“Egan, it’s me. If you’re awake, please pick up the phone.”
She waited a moment and hung up, dialing the number again. The answering machine picked up again, and Olivia blew out a dramatic sigh. It was still early on the west coast, she was sure they were in bed still.
Hurrying so she didn’t get caught, she slipped out of the office and down the hall to the bathroom to freshen up. She was almost to the bathroom when Sable appeared in the hallway, obviously looking for Olivia.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, just tired. I walked right by the bathroom and kept going.” Olivia didn’t know why she didn’t just tell Sable she’d called the house. But for some reason, she wanted to keep it to herself for a little while longer. She was certain that the boys were still asleep, and it wouldn’t really do any good to stress Sable out right now, wondering why no one was answering the phone. It could be something as simple as a morning run keeping the young tigers away. She didn’t want to panic, at least not right then.
Sable grabbed Olivia’s face in his hands and leaned in for a deep, passionate kiss. Olivia melted into him. His mouth was hot, his touch reassuring.
“Everyone has agreed to help get Grace. There are a couple of strongholds they’re sure she could be in.”
“I’m glad everyone is willing to help. When do we go?”
“We leave at sunset. We’re breaking up in groups to do recon. A lot of these strongholds are booby-trapped and in remote areas. We can’t just go in, guns a blazing, and hope for a good outcome.”
“I understand. But they have it narrowed down at least?”
“They have a few ideas but they don’t have all the strong holds mapped out. There are a few known members of the brotherhood that are unaccounted for. If she’s not where they think she should be, then we’ll have to figure out where those men are hiding out. And that could take some time.
And there’s one other thing.” He looked at her, searching her green eyes and planting a quick kiss on her pert little nose. “I know you think I’m nuts, but I’m not the only one that thinks Laskin is still alive. In fact, that’s the prevailing theory for why the human side has become so violently opposed to shifters in the last few years.”
“But Laskin isn’t human.”
“You know that, but the thought is that he’s somehow infiltrated the human resistance and they’re unaware he’s a shifter. His father was human, so he knows how to blend in.”
Olivia nodded. She didn’t want to admit it but chances were that Laskin was still around, and had somehow lived. She rested her head on Sable’s chest, her legs feeling weak. “Sable, I’m so tired, I need to sleep soon. Is there anywhere we can rest for a little while before we head out tonight?”
“Olivia, you’re not going tonight. We’re heading into some pretty violent territory, I can’t risk losing you.” He covered her lips with his finger as she opened it to protest. “When we figure it where she is, you’ll be the first to know. They’ll be expecting us to come for her under the cover of night, so unless there’s an opportunity to grab her then, we’ll be coming back the following day with reinforcements. Tonight, we’re breaking off in pairs and planning our attack, nothing more.”
"I’m not happy about that, but you’re right. Sleep sounds fantastic right now.”
Sable grabbed her hand, leading her down the hallway. “I know just the place.”
**
The car pulled to a stop, the driver’s door opening as the gear was hastily shoved into park. Grace, still awake in the trunk, quickly closed her eyes and let her body go limp, turning her head away from the trunk. A key scratched around before finally slipping into the hole. The trunk latch popped and the lid popped open. Grace remained limp, letting her mouth go slack and keeping her eyes shut.
Tom cussed under his breath, muttering about weak traitors and something else Grace couldn’t quite make out. The way he’d tied her feet and hands together made getting her sagging body out of the trunk difficult, to say the least. Tom grunted and moaned under the dead weight of Grace’s body, throwing her over his shoulder and slamming the trunk shut with his free hand.
Grace kept her head down, looking around and memorizing the scenery around the car. There wasn’t another house she could see, and no cars to speak of. Tom was here alone, at least for now.
He lurched over the uneven terrain, his breathing heavy and labored. He struggled with the lock, almost dropping her in the process. The door finally opened, and Tom staggered into the room. He went through another door and without warning, dumped Grace onto the floor like a sack of flour. Her head slammed into the floor, sending her into a pit of darkness as Tom left, locking the door behind him.
Hours later, Grace came to on the hard wooden floor, head pounding as she tried to sit up, She looked slowly around the dark room. Each of the windows had blackout curtains, but Grace could see that the sun was rising around the edge of the panels. She coughed, raising her hands to her mouth to wipe the blood from her mouth.
She nearly screamed when she realized her hands were still tied together. Her fingers were numb and her arms were heavy from being tied for so long. She wiggled her fingers, willing the blood to start flowing again.
The house was silent around her. Tom was either sleeping or out for the day. Grace pulled her knees up to her chest, reaching down with her numb fingers, trying to untie her ankles. Her fingers were clumsy, but she kept at it, eventually loosening the knot enough to pull the end of the rope through.
Her fingers were starting to feel a little better, making the second knot much easier than the first. She shook her feet, slipping the last of the ropes down to the floor. She twisted her hands and grabbed the ends of the ropes binding her hands, pushing and tugging until she worked the rope free.
She rubbed her wrists, listening to the silence for a moment before standing up. Her head felt light, her vision slightly blurry. She fought the urge to vomit, taking deep breaths and putting out her hand to steady herself. She walked to the window, pulling the curtain aside carefully.
What she saw out the window was much the same as the front of the house. Her stomach dropped. Even if she got away, she was going to have a long run on her hands to get anywhere even remotely civilized. Tom had known what he was doing, and his confidence suddenly made a lot of sense. Even if she could find a human that didn’t hate her, they likely couldn’t help her.
She tried the window, hardly surprised when it didn’t budge. A quick look around the edges revealed it was nailed shut from the outside. Inside each pane of glass was a metal lattice frame, the individual squares much too small for her to crawl through if she was able to find something to break the glass with. Grace walked around the edge of the room, searching the other windows and found the same.
A tiny door led to a simple, windowless bathroom. Grace turned the water on, splashing her face with the ice cold liquid and cupping her hands to drink. A plunger sat in the corner, the rubber dry and cracked from over-use. Grace grabbed the plunger, using her foot to hold the rubber down so she could twist the handle out.
She tucked the handle under her arm, returning to the sink to wash her hands and drink some more of the ice cold water. Her lips and throat were dry after spending hours without a drop of water passing her lips. She drank greedily, keeping one ear cocked to listen for Tom’s return.
When she’d had her fill, she left the bathroom and continued her investigation of the tiny room. There were no furnishings and nothing handy she could use for a weapon. The room looked like it had once been used for storage, but had been left empty since then.
The front door opened and heavy work boots clomped across the wooden floor. Searching the room frantically for a place to hide, Grace ducked behind the door. Tom moved around the house, his heavy footsteps echoing across the hollow floors. She held her breath, willing her heartbeat to quiet down while she waited for him to move closer to the door.
It felt like an eternity before Tom wa
lked towards the door, jiggling the key into the old lock and working it before the lock clicked open. He threw open the door and was a few steps into the room before he realized she wasn’t where he’d left her. He turned around, his face registering shock at seeing her free and a split second before her foot connected with his groin.
He went down hard, howling in pain and writhing on the floor. Grace hit him hard with the handle of the plunger and tossed it across the room. She ran out of the room, heading straight for the door as he gagged and heaved in pain. He attempted to scream after her, but her footsteps drowned out the pitiful noise.
She flew out the door and leaped off the short porch, stumbling to regain her footing in the uneven dirt. The car was sitting in the driveway, parked haphazardly. She wrenched open the door, hoping that Tom had been careless enough to leave the keys in the ignition. Coming up empty, she closed the door and took off for the woods. The sun was heading for the horizon and it would be dark soon. With any luck, she could hide out in the woods until morning and then find a highway, and hopefully some help. She’d keep moving all night, running parallel to the highway and praying Tom didn’t have a dog somewhere on his property. She could hide from a human all night, but if Tom had a dog, all bets were off.
She took a narrow trail, heading straight into the woods and up a small incline. A quick look over her shoulder confirmed that Tom wasn’t following her. He probably assumed she would head for the highway. If he did, that would buy her some time while he wasted his searching the roadway for her.
Grace fell into an easy run, trying to head east every time the trail split to keep close to the highway. She was sore and tired, but her adrenaline was coursing through her veins. Tom had underestimated her, but she wasn’t ready to celebrate yet. Until she was safe with Olivia and Sable, she couldn’t trust anyone.
She came to a hard left bend, sending her further away from the road than she wanted. She slowed down, scanning the trees for an alternate route. Finding none, she raced around the corner and slammed into something solid, falling backwards onto the ground.
Grace looked up at the man, his face grotesquely scarred. One eye was milky white, the scar running from his hair line, through his eye and to his chin. She stifled a scream and the man held out his hand. His smile was ugly and twisted, pulled to one side in a sneer.
“Well, hello, Grace. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” A man to Laskin’s left stepped forward and threw a black sack over her head. She fought and kicked, but the strong man held her fast.
“I would suggest you hold still, my dear. Unless you want me to give Tom free reign with you after what you did.”
Grace stilled. Of course these men were with Tom. Grace closed her eyes, hot tears flooding out in anger. She’d been so close and now she was right back where she started.
“I imagine you’re wishing that Olivia and Sable were here to save you right now. Don’t worry, you’ll see them soon enough. It won’t take them long to figure out where we’re hiding you, and they’ll come to your rescue. In fact, I’m counting on it.”
A chill ran down Grace’s spine. Olivia and Sable were walking right into a trap. And there was nothing she could do to warn them.
CHAPTER 15
Sable shook Olivia gently, sitting beside her on the couch in the library and pulling some food out of a bag. “I thought you might be hungry, and I remembered you liked this place.”
Olivia stretched, rubbing her eyes and ogling the delicious feast on the coffee table in front of her. She grabbed the nearest sandwich, unwrapping the yellow paper and folding it around the Panini sandwich. The first bite was heaven, and she moaned softly in spite of herself. Sable laughed, handing her a napkin and pulling out his own meal.
They talked easily between bites, purposely avoiding the more serious topics. Olivia watched Sable, enjoying his strong profile and watching him as he enjoyed every last bite.
“When are you leaving?”
“It will be dark soon. We have a few places to check, but we’ll have to be careful. Curfew is strictly enforced, and if we get caught, we’ll all spend the night in jail, or worse.”
Olivia didn’t know what to say. So many of the shifters were putting their own lives on the line for her friend, a human. If only the humans that were fighting so hard to push shifters out of society could see the truth.
A single tear slid down her cheek. Sable reached out and rubbed it away with his thumb.
“Don’t worry about the guys, they’re doing this because they want to, not because they feel obligated. The movement isn’t just about shifters, but also about human allies being treated fairly. What happened to Grace is everything they’ve been fighting against, and they won’t stand by and just let the world dissolve into chaos.” He placed a single finger under her chin, pulling her head up to look into his eyes. “We’re going to put things back the way they were, when everyone was safe and people didn’t face death for loving the wrong species.”
Olivia nodded, resting her forehead against his and taking a deep breath. “It’s hours before the sun sets, I just can’t get the doubt out of my head. What if you guys get caught? What if you don’t find her?”
Sable set his food aside and pulled Olivia into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck. He nuzzled her throat, his warm breath caressing the soft skin over her collarbone. He kissed her softly, letting his lips run across her skin and planting tender kisses around her shoulders and neck.
“Sable, not here.”
“The others left to gather supplies while there’s still daylight. No one is here but us.” He arched an eyebrow, a wicked smile tugging at his lips.
Olivia looked around at the library, which was nearly the same as it had been when they’d fled five years ago.
“I guess it would be like old times.”
Sable chuckled, unbuttoning her blouse and pushing it off her shoulders. She wore a lacy, pink bra under her shirt, the delicate fabric coming off in a whisper when he unhooked the latch. Her breast spilled out, smooth and round, heavy in his hands.
Sable ran his thumbs over her nipples, blowing softly over the tightening buds, causing them to harden in response. He kissed her throat, continuing to stroke her breasts. Trembling fingers ran through his hair. Her breath quickened and she slid her legs apart, resting her knees on either side of his hips in the plush sofa.
Olivia pulled Sable’s shirt up and over his head, pushing the fabric up over his head. He held his arms up to help her, letting go of her for a split second before he went back to the sweet torture. She moaned low in her throat, pumping her hips, frustrated with the thick fabric of both their jeans between them.
Olivia stood and unbuttoned her jeans, letting them fall to the floor, taking her panties with them. The lacy fabric slid down her smooth skin and landed silently on the carpeted floor. Her fingers delved into the waistband of his jeans and worked on the buttons, pulling him towards her and forcing him to stand. He kicked off his jeans unceremoniously and grabbed her hips.
He walked towards the wall with her legs wrapped around him, her soft core rubbing against his rigid member while he moved. He braced her between himself and a built in bookshelf. His strong hands moved her up, slowly lowering her onto himself. She moved against him, tensing and relaxing, driving him insane with her movements. She wrapped her arms around his neck and bent down to kiss him deeply.
Sable turned, backing into the book case and leaning back to get better leverage. He thrust into her, slowly at first, then faster as her breath came out in short gasps. Reaching out, she grabbed the heavy bookcase with both hands and used it to drive herself faster on his shaft. Holding on as she was, she was able to lean back, angling his hardness and sending fits of pleasure through her body. She glistened with heat as she rode him, the waves of pleasure over taking her quickly and powerfully.
Sable planted his feet and drove into her, finally releasing his tenuous hold on sanity and riding the passion with her. He buried his
face in her neck and moaned into her damp skin. She slowed her hips, pulling everything he had out in agonizing slowness.
Carefully, she released her death grip on the shelf and wrapped her arms around his neck. His legs trembled with effort, and she giggled before sliding down to the floor. “That was amazing, Sable.”
“Are you surprised?” He winked at her and smiled.
“Of course not.” She punched him lightly in the arm and practically skipped over to her discarded clothes. Pulling her clothes on quickly, she tossed him his and he began dressing. “I’m going to try to call home and check on the boys.”
“Good idea.”
She pulled out the burner cell, dialing the number and waiting on the answering machine. As before, it picked up on the fifth ring. She hung up and tried several more times, panic rising up inside of her. With each click of the answering machine, she came closer and closer to screaming in frustration.
Sable walked up behind her, pulling the phone gently out of her hand. “They’re probably out playing. Or watching a movie. Did you try Egan’s cell phone?”
“Straight to voicemail. The phone is off. Sable where is my child?” Olivia choked on a sob, thinking the worst. They left him behind to keep him safe, and now where was he?
“Olivia, give them a few minutes and we’ll try again.”
“Sable, I’ve been calling all day. They haven’t answered once. This isn’t the first time.”
Sable lips tightened. He was eager to dismiss her fears but he couldn’t deny that being out of pocket all day was concerning, especially considering their current situation.
An alarm sounded in the great room, letting Sable know that cars were approaching the gate. He hurried into the room, checking out the monitors and confirming that the approaching cars were Terrence and the rest of the crew. They had already returned with the gear needed to run surveillance that evening.
“Terrence is back. I’ll let him know what’s going on and will find a way to send someone to check on them. I’m sure they’re fine. You trust Egan, don’t you?”
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