by Vella Day
Sarah nodded. “And it will be my head if she doesn’t make it.”
Riley had seen one of his foster siblings die because their foster parents couldn’t afford the care. “Is there anything we can do to help?”
“I need some strong antibiotics, but without a doctor’s prescription, I can’t get it.”
He glanced over at Jay. “If we can secure what you need, do you think Statler will know where the medicine came from?” Her eyes sparkled as if he was some hero, but now wasn’t the time to tell her he wasn’t one by any stretch of the imagination.
“No. I can give him some vague explanation for her recovery.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” A flood of endorphins rushed through him. Helping someone, however small, felt good.
Jay spoke up. “Do you know when Statler will be back in the warehouse?”
“No. I was aware of his comings and goings in the lab, but as soon as your men compromised the old place, he’s become too paranoid to stay there for any length of time. He’s definitely spooked.”
Riley wasn’t sure if that would help their cause or if it was more of a problem. He picked up the map and studied it. “Its simplicity bothers me. One entry door opening into a large area will make sneaking in difficult. We might have to pick off the guards one by one.”
“We only have two there at one time, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Statler brings on more men. I didn’t mark it on the map, but the doors to the women’s quarters are key-coded. I have the combination, so that won’t be a problem.”
“Is the place alarmed?” Jay asked.
“Other than the main door, not that I can tell. The internal doors don’t have anything other than that keypad. As I mentioned, my roommate is dating one of the guards, Russ Sizemore, and according to him, Statler doesn’t plan to be in town much longer.” Sarah leaned forward. “If Statler isn’t there and there are only two guards, I bet if you called in help from Tyson and Ford, the four of you could overpower the men and free the women.”
“I wish it were that simple,” Riley said. “If we aren’t successful, Statler will head underground for an indeterminate period then emerge to kidnap and sell others. We have to have a foolproof plan to put an end to him.”
She stabbed a hand through her luscious hair, as if the stress was getting to her. “You’re right, but do you think you can do it in three days?”
“Fuck if I know, but we sure as hell are going to try.”
* * *
Connolly McLaughlin parked a mile from Statler’s warehouse, shifted, and then headed in on foot—or rather on four legs. He wanted to understand the comings and goings of Statler’s operation and learn what it would take to breach it without anyone the wiser.
As he neared the warehouse, screams and grunts sounded, sending his senses into high alert. He might have been more cautious had the whines not come from a female. Adrenaline coursing through his veins, Connolly charged in, branches cracking under foot. The attacker, a man of average stature, looked up and let go of the woman he’d been holding. Her eyes glazed over as she crumpled motionless to the ground. Holy fuck. Anger ripped through Connolly faster than water could fly over a dam after a heavy storm.
He growled and edged closer, trying to decide how he wanted to kill the bastard. Then reason intruded. Given the man’s uniform and his proximity to the warehouse, he might be more useful alive.
The guard shifted into his animal form and raced toward Connolly, saliva dripping from his mouth—a sure indication he intended to kill. While this werewolf could have been one of the enhanced breeds, Connolly would take his chances. Born of Scottish descent, he was larger and fiercer than the werewolves bred around here. Being meaner and more determined convinced him he’d win this battle.
Incisors glistening, the guard launched himself at Connolly’s neck but he was able to twist out of reach at the last minute and even managed to chomp on the guard’s rear as he flew by. His reward came when the animal yelped.
Over confident from the small victory, Connolly was distracted for a brief moment, giving the wolf enough time to swirl around fast and swipe a sharp claw across his face and neck. Fuck. That stung like a bitch.
He’d pay for that.
Blood dripping from the guard’s flank, he circled Connolly, clearly waiting for the right moment to charge again. The man’s breaths were coming out increasingly faster, indicating the guard was losing strength.
Move now.
Connolly dropped back on his haunches and lurched at the wounded man. He dug his teeth into his neck, deep enough to immobilize him but not enough to kill. When his adversary collapsed, Connolly shifted into his human form.
He stood over the guard and kicked him hard. “That’s for punching a woman.”
His gaze shot over to her. Her green scrubs were stained with flecks of blood and dirt, and her face was badly swollen. Geezus, the man would suffer for this.
From a previous reconnaissance, he hadn’t spotted any cameras this far behind the main structure, but that didn’t mean someone wouldn’t come out to look for this guy. It was time to move them both.
Chapter Four
Connolly was barely able to contain himself from breaking down the warehouse door and demanding justice. Only a true, sick bastard would harm an innocent woman. If the other women hadn’t been inside, he’d have found a way to destroy the building and everything inside it, but he had a larger mission to accomplish.
With a lot of effort, he managed to carry the downed guard and the girl back to his vehicle. Because the guard had lost a lot of blood, he’d passed out and had been unable to shift into his human form.
Connolly had been tempted to take the girl to a hospital, but without even knowing her name, he might be accused of harming her. Her injuries looked bad but were hopefully superficial. With care, he suspected she’d heal. The guard on the other hand, didn’t have long for this world. What little time he did have left, Connolly was going to enjoy torturing him. Having served as an interrogation expert in the armed services, Connolly had hundreds of ways to extract information. His main concern was whether this guy was privy to the inner workings of Statler’s organization.
When he pulled up to his safe house, a large van sat in the drive. Good. Help had arrived from Florida. Carrying both of the injured parties inside, he called to the two men he’d yet to meet. All he’d been told was that they had a way to get inside the warehouse.
Two beefy looking men, both of whom were dark haired and resembled each other, were setting up a shitload of monitors and other surveillance equipment in the living room. As soon as they saw what he was carrying, they rushed over. “What happened?”
“I’ll fill you in later. While I get the girl to my room, mind making sure the man stays put?”
“You got it.”
Connolly would deal with introductions when he had a free hand. The woman moaned and something inside him stirred, but he refused to identify the emotion. He toed open the door to his room and carefully placed her on the bed. Her eyes were closed, but she was jerking and thrashing as if she was clawing her way to consciousness. The only reason Connolly would consider leaving her alone—even for a minute—was because he needed to find some aspirin for her.
“You need help?” one of the men asked as Connolly headed toward the kitchen. “Your brute just roused and shifted back into human form. Guess he thought he could escape. No need to worry, Dante is making sure the guy doesn’t move again.”
While he enjoyed working alone, being with competent operatives was a nice diversion. “I’m good. Thanks. How’s he doing?”
“He’s bleeding, but my brother is patching him up. We figured you wanted him alive.”
“I want to find out what he knows first and then I’ll kill him.”
The man held out his hand and smiled. “Trax Field. My brother Dante is in the other room.”
The name almost made Connolly laugh even though the General had mentioned who was coming up to hel
p. “Connolly McLaughlin. I bet you were teased a lot growing up. Did the kids call you Track and Field?”
“Only the dumb ones. And then never twice.”
He liked the man. “Excuse me. I need to take care of the woman.”
“While you’re at it, you should bandage your neck and face.” Trax stepped aside and Connolly headed into the kitchen for water and aspirin.
He touched his cheek and was surprised to find blood. His adrenaline was still running through his system so fast that he hadn’t felt a thing after the initial swipe. He wasn’t worried. His wolf genes would take care of his injuries soon enough.
Armed with ice wrapped in a towel and the medication, he returned to take care of the victim. When he entered his room, she seemed to be peacefully asleep, so he decided not to disturb her. He set the glass of water and aspirin on the side table then dumped the ice in the bathroom sink. Understanding she needed the healing rest, he stepped out of the room and would return later to check on her.
It was time to see to the man who had brutalized this woman. The moment he spotted him slumped in the chair, tied up, and bandaged, Connolly’s fangs extended and hair sprouted.
“Easy now,” Dante said. “He’s in no shape for a beating.”
Connolly growled just as Dante’s cell rang. He pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s Jay.”
Connolly nodded, but he wasn’t happy to have to delay his fact-finding mission. Timing was critical. As soon as Dante disconnected, Connolly would make sure these two understood why Jay and Riley could never learn that he, too, worked for the General.
“Understood,” Dante said. “Stay in touch.” He faced Connolly. “Apparently, Statler’s at the warehouse right now but Jay doesn’t know for now long.”
Connolly’s lip curled and his bones cracked. He wanted the man bad, but he couldn’t do it alone. He spotted the swipe card around the guard’s neck and an idea popped into his head. As much as he wanted to rip the ID badge off the man, he didn’t want to break it. After lifting it from around the man’s neck, Connolly smiled.
The guard roused. “What do you think you’re gonna do with that? Walk in?”
The guard acted as if that was a bad idea. “As a matter of fact, yes I am.”
“My name’s on the badge.”
He only intended to use it to get through the door. “I can see that.” He faced the two men. “May I speak with you alone?”
Dante had secured the man well, so Connolly didn’t fear he’d escape. They followed him into the living room.
“What do you need?” Trax asked.
“Do you have the layout of the inside of the warehouse?” He thought the General would have sent it to him, but he hadn’t received it yet.
He grinned. “Why, yes I do.”
* * *
After meeting Jay and Riley, both of whom exuded confidence and a focused grasp on the scope of Statler’s evil nature, Sarah practically bounced out of their motel room. She hadn’t felt this kind of joy since before she’d gone undercover all those months ago. Her lightness could have been from the belief the end was near, or from the cocoon of warmth emitted by Jay. The man listened to her every word and offered her sympathy and support when she needed it. He also acted as if she was the most important person in the world. Never before had she met anyone like him.
And then there was Riley. She couldn’t get a bead on him. The man exuded sex appeal but then acted as if any interest by a female was unwelcome. It didn’t really matter. They’d both be gone in a few days, which was a shame; something about them seriously appealed to her. Her military dad had drilled into her the need to toe the line, follow the rules, and do what was right. She’d lived by his philosophy except when it came to sex. Getting lost in a man’s touch and his hard loving ways was the only thing that helped keep her balanced, but only if her partner was amazingly hot or incredibly good-natured.
Jay had both traits in spades. Riley was bad boy-hot but was far from easy-going or overly friendly. He had offered to find her some antibiotics, though, and that counted for a lot.
Ten minutes after leaving their motel, Sarah reached her neighborhood. As a precaution, she drove past her street needing to be certain no one was following her. Twice she’d noticed a white car behind her, but it had eventually turned off. Whenever she spotted a vehicle for more than a few miles, a yucky twisting feeling settled in her stomach. It was why she’d had to learn evasive techniques.
Once she was certain she was safe, she pulled into her drive. Statler was paying for this place, so she shouldn’t complain, but the two-bedroom home was rundown—and it smelled of mold.
Her roommate, Amy, was nice, but she was highly attracted to the bad boys—aka Statler’s goons. As soon as Sarah stepped inside the home, she rushed to her room to change, needing to go for a run to help rid her body of all the day’s tension. The knots in her shoulders had been building from the moment Statler had them pack up their lab in such a hurry and move farther west.
Amy wouldn’t be home until eight, so Sarah planned to enjoy her few hours of freedom. She could only hope that Amy’s boyfriend, Russ, wouldn’t show up tonight. The guard gave her the creeps; he was always asking her odd questions that she suspected came from Statler himself. So far she’d been able to field the answers quite well, but after meeting with the men of the Pack today, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to hide her newfound excitement from her roommate or her boyfriend.
Once dressed, Sarah hopped back in her car. The running path was located in a forested area of a National Park that was full of wildlife and waterfalls. She’d debated asking Statler for a weapon in case she met up with an unwanted animal, but then decided against it. He’d probably fear she’d turn the gun on one of the guards. While tempted, she wouldn’t be that stupid. Russ had mentioned that werewolves only died if the bullet was packed with a certain kind of poison and that regular guns only slowed them down. At present, she had no idea how to get ahold of that poison.
She rolled down her car window to enjoy the late afternoon glow and warm breeze along the seven-mile deserted stretch of road. When she arrived at the Park’s lot, there weren’t any other cars, which further relaxed her.
Keeping an eye on her surroundings, she started with a slow jog then increased her speed for the next couple of miles. The tranquility of the summer day, along with the pine-scented forest lulled her into a dreamlike state. Just for fun, she pictured herself naked, entwined between both Jay and Riley, mentally changing positions, but then gave up trying to decide who would be the better lover. Would Jay take her from behind or would it be Riley? If it was the latter, she bet he’d be determined to keep his emotional distance, but the lovemaking would be so intense that he couldn’t help return for more.
Her panties turned damp from all her prurient thoughts. Get real. She didn’t have time for wild, passionate sex. She had an evil man to take down—with the help of her two superheroes, of course. Sarah suddenly cracked up at the image of the men dressed in flapping capes.
I’m losing it. Get a grip.
She immediately sobered. With the sun threatening to set, she turned around and headed back. By the time she reached her car, her stomach had grumbled more times than she could count.
Not in the mood to cook, she stopped off at a small diner located in a gas station. Despite the unusual setting, the food was homemade and rather tasty, and as much as she wanted to stay away from home, she needed shower, and sleep. Five o’clock came around really early.
Once home, she headed straight to the shower. It wasn’t until she’d cleaned up, done a load of laundry and read two chapters of a book, that Amy finally returned looking more tired than usual.
“You look beat. Something happen at the warehouse?” Sarah asked. “Oh, no, is it Nancy? Has she taken a turn for the worse?”
“No. She’s about the same, but she needs some antibiotics fast.”
Sarah wanted to confide in her, but she didn’t dare.
“If you find any, let me know.”
Amy nodded, but her shoulders remained slumped. She tossed her thin jacket on the back of the sofa and set down her purse. “Michelle didn’t show up for her shift, so I stayed for as long as I could to cover for her.”
They hadn’t been at the warehouse long enough to have established a pattern, but so far, no one had dared miss even a minute of their required time. Statler was highly unpredictable, and she wouldn’t put it past him to order someone’s execution for crossing him. “Did you call her?”
“Yes, but her cell went to voicemail. That’s not all. Darnell didn’t show up to his shift either. Russ is staying with Wendell a little bit longer, too.”
Sarah tried to remember if she’d witnessed any exchange between Michelle and Darnell. “Could they be doing something together for Statler?”
Amy chewed on a nail, one that was already bitten to the quick. “I don’t think so, but it’s Russ I’m worried about. He wants to tell Statler about Darnell going AWOL. You know how volatile our boss is. It could end up badly for Russ.”
That was an understatement. She wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of that conversation. “Maybe they’ll show up tomorrow. I hope. I’m going to head on into bed.”
It was time to send a text. She prayed Statler hadn’t employed someone to hack into her messages. If so, she’d end up in a grave before she could call for help.
* * *
At eleven o’clock at night, Statler’s phone rang and his claws immediately extended at the interruption. No one dared call him at this uncivilized hour.
The gorgeous blonde next to him in bed rolled over, her naked breasts enticing him. “Are you going to answer that?” she asked as she grabbed his hard cock.
With a glorious woman so close, he sure as fuck didn’t want to, but he couldn’t chance missing a call from his buyer. Keeping his hands under the sheet, he focused on retracting his claws. The last thing he needed was for a human to run out of the apartment screaming bloody murder.
“Give me a sec.” He dragged his now fully human hand over her luscious breasts then pinched the tip.