by L. P. Maxa
“You’re going to make it look like the weather knocked out the power?” What would he have done if there weren’t a storm brewing? Or was Jace so damn good that he also controlled the weather? “Will he believe it?”
“He will.” Jace pursed his lips. “I, uh, may have rigged a small explosive next to the backup generator.” Of course he did. Why wouldn’t bomb building be part of the kid’s skill set? “The ‘storm’ will knock out our main power. And when we want Franklin to come to us, a tiny little explosion will make it look like the backup generators are compromised as well.”
“But the majority of the security stuff will still be online, correct?” Safe room or not, he didn’t anyone in his pack to go without protection.
“Right. It’ll look like its malfunctioning, but I’ll be controlling everything the whole time.” Jace tapped his desk. “You have to let me have Franklin.”
“What?”
“I know he hurt Pen, and I know you want to kill him. But it has to be me. I have to end this.”
Jace was serious and in control ninety percent of the time. But standing in his office at that moment, telling Baze that he needed to be the one to kill his father, he’d never looked more tortured.
Yet Baze nodded his agreement. “When do we start?”
“The storm should hit us in about a few hours or so.” He and Jace both looked toward the window. “And then after that, I’ll give it a few minutes before I ‘blow’ the generator.”
Jace had it all planned out; he’d thought of everything. Baze had no doubt in his mind that every tiny detail of every scenario was ironed out in his mastermind of a brain. When Jace said that he would be controlling everything the whole time, Baze believed him. That seventeen-year-old kid held all of their lives in his hands, and they were lucky for it.
“You know, in my opinion, you’re much more Batman than you are Lex Luthor.”
Jace narrowed his eyes slightly. “Shouldn’t I be Superman? You know, to stay with the same comic?”
“No way, kid, Superman is way too pleasing for the likes of you.”
***
Baze left Jace’s office and went in search of his girl. His mate. His forever. It wasn’t that he was afraid that something bad was going to happen tonight. He had faith in his pack, and more than that, he had faith in his beta. But still, emotions were running a little high and he wanted to spend his last few moments of normalcy for a while with Pen.
“There you are.” He stepped into the room they’d been sharing for the last week to find her lounging in the bed. She looked sexy as hell, wearing one of his long-sleeve St. Leasing shirts and tight pair of yoga pants. He loved seeing her in his clothes; it turned him on more than skimpy pair of underwear ever could.
She smiled at him, setting her book to the side. “Here I am.” She held her arms wide, enfolding him in a hug when he dove playfully onto the mattress. “How’s Jace?”
“He’s good, bumblebee.” He rested his chin on her chest. “You’re a good person, you know that?”
She shrugged. “The kid needed a reprieve from life. We all do at some point.”
Baze couldn’t have agreed more. “Speaking of a little escape.” He sat back on his heels, grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head. “I think I could use one too.” He moved his hands to her back, expertly unclipping her black bra and tossing it to the ground. His mouth went to her perfect pink nipples, taking turns sucking and nipping until her hands were in his hair and his name was on her lips.
He ripped her leggings in two, picking her up and pushing her back against the nearest wall. Her thighs were around his hips and when she pulled his cock free, he instantly slid home. “Fuck, baby, you feel so damn perfect wrapped around my dick.”
He kept one hand on her ass, holding her in place. And moved the other to her neck, applying the smallest amount of pressure. She bit her lip, her eyes fluttering closed. She liked it. He dipped down, taking one of her breasts in his mouth, using his teeth to bring her closer to the edge.
She was whimpering, and the sound of them against the wall was no doubt louder than polite. But he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t get enough. He increased his pressure on her throat and surged into her, grinding against her clit. “More.”
He grinned at her whispered words, giving her exactly what she asked for. More. He fucked her harder, making sure to work her clit with every thrust. It wasn’t long before she came, milking his dick so fucking hard he had no choice but to follow.
Once they could both breathe again, he pulled out of her warm center and fell back onto the mattress, bringing her with him. “We’re going to have to redo all the drywall in this room for Jace.” He looked around, surveying the damage from the headboard and the scratches on the wall beside the bed.
Lightning flashed, pulling his attention to the window.
“Is it lightning?” Pen’s whole body was lying on his, her cheek on his chest and his fingers tracing random patterns on her bare back.
He kissed the top of her head. “Yeah, baby, a storm is coming.” She propped her chin on her hand, her light brown eyes meeting his. “It’s going to knock out the power.”
Her lids closed briefly. “And the backup generator?”
“It’ll probably act up some.” She knew what he was saying, she knew what was coming. “I’m going to need you to help me with something, okay?”
“What?” She laid her head back down, her arms holding him tighter.
“Once all this starts, I need you to do what Jace asks of you. And I need you to help convince the other girls to as well.” He ran his fingers through her long blonde hair, inhaling the sweet flowery scent. “It’s not only for my good, it’s for Jace’s too. You understand that, don’t you?”
“If you guys are worried about me, you won’t be concentrating on Franklin.”
Baze knew that he’d be focused on Pen’s safety more than anything else when it finally came time to deal with Franklin. He’d been prepared for it, and he was ready. It was his duty, as her mate, to think only of her. But what none of them had expected was this new twist on things with his beta. Jace, of all people, could not split his focus. And the second Baze had walked outside and found him sleeping soundly on Pen’s lap, he knew that unless she was completely safe and compliant, Jace would worry.
He rolled them over, his cock already hard and ready to go again. He slipped easily inside her pussy. She was ready for him, always. She wanted him the same way he wanted her, constantly. “We need you safe.” She nodded, her lips parted and her eyes hooded.
This time he was slow, gentle. He took his time, moving over her and kissing every inch of her body he could reach. There were so many different ways he could make her scream his name, but right now, he wanted to feel it when he was making love to his mate.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Penelope
They were all gathered in the living room, the fireplace roaring and the storm outside raging. The power had “flickered” a time or two, but they all knew it was about to go out completely.
She’d promised Baze that she would do her best to get everyone where they needed to be with minimal fuss. She didn’t want to be a distraction for anyone; distractions were what got people killed. The pack needed Jace and Baze focused; they needed them to be leaders. They needed them to do whatever it took to end this, for all of them. And that meant she needed to be out of the picture; all the females did.
“What about Corey and the baby? I thought you said this was the safest place for them. But we’re all standing out in the open.” Riley’s arms went wide. “There have to be like twenty windows in these three rooms.”
Dom put his hand on Riley’s shoulder, trying his best to calm him. “I’m sure that the girls aren’t staying in here.” He looked to Jace. “Right?”
Jace nodded, his eyes briefly darting to Pen before his hands went to his hips and he addressed the pack. “I have a safe room. It’s located behind the kitchen. Once we cl
ose them in it, they won’t be able to get out until one of us punches in a specific code.”
“You’re joking, right? You’re going to lock us in a closet and not let us out ’til everything is over? What if something happens to you guys? What if you’re hurt and we can’t get to you? It’s safer for us, but not y’all.” Corey looked like she wanted to throw up.
“Is there no way we can get out until you let us out? Corey is right, what if you are all hurt? What if we’re trapped in there and we can’t help you?” Madden had her hands on her hips, less than pleased with their suggestion.
Molly was sitting on the couch, slowly shaking her head. Apparently she wasn’t a huge fan either. Pen sighed; this was where she came in. Baze had asked for her help, not only for him but for Jace and the rest of the pack too. “I’m sure that this safe room is the opposite of a cramped closet.” She laughed lightly. “I mean, look at this house.”
“But how are we supposed to get to them if they’re hurt?” Madden gestured to the group of strong gorgeous men being backlit by the storm.
“We have fail-safes in place.” Jace was standing next to Pen now, moving closer and closer to her with every word spoken. “Brooks and Grimes will get a text in exactly one hour, giving them the location of the house and the code for the safe room. If something were to go wrong, they’d be here to help.”
Madden whirled on Jace. “You mean they’d be here to let us out if all of you were dead.”
Baze reached down, squeezing Pen’s hand. He wanted her to step up, to get the girls to see why all of this was so important.
“Look, we all know that our safety is their main concern. If we’re not in that room, we’re all they are going to be thinking about. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I don’t want to be the reason Baze ends up hurt.” Or Jace. He was on her mind too, but she doubted now was the time to explain that to the group.
Linc grabbed Madden’s face in his hands, holding her sweetly. “She’s right, and you know it.”
“This fucking sucks.” Madden closed her eyes, smiling sadly when Linc kissed her.
“I agree.” Jasper slung his arm over his twin’s shoulder. “But it’ll suck more if we don’t kill the bastard.”
The lights flickered again, and then went out completely. It was starting; it was the beginning of the end. When Jace went to leave, Pen grasped his arm. “How do we get into the room?”
“Punch in your birthday on the screen in the back of the pantry behind the wine rack. Once everyone is inside, close the door and hit the red button. It’ll turn on all the systems and lock you in.”
She nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
She sighed and then pulled him in for a hug. At first he was stiff, like he wasn’t sure what was happening. But then he started to relax, and eventually his arms went around her. “Be safe.”
“I will.” He squeezed her a little tighter, and then released her. “It’s time to go.” He walked out of the room without meeting the eyes of anyone else in the room.
“My turn, bumblebee.” Baze hauled her to him, grabbing her ass and hoisting her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, a smile on her face. “You saved the best for last, right?”
“I saved the only for last.”
“I love you. Forever.” He kissed her deeply, making her wish they weren’t about to be separated.
“Forever is a long time, Baze Carter.”
He shook his head. “Not nearly long enough.” He kissed her again and then stood her back on her feet.
The room was heavy with silence; everyone had said their good-byes and now there was nothing left to do. Pen reached for Molly’s hand, laughing quietly when Molly reached for Madden and Madden started to drag Corey. They made their way through the kitchen and into the pantry. Pen pressed her birthday into the electronic keypad behind the floor-to-ceiling wine racks. A door to the left of the stack slide open with a whoosh and they all stepped inside.
The space was large, equipped with a row of three bunk beds, a full kitchen, and living room. She hadn’t really expected anything less when it came to this house and the kid who owned it.
She hit the red button on the wall beside the door and watched as it shut.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Baze
The girls were secured in their safe room; Jace had discreetly given Baze a thumbs-up when he got an alert that the door was closed and locked. As soon as Jace knew they were where they needed to be, he triggered the explosion that would make it look like the backup generator was been compromised.
And now, all they could do was wait.
“What if he doesn’t come?” Keller was standing at the doors looking out onto the back patio.
“He’ll come.” Jace was sitting on the couch, his trusty iPad in hand, the glow from the screen lighting up his face as he kept track of the whole house. “He’ll come because we’re now something he simply needs to eliminate. Franklin won’t let what we’ve done stand. We tried to end him, and we stole from him. We’re making him look weak.”
“And weakness isn’t tolerated.” Jasper rose from his seat by the fireplace, coming to stand near his brother.
Baze’s mind traveled back in time, to when all this really started. One twin trying to save another, trying to teach him what had been hammered into his skull from birth. Weaknesses aren’t allowed.
Jasper and Jace were as different as two people could be. But seeing Jasper stand by his twin, seeing them share a silent moment of connection, was something special.
Everyone stayed quiet, everyone’s mind on the task at hand. They were a group of men, and of children. They were shifters; they weren’t murderers. They’d tried to do this the right way, they’d tried like hell to put Franklin in jail where he could never hurt anyone again. But it hadn’t worked, and more people had died. This wasn’t a conclusion that anyone had come to lightly, and they understood what it meant to take a life. Even a bad one. They all knew that this day would always be with them, would always haunt them more than a little.
“He’s here.” Jace turned the screen around, showing everyone the group of five men prying open his large steel gate. “He’s the taller one in the middle, and I assume the four men he brought are all shifters as well. He doesn’t work with humans.” Jace got to his feet, grabbing the gun from the back of his pants and flipping off the safety. “Everyone still armed?”
He waited while the rest of them checked their weapons. He’d outfitted them earlier that morning, showing them all how to use their guns. He’d taken them out, made them all fire off a few practice rounds. Obviously this compound had a shooting range as well. Baze had shot a gun before, they all had at one point in their lives. But Keller was good, almost better than Jace.
“It is time, no?” Matias came into the living room, his gun drawn as well.
They’d snuck him on the compound once the storm started. Linc hadn’t wanted Madden to know he was here; Linc didn’t want to give her someone else to worry about.
Last night, Jace had informed them that he and Matias had stayed in constant contact and that the Spaniard had offered to help them. There was safety in numbers, and Jace was now convinced that Matias was more of a vigilante than an Avenger. But there was no need to split hairs at the moment. They were a team, they were a pack, and they were going to kill their biggest enemy.
“Yeah, they cleared the perimeter gate.” Jace was typing on his iPad, talking to the pack at the same time. “The only door they’ll be able to enter in is that one.” He pointed to the single door leading from the kitchen to the side yard. “All the others are either locked or, um, wired.”
“What does wired—”
Linc’s question was cut off when there was another small explosion. He nodded, his lips pursed. “Never mind, I think I get it.”
“It won’t kill them or anything.” Jace shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. “I mean, he’s probably missing a hand, but he�
��s still alive.”
“Won’t that scare Franklin off? Won’t he see that this is all a trap?” Dom was watching the screen over Jace’s shoulder.
“No. See?” He pointed down at something Baze couldn’t make out. “He made them split up, he’s headed in the opposite direction. And with the lightning and thunder still going strong…”
“He might not have even heard it.” Keller turned, coming closer to the rest of the pack and away from the large glass doors. “Where are the other guys?”
“One is scaling the side of the house, headed to Linc’s balcony.”
Keller wrinkled his nose. “You have a balcony in your room?”
“You don’t?” Linc scoffed. “You’re missing out, bro.”
“The other two are still with Franklin, they’re coming over the interior gate, headed toward us.” Jace stood. “It’s time.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Penelope
“See? This isn’t so bad.” Pen smiled, bigger than she felt at the moment.
Madden collapsed on the couch, her arms folded petulantly. “Yeah, except for the fact that our mates could be out there bleeding to death.”
“Could you not?” Molly shook her head. “There’s no point in making things worse, Maddi.”
Pen agreed. Madden and her creepy clown ways weren’t helping anything. They were stuck in here for one hour, regardless of how much they bitched and complained. Sure, Pen was worried about Baze; she was so worried she felt sick to her stomach. It was taking everything she had not to let bad thoughts invade her brain.
“Molly is right. There is nothing we can do. The door is already shut.” Pen had done it herself, like she promised Jace she would. “All we can do is pray and try our best to stay calm.”
“Hey, guys, I’ve got to tell you something. And I want to go ahead and apologize in advance for my shit timing here.” Corey waddled farther into the room, sitting down carefully at the small kitchen table. “But I think my water broke.”
