“How many of these are there?” Brenton snarled softly.
“There could be hundreds.” Chris found another sitting on a table by the door. “But why keep them?”
“To relive it,” Andrew whispered. “They keep tapes and files to relive the thrill but it’s not enough, so they keep hunting.”
Riley looked at one of the USBs and saw something that sent a chill down her spine. They were labeled by shifter type and sex. That was all. She could only imagine what was on these. She wondered if they would be able to find those shifters’ families to let them know, or if maybe never knowing was better.
They all took dozens, all they could find, shoving them in a bag they had from the weapon room that Andrew was carrying. The second floor must have been where they did a lot of their work, but this was only security stuff. None of the finances or things to lead them to others who needed to go down.
“We have to go up,” Gabe whispered. “We need to hit the third floor. We’re armed, we can do this.”
She hoped he was right, looking to Brenton, who only nodded, his face tight. He was worried, and she didn’t blame him.
They moved out slowly, splitting into two even groups. She, Brenton, Sheriff, Troy, and Zachary went to the right staircase while the wolves, Andrew, and Gabe went to the other. It was the safest option. If one group was caught, the other would be able to assist or run.
She was now in the middle of her group, wedged between Sheriff and Zachary. They were no longer okay with her being point, since they all were mostly armed. All the hunters had to be sleeping or hanging out on the top floor.
They didn’t check every room at the top. They were looking for something specific. An actual office, with a computer.
They passed by rooms with people’s names. They assumed those were places to sleep so they ignored them. Finally, they found a room that Riley pointed to.
Carl’s room.
“The leader,” she mouthed, and Thomas nodded to her. Brenton turned and searched her face.
Brenton put his hand on the handle and counted down from three. He pushed it open and they found Carl sitting at a desk, staring at them. He paled as Riley and Thomas walked in behind Brenton.
“Don’t move, Carl,” she growled. “Don’t even fucking think about it.”
The room was actually an office, with a couch and chairs and a bookshelf. He had papers spread out in front of him. She wondered now if the other rooms were other offices for those people instead of barracks.
“You two. My escapees. I’ve never known a shifter to come back,” he just sat there, his hands on the desk.
“Well, you know how it is. Sometimes we just don’t learn.” Thomas closed the distance slowly. “Now stand up and move back to the wall, hands up.”
Gabe walked in, his weapon down, and waited for Carl to stand so he could get to the desk.
“What do you all hope to accomplish?” Carl looked warily between them, his blue eyes narrow.
“Not your problem anymore.” Brenton was calm. “Won’t be your problem ever again.”
“Who was going to buy me, Carl?” She met the human’s eyes and bared her teeth. “Who?”
“You mean the guy who had an hour with you to test the product? I don’t do real names, so I don’t know.” He sneered at her until Thomas readjusted his hold on his gun. That took Carl’s attention back to the wolf. “Look. You’ll never get out of here alive.” Carl smiled. “It’s just not going to happen.” His back was now against the wall behind his desk.
“Why’s that?” Thomas growled. Gabe was grabbing papers and had the bag that Andrew originally did. He pulled a laptop off the table and took it as well.
“This.” Carl jumped back to his desk and slammed something on the underside.
Alarms went off. People yelled. He had a panic button.
Oh shit. Maybe Carl wasn’t so stupid to think he was always safe.
She aimed at Carl and took her shot. He crumbled, bleeding onto the table. She watched his body slide off the desk.
“I win,” Riley whispered angrily, ignoring the blaring alarms until gunfire started up. Brenton grabbed her and pulled her out into chaos. They watched hunters pour out of different rooms they had decided not to check, weapons drawn.
“We need to run!” A wolf yelled. “We’re sitting ducks in the hallway!”
She and Gabe took off, several of the shifters changing in front and behind them. Brenton, in lion form, roared and jumped on a human who opened a door to open fire after Riley had passed.
Sheriff roared as gunfire went off.
She couldn’t look back. Down the stairs, she had to jump down several at once to keep the group moving. Gun fire rang in the hall. She lost Gabe somewhere in the mess.
They pushed out of the building and into a gravel parking lot. They began trying to open the vehicles, all unlocked but no keys to be seen.
“Who can hot wire?” A fox yelled, covering the people running from the building.
Gabe was next to her immediately at the door to a Range Rover. Troy going to another of the Range Rovers. One of the foxes didn’t make it, falling right at the door where he’d been waiting for them to get out. Sheriff didn’t stop to pick up the body. The other fox tried to go back but Brenton stopped him and forced him into a Range Rover, overpowering the fox with probably an Alpha command.
A once silent night was now a war zone. Riley kept firing at every human she saw. Thomas was behind another vehicle, doing the same thing. Short bursts so as not to waste anything.
Vehicles started up, and she was pulled inside one as it began to move. They were on their way out. But they were being followed quickly by hunters jumping into the leftover vehicles.
She looked at who was holding her and saw Andrew, his face tight.
“Give. Me. The. Gun.” He snarled down at her. She finally relented, unable to handle his dominance even though she fought against it. He had his own but wanted hers anyways. That was fine. She would be fine hiding below the seats at this point.
Gun fire was still shattering their windows and Andrew forced her to the floor. She could hear Gabe yelling as he drove about how many were following them. Brenton was next to him in the passenger’s seat, roaring instructions about where to turn.
Andrew was looking over the back seat and the lone fox was shell shocked, not moving or saying anything.
She focused on the fox.
“It’s going to be okay,” she told him. “We’re getting out of here. They won’t catch us again.”
“My brother is dead,” was all he had to say, staring straight ahead. Her heart sank.
They hit a bump, and everyone in the car was jostled. It messed up Andrew’s shooting and he shot wildly on accident.
“Keep it fucking steady!” He roared to the front. He switched guns, out of ammo with the first.
Next to them was another beaten up Range Rover. Troy was in the driver's seat, Zachary next to him. Sheriff was in the back and looked in pain.
She wondered how things were so crystal clear at the worst moments of her life. Where did this heightened awareness come from?
“Where the fuck are the wolves leading us?” Brenton growled. She turned ahead and saw a pickup in front of them. Two wolves sat in the back, one being Thomas, their guns trained behind them at the convoy that was following them.
They all cut into a field and moved to a different road.
They were losing the convoy, as one of the hunter’s trucks popped a flat in the front and was hit by another behind it.
“Got you, mother fucker,” Andrew roared. She had never seen him so intense and angry, not even when they’d saved her from Trevor and the kidnapping.
Another bump pissed Andrew off more.
“Fucking hell!” He snarled. The fox just held on and ducked low enough to not get hit from the incoming fire that whizzed over their heads.
Andrew stopped firing, cursing.
“I’m out of ammo!” He snarled, sinkin
g down so he could keep an eye on the back but not enough that it would make him a target.
Another one of the vehicles behind them spun out of control, rolling.
After that accident, they finally were able to speed away, leaving the hunters in the dust.
They hit another road and followed it for nearly an hour.
“Lubbock, Texas.” Brenton mumbled. “Do we know anyone from this region, guys?”
“We’re in fucking Texas?” Riley gasped.
“Yup,” Andrew growled to her. “And no, Brenton, we have no Texas allies.”
“Shit. Maybe the wolves do.”
“Why are we still following them?” The fox finally spoke up.
“Because numbers are our best option, Finn.” Brenton told him. “We need to stick together and keep our shit together. Chris and I talked about it… I’m sorry about Huck.”
“Yeah…” Finn looked back out the busted window.
They didn’t roll into town. The wolves led them to a farm near it and pulled up to a small, ranch style house.
They all piled out, all checking for injuries. Sheriff had been hit twice in his right leg while in bear form. He’d thrown a tourniquet on it and Zachary helped him inside the house. The wolves were already inside, and everyone was supposed to follow.
They all moved silently, small conversations going on as they discussed plans and who to call. But she just sat with her legs hanging out the side of the Range Rover, staring at the flat landscape in front of her. She wanted her mountains and her stream. She wanted her cold air and her cat. Star… would still hopefully be with the vet. Safe. Protected. She was just a house cat, no one should have hurt her.
Troy approached her slowly and stopped when she made eye contact. She wasn’t scared of him, but she also wasn’t ready to deal. The adrenaline had worn off and she was crashing from the last few days.
“Pretty girl?” He stepped another foot closer. “Riley, you okay?”
She shook her head silently, unable to speak.
“Come inside and get some sleep, it’ll help. Or you can talk to me? Will that help?” He took another step closer, and she jumped up from her spot.
She didn’t say anything as she made it into the house. She only stopped when one of them pointed her to a bedroom, saying it would be hers alone. She didn’t even know who said it. She pushed her way through them all to the door.
She stepped inside and closed the door, leaning her head on it for a moment. Sleep sounded great, but then she turned around.
A bed.
Metal and leather flooded her mouth.
She remembered every second of it.
The blindfold, her vision began to fade.
She pulled her eyes off the bed, found a corner away from it and curled into a ball after stripping off the clothing she’d stolen from the hunter. She couldn’t keep wearing clothing from a woman who would let something like this be done.
She could sleep there on the bed. It would be fine.
She wasn’t scared of the bed, she tried to tell herself.
And she was right. She wasn’t scared.
She was terrified of it.
ANDREW
It was a nightmare brought to life, but it was also more hopeful than their situation had been only a few hours ago. He looked around their motley group. The wolves were huddled together in the living room. The fox had been sent to sleep. He’d lost his twin, they couldn’t expect him to be helpful. The pride was huddled close, taking over the kitchen with him.
Zachary sat on a counter, with Troy and Gabe joining him. Gabe was quiet mostly for this entire thing. It was concerning; but, like Riley, they couldn’t force it right now. They could all smell the worrying mix of agony, despair, and misery on him, even though they’d escaped. Brenton stood with Andrew, tapping his finger on the counter top.
They were all dressed again in the clothing that they had worn when they were originally grabbed. Andrew felt dirty in them, but it was all they had.
“So, where are we?” Brenton finally asked. Sheriff grunted and added his own voice to that sentiment. Sheriff was drugged to hell and back, but neither gunshot was life threatening. They just needed to stop the bleeding and keep them from getting infected. The wolves had stitched him up before they did anything else.
It was James, the wolf, that answered.
“I used to be a member of the Texas Pack. I recognized the road we were on. This house belongs to my sister.” He held the phone. “I called her when we got in, she’s going to stay with her Alpha. Her Alpha told us to stay low and keep out of trouble. He doesn’t want to rile up hunters so close to home, so he’s going to pretend we aren’t here.”
“Shit, isn’t that fucking fortunate?” Zachary laughed. “Fuck, being lucky never felt so good.”
“We weren’t lucky,” Chris growled. “Thomas and Riley fucking saved our damn hides. They could have taken off and left us to die.”
“It was her idea,” Thomas shrugged to his Alpha. “I told her that I was hanging around in case any more of y’all escaped. She wanted to go in and get her pride, even though she couldn’t stand when I first found her. She nearly went without me, no plan or anything.”
Their girl would have charged the building by herself for them. Andrew looked away from Thomas, his eyes full of tears. Now she didn’t even want to look at them or touch them, nothing. They told her they loved her, and she didn’t want anything to do with them.
“She’s a ballsy kitten,” Sheriff groaned. “Good for her. Stupid of her, but damn am I thankful for her right now. Thank you for helping her.”
“I wasn’t going to let her go in and get killed when I could help her. I’m a Marine.” Thomas looked to Sheriff and smiled. “She’s a good chick, that’s for sure. Has a fire in her that they couldn’t beat out, though it seems like they fucking tried.”
All the males in the room stiffened at what Thomas said. Andrew couldn’t stop the vicious growl that erupted from his throat. Neither could Brenton or Zachary. Troy and Gabe just looked awful.
“They dragged her off and let some fucking buyer molest her,” Brenton’s voice broke on the words.
“Yeah, she told me. For fifteen million, she was going to become the new pet of a lion shifter she didn’t recognize.”
Andrew stilled and quieted. He looked slowly to Brenton, who was pale and washed out. Andrew’s own skin was clammy. Zachary was cursing and jumped off his counter, storming out of the room. Gabe only whimpered.
“Excuse me?” Brenton whispered, staring at the counter.
“Yeah,” Thomas nodded to them. “A shifter was in that building, buying from them, and he wanted her.”
Andrew felt sick. Gabe ran out after Zachary, and they could all hear him getting sick right outside the front door. Troy bolted after him, whispering Gabe’s name.
“We thought…” Andrew shook.
He couldn’t lose her because of that.
Because another shifter was the lowest piece of scum on the earth.
“You thought another hunter had a go with her or some rich human,” Chris whispered. “And we never knew another shifter was there. God, how many of our kind could be working with them? Buying from them? Selling to them?”
“It doesn’t matter right now,” Thomas told his Alpha. “We need a plan to get the fuck out of here. We need to call in people to shut that shit down.”
“Any ideas?” Brenton looked back to the wolf. Thomas had his shit together, where everyone else in the room was falling apart.
“Apparently, people are looking for you guys.” Thomas turned to Brenton and pointed at the last two pride members in the room. “Government. I have contacts with the US SSTF, and I can bring them in to get us out and home. And keep us safe. The hunters knew that people wanted to find you guys, Riley and I overheard them after we got back into the building.”
The Shifter Special Task Force. A coalition group run by the United States Government to shut down and eliminate illegal act
ivities around shifters that crossed state lines and became federal without it becoming public. They hunted down major criminal targets in both shifter and human populations. Like these hunters. Like Isabella Gordon, who’s been on their wanted list for three decades, and more.
“Yeah.” Andrew nodded. “The leader of that little fucking hellhole told us something similar.”
“They would also shut down the ring. It’s not the only one out there, but it will show a strong force against the SHS that this shit is no longer tolerated,” Brenton growled. “They picked a target too big for them, and now they are going down.”
“We call them after we get the fuck out of here,” Chris Marek growled. “I don’t want to be wrapped up in it, and we can make it, we just need to go. I don’t want to stick around this close to them.”
“Well, we could just fly out of here,” Andrew mumbled. “We got our stuff back, we just need to get to an airport. We’ll pay for all of you to get home or come with us. But we need to get cleaned up.”
“I can… call in our private jet. Keep us off the grid a little, have someone in the company say they are using it,” Brenton waved his hand around. “It could work. We can get the damn thing sent here, to Lubbock and fucking fly away with everything we got from the hunters.”
“Then call the US SSTF or just send it all to them. Even if that compound is rebuilt somewhere else, those guys will get caught or they will be all over the watch lists,” Thomas nodded. “You got a call to make.” Thomas handed the phone to Brenton, who took it slowly.
“Yeah…” He looked down at it. Andrew knew he didn’t want to do this and took the phone from Brenton.
“I know the codes, Brenton.” Andrew patted his Alpha’s back, who’s head nodded distractedly.
Andrew made the call. It was to a board member and Andrew would have to speak in riddles to get the point across.
“Jamie Christopher speaking, who is this?”
“Hey man, it’s Andrew. Before you say anything, I just wanted to tell you that you're doing a great job at Kingson, Inc for us,” Andrew kept his tone light. He heard the sharp gasp from Jamie on the other end. “Brenton was thinking you would be perfect for a business trip. How’s Lubbock, Texas sound this time of year?”
Wild Fire (The Kingson Pride Book 2) Page 21