by Sara Dailey
For the briefest of moments, my legs felt like lead weights, but as soon as people from my pack started flying every which way as they ran for cover or to fight back, I took off toward the lodge, knowing I needed to get to my parents. Becca grabbed Shari’s hand and pulled her along in the direction of her home.
Complete chaos erupted as the invaders shouted warnings when our pack began to flee, but it lasted only seconds before shots were fired. Gunfire blasted out over the breakout of pandemonium.
Instinctively, I hit the ground along with most of the other members of my pack, and as the gunfire ceased, the voice from the bullhorn spoke again. “This is my final warning. On my word, you will slowly rise to your feet, calmly walk to your homes, and remain inside until given further instructions.”
My body lay flattened against the ground, but I lifted my head just enough to take in my surroundings. At least twelve vehicles lined the main road of our estate. Those in Jeeps stood from inside their vehicles with their weapons trained on the members of our pack. Several others, all dressed in military-looking garb and camo, held large automatic weapons, and in military fashion they surrounded their vehicles and moved with precision in order to cover the area to ensure that no one from our pack posed a threat.
My heart pounded in my chest and drummed in my ears. My breathing was labored even though I tried desperately to gulp in the air that my lungs were begging for. I couldn’t go home. I’d be all alone. I needed to get to my parents. Then and there, I decided that when the mystery voice gave the word, I’d slowly make it over to the lodge and pray they would assume I was heading home.
I waited. Silence filled the air, and I could only assume that whoever was in charge wanted to make sure we were all under control before he allowed us to move. Without warning, the voice sounded again. “Do not try to be a hero. Do what I say, and no one will be hurt. Again, do not run, do not shift, do not make any movements toward my men. They have been given instructions to shoot to kill anyone who steps out of line. Slowly and calmly, rise to your feet, walk to your homes, and go inside now.”
Before I moved, I waited a moment longer to see what the others would do. My pack did as they were told. Slowly, we rose to our feet and began to move. I’d only made it a few feet toward the lodge when four armed men from my pack charged out of one of the houses and began firing at the intruders. Immediately guns were turned on them, and shot after shot rang out until two of our men threw their guns down in surrender while the other two were dead before they hit the ground.
Chaos ensued once again as our pack ran for cover, but I couldn’t move as I watched in horror as the other pack took twenty-five-year-old Jason Maxwell and twenty-three-year-old Jeff Bowers into custody while two others I couldn’t identify lay dead in the middle of the road.
Suddenly, I was yanked out of my stupor when I was pulled into the dark space between two houses. Fear filled my bones as I turned to face my captor. It was the very last man I expected to see. Phillip Stanton, Luke’s missing father, stood before me with a younger guy in a baseball cap next to him.
Frantically, Phillip explained, “Cami, listen closely. I need for you to get this guy to your house. Put him in the safe room and make sure nobody finds him. His name is Gavin Reed, Scarlett’s real brother, and his presence here must remain a secret. There is no time for me to explain. Just get Gavin to safety, and if anyone comes to your home, make sure they do not find him under any circumstances. Do you understand?”
My eyes darted back and forth between the two of them as I nodded my head. “Okay, but what happens next? What the hell is going on here?”
Phillip looked back out at the street as he answered, “It’s the Crescent Hills Pack. I have no idea what their next move will be, but for now, we need to do what they say before we lose any more men. Just get Gavin to your parents’ safe room. I’ll try to contact you if I can. I’ll do what I can to distract them. Now go!”
Phillip pushed us off into the direction of my home just before he raised his hands, walked toward one of the Jeeps, and announced, “My name is Phillip Stanton. I am this pack’s Enforcer. I would like to speak to whoever is in charge.”
We didn’t stop to see their response. Instead, together, Gavin and I turned toward my home, made our way inside, and locked and bolted the door behind us.
CHAPTER 2
Gavin
If things didn’t look like Red Dawn circa 1984 outside, watching this girl in action might have been pretty damned entertaining. She looked like she was on a mission running all around her house. I watched as she grabbed her phone from her purse, a set of keys that were hidden in the back of the freezer, and one of those accordion folder things that was rigged up under the kitchen sink. From the look on her face, I could tell that this girl meant nothing but business. I understood that. Hell, with things as bad as they were at the moment, I sure as shit appreciated it.
I was startled out of the trance by the snippy tone of her voice. “Dude? Come on! Get your ass over here.”
A little scared of this crazy chick, I hurried her way. She was standing in the doorway to the master bedroom with her hands on her hips looking incredibly impatient with me, and—truth be told—a little sexy. I followed her into the walk-in closet inside the master and stood back while she felt along the back wall for something. A moment later, I heard the click.
The girl—shit I wished I could remember her name—glanced over her shoulder at me and smiled. It lit up her entire face and made her look even more beautiful than she already did. In any other situation, I would have unleashed my mad moves on her, but I guess I’d just have to save those for another time, like, I don’t know, maybe when my crazy pack wasn’t holding hers hostage with machine guns.
She pushed on the back wall, and it opened. Using the freezer keys, she turned a lock and then punched some numbers into a keypad, which unlocked a hidden door. As she walked in, I stood back and watched as she flipped on the lights and put the folder down on the table in the center of the room.
“Okay, so, the pantry is stocked, and so is the fridge. Make yourself at home. I will be back as soon as I can,” she said as she walked back past me. The whole insane situation combined with not remembering her damn name was completely freaking me out, and I couldn’t seem to keep myself from reaching out to stop her. As soon as my hand touched her shoulder, she whipped around to face me.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” I muttered, holding my hands up in surrender.
“You didn’t scare me,” she snapped right back.
Her fierce little attitude made me want to smile, but I held it in because something told me that this girl was not someone to be messed with. She wasn’t nearly as tall as my sister, Scarlett. In fact, she was kind of tiny by were-standards, but beyond that, she shared all the typical werewolf traits: long brown hair, big chocolate eyes. But there was something definitely special about her, something that was uniquely her. She was a fiery little thing; that was for sure.
“Thanks for doing this. I’m Gavin, by the way. It’s nice to meet you,” I finally managed to say as I held out my hand.
The irritated scowl dropped from her face and a stunning smile replaced it when her hand met mine. “It’s nice to meet you, Gavin. I’m Cami. But I gotta go. Stay here until I get back,” she ordered before she turned and shut the door to the safe room.
I removed Luke’s hat and jacket and took a good look at the room I was stuck in for God only knew how long. For such a small space, it had everything you would need in case of an emergency, or hostile invasion by a pack of desperate, money-hungry werewolves. There was a small kitchenette off to the right with a mini fridge, microwave, and small sink. A bistro table and two chairs sat in the middle of the room. Toward the back, there was a loveseat, a coffee table, and a television.
The two closed doors lining the right wall piqued my interest. When I opened the first one, I was surprised to find a decent-sized bedroom. I was kind of worried that all six feet, fou
r inches of me would be sleeping on that little loveseat, but I guess if this place was built to protect their alpha, it would at least have a bed. There was a full-sized bed pushed against the wall on the far side and a set of bunk beds on the opposite side.
After quietly shutting the door, I moved on to secret door number two, which led to a small bathroom. It really was like a small, tastefully decorated apartment…hidden away inside someone’s closet behind a serious lock and security system.
Sure, it was comfortable, but it was small, and the longer I stood there, the smaller it got. Not to mention, it was driving me insane not knowing what was going on outside. I had always known that my pack was capable of something like this, but now that it was actually happening, it just seemed too crazy even for them. The one thing that I just couldn’t wrap my head around was how Nathaniel and my father convinced the rest of our pack that this was the right thing to do.
The more I thought about the fact that some of the guys that I grew up with were now outside the walls of this house wielding machine guns, the more I needed something to take my mind off of it all, so I sat down on the loveseat and looked around for a remote control for the TV. I found the TV remote, the DVD remote, and one that didn’t seem to go with anything.
After turning on the Discovery Channel, my curiosity got the best of me, and I started messing with the foreign remote. I couldn’t help myself. Remotes are just part of the male DNA. At first, the TV went to snow, but after pressing a few more random buttons, the picture became clear, displaying several different images from cameras all over the estate. Apparently, the mystery remote controlled an extremely high-tech surveillance system. Needless to say, I was thoroughly impressed.
The large-screen TV showed six different locations all around the estate simultaneously, or I could shift the view to show one camera at a time. I’d finally gotten the hang of it when Cami’s doorbell rang and scared the shit out of me.
Holding my chest to keep my heart from leaping out, I was struck by the fourth image on the TV. It was Clayton, our pack’s enforcer, standing on the doorstep of someone’s home. Clayton could interrogate a major terrorist and cause him to beg for mercy within minutes without even breaking a sweat himself. The man didn’t know the meaning of “taking it easy,” and it didn’t matter if it was a male or a female. He always got what he came for no matter the cost.
I wasn’t sure if Clayton was on the doorstep of this house or not. All I could do was hope that whoever just rang the doorbell was not him. After shuffling through a few more screens, I’d finally landed on one that showed the inside of Cami’s home and gave me a direct view of the front door, just in time to witness her unlocking it and pulling it open.
CHAPTER 3
Kendall
Drew hadn’t let go of me since Marcus Walker’s Tahoe sped off into the night. As soon as they were gone, I’d pulled him into his car and proceeded to remind him of exactly what he’d been missing since he’d been gone. His lips and hands were everywhere as I enticed him with my moans of encouragement.
His lips trailed down my neck as his hand found its way down the front of my unbuttoned jeans. “Baby, I’ve missed you so much. I want you so bad right now. No one can see us. Come on, baby. I need you.”
I pulled away to look into his eyes. “I love you, Drew Barnes. I can’t wait to get you out of here so I can show you just how much.” I nipped at his bottom lip, and he responded by pulling me into his lap so that I was straddling him, and then he ravished my mouth with his.
Did I love Drew? Who the hell cared? He was a means to an end. An end that was happening at this very moment. So yeah, I guess it was fair to say that for that reason, I loved Drew Barnes a whole hell of a lot.
His phone ringing over the Bluetooth in his car interrupted his frenzied attempt to get me out of my pants, and we both turned to look at the touch-screen display to see who was calling. His father’s name flashed across the screen, so I moved back to my seat so he could hit the answer button on his steering wheel.
Before he could even say hello, his father’s thunderous voice filled the air. “Drew, you can head to the Red Ridge Estate now. The ambush went just as planned. There were very few casualties, and they are now completely under our control. All of the elders have been detained, and we are accounting for the rest of the members as we speak.”
Just listening to the news got my blood pumping. The Red Ridge Pack was going down, and just as I’d envisioned not all that long ago, I would soon be their new female alpha. They may have thought they’d seen the last of me, but I couldn’t wait to show them that I was back with a new alpha by my side. Screw Cade Walker and his half-breed bitch!
As Drew pulled out of the mall parking lot, he asked his father, “What about Cade and his group? He sped off with Allison, Aiden, Scarlett, and Luke. Have you heard from Brian?”
After bellowing an order for someone to make sure that Phillip Stanton was locked in the cell, he replied, “Yes. Brian reported that during the chase, the Tahoe collided with his vehicle, slid on some ice, which caused it to hydroplane. The vehicle went over the side of the bridge and into the water.”
Holy shit! My hand flew over my mouth, and Drew cut his eyes toward me before he said, “And…”
“We have some people searching for survivors, but we aren’t expecting to find any,” his father answered, his voice completely void of emotion. “You and Avery get back to Red Ridge and find me as soon as you get here. I’ll tell you more once you arrive.”
A mix of emotions I didn’t quite understand bubbled up inside. In all honesty, I wasn’t sure what I was feeling, but I threw my arms around Drew’s neck anyway, pretending I’d felt nothing but unbridled joy, and kissed him repeatedly all over his cheek and neck. “Those fuckers are dead, and Red Ridge is ours! I can’t wait to see the look on the rest of their faces when they realize I was a part of this. Kendall Stuart is back, bitches!”
“So, it’s Kendall now, huh?”
“Yeah, no more, Avery. It’s Kendall from now on.”
Keeping one eye trained on the road, Drew leaned my way, and I grabbed his face and kissed the life out of him. The car swerved onto the shoulder, and we both laughed. Drew ran his hand all the way up my thigh and rubbed me hard between my legs as he practically growled, “God, baby. I can’t wait to get you alone. You’re going to be screaming my name all night long.”
Spreading my legs a bit wider, I threw my head back and cooed, “Promise?” Thinking of everything that had just gone down and recalling all I’d been through to get to this point made me want to pull over and show Drew just how thankful I was, but as soon as his car turned off onto the dirt road that led to the estate, I couldn’t wait to get there. My lavish gift of appreciation would have to wait.
When we pulled up to the entrance of the estate, we stopped in front of a few large SUVs blocking our path. Several men armed with automatic weapons guarded the area, and one of the pack members, whose name I’d never bothered to learn, came over to our car to look inside. “Mr. Barnes, Miss Stuart, head on in. Your father is expecting you.”
Drew looked my way and shot me a wicked grin. “Well, Kendall Avery Stuart. Welcome home.”
CHAPTER 4
Cami
I knew they’d come, but it didn’t stop the complete and total breakdown that was happening inside of me as soon as the doorbell rang. Though it felt as if my intestinal tract had tied itself in some type of intricate Boy Scout knot, I shook it off and prayed I could play it cool in front of the mammoth of a man standing on my porch.
Planting a scowl on face, I opened the door just enough to peer out and asked, “Can I help you?”
Without hesitating, the man pushed his way inside, allowing three more men I hadn’t seen at first to enter as well. “Are you Cami Moore?” the ginormous freak of nature asked.
Trying my damnedest to keep my voice calm and even, I replied, “How about I tell you that as soon as you tell me who you are and what the hell is go
ing on here?”
Practically growling, the manimal stomped toward me, effectively backing me up against the nearest wall. “Who the fuck do you think you are, little girl? I’m the one asking the questions, so unless you want your parents drawn and quartered outside of the lodge where they are currently being detained, then I suggest you lose the attitude and answer my question.”
I couldn’t stop myself from visibly trembling and swallowing back the lump of pure and utter panic lodged in my throat. When he shot me a wicked grin from several inches above me, it felt as if my already tiny frame was shrinking in fear, and I found myself wishing I could sink back into to the wall just to get some distance from the man I would now forever consider the spawn of Satan.
Was this guy for real? The evil glint in his cold eyes told me that I wasn’t exactly in the position to find out, so I nodded my head. “Yes, I’m Cami.”
Taking one step back, his shoulders relaxed a bit. “Well, good. Since we got that out of the way, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Clayton Lathom. I’m the Crescent Hills Pack’s Enforcer, and these men are searching your home to make sure that you are not hiding anyone. We are in the process of accounting for all of the members of your pack. Are you here alone?”
Again, I nodded my head but didn’t dare ask any questions, even though I was dying to know if my parents were okay. The spawn shifted his attention to the men scouring my home and then back to me. “I recommend that you stay put. It would not be in your best interest to move.”
I sure as shit wasn’t going anywhere as I watched him join his men in the search of my home. All I could do was pray that I’d left no clue in my parents closet that would make them suspect that there was anything beyond those four walls in there. As long as I didn’t screw up by leaving the clothes parted or something fishy, I was certain there was no way they could tell that there was a hidden room.