by Bianca D'Arc
She’d made good time on the drive over. Better than she had expected. If she calculated correctly, Jason and his Pack were still a good five or ten minutes behind her. Just enough time to take a peek and find out, first of all, if Jimmy was inside the house, and secondly, if he was okay. Discovering where the kidnappers were and how well-armed was another factor. A lot could go wrong in a very short amount of time. She’d seen it before in her years as a cop. Minutes could mean the difference between life and death for Jimmy. She had to find out if her detective work was going to pay off, because if not, they had to come up with another idea very quickly.
She’d set her cell phone to vibrate before leaving the SUV. So far, no news from Dmitri. Both locations were equally likely to be housing the kidnappers. So there was a fifty-fifty chance she would find the house empty. If that was the case, they could concentrate on the other location. Either way, time was of the essence. She crept closer on silent feet, keeping low to the ground, minimizing her silhouette.
There was a barn on the property. It was falling down on one side, but it would offer cover as she approached the house. She’d have to check the barn as well, since they could’ve stashed the boy just about anywhere. They didn’t necessarily have to be using the house.
She eased closer to the barn. No illumination came from within, but that didn’t really mean anything. Sure, it would’ve been nice if the kidnappers had lit a neon sign telling her where they were, but that didn’t happen very frequently in her experience. No lights shone from the house or the barn, from what she could see. She had to be on her toes.
“Well, lookie what I found.”
The voice came from behind her and Sally stiffened near the door of the barn. She’d checked the side as she approached, but apparently not well enough. She’d been outflanked by someone who’d come up behind her. With a sinking feeling, she turned to get a look at him.
Damn. It was one of the gunmen. The younger one. She knew his name was Bartholomew Samuels from the police reports she’d seen. She held her gun at her side, hoping he couldn’t quite see it in the darkness. The hope was in vain.
“Drop it,” he ordered, pointing with his own rifle toward her right hand.
Sally didn’t see that she had any choice. She dropped her weapon at her feet. The backup was out of reach for the moment, strapped to her left ankle, under her pant leg.
Jason and the wolves were on the way, only minutes behind her. She had to hold out until they got there, but there was no sign of Jimmy yet. The kidnappers had split up earlier in the day. They might still be operating separately. For all she knew, Mr. Samuels might be on his own here. Sally had to get confirmation that the kid was here. Until she knew for sure—until she had Jimmy away from the bad guys—she wouldn’t rest easy.
And she wouldn’t let this bozo distract her from her goal. In fact, he might be able to help, though he’d never realize it.
“All I want is the child.” Sally knew the guy remembered her from their earlier run-in. She’d seen the flash of recognition in his eyes, even in the dark.
“And all we want is to rid the world of their filth,” he spat, gesturing with the gun barrel for her to move into the barn. “Devil-worshipping werewolves.” Each of his words was dripping with hatred. There would be no reasoning with a mindset like that.
Sally went into the barn, scanning what she could see of the interior quickly as Samuels crowded her inside with the muzzle of the gun in her back. It was a small structure with no walls inside, only open box stalls that had probably once housed horses. There was a giant hole in one corner of the structure where the roof sagged almost to the ground. She might be able to get out that way, if she could get away from this jerk.
The barn was empty. Disappointment warred with relief. Given the opportunity, she could subdue Samuels without putting Jimmy in further danger. Samuels had already fired at her once. She knew he wouldn’t hesitate to shoot her if provoked.
“Werewolves? Are you nuts?” She wanted to keep him talking. If he began to rant, she might be able to use his distraction to her advantage.
“Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about. You’re one of them.”
He backhanded her and then she saw it. The tattoo on his wrist. It glowed evilly with dark energy now that she could see it close up. It made her shiver.
“No,” she said with deliberate calmness. “I’m a police detective from San Francisco, here on vacation, visiting friends. I’ve seen a lot of weird stuff living in San Fran and all, but I’ve never even heard of people thinking werewolves were real before. What kind of drugs are you on?”
“If you’re not one of them, you’re fucking one. Moore is their leader, or didn’t you realize it? We’ve seen you with him. We know you’re involved. He moves fast. Or maybe you’re just easy. I want to find out for myself. Get some of what he had.”
He maneuvered her toward one of the stalls that was mostly sound. If he got her in there, she’d be more or less trapped. But he didn’t know about her backup weapon. If it came down to it, she might have a chance to draw on him. She’d kill him if she had to. She’d killed twice before in the line of duty. She didn’t enjoy it, but if it came down to her life or his, she’d choose herself every time over a criminal. Especially a lowlife who would kidnap children and shoot at young girls in the woods.
“Jason Moore is an upstanding member of the community,” she protested loudly, hoping that Jason or one of his Pack members would hear her if they were near enough. “There’s no way he’s involved in anything occult.”
“He’s in it up to his eyeballs, missy. He was born to it. The worst kind of werewolf. But we’ll get him. Just like we’ll get all the other wolf filth he calls a Pack.”
He was gloating, and that’s when a terrible suspicion formed in her mind.
“Kidnapping the boy to lure him out, are you? Not smart, Mr. Samuels. He’s got to realize what you’ve planned. He’s smarter than you are.”
“He’s not smarter than a couple pounds of C-4,” he retorted with an evil laugh.
Oh, no.
Chapter Eleven
The rifle barrel smacked her in the face, causing stars to swim before her eyes for a moment as he pushed her into the stall. Outmaneuvered. Damn.
When the ringing in her ears subsided, she was flat on her back in the dirt, Samuels above her. He’d switched out his rifle for a wicked-looking blade. The rifle was out of reach, slung across his back. Double damn. And the knife was headed for her.
She breathed a small sigh of relief when the blade sliced through fabric instead of skin. He was undressing her with the knife, not murdering her. Not yet, at least.
Shit. Where the hell was Jason? She had to warn him! And she had to get free of this moron before he raped her.
She had to make noise. Jason would be here any minute. She had to give him a clue as to where to find her.
She struggled and screamed as Samuels cut her T-shirt and bra down the middle. He dropped the knife momentarily to fondle her and she tried to grab for it in the dirt at her side, but he retrieved it with a laughing sneer.
“You’re not getting away from me this time, girlie. I’m gonna fuck you before I kill you and then I’m going to enjoy watching the fireworks as we barbeque the rest of those filthy wolves.” He applied the knife further down, working on her pants.
She had to do something quick or she really was going to be on the menu for this lunatic, and that was completely unacceptable. Where the hell was Jason? The one time she needed backup in a big way and he was late. Dammit.
Fear crept into her thoughts. Might he have already found Jimmy and the explosives? Could he be dead or dying at this very moment? No. She would’ve heard a boom that loud even if it were twenty miles away. Jason had been on his way here. He had to be on course. She just had to wait it out and alert him when he showed up.
But she still didn’t know where the kid, and the bomb, was.
“C-4? You’re going to u
se military-grade explosives to kill a harmless teenage boy and whoever shows up to try to rescue him? You’re not just high, you’re insane!” she screamed, hoping someone would hear her.
He backhanded her again and her head swam for a moment. Her jeans were giving him trouble and she felt that hunting blade slice through her skin a few times, but they were shallow cuts. Nothing too serious. He was cursing as he concentrated on undressing her uncooperative body. She cursed right back at him, calling him every filthy name she’d ever heard on the streets.
And then a hand reached out from the darkness above him. A huge, hairy, clawed hand that grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and hauled him off her.
Samuels flew through the air backwards, sailing into the opposite wall of the barn and making his own private doorway with his body. She heard snarling and realized Jason’s wolf Pack must have him. Thank God.
Sally sat up, confronted by the biggest werewolf she’d ever seen.
“Jason?”
It had to be. And he was in that scary, half-human battle form.
He moved closer, picking up her trembling body in those giant clawed hands and cradling her against his furry chest. Her arms went around his neck and he loped out of the dilapidated barn, taking her away from the scene, back toward the road.
“Wait! Jason, there’s a bomb.” She had to warn him before others died. “Taking Jimmy was to lure you out. Samuels said they had a pound of C-4 wired to blow when you found the boy.” He wasn’t slowing down. She wasn’t even sure if he was listening to her. She tugged at his shoulders. “You have to warn your Pack, Jason. They’re trying to kill your Pack!”
That seemed to get through. Jason halted in the field, near the tree line and raised his head, letting out a short howl that seemed to communicate to the other wolves. She could see some of them in the distance raise their heads and begin to follow Jason.
He moved her into the trees and stopped, thankfully.
Some of his Pack members approached in both human and wolf form. One of the men reached for her, as if to take her from Jason’s arms, but he pulled away almost violently. He refused to let her go.
“Let me take care of her, Alpha,” the man tried to reason with him but Jason was having none of it.
“My mate,” he growled back at the man. A shocked silence greeted those words and though Sally didn’t fully understand werewolf customs, she thought maybe Jason had just drawn some kind of line in the sand.
“There’s a bomb,” she said quickly, to distract the men. It worked. All eyes went to her and she sort of wished she’d had time to tie the loose ends of her shirt together. They couldn’t see much the way Jason was holding her and she supposed werewolves were used to nudity, but she wasn’t. “Jimmy was taken to lure Jason and the rest of you out. Samuels knew you’re werewolves and that Jason’s your leader. He had that tattoo on his wrist. I saw it close up this time. The one Dmitri said marked the Venifucus.”
As she spoke, she felt stronger. The trembling in her limbs had stopped and she was ready to rejoin the action. She would’ve been okay before, had Jason not picked her up bodily and taken her away. They’d have to talk about that later. She wasn’t some fainting damsel. Not usually. Of course, Samuels had gotten closer to causing her real harm than anyone had in a long time.
“Warn the Pack,” he ordered in that growly voice that seemed the norm for this form. Some of the men pulled out cell phones. A few of the wolves bounded away, vocalizing in yips. More came in from the fields and gathered under cover of the trees, surrounding them.
She pushed at Jason’s shoulders, liking the feel of him, even in this half-man half-beast state. He had to be one powerful shapeshifter to hold that form for so long without any sign of strain.
“Let me down, Jason. Please,” she whispered.
“You’re hurt,” he growled, arguing.
“No. Only cut a little from the knife he was using to try to get my pants off.” Jason growled at that, and it wasn’t a friendly sound. “Just shallow cuts.”
He dropped to the ground then, in a move so quick it felt like freefall, but he laid her gently on the loamy earth, his fingers tender as he examined the shallow cuts on her midsection.
“I’m okay, Jason. Really.” She sat up and gathered the ends of her shirt together, tying them in a knot under her breasts. She felt better already. Covered up with a certain bimbonic flair. It would almost have been funny if the situation weren’t so dire.
He shifted to his human form while he examined the bruises on her head from where Samuels had struck her with the gun and his hand. Her lip was split. She knew that much. And from the tenderness of her cheek she’d probably have a black eye tomorrow too. Oh, joy.
“I’m okay,” she repeated, taking his hand in hers. She met his gaze and there was a great deal of emotion in the depths of his eyes that she hadn’t expected. She felt the answering feelings welling up inside her, but this was neither the time nor the place. “Your people are in danger, Jason.”
He blinked, releasing her from his gaze as they both came back to the present moment.
“We’ll talk about this later, sweetheart,” he promised.
His serious tone indicated it might not be an altogether pleasant conversation. She knew he’d have something to say about the fact that she hadn’t waited for him to arrive. She’d put herself in danger, and she knew he didn’t like that. Still, danger had been her job for the past decade. She’d never had a Pack to call on for help and protection. She often didn’t even have a partner, since the budget cuts. And few human policemen were able to keep up with her on the street. She was used to being on her own in dangerous situations. It was a hard habit to break.
“Now, what’s this about a bomb?” Jason’s gaze sharpened. Someone threw him a small knapsack and he began dressing as she made her report, the gathered Pack members listening in.
“Samuels said there was a pound of C-4 wired to explode when you find Jimmy. He’s the bait. The real target is the rest of you—your Pack. These guys want to kill as many of you at one time as they can. They know you’re werewolves and that Jason was born to it, whatever that means. They know he’s your leader,” she addressed the gathering.
“If they know that much, what about the women and children back at the Pack house?” one of the men asked.
“Make the call,” Jason said shortly. “Tell them to scatter.” Jason stood as he pulled on black pants that had been in the knapsack. “Who here knows the smell of C-4?”
A few hands shot up, mostly from men decked out in black or camo fatigues that had a well-worn look. Several of them held military grade weapons casually in their hands, aimed at the ground. Former soldiers. Had to be.
“Len, I want you to take point on the main group. Arlo, you’ve got Team 2. Jesse, I want you with me. Teams 1 and 2 will focus on finding bombs and clearing the house. With that much C-4, they probably spread it around a bit. My group will get Jimmy out.”
“You know where he is?” That was news to Sally.
Jason nodded. “He’s under the house. There’s a small basement.”
“It’s more of a storm shelter, actually,” the man called Jesse added, coming up alongside Sally. He handed a small headset to Jason while he spoke. “If the bomb is down there, all those cinder blocks and cement will focus the blast upward toward whoever might be in the house at the time.”
“Good to know.” Sally looked the newcomer up and down.
Yeah, he was definitely a soldier—or had been before rejoining his Pack. He’d seen battle. Everything about him said competence and power. If he’d had a mind to, she thought maybe he could’ve given Jason a run for his money in claiming the Alpha role in the Pack, but he seemed to have his own reasons for staying in the background. He was a ghost in the woods and that seemed to suit him just fine.
“Sally, this is my brother, Jesse,” Jason introduced them.
She saw it then, the family resemblance. The men were very alike, though Jesse se
emed to have a lot of sadness hanging around his shoulders. War could do that to a man. She’d seen it in the vets who found their way onto the police force.
“And here I thought you crawled out from under a rock,” she joked, trying to lighten the mood. She offered her hand to Jesse and gave him a smile, which he returned.
“Nah, little brother there was the apple of our mama’s eye. She spoiled him when we were pups. Don’t you make the same mistake, Detective Decker.”
“I’ll try to remember that.” She shook his hand, marveling at the similarities and differences in the two men.
Jesse’s words had confirmed that Jason was the younger of the two. She hadn’t been sure if her perception of Jesse as being older was really years or just mileage. She knew now it was both. That he hadn’t wanted the Alpha role in the Pack was interesting and something she’d ask Jason about later, if she had a chance. The Pack dynamics fascinated her, though she really understood very little.
The first two groups were beginning to move out stealthily across the landscape. They were staggering their movements, one or two going at a time. Some were in wolf form, some in human form. Sally had a hard time spotting them, even though she knew where they were supposed to be. Even in human form, werewolves knew how to blend into the scenery. Their stealth was amazing.
Jason caught her elbow and tugged her gently around to face him. “I’d ask you to stay here, but I know you won’t.” He seemed resigned to that fact, which unaccountably warmed her. “I’d rather have you with me, where I can keep an eye on you. All right?” As he talked he placed the super-tiny earpiece Jesse had given him in his ear. It was almost invisible. Definitely high tech gear she had never seen before. Some kind of tactical radio setup.
“That suits me fine.” She really wasn’t as stealthy as these wolves, but she could contribute. And she didn’t want to be left on the sidelines.
“Jesse’s got the lead until the bombs are accounted for.” Jason addressed the small group left in the woods. There were two wolves beside Jesse. A small team of five to retrieve the kid. Only Jason and Jesse were wired for sound. She assumed that the other men dressed as soldiers were keeping them informed of their progress.
