by Paige Tyler
Becker swore silently. If he didn’t do something quick, Gage was going to explode.
“It wasn’t the Albanians.” Here goes nothing. “It was me.”
The whole pack turned to face him as one, a mix of confusion and disbelief on their faces. Off to the side, Tuffie was regarding him with an expression that said this was not the time for full disclosure. Becker dismissed the pooch’s concern, but it was impossible to ignore the looks on his pack mates’ faces.
Gage’s fangs retracted slightly, but his eyes still glowed gold. “What are you talking about? And why the hell are you even here? I thought you were in Denver with your sister.”
Becker met his alpha’s gaze levelly. “That stuff about my sister? That wasn’t quite true. Actually, it was bullshit. I’ve been staying in a loft on Canton Street with the Albanians and the other werewolf pack.”
Gage’s eyes narrowed and the temperature in the room dropped by ten degrees. “You’ve been doing what?”
“I sort of went undercover and infiltrated their operation.”
Becker braced himself for Gage’s wrath, knowing it was going to be epic. Gage strode across the room and wrapped one hand around his throat, slamming him against the wall with a feral growl.
Shit, that hurt.
“What could possibly have convinced you that lying to me about where you were, conducting an unauthorized undercover operation on your own, and shooting Cooper were good ideas?”
Gage may have been his alpha, but Becker refused to be intimidated. “It wasn’t really a what as much as a who, as in a female werewolf that I sort of let escape from that import/export warehouse earlier in the week.”
“A female werewolf you let escape?” Gage snarled.
It sounded worse when his boss said it. Becker opened his mouth to explain, but Cooper cut him off.
“You didn’t really let her escape. Considering you hid her in a crate so she wouldn’t be found, I’d say you helped her escape.”
Guess that was Cooper’s way of getting back at him for shooting him in the chest.
Gage glared at Cooper, then turned the full force of those gold eyes on Becker again.
He was so fucked.
* * *
The sound of voices in the hallway woke Jayna up. Recognizing Eric’s deep timbre, she jumped out of bed and padded over to the door in her tank top and shorts. She’d tried to talk to Eric privately several times last night but simply hadn’t been able to find the right words or the right time. Now, maybe she had.
But then she heard Kostandin’s voice, and her hand froze on the doorknob. Eric was saying something about going to the SWAT compound and figuring out which officer to target next. The words brought the events of last night rushing back, and her hand tightened on the knob as she heard Eric and Kos walk away. She rested her forehead against the door with a sigh, trying to make sense of everything that had happened over the past twenty-four hours.
The time she’d spent at Eric’s apartment yesterday had been amazing. She’d never dreamed that sex could be so powerful and moving. Just thinking about it made her want to chase after Eric right that minute and ask him to take her back over to his place for more of the same.
But it went beyond how good they were in bed. Eric made her feel safer and happier than she’d been in a very long time, and last night, she could have easily imagined spending the rest of her life with him.
Then he’d shot and killed his best friend. She knew he’d done it to save Megan and Chris, but that didn’t make it any better. She’d never wanted any of Eric’s pack to die, especially Cooper. The SWAT werewolf’s violent death was part of the reason she’d avoided talking to Eric last night. How the hell did you tell the man you were starting to feel so much for that you could never accept what he had done even if he’d done it for you?
But what if she hadn’t seen what she thought she saw last night? What if Eric and Cooper had faked the whole scene? It sounded crazy, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. By making it look like he’d killed Cooper, Eric had been able to save Megan and Chris without blowing his cover with the Albanians.
It might be hard to believe, but it felt right. And for the first time since last night, Jayna felt like she could breathe again.
“Jayna?”
She turned to see Megan sitting up in bed, blinking at her sleepily.
“Is something wrong?” Megan asked.
“No, nothing’s wrong. In fact, everything is just fine.” Jayna smiled and walked over to sit on the edge of Megan’s bed. “But there is something I need to tell you, something I should have told you from the very beginning.”
Megan sat up straighter, her eyes suddenly alert. “You’re running away with Eric, aren’t you?”
“What?” Jayna frowned. “No, I’m not running away with him.”
Megan relaxed slightly but still watched her warily. Jayna reached out and took one of her hands, giving it a squeeze.
“Remember when I said you could trust Eric?”
Megan nodded.
“What I didn’t tell you was that you could trust him because he’s a cop. Specifically, one of the werewolves on the SWAT team.”
Megan’s eyes widened. “What? You said he was an omega you met at Starbucks!”
“Shh,” Jayna warned, throwing a quick glance over her shoulder. “I couldn’t very well say he was a cop. And I did meet him at Starbucks. Well, outside it anyway. Eric was at the warehouse that night with the SWAT team. He helped me hide instead of arresting me, then tracked me down using a receipt from Starbucks that fell out of my pocket. He was waiting outside when I left the loft the next day.”
Megan’s nose wrinkled in confusion. “That doesn’t explain what he’s doing here.”
“He’s trying to help us get out of this crappy situation we’re in.”
Megan twirled the end of her hair, considering that. “But he killed one of those SWAT werewolves last night.”
“I don’t think he did,” Jayna said. “I think he and the other werewolf just made it look like that.”
“That makes sense, I guess.” Megan twirled her hair some more. “But I have a question.”
“Okay.”
“Is Eric in love with you?”
Jayna opened her mouth to deny it but closed it again. Would Eric go to all this trouble if he didn’t love her?
“He thinks he is,” she finally said. “He believes in a legend that says there’s a perfect soul mate out there for every werewolf, and they’re destined to be together. He called it The One.”
“And he thinks you’re his One?” Megan asked.
Jayna nodded. “I know it’s silly, but he really believes it.”
Megan gave her a small smile. “After everything we’ve been through when we became werewolves, you don’t think it’s possible God would give us someone who could love us for what we are?”
Sometimes, Jayna forgot how idealistic Megan was. Other times, she wished she could be that idealistic herself. “It’s because of what happened to us when we became werewolves that I don’t believe in it.”
Megan let out a sigh. “Forget the legend then. How do you feel about him?”
Jayna looked down at her hands but didn’t answer. How could she describe what she felt for Eric when she wasn’t sure herself?
“I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “I know that I love being with him. And I know that he makes me happy. And I know that I felt like we had some sort of connection the moment I saw him in that warehouse.”
Megan grinned. “A connection, huh? Sounds like maybe that werewolf-soul-mate thing might be true after all.”
Jayna didn’t say anything.
“So what’s Eric’s plan for getting us out of this mess?” Megan asked, changing the subject.
Jayna explained how she and Eric had been trying to undermine the gang from the inside. “It’s working, but it may take more time than we have. I think he’s with his pack right now, figuring out how t
o end this sooner rather than later.” Knowing he was at the SWAT compound planning to take down the Albanians should have scared the hell out of her, but it didn’t. “He promised to protect us and get us out of here safely, and I believe him.”
“All of us?” Megan asked.
“All of us,” Jayna confirmed, then added, “Well, maybe not Liam. He’s in really deep with Kostandin and Frasheri.”
Megan frowned but didn’t seem surprised. “We should tell the guys what you just told me.”
Jayna nodded, but Megan had already hopped out of bed and was changing out of her pajamas. Jayna did the same, exchanging her shorts for a pair of yoga pants; then, she and Megan headed for the apartment the guys shared on the fourth floor.
Joseph and Moe were in the small kitchenette, nursing energy drinks, while Chris was lying on one of the three air mattresses set up in the middle of what was supposed to be the living room. He was resting so quietly Jayna thought he was asleep, but when she and Megan walked in, he opened his eyes and smiled at them.
Jayna smiled back as she sat down on one of the other mattresses. “You doing okay?”
He nodded as Megan knelt beside him to check the bandage. “Yeah. My stomach still hurts like hell, but it’s getting better by the hour. I’ll be good as new by tonight.”
Jayna hoped so. Before getting involved with the Albanians, all of them had been injured to some degree and had always healed, but none of them had ever been wounded this seriously.
“Is Eric around?” Chris asked. “I wanted to thank him for patching me up.”
“He went out for a while.” Jayna glanced at Joseph and Moe. “Actually Eric’s the reason Megan and I are here.”
Moe frowned as he and Joseph came over to sit down on the other air mattress. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine.”
Jayna hesitated, trying to figure out how to explain everything. But there was no easy way to ease into the situation, so she took the same direct approach she’d used with Megan—minus the part about her and Eric sleeping together, of course.
The guys exchanged looks but didn’t say anything for a long time. It was Moe who finally broke the silence.
“Do you trust him?”
Jayna nodded.
“And you really think he can find a way to get us out of this mess?” Chris asked.
The realization that Megan and the guys were willing to trust Eric because she did almost brought tears to Jayna’s eyes.
“Yes,” she finally managed. “But there’s more to this than simply getting away from the Albanians. Leaving them could mean leaving Liam too.”
She braced herself, expecting the guys to rush to their alpha’s defense.
“Liam left us the moment he tricked us into coming here. This was never about him owing money to these people; it was about him getting power and control over a larger pack,” Joseph said.
Jayna hadn’t thought the guys knew about Liam’s betrayal, but obviously they’d figured it out too.
“If you lead us, we’ll follow,” Moe added.
Jayna did a double take. What were they talking about? She wasn’t an alpha. But when she pointed that out, Megan smiled.
“We might have followed Liam, but like I told you before, you’ve been the heart and soul of this pack for a long time,” she said.
Jayna didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t understand how they could expect her to be in charge. She wasn’t any stronger than the rest of them. She opened her mouth to tell them that when Moe stiffened.
“There are a whole bunch of omegas coming,” he said.
Jayna tensed. The omegas never came down to this end of the hall. If they were coming now, it was because they had a reason.
Moe and Joseph were up in a flash and going for the two MP5s leaning against the wall. Chris pulled his from under the edge of his mattress but stayed where he was. Jayna got to her feet, instinctively putting herself between the locked door and her pack.
The doorknob rattled, then a fist thumped the door so hard it shook in the frame. Jayna made no move to open it, and neither did anyone else.
“I know you’re all in there, so you might as well open the door,” Liam shouted.
His voice reverberated in the partially renovated hallway, and Jayna could feel the anger there. She knew Liam had been pissed at Eric and her for what happened last night, but this was about something else. She just wasn’t sure what.
“Jayna, I have omegas with me,” Liam said. “If you don’t put down your weapons and open the door, I can’t be responsible for what they do.”
Crap. That was a threat if she ever heard one. Jayna glanced over her shoulder. Megan and the guys were looking at her in wide-eyed panic.
“I know Eric is a cop, Jayna,” Liam called.
Jayna’s stomach dropped, and she jerked her head back around to stare at the door. How had they figured it out? Had they followed Eric to the SWAT compound and seen him go inside? Her blood went cold at the thought.
“A cop?” She tried to sound shocked but wasn’t quite sure she pulled it off. Thank God, Liam couldn’t see her face. “Are you sure?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Jayna,” Liam said. “I know you and the rest of the pack have been helping him.”
Double crap.
She opened her mouth to deny it, but Liam interrupted her.
“I ran into those gangbangers from that meth lab Eric burned to the ground, and they didn’t look all that crispy. But how could they when he let them get away? Isn’t that right, Moe?”
Jayna glanced at Moe. His hand tightened reflexively on his weapon, but he didn’t answer.
“I know that Eric tricked you and the rest of the pack, Jayna, and I forgive you,” Liam said, his voice softening. “Open the door, so we can talk about this.”
Jayna didn’t buy that for a second. Once she opened the door, Liam could do anything he wanted, including gunning them down where they stood. But what else could she do? Liam had them cornered.
Jayna glanced at the door to the balcony, then at Chris. It was a long way down to the grassy lawn outside. She, Megan, Joseph, and Moe could make the jump easily, but Chris was still too injured to even consider it.
But if they didn’t open the door, Liam would just break it down.
Megan and the guys were looking at her expectantly. God, she wished Eric were there. But he wasn’t. He was only a phone call away though.
But her phone was in her room charging, along with Megan’s. And none of the guys had phones.
Dammit!
“Jayna, if you don’t open this door and come out, we’re coming in,” Liam yelled.
“Okay. Just a minute,” she shouted back, then took Megan’s hand and dragged her toward the balcony. “Keep Liam talking,” she told the guys.
If this worked, she’d be able to get word to Eric. If it didn’t, at least she’d be able to get Megan out safely.
“What…?” Megan began, but the words drifted off as Jayna opened the sliding glass door. Megan’s eyes widened. “No way. I’m not going out there. I’m not leaving you guys!”
Jayna tugged on her hand, pulling her onto the balcony. “You’re not leaving us. You’re going for help. Chris can’t jump, and Moe and Joseph will never leave without him. If I go, Liam will lose his mind when he comes through that door. It has to be you. If you don’t go, we’re not going to make it out of this.”
“But—”
Jayna took Megan’s other hand and gave them both a squeeze. “Eric is at the SWAT compound. You have to go there and tell him what’s going on.”
Tears welled in Megan’s eyes, spilling over onto her cheeks as she shook her head. “I can’t do this. You know I can’t.”
Since the day Megan jumped out of that hospital window and survived the bone-shattering impact, she’d been terrified of heights. She felt sick if she even looked out a high window, and driving over a tall bridge was against pack rules unless she was sleeping. Asking her to jump from a
fourth-story balcony was the very worst thing Jayna could ask her to do. But she was asking her to do it anyway.
“I know you’re scared, but I need you to do this,” Jayna implored. “For me and for the pack.”
More tears rolled down Megan’s face. “But what if I hurt myself so bad that I can’t go get Eric?”
Jayna released one of Megan’s hands to cup her cheek. “Do you trust me?”
Megan didn’t hesitate. “You’re the only person I trust.”
“Then you need to believe me when I say you’ll be okay. You won’t get hurt, and you’re going to get to Eric in time. I wouldn’t let you do this if I didn’t believe that with every fiber of my soul.”
Megan swallowed hard, sniffed once, then nodded. Pulling Jayna close, she hugged her tightly, then walked over to the railing and clambered over it. Jayna followed her to the railing.
“Find a cab and tell the driver you need to go to the SWAT compound. They’ll either know where it is or will be able to find out. You have money on you, right?”
Megan nodded as she carefully positioned her feet on the edge of the balcony outside the railing. Jayna brushed her friend’s hair back and kissed her cheek.
“I’ll try to keep Liam talking as long as I can, but you need to hurry,” she said.
Megan nodded, then took a deep breath and jumped.
Jayna leaned out to look over the balcony, wincing as Megan hit the grass below and rolled several times before coming to a stop. She breathed a sigh of relief when Megan jumped to her feet and gave her a smile, then ran toward the main street.
Jayna waited until Megan disappeared from sight, then turned and went back inside the small apartment. Giving the guys a nod she hoped was reassuring, she walked over to the door and turned the knob.
Chapter 12
It took Xander, Mike, and Brooks to pull Gage away from Becker’s throat.
“Half your squad almost died in that warehouse. One of those werewolves bit Khaki for God’s sake!” Gage roared, trying to shake off Xander’s hold on his arm. “And you deliberately hid one of them from us? What the hell were you thinking?”
