Bear's Shadow (Vendetta Series Book 2)

by Desiree L. Scott

  I’m safe. I’m protected. Nothing is wrong. I’m imagining...

  Her intuition had saved her life more than once, so she walked over to the small table on the other side of the bed and got the gun that Bret had given her a few weeks before, keeping the safety on for now.

  “Vanessa? Zach?”

  Her breathing harsh, she started to walk over to the door but froze again as the light breeze hit her flushed cheeks. Her eyes shot over to the half-opened window.

  She hadn’t opened the window.

  Before she could run or scream, she felt it—a sharp point against her throat and a broad chest behind her back.

  “One little sound and I’ll kill you,” her husband whispered, his hot breath bathing her ear, his familiar strong cologne gagging her. Struggling to breathe out her mouth, she didn’t move, paralyzed.

  He trailed the sharp knife down her throat to her collarbone and back up to her ear like a lover’s caress, and she felt a prick of pain followed by something wet.

  Blood.

  His arm came around her and grabbed the gun from her limp hand, tossing it on the bed beside them.

  “How did you know?” she whispered.

  Edward was silent for a moment before he chuckled.

  “Seriously? Nikki, it was too easy. I’m not a fucking idiot, baby. It was just too convenient for a sudden shipment to come in right after the disaster of the last one. I had already known who was helping you. It was just a matter of getting most of the bastards away from the house, hence me pretending to go along and communicate my desire for the transaction. It worked. My men took care of the two left, and here we are. So, this is what we’re going to do. Very carefully, you’re going to move over to the window and climb out with me. I don’t think I have to mention that I would love to kill you for all of the fucking trouble you’ve caused me, but I’m willing to show mercy. At least…to the little girl and bitch I have.”

  Nikki felt sick, her stomach heaving with the thought of her friend and the baby at the mercy of the monster behind her.

  Oh God…

  The dark voice and rough push toward the window left no doubt that he would do what he threatened. Nikki also didn’t doubt he had more men outside surrounding the house. It was how her husband worked. He rarely worked the job himself, but when he did, he never came alone.

  “What have you done?” she asked harshly, her throat tight.

  He nudged her harder toward the window with the knife, and she shot a quick glance at the door, her heart pounding with terror, sweat sliding down between her breasts.

  Where are the guys?

  Tears sprung to her eyes as she put one leg over the seal of the window. A tall man was below her on the lawn, a murderous glint in his eyes. She spied the ladder leaning against the wall, and followed by a sharp nudge from Edward, she threw one leg over and started to climb down. As soon as she got close, the man at the bottom jerked her down to the wet ground, and Edward followed close behind.

  “You have the bitch and her brat?”

  The man nodded, grinning. “Jack has the brat. The woman is drugged and passed out in the car.”

  “Good. We’ll need them.”

  They’re dead.

  With a small wince of pain, she almost tripped over her feet as Edward pushed her from the back, and the man pulled her by her arm, his hand like a vice as he squeezed her flesh.

  “I’ll teach you to fuck with me, bitch,” Edward muttered as they walked away from the house. “And everyone else that fucked with me.”

  Nikki looked around the yard frantically, praying that someone would see them, but the yard was deserted.

  Tears burned her eyes as they walked farther away from the house, farther away from any chance of help.

  Bret, help us.

  Bret froze, Nikki’s shaking voice echoing in his head. Heart pounding furiously, he knew they had been set up.

  “He’s got her,” he whispered.

  Just then, Travis froze beside him.

  “Vanessa.”

  That one word, whispered in pain, echoed his own terror as his Alpha’s eyes, unfocused, stared off into the distance, his lips pinched white.

  Bret and Travis, as one, whirled around and took off toward the vehicles parked a few blocks away from the warehouse where they had been stationed, waiting for the contact and bastard to appear.

  The men, after releasing the women, all piled into the vehicles, Bret behind the wheel. Tires spun as they raced to the pack house.

  “I’m going to tear the fucker to pieces,” Travis said grimly, his large hands clenching the dash until the whites of his knuckles drew a stark contrast against the black of the interior. From the corner vision, Bret glimpsed the red eyes and tight skin as the wolf struggled to break free.

  All Bret could hear was Nikki’s panicked voice begging for his help, her terror a foul taste in his dry mouth.

  Lips tight, his eyes narrowed as he took another sharp turn, his facial skin rough with the coarse hair of his bear. He didn’t notice the pain of the partial shift, his claws ripping the leather from the wheel.

  Sam’s own white face stared at him in the mirror, her fear a living thing.

  The house came into view, and Bret barely braked before jamming it into park. He threw the door open and raced into the house.

  “Nikki!”

  Travis ran up the stairs behind him. “Vanessa!”

  Just as they reached the top, they saw Zach’s prone body in the hall, unmoving, blood splattered on the wall.

  Bret bent down and checked for a pulse. It was there but weak.

  “Noah!”

  “I've got him. Go!”

  Bret didn't need any more urging. He took off again, but Travis met him in the doorway of Nikki’s bedroom, the fine hairs of his beast covering his whole face as rage pulled his skin taut.

  “They're gone. The window is open in Nikki’s bedroom, and Vanessa and Ava are gone. They took them.”

  “They shouldn't have much of a head start,” Aiden said, his own wolf visible in the glittering red eyes. “Patrick is missing too.”

  Despair threatened to bring him to his knees as he tried not to imagine what Nikki was going through.

  “How the fuck did he know?” Bret whispered, running his shaking hand through his ruffled hair. “And how did they take Zach and Patrick by surprise?”

  “Questions saved for later,” Travis said. His Alpha looked as bad as Bret felt as they hit the porch running, jumping over the railing and landing on their feet in the yard.

  Bret saw Sam racing back from the woods and heard her bark.

  Travis was the first to shift, and Bret and Aiden soon followed as they took off after Sam.

  They all heard the crying at the same time and skidded to a halt. Sam shifted back and jumped over a few logs, naked, the men right behind her.

  Ava sat on the ground, her white nightshirt dirty with a few traces of blood that stopped Bret’s heart. Travis walked over to his daughter and nudged her neck, consoling the small child. Tiny arms circled his thick neck as she buried her dark head against the fur of her father. Travis reluctantly took a step back as Sam reached down and picked up the child, soothing her with a quiet voice.

  Bret spied the paper on the hard ground where Ava had been sitting and barked to Sam just as Travis noticed it as well.

  Sam picked it up and read it out loud, her voice shaking with rage and fear as Ava whimpered, fear and the smell of urine strong on the soft breeze.

  “I didn’t kill the brat. Continue to follow and V won’t be so lucky.”

  Bret and Travis locked eyes, their thoughts running along similar lines. There was no need for words.

  He wouldn’t have killed her. Not yet…

  Bret had never felt more terror, more panic than he did at that moment. No amount of experience could have prepared him for the shivers of doom that streaked through him at the thought of losing her forever.

  “I’ll call Jackson,” Sam told Tr
avis urgently.

  Nodding curtly, Travis took off through the dark woods, Bret and Aiden right behind him. Their pack had dwindled, and they were running out of time.

  Chapter 17

  Nikki didn’t know where they were. They weren’t at the mansion, the trapped prison of stone she had soon learned to despise. They were still in the car. Vanessa was in the trunk, drugged and passed out. She had apparently put up a fight before they had restrained her, but Nikki wouldn’t have thought otherwise, not with her baby in danger. There had been blood in her hair and dark bruises splattered all over her face.

  Edward sat up in the front with the driver, and the large man that had dragged her out of the window sat beside her, his large hand on her thigh. Her stomach rolled as his fat fingers inched closer to the junction between her legs. She was still in her pajamas, the thin material offering no protection.

  “Get your hand off me, or I’ll tell Edward,” she hissed, trying to scoot closer to her door.

  The man chuckled and looked toward the front, a sick grin on his chubby face. “Hey, boss, do you mind if I cop a feel of your bitch?”

  Edward turned around, and his smile made the bile rise, and what was left of her dinner threatened to come up, which wouldn’t have been a bad thing. She would have just aimed for the bastard’s lap.

  “Nah, not at all,” he drawled. He leaned back against his door, his shoulder against the window, and crossed his arms over his chest, watching them.

  The man beside her didn’t bother to return his hand to her thigh but opened her pajama bottoms. Nikki jerked away, and a slap came out of nowhere—not from the man but her husband. Her head hit the window, white spots dancing before her eyes, and she almost prayed that she would pass out. Anything was better than what they had planned for her.

  “I said he could, so open your fucking legs,” Edward growled.

  Tears burning her eyes, Nikki started to do as she was told but froze as something overcame her—a rage so strangling that her throat seemed to close as her focus narrowed.

  She opened her legs and waited. The moment came when he scooted closer, grinning. His own legs were spread open, and she could see his hardness against his jeans. He reached down for her pajamas, and she struck, bringing her knee up as hard as she could. He screamed as her aim hit its mark, and he jerked back. This time she was prepared for Edward’s fist and ducked, his knuckles skimming her cheekbone. As the man withered in the seat beside her, she saw the gun swing toward her. She hadn't thought he would kill her, not in the car, but she had been wrong before, about so many things.

  She stiffened and stared at him, determined not to show him any fear. He wouldn't get the satisfaction of her begging or cowering against the seat, not anymore. He had taken enough from her.

  He cocked the gun, and her gaze didn't waver.

  Just then, something rammed the car from Nikki’s side, pushing her against the groaning man. He grunted and reached for his gun clipped to his waist.

  “I'm going to kill you, you bitch,” he growled.

  “What the fuck was that?” Edward demanded, Nikki forgotten for the moment.

  They were on a long stretch of blacktop, surrounded by the pitch-black night. Even the moon managed to hide its dim light through the trees lining the deserted highway.

  The driver struggled to keep the car on the road as another ram pounded the other side of the door.

  Edward cursed and fired from his window, his back to the dash as his shots went wild in the dark. Nikki knew he couldn't see anything, so he was just wasting bullets at that point.

  Suddenly, lights flooded the interior of the vehicle, and Nikki whirled, looking behind her. A large truck came up close, and her stomach dropped. On one hand, she was thrilled. Bret was there. On the other hand, if they rammed the back, Vanessa could die. Gulping as the men in the car let loose with the bullets, she closed her eyes and tried something that six months ago she would have thought impossible. She didn't know if Bret was driving and who was ramming the car, but she had to try.

  Bret, don't hit the back. Vanessa is in the trunk. Don't hit the back!

  She opened her eyes just in time to see the truck brake and swerve to the side, barely missing the trunk. The man at her side fired from the window, continuous shots that battered the truck behind her, but it didn't deter the driver. The truck gunned and swerved to the left, coming up along Nikki’s side.

  Get to the other side, baby.

  Hearing his voice in her mind brought tears to her eyes, but she didn't hesitate to do as he said. The man didn't seem to notice her frantically jump across him to the other side, and the idiot actually switched sides with her, his aim now closer as he fired from her window, his shots hitting the side of the truck. Edward fired as well, yelling profanities as the truck stuck again, this time hitting the side of the car.

  She saw Edward fall against the driver, and the driver finally lost the control.

  She heard a scream, dimly realizing that it came from her as the car left the road. Her head hit the roof, and the world faded for a moment. The man beside her crushed her to the door, falling back against her from the impact.

  They rolled until it finally came to a stop on its side. Fighting to stay awake, she looked down to see the man lying beneath her. He wasn't moving.

  Silence.

  She dimly heard voices, a mix of panic and fear that penetrated her consciousness, bringing her back from the darkness.

  Groaning, she started to move but suddenly felt herself being dragged from the broken window, the shattered shards of the glass cutting into her arms and legs.

  Blood dripped into her eyes, and she could barely see as she was pulled back.

  “Don't come any closer or the bitch dies!” Edward screamed, the barrel of his gun pressed tight against her temple.

  Despite her blurry vision and the darkness, she sought and found Bret’s frantic eyes. If she was going to die, she wanted his face to be the last thing she saw.

  A trunk popped, and she saw Travis’s tall form behind Bret, pulling his wife from the depths of the smashed metal.

  She breathed a sigh of relief. Vanessa looked banged up, but she was alive. She saw Travis grab his wife and pull her into his arms. She could almost smell his own relief. With the gun pressed to her head, Nikki didn't think she and Bret would have that same moment. Tears stung her eyes as Edward jerked her back farther away from her friends and the man she loved.

  He pressed a cell into her hand. “Dial three, and tell them we’re on highway K,” he growled in her ear, pushing the gun into her even harder.

  Heart pounding, her eyes never left Bret’s as she did as she was told. A dark voice answered, and she relayed the message. Silence penetrated the small group as Edward held her tight against him, his thick arm around her neck, the pressure threatening to cut off her oxygen. She barely took a breath, afraid to do anything in case Bret took a bullet.

  “If you let her go, I'll let you live,” Bret growled, his eyes a flashing red of rage as he glared at the man behind her.

  Edward chuckled. He never lowered the gun, and Nikki felt his lips on her temple, felt his hot breath bathe her flesh. She shivered as his wet tongue licked her cheek.

  “She’s my wife. By law, she’s mine.”

  Bret’s eyes narrowed, and her heart nearly stopped as he took a step toward them. She saw Travis grab Bret’s arms just as a pair of headlights crested the hill behind them, bathing them in the yellow light.

  The vehicle stopped next to them, and Edward dragged her back toward the opened door.

  “I love you, Bret,” she whispered.

  Before she could say anything else, she was thrust into the back seat, and the tires spun as they roared away, leaving the safety and love of the small group behind her.

  She should have expected the pain, the fist that suddenly connected with her cheekbone, and she cried out as her head hit the side of the window. Flashes of black spots danced in front of her as she shook her hea
d.

  “That’s only a small taste of what I’m going to do to you for causing me this fucking trouble,” he spat.

  She cradled her cheek and didn’t answer as the night passed in a blur.

  Thirty minutes later, they pulled up to the mansion, and Edward jerked her from the back seat by her hair. She knew better than to make a sound, but the whimper exploded anyway as she fell to her knees in front of him, hitting the pavement. She cried out again as blood dripped from her legs.

  Edward reached down and grabbed her hair again, dragging her toward the front door.

  “Get the men ready! Expect trouble,” he shouted over his shoulder. Edward didn't let up on her hair as they made their way to the basement.

  He threw her inside and turned, locking the door behind him as she fell to the floor. Jerking off his ripped jacket, he threw it to the side before reaching down and pulling her head back, a fistful of hair in his grip.

  “I'm going to make you pay for this, bitch.”

  “Please, don't.”

  She had sworn she wouldn't beg, but the words came anyway, exploding past her split lips.

  He bent down, his lips twisted in a cruel sneer. “Please what? Please make it painless? Oh, baby, you should know better. I've done this so many times to so many women who thought they could betray me. Look at me.” He looked down, and her gaze followed his, landing on the hard bulge between his legs.

  Bile rose as her throat tightened, well past the fear of what he had planned.

  She gasped in pain when he yanked her hair, forcing her onto her bare feet. He pulled her toward the back of the dank room, and she spied the long metal table that stood upright, leaning against the wall. Straps hung from the four corners of the metal, and she tried to pull back, her mouth opening to scream. Before any sound could penetrate the walls, Edward backhanded her, and she tasted blood in her mouth. She would have fallen if he hadn’t had a hold of her hair, but it was just as painful as hitting the floor. In seconds, he had her strapped to the cold metal, her arms and legs firmly secured by the binds.