Rack or Ruin (The Desecrated Pack Book 3)

by Jude Marquez

  I pressed my lips together and nodded. “Let’s do this. The only thing we need is the mirror. So let’s get in and out and be gone before the police or anyone else is called.”

  None of us wanted to admit it, but we were all just waiting for the Ascendancy or someone worse to show up.

  I put my hand on the door handle and just as we were about to get out, the cell phone in the center console began to buzz.

  “He would call right now,” I muttered. Gerri and Savannah looked back at me and I jerked my head towards the pawnshop. We didn’t have time to waste, but I needed to hear Eli’s voice.

  “Quickly,” Savannah said.

  I answered the phone as I got out of the truck. “This is Celia Ortega.”

  “Hey, moonshine,” Eli said. The relief in hearing his voice was a physical sensation. It was like a huge weight was lifted from my chest and I could breathe again.

  “Starshine. It took you long enough,” I said and broke the plate glass on the front door and reached in to unlock it. As I did, alarms began to blare inside the shop. We expected that. I pulled the door open and let Savannah go in first, followed by Gerri. I kept the phone close to my ear.

  “Well, they shot me. Good thing I have a little trick up my sleeve,” he said.

  A trick or magic. Lou.

  “What is that noise?” Eli asked.

  “Well, I’m trying to get in touch with a Houdini that we both know. But it’s taking some time and a lot more effort than I thought it would,” I said.

  I watched apprehensively as Gerri disappeared into a dark corner of the pawnshop. She said she knew where this mirror was and once we got her into the shop, she could find it easily. I wasn’t clear why it had to be this mirror from this place, but Gerri was the one with the knowledge and know-how to get in contact with the fae realm, so I took her at her word.

  The confidence in her steps as she walked away reassured me she knew where she was going. I just wasn’t comfortable letting her out of my sight.

  “Well, nothing is ever easy,” Eli remarked, and I couldn’t help but think of my earlier words. I also couldn’t help but notice a tension in his words.

  “You’re with the Bowman pack, right?” I said.

  “We are.”

  I didn’t like it. Typically, Eli would compliment his hosts on what an excellent job they were doing taking care of him and Lou. He had no words which was just as damning as if he had said that they were terrible hosts and otherwise complaining.

  Gerri came back into my line of sight, carrying a huge mirror. My eyes widened at the sight of her carrying such a large object. It was at least five feet wide and gilded in silver. I thought the mirror was a handheld one.

  And just behind her, a man holding a double-barrel shotgun stepped into my line of vision.

  “Hey, let me call you back. Stay with them until you hear otherwise, you got me?” I said.

  “Yeah, but–” Eli began.

  That was all I needed to hear; that he would stay with the Bowman pack until he heard from me.

  The man with the shotgun required my undivided attention at the moment.

  Gerri gave me a winning smile and passed me by, headed straight for Savannah and the open door.

  The man held the shotgun squarely on my chest.

  I knew it wouldn’t kill me, but I wasn’t full-strength yet and frankly, I didn’t want to deal with the pain of pulling bullet fragments from my chest for the next couple of hours.

  I held my hands up.

  “You and your fancy friends over there think you can just come and take whatever you want,” the man began.

  I didn’t blame him. I could only imagine the violation he felt and mix that with anger and helplessness and it was a recipe for disaster.

  “I’ll pay for the mirror,” I said.

  The man glared at me. “Fifty bucks.”

  I nodded and reached into my back pocket. He shook the barrel of the gun at me and I raised my eyebrows. “That’s where I have the money. Believe me, I will not pull anything on you.”

  The man narrowed his eyes at me but didn’t make any further moves.

  I pulled out all the money I had in my back pocket and held it up to him. The mirror couldn’t have been worth over twenty bucks, but I held out five hundred dollars to him.

  “For your inconvenience and your door,” I said. I put the money down on a shelf beside me and took a step back.

  In the distance, I heard sirens. The man couldn’t hear them just yet, but he would in a minute. Once again, I reached into my pocket. I pulled out another five hundred dollars and held it up to him. “It’s yours, if you could just do me a favor,” I said.

  The man scoffed. “What can I possibly do for you?”

  “When the cops come, if you could point them in the wrong direction, I would be forever grateful,” I said and laid the money down on another shelf and stepped away. I kept my hands up in the air and behind me, I heard the SUV start up again.

  I couldn’t see much of the man, other than that he was short and had a shock of gray hair. When he stepped forward, I could see that his features were aged and his face was lined heavily.

  “I’m no fan of the government, not these days. I wouldn’t have told them the truth anyway, especially since you’ve already paid your debt. Go on, but there’s no rush. The police don’t hurry to get here.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  The man waved me off and I watched as he pocketed the money. I jumped in the SUV and Savannah stomped on the gas. As we left, I turned to make a note of the pawnshop. If anything happened to the shop or the old man, someone would have to pay.

  “Now where to?” Savannah asked.

  “Look for a forest. We need to be as close as possible to a source of water and nature,” Gerri said.

  “Is this your first time breaking and entering?” Savannah asked Gerri.

  “It is. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the movies I have watched about such things,” Gerri said thoughtfully. Then she laughed. “The old man was a kind soul. In the movies, he would have at least tried to shoot one of us.”

  “Be thankful for the small things,” Savannah said as we headed north.

  I STARED DOWN AT THE phone in my hand. I couldn’t tell what Celia was doing, but I knew it wasn’t legal. I swallowed and looked up at Lou. He was watching Ashley, the Sentinel who watched over me while I was unconscious. He didn’t like her and she didn’t trust him.

  “How is your sister?” Eric asked from the other side of the room.

  I clenched the phone in my fist and had to remind myself not to break it. It was my only link to Celia at the moment.

  I forced myself to look up and gave him a tight smile. “Well, you know Celia. She’s great.”

  It wasn’t a lie. She didn’t sound hurt or like anything was wrong with her. I knew that she was missing us and that she was working as hard as she could, but I also knew that she was stressed and tired and homesick. I watched as Eric’s eyes glazed over as he thought of Celia in ways that no brother wanted to think about where his sister was involved.

  “Is she dating that cop? Or has she moved on to bigger and better things?”

  “Celia isn’t dating Marcus. She isn’t interested in dating anyone, especially any beta,” Lou snapped.

  I felt the sting in his words even though it wasn’t directed at me.

  I was up and on my feet before Eric could cross the room.

  “What is it with you and this guy? Do you have a thing for him?” Eric asked and smirked, like he has scored some kind of point on me.

  “Yeah, I have some kind of thing for him,” I snarled and stepped into Eric’s space. “And let me tell you, he is better than your sister ever could be. Is that why you let her undress me while I was unconscious, wish fulfillment?”

  “Ashley has no problems finding a guy, believe me,” Eric said.

  Behind me, Lou snorted. “Are they all unconscious too?”

  “A little mag
ic doesn’t make you anything special. Let me tell you something, buddy. The Eli that I knew, he always had his pick of the girls. And the way I heard it, he wasn’t too picky. I’m sure that whatever you think you have, it’s just a phase. Don’t worry, us girls can forgive a lot of things,” Ashley said from her part of the room and stood up.

  “Who are you, anyway? Celia shouldn’t have another Sentinel in her pack. She shouldn’t have anyone else in her pack. I hope that you are worth all this trouble that Eli is going to,” Eric said and tried to go around me. I blocked him and he glared at me.

  “Maricel Correa’s son. I have more than just a little magic,” Lou said arrogantly..

  “Big deal. I’ve never understood why she is supposed to be so important anyway,” Eric said.

  Everyone knew why Maricel was so important. Even the purposely stupid ones, like Eric. She was one of the Guardians of the Lock, a conduit from which all the witches and warlocks received their magic. Without her, there would be no Sentinels to help guard the packs.

  Until Artie and then Lou, Maricel had been one of the few people who could wield and sustain magic as powerful as hers.

  “I guess someone else got all the brains and looks in this family,” Lou said.

  I shouldn’t have felt as stupidly proud of him as I did. He was purposely bating Eric and I should have put a stop to it. But it was nice, finally seeing someone mouth off to Eric like he did to everyone else.

  Once more I blocked Eric from approaching Lou. We may have been far from home, but I could still feel that strength and that magic running through me. Eric was no match for me and both of us knew it.

  “Get out of my way, Ortega. This kid has been asking for it since we rescued you,” he snapped.

  “Rescued? That’s a stretch. All you did was put Lou in a bed and then let your sister take all my clothes off. Hardly what I would call a rescue,” I said.

  I saw something gray in his front teeth. I had to look away.

  “Why do you have such a hard on for this guy? Are you dating or something?” Eric demanded.

  Shifters often had a more fluid sense of sexuality and when I came across Lou, the fact that he was a guy did not deter me. The only thing that would have put me off of Lou would have been if he was not interested in me.

  “So what if I have a hard on for him? Jealous?” I asked.

  Eric seemed taken aback that I freely admitted that I was with Lou. Unfortunately, he quickly regained his attitude.

  “It figures that you would want to be with someone that would put your pack in danger. The Ortegas aren’t exactly the brightest, are they? Always asking for it.”

  I was barely aware of my shift before it happened. It was a rare instance that I could not control myself.

  But before I could advance on Eric, he was thrown across the room and slammed into one of the bare walls behind him.

  Ashley jumped to her feet and let out a wordless cry.

  I looked behind myself at Lou and saw that he was standing there, his eyes glued to Eric’s unmoving frame.

  His eyes.

  They weren’t the familiar, warm chocolate brown that I knew. They were silver, empty, and cold. I glanced back and forth between him and Eric but could not bring myself to tell him to let Eric go. Even though it wasn’t official yet, the pack that Eric insulted was as much Lou’s as it was mine.

  “Watch what you’re saying. Control isn’t my strong point,” Lou muttered.

  Then, something caught my attention.

  I heard vehicles approaching us. They were from far away still, and we still had a bit of leeway, but they were coming.

  “Who did you call?” I demanded and turned to Eric.

  He laughed at me and I saw that there was blood on his teeth. Lou had slammed him against that wall hard. “Whatever you and this kid got yourself into, it’s bigger than you know. The Ascendancy does not send out bounties to our kind unless it’s huge. What did you do, Eli? Or what did he do?” Eric asked and looked to Lou.

  I glanced over at Lou and he did not seem overly concerned. Instead, he kept his eyes on Ashley. “Stop it,” he ordered her.

  Then she also flew to the opposite wall, next to her brother.

  “Answer him or I break bones,” Lou said.

  “You think a few broken bones will scare me? Do you know anything about shifters?” Eric said and laughed.

  “I know more than a few things about shifters, but you know nothing about what I can do. I can help shifters heal but I can also stop them from healing,” he said, and I watched as one of Eric’s fingers bent at an impossible angle and then snapped.

  Eric grunted but did not show that it hurt him.

  I studied him and nodded. “Okay. Maybe you can handle it. But Ashley? What if Lou started breaking her bones? What if he snapped open her sternum? How long do you think she would have then?” I asked.

  It was an easy question that everyone here knew the answer to. She wouldn’t have much time. Witches were human in healing.

  Eric remains silent.

  I turned away from them and faced Lou. He looked at me and shrugged and then I nodded. Lou looked to Ashley, but before he could do anything, she cried out, “Stop!”

  I turned around and raised my eyebrows at her.

  “When we found out what had happened in Glenwood Lock, we got a text. It was from an unknown number. It said that if we had any information, that we would be paid handsomely. Eric called them. He told them everything. Where we were, who we had, and everything else that we knew. They promised him money, a lot of money. As soon as he heard how much, he told them to come get you.”

  “Who?” I asked.

  “Keep your mouth shut!” Eric screamed and struggled against Lou’s hold.

  “The Ascendancy,” Ashley whispered. She had the decency to look sorry, at least.

  “Let’s go,” Lou said.

  I nodded and looked around for my clothes. While I did, Lou approached Ashley and put one hand to her head. Immediately, she slumped over and I knew that she was asleep. Eric was still struggling against his hold and was cursing and screaming obscenities at Lou. Lou seemed entirely deaf to him, but Eric’s words grated on my nerves.

  When I was dressed, I approached Eric. “There has to be a special torture for people who sell out their own kind. Especially for money.”

  “All you have to do is denounce Celia as your alpha. Then you might live. It’s a reasonable offer, Eli,” Eric said.

  I raised one hand and slashed him across his face, leaving three bloodied lines across his forehead and cheek. “I’m no traitor.”

  I turned to leave but saw that Lou gave Eric one long, last look. Then he approached Eric and patted him down. He came up with both of our wallets and the keys to the sedan we had driven out of Glenwood Lock.

  We left the room quickly and made our way through the house. It was trashed, like it hadn’t been cleaned in months. There was dust everywhere, and I couldn’t help but notice that it seems like they lived alone.

  “They don’t have an alpha. Their father–” I started but then stopped. The vehicles I heard were far too close now. I looked over at Lou and although he couldn’t hear them, he still seemed just as concerned.

  They parked the sedan in what might have been the front yard, once upon a time. Instead, it was a dirt square littered with trash and tires and long abandoned cars. I shook my head. This was not the Bowman pack that I remembered.

  We found the sedan behind the house and when I turned the ignition on, even Lou could hear the vehicles headed for us. I looked over at him.

  Lou met my gaze and nodded. I could see the silver sparking in his eyes. I rounded the corner and saw three large SUVs headed straight for us.

  “Don’t stop. Whatever you do, just keep going,” Lou ordered.

  I nodded, took a deep breath, and stomped on the gas.

  “DID YOU EVER SEE THAT movie from the 80s, Red Dawn?” I whispered to Dante.

  He frowned and shook his hea
d. “I think I saw the remake?”

  I groaned. “That wasn’t as good as the original.”

  “They never are,” Dante agreed.

  We were still staring at the military vehicles that were flooding into town. We had stopped counting a long time ago, but we knew there were at least four helicopters in different parts of the town.

  “Are you saying that we should be the teenagers and these guys are from North Korea?” Dante asked.

  “The Russians. They were the Russians,” I said with more than a little scorn in my voice.

  “I think the time for plot points is passed,” Dante said testily.

  “When this is all over, me and you will sit down and watch the original. Patrick Swayze was amazing in that movie,” I muttered.

  I couldn’t help but admire the Ascendancy’s organization. The people were fanning out and I can see them approaching the woods. Apparently they had orders not to go beyond what their flashlights could show.

  “I wish they would go in. Just one,” Dante said.

  “Why?”

  “The duende. I’m not sure if you’ve met them yet, but they are the people of the forest. The forest is their home. Lou has gone to great lengths to make sure that we all respect their home. You know these guys wouldn’t. And Lou has told me so many times that even though they are only like a foot high, that they are fierce warriors and eat the occasional person who shows them disrespect,” Dante explained.

  When he turned to me, I made a face. “Gross, but useful. Is there anything else around town that we could use?” I asked.

  Dante appeared thoughtful. “Did you ever meet Santiago?”

  I shook my head.

  “He is one of the oldest vampires on this side of the hemisphere. His house is basically a crypt. When he sleeps, it’s impossible to get in or out of. He showed me one time, wanted me to test its strength.”

  “And?” I prompted.

  “Steel reinforced concrete. Unless you have the code to get out, once you are in, you are in for good,” Dante said.

  My eyes widened at the possibility. “Are there more places like this?”