by Lori King
“Don’t think like that. Este will call the police if he gets too out of control. Did she say if he was in the house or not?” Luke asked.
“I didn’t have a chance to ask,” Tavi said, shaking her head in frustration. “I should have gotten more details.”
“Shh, it doesn’t matter. We’ll get there and take care of this bastard once and for all,” Luke said with a low growl. “If he hurts a hair on her head I’ll kill him.”
Tavi stared at him in shock. His face had changed shape slightly, and instinctively she knew it was his wolf fighting for control over his body. The genuine rage that rolled off of him almost eased some of her fear. Luke was protective of her daughter like she was his own child. It meant more than any words ever could.
The moment they pulled up in front of the house she was out of the truck and running for the front door. It was locked tight, and she didn’t have her keys handy. Shane’s car was nowhere in sight, and neither was Este or Sonny.
“Come on, we’ll go in the side,” Luke said, reaching the corner of the house ahead of her. The side door to the kitchen was hanging open, busted off its hinges, and a fear-filled shriek left her throat at the sight. She didn’t even have a chance to get inside before Bryson was there holding her back.
“Wait, if Shane’s in there with them, let Luke go in first. He stands a better chance of healing quickly if this goes bad,” Bryson said calmly, too calmly for her wolf’s taste, and she snarled at him.
“Sonny is my daughter. I have a right to—”
KJ was in front of her now trying to calm her. “You’re right you do, but let us do what we’re trained to do.”
“Trained?” Tavi was trying to wrap her brain around what they were saying.
“I’ll fill you in later on my life story, but for now, just hang tight.” KJ turned back to the doorway and followed Thomas and Luke inside, leaving Bryson to hold Tavi outside.
When no sounds of battle drifted on the air, they both tensed. “Something’s wrong,” Tavi said, feeling her heart racing in her chest. “Why aren’t they confronting him?”
“He’s not here,” Luke said, stepping out the doorway. Blood was smeared on his shirt, and his hands, and Tavi’s knees collapsed. She hit the ground before either man could catch her, and just knelt there shaking and gasping for air.
“Sonny?”
Luke was there in front of her, murmuring and trying not to touch her with his sticky hands. “It’s not Sonny, it’s Este. Sonny and Shane are gone, and Este is seriously hurt. Thomas is in there trying to save her life, but I’m not letting you in there unless you calm down first.”
“Calm. Down? Have you lost your mind?” she panted. “My daughter’s been kidnapped, and my best friend is hurt because of me!”
“Think of the baby,” he said softly, and Tavi froze, her hands coming around to wrap tightly against her abdomen.
“The baby…” she whispered.
“You have to stay calm, or you could lose our baby. We’ll save Sonny, I promise you, Tavi,” Luke said, kissing her gently. He looked over her shoulder at Bryson, and his eyes grew hard. “GSW to the shoulder. It’s close, but I think if we get her help she’ll make it.”
Bryson must have responded, because Tavi felt him leave them, and enter the house, but she remained kneeling in the cold dirt, unable to feel her legs enough to use them. “He shot her?” she asked.
Luke frowned, but after a moment he nodded.
“What does he want?” she asked, but she knew he didn’t have that answer.
“Come on, let’s go inside and wait for the ambulance. It’s too cold to stay out here, and I’m guessing we’ll hear from Shane soon.” Luke helped her to her feet, and led her inside where she found KJ pressing a towel to a bloody wound on Este’s shoulder, and Thomas doing chest compressions.
She didn’t even have a chance to reach out for Este before the phone rang. Her eyes landed on the white phone and she felt herself flinch. “Please tell me that’s 911 calling back.”
Luke reached for it and said hello. The look on his face answered her question. “Let me talk to Sonny. I need to know she’s okay.” He paused, and then growled into the receiver. “If you hurt her, I’ll skin you alive and feed you your intestines.”
Tavi shivered, knowing that he meant every word, and realizing that she was okay with the violence in this instance.
A moment later, Luke dropped the phone back in its cradle and grabbed her hand. “He wants us to meet him at the diner. We have thirty minutes, and he said to bring the cash you got from Bunten.”
“Money? This is about money?” she screeched. “That rotten no-good son-of-a-bitch! I’m going to shove that money down his throat!”
“I’ll hold him for you.” KJ growled.
“We have to go now,” Luke said, his anger making his eyes glow a golden amber. “Thomas, can you stay with Este and take care of her until the ambulance gets here?”
“Yep. Just take care of my woman,” Thomas said, never slowing his even movements on Este.
“Done. I owe you,” Luke said, looking at Bryson and KJ with what was clearly a newfound respect in his eyes. “I owe you all.”
“We’re pack,” Bryson said, shaking his head. “Now let’s go save your girl.”
Together, the two couples rushed out of the house, piling into the SUV to save time. Tavi’s brain was barely functioning. It wasn’t until they were almost at the diner that she realized she didn’t have any money with her. She didn’t even have her purse.
“Luke! We have to go to the bank!” she gasped, leaning between the front seats to grab his arm. Bryson was driving, so Luke was able to turn around and face her.
“We’re not giving him a dime,” he said firmly.
“But what if he hurts her?”
“He won’t,” KJ said in a low husky voice. Tavi turned to see that KJ, too, had partially shifted. Her eyes were a clear blue-green like the waters of the sea, and her blonde hair seemed thicker, and bushier.
“We’re going to go get Sonny back unharmed, and then we’re going to—”
“Kill him,” she finished. His nod confirmed it, and she felt something ease in her chest. There was no other end to this battle. Shane knew she had gotten money from Ray, and he wasn’t going to be satisfied with a check or an IOU. Even if she gave him cash he’d eventually be back with his threats. They couldn’t risk it.
Settling back in her seat next to KJ, Tavi kept ahold of Luke’s fingertips, needing the touch to stay grounded. Too much had happened too quickly. She couldn’t grasp it all, and she didn’t know how she was ever going to get past this night.
The diner’s parking lot was almost empty, and Luke thanked their lucky stars. It was nearly closing time and he wanted as few people as possible caught up in this. He had no idea how unhinged Shane actually was or he’d have never let the man walk away after he attacked Tavi the first time. Now both Tavi and Sonny were at risk, and Luke only had two people he’d thought were enemies not too long ago to rely on.
“Should we call Dev?” Luke said, as he climbed from the car.
“Little late for that isn’t it?” Bryson said, matching him step for step as they headed toward the glass front of the building. “How many doors does this place have?”
“Three,” Tavi answered from behind them. “The kitchen door, the fire exit which has an alarm on it, and the front.”
“I’ll go around back and see if we can pin him down between us,” Luke said.
Bryson shook his head. “Nope, you need to be with Tavi when she walks in. Otherwise he’ll know what you’re doing. I’ll take the back, you just keep an eye on KJ for me.”
“I’ve got a good set of eyes of my own, Rambo. I’ll be fine.” KJ snapped.
“Love you, too, ice,” Bryson said, giving her a quick grin and a wink before he disappeared around the side of the building.
The three of them moved together toward the door, Luke in front, and KJ guarding the rear. Luke wasn
’t thrilled about Tavi being there at all, but Shane would never give Sonny up without seeing her.
Just as he pulled the door open, he heard Shane shout, “Stop where you are.” The glass-paneled window next to them shattered with a bullet. Luke ducked into the spray of glass, putting his back between the two women and the dangerous rubble.
“We’re stopping, damn it. What’s with the gun?” Luke shouted back. Tavi was staring up at him with a pale white face, and he was beginning to worry that shock would set in if they didn’t finish this soon.
“Where’s the money?” Shane responded.
Lifting his head, Luke was able to get eyes on the other man, who stood behind the counter waving a gun around. There were a few others in the dining room, cowering in the corner, but Sonny was nowhere to be seen.
“Where’s my daughter?” Tavi shouted back. “You’re getting nothing from me if you hurt her, Shane.”
“I didn’t hurt the little rug rat. She’s in the back waiting for the signal. I want to see the cash before I give it.”
“Sonny? Are you here, sweetheart?” Tavi called out. Luke had to resist covering her mouth. He was afraid she was going to antagonize Shane further.
“I’m here, Mom. He hasn’t shot me yet.” Sonny’s voice was very faint, and Luke guessed she was tucked away in the storage closet and he took a couple of steps that direction.
“Stop talking!” Shane screeched, pointing the gun at Tavi. It was too fast for Luke to react. The bullet was tearing through the air, and there was no way he could get between it and his mate. Without warning a blonde flash stepped in and took the shot intended for Tavi. Blood blossomed on KJ’s side, and she jerked with the impact, lurching against Tavi who screamed and helped eased the other woman down to the ground.
KJ was clutching her side, and Luke was at a loss. He needed to help her. She’d helped him get here, and she’d just saved his woman’s life, but Sonny was still in danger. Turning his head slightly, he caught a glimpse of Bryson’s pale white face through the kitchen window. He was well behind Shane, and within reach of Sonny. He could get to her long before Luke could. The question and fear in his eyes jumpstarted Luke into action, and he gave a hand signal that all Gray pack wolves would recognize, and when Bryson nodded his understanding, Luke dropped to his knees next to KJ. He had to trust Bryson with one of the two most precious things in the world to him, while he saved Bryson’s most treasured possession.
“Get up!” Shane shouted. “I can’t see what you’re doing. Did I hit you, you bitch? I hope so, you deserve it. You took my job, and wrecked my whole life. Fawn won’t even fucking talk to me because Ray fired me, and now she’s threatening to get a restraining order against me. All because you’re a fucking prude with a stick up her ass.”
Tavi met Luke’s gaze, and then she moaned loudly, giving the impression that it was she who was injured. “Why are you doing this, Shane? I didn’t fire you.”
“No, but if you’d kept your goddamn mouth shut Ray would have never known there was trouble. Who’s going to pay my bills? I hear you got a hell of a lot of money out of the old rat bastard, and I want my share.”
Luke’s fingers were coated in KJ’s blood, and her face was growing grayer by the second. There was no way she could shift in front of everyone to heal even if he could get the bullet out, but he had to do something. If he didn’t find something to staunch the bleeding she was going to bleed out right here on the floor. Pulling his shirt over his head, he ripped it down the center, and began looping it around the petite woman’s midsection. Tavi was holding KJ’s head in her lap, and Luke could see her hands shaking as she tried to comfort the injured woman.
Whispering quietly he reassured them, “Bryson’s getting Sonny. We just have to wait for the signal from him, and then I’m going to take Shane out. Tavi, put your fingers right here, and press down. Hard. Don’t let go, no matter what.”
A soft whistle reached his ears, and he knew it was time to move. Dropping to his belly, he moved toward the end of the walkway, and crawled under the booths moving as quietly as possible. He only needed to get within jumping distance of Shane, and the bastard was dead.
The other hostages tried not to watch his progress, so as not to give him away, and he gave them a thumbs-up signal as he rose into position. Unfortunately Shane had disappeared into the backroom out of sight. A moment later he heard Sonny’s shout, and then Bryson’s growl, and he didn’t stop moving until he was through the doorway and facing down the man who’d nearly killed his family. Bryson had partially shifted, and it had thrown Shane off his guard. His gun hand hung limply at his side and he stared at the half man half wolf in shock. Shifting wouldn’t help Luke at this point, then he’d just have to explain his lack of clothing when the police got here. At least Bryson had managed to retain most of his dignity with a partial shift.
Two steps and he had Shane in his grasp, back to chest, arm tight around the other man’s throat. “You made two big mistakes tonight.” He growled into Shane’s ear. “One, you threatened my family, and two you underestimated me.”
One quick twist and Shane’s neck cracked. The other man slumped in his arms as the life slipped out of him, and Luke let him fall. It was then that he realized Sonny was watching from just outside the kitchen door, shivering in the cold night air, and staring at him with wide fear-filled eyes.
“Sonny? Did he hurt you?” Luke said, fighting his wolf to stay in control of his own body.
She shook her blonde head, and watched as Bryson eased back into his fully human shape, clutching his torn shirt to his chest.
“He can’t hurt you now, so it’s okay to come inside. Your mom is just in the other room. She wants to see you’re okay.”
“You killed him,” Sonny whispered. Tears filled her pretty blue-gray eyes.
Luke took a deep breath as guilt washed over him. He should have considered what seeing that kind of violence out of him would do to her. “Yes, I did, but I had to.”
“You killed him,” she repeated.
Frowning, he exchanged looks with Bryson, who shrugged, and then left Luke to handle the situation so that he could get to his own mate. “Sonny, he was going to kill you if I didn’t stop him.”
She nodded. “I know. He shot Este, and he told me that he was going to shoot me. You killed him for me.”
Nodding slowly, he shifted and stepped over Shane’s body. “Can you come inside?”
After another moment she took a hesitant step his way, and then stopped. Holding his arms out wide he just waited for her to come to him. When she did it was with a sob of relief as she shot into his arms nearly bowling him over. She was crying against his middle and he could barely understand what she was saying, but when he did, tears filled his own eyes. “Thank you for saving me.”
Chapter 22
“Good morning, pretty lady.”
Luke’s words rumbled against her cheek, as Tavi stretched, and opened her eyes a crack. It was barely dawn, but she could feel that at least one thing was awake for the morning. Wiggling her ass backward so that she snugged in closer to his groan, she whispered, “Morning.”
He didn’t waste time on words, and she didn’t need them. It still astonished her how quickly her body reacted to his touch, and as always she was wet and whimpering just from grinding back against him. Reaching around her, he slid his hand under her tank top to cup her breast, pinching the nipple hard. She gasped, and pressed her chest against his palm. Scorching hot, her body trembled and rolled underneath his touch, rising to accept the genuine love of their mating bond.
Incessant need boiled inside her, and she finally got tired of his teasing, shoving him with her newfound superhuman strength so that he lay on his back, and climbing atop his rock-hard cock.
“Whoa!” he groaned, as she pressed the fat head of his dick against her hot core, and rocked against him. She loved turning the tables so that she was the one in control.
“Do you like that?” she murmured, hearing
the growling sound of her wolf inside her head, as she matched Luke’s adamant response. Letting her knees slide open further, she sank down on his thick cock, throwing her head back as she experienced the sensation of being filled with him. He was a perfect fit. Her perfect match, and there was no one else in the world she’d rather be with.
Getting into a rhythm she rocked and rolled her hips, bouncing over him, as he stared up at her with a heated gaze. His hands continued to pluck and pinch at her nipples making her moan and gasp with pleasure. As she reached the edge of orgasm, he cupped her ass cheeks, pulling her forward so that she was bracing her hands on either side of his head, her tits hanging in his face. Sucking one nipple into his mouth he bit down gently, and slid his long fingers between the split of her ass. Her lust ramped up, and she felt him stroke further down to wet his finger just before he pressed it into her anus.
“Oh!” she cried out, experiencing a sharp burning before her body accepted the new sensation and reacted to it. It was oddly delicious. Taboo, and she felt wanton as she rocked on his cock and his finger, taking the most pleasure she’d ever received from anyone. He took care to move slowly, easing her into the pleasures of anal play, pressing a second finger inside of her when she once again drew close to climax.
Even though she was enjoying the torment, she needed to come desperately. “Please, Luke!” she begged.
“Tell me.” He growled, his hazel eyes glowing gold fire. “Say it, and I’ll let you come.”
“I—I—” she gasped, and a shudder rocked through her, it was there. Right there on the tip of her tongue, and she was right there on the tip of orgasm.
“Give me what I need, and I’ll give you everything I have, baby,” he said, in a softer tone. Love shone from his eyes as much as his desire, and she felt the sting of tears against her eyelids.
“I love you, Luke Gray!” she cried out, as they exploded in an epic orgasm together. Stars lit up her closed eyelids, and her body shook uncontrollably. A silent scream echoed in her head followed by the pleased rumble of her wolf as she collapsed on top of him, and promptly drifted back to sleep.