Enticing Their Mate

by Vella Day

  While he would have liked a few more days to train in the gym, he was confident he could best Statler should it come to a battle. He’d spent years preparing for such a fight. He finished packing and snapped his case closed.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” His wife’s face pinched.

  He wrapped her in a warm hug and kissed her forehead. “Good idea? Maybe not. Necessary? Absolutely. You saw what that man did to those women.”

  “Yes. I know, but I worry about you. When was the last time you went out on assignment?”

  At sixty-two, he always assigned his men the job since a physical confrontation was most likely to occur, but this was something he needed to do himself. “A long time.”

  “You’ll have backup, right?”

  He kissed her long and hard this time. “Don’t worry. I know how to win a war.”

  She dragged a hand down his chest. “It’s the skirmish I’m worried about.”

  He smiled down at her. “I’ll win. You’ll see. I’ll call you when it’s over.”

  She pressed her head against his chest. “You better.”

  “As much as I’d like to stay and convince you that I’m still a virile wolf, I need to leave. Time is of utmost importance. One of our own is being held captive.”

  She lifted her head and he recognized how much effort her smile took.

  “Be careful.”

  “I will.”

  With his case in hand, Armand left, ready to take on his deadliest enemy—hopefully for the last time.

  * * *

  All this speculation about the best method to take down Statler was driving Jay crazy. He wanted to leave Riley with the men in the SUV and find Sarah himself. Where he’d look he didn’t know, but someone had to know something.

  Connolly’s cell rang, and he answered it. “Yes, General.” Jay’s pulse soared. “Did he say where? Any particular place in Rapid Rock? Which station? Okay, I will. We’ll be there. Thank you and safe travels.” He disconnected and smiled. “We have a go.”

  Jay didn’t need him to be coy. “What did the General say exactly?”

  “Statler called him and said he had Sarah. If he wants her back, the General needs to meet him at ten tonight in Rapid Rock, Ontario at a gas station on Antelope Road—alone.”

  Jay shook his head. “Statler isn’t stupid. He’ll know the General will come with backup. Hell, he probably saw Ford and Tyson and know they’ll join in the fray.”

  “Amen,” Ford and Tyson said in unison.

  I’ve known Statler a long time,” Jay said. “He’s the type who likes playing chess with people.”

  “What are you saying?” Connolly asked.

  “Ten bucks says when we get to this gas station, Statler won’t be there. He’ll either leave a note or call again, telling the General he needs to head to another location. He’ll make us run from one site to another, each time leaving a man behind, which will thin our herd fast.”

  Riley shook his head. “You’ve been watching too many movies.”

  He hadn’t meant to act like a know-it-all, but Jay had studied Statler. “How far is it to Rapid Rock?”

  Ford typed the name into his phone. “About two hours.”

  “That’ll give us a few hours to case the joint before the General arrives,” Jay said. He looked around. “If any of you have a better idea, let’s hear it. I’m game.”

  “We don’t have many options,” Connolly said. “Let’s split up and take the three cars. It’ll give us better flexibility.”

  “Agreed.” Jay wanted to get on the road if only to convince himself he was doing something that would help find Sarah.

  Once in the truck, he followed behind Connolly and Ford. “You want to call Trax and Dante and tell them the plan? Also, check to see if they found Elkhart.”

  “They would have called if they had, but I’ll let them know not to expect us or Connolly anytime soon,” Riley said.

  Once he finished calling, they drove in silence for the next half hour. Trailing behind Ford and Connolly, Jay’s mind wandered to Sarah and thought about how scared she must be. If Statler harmed her, the man would suffer. To hell with letting the General have his revenge. If Jay reached him first, he’d slam Statler against a tree, then draw and quarter him—his enhancement be damned. If the man lived after that excruciating experience, Jay would toss a net over him then cut out his pathetic throat.

  “What do you think we’ll find when we get to the station?” Riley asked. “An ambush?”

  “I don’t think so. Statler wants the General but he won’t show his face there—he’s a coward. Statler will wait until the timing is right before he picks a fight. Remember, he’s a lawyer, not a trained military man.”

  “That’s good for us, but while he might not be there in person, what about his men?”

  Jay gripped the wheel tight. “Did Connolly, Ford, or Tyson say how many men were still at the clinic when they left?”

  “No, but I’ll ask.” He punched in a number and spoke with one of them. “You sure? Thanks.” Riley disconnected. “Five were there with three scheduled to arrive in an hour, but Ford and Tyson took out three of them. That leaves five hired guards left.”

  “Statler could have recruited them, along with Russ, and maybe Skip to help him.”

  “Skip won’t show. I’m betting he’s long gone.”

  “If you’re right, that would be six of them against five of us. I like those odds, but Statler can add, too. He’ll find others.”

  Riley shifted in his seat. “Do you really think the abduction was planned? Sarah wasn’t supposed to leave for another hour.”

  “No, I don’t.” Thinking about her capture churned his gut and made his bones ache. “I hope she didn’t put up too big a fight.”

  “She’ll be okay,” Riley said, but Jay could tell he was saying that for his own sake.

  As they neared Rapid Rock, Ford pulled off to the side of the road, and the rest of them followed suit in behind him. Connolly, along with Jay and Riley, exited their vehicles then jogged up to Ford’s SUV.

  Connolly stood at the driver’s side front window. “Ford, why don’t you head on to the station? Statler doesn’t know your vehicle and won’t be spooked right away in case he is there. If you don’t sense anything unusual, give us a call, and we’ll come on up.”

  “Will do.” Ford took off.

  As much as Connolly’s directions made sense, Jay wanted to scope out the area for himself. However, if Statler saw him, he’d try to take him down, and for Sarah’s sake, he needed to be at full strength.

  “Did the General say where he would land?” Jay asked.

  “Not specifically, but there’s a small regional airport about a hundred miles from here. He’ll probably have a helicopter bring him in.”

  Jay had prided himself on his patience, but after the long drive from the clinic, worry had eroded all that he’d ever possessed.

  “The General knows what he’s doing,” Connolly said, as if he could read his mind.

  Given Connolly had known General Armand longer than any of them, Jay would have to take his word on it.

  Fifteen minutes later, Connolly received the all clear from Ford. “Let’s check this place out and position ourselves strategically around the area.”

  Even if no other shifters were in the vicinity, they’d have to wait for the General to arrive before beginning their search. No telling when he and the General would meet the man they both hated more than the devil himself.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jay wanted to pace—or break something. Waiting around sucked. He didn’t care what anyone claimed; Statler wasn’t coming. Around 9:37 p.m., the General rolled up in a military Jeep. Finally. Connolly told everyone to remain hidden; that he’d meet both the General and the driver.

  After a private conversation, the General sent his escort away, and Connolly led him into the woods to the east of the closed gas station where they all had gathered.

  �
��Gentlemen,” the General began. “I don’t care what it takes; I want this man dead. Paul Statler is evil. However, our first priority needs to be freeing Sarah Osmond. Once Statler has me to himself, he’ll have no use for her.”

  “Do you know his plan?” Jay asked. Perhaps Statler revealed something during their conversation.

  “I wish I did, but I’m guessing he wants to kill me. I’ll head on down to Ford’s car and wait for either him or more instructions. The rest of you remain here.”

  Jay hoped the General understood how dangerous this was. He might be able to outmaneuver an ordinary werewolf, but if one of Statler’s men had been enhanced, the General would die. Jay was certain of it. However, it wasn’t his place to tell the General what he was doing was reckless. As long as he had a plan to free Sarah, Jay would be thankful.

  The men spread out to make sure none of Statler’s men snuck in along one of the ridges. The hardest part of tonight would be the waiting—which they did for close to half an hour. “What do you think Statler’s trying to pull?” he telephathed to Riley.

  “Beats me. I hope it’s just that he’s disorganized,” Riley replied.

  “Statler’s usually methodical. At least he was when he worked in Gulfside.”

  “Maybe he’s panicking. I might, too, if I knew the General had found me.”

  The ring of the pay phone in the front of the gas station interrupted their musings. Adrenaline charged through Jay. This was it.

  The General eased out of the SUV and answered on the eighth ring. His back stiffened but he didn’t look around, acting instead as if there might be cameras trained on the phone, but if Statler had planted a camera somewhere, he would have already spotted the rest of the Pack.

  General Armand hung up and walked back to the car. Connolly strode toward him and they conferred for at least five minutes. The General then hopped in Ford’s SUV and took off, and Connolly motioned the rest of the team to assemble.

  “Jay, you were right. Statler asked the General to meet him about thirty miles from here at some old farm.”

  “Why did he go alone? It has to be a trap.”

  “He’s well aware of the danger.”

  Jay blew out a breath. “What does he want us to do?”

  “Have his six. I’ll drive Ford there, and Tyson can go with you and Riley. When we near the farm, we’ll stash our vehicles and go in as wolves. Depending on the number of men, we’ll eliminate the threat from the outside and then aid the General.”

  “What about Sarah?” Riley asked.

  “We’ll find her.”

  As much as Jay wanted to go over the plan again, there wasn’t time. The men rushed to their vehicles, and Connolly took the lead. Jay’s thoughts spun. Sarah was out there, alone and afraid.

  “Do you think any of Statler’s men know where he’s keeping Sarah?” Jay asked Tyson. There was no reason why he’d know, but perhaps when he’d worked at Statler’s lab, the man had mentioned a place where he might have taken her.

  “No. You know better than I do that Statler isn’t a chatty man.”

  Jay slapped his wheel. “True. If we manage to take out his support, I’m guessing you and Ford can easily get to Statler?”

  “We can, but the General won’t be happy about it. For the last two weeks, while we were training him, he pounded into our heads that he wanted Statler for himself.”

  That made two of them.

  “If Statler dies without revealing Sarah’s location,” Riley said, “we might never find her in time.”

  “Let’s not think so negatively,” Tyson said. “Jay, you can probably confirm this, but when Ford and I worked with the man, he liked to delegate. He might have been a lawyer, but there are some things he believed were beneath him—like worrying about details. Let’s focus on eliminating his back-up team. Then we’ll torture Statler until he reveals her location.”

  “Sounds good.” He and Riley were probably too emotionally invested to decide how to take down the man anyway.

  Twenty minutes later, Tyson received a call. “Good. I’ll tell them.” He pocketed his phone. “When we come to the next crossroad, we need to park and move in on foot.”

  Normally, Jay wasn’t nervous when he was about to take down some scum, but this was bigger than Statler. It involved Sarah, the woman he’d fallen in love with. Sure, his wolf had recognized her as his mate right away, and he’d yearned to be with her, but his human side had seen what a wonderful woman she was, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Jay wouldn’t fail her.

  Connolly pulled down a dark road and Jay followed then drove on by, finding a spot a hundred feet away that would hide his truck. They all met back at Connolly’s vehicle.

  “Let’s have Ford and Tyson lead,” Connolly said. “If Statler brought in extra men, those two might be able to identify if any of them are enhanced.”

  Apparently, the General had selected Connolly to lead the charge because he’d dealt with tactical strategies in the service.

  “We can’t tell by looking,” Tyson replied, “but it’s best if we lead, especially if an ambush is planned. Ford and I each can handle two wolves easily.”

  That helped even the odds. “Riley and I are ready,” Jay told him.

  Ten minutes later, the five of them made it to the perimeter of the farm. In the distance sat two cars—one belonged to Statler and the other was the one the General had driven. An old, half collapsed barn sat off to the side.

  “Where are his men?” Riley telepathed.

  “That’s what I want to know. They have to be here,” Jay answered. They must have been pretty far from the barn or they would have sensed them.

  Ford motioned that they spread out and surround the barn. Jay was to come in from the south, Riley from the east, Connolly from the west, and Tyson from the north. Ford would search the area for any evidence of Sarah. As Jay skirted the property, he sensed another wolf nearby and stilled, trying to decide his next move. The best way to draw him out was to act as if he didn’t know the animal was there. Once the wolf charged, the rest would probably attack in full force.

  Jay trotted toward the barn when a growl sounded off to his left. He glanced in the direction of the sound, and suddenly dirt and grass went flying. The wolf, who he recognized as Russ, came at him full speed. This was going to be a pleasure taking him out. Jay would finally be able to atone for the attack on Sarah.

  Russ launched himself at Jay who darted to the side at the last second, forcing Russ to skitter past. As much as he’d like to take his time and slice up Russ until there was no blood left in the wolf’s body, he needed to end this altercation quickly. Finding Sarah was his goal.

  Russ turned around and bared his teeth. Attacking his flank would slow him down, but it wouldn’t kill him. For that, Jay needed to take a bite out of his neck. Without the needed aftercare, a nicked artery would be fatal.

  Keeping low, Jay charged and aimed for the throat but Russ was quick, and he missed. All he achieved was sinking his incisors into Russ’s body and ripping a hole in his side. Damn. In the process, Russ managed to slice open Jay’s hindquarter, too.

  Jay retreated, took aim, and then went at him again, not giving Russ a chance to recharge. While the long cut on Jay’s rear stung, it wouldn’t slow him down. His festering hatred would see to that.

  The two circled each other and Russ swiped a paw at Jay’s face, barely ripping off some fur. He mentally shook his head. Did he think a claw to his face would kill him? Clearly, Russ wasn’t skilled in fighting—but Jay was. He needed to end this wolf’s life now.

  Jay ran past Russ then circled behind him. As Russ tried to face him again, Jay changed directions and lunged. Fangs out, he sank his teeth into Russ’s neck and clamped down. Blood filled his mouth, spurring him on. Jay shook his head and Russ’s body went limp. He should be content that his adversary was mortally wounded, but he wanted him dead. Jay took one more bite out of the wolf’s throat, dropped the chunk of meat on the ground,
then stepped back and admired his handiwork.

  His celebration was short-lived as growls coming from on the other side of the barn returned his focus to what was at stake.

  “Would appreciate some help,” Riley telepathed. The connection came out weak as if Riley was having a hard time concentrating.

  Leaving Russ’s carcass behind, Jay stormed toward the back of the building where three wolves were circling Riley. Not good. One was limping, a second one had an eye gouged out, but the third appeared healthy. Riley’s condition concerned Jay the most. He was bleeding from the neck.

  Upon seeing his friend’s serious condition, Jay lost it and charged. The second and third wolf moved between him and Riley, ready to fight. They must have smelled the blood and thought it was his. Wouldn’t they be in for a big surprise to find him at full strength—or close to it? Riley appeared to be moving quicker, perhaps because he only had one wolf to deal with.

  Jay and the healthy wolf connected. Jay bit his hind leg, eliciting an anguished squeal. He then launched himself into the air at the one with the injured eye. His aim was a little off because the wolf he’d bitten first spun around and attacked him from the rear. Chaos descended as the three clawed, scraped, and tussled. Blood spurted from his other flank as one of them dug an incisor into his side and ripped back the skin. Jay stumbled, stunned at the intense ache.

  Needing to regroup, he moved backward toward the barn where Sarah’s scent suddenly invaded his nose. Holy shit. She was here—and alive. He wanted to go to her worse than anything, but both wolves had him pinned. He wasn’t going to be able to reach her unless he ended their pathetic lives.

  Another yelp sounded and then a whimper as the wolf Riley was fighting collapsed. With a discernable limp, Riley came toward the one-eyed wolf from behind and swiped a claw against his back. As the animal turned, Riley flung himself at the wolf’s throat and latched on. As he wrestled the injured wolf to the ground, Jay had recovered somewhat from his injuries, enough to zero in on the final wolf.