Slivers of moonlight filtered in between the wooden slats of the wall, painting everything in stripes. Large shadows of abandoned farm equipment loomed around her. None of it looked like it had been used in the last fifty years. Dust and grit covered the outdated machinery. She moved deeper into the barn, checking the ground carefully so she wouldn’t step on anything that could make a noise and give her away.
After ten meters, the building opened up into a large space with a high ceiling. A cloud moved in front of the moon, but she could still see the man sitting in a chair close to one of the roof’s support poles. His hands were tied to the arms of the chair, his feet twisted and fastened to the chair’s legs. A rag stuffed in his mouth and tied around his head served as a gag. His face was dirty and streaked with sweat, but she didn’t see any bruises or blood. She’d seen a picture of him, but even without it she’d recognize Scott. His curly hair was the same midnight black as Naya’s and the eyes staring straight at Astrid had the same dark-indigo hue as his sister’s.
Astrid sidestepped to get a better view of the closed front door. The man watched her without blinking. She approached him with caution, keeping a hand on one of the throwing knives stored in her over-the-shoulder harness. Although she was certain it was the queen’s brother sitting before her, he could be bait for an ambush.
Suddenly, he shook his head quickly and dipped his head toward a spot right in front of her feet.
Astrid looked down but couldn’t immediately see what he was warning her about. The cloud obscuring the moon moved away, and pale light illuminated a glittering thin thread of fishing wire by her foot. She gingerly stepped over the almost-invisible trip wire and proceeded to Scott. He flinched when she unsheathed her knife, and his eyes widened as she brought it close to his head. In one quick draw, she severed the gag.
He spit it out on the floor, and she crouched in front of him, holding out an opened water bottle. He raised his eyebrows and nodded toward his bound wrists. Astrid shook her head. She wiggled the bottle in a silent question. The man nodded and she tipped the bottle to his lips. He drank several long draws before tilting his head back down. “Who are you?” he asked in a low voice.
“Your sister sent me.” Astrid watched his eyes carefully, but all she saw in them was surprise.
“Neyney knew I was here?” He used the childhood nickname Naya had told Astrid about.
“No, she doesn’t know you were taken,” Astrid said, ignoring the stab of guilt she felt over not telling Naya about her brother’s disappearance. “It was a hell of a thing to find you. Why did you leave the clinic?”
A shadow crossed his face. “I saw a monster outside the clinic grounds and thought I was going crazy. There is so much darkness in me. I couldn’t bear to go to my sister with a broken mind. I’ve put her through so much already.”
Astrid frowned. “What kind of monster?” She cut the restraints fettering him to the chair.
Scott rubbed his wrists. “I thought it was all in my imagination, but then when I got to the Denver train station, there were several more monsters. They drugged me with something, and I woke up here.”
Two rapid clicks sounded in Astrid’s earpiece. Holden was silently listening to their conversation through her mic and had just signaled for her to hurry things up. She’d have to ask Scott what he meant about the darkness inside him when they weren’t under immediate threat. “They’re real, all right,” she said. One of the wolverines must have scouted the clinic but somehow not discovered Scott. “Do you know how many of your captors there are?” She ushered him toward the back door, careful to help him step over the fishing wire.
He stumbled along. His legs and arms were probably on pins and needles after being in one position so long. It would be a while before his blood circulation returned to normal. “I don’t know exactly. Two different ones bring me food, and I’ve counted another four voices outside the barn.”
Holden clicked once in Astrid’s ear to show he’d heard the number. They were almost at the back door of the barn when his voice crackled in the earpiece. “Incoming. Unfriendlies,” he said. Four rapid pops from the Remington transmitted clearly as well, and then Holden cursed. “Lost track of two. I can’t tell where they went.”
Astrid opened the door and darted a quick look outside. “Clear here,” she said for Holden’s benefit. She grabbed Scott’s arm and hurried outside. He stumbled behind her but didn’t complain. They rounded the corner of the building and ran straight into one of the wolverines Holden had missed. The creature hissed.
Astrid shoved Scott behind her to shield him from the monster’s view. Its nostrils flared, and it sniffed the air. “Valkyrie,” it sneered. “Do you think you can save the queen’s brother? Such a fool. Now we’ll have two prisoners. Two bargaining chips.”
“You’ll have to catch me first,” Astrid said. She widened her stance and unsheathed a second knife.
The creature’s claws popped out.
“Fuck,” Scott whispered behind Astrid. That was pretty much what she thought every time she had to put up with one of these nightmares. Not letting the talons distract her, she kept her focus on the creature’s torso. A split second before he charged her, his body leaned left. She pushed Scott in that direction and parried to the other side, correctly judging that the creature was trying to fake her out.
She raised her right knife and arched it downward. The creature ducked out of the way at the last minute, but she made contact with his shoulder. A large gash appeared in his shirt and skin. Astrid grinned and the wolverine snarled back.
When another shot from the Remington echoed through the trees, the wolverine’s head turned toward the sound. Astrid immediately charged and thrust her knife upward just below the rib. Her blade slid in easily, its steel long enough to pierce the heart.
The creature’s eyes widened in surprise as its vital muscle stopped pumping blood. He sank to the ground, and Astrid’s knife automatically slid out of him with a wet sound. She leaned down and wiped it on his shirt.
“Are you okay?” she asked Scott.
He pushed himself off the ground and stood. “Yeah,” he said. “I see why you and Neyney are friends. Same bloodthirsty nature and mad fighting skills.”
Astrid smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
He brushed off his pants. “I should know your name.”
“Astrid,” she said.
A rustle in the bushes behind him had her stepping between him and the potential threat.
Holden stepped out, holding the rifle with the barrel pointing upward. “You okay?” he asked Astrid, eyes roaming over her body as if searching for injuries.
“Just fine.” She gestured toward Scott. “Meet Daisy’s brother.”
Scott shot her a look but didn’t say anything about her using his sister’s alter ego. He took a step forward and shook hands with Holden. “A pleasure,” he said. “I’m an immediate fan of anyone coming to my rescue.”
Holden returned the shake and nodded once before turning to Astrid again. “That’s six dead. I searched the main house and had a quick peek in the other buildings. There’s no one else here.”
“Did you find anything else in the house?” Astrid asked.
“Some food, but no weapons.” Luke looked around the buildings. “It’s as if this was a temporary camp.”
Scott nodded. “That’s what I got from the way they talked. They were waiting for someone to arrive and tell them where to go next.”
Who were the wolverines waiting for? Astrid shook her head. She’d worry about that later. Right now, she needed to get Scott back to his sister. “Phones?” she asked Holden.
“Two burner phones, but no outgoing calls on them. Incoming calls were all from blocked numbers.”
“I’d still like to collect them, just in case I can get something from them,” Astrid said.
Holde
n grinned and threw her a small plastic bag. “Figured you’d say that. I’ve disabled the GPS and removed the batteries. Nobody will be able to track them.”
She caught the bag and turned to Scott. “We’ll analyze all of this later. Right now, I need to let your sister know you’re okay and that we’ll be heading her way soon.”
Scott frowned. “I’m not sure this is a good idea. I know she wants me there for the wedding, but—” He stopped when Astrid held up a hand to keep him from spilling more in front of Holden.
“No buts,” she said, covering up the real reason she wanted him to stop talking. “Your sister sent me to retrieve you, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m taking you to see her. What happens after that is up to you and her.” Scott shot her an obstinate look but didn’t say anything.
Holden paid close attention to their exchange, his eyes gleaming with interest. That man was too observant and his mind way too sharp. Astrid worried about what he was thinking or, worse, what he might ask her. She had trouble outright lying to him, which was not a problem she’d ever had with mortal men before. “Let’s head out,” Holden said. “We have a way to drive before we get back to Denver, and we should probably wash some of this camo paint off before we return to the hotel.” He looked at the wolverine body on the ground. “But we need to do some clean up before we head back.”
“This is going to sound strange,” Astrid said, “but the bodies will disintegrate as soon as sunlight hits them.”
Holden’s eyes widened. “If you say so. You’re the expert on these freaks.”
They dragged the bodies to the southwest side of the main house to maximize the sun exposure and then made their way back to the car. Astrid kept the pace slower to accommodate Scott. He stumbled a few times as they descended the ridge, but in general kept up fairly well. At least she wouldn’t be bringing back her queen’s brother injured. She still didn’t want to think about how much shit she was in by not telling Naya and Leif about the abduction.
Holden dug a container of baby wipes out of his magic trunk and pulled out a few before handing the box over to Astrid. She used the wet squares to clear her face of the greasy paint they’d smeared on earlier.
Scott whistled softly when she’d finished. “Beautiful,” he said.
Holden shoved his shoulder into Scott’s as he moved around him to open one of the doors to the backseat. “Get in,” he growled.
Scott’s lips stretched in a lazy smile as he crawled into the car. Holden closed the door and shot Astrid a sour look. She rolled her eyes at his machismo. Seriously, she was so happy she’d been born with two X chromosomes.
Once they were on the road, she steeled herself for the interrogation bound to come from Holden. He fired the first question as they turned onto the paved highway.
“Why did the wolverine call you ‘Valkyrie’?” He kept his eyes on the road, but the deliberate stillness with which he held himself betrayed that this was anything but a casual question.
“I get that a lot.” She pretended to study the scenery out the side window. “Must be the hair and my height. I’ve been called Amazon too.”
“All compliments, I’m sure,” Scott said from the backseat.
Holden shot him an irritated look through the rearview mirror. “And why would the creature call your sister a queen?”
“I have no idea, but she sure bosses me around like she thinks she’s royal.” Scott exaggerated a yawn and stretched his arms. “Think I’ll nap for the rest of the way.” He leaned back in the seat and shut his eyes.
Holden snorted. He turned to Astrid. “We’ll see each other when we get back to Pine Rapids.” His voice was low, and heat flared in his eyes before he looked back on the road again.
Her body immediately responded to that heat. “That’s not a good idea.” She couldn’t control herself around Holden. Plus, the man saw too much. He’d likely figure out her secrets without her even noticing she’d given them away.
“I wasn’t asking.”
She sighed and welcomed the anger and indignation seeping into her body. It distracted her from the guilt she felt over lying to Holden. Why did men think they could start ordering her around once they’d slept with her? This was exactly why she kept her sex casual. Although, if she was being honest with herself—always an unpleasant sensation—there was nothing casual about sex with Holden. And he’d come through. Holden had saved her ass in a major way. She’d still have to apologize to her queen and king for losing Scott and not telling them about it, but at least she was returning with him. That should soften her punishment. “We’ll see,” she finally said, instead of the harsh words that had first entered her mind.
Holden glared at her. “You owe me one honest conversation.”
She did. The problem was that she owed her battle brothers and sisters so much more, and being honest with Holden would jeopardize their safety. Besides, if he wanted a completely truthful conversation, it would have to go two ways. “Honest as in you explain how come your trunk seems to be an all-inclusive kidnapping rescue kit?”
He kept his eyes on the road. “Rex and I go paintballing. We use the headsets and the camo paint.”
Convenient, but she’d bet it wasn’t anywhere close to the truth. Holden was holding himself unnaturally still again, which was obviously his tell for when something was important and he pretended it wasn’t. “And you just happen to carry a Remington sniper rifle with you?”
“You’re a little suspicious, aren’t you?” He shot her a grin. “I bought the rifle used and wanted a complete overhaul. One of the best gunsmiths I know lives here in Denver. That was one of the reasons for my trip.”
She wasn’t buying the grin or the casual tone, but there was no use badgering him. He had an answer for everything, another sign there was a lot more to his club-owner persona. Naya said the guests at the club weren’t always on the right side of the law. If Holden was involved in some shady business deals, that might explain the contents of the trunk.
“And why do you need a rifle?” She smiled as if this was all a casual chat.
He shrugged, not taking his eyes off the road. “I was a sniper in the Marines. I like to keep up my skills.” They continued the rest of the drive in silence. Apparently Mr. We-Need-An-Honest-Talk wasn’t all that chatty when he was the one responsible for sticking to the truth. They pulled into the hotel parking garage, and Holden surprised her by handing over some car keys. “I had your car cleaned and the window repaired while we were away.”
She twisted the keys in her hand, keeping her gaze lowered to hide how much the gesture touched her. He obviously hadn’t found the hidden weapons compartment. “Thanks. We’ll probably get on the road early tomorrow.” Awkward silence stretched between them.
Scott yawned loudly in the backseat and stretched his arms. “Finally here.” He opened the door and exited the car.
She got out and Holden followed. “Thanks for everything,” she said, not knowing whether she should hug him or shake his hand. What was the etiquette for saying farewell to the man who gave a girl the best orgasm ever and then helped said girl rescue her queen’s brother?
Holden nodded. “Anytime.”
“You coming?” Scott shouted from halfway to the hotel door. “I don’t know what room I’m going to.”
Astrid looked at Holden again, not sure what to say. His face was closed off, and she couldn’t read what he was thinking or feeling. She gave him a nod of her own and followed Scott.
* * *
Later that night, or more like very early the next morning, Luke sat on his bed staring at the tablet he’d found under a loose kitchen floor tile at the farm. It had been a fluke that he’d stepped on it and felt it wiggle under his foot. At first, he thought he’d stepped on an explosives detonating device, and his heart had leaped into his throat. He’d stood there like an idiot for a few seconds before realizing tha
t the tile was not in the direct path of an intruder, so why would they rig it? When he bent down to examine the floor, he’d found the tablet.
It was password protected, and he’d been running an encryption breaker application on it for the last hour. Blurry-eyed, he stared at the numbers blinking on the screen and ignored the stab of guilt he felt whenever he remembered that he’d outright lied to Astrid about not finding anything in the house. At least he’d given her the phones—after he copied their drives himself. Using FBI technology, he’d only needed a few seconds to upload their content to a secure server. There wasn’t really a reason to feel guilty about his actions; she hadn’t been all that forthcoming with the truth either. The answers she’d given him in the car had all been bullshit. Their conversation about the things he’d overheard through the communication device tonight was far from over.
She might think they wouldn’t have any kind of relationship other than casual hookups, but she was wrong. There would be a lot of talking involved as well. Hopefully he’d be able to cover his tracks better than he’d done in the car. She’d surprised him with her questions about the gear and the rifle. He should have known she’d notice that the average nightclub owner did not travel with a full rescue-mission kit.
At least he hoped she wanted to hook up again. He’d had ugly thoughts about Scott replacing him in her bed ever since he’d watched them walk off together.
The screen brightened, and the encryption app beeped. Luke held his breath as the input boxes stopped scrolling, one by one displaying a five-digit code. He touched the Okay button, and the home screen displayed. There was only one icon, and when he touched it, a map of Pine Rapids popped up. Question marks circled in red marked three different locations. None of them were of anything he recognized. One was in the middle of the farmlands southeast of town, close to the Idaho border. Another was in the warehouse district near the railroad tracks, and the third was right in the middle of the forest north of town.
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