by Lynn Hagen
Deon didn’t say anything about Scott’s speed. He sat there quietly, looking out the passenger window.
“Look, I’m sorry about what happened at the tavern.” Scott felt like this was all his fault. He’d allowed himself to get distracted, just as Wheeler had planned. “I’m the one responsible for Baxter and Jayce getting taken.”
Deon turned his head, still looking as though he was deep in his own mind. “This has been going on way before tonight. If anything, Baxter being involved is my fault. He’s Jayce’s best friend, and it was the old pres. of the club who’d been gunning for my mate. Baxter was just a casualty.”
“My mate isn’t a fucking causality.” His knuckles turned white from gripping the wheel so hard.
“We’re all a causality of this.” Deon cut his eyes at Scott.
“What’re you not telling me?”
“I was married to the sister of one of the members,” Deon said. “Ruiz, before he was taken to the underworld, was the president. He cut the brakes on my car, only it wasn’t me who was driving that day. My wife and son were killed in the crash.”
Scott sat there in total silence. Fuck, just…fuck. “I’m so sorry, man.”
“Like I said,” Deon said in a faraway voice, “we’re all causalities in this.”
There was nothing Scott could say to that. Just thinking about losing Baxter put a hole in his gut. He couldn’t imagine the kind of void that had been created inside Deon. Scott never wanted to experience that kind of loss.
When they turned onto the road that led to the cabin, Deon pointed to a spot on his right. “Park right there.”
“Why?” Scott was anxious to get to Baxter. He didn’t want to waste any time.
“Because there’s only one way into the valley. Wheeler will see us coming long before we make it to him. We need to shift and go in our natural forms. They won’t start shooting right away if they see a panther and a lion, though some of them might take shots at us because we’re dangerous animals.”
“Not if we’re careful and stay hidden.” Scott parked and stored the keys in the bed of the truck under an old tire he’d been meaning to get rid of. The visor or under the seat would’ve been too obvious if someone happened upon it and decided to steal his ride.
They stripped in silence, folding their clothes and leaving them on the seat. Scott grabbed his keys to hit the fob to lock the truck then stashed them again.
Scott nodded, and they shifted, taking off over the rocky terrain.
* * * *
Wheeler left the room, closing Baxter and Jayce in with Dooby. The odds had just gotten better for them. If Wheeler had stayed, Baxter highly doubted they could’ve taken both men down.
“We can take him,” Jayce whispered from behind Baxter.
“When did you turn into such a rebel?” Baxter looked over his shoulder and saw a gleam of sheer determination in Jayce’s eyes. His best friend had always been meek with barely a backbone.
“Since I took on their president and won.” Jayce’s shoulders were held back, and his chin was high. The guy really thought he was some kind of badass. Baxter just wanted to knock Dooby out and find a way to escape.
He wasn’t trying to prove a damn thing.
“You know I don’t know how to fight,” Baxter said.
“And you know I can hear you guys, right?” Dooby asked. “You’re the worst whisperers ever.” His features darkened. “Now I know who really got rid of Ruiz. How’d you do it?” He sized them up. “Ain’t no fucking way two twigs took him down. What’s the real story?”
“Does it matter?” Jayce asked with steel in his voice. It seemed taking Ruiz down had lit a fire under the guy. Baxter hoped Jayce’s courage was enough to get them out of this.
Dooby looked toward the door, licked his dry, cracked lips, and turned back to them. “Because Mount is supposed to take over. I’m just waiting for him to get here. No one wants Wheeler in charge. He’s a pure psychopath. Crazy in the head like you wouldn’t believe.”
Baxter curled his lips in. No way would he tell Dooby that Mount was dead. That might set him off.
“Look.” Jayce held up a hand as he moved to stand next to Baxter. “Don’t give us the drugs and we’ll help in any way we can.”
Dooby slowly shook his head. “Why should I trust you guys?”
“Because Wheeler tried to set me on fire,” Baxter said through gritted teeth. “I would love some payback.”
Was that guilt in Dooby’s eyes? Had he been the one who’d thrown that Molotov cocktail through the window? Baxter wanted to attack the fat bastard but decided to let Wheeler take the blame.
After all, they needed to play nice with Dooby. But the moment Scott got there, he was gonna tell his mate to eat the guy.
“I don’t know anything about that,” Dooby lied.
“Then you see where I’m coming from,” Baxter said. “Do we have a deal?”
“How can you two help me?” Dooby didn’t look convinced.
Dooby wasn’t too bright. He was allowing two twerps to manipulate him. Baxter could use that to their advantage. He just had to think of something Dooby would believe.
“Did he really try and set you on fire?” Jayce asked with wide eyes.
“We’ll talk about it later.” Baxter avoided looking at Dooby. He just might sneer if he did, giving away the fact that Baxter knew the real culprit behind the fire.
Jayce looked at Dooby. “Does Mount plan on killing us to win the competition?”
Again with the guilty look. “If he takes Wheeler down, there’s no need for you two to die.”
Fucking liar. Dooby should never play poker. He wasn’t good at hiding his facial expressions. He was gonna use them to make Mount president then dispose of them.
Baxter might have protested Caine straight-up murdering Mount, but he was glad the asshole was dead.
They could use Dooby, too. All they had to do was stall long enough. “When does Wheeler plan on killing us?”
“Dawn.” Dooby shoved the syringe back inside his vest. What an idiot.
Baxter looked toward the window. They didn’t have much time. Already the darkness was getting lighter. They had maybe an hour at most. Even so, Baxter’s gut twisted as he blew out a few breaths. He had to concentrate on their conversation. He couldn’t think of the drugs in Dooby’s vest.
Please get here in time, Scott, Baxter thought. Mount wasn’t coming. There wouldn’t be a showdown, no hopes of using the fight as a distraction to escape.
“You never told me how you’re gonna help me.” Dooby looked at the door again, as though he was afraid Wheeler would return at any second.
Jayce gave a subtle nod. Baxter had no idea what that nod meant. He couldn’t ask, not when Dooby was in earshot.
Baxter shook his head, furrowing his brows.
Jayce rolled his eyes. “We really need to work on our signals.”
“For what?” Dooby’s brows furrowed as he looked between them.
“I wasn’t aware we had any,” Baxter argued.
“To hell with this.” Jayce raced forward, slamming into Dooby. The guy harrumphed and stumbled backward. Baxter caught on and rushed forward, helping Jayce take the guy down.
It wasn’t easy. Dooby was a big guy. Baxter’s muscles strained with effort. He worked his hand into the inside pocket of Dooby’s vest and pulled out the two syringes as Dooby fought to get them off him.
Baxter pocketed one before Jayce saw what he’d done and looked at the other still in his hand. His heart thundered. His chest squeezed tight.
“Baxter!” Jayce whispered loudly.
The sound of panic in Jayce’s voice kicked Baxter out of his fog. He uncapped the needle and shoved it into Dooby’s neck, pressing down the plunger.
Jayce slapped a hand over the guy’s mouth just in time. Dooby let out a scream. They jumped backward, putting some distance between them and the flailing biker thug.
Dooby dropped to his knees, his hand still over h
is neck. Sweat glistened over his red face. He looked at them through the fall of his greasy bangs, as if he couldn’t believe they’d betrayed him.
Baxter stepped forward and bent on one knee. He let his rage take over. “I know it was you who tried to kill me. By the way, Mount is dead.”
Dooby snarled and reached for him, but Baxter quickly backed away. He should’ve been horrified at how purple Dooby was turning, but he felt nothing.
“Now what?” Jayce asked.
Dooby had collapsed on the floor, lights out. Jayce bent and grabbed the gun from Dooby’s waistband. He shoved it inside his own. Who in the hell was this new badass Jayce? When they survived this, he was gonna find out.
Baxter held up a finger and moved to the door. He pressed his ear against the wood. The cabin was too damn quiet. With his heart pulsing in his ears, Baxter cracked the door open. When he didn’t see anyone, he stuck his head out.
He still didn’t see a living soul.
“Let’s go.” He eased the door fully open. Jayce was right behind him as they tiptoed down the hallway.
Baxter looked behind him. An uneasy feeling settled in his gut. He was convinced someone was in the hallway with them, but no one was around.
His nerves. They were stretched tight. Also, he couldn’t stop thinking about the syringe in his pocket. He should’ve never taken it. Why was he giving in to the craving when he’d worked so hard to get clean?
Fuck, he needed a drink.
Go ahead, replace one addiction for another, you moron.
The only addiction Baxter needed was Scott. His lifeline. His entire world. The ache to be in Scott’s arms was stronger than the one to use. He missed his mate so badly that his heart hurt.
They stopped moving at the entrance to the living room. Baxter and Jayce plastered their backs against the wall. Low murmured voices could be heard. It sounded like the men were outside, but Baxter didn’t trust that. Someone could still be in the cabin.
Jayce removed the handgun from his waistband.
“Have you ever shot a gun before?” Baxter silently mouthed.
“Can’t be that hard. Aim and shoot,” Jayce mouthed back.
With the gun gripped in both hands, Jayce rounded the corner. Baxter followed.
Oh shit! A guy stood there with a sandwich halfway to his mouth. Jayce pulled the trigger.
Nothing.
The guy smirked. “Gotta take the safety off first.”
“Where’s the safety?” Baxter damn near shouted the words.
“I don’t know!” Jayce looked the gun over.
The stranger dropped his sandwich and pulled his own weapon free. “Let me show you, fellas.”
Baxter gasped as he looked down the barrel of the gun. They were about to die.
The stranger flew backward and hit the wall. When he slid to the floor, his head slumped to the side.
“What the hell just happened?” Jayce asked, appearing just as stunned as Baxter felt.
“Don’t leave the cabin.”
Jayce snapped his head around. “Who said that?”
Baxter recognized the voice. “Caine?”
“Stay inside.” The front door opened and closed on its own.
“I’m freaking out,” Jaye warned.
“Figure out how to take the safety off,” Baxter said. “That’s more important right now.”
Jayce once again looked the gun over. He slid a small lever up. “I found it.” He gave a nervous chuckle. “Duh, the word safety is printed right on it.”
They might’ve had a live weapon now, but shooting their way out was a different story. Jayce’s aim had to be accurate, and since he’d never shot a gun before, Baxter highly doubted his best friend would be an expert at it.
Now all they had to do was wait for help to arrive. But wait a minute, since Caine was there, hadn’t help already arrived? What was the demon waiting for? Baxter wanted to know but not enough to go outside and ask.
“Let me have the gun.” Baxter reached for it, but Jayce smacked his hand away.
“Have you taken a big biker down before?” Jayce asked. “I have, so I get to keep the gun.”
“What kind of logic is that?” Baxter argued. “Did you have a gun when you defeated Ruiz?”
Jayce pursed his lips. “Well, no, but I’m hardcore now. When you defeat a biker thug, then you get to shoot someone.”
Baxter rolled his eyes, hoping their mates got there in time before Jayce tried to actually shoot their way out of there and killed an innocent tree or rock.
Chapter Twelve
The lookout who’d been perched on a ridge high above the cabin was dead. Deon had torn the bastard’s throat out but not before Scott had shifted and asked how many men were at the cabin.
The guy had been too shocked at first to speak, but Deon had clamped the man’s jaw with this sharp teeth.
There were six in total. Five now that they’d killed the lookout. Five was a good number, a low count that they could handle.
Scott tried to use the brush as cover as much as he could. He silently leaped down large boulders and around a few clusters of trees. Two men stood outside.
Wheeler was one of them. He kept looking toward the sky then at the road, as though he was expecting company. When they were close enough to the base of the ridge, Scott went left and Deon went right.
Scott scented the air and then moved forward, ready to reveal himself and attack, but he moved backward when he heard the roar of motorcycles and headlights washed over the cabin.
Five bikes stopped in front of the cabin.
Shit.
Now they had ten men to take down. The odds had just gotten shitty. They could be shot and killed before they tore through them. He and Deon needed to come up with a plan.
Scott made his way to where Deon was hunched down. He shifted and dropped to his stomach. “Got any ideas?”
Deon shifted. “If we’d been ten minutes sooner.”
“No point dwelling on that. We need a plan.” Scott wasn’t even sure their mates were still alive. But they had to be. He refused to think that Baxter was dead. Also, why would more members show up if the fun was already over? Proof that Baxter and Jayce were dead?
If they brought Baxter’s dead body outside, Scott was gonna lose his shit. He needed to get inside the cabin.
Deon spoke Scott’s thoughts. “We go around back and slip inside. Maybe we can get our mates out without anyone being the wiser. Go out the way we go in.”
It was the best plan they had. They should’ve brought backup, but Scott had been too panicked to think of that. Even if he called in reinforcements, he’d have to travel back to his truck to get his phone, and by then, if his mate wasn’t already dead, he would be.
Help wouldn’t get there in time.
Even so, backtracking around the ridge so they could get to the rear of the cabin would eat up valuable time. Unfortunately they didn’t have a choice.
They shifted into their animal forms and worked their way around. Dawn was quickly approaching, and something in Scott’s gut told him they were running out of time.
They stopped when they spotted a guy sitting under a tree. He was dozing, his gun laying across his lap. Some lookout he was. Scott moved in closer, shifted, and grabbed the weapon as Deon attacked.
The guy was silenced in a matter of seconds. Death would do that.
“If that guy on the ridge was telling the truth, there’re two people inside,” Scott said.
Deon shifted, blood coating his mouth. “Let’s slip inside and take them down.”
There was a back door. Scott wasn’t sure if they should just waltz right in. He pointed to a window. Deon nodded. They slid inside, and Scott furrowed his brows.
A heavy guy was laid out on the floor, a needle stuck in his neck. “What the fuck happened here?” Scott said in a low voice.
Deon beamed. “My mate happened. It looks like Jayce and Baxter took him down.”
Scott was shocked. He did
n’t take his mate for the fighting type but was proud as fuck of Baxter. Now they just had to find them.
They moved to the door, and Scott opened it. The cabin was silent. Scott walked out of the room, careful not to make a sound as he and Deon made their way down the hall.
Still no one.
Scott had rushed into the living room, ready to fight anyone there, when a shot rang out. His leg was on fire as he went down.
“Oh my god! You shot my mate,” Baxter screamed.
“I didn’t know!” Jayce shouted back. “He rushed out here like Rambo, and I panicked!”
Scott looked up and saw Deon taking the gun from Jayce. As badly as his leg hurt, Scott was elated to see Baxter standing there. His mate was alive.
Baxter rushed over, but before he could get to Scott, the door burst open and men filed in, Wheeler at the lead.
A sneer, followed by a bark of laughter. “Would you look…at…that! This is too good to be true.” An unkind smile spread slowly across his face. “Four for the price of two. I’m gonna take pure joy in making all of you suffer before I end you.” He looked puzzled. “Why are you guys naked?” He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Dooby said Wheeler is a pure psychopath,” Baxter whispered to him.
Scott counted five men in the room. Where were the other two? That was when he noticed a guy slumped against the wall. He was either out cold or dead. Scott didn’t see any blood, which meant he hadn’t been shot.
Had Baxter and Jayce done that? Scott was starting to look at his mate in a whole new light.
“Fuck dawn,” one of the guys said. “Let’s get this over with.”
Wheeler chuckled as he rubbed his hands together. “No, not so fast! Do you guys want to make a wager on who’ll scream the loudest or who can take the pain the longest before passing out?”
There was a wild look in Wheeler’s eyes. Scott knew his mate was right. Wheeler was insane. Scott had to take the guy down before he got his hands on Baxter.
No one moved as Wheeler stepped closer. He bent, placing his hands on his knees, and looked directly at Scott, who was still on the floor. “I’ll save you for last, since you’re shot. Doing you first would be too easy and no fun at all.”