by Jenny May
“Wait. Did you say blond hair?”
“Yep, almost white, actually.”
Samone screeched. “You’re lying!” She was on Myles so fast, she’d hardly seen it coming. Her brain sure as hell hadn’t comprehended the movement until it was too late. Pressure gripped the sides of her mouth from Samone’s small but powerful hand. Warmth ran down her face from what Myles assumed was blood coming from the puncture wounds from her nails.
“Everything that comes out of your mouth is a lie. I bet you don’t even have a clue who I’m talking about. But you know what? That’s perfectly okay. His time will come. As for you, I can bet your brother will be contacting me soon. He’s probably already been to every other territory that surrounds his. And when he comes to me, I take a lesson from you. I’ll lie.” She smiled. “You, my dear, will never see your pack again. You now belong to me. And I’m perfectly content with letting you rot here.”
The sound of her heels clicked away, and Myles felt herself collapse. Pain rushed through her shoulder as she felt it slip from the socket. Blackness engulfed her vision, and she was out before she could even scream.
* * * *
Ty sat on the picnic table outside Myles and Jack’s house and watched Logan pace the length of the front yard. His mate hadn’t relaxed since the moment Myles had been taken. Hell, Ty wasn’t even sure he’d slept for more than an hour or two at a time.
Darkness covered Logan’s cheeks and around his mouth. It had been a five-o’clock shadow yesterday. Now it was starting to thicken. A few more days of this and it would be a full-blown beard.
“Lo, why don’t you come sit down for a minute?”
Logan stopped and looked at him. “Oh, you’re starting with the whole Lo thing, too?”
Ty tried not to laugh. He knew how much his mate didn’t like the name. “Well, I figured since I said Logan three times before that and you didn’t respond, maybe you’d taken to Lo. In truth, I do kind of like it. Ty and Lo. I think it has a ring.”
“Lo reminds me of a chick on a reality TV show I saw once. I’m pretty, but not that pretty. We’ll just stick to Logan from now on.” He walked closer to Ty and looked toward the mountains. “All I can think is that she’s out there. Right there”—he pointed to the hills off into the distance—“and where are we? We’re just sitting here, and right now, as we speak, she’s going through so much pain. I can feel it! Her body is broken, Ty.”
Ty lowered his head. “I feel it, too. Don’t think I don’t. Every part of me aches so much that it hurts to move. If you think I like this any more than you, you’re wrong.” Ty stood and grabbed Logan’s hands. “We’re going through it together. Don’t shut me out. Myles is my mate, too.”
Warmth engulfed his body as Logan pulled him against his chest. His arms wrapped around Ty’s body. Ty looked up and placed his forehead against Logan’s. “We’ll get her back tonight. I won’t leave until we do. This I promise you.”
Logan squeezed him tighter. “I can’t stand that I can’t go with y’all. I’m Alpha, I should be the one leading the way, not the one staying behind with the second squad.”
A tear ran down Ty’s cheek, but it wasn’t from him. When he didn’t think he could take any more pain, a horrible aching clutched at his heart. Logan was taking things hard, and he couldn’t stand it. “You’re our Alpha. If for some reason something happens to us, we need to you to come in and save our ass. It’s that simple. You are meant to be protected until you’re the last one standing. Only at that point do you fight. None of us can afford to lose you before then.
“It still doesn’t feel right.” Logan lifted his head and looked back at the mountains. “If you get the opportunity, kill Samone. I want her dead for what she’s doing to Myles. What she’s doing to everyone in her pack.”
“I can promise you, if it’s possible she will pay.”
Logan paused. “But be careful. I know you can take care of yourself, but don’t do anything that would put you at risk. If you don’t feel comfortable taking her down, don’t do it alone. Have the others help.”
“You’ve already given the orders to us all.” Ty rubbed his hand over Logan’s rough cheek. “We know what to do. Have faith.”
“I do. Really. It’s just the nerves talking.”
“Come with me.” Ty led him inside, into their room. “You need rest. Your mind is going to drive you crazy if you keep this up. We all need you sharp tonight, and if you don’t calm down you’re going to be a wreck. Please try to lie here and relax. You don’t have to necessarily sleep, but at least try to close your eyes.”
“You sound like a mother figure. Are you trying to use reverse psychology on me?” Logan peered at him through his one opened eye.
Ty smiled. “Yes, and I hope it’s working. Now, rest. I’m going to run into town, I want you to get some sleep.”
“Yeah. Yeah.” Logan groaned.
“Promise me, or else I’m going to start calling you Lo.”
A fake look of horror filled his face. “Anything but that. You win. I’ll try to get some sleep.”
“Good.” Ty leaned down and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back shortly. When I do, I better hear you snoring.”
Logan laughed and turned on his side, facing the hole in the wall. As Ty shut the door behind him, he grabbed the keys from his pocket. Jack was standing in the kitchen, staring. Ty quietly walked to him.
“Will you make sure Logan sticks to the plan tonight?”
Jack narrowed his eyes. “You’re going to confront Samone?”
“I have to try. If I could bring her back before Logan wakes, he’d be so happy. I just can’t stand watching him go through this. And Myles.” Ty lowered his head, fighting back the tears. “She’s hurt bad, Jack. Real bad.”
A sigh came from his mouth. “I know. I feel it, too. I thought about going myself, but if Logan is going to pull off this attack successfully, I know he’s going to need me here. I want her back, but I’m not willing to risk making it even harder to accomplish that. If you go and for some reason they won’t let you leave, he still has me to go in with the other men and try to rescue y’all. But if I go and they keep me, the pack’s structure is going to be off. They won’t know who to follow, and the shit will hit the fan. Too many of them feel they should be leading, when really they shouldn’t.”
“So you’ll look after Logan if for some reason I can’t get back in time?”
Jack cuffed his shoulder. “Of course I will.”
“Thanks.” Ty nodded and turned to leave.
“Ty?”
He paused at the front door and turned to face his new brother. “Yes?”
“Be careful, and bring her home.”
“I’ll try my best.”
The heat baked into his skin as Ty climbed into his truck. Whether it was from the temperature or from his nerves, his body was quickly becoming drenched in sweat. How was Samone going to take to him showing up? Was she going to let him leave with Myles? God, he hoped so. He was ready to do whatever needed to be done, even if it meant trading himself to get his mate out of harm’s way. Of course, if everything went wrong, it would be up to Logan and Jack to rescue both of them. That sure as hell wouldn’t go very well for him in the end. Logan was going to be so pissed.
Shit, even he if brought Myles back with him and made it into the house before Logan woke up, his mate was still going to be angry that he’d hid his intentions.
The road leading to Whiskey River Ranch was completely deserted. Ty had already driven a good half hour, and he still had about fifteen minutes to go. As he looked up at the hills looming to the sides of him, Ty knew he was being watched. Even this far out, Samone had her spotters standing guard. No doubt, they had seen him from miles away. She was probably waiting outside for him at this very moment.
Ty took out his cell phone and glanced at the screen. He’d had no calls or anything since he’d last spoken with his old Alpha. That had surprised him. Samone was obsessive-compulsive when it came to having
what she wanted. And the fact that she’d taken Myles proved that. But why hadn’t she called? It didn’t make any sense.
The entrance loomed ahead, and Ty wasn’t one bit surprised Samone’s cronies were standing guard at the gate. He didn’t even brake as he bumped over the cattle guard and headed for the main house.
Just as he assumed, Samone was standing on the wraparound porch. She looked every bit of a princess in a wasteland of her own creation. The flowing, bloodred dress she wore had a slit so high her hip was nearly showing. The tight, corseted top molded to her perfect curves. She was a goddess in the eyes of every man she crossed, until, of course, her true colors shone through, and then she’d pretty much claw out their eyes. She was no angel, but a demon in disguise. And one who’d had her sights set on Ty for as long as he could remember.
“So, you decided to grace me with your presence. How nice of you. I thought you were staying with your mates.”
Ty rolled his eyes. “What mates? You seriously didn’t believe my story, did you? Where have you been?” He walked into the main house as if nothing was wrong. Although he couldn’t pick up Myles’s scent, he was pretty sure she was in the dungeon. It was where Samone kept everyone that crossed her.
“What are you talking about!” She kept up with him easily, even though she was only five foot three.
Ty opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer from the top shelf. “Haven’t you talked to Delfino?”
A confused look shadowed her face. For the Alpha, he thought she’d have been more inquisitive of her pack. “Why would I have talked to Delfino? He’s undercover on the border of Dark Days and The Big C, trying to figure out more about their pack.”
Ty took a deep, exaggerated breath. “Well, I guess I’m going to have to fill you in so you don’t almost blow my cover again.” The top popped as Ty opened the can and took a long drink. “Delfino and I snuck into the bar on the outskirts of town. I made a connection there and met a kid named Tyler. He’s a no-name, but I was able to convince him to let me shack up with him and his mate. That way I could get a closer look at Dark Days, behind the scenes.” He smiled and could tell the wheels in her head were spinning.
“Anyway, Tyler can’t stand Jack and he’s thinking about heading over here once I come back. That is, if it’s all right with you.” He stared at her while she shifted her stance in front of him. “Come on, Samone. This is great news!”
The way she narrowed his eyes made him confident he had her just where he wanted her. “Anyway, that’s the least of our problems. The only reason I’m here is because I was able to attend a meeting last night and let me tell you right now, Jack knows you have his sister and he’s planning a war on you right now. I snuck over here as fast as I could to let you know.”
Samone shrugged. “He won’t find us. He’ll invade Wheeler Ranch, and when he does we’ll jump him. He’ll never know what hit him until it’s too late.” She smiled smugly.
“Wrong.” He took another drink. “Jack has information you wouldn’t believe. He has a corkboard full of material. He knows where we’re out of, how to get in undetected, where our main patrol lives. Hell, he even had my house pegged.”
Samone went pale. “That’s impossible. How does he know this?”
“I tried to get it out of him, but he wouldn’t say. Just said he had multiple sources. I think if you give me another two weeks I’ll be able to get him to tell me who’s ratting us out.”
“Right. Yes.” Samone grabbed a wine glass and held it out. Henry rushed up out of nowhere and grabbed it. He disappeared around the corner and Ty walked toward the back.
“So what do we do?”
Ty glanced back at her. “Well, first I’m getting Jack’s sister back to him, and then I’m going back undercover while you stay here and prepare for a war.”
“Wait!” Samone ran around and stopped him in his path. “You can’t take her. She’s my prisoner.”
Ty groaned. “I guess we’re going to war tonight then, because Jack will be here right at sundown. If I bring his sister back then that can give us some time to make a plan to trap them when they do attack. Are you really ready for war, Samone?” Ty narrowed his eyes at her. It was meant to intimidate her, and it worked.
“It’ll be dark in an hour. I can’t have everyone back to the ranch by that time.”
“Then you better take me to Myles so I can buy us some time.”
Samone slammed her heel on the ground. “God dammit! I want to keep her.” She pouted her lip and cursed. “Fine, come this way.”
Ty followed her down the steps to the dungeon. Myles’s scent overwhelmed him. As did the smell of her blood. The wolf deep within him went crazy. Ty wanted nothing more than to snatch this evil bitch by the hair and slam her head into the wall as hard as he could. Just as his fingers twitched, five guards came into view from the darkness of the large room.
Myles hung from the ceiling. From what he could see, her head was down and she looked to be sleeping. Ty tried to keep his composure. Whatever he saw, he needed to stay as distant from the situation as he could. If he showed one speck of emotion, it would ruin any chance of getting out with Myles.
“Get her down,” Samone snapped. Her cronies were quick to jump at her command.
Ty watched as Myles’s body hit the floor, hard. Nausea filled him as he watched her lie there lifeless.
“You didn’t kill her, did you? I’m going to have a hard time keeping Jack back if you did.”
Samone snarled. “She was still alive when I left her earlier. I assure you she hasn’t perished yet.”
“Good.” Ty walked over and swallowed the bile that came to his throat as he tossed Myles over his shoulder, roughly. The act was done like she meant nothing to him, and it made him sick. All he wanted to do was cuddle her and hold her in his arms. He fought the tears that forced to spill from his eyes. “I better get going. I’ll call you in about an hour. I should be able to talk Jack out of attacking tonight, but you need to get everyone here and start planning for a war. The faster you can get everything going, the better.”
Ty hated telling her what was no doubt the truth. Dark Days would attack, and after Logan and Jack saw how badly hurt Myles was, they’d come here for blood. But he had no choice in telling her. If it was the only way to get Myles out alive, he’d let them take their chances when the fight came.
“You call me every night and let me know something. I want a heads-up when they’re going to attack.”
“You bet.” Ty headed up the stairs as fast as he could. He needed to get back to the house, and fast.
“Ty.” The authority in Samone’s voice stopped him. He ground his teeth as he turned to look down the stairs at her. “If you’re lying to me about anything, I’m going to bite your throat out.”
He raised both of his eyebrows. “Good thing I’m not lying then.” She nodded and he raced up the stairs. A few random people were in the main room, and he didn’t even pause as he practically ran to his truck. Myles’s limp body fell to the seat as he eased her down. As fast as he could, Ty jumped in and hauled ass out of the ranch. Once he got on the main highway, he pushed his truck as fast as it would go.
Chapter 13
Logan was sure if he paced anymore he was going to wear a hole through the wooden floor. He looked over at Jack, who was sitting at the table like a kid in time-out. His lip pouted and he looked to the window, refusing to make eye contact with Logan. When Jack had confessed Ty went after Myles, alone, Logan snapped. He hadn’t been able to sleep, and after an hour of tossing and turning, he finally got up. Curiosity on what was taking Ty so long at the store had his anxiety through the roof.
“Look, I told you, if anything happens and he doesn’t come back, we’ll get him tonight.”
Logan glared in Jack’s direction. “That wasn’t your call to make! I am Alpha. I make the decisions now. They are my mates, not yours.”
Jack continued to look out of the window. “She’s my sister. I have confidenc
e that Ty will make sure she is okay, no matter where they’re at.”
“You better hope so, because if anything happens to them—”
The door burst open, and Ty had Myles cradled in his arms. She looked to be sleeping. Logan instantly rushed to them.
“Jack, start boiling some water. I need bandages, anything medical that you got. I haven’t had a chance to see the extent, but I know it’s not good.”
Jack burst into action. The clanging of pots was almost deafening as the movement of one caused a chain reaction for the others to come pouring out of the cabinet. He hardly noticed as he stepped over them on his way to the sink.
“Bring everything into the room,” Ty yelled. He followed his mates to the bed and pulled down the comforter to help out. A gasp came from Logan’s mouth when he caught Myles’s face. Ty’s finger came to rest on his lips, and he whispered.
“Don’t say anything, in case she can hear you. What she’s been through has been hard enough. The last thing she needs to worry about is hearing how upset we are.”
Logan nodded numbly. His sweet Myles was hardly recognizable. Her left eye was completely swollen shut, and the bruising covering from her scalp to her jawline was so dark it was unreal. Even the split in her lip was so wide it looked like she got hit by a brick. No woman could have done that.
“We need to see the extent of the damage,” Ty whispered. He turned just as Jack came into the room with a large kit of supplies. It fell to the floor as Jack saw his sister.
“Oh my…” He walked forward, a little wobbly. Logan grabbed his arm and led him to the bed and then went back to grab the supplies. “Myles.” Jack had tears streaming down his face. “I always feared this. Look what they’ve done.” His fingers inched forward and stopped short of touching her face.
Ty grabbed the scissors from Logan and began cutting her shirt off. He turned to look at Jack before he opened it. “Myles needs fluids. Who’s the pack doctor?”
Jack shook his head, as if trying to think. “Hector. I’ll call him.”
