by Sara Dailey
With a tranq gun in my hands and a real one in the back waistband of my pants, I’d never been so nervous. Images of Brian and Noel awaiting our arrival flashed through my mind, and I had to clench my eyes shut for a moment in hopes the nightmarish vision would go away. All I could think was whether or not something had gone wrong at one of the other houses. What if Brian had been warned? They could be standing in their room ready to gun us down the moment we showed up.
Luke halted the bad scenario playing out in my mind once we arrived at the top of the stairs. Stopping to listen for any movement coming from the master bedroom, we all froze, even Sammy, who was now halfway up the stairs. Satisfied, Luke motioned us to move forward, but stopped us again outside of the bedroom door to listen again.
Relief flooded my insides at the sound of muffled snoring coming from the other side of the door. I knew Luke well enough to know that he wouldn’t waste any time taking out Brian. He may be an enforcer, but he’d never had that I’m-the-toughest-guy-in-the-room complex that most enforcers seemed to have, and Brian, apparently being a step up from an enforcer, needed the world to know what a badass he was. Luke was smart enough not to give Brian a chance to prove it, of that I was sure.
Before I had time to psych myself out any further, the bedroom door was open, revealing two bodies sound asleep in bed, and I could hardly believe our luck. Just as I had suspected, Luke took about five steps into the room raised his tranq gun and fired twice, both shots hitting Brian in his bicep. Startled, he shot up in bed, but only had time to glance around the room before he passed out cold.
Noel, on the other hand, flew out of the bed the moment the first tranq was fired. With her eyes wild with fear and fury, she backed herself into a corner, knowing her only exit was blocked, but she grabbed the lamp off of the night stand and held it in front of her like a shield or a weapon.
And then suddenly it was like someone had pushed pause as we all just stood there. No one moved. No one spoke. We all just stared at Noel, watching her frantic eyes as they scanned over each of us. It was Luke who finally said something. “Noel, you’re going to have to come with us. No one wants to hurt you, but one way or another, you will be leaving here in our custody.”
“Just tell me one thing first.” A sob escaped her lips as she spoke. “Oh my God, Luke,” Noel cried. “Is my son…is Cade alive?”
Before Luke could answer, Noel fell to the ground, a sobbing mess of tears and remorse. The lamp fell from her hand as she wrapped her arms around her knees, dropped her head, and let out everything she must have been holding in since she’d heard that her son’s SUV went over a bridge and into the water below.
I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t hurt for her in that moment, but I had to remind myself that the sad pitiful woman before me killed her husband and turned her entire pack over to Crescent Hills, who had caused what she believed—up until only moments ago—the demise of her only son. Noel Walker was a hateful bitch. There was no denying that, but no one could fake that kind of pain.
As Luke and Sammy walked over to pick up Noel, I glanced at Allison and noticed tears welling up in her eyes, but her expression was cold and hard, and it was pretty obvious she was struggling with the conflicting emotions colliding inside of her.
While the guys restrained Noel, I walked over and took Allison’s hand. I led her out of the room, down the stairs, and then offered her the only thing I could. A hug. There were no words for what that woman had done.
Allison and I were waiting downstairs when Vince came down with Brian over his shoulder. Sammy, Luke, and Noel were following close behind when Luke’s phone rang. He stopped midway down the stairs to answer, and everyone stopped to stare at him as he took the call.
“They what?”
“Dammit!”
“Yeah, we got ’em both”
“We’re leaving now.”
Luke looked up at his captive audience, a grim expression on his face. “Slight change of plans. Kendall and Drew escaped.”
CHAPTER 53
Gavin
We had just made our way out of the driveway when Aiden suddenly pulled the truck over. Phillip opened the truck’s cab window so that we could hear what was going on. Aiden was on speakerphone with Cade, and he was talking so fast that I could hardly make out what he was saying. Luckily, Aiden repeated the news. “Kendall and Drew escaped? You have got to be fucking kidding me.”
The words had hardly left his lips when a car came barreling down the road toward us. I leaned over the edge of the truck bed, and as soon as I saw the asshole’s Mustang, I jumped out of the back.
“It’s them,” I yelled from the middle of the road. I heard Aiden tell Cade what was going down, and then he pulled the truck up sideways, right behind me to block the road. They all got out and joined me in the road making a makeshift roadblock in front of the truck, and we stood frozen, watching as Drew and Kendall got closer and closer.
We knew the moment they saw us. Drew slammed on the brakes, and his Mustang skid to a stop, momentarily blinding us with his headlights.
“Watch for them to make a run for it,” Phillip shouted, squinting his eyes to block out some of the light. For what seemed like forever, they just sat in the car. I thought they were just going to give up, but then both doors flew open at the same time, and Kendall and Drew had shifted into wolves by the time they made it out of the car. They immediately took off in different directions.
“Phillip and Gavin, take Drew. Dane, you stay here. Jake come with me. Now…fast,” Aiden ordered before shifting and taking off after Kendall.
Phillip was halfway into the woods before I’d even started to move. Hurrying to catch up, I finished shifting on the run. Phillip might be faster on the takeoff, but on the run, I had him beat. In a full-out sprint, there weren’t many wolves out there who could outrun me. Drew always hated that about me when we were young. As much as he tried, he could never beat me in a race.
I flew past Phillip and picked up on Drew’s scent immediately. Drew was never really one for using his brain and trying to cover his tracks. He would be an easy catch.
It felt good to run, to stretch my body and let the wolf inside me take over for a while. It had been too long since I’d completely let go. Drew’s scent was getting stronger and stronger, so I knew I was getting close. As I ran through a small clearing, a sliver of the moon shone down, lighting my way, showing me exactly who I was looking for.
Cutting to the right, I caught up with Drew within seconds. I jumped. My front paws came down hard on Drew’s back. My claws dug into his thick fur, touching first, and then digging into his flesh. I heard a sharp yelp right before he fell to the ground in a heap. I was about to sink my teeth into the bastard’s throat when Phillip showed up and put himself between us. In that moment, I hated Phillip for getting in my way. I wanted more than anything to put an end to Drew’s miserable existence, and Phillip was stopping me.
I shoved at Phillip with everything I had in me. He barely moved, but it was just enough for me to get to Drew. I lunged for the prick, but before I got to him, he had changed back to his human form. Again, Phillip shoved me out of the way. More pissed off than ever, I stood there on all fours, growling and baring my teeth. It took a few moments and a couple of deep breaths to clear my head enough to make the change from wolf to man. I’d never wanted to kill someone so much in my life, but I knew Phillip was right. This wasn’t the way to do it.
“I knew you didn’t have it in you. You’re too much of a pussy,” Drew said standing there behind Phillip.
I could feel my face burning with rage. My hands clenched as I tried to rein in my temper. Phillip grabbed Drew’s hands and held them behind his back, “You should count yourself lucky that I was here to stop him.”
“He’s not worth it, anyway,” I said looking directly into Drew’s eyes.
After spitting on the ground at my feet, Drew replied, “Keep telling yourself that, buddy.”
CHAPTER 54
Kendall
Fuck. My. Life.
There was no way in hell I was going to be able to out run these two brooding, testosterone-fueled wolves of fucking fury. I was done for, and I knew it, but I was not going down without a fight. I was Kendall Avery Stuart for fuck’s sake, and these boys needed to remember that.
I’d say I ran like my life depended on it, but well, it kind of did, so I guess the saying loses its meaning when the crazed werewolves chasing you want you dead. There was certainly no love lost between Aiden and I after I tried to kill his sister; and being that Crescent Hills just recently strung ol’ Jakey Boy up to a tree and practically beat him to death, I was guessing he wouldn’t be taking much pity on me either.
Yeah, I’m totally screwed.
But that didn’t stop me from running like hell, from swerving right, from swerving left, from faking left and turning right again. I was actually gaining ground until karma shot straight up from the ground and bit me square in the ass. Karma in the form of a massive tree root covered in snow, that is.
I took quite an impressive tumble, and before I could regain my footing, Aiden and Jake were close enough to pounce. The chase was over. It was all over. The way I saw it; I had two options: submit or fight, which would most likely result in my untimely death. I went with option one.
Against every instinct within me, I sank to the ground and lowered my eyes, showing the big, bad wolves that I’d given up. Aiden jerked his head to the side signaling me to follow them. At least, they weren’t going to make me march back to their Jeep naked. Even I could be thankful for the little things.
With Aiden in front of me and Jake behind, I followed orders like a good little prisoner. I wasn’t foolish enough to think I could escape without a head start, and I had a good feeling Jake was looking for any reason to accidentally rip my throat out.
Once our car and their Jeep were in sight, I saw Drew in the back of the Jeep. He was wrapped in a blanket with his wrist handcuffed to one of the bars, and Cade had a gun aimed at his head. Both Drew and Cade turned our way when they heard us approach, and surprise, surprise, both guys looked equally disgusted when they saw me. Interesting. I seemed to have that effect on alphas.
But then as we approached the vehicles, I was completely caught off guard, when the last person I expected to see stepped into view with a blanket in his hand. Gavin hardly looked my way as he held out the blanket, and as I shifted back, he completely turned his head. I took the cover from his hand, and when my fingers grazed his, he flinched and yanked his hand away from mine.
As I wrapped myself in the blanket, he started to walk away, but I couldn’t let him leave like that. “Gavin, please. Talk to me. I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to run. I didn’t want to get mixed up in all of this. You know that. You know me. You’re the only one who really knows me.”
When he heard those words, he turned around and looked at me. The sadness in his eyes completely shattered me. “Gavin, please! He made me! I never wanted to hurt anyone. You have to help me.”
Looking me square in the eyes, Gavin said, “Kendall, I’m sorry, but this time, you’re going to have to help yourself.”
CHAPTER 55
Cami
Before we’d even loaded up the Jeep, Luke received another call from Cade, who told him that Gavin’s group was taking care of the Kendall and Drew situation and that we were to report to the lodge. On one hand, I was relieved to know that Gavin had made it out of his mission safely, but on the other, he was now facing Drew, the most sadistic bastard I knew, which in turn, would leave me a massive ball of nerves until I saw him again.
Over and over again, I reminded myself that Drew and Kendall were completely outnumbered, and Gavin would be fine, but it did nothing to calm the overwhelming panic threatening to pull me under. The ride to the lodge passed by in a blur, and once we arrived, I couldn’t seem to make myself move. Somewhere along the way, I’d pulled my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms around my legs, and despite my best efforts, I couldn’t stop shivering.
Though I heard someone speaking, I couldn’t quite make out the words. Then, suddenly I was being shaken, and Luke’s face was in front of mine. “Hey, Cami! You okay? We’re here.”
Trying my best to pretend I wasn’t a complete mess, I managed to snap out of it and said, “Yeah, just cold, I guess.” I waited as the guys unloaded Brian and Noel and then followed behind as they made their way down to the cell.
Once we arrived in the room that housed the jail, Luke addressed the group. “Cade is backing up Aiden’s group, who is taking care of Kendall and Drew as we speak. They should be back with the two of them and Clayton and Nathaniel soon. We need to make room in the cell for all of them, plus Brian and Noel. As you can see, it’s already getting a bit crowded in there. So, I need you all to help me move these guys around to make some room. Everyone will probably be unconscious until morning, except Noel here, but we’ll just sit her on a bench, and I’m sure she’ll behave herself. Right, Noel?”
Luke shot her a perfectly condescending smile, causing Noel to roll her eyes. The whole scene almost made me laugh out loud, and I could have thanked Luke right then and there. That was the first time I’d smiled all day. My God, that woman was evil.
We got to work moving bodies around, and by the time we were finished, it looked kind of ominous, like we were getting the bodies ready for a mass burial or something. They all just looked so dead. Well, everyone except for Noel, though she did look like she’d been to hell and back. Instead of being lined up on the cold, hard floor with the rest of her pack, she was sitting at the end of a bench, zip-tied to one of the cell bars. Personally, I thought Luke should have made her lay there on the ground, but unfortunately, no one asked my opinion.
When we heard the door open upstairs, everyone stopped what they were doing and immediately reached for their weapon just in case. As we listened to the footfalls tromp down the stairs, my heart drummed in my chest, my stomach churned with unease, and even in the dead of winter, my palms began to sweat. I just needed to see him. I needed to know that Gavin was okay. Only then would I be okay too.
The door opened, and I watched as one by one members of our pack filed in, all safe and none wounded, but I didn’t take my eyes off that door until I saw him. And then I did. See him. Gavin Reed walked through that door, and his eyes immediately found mine. A smile broke out across his lips as his legs carried him across the room and directly to me. Scooping me up in his arms, he buried his nose in the crook of my neck, spun me around, and said, “You have no idea how happy I am to see you. Thank God you’re all right.”
“Not as happy as I am to see you,” I replied. When my feet hit the ground below, his lips found mine, and I pulled him close, savoring the all-too-brief kiss. There would have to be a whole lot more of that once this was all over.
With our arms still wrapped around each other, we looked around, watching as mates reunited. Everyone congratulated each other on a mission well done while Clayton and Nathaniel were brought in and laid on the ground along with the others, and then Luke led Kendall and Drew through the door and instructed them to sit on separate benches away from each other and Noel.
As they walked through the cell door, Drew, being the evil douche bag that he was, said, “Hey, look Cade, your mom’s here. Small world.”
Immediately, a silence settled over the room, and all eyes landed on Cade, who had finally acknowledged that his mother was sitting in the jail cell only a few feet away.
CHAPTER 56
Gavin
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what Cade must have been feeling. To be betrayed by your own mother? Don’t get me wrong; my father was a total bastard, but he had pretty much been one his whole life, and he never pretended to be anything but. My mother, on the other hand, was just about as perfect as a mother could be.
She would have had a shit-fit if my father had even entertained the idea of getting involved in this asinine plan of Nathaniel’s. Bastard or not, my fathe
r had been a different man when she was alive. And my mother loved me. She loved us. She would have never betrayed my sister or me. It had to be killing Cade to have to confront Noel after everything she’d done to him, and, to make matters worse, he had to do it in front of everyone.
“Baby, let me explain,” Noel said to Cade as she tried to stand, but the zip-tie kept her pinned to the bench.
Cade held his hands up and took a step back, away from her. His eyes closed for the briefest of moments before he said, “Don’t. Just don’t. Don’t call me baby.”
Cade turned his back on her and walked over to his mate, Alli. She placed her hand on his cheek and smiled up at him. It was obviously just what he needed because his shoulders visibly relaxed.
Noel turned on the waterworks and looked down to the floor. “I’m so sorry, Cade. You have to believe me. I love you, honey. You’re my child. I’m your mother.”
The entire room filled with even more tension than before. Cade’s jaw tightened, and his fists clenched. Alli’s hand dropped from his face, and she shot Noel a look that brought new meaning to the term “death stare.”
Cade walked over to his mother and said, “Okay…let me hear it. Tell me all the reasons you had for killing my father, for joining up with a pack that was out to take us over, for letting your asshole boyfriend over there try to kill me, my mate, my brother, my enforcer, and his own fucking daughter. Tell me how you thought that was a good plan.”
“I didn’t know,” Noel cried.
“Bullshit! You knew. You knew that night in the rain when you apologized to me and walked away. Well, at least now I know what you were apologizing for. So, don’t tell me that you didn’t know. Just stop lying!” Cade shouted.
Noel’s tears flowed down her cheeks and splashed onto the concrete floor at her feet. Seeing her chin quiver, it was difficult not to feel sorry for her, but I shook that feeling away. She deserved every single cruel word Cade said to her…and more. Most packs would have already killed her for her vile acts of betrayal. She was lucky to even be breathing.