by Amelia Jade
“Oh, he’s going to regret it now. When I get there I’m going to ensure that he never forgets about me or anyone else ever again.”
“You go girl,” Laura said sternly. “Give him a piece of your mind.”
“I’m gonna give him the whole damn thing. It’s more than his pigheaded brain can handle, but that’s just fine with me this time. He’s not getting out of this that easily!”
She and Laura exchanged fist bumps—high fives were a bad idea with two sleeping children, though Lana didn’t look like she was quite as asleep as Gwen.
“You’re way too amazing to be left hanging like that.”
The smile Elle flashed her was anything but happy, more predatory than anything. Like a shark opening its mouth just before it swallows its prey. Elle was on the warpath, and Braden was about to pay.
“I’ll be home when I can. I’ll text you,” she said, hurriedly tugging her winter jacket and boots on. Her blood was up. She didn’t want to waste another minute.
If she did, rationale would start to kick in, and she might have to admit to herself that if she was truly mad at Braden, she would simply cut him out of her life.
Not go chasing after him in the middle of the night under the guise of yelling at him, something that could be accomplished over the phone.
No, she wasn’t willing to admit that. Not to herself.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Braden
They were as ready as they were ever going to be.
Braden inhaled deeply and then exhaled, focusing on the rhythm of his breathing, trying to keep it smooth and steady. The attack could come at any point. Based on what Andrew had told them, in terms of when the previously unknown member of the Arrest Party, as they were calling it, arrived back in Cadia, the earliest a response team could arrive had been about eight hours earlier.
That was if they had been ready and waiting to go the instant the photographer arrived back in Cadia. Considering that there would have been time necessary for him to report in, and then a response team to be assembled, a more realistic arrival had been about midnight.
Now all they were going to do was sit around and wait. The supplies that had been intended to feed the nearly two dozen shifters who had been in Cloud Lake under a visiting/vacation pass would keep the eleven of them stocked for quite long enough. Braden knew their enemies couldn’t take very long to execute their attack. Andrew had told him that his friends back home would be able to put an end to things. It was just going to take time. Armen and his lackeys needed to act sooner rather than later, else they ran the risk of being shut down before they could finish dealing with Andrew.
After a whirlwind few hours of planning they were now just waiting for the other shoe to drop. The Intelligence team would waste no time coming after them. Right now they were working in teams of three. One team would sleep, one would relax, and two would be on watch. One unlucky member would have to pull double duty, but it wasn’t all that bad. Right now Braden’s team was relaxing, awaiting their turn to pass out. He doubted he would be able to sleep. Not knowing that a fight was coming. Braden wished that Elle were there, so he could talk to her. She would know what to say.
“Oh fuck!” he cried, sitting up straight and jamming one hand into his pocket so quickly it nearly ripped his pants in the process.
He fumbled with his phone, popping it open. During work hours their phones were always set to silent, since they weren’t really supposed to be on them. Normally it would be perfectly fine if he had spent his shift texting her. But tonight there had been so much to plan that he’d totally forgotten.
Anguish clutched at his heart as he saw the missed texts and phone calls. It was hours after he was supposed to have been at her place. What an idiot he was!
“Something wrong?” Kassian Koche mumbled from nearby where he was sprawled out on the floor, resting on some of the couch pillows he’d pulled off to make the area more comfortable.
“Uh, yeah,” he replied, fingers hovering back and forth as he tried to decide whether to text her or call her. He’d prefer to call, but Elle was much more of a texter than anything else. “I got in a huge fight with my mate. Though she doesn’t accept that yet. So it was really bad. We were supposed to get together after I got off work…almost three hours ago,” he said, noting the time. “This was the first time since the fight she’d agreed to see me.”
“Just tell her the truth. Don’t try to sugarcoat it, and whatever you do, don’t try to lie.”
Braden glanced over at him. “Why would I try to lie?”
The massive shifter’s shoulders rose and fell. “I don’t know. We men get stupid sometimes when we’ve screwed up, even if, like in this case, there’s a perfectly good reason. This is serious what we were doing tonight. Ten minutes ago was the first time we really sat down and had a moment to ourselves.” Kassian sat up. “Not to mention that you’re now much more at the center of all this than you were before. So that’s got to be weighing on your mind too.”
“Thanks.”
“It’s the truth. Whether you want to admit it or not, you know I’m correct.” Kassian just stared at him, the full weight of his gaze settling on Braden.
“Perhaps,” he admitted. “Can you blame me? They now have a reason to single me out as well as Andrew.” The knuckles on his right hand cracked and popped as he flexed it into a fist. “I’m confident of my own skills. But they’ll have brought something to deal with him. From what you all have said, Armen isn’t stupid. He’s not going to underestimate Andrew. So whatever can deal with Andrew will probably be more than I’m capable of handling. Don’t you think?”
Kassian smiled lightly. “Like I said, you’ve got a lot weighing on your mind. Tell her that. Be upfront. Don’t hide your emotions from her. You’re nervous, possibly even scared. I get it, I’ve been there before myself. It’s not easy. Women love it when you open up to them, though. Not only does it make you more accessible, it makes them feel closer to you, because it shows that you trust them intimately. That you’re willing to be vulnerable around them.”
“She’ll think I’m a wimp.”
The second eldest Koche brother laughed softly, so as not to awaken the others who were sleeping at the back of the room. “In that, you are wrong. You might think that of yourself. But she will see that you’re a real person. That’s big, my friend. Very, very big. Women love a man who is in touch with his emotions.” There was a pause while he obviously considered his next words.
“They don’t want you to cry every time the wind blows, and there will be times that they want you to be ‘manly’ in the stereotypical sense. But if you think that revealing your most secretive thoughts, emotions, fears, even things like goals and desires that you don’t share with anyone else, share with her.”
Braden opened his mouth to reply, but Kassian lifted a single finger. He wasn’t done yet.
“You said yourself that she is your mate. Did you mean that?”
“With every fiber of my being,” he whispered. “She’s my mate. I would do anything for her.”
“Then show her all the depths of your soul, my friend,” Kassian said as he rose, settling one large hand on Braden’s shoulder as he walked by him. “If you won’t show that to her, then is she really the one for you?”
Then the shifter was gone, headed over to the kitchen area for food or drink. Braden didn’t know, and right then he didn’t care. He had other things to do.
Picking up the phone, he dialed her number, heaving himself to his feet and moving away from everyone else. They didn’t need to eavesdrop on this conversation. It was a private thing, for him and Elle only.
The phone kept ringing, eventually going to voicemail.
“Oh come on Elle,” he muttered. “I know you’re there.”
He called again. And again.
And again.
Finally he left her a voicemail. “Elle, it’s Braden. You’re probably pissed right now, and I don’t blame you. There’s a legiti
mate reason behind it though, and I need you to hear it.” He paused, drawing in a shaky breath. “Something bad is going on here Elle, and I’m in the middle of it. I…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but I had thought it was settled. I was wrong.”
Braden looked away over his shoulder at where Kassian was standing sipping a liquid of some sort. The big shifter caught his glance, giving him a reassuring nod before turning back to give Braden some privacy.
Right. Open. Honest.
“I’m scared, Elle,” he said at last. “I’m trying to maintain hope, but I don’t know.” He sighed. “Please call me right away. I need you.”
He hung up, staying with his back toward the rest of the room until he’d composed himself. Then and only then did he go over to the sink and grab himself a glass of water, tossing in a few ice cubes on top.
“That was fast,” Kassian said quietly from the other side.
“Voicemail.”
“Mmm. It is pretty late.”
“She’s awake. I know her. She’d have a hard time sleeping until she talked to me.” He laughed, the sound surprising him. “I’m kind of shocked she hasn’t come down here yet to ream me out in person. That’s very much her style.” Braden shrugged as he paused to take a sip. “But she has Gwen, so maybe she didn’t.”
The phone in his pocket buzzed. He jumped, jamming his hand into the pants, trying to get it out as quickly as possible.
Elle: Do you want her?
He frowned. “What the hell?”
Kassian made a polite noise of inquiry.
“She texted me. All it says is ‘Do you want her?’ I don’t understand. Why is she referring to herself in third person?”
The Koche shrugged. “I don’t know. But say the truth.”
Braden: Yes, of course.
There was a delay before the reply.
Elle: Come and get her.
Attached was a picture of Elle, tied to a chair, her eyes wide and red from crying, mascara smeared down her face from the tears. Next to her, his face pressed close while he held the phone, taking what Braden now knew was a ‘selfie,’ was a face he’d only seen today for the first time.
“Armen,” he hissed angrily, barely able to restrain himself from crushing the phone in his fist.
He slapped the black object down on the table as Kassian came upright in a flash. The Koche brother glanced at the phone and immediately let out a piercing whistle.
The room came alive as shifters jumped to their feet or came running in from the lobby, their boots pounding on the floor.
“They have—” Kassian paused and turned his head to the side to talk to Braden. “What’s her name?”
“Elle.”
“They have Elle,” he pronounced to the crowd, showing the picture around.
The room filled with angry growls.
“How did they know to get her?”
Braden hissed furiously. “It’s my fault.” He told them how he was supposed to see her after work. “But I never texted her. She most likely decided to come down here to find out what I thought was so much more important than her.”
Gray nodded. “That means they’re here already, and in force. They’ve got the building surrounded by the sounds of it, and they’re intercepting anyone who appears to be coming inside. I want you all to get in touch with your mates now, and tell them to stay away. Do not come to the embassy under any circumstances. Have them call you, or the embassy line itself. Make sure they have that number if they don’t already.”
The shifters broke apart, everyone pulling out their own cellphones.
Braden just stood there, breathing in deeply, trying to keep himself calm, so that he didn’t do anything rash.
“Just stay calm,” Gray said, coming up alongside him. “We need to get ourselves together. So that we don’t do anything—”
Braden took off at a dead run for the door, interrupting his boss midsentence.
“—rash,” Gray finished dully.
She was his mate. He was not going to stand around in a committee.
As he ran for the front door he summoned his animal. There had been no survivors the last time he faced these goons. If any one of them got in his way again, he’d just have to ensure they all met the same fate.
I’m coming for you, Elle.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Elle
She came to with a headache that rivaled the worst migraine.
“What happened?”
That’s what she tried to say. It came out more like “Wwhhggg hhhppphhh.”
Something was in her mouth, blocking her from talking. Elle commanded her eyes to open while she fought back a sudden upwelling of panic that threatened to overwhelm any source of rationale and reason. Gradually she was able to bring the world into focus, including her sense of just what the hell was impeding her from talking.
There was a rope holding a cloth in her mouth.
That wasn’t all though. When she tried to lift her hand to her mouth to remove it, nothing happened. The rough abrasive feeling against her wrists made another thing clear to her. Her hands were tied down to something that felt suspiciously cool. It had to be metal of some sort. The tough rope started to dig into her skin as she struggled. Elle once again told herself to remain calm. Finish assessing the situation and figure out just what the hell was going on.
Where am I?
With that thought she began to focus on the room around her. It wasn’t very large, nor was it very well lit either. It must still be nighttime then, because the windows on her left would have let in large amounts of natural light otherwise. And if that were the case, all the desks that were in front of her would have been full of children. She was in a schoolroom.
Her head wasn’t fastened to anything, so Elle looked around. There wasn’t much to see. The school colors of Cloud Lake Elementary—Go Blue & Gold!—surrounded her. So now she knew where she was. Oddly enough, it was the same school that Angela conducted her exercise classes in. That almost felt reassuring. Probably would have in fact, if she weren’t still tied to the teacher’s metal chair.
So far nobody had said anything, and her look around hadn’t revealed any figures either. She was alone. Alone and with no idea of what the hell was happening to her, or how she’d gotten to this point at all. No help, and nobody to taunt her. That would have almost been reassuring, because then at least she would know what was going on.
Okay, let’s relax. Take a deep breath.
She inhaled through her nostrils, and then out, unable to use her mouth. Even though it served as a reminder that she was bound and gagged, Elle found herself feeling slightly more relaxed. There was something in the air though, or on her skin that smelled faintly chemical in nature. She pondered about that for a moment before filing it away.
Now think, girl. What’s the last thing you remember?
Her brain flashed back to being at home. Waiting on the phone call from Braden, which never came. Asshole. So she’d gotten ready to come confront him in person. So I can tell him what an absolute jerk he is. After that, she’d left the house, started walking across the town. It was about a fifteen-minute walk. Elle had considered calling a cab. Even at the late hour some still operated, but she’d had a better idea, opting to use the time to really work herself up into a fervor, so that when she arrived Braden would know exactly how she felt without room for error.
The path to the embassy did lead past the school. But her memory of that time was blurry. The headache in her brain was fading now as she came to her senses. Obviously someone had come at her with a tranquilizer of sorts. They were popular for dealing with shifters, who tended to shrug off most bullet wounds from anything that wasn’t military grade. It wasn’t something she should know, but after all she’d been through in the past two years, Elle knew far more about shifters than she could have ever imagined.
Stop it. You’re getting distracted. Think, girl. Think.
Right. The priority at the moment was to ge
t free, and do so without alerting anyone that she had escaped. It was time to take stock of her predicament. Elle moved her legs individually, then her arms, refreshing her brain with what was going on now that it was starting to awaken.
Both of her calves were tied to the chair. As were her forearms. Her hands and feet were actually free, though she had next to no movement. There was also some sort of cloth rag in her mouth, fixed in place by some rope. If it weren’t for the fact she didn’t know who had done all this to her, Elle might even find it a little kinky.
Not now, brain. You’re getting hysterical. Stay on track!
Okay, so she didn’t have use of her limbs. What did she have available to her? Her eyes, for starters. Her ears. Neither of which could get her out of the jam on their own. Still, they were all she had, and Elle was determined not to simply sit there and wait for rescue. That wasn’t who she was. Braden would come to her rescue if he could, but she wasn’t about to wait around for it. He would expect her to put in some of the effort.
And if he can’t make it, I need to do this on my own.
Closing her eyes, she started focusing, listening intently with her ears. The whispery flow of an air duct caught her attention. She hadn’t heard that before, but other than that, everything was silent. Nobody was around and talking within earshot. It seemed odd that she was unguarded, but Elle wasn’t about to complain.
Step one completed, she opened her eyes and started scanning the room, looking for inspiration. Her chair was angled slightly to the left, which meant unless she twisted her neck violently, she couldn’t see some of the right-hand side. Angrily she jerked her body around, pulling the chair with her as the metal legs slid noisily across the vinyl tile.
Elle froze. She’d totally forgotten to stay quiet.
Amateur move. Good job.
Considering this was her first experience being kidnapped, Elle wasn’t overly upset that her inner voice thought she was a rookie. She promised herself if she got out of this, that she would retire from kidnapping with a perfect 1-0 record of escaping. Undefeated, that’s how she would see it.