by Knight, Gwen
But if Humans First actually managed to succeed in their plans, the result would be devastating. Right now, it seemed utterly impossible that the government would revoke shifters’ rights. But far more impossible things had happened, and recently too. Every time he thought something couldn’t happen, it did.
The only solution he could think of was to expose the Humans First leader, whoever that was. Bring to light their madness and psychotic plans, if only to prove to the public that shifters weren’t the real threat here.
But how? They had no idea who was responsible for all these insane schemes.
“We’ve landed?” Jasmine asked, her voice groggy.
Harley nodded. “How’d you sleep?”
“Like the dead,” she admitted. “I don’t even remember taking off.”
Harley chuckled. “Yeah, you were out like a light. We tried rousing you to see if you wanted something to eat, but you didn’t even stir.”
A faint smile tugged at her lips. “Must have been that tranquilizer Eztli hit me with.”
“Nah, your body would have burned that off a while ago, thanks to our high metabolism. I think you’re just tired.”
She nodded. “That too.”
“Come on. Let’s go. The sooner we get you home, the sooner I can debrief Wyatt.” He rose from his seat and fished out his pack from the bins above.
It seemed as though there was so much to do. He needed to get Jasmine home to her father because he sure as hell wasn’t leaving her to deal with him alone. Then they needed to move her out of her father’s house. No way she could stay there, not if she wanted to keep her shifter side a secret. Which, again, meant dealing with her father and explaining why she was leaving. They’d have to lean heavily on his betrayal, which was thankfully reason enough to leave home.
It was all never-ending, and Harley started to wonder when his and Jasmine’s story would come to an end. He was desperate for his happily ever after.
Without much baggage, the six of them disembarked the plane and cleared customs in record time. Bale and Sterling agreed to head immediately to Wyatt and debrief him, while Harley insisted on accompanying Jasmine home alongside Wells and Carlisle. They were the men hired to bring her home. Seemed right that they be the ones to finish it.
Harley stole a glance at Jasmine as they drove. “You ready for this?”
“No,” she admitted.
Harley reached out and clutched her hand. “I’ll be by your side the entire time. I won’t let your father control us again.”
She nodded, her small smile offering him a bit of encouragement. “I won’t either. Now that I know what he’s capable of, I think it’s time he learns the same about me.”
“Good for you.”
She turned in her seat and stared down Carlisle and Wells. “He doesn’t learn about my new shifter side, understood?”
“What?” Wells demanded. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding? You keep your mouth shut about that and I’ll guarantee you an additional five grand on top of whatever he’s paying you. Call it a bonus for safe delivery.” Her voice was so wry, Harley nearly laughed. He’d missed that about her.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” Wells pressed. “Telling your family—”
“Is none of your business. My father hired you to bring me home. You’ve brought me home. Job well done.”
Wells and Carlisle shared a glance before Carlisle shrugged. “Doesn’t bother me if she wants to keep that a secret.”
“Fine,” Wells sighed. “But I expect that extra five grand deposited tomorrow.”
Jasmine turned back around. Were it not for Harley’s sensitive hearing, he might not have caught her muttered curse of “Mercs.”
The rest of the drive passed in silence. One glance at Jasmine and Harley could see she was preparing herself mentally for the upcoming battle with her father. Harley squeezed her hand, offering moral support.
Finally, they arrived at Jasmine’s house. Harley pulled up in front of the wrought-iron fence and pressed the intercom button. He knew from past experience that the senator kept one man employed at the gate to let approved people through. Once he pushed the button, the gate swung open, and he continued toward the house. It loomed over them in the darkness, the moonlit sky casting it in a soft glow.
But from the look of the dark windows, everyone was asleep.
Strange. Harley had kept the senator apprised of their arrival time. It seemed odd he wasn’t waiting for Jasmine out on the porch.
“Hmm,” Wells hummed in the backseat.
Harley nodded, eyeing the eerily silent house.
“Maybe they thought we were arriving tomorrow,” Jasmine suggested.
“Maybe.” Harley glanced at his phone. His last text to the senator had been read, announcing he would have Jasmine home around one a.m. No question about it, his message made clear sense. So, maybe they’d once again misjudged the senator. This was a man who had purposely broken his daughter’s heart to keep her from being with a shifter. But was he the sort to go to bed instead of waiting up for his daughter after she’d been kidnapped?
Shaking his head, Harley popped open his door. He stepped outside, then paused and scented the air. Nothing smelled out of the ordinary. Granted, it’d been a few years since he’d last been here. But all he smelled were lilacs, roses, and the small creek just behind the house.
“Everything seems fine,” he commented.
“Seems quiet.”
“Too quiet,” Jasmine commented.
Harley watched with pride as she lifted her nose to the air and drew in a deep breath. She may not have noticed the action, but it meant she was slowly adjusting to her shifter side. Considering their options, Harley turned back to the guardhouse and waved at the man behind the glass. Everything seemed fine there too when the guard lifted his hand and waved back.
Just paranoid, he supposed. And after everything they’d been through, it seemed warranted.
“Let’s get you inside. There’s still a lot to discuss with your father tonight.”
Jasmine nodded and followed him to the front door, her fingers tucked into the edge of his pants. Everything about this unsettled his nerves. He raised his hand to knock, then froze when the front door inched open all on his own.
“Shit. That’s never good,” Wells muttered.
Harley refrained from uttering a well-earned duh and instead eased inside, his wolf on high alert. If Jasmine’s family was in trouble, they needed to know. They couldn’t just walk away and leave them to fend for themselves, no matter how much he hated the man.
But it wasn’t until the door clicked shut behind them, and someone pressed a gun to his temple, that Harley realized just how fucked they really were.
20
Jasmine’s pulse spiked the second a familiar scent invaded her nose. It was him. The bastard, as she’d come to call him in her head. She opened her mouth to warn Harley, but it was too late. The bastard had already pointed a gun to Harley’s head.
Pure, unadulterated rage woke her inner cat. Her jaguar came roaring to the surface with a threatening growl as adrenaline coursed through her veins. But when Luis tsked her and dug the barrel deeper against Harley’s temple, she tempered her anger. She was more than familiar with Luis and knew better than anyone exactly what he was capable of. And she could see the silent threat in his eyes. If she so much as twitched, he’d blow a hole through Harley’s head right in front of her. Which meant she had to be smart about this one. Had to outwit the asshole who had tried to ruin her life.
“Welcome home,” Luis taunted.
The house lights flicked on as though someone had been waiting for him to deliver his not-so-witty one-liner before revealing themselves. Like she hadn’t already figured out who was here.
Luis’s narrowed gaze surveyed the front entry, taking in the four of them without so much as batting an eyelash. When his attention returned to Jasmine, a cruel smile curved his lips, one
her jaguar yearned to eat off his face. Damn beast yowled in her head and flexed her claws, anxious to rip this man to shreds. And Jasmine was inclined to let her once they neutralized this threat.
Deep breath, girl, she whispered to her jaguar. She couldn’t risk setting off Luis and his men. There were far too many of them for comfort. And sadly, she recognized most of them from her little visit. Back in the jungle, Harley had mentioned that a few still lived. Seemed they’d regrouped and headed to America to wait for her arrival.
“Luis, I presume,” Harley growled, his eyes lit up like the night sky.
“Good to meet ya.” Luis pulled the gun back from Harley’s head and used the barrel to scratch his cheek. “Nice show you put on for us all back at the cabin. It was fun watchin’ you dodge my bullets.”
Harley sneered, his lip curling up over his fangs. “You couldn’t hit the broadside of a barn.”
Luis’s shoulders shook as he gave a chilling laugh. “Who says I was trying to hit ya?”
Harley’s brows snapped down.
“What do you want now, Luis?” Jasmine demanded, pretending to be far braver than she felt.
“The usual. Fame, riches, but mostly I wanna see y’all dead. So, come in. Sit down. There’s plenty of room on the couch next to Jasmine’s family.”
My family? Jasmine darted around the corner to find her mother, father, and brother sitting on the living room couch, unbound but held captive by the surrounding weaponry. Blood stained the collar of her father’s shirt, and her brother’s nose had already begun to swell. Jasmine’s first instinct was to rush to their sides, but the surrounding three men gave her reason to pause. Seven armed men stood in her living room and one at her back for a total of eight.
Eight. Against the four of them. Jesus.
“Well?” Luis snapped when no one moved. He shoved his gun against Harley’s back. “Move your asses. Now.”
Harley muttered a quiet curse and stepped inside, a small tic leaping near his jaw. Clearly, he was pissed, but there was nothing either of them could do. Not when the odds were stacked so considerably against them.
“One happy reunion,” Luis continued, strolling into the room like he hadn’t a care in the world. “Sit. Now.” Then his gun flicked to Jasmine. “Not you, princess. You get to stand in the middle of the room.”
Dread settled in the pit of her stomach. But she did as he said. Again. What other choice did she have?
Harley, Carlisle, and Wells slowly lowered next to her family, but Harley’s gaze never strayed from her face. Warmth trickled through her as she held his stare. She had to trust that Harley and his men would find a way to get them out of this situation.
Obeying Luis’s next command, two of the seven men settled in behind Jasmine. One bound her hands while the other looped a very familiar rope around her neck. The second it touched her skin, she gasped and jerked against the restraint, her flesh instantly searing thanks to the silver fibers.
She instinctively reached upward and grasped the rope, her fingers burning. Perhaps she should have expected this. Luis was one sick fuck, a man who got his jollies off hurting people.
He marched up to her and lashed out, striking the back of her hands with the butt of his gun. She cried out, her fingers curling into tight fists.
“Touch the rope again and someone you love gets a bullet. Nod so I know you understand.”
Tears pricked her eyes, but she nodded.
“You son of a bitch,” Harley snarled, his wolf all but shining through his eyes. “I’m going to rip you apart.”
Luis simply laughed. He circled the couch and stood behind her family, the barrel of his gun wavering between their three heads. Jasmine’s eyes flew wide, but she held perfectly still, even though the rope was eating away at her flesh.
“Tell me something, Jasmine.” Luis lifted his manic gaze to hers. “Have you figured it all out yet? Why we took you? Why we changed you?”
She nodded without hesitation. Anything to keep that gun away from her family.
“Good. Then you know what our plan is?”
Another nod. Eztli had passed on that little tidbit.
“Perfect. That’ll make this easy then.”
Fear sent her pulse down a tailspin. Make what easy, exactly? Why was he even here? In her house? What was the point of all this?
“See, here’s the thing. We were told to expect loverboy here.” He ground the gun against the back of Harley’s head. Jasmine caught a flare of anger in his eyes, but he didn’t so much as twitch. Even though his wolf lingered near the surface, Harley was clearly still the one in charge. Then he moved and tapped Wells on the shoulder. “And Captain America here. We were also told to let you go.”
Jasmine blinked as she listened to his monologue.
“What we didn’t expect was for you to gain control so quickly.”
Her heart sputtered in her chest. Eztli had mentioned they wanted her to lose control and kill her family, thereby pinning their murders on the shifter community. A black flag operation from the very beginning. Best if the murders were actually committed by a shifter as opposed to looking like a frame job.
“Guess we have loverboy here to thank for that,” Luis said, sneering.
She wanted to ask Luis why, but she already knew the answer. Because he was psychotic. Fanatics often were. And there was no reasoning with lunatics.
“We were promised one dead senator, along with his wife and son. Preferably at the hands of his so-called loving daughter.”
Jasmine bit her tongue to keep from telling him exactly how she felt about that. Nothing in the world could have convinced her to hurt her family. Yes, she and her father had some issues they had to work out, but nothing that warranted murder.
“So, you’re going to make good on that promise now.”
Her mouth parted as she sucked in a steadying breath. “No way in hell.”
Luis cocked his head and regarded her, his fingers drumming against the back of the couch. Jasmine had seen him like this before, back in the cabin. Dangerously quiet, eerily thoughtful. The worst kind of terrorist was the sort with a brain.
Cracking a grin, Luis paced to Harley and pressed the barrel against the back of his head. “Let me make this clear. You two have a choice to make. One of you kills the senator and his family or the other dies.”
Cold savagery deadened Harley’s eyes. He didn’t utter a word or so much as flinch, but she saw the silent promise within. Luis was a dead man. He just didn’t know it yet.
“Kill me then,” Jasmine whispered, desperate to keep that gun away from Harley and her family.
Luis studied her from across the room, the gun never wavering. After a few moments, he pulled away from Harley and moved closer to her mother. “Perhaps I have this all wrong. Maybe I need to properly motivate you.”
He pointed the gun at the back of her mother’s head and cocked it.
Jasmine’s jaguar rushed to the surface with a choked snarl. The sight of her mother’s large brown eyes growing ever so wide sparked something primal within her, but she had to fight to keep from changing.
Jasmine’s father grew impossibly still, horror creeping over his face as he took in the sight of her. She knew what he saw, knew her jaguar was shining out from within. But she didn’t care. Strange how life and death situations changed someone’s perspective. When she’d stepped out of the car, she’d been determined to carry this secret to the grave. Now that her father knew, she didn’t give a shit. This was who she was now.
But thanks to Harley, she could control herself, regardless of the threat facing her. She could do this. She. Would. Not. Shift.
And Luis could see it, if the enraged scowl was any indication. “Fine.”
Before Jasmine could so much as suck in a breath, Luis aimed the gun at her and pulled the trigger.
* * *
Chaos erupted the second the gun fired.
Harley’s vision went red the instant he saw Jasmine’s body jerk in response. H
e heard her cry out and watched in stunned silence as she toppled forward, the silver rope the only thing holding her up. The motherfucker had shot Jasmine!
With a brutal roar, Harley unleashed every ounce of strength he possessed and tore free of his restraints. Wells and Carlisle shot off the couches, body checking the nearest men into the wall. Even with their hands bound, they were lethal. They had to be to survive the merc world.
The sight of Jasmine hanging limp from the rope shattered whatever control he’d managed to maintain over his wolf. Fury took control and parts of his body began to shift. His hands were first, his fingers elongating into a pair of wickedly sharp claws. He spun toward Wells and Carlisle and sliced through their restraints. Then he turned back toward Luis.
The man stood behind the couch, a deranged grin twisting his face.
He believed Harley had lost control. And maybe he had. But killing Jasmine’s family wouldn’t accomplish anything now. Not when there was someone he wanted to kill a helluvalot more.
The senator and his family scrambled for safety, and Harley took advantage of that to grip the edge of the couch and heave it in the air.
Luis’s eyes widened with shock. That was what happened when you underestimated someone.
“Shoot him!” Luis shouted.
Harley heard the telltale pop of a gun being discharged and felt an agonizing pain rip through his shoulder. But he refused to let that stop him. Gripping the couch with both hands, he turned and swung it in a large circle. Four bodies crumpled to the ground, and before they could gather their scrambled thoughts, Harley hauled the couch above his head and slammed it down on top of Luis’s men. Even through the rage-induced haze, he heard their bones break.
Harley grabbed the armrest and flung the hefty couch toward Luis, pinning him against the wall. Utter fear glimmered in the man’s eyes, a sight that called to Harley like a moth to a flame. He stalked toward Luis, his shadow slowly looming over the man.
Luis wrestled against the couch, fighting to free his arms. He wriggled one free and lifted it, the gun glinting in the dim living room light. But before he could take a shot, Harley lashed out and gripped Luis by the throat.
