The radio went dead and there was nothing but silence.
Chapter Fifteen
Sage sat on the porch swing next to Rina, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. He’d put the swing in for her a few weeks back when he discovered how much she’d always wanted one. They’d spent hours in the evening ever since just sitting and talking and enjoying the quiet.
It was the time of day he loved most of all. The work of the day was done and behind him. The last of the late harvest—pumpkins and squash—were in. He’d prepared most of the land for winter and had started working on their new house. It would be done before the snow flew. Everyone was putting in extra hours to help, especially the men. It wasn’t a big home, just a small two-bedroom log cottage. The second bedroom was so Rina could have a workspace.
The frame was done, the roof was on, and the windows and doors had been installed. Now they could concentrate on finishing the inside. He couldn’t wait to move her into their new home. She deserved to have a place to call her own.
“The tiles for the bathroom should be here in a couple more days.” Rina turned her head and brushed her lips over his cheek. “Anny called them today to confirm.”
“If anyone would know, Anny would.” The woman was a whiz at organization and online shopping. If you wanted it, she could find it—at a good price. Sage knew they wouldn’t be nearly as far ahead on construction if she hadn’t kept on top of ordering everything they needed.
“The plumbing has been roughed in and the electrical is coming along,” Rina continued.
“It’s going well. Should be done in a couple more weeks if all goes well.” It might take longer with Reece coming home.
She turned in the seat and studied him, her gaze all too perceptive. “You’re worried about Reece.”
He sighed and buried his face in Rina’s hair, immersing himself in her softness and fresh scent. “He’s anxious about something. I can feel it.”
“It would be strange if he wasn’t. He obviously cares for this woman, and she has a murdering wolf chasing her.” Rina put her hand on his chest. Her touch soothed some of his anxiety but not all.
“I wish I knew more about this woman.” Reece had lost his head over this stranger he’d just met. “It all happened so fast.”
Rina’s laugher rang out. In a nearby tree, a startled bird flew away. Sage eased back so he could see her face. “What’s so funny?” he asked.
She shook her head and finally got her laughter under control. “You think their relationship happened fast. After how we got together? I found you in the woods and you brought me home.”
Sage couldn’t help but grin. “I know you’re right, but this is different.” He knew he wasn’t making logical sense, but he didn’t care.
“Different.” Rina nodded. “I see.” Amusement made her eyes twinkle.
Sage growled and pulled his mate onto his lap and nuzzled her neck. “Teasing the big, bad wolf, are you?”
She looped her arms around his neck and nodded. “I can handle the big, bad wolf.”
He shuddered as he remembered how well she’d handled him in bed this morning. “Is that so?”
He leaned in to kiss her when an all too familiar scent reached him. He sighed and resigned himself to not making love to Rina until much later.
“What do you want, Mikhail?” Sage liked his wife’s older brother, but the man had the worst timing. It was like he lurked in the woods just waiting for the most inopportune moment possible to interrupt them.
“Can’t keep your hands off my sister for two minutes, can you?” Mikhail took the three stairs at once and leaned on the patio railing.
“No, I can’t.” To make his point, he settled her against his chest with his arms wrapped around her.
Rina laughed and shook her head. “I don’t know which of you is worse.” She patted his hands until Sage released her. She rose and walked toward her brother. Sage admired the sway of her lush bottom encased in a pair of tight jeans.
“And you,” she scolded her brother. “I don’t know why you provoke him so much.” She kissed his cheek.
“Because it’s so much fun,” Mikhail replied. While Rina was hugging her brother, he looked over her shoulder at Sage and grinned. The sneaky bastard.
Sage held up his hand and extended his middle finger. Mikhail laughed and by the time Rina whirled around, he had his hands back in his lap and a smile on his face.
“I know what you did. I might not have seen it, but I know.” She narrowed her eyes and studied them both. “I’d be upset, but the two of you seem to enjoy your little games.”
Sage knew her brother loved her and that was good enough for him. Beyond that, he’d gotten to know the man better over the past few months. He liked Mikhail. He reminded Sage a lot of his Uncle Elias.
Mikhail had been a steadying influence in Rina’s life, more father than brother. For that reason alone, Sage would have loved him. He’d thrown himself into protecting the Salvation Pack since he’d been here. For that reason, Sage had grown to respect him.
“Any news?” Mikhail asked.
Sage shook his head. “I don’t expect him to call again. He’s too close to home.” He still couldn’t shake the sensation that something was wrong.
He could hear Rina say something to him, but couldn’t make out her words. A bright light suddenly blinded Sage. He felt the impact as something hit him, knocking him from the porch swing.
Rina screamed.
No, not Rina. Another woman.
Metal screeched as it was twisted. Sage’s entire body jolted as he hit something hard. Then everything went black.
“Sage. Ohmygod. Call the others.” Rina. He could hear her voice but it was as though it was coming from far away. “Wake up.” Strong feminine hands on his face. “Sage, please wake up.”
It was the worry in her voice that he responded to. A howl echoed in the distance. Was Rina in trouble? That knocked him back to reality faster than anything else could. He forced his eyes open to find Rina on her knees beside him.
Why was he sprawled on the deck and not in the swing?
He started to sit up and had to fight against a wave of nausea. He felt like he was going to pass out. What the hell had happened?
“Take it easy.” Mikhail helped him sit upright. “You had a seizure or something.”
“Werewolves don’t get seizures,” he pointed out.
“You’re a half-breed,” Mikhail shot back.
Rina sucked in her breath, ready to blast her brother. Sage stopped her before she got started. “He’s right. I am a half-breed, but I’m full werewolf except for the fact I can’t shift.”
He rolled to his knees and struggled to his feet. His Uncle Elias raced down the path, followed by Jacque, Cole, and Gator. Sage took a breath as everything suddenly made a sick kind of sense.
He could feel the blood drain from his face. His uncle leapt toward him, catching him before he could fall again. “Reece.” That one word was enough for Uncle Elias.
“Where?”
“Close.” He shut his eyes and concentrated. What had he seen and felt? “Maybe forty minutes from here. His truck was rammed off the road.”
His brother wasn’t dead because he could still feel Reece inside him. “He’s hurt. Bad.”
“What about the woman with him?” Jacque asked.
Sage shook his head. “I don’t know.” He jammed his hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out his truck key. “I’m going to find him.”
Jacque stepped in front of him. “We’re all going.” He turned to Rina. “Head over to the house with Gwen and the others. Armand, Louis, and Joseph are with them. We have to treat this like a threat to the pack,” he told Rina before she could object to being left behind. “We have children to protect.”
Sage turned to his mate. “Please.”
She nodded. “Call me from the road.”
“I will,” he promised. He gave her a quick, hard kiss and started toward his truck.
Jacque was issuing orders to the others, but Mikhail went with Sage.
“You’re coming?” Sage asked his brother-in-law.
“He’s your brother.”
That said it all. Family was important to all of them. They might be a pack, but they were a family first. All of them.
A sense of urgency ate at Sage. Whoever was after Hannah had found them. Sage only hoped they could get there before the murderer had a chance to kill them.
“If anything happens to Reece…” he began. He couldn’t finish, couldn’t bear to imagine the world without his brother. He knew how quickly life could change. He’d lost both his parents in a heartbeat on an icy winter road. He couldn’t lose his twin. Even with Rina’s love, he wasn’t sure he’d survive.
The pack parking lot came into view. Sage made a straight line for his truck and jumped in. Mikhail barely had the passenger door shut when Sage pulled out.
“Reece will be fine,” Mikhail assured him. “He’s a tough bastard. His wolf will help him.”
Sage was fiercely glad his brother could shift. It had never really mattered that his twin had that ability while he didn’t. Sure, he’d wondered why Reece and not him. Now he had to believe it was for this moment when his brother could use all the help he could get.
Tires squealed when Sage turned his truck onto the main road without slowing down. Mikhail slapped his hand on the dash and tugged on his seatbelt, but he didn’t tell Sage to slow down. For that he was grateful.
Headlights flashed behind him as two more trucks turned onto the road to follow.
“Hang in there, Reece,” he muttered. “We’re coming.”
* * * * *
Hannah tried to move and groaned as pain shot down her right arm and leg. She was jammed against the passenger door of the truck. She lifted her hand to her head and it came back sticky. She was bleeding.
She wasn’t the only one. She could smell Reece’s blood too.
She managed to pry her eyelids open. It felt as though she was trying to lift heavy anvils instead of thin layers of skin. It was dark and quiet, except for the rustle of the wind through the trees.
Reece was almost on top of her. His side of the truck had been smashed inward. Her hands shook as she reached out and touched him. His skin was warm, but that didn’t mean he was still alive.
He might be able to shift, but he wasn’t a full-blooded werewolf. She had no idea what his healing capabilities were. She slid her fingers to his neck and felt the steady beat of his pulse.
She sighed with relief but then reality set in. They’d been driven off the road. Accident or on purpose? She had no idea. All she knew was that they had to get out of there.
She unhooked her seatbelt and bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying out when her arm protested the movement. She had no idea if it was broken or not, but it was bleeding.
She used her left hand to push on the door handle, and then shoved her shoulder against it. The metal protested but she kept up the pressure. Sweat beaded on her forehead in spite of the chill seeping in through the busted windows. Glass lay shattered all around them. Whenever she moved, tiny pieces would fall from her clothes and body.
Finally the door frame gave way and popped open so quickly she tumbled out of the truck, landing hard on the ground. She lay there and breathed through the pain. Her already damaged right side protested even more.
She could do this. She had to do this.
Hannah put her left hand down and slowly pushed to her knees. Darkness surrounded her, but she didn’t need light in order to see the truck on the road about fifty feet away. As she watched, the driver’s door opened and a man stepped out.
“Hello, Hannah.”
That voice. She knew that voice. Her stalker had found her.
She looked back into the truck. Reece hadn’t moved, but he was still alive. It was up to her to keep him that way. A fierce urge to protect him, no matter the cost, welled up inside her. Reece could not be allowed to die.
She didn’t question her decision, but went with her instincts.
The man wanted her. So her challenge was to lure him away from Reece. Make him focus on her, and he might forget all about Reece until he either regained consciousness or someone came for them.
She lunged back into the truck and patted Reece’s shirt pocket. By some miracle his phone was still in there. Her hands shook as she pulled up his contacts and hit the first one. Without waiting to see if it was answered, she shoved it into her coat pocket and forced herself to leave Reece.
“You killed him,” she shouted at the monster still standing on the side of the road. That was how she thought of him. He might be good-looking physically, but his eyes told the story of his true nature. She remembered his eyes.
“Pity. I would have liked for him to suffer more.”
Hannah moved away from the truck. “If you want me, you’ll have to catch me.” With that, she turned her back and ran.
A wild howl ripped through the night. She dragged the phone out of her pocket and prayed the monster couldn’t hear her.
* * * * *
Sage figured he was still more than a half hour away, even breaking every speed record. His phone rang and he kept one hand on the wheel as he dragged it out. It was Reece. “Are you okay?” he yelled.
He heard nothing but silence. His heart stuttered and his stomach clenched. He was about to call out again when he heard a woman yell, “You killed him.”
Sage’s vision went black but then he pulled himself back from the gaping abyss. Reece wasn’t dead. He could still feel his twin.
A man answered, his voice muffled. Then the woman yelled again. “If you want me, you’ll have to catch me.”
Sage figured if she had his brother’s phone, this had to be Hannah. “Where are you? What’s going on?” he demanded.
“No time.” The woman was gasping for breath.
“Hannah?” Sage needed that much confirmed.
“Yes. Reece is alive.” He could barely hear her voice it was so low. “Drawing away the killer. Truck is about fifty feet off the road. Close to home. Not sure where.”
Oh Jesus. “The man who attacked you in Chicago found you?” He wanted to yell but kept his voice low so it wouldn’t be overheard.
“Yes. I have to toss the phone. Sorry I had to leave Reece. Tell him—”
The abrupt silence worried him. He kept quiet as long as he could. “Tell him what?”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t stay with him and help him.” Sage could hear her feet thudding against the ground. “He’s gaining on me. I have to go.”
“Wait. Hannah. We’re on our way.”
But she didn’t hear him. It was too late. The line was dead.
“You heard that?” he asked Mikhail as he tossed his phone onto the console.
“Yeah. I’ll tell the others.”
Hannah was drawing the killer away from Reece in an effort to save him. She was using herself for bait. If anything happened to her, Reece would lose his mind.
Sage listened as Mikhail relayed the information to Jacque and the others. He pushed down the gas pedal, urging his truck to go faster.
* * * * *
Hannah turned off the phone and tossed it as far away from her as she could. Then she turned in the opposite direction. She couldn’t allow the monster chasing her to find it. She could only pray that Reece’s family would get here in time to save him. It all hinged on her keeping the killer busy long enough for them to find him.
Her heart was with Reece. She had to believe he was still alive.
“You can run, but you can’t hide.” The bastard was getting closer. He was taunting her.
“I love a good chase.” His voice carried through the chilly night air. “Too bad you can’t shift and run, but you’re only a half-breed, aren’t you, Hannah?”
Bastard was trying to scare her, and damned if it wasn’t working. She’d never been so afraid in her life. But she was strong and it wasn’t just her life on the line.
She kept pushing, going deeper and deeper into the woods. The rush of a river sounded off to her left, and she headed toward it. If she could get into the water, maybe he’d lose her scent.
* * * * *
The killer hadn’t been this excited in years. It wasn’t just the thrill that came from the hunt and the kill. This time there was a sexual element involved.
He could almost taste her despair, her sorrow, and her fear. It fed the dark hunger inside him. He savored it as one would a fine wine. He wanted more of it.
No, he wouldn’t kill her right away. That would be a shame.
His wolf wanted to run her to ground. He would give his wolf that much. But he wanted more. He wanted her as a man wants any beautiful woman. That she didn’t want him was of no consequence.
That only added spice to the game.
He would catch her and then she would be his. To the victor go the spoils.
He planned on taking her somewhere he could spend some quality time with her. Once he had her completely subdued, then he’d tell her that he knew her father. That would add an extra layer to her torment.
He stopped and began to strip off his clothing. Taking his time, he folded each garment and set it aside on a rock. He’d need them later when he was done.
He wasn’t worried about her outrunning him. She was only a half-breed after all. He allowed the shift to happen, embracing his wolf. His limbs cracked and reformed, his jaw elongated, and fur covered him. He was a large black and brown wolf. Strong and cunning and ready to hunt.
He lifted his head and sniffed the air, easily scenting her trail. He picked up his pace, wanting her in sight. The sound of a river covered any sounds she might be making. He frowned and sped up. When he got to the shore of the river, he howled in fury.
Wolf in her Soul: Salvation Pack, Book 8 Page 17
