by Lynn Hagen
All four clambered into the truck as the three men ran across the lawn after them.
Torem tore from the curb, racing down a street he was unfamiliar with. He spotted a black truck in the rearview mirror, following close behind, matching his law-breaking speed.
“Who the hell are they?” Torem shouted at Cheyenne.
“Pack members who want me dead!” Cheyenne screamed in fear as he looked out of the back window.
“How the hell did I end up in this?” Sidney squealed.
“Get down,” Bryck shouted into the backseat.
The truck tires squealed as Torem busted a left and then a quick right, trying his best to shake the tail on him and outrun the wolf shifters that were chasing them. Normally he would have stayed and fought, but with Cheyenne and Sidney with him, he didn’t want to take any chances.
Torem had no clue where he was going, but the need to get the two in the backseat to safety made his foot press heavier on the gas. “Get those damn seat belts on,” Torem yelled into the backseat.
The two scrambled to buckle themselves in while trying to stay low.
Bryck reached down and grabbed the bottles of Coke he had emptied on his trip here, lowered his window, and leaned out, chucking the glass at the truck’s windshield behind them.
“What the hell are you doing?” Torem shouted.
“What the hell does it look like I’m doing?” Bryck shouted back. “I’m trying to make those fuckers wreck so they can get off our ass.”
“Hang on,” Torem yelled and cut another right. He spotted the highway ahead and knew that if he could just get there, he could outrun them.
Bryck fell into his seat and ducked down. “They got a fucking gun, the dumbasses.”
Torem didn’t have time to think as the back window shattered and rained tiny pieces of blocked glass all over them. The two in the backseat screamed.
“I thought you said they were shifters,” he yelled at the screaming pair.
“How was I supposed to know that they would have guns?” Cheyenne shouted back.
Torem’s truck ate up the road, a cloud of dust behind him as he cut the wheel, taking a chance on the maneuver he was about to attempt. The truck did a one-eighty spin and shot past the vehicle chasing them. A bullet shot into the driver’s door as Torem drove past them, but he kept going, praying that his brother, his mate, and even the soldier sitting next to him would get out of this unscathed.
“Fuck you.” Bryck shot his middle finger up at them as they passed.
“Where in the hell is the highway in this direction?” Torem had no choice but to ditch the plan he had. The other vehicle had gained too much speed and was tailgating them. Now he had to quickly think of another plan, and at the moment, that trick back there was the only one that ran through his mind.
“I. Don’t. Know. Your friend up there told me to stay down, so how can I see where we are?” Cheyenne yelled.
Torem grunted in frustration, yanking the wheel to the left as he shot down another street. He spotted an alley and jerked the wheel to race down it. He pulled the truck into a parking lot behind a closed diner and cut the motor, shut the lights off, and told everyone to shut up and stay down. The move was cliché, but he prayed that it worked and whoever it was that was out to kill his brother wouldn’t spot them.
The black truck roared past the alley.
Torem waited…and waited. Finally hearing nothing, he pulled the truck out and headed back in the direction of the highway.
Two hours into the ride, Torem pulled over. He looked back at Sidney and Cheyenne. “Okay, I want an explanation.”
Cheyenne scooted closer to Sidney, his eyes darting between Torem and Bryck. “How do I know you are really my brother, Torem?” Cheyenne narrowed his eyes.
“And how do I know you are really my brother, Cheyenne? Torem shot back. “Some part of you must know because you came with me pretty easily,” he added.
“Well, duh, it was a choice between you two and the lug heads back there.”
“Oh, so I was just a convenient out?” The idea that Cheyenne only wanted him in his life to get him out of trouble hurt Torem to his core. When Zeus gave him that letter and Torem realized he had family out there, some part of him delighted in the knowledge, but he remained wary.
With Cheyenne’s confession, he wanted to break something.
“No, that’s not it at all.” His brother defended himself. “I have been looking for you for a very long time. It’s just a coincidence that I found you at the same time that my Beta decided he wanted me dead.”
Torem wasn’t sure if he believed Cheyenne, but without family for so long, he was willing to. “How did you find out the Beta wanted you dead?” Torem asked.
Cheyenne pointed to Sidney. “He told me, and I guess it’s true after what just happened.”
Torem glanced over at his mate who sat in the backseat quietly. “And how did you find out, Sidney?” Torem asked his mate gently.
His mate glanced at all three of them before chewing on his lower lip. Finally Sidney released his lower lips and answered. “Because the Beta is my sister-in-law’s brother.”
“He’s family to you?” Oh, this was getting better and better. Torem wasn’t sure if he wanted to know any more.
“Yep, ’fraid so.” Sidney nodded, looking down at his hands in his lap.
Torem shifted his gaze to his brother. “And why it the Beta after you, little brother?” He wasn’t too sure he wanted to hear this, but Torem needed answers.
Cheyenne covered his face with one hand and shook his head, as if embarrassed to give Torem a reply. “Because I was dumb enough to tell him I was an Omega when we were fucking.”
Chapter Two
Sidney shrank back when Torem and his friend cursed loudly in the front seat. The sound of their deep voices rumbled through the truck, making Sidney wonder why he was dumb enough to get into the truck.
“I think I would have known if my brother was an Omega,” Torem said in disbelief.
“Not if you were taken when I was a cub,” Cheyenne answered defensively.
“This is some fucked-up shit,” Torem’s friend grumbled and sat back, running both of his hands over his head and exhaling loudly.
Sidney was drawn to the man in the driver’s seat. He felt an overpowering urge to submit to the man. Sidney was easygoing despite his in-laws, but the idea of him submitting was ridiculous. He didn’t even know the guy, for goodness’ sake.
He sat there bouncing his leg, trying to fight the need to reach his hands out and run them over Torem’s short black hair. His fingers itched to see if the man’s hair was as soft as it looked.
Man, those energy bars and Red Bulls must be corroding his brain cells. But even with that thought Sidney knew there was a connection between the two of them. He just didn’t know what that connection was. He wondered if Torem was his mate. Just because he was a shifter didn’t mean he automatically knew. A lot of shifters were clueless, and he was one of them.
“Can we talk about this after we get the hell out of Dodge?” Cheyenne asked Torem.
“One more question.” Torem’s brows pulled together as he looked back at Cheyenne. “Why would a Beta want an Omega dead? They are rare and valuable.”
“Because he wanted me to use my gift against the pack.”
“But—”
Cheyenne held his hand up, cutting his brother off. “You said one more question. Can we get out of here and I’ll answer anything you want?” Cheyenne looked through the broken window behind them, his eyes darting around nervously.
Sidney turned to look and saw nothing but a deserted, dark highway. He agreed with his best friend, though. They needed to get away from Farmer’s Valley as soon as possible. If he knew the Beta, which he did, Remus wasn’t going to give up easily.
Sidney sat back and noticed Torem staring at him in the rearview mirror. Those big brown eyes locked onto his, and Sidney was transfixed. He could feel his stomach coiling, as
Torem’s eyes seemed to bore into his.
“Can we go?” Cheyenne asked impatiently as he glanced once again out of the shattered window.
Torem looked back at the road, taking his beautiful eyes with him. Sidney had an urge to tell Torem to look at him again. Which was insane, but he missed seeing the beautiful brown eyes staring at him already. “Is there a gas station nearby?” he asked, hoping Torem would look at him again.
“I don’t know, Sid. Why?” Torem asked, gifting him with those gorgeous orbs.
Sid, Sidney liked the nickname. No one had ever called him that. It made the name seem intimate, just between the two of them. “I need a Red Bull.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Cheyenne protested as he wiggled a finger at Sidney. “He’s addicted to those damn things. If you give him one, he’s wound up for hours.”
“No, I’m not.” Sidney smacked Cheyenne’s thigh, giving him the evil eye. “Can we stop, please?”
“As soon as I see one.” Torem spoke to him gently as he started the truck and then pulled off of the soft shoulder, heading in the opposite direction of Farmer’s Valley.
Sidney was beginning to think that maybe they were mates. He decided to test his theory. Sidney shoved his hand between the driver’s seat and door, letting his fingers caress Torem’s cheek. The large man instantly nuzzled his fingers.
Sidney’s hand shot back. Oh, fuck. They were! His mate was his best friend’s brother. Cheyenne punched his arm, tilting his head and looking at Sidney questioningly.
“He had a piece of lint in his hair,” Sidney whispered to his friend, pointing to his own ear.
Cheyenne rolled his eyes. “Don’t start. I swear I’ll roll your ass in duct tape if you do,” he warned.
Sidney crossed his arms over his chest, pouting. “Start what? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Chey.”
“Here we are,” Torem announced from the front seat. They pulled into an all-night store, and Sidney practically hopped over Torem to get out. “In a hurry?”
“Yeah, butt’s numb.” Sidney rubbed it on his way in. He immediately went to the cooler section and grabbed six cans of Red Bull, wondering if he should get a few more for their road trip back to Torem’s. Torem and Chey walked into the store, standing over by the counter.
“Don’t let him, Torem,” Chey warned as he pointed at Sidney. “Believe me when I say you’ll regret it.”
Sidney watched as Torem pulled Chey to the side. “How did you survive?”
Chey worried his hands as he glanced at Torem. “I was told that a nice couple found me. I guess Mom knew the men from Jackson’s pack were coming and hid me.”
Sidney watched as Torem’s face shifted from suspicion to tenderness, his voice dropping to a softer tone. “How was your life?”
Sidney felt terrible for listening in, but couldn’t pull himself away. He had grown up with Chey, but the guy never talked about his parents and hardly talked about his big, brave brother. Sidney was five when his mom and dad took Chey in. They were practically inseparable, and he considered the Omega his brother.
“Good. The family treated me well. It was Sidney’s family who raised me. I honestly didn’t contact you to get me out of this.” A tear slid down Chey’s face. “Well, not just for that.”
Sidney swallowed past the lump as Torem pulled his baby brother into his arms and held him. He couldn’t imagine what it would be like to find out a dead brother was alive. The feelings Torem must be battling. And Chey, his best friend, looked the happiest Sidney had ever seen him.
“You’ll stay with me. I want to get to know you.” Torem chucked Chey under his chin. “I’ll protect you, I promise.”
“Thanks.” Chey wiped his eyes with the palms of his hands and laughed. “Enough of this emotional stuff.”
“I got everything I need.” Sidney held up the cans. He felt compelled to bail Chey out of the emotional situation.
Chey smiled and shook his head. “Red Bull junkie,” he teased.
Sidney held his breath when Torem approached him. The large man leaned toward him and whispered in his ear, his breath tickling his skin and making Sidney shiver. “I know you have figured it out…mate.” His lips grazed Sidney’s lobe, and he wanted to drop his cans and jump on Torem’s body.
“I wasn’t sure,” he whispered back. “So we are mates?”
“Yes.” Torem brushed his lips over Sidney’s and then backed away, leaving him feeling the empty space immediately.
“Uh, okay. I um, you know.” Sidney felt like the world’s biggest gobber as he stood in the middle of the store begging his brain to get back online. This was so damn embarrassing.
“Enough with the uh-umings. Pay for your drug so we can go.” Chey pushed Sidney toward the counter. “We can’t stay in one spot for too long. We’re not far enough away yet.”
Torem pulled out his wallet and paid for Sidney’s purchase. He thanked Torem and grabbed the bag from the counter, snagging one of the cans and popping the lid. Sidney guzzled it down.
He handed the empty can to the cashier. “Could you please throw this away for me?”
The cashier grabbed the can and tossed it in the trash. “No problem and y’all have a nice trip.”
Sidney waved and walked out of the store, feeling Torem’s hand on the small of his back. He climbed behind the driver’s seat and laid the bag on the floor between his feet. Sidney looked out of the broken window to make sure they weren’t being followed as everyone else got in.
“Just exactly what is your friend’s name?” Chey asked.
Torem chuckled. “His name is Bryck.”
“No shit.” Sidney laughed, bouncing in his seat. Chey shot a warning glare at him, but Sidney, as usual, ignored him. Torem pulled out of the lot and back onto the highway.
Sidney began to beat out a rhythm on the back of Torem’s seat with his hands.
“I warned you,” Chey said to Torem. “It’s only going to get worse if you don’t take those cans from him.”
Bryck reached behind the seat to grab his bag, and Sidney growled.
“It’s that serious?” Bryck asked as he pulled his arm back, looking from Sidney to Torem.
“Yeah, it is. So back off,” Sidney warned.
After an hour of total boredom, Sidney removed his seat belt and leaned between the two front seats. Bryck and Chey were fast asleep. So Sidney took the opportunity to talk to his mate.
“You need to put your seatbelt on, Sid,” Torem gently reprimanded him.
“It’s not like it can keep me safe with a missing window back here.” Sidney sang and bounced around some more.
“Yes, it can,” Torem argued.
“Well then pull over and make Bryck switch seats. I want to sit up front. It’s stifling back here.”
Torem pulled the truck over and tapped Bryck’s arm, waking him up. “Backseat, my man.”
Bryck grumbled, opened his door, and switched seats with Sidney, falling right back to sleep.
Sidney snapped his seat belt on and then beat out a rhythm on the dashboard, popping his lips to his own melody banging around in his head.
“I see my brother wasn’t joking about the Red Bull,” Torem commented.
Sidney snorted. “Chey overreacts about everything, blows things way out of proportion. Don’t pay him any attention.” He reached back and grabbed his bag, placing it once again on the floor between his feet.
He snagged another can, but Torem stopped him. “I don’t think you’re supposed to drink them an hour apart.”
“It’s cool. It’s cool. I know what I’m doing.” Sidney popped the top and chugged it down. His hands started patting his pockets, front and back. “I think that’s my phone. I can hear it ringing, but I can’t find it.”
He looked down on the floor, in between his seat and the console, but couldn’t find it.
“Sid, I don’t hear a phone ringing.” Torem glanced at him with a brow raised as his mate gave him a questioning look.
&nbs
p; “No, there’s a phone definitely ringing.” He twisted his body, looking into the backseat, and started patting Chey’s pockets.
“Sid, turn around and have a seat. There is no phone ringing.”
Sidney tilted his head and listened. When he didn’t hear anything, he shrugged his shoulders. “I guess you’re right. I don’t hear it anymore.”
Sidney reached forward and turned the stereo on, music flooded the interior of the truck, so loudly that it was ear piercing. His fingers flew over the dials trying to figure out how to cut it off. Sidney could see the volume button, but his fingers were moving faster than his brain as he fumbled to get them to work in unison.
Torem pushed his hands away and cut it off. “I’m starting to see what Chey was talking about.” Torem chuckled.
“You called him Chey.”
“So did you.”
“I have no clue what you mean.” Sidney opened the glove box and started rummaging around. He pulled the visor down, flipped it back up, and then opened the center console and dug through the contents.
“What are you looking for?” Torem asked.
“I have no clue, but when I find it, I’ll let you know.” Sidney dropped the napkins he had been taking out and started pointing with both hands at headlights coming in their direction on the opposite side of the road.
“Is that them? Is that them?” he squealed.
Torem gently pushed Sidney’s hands down. “Calm down, Sidney. I doubt they’re coming from the opposite direction.”
Sidney went back to slapping his hands on the dashboard, using it as a makeshift drum as he made noises with his mouth. “Biddy dim dow, biddy dim dow.”
“Do I need to put you in the back of the truck, or maybe let you run alongside it?” Torem asked.
“No, I’m good.” Sidney chewed on his bottom lip, shoving his hands under his thighs to stop them from roaming around sporadically.
“Why don’t you try and get some rest?” Torem suggested.
“I can take over driving if you’re tired,” Sidney offered.
“Somehow I have a feeling that wouldn’t be one of my wisest moves.” Torem reached over and tugged Sidney’s left hand from under his thigh and held it, entwining their fingers and then squeezing it lightly. “But you can keep me company.”
