by Lori Drake
“One sec,” Chris said, thumbs moving rapidly. There was a pause, and Joey heard the phone buzz as a reply came in. Chris looked up. “We’ve got incoming.”
“What? Who?” Joey fought down panic. Could Jack’s partner have tracked him somehow?
Chris answered before she could get too far down the path of speculating on the most defensible position in the house. “Abby’s pack. And Lucas.”
Joey frowned. “What the… How do they even know where we…” Joey’s wolf surged in anger as realization dawned. “Jessica.” She spat the name out with all the hatred the traitorous bitch deserved.
“Yeah.” Chris was still distracted, his phone buzzing in his hand every few seconds. “She’s messaging me now. Says Lucas has been watching her like a hawk, but the only reason she stayed was to keep an eye on him for us.”
Snorting, Joey shook her head. “I don’t trust a damn thing she says. Especially not now. You should’ve exiled her and Eric both. She’s been nothing but a ticking time bomb this whole time.”
“I asked her to stay,” Sam said.
The room went silent in the wake of that bombshell, but for the periodic buzz of Chris’s phone.
Joey saw red. “You did what?” She managed to keep her voice low, but couldn’t quite suppress the growl that accompanied her words. Stalking forward, she stopped a mere inch from him. “When?”
Sam’s eyes locked with Joey, and the air between them became charged as their wolves vied for dominance. “Last night.”
“Come on, you guys. This isn’t helpful,” Chris said, but his words fell on deaf ears.
Joey held Sam’s eyes, refusing to back down. She’d been angry before, but now she was livid. It was one thing for him to go behind her back after she lost the challenge, when she technically wasn’t Alpha anymore. It was another to do it before the challenge had even taken place. Sam held out valiantly, but his wolf was no match for hers, not when she was particularly riled up. It never had been. His eyes dropped, and her wolf howled in satisfaction.
“Talk,” Joey said, resisting the urge to gloat.
Sam blew out a breath. “I told her that if the challenge went south, that someone needed to stay behind and be our eyes and ears. It couldn’t be anyone from the Grant pack. No one would believe it, and that was key. Everyone had to believe it. You, Chris, both packs, and all the relatives. Jessica has always been a wild card. It wasn’t much of a stretch for even her pack to believe she was capable of switching sides.”
Joey listened and studied her brother in silence, the elation from her “win” gradually fading. Now that he’d laid it on the table… it made perfect sense. She only wished she’d thought of it herself, and, annoyingly, she even understood why Sam hadn’t told her. Joey put a hand on Sam’s shoulder and squeezed. “You’re right. In order for it to work, you had to sell it. The best way to do that was for no one else to know. I’m sorry I reacted the way I did. It’s been a stressful day.”
Sam’s eyes snapped up, and the look of surprise on his face made humbling herself worth it.
“How long until our guests arrive?” Joey asked, stepping back to give Sam some breathing room.
“She says they’re about to leave Rockport,” Chris said, tucking his phone away again. “So, a little over an hour. She wasn’t able to text until they stopped for gas.”
“Did she say why they were coming?”
“To get Abby. I guess she told her girls she was here. Lucas insisted on coming along to make sure we aren’t ‘holding her hostage.’”
Joey rolled her eyes. “Great. Well, that gives us an hour to figure out how we’re going to let Jack escape without giving him the opportunity to kill us in the process.”
“And without making it so easy that he’ll be suspicious about it,” Chris added.
“No problem,” Joey muttered as she headed for the door, neither sounding nor feeling convinced.
20
By the time Chris heard the rumble of motorcycle engines heralding the Gray River pack’s approach, the sky had begun to spit rain again. He sat on the front porch with Joey at his side, watching the road for their guests’ arrival. He wasn’t looking forward to coming face to face with Lucas so soon after losing the challenge, but he was determined to put his best face forward. He may have lost, but he was still Alpha. Like it or not, he had to find a way to live with the guy. For a little while, at least.
“Ready?” Joey asked.
Chris glanced at her and smiled faintly. “What if I say no?”
“Toughen up, buttercup.” She squeezed his hand and smiled back.
Chuckling, Chris stood and walked to the edge of the front steps just in time for Lucas’s rental car to come into view. Chris tucked his hands into his pockets and leaned against the nearest support beam, doing his best to look casual. Joey came to stand beside him, and he rethought his posture, putting an arm around her. She leaned against him, and together they watched the car turn down the driveway with four gleaming bikes riding two abreast behind it.
The visitors parked and approached on foot in the drizzling rain, halting a few feet back from the foot of the steps.
“Howdy,” Chris said with a polite smile. “Abby said you’d be by. Well, you four, anyway.” He nodded at the Gray River wolves, all of whom wore stony expressions.
Raven took another step forward. “We’ve come for our Alpha.”
Chris forgave her curt tone. They had good reason to be annoyed, after all. “She’s inside. Why don’t we all go in and get out of the rain?”
Lucas narrowed his eyes, but after exchanging a glance with Jessica, the pair followed the leather-clad Gray River pack up the steps and into the house. Chris and Joey took up the rear.
As they went inside, Chris said, “Sorry about the mess. We’re in the middle of renovations. The previous tenant was a little rough on my house.”
Chris didn’t miss Lucas’s disdainful lip curl as he looked around the living room. It really was a mess, complete with the same shabby furniture that had been there before the renovations began. Chris saw no point in replacing it until they were finished, and this lot would simply get hauled off to a charity donation drop-off. Either way, it’d have to be reupholstered before it found its way into a new home.
“You know,” Lucas said, “I thought I might regret not taking you down another notch, but… you’re welcome to this dump.”
Joey bristled. Chris put a hand on her back and settled for imagining his hands tightening around Lucas’s throat. “It doesn’t look like much, but it’s got good bones.” He chuckled and waved them toward the seats. “Would you like some coffee? I made a fresh pot.”
“Cut the bullshit,” Jessica said, folding her arms and shooting him an annoyed look. She was a better actress than he’d given her credit for. “We’re here for Abby. Are you going to hand her over or not?”
“Sure, she’s free to go whenever she wants.” Joey put her hands on her hips and shot Jessica a haughty look. “You can pack your shit while you’re here. Lucy wanted to put it out on the lawn, but we didn’t want to piss off the HOA.”
Something flickered in Jessica’s eyes before she looked away, and Chris momentarily felt bad for her getting roped into playing spy. It’d been too easy for her packmates to believe the worst of her, even after all the work she’d done these last few weeks to regain their trust and loyalty. Some bonds, once broken, were impossible to put back together.
“Baby, we don’t have an HOA,” Chris said absently.
“Oh. Well, I guess she’d better hurry before we change our minds.” Joey’s eyes didn’t leave Jessica until the other woman shot her an angry glare before hurrying up the stairs.
Timid Laura peeked out from behind one of her packmates. She pointed at Joey. “What happened to your neck?”
“Disagreement with a clothesline,” Joey said dryly. “Abby! You’ve got company!”
Chris winced, wishing she would take it easy on her vocal cords so they wouldn’t ta
ke longer to heal. The air was tense as the guests waited for Abby to emerge from down the hall. The gray-haired wolf had traded her bloodstained shirt for a borrowed one, but her leather jacket was nowhere to be seen. Her neck sported a white bandage for each bullet hole. Cathy had volunteered to heal her, but after taking care of Joey and Chris—particularly Joey—she’d needed to rest and recharge first.
Abby’s girls hurried over to her, crowding around her until she swatted them away with a growl. “I’m fine, for Christ’s sake. Back off.” They obeyed.
“Ready to head out, Abs?” Lucas asked.
Abby shot the newly minted Alpha a murderous glare. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I came to make sure your pack was able to secure your release.”
“With what, your good looks and charm? You’re lucky Chris even let you in his house. He’s a better man than I am.”
“Technically you’re not a man at all,” Lucas muttered, but not quietly enough.
Chris cleared his throat and turned toward Abby. “It’s fine, really. Anyway, you’re not a prisoner. I’m sorry if you got that impression.”
Abby started to shake her head, winced, and stopped. “No, I wasn’t under that impression.”
“But you said you couldn’t leave,” Raven said, and her pack sisters nodded their assent.
“Oh for the love of…” Abby rubbed her temples. “I didn’t mean I wasn’t allowed to leave. I meant I didn’t have wheels and wanted to rest up.”
The she-wolves of the Gray River pack had the grace to look embarrassed. Raven rubbed the back of her neck while Ash squeezed her shoulder in silent support. Laura became suddenly interested in the floor, and Wendy worried her lower lip between her teeth.
“Shit. I’m sorry,” Raven said with a glance in Chris’s direction.
“No offense taken. It was an honest mistake,” Chris made himself say. It was better than questioning what he’d done that’d make them think he was such an asshole. Or what possible reason he’d have to hold Abby prisoner. What exactly had Lucas been telling everyone? He eyed the walking piece of shit thoughtfully.
“I’m so glad we cleared all that up.” Joey didn’t quite manage to keep her sarcasm on the leash this time.
“Don’t you start, girl,” Abby said, striding over to stand in front of Joey. “I ain’t even remotely done with you yet.”
To her credit, Joey winced. “Yeah, I suspected as much. Chris, do you mind if we use your study?”
Chris had no intention of moving from Joey’s side, willing to accept his part of the blame for Abby getting caught in the crossfire. He was saved from answering by Raven, who flopped at one end of the sofa.
“Abby already told us what happened, so you might as well just talk about it,” Raven said, as Ash moved over and settled beside her. The other two Gray River wolves crammed themselves into the remaining third of the sofa, all four of them hip to hip.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve,” Abby said, glaring down at Joey. “You know, if you’d asked I would’ve gladly gone along with your little harebrained plan. But you didn’t. I ain’t gonna be a pawn on your chessboard. I swear, you and your momma are peas from the same damn pod.”
“I understand your anger, Abby. I’m sorry for my part in it,” Chris said, ignoring the look of betrayal Joey shot him. “If we could go back and do it again, I would have done it differently.”
“I wouldn’t have,” Joey said, ruining his perfectly good apology. “It needed to be done, and I’m sorry you got hurt. We had no idea that he had a—” She stopped herself, flicking a glance at Lucas. “We thought we could pull off the ambush without anyone getting hurt. You weren’t the only one in the crossfire.”
“No idea he had a what?” Lucas said, eyes narrowed again.
“A partner.” Abby seemed to have no qualms about sharing that tidbit.
Lucas’s brows shot up. “There’s another hunter?”
“Technically, there are still two. They’ve got one in the basement,” Abby said, edging her way up Chris’s to-throttle list.
“Damnit, that was supposed to be a surprise,” Joey groused.
“Why the hell is he still alive?” Lucas’s voice rose, betraying his alarm.
“Would you have believed me if I told you we killed him and all is well?” Joey said.
“Well, no…” Lucas said.
“That’s why.”
Chris pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay. Well, now that the cat’s out of the bag… Yes, we caught one of the hunters, but his partner is still on the loose. We’ve got a plan to catch her, and it’s going down tonight. So, at the risk of being a poor host, I need you all to clear out.”
“I want in,” Lucas and Abby said simultaneously.
A chorus of “me toos” came from the couch, one or two more reluctant than the others, and Chris found his foot was so far in his mouth he could practically feel toes tickling his tonsils.
“Nice job,” Joey muttered, shooting him an accusatory glare. He deserved it.
Chris sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“That the toadstool comes along?” Abby said, jerking a thumb in Lucas’s direction. “I agree.”
Lucas smirked and folded his arms, a picture of masculine obstinance. “One way or another, I’m not leaving without him. I’m going with you, or he’s coming with me.”
Neither of those options would be Chris’s first choice. “Look, man. It’s not personal. Okay, it is personal. After what you pulled last night, I don’t trust you any farther than I can throw you, and to be fair, I can probably throw you a good distance.”
“Try it and see where it gets you,” Lucas said with a sneer.
“And that right there is exactly why you can’t go,” Joey said. “If you can’t play nice and rein in your tongue, you’re going to be a distraction we can’t afford. This is serious, Lucas. Lives are at stake.”
Lucas ignored Joey and met Chris’s eyes. “As one of the Alphas of Seattle, it’s my duty—if not my right—to join the hunt. Like it or not, we share territory, and you’re going to have to learn to deal with me.”
“I’ll start tomorrow.” Chris crossed to the front door and opened it. “Tonight, you’re very much in my territory. Get out of my house.”
Lucas frowned and looked around the room, but he must not have liked what he saw. “Fine.” His arms dropped to his sides as he strode for the door. When he got there, he halted and got in Chris’s face. “You’ll regret this.” Then he stalked out onto the porch, calling over his shoulder, “Tell Jessica I’m waiting in the car.”
Chris shut the door firmly behind him and leaned a hand against it.
“I hate that little pissant,” Abby muttered.
Joey snorted. “Join the club.”
“Are you sure this is going to work?” Joey asked, keeping her voice low. They’d put a hood over the hunter’s head and driven him around for an hour before returning to the house. While they were gone, everyone there had cleared out. Jon had taken Sara and their dad to an undisclosed location, with a still-healing Colt, Jenny, and Itsuo for protection. The rest of their strike force was strategically deployed to follow Adam’s directions once the tracker they’d placed on Jack started moving.
“Positive,” Abby said, and got out of the car. Joey and the rest of her team—Chris and Ben—followed, but waited by the front bumper while Abby retrieved Jack from the trunk.
Joey glanced at Chris, who held the coil of rope in one hand. His face was difficult to read at the moment, but she didn’t mind looking him over in the moonlight. As she studied his profile, she admired his steadiness. Between anxiety and excitement, she could barely stand still. Her eyes roved the area, taking in the big house with its dark windows and bright porch light that was a beacon in the darkness. They’d left a car parked outside the garage with the keys tucked behind the visor. This was a rural area, so it shouldn’t seem too suspicious that someone had left
them there. Hell, half the people in the area didn’t bother locking their doors. If all went according to plan, Jack would have no idea they didn’t take him to a random wooded area an hour away to do the deed, and therefore no clue that the closest house was the one where he’d been held prisoner.
“You ready for this?” she asked Ben and Chris, brushing Chris’s fingers with hers.
Chris smiled back, but it was tense. “As I’ll ever be.”
Ben nodded and detached to follow Abby as she walked past with the hunter stumbling blindly beside her, only held up by her firm grip on his arm. Joey and Chris followed them into the wooded area adjacent to the house.
They trekked about five minutes into the woods before Abby stopped by the preselected tree. Joey peered up at the lower branches, but was unable to tell which one had been tampered with. Abby transferred custody of the prisoner to Ben, then yanked his hood off. The darkness concealed the worst of the bruising, but Joey could see that his left eye was still swollen shut. She grimaced, but made herself keep looking. This was the price of losing control.
Jack looked around with his good eye, his battered features grim as he took in what must seem like the middle of nowhere. Abby took the rope from Chris and walked over to the tree, holding on to one end of the coil before slinging it over a tree branch. She hummed quietly to herself as she proceeded to knot the other end into an honest-to-goodness noose. It made sense, somehow, that Abby would know how to do that. After all, she had been born into a world where a good old-fashioned hanging was commonplace. Joey hoped it was a skill she’d never need to pick up. Then again, if the occasion did come up, maybe she’d be glad she had it.
While Abby worked, Joey watched Jack. After his initial sweep of the area, he stood still and stared straight ahead until Ben gave him a push that sent him stumbling forward a step. He glared over his shoulder at Ben, but marched forward to approach Abby, who by then had completed her noose and was adjusting its height.
“Last chance to parley, little man,” Abby said, her drawl more pronounced than usual. “Hanging’s an awful way to go. Give up your partner, and we’ll grant you the mercy of a head shot.”
