Ronan’s stomach rolled and threatened to spill its contents. He couldn’t do this. Death would be better.
He was ten feet from his father when Ruari broke free from the man holding him and ran to Ronan. His arms went around his brother, pulling him close. They clung to each other, their breaths coming in gasps. They should shift, but with Ruari’s broken arm, he may not be able to complete the change.
Ronan leaned back and stared into Ruari’s eyes. Worry and fear mixed with the joy of seeing his brother again. He opened his mouth when an echoing blast split the air. Then another blast followed.
“They’re shooting at us,” Ruari yelled.
Escape appeared impossible. Ronan grabbed Ruari’s good arm and pulled him along behind him, heading towards the empty gas station. They ducked inside, but he didn’t stop moving. At the back of the store, he found a door and cracked it open. They were only ten feet from the tree line.
“We need to go,” Ronan said.
Ruari shook his head. “They’ll find us, and he’s going to kill you.”
“We can’t stay. Let’s go. Can you shift?”
Ruari shook his head. “No. Dad put this thing on me.”
Ronan knew exactly what he was talking about. It was more evidence against the bastard who had betrayed him. Anger twisted hot, and he wanted to yell and scream as he threw punches at David. But first, they had to get free and he had to save Ruari.