by Sydney Addae
“Okay, let’s say you’re right, what do you think is going on? Women? Drugs? Stolen goods? What?” Vanessa wanted to hear her friend’s opinion because she hadn’t a clue.
“You watch too much TV.”
“You started this, tell me what you think,” Vanessa challenged.
“Not drugs, Jim wouldn’t be involved in that. Whatever they’re doing, he thinks it’s good for the country or some crap like that.”
“Crap? Being a good citizen isn’t crap,” Vanessa said, disappointed by Shyla’s narrow view.
“I said he thinks it’s good, not that it is good for the country. You’ve heard of those radical fringe groups with their psycho ideologies?”
Vanessa had heard of militia groups who prepared for all sorts of things and thought of themselves as patriots. “Yes. You think Jim is a fanatic?” She couldn’t keep the disbelief from her voice.
“Not sure. I simply asked the question, what do he and Sanders do at that place?”
Vanessa thought about it. “I’m not sure how guys in these groups think or act.”
“Just a question that bugged me, no biggie,” Shyla said, standing. “More wine?” She pointed to Vanessa’s empty glass.
“No.” She stood and stretched. “It’s getting late. I need to get to bed.” She followed Shyla to the kitchen. “Thanks for dinner and company. Just a lot of stuff flying round my head.” She crossed her arms and leaned against the counter. “I love him and don’t want to lose him. He’s a good man who loves me for me.” She needed to hear the words, hopefully they’d stop her from thinking of Ethan and how good he smelled. Or the strength in his embrace. Stop it.
“You believe he knows you?” Shyla asked.
“Yes, yes I do.” She straightened and faced her friend.
Shyla nodded. “But do you know him? The real him? What does he do during the day? What kind of emergency meetings does he go to? Is he a licensed hunter? Or does he just go along with Sanders because he loves the chase? Have you ever been to his place? Or verified any of his story?”
Vanessa’s heart raced as she realized she could only answer one of the questions thrown at her, which could mean she didn’t know him at all. “Good questions.” She pointed at Shyla. “Jim said you don’t like him.”
“Not for you, I don’t. I get suspicious when a man rushes a woman to the altar, especially now-a-days. I’ve said that from the beginning.”
“Yes, you have.” Vanessa moved into the living room and grabbed her purse. “I have a lot to think about. See you tomorrow.”
“Drive safe.” Shyla waited at the front door, watching.
Vanessa waved in acknowledgment while walking to her car. Shyla’s questions ran in a cyclonic circle in her mind. What the hell did Jim and Sanders do at that place? When she’d asked, he’d made it seem as if they reminisced of their time together in the military and simply hung out. At the time they’d just started dating and she didn’t press. With all her secrets, she’d never asked anyone too many questions, but maybe she should have. Not that she would’ve told him about New Jersey when they first met, but she should know if her fiancé was a licensed bounty hunter, or a part of some militia group, or the kinds of meetings he ran off to.
When she pulled out of Shyla’s driveway she had no intention of driving to Sanders’ place. Yet that’s exactly what she did. With the absence of street lights, the long winding road leading up the side of the mountain seemed sinister. Once or twice she’d been sure she’d passed the turn-off. Dogs barked and howled in the distance. She saw the outline of a large dog running across a field before it disappeared behind the trees.
“That’s a big dog. Where you going fella?” she asked, looking in her rear view mirror for the animal, but didn’t see him. “Glad I’m in here and you’re out there.” She breathed a sigh of relief when she arrived at Sanders’ gate.
Now what? Sitting in the dark, she remembered why she rarely acted impulsively. It sucked. She didn’t have the code to the gate or a key. Vanessa turned off the car, grabbed her keys and purse, and stepped outside. Moonlight touched the gate and trees, leaving other parts of the driveway dark. Heart racing, she wondered what was she doing out here, alone, at night. Did she want answers this bad? No. But she’d come this far. Just test the gate, see if it opens. If it does, then consider going inside. If not, then it’s a sign to go home. Convinced her impromptu plan would work, she eased toward the gate, looking around with each step. She stuck out her hand and gently touched the wrought iron. Nothing. She released a breath and pushed, just to validate her idea of giving it a try.
The gate moved.
Her heart jumped into her throat as she stared in disbelief at the small opening. Every horror movie she’d ever seen flashed across her mind. Only stupid girls walked through gates leading into the dark.
Vanessa wasn’t stupid. She turned and raced back to her car. Hands shaking, she placed the key into the ignition, spun around and drove down the side of the mountain. When she arrived home, she checked every lock and made sure her security system worked.
Alone in bed, trying to relax, she replayed her ill-fated late night adventure in her mind. “Why didn’t Sanders lock his gate?” she murmured.
Chapter 19
Dressed in black and a face mask, Ethan walked into the small office located at the back of Sanders’ house. They’d almost missed it because the entry looked like a part of the wall. His high-powered scanner had identified electronics behind the wall, and after several minutes they were able to break the code on the door and disable the alarm. Alpha Fulton had been right, there was a lot of security equipment for such a small house. So far they hadn’t uncovered an underground lair, but Ethan was positive there had to be more to this place than what they saw.
Although his sophisticated equipment shut down the security system, including cameras and scanners, Ethan was certain an alarm had been sent to someone. “We’re running out of time, did you send everything to the cloud for Jacques?” he asked Callum.
“Just about there.”
Sensing Vanessa on the property earlier had surprised him. She had to know Jim and Sanders weren’t here. So what was she after? He’d been happy when she didn’t enter the front gate. Since they’d entered through the woods in the back, no one had scanned the front area for traps. He’d been prepared to show himself to save her from harm if necessary. When she drove off, he’d sent one of Alpha Fulton’s pups to follow at a distance to make sure she arrived home safe. The more they looked around this place, the more he didn’t want her involved with Jim. These two were ass deep into some kind of militia group with serious egos.
Ethan inhaled.
The scent in the house caused his head to throb. The longer they remained, the worse it got. La Patron was interested in that fact alone, but there was more, a lot more. Vials of liquid hidden in a safe. Bullets with powder-filled tips. All types of pills and formulas. Matt and Dr. Patten would have their hands full going through this stuff.
“Done. Let’s torch this place,” Callum said, standing and pulling the bag with the samples over his shoulder.
Ethan agreed but they didn’t have permission for that. “Shut everything down, let’s go. I’ll reboot the security once we’re down the road.”
They walked down the hall toward the back and stopped. “Company?”
“Humans.” Ethan eased out the back door and breathed to clear his head. Fresh air helped.
“They’re coming through the front,” Callum said, moving to Ethan’s side.
“Go.” Ethan pointed to the trees. Callum took off.
Four humans. They split up, two walked toward him and would see him if he ran. Ethan flattened against the wall and waited. Their silent approach told him these were professionals, possibly military trained, which probably meant thermal detectors.
Screams and then gunfire erupted in the front. One of them turned and ran toward the noise, the other continued toward him. The subtle click before the shot was h
is only warning. Ethan leapt and flipped in the air, landing several feet to the side of the man, surprising him. Taking advantage of the momentary lapse, Ethan jumped and kicked him beneath his chin, snapping his head back. The gun fired again into the air as the man hit the ground hard.
A bullet hit Ethan in the shoulder as he grabbed the rifle and fell forward. Taking a deep breath, he cleared his head and listened. Someone approached. Another bullet ripped into his thigh. Fire raced up his leg as he rolled over and took a shot. It went wide. He closed his eyes, inhaled, pointed and fired. A yell and thump on the ground. Inhaling, he opened his eyes. Three were on the ground, where was the fourth one?
Inching back towards the tree line, he continued scanning the area for the fourth person. That’s when he heard it. Several clicks. He pointed and fired just as several bullets whizzed by him. He rolled over and crawled behind a large tree as more bullets flew by. The fourth person walked out slowly, wearing military gear. He dropped to his knees and checked the person on the ground. Inhaling, Ethan recognized Pamela’s scent, she’d been the one who shot at him. He squeezed off another shot. It hit her but didn’t knock her down.
She turned and ran into the house.
Bleeding from both his leg and shoulder, Ethan slowly stood and took off through the woods. Callum caught up with him and helped him make it to meet up with Alpha Fulton. By the time they made it to the rendezvous point, the bleeding had stopped but the pain hadn’t, which meant the bullets were probably still inside. Callum laid him in the back seat of the truck and took off. Ethan had no idea where they were heading, but the pain grew worse. Heat engulfed him. Twice he rolled onto his side and emptied the contents of his stomach.
“Hold on E, we’re almost there.”
“Ethan?” La Patron called his name but the pain had spread throughout his body, making it impossible to speak. “I can’t allow you to shift, your beast is suffering and it’ll only make him worse. Matt is waiting for you; he’ll remove the bullet in your thigh. The one in your shoulder went through. I put your beast to sleep. That’ll help reduce some of your anguish.”
“Thank you, Sir. My mate, is someone watching her?”
“Fulton and his den has been assigned to watch her. One of his pups is in her class. Plus, the librarian. Nothing will happen to your mate, rest easy.”
Warmth like a heated blanket poured through their link, easing his discomfort. “Thank you, Sir.”
“Abel is returning to the compound to talk to you, he’s been working on a project regarding breeders. We believe the vials you recovered are either the same or similar to others we’ve recently discovered. And given the fact Jim McNeill, Sr. lost his position on the Joint Chiefs because of me, his son courting your mate is suspicious.”
“What?” Ethan tried to sit up, made it halfway and fell back onto the seat. “I’ve got to get back to her. That bastard’s rushing her into marriage.”
“We know. People are in place to make sure that doesn’t happen, even if I have to have her removed until you get better.”
Chills ran down Ethan’s back. “No. Sir, that would traumatize her. She’s been kidnapped already and she lives in fear of that happening again. Please don’t do that to her, I’d rather her marry him than have her go through that again.”
“Very well. I haven’t read her file and won’t do anything to cause her additional problems. But if General McNeill is experimenting, and he had access to a lot of information, your mate was probably kidnapped by them early on and they sent this person in to lock her down. I can send a Knight in to watch her as well as additional pack, but if she wants to be with him, she will, and that’s dangerous. There’s no telling what plans they have for her.”
“Sir, please. I must get back to her.” Even through the haze of pain his main priority was Vanessa.
“Will she talk to you?”
Ethan paused. “Not yet.” But it didn’t matter and La Patron understood that.
“She’s with the Librarian and under pack watch, so she’s safe for now. You aren’t going to help anyone until that bullet comes out and stops poisoning your system.”
“But, Sir —”
“I promise you can return to protect your mate as soon as you’re physically able. Remember, she has no idea of your nature or that you were shot. Take care of your health so you can protect her, is that understood?”
Ethan heard the order and tamped down his disappointment. “Yes, Sir.”
“Good. Callum’s pulling up to the gate. I’ve cleared everything for you to get through and meet Matt for surgery. Dr. Patten is waiting for the samples you pulled, good work by the way. Those are important pieces of information.”
“Thank you, Sir.” The truck stopped.
“Can you walk on your own or do you need a stretcher?”
Ethan recognized the voice of Matt, the physician.
“Yes, I can walk.” He slid out of the seat and almost hit the ground as his leg buckled.
“Here, give this to Dr. Patten. I’ve got him,” Callum said, looping Ethan’s arm around his shoulder. “Where to?”
“Kitchi, I need you,” Ethan called out.
“What’s wrong?”
“My mate, please watch over her until I can.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Richland, Maryland, Vanessa Prince, works at the school.”
“What’s wrong with you? Are you sick? Hurt?” Kitchi asked again, his voice rising.
“This way.” Matt walked toward a door, typed in a code and waited. Ethan recognized the moment his beast woke. Shards of pain slammed into his leg. Everything dimmed and he saw nothing else.
Chapter 20
Silas walked into the living area of his home and watched Jasmine sitting on the sofa with her feet beneath her. Upset over Ethan, Thorne’s, and Callum’s situations, she’d been quiet since they arrived home late last night.
“Pups down for a nap?” He remained near the entry, gauging her mood.
“Not yet. Rose, Rone and the twins are having lunch with them. After they finish, Rose will put all six down for a nap.” She’d looked at him while speaking and offered a weak smile.
“Good. I have a meeting with Cain, Abel, Hawke, Asia, Angus, and the rest of the team in 30 minutes to go over what Ethan discovered. Cain thinks Ethan uncovered critical information regarding one of the military back door ops. I’d like you to sit in on the meeting.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“I talked to Rose separately from Rone. She talked to Thorne and thinks he’s lying about where he’s been these past years. He’s protecting someone. She believes it’s his mate.”
Jasmine nodded but didn’t say anything.
“I’ll tap into his memories to see if he’s involved in anything that’ll hurt the pack.”
She nodded but didn’t look up.
“Would you like to watch? Ask questions? We can do this privately with just the two of us.”
“Yes, thank you. I have a few questions for him. Can we do it now, before the meeting? I’d like to get it over with if that’s okay.” She slid forward and stood.
Dressed in tight-fitting jeans and a long loose-fitting print top, she looked cool, sexy and elegant. His fingers itched to pull on a few of her soft curls hanging on her shoulders.
“If you’re ready to go now, we can. Otherwise —”
“I’m ready.” She looked around and bent forward, pulling her shoes from beneath the sofa. He reached forward to offer assistance as she hopped on one foot while putting on the shoe. “Got it. Let’s go.”
Silas opened the door and they headed to the elevator that would take them downstairs to the cells. He grabbed her hand and continued walking in companionable silence. From the corner of his eye he stole a glance at her. She seemed pensive, aware and yet distant. Since she hadn’t said anything he was hesitant to peek into their link, and hoped she’d share whatever was on her mind.
As they approached the last security checkpoint, Silas w
aved to the guard. “I want this dark, no recordings, no interruptions.”
“Yes, Sir.” The guard hit a variety of buttons, and the door opened slowly.
Silas followed Jasmine just inside the entry and then took over the lead. Thorne’s scent reached him the moment they entered. Tendrils of fear rose from the direction of Thorne’s cell. Silas stopped in front of the cell, keyed in the security code, and opened the gate.
“Thorne, come here.” He watched the pup stand slowly and walk toward them. The stench of fear rose with each step the young one took. Gone was the small, awkward teen who’d run around the compound. Thorne had fleshed out, gained muscle and for his sake, hopefully wisdom.
“Sir.” Thorne dropped to his knees in front of Silas and remained silent. Jasmine looked at Silas. He shook his head, both to tell her he hadn’t made the pup do that and for her not to speak.
Silas placed his palm on Thorne’s head and sifted through his memories. After a few minutes, Silas vibrated with anger. The pup had sold them out. He’d shared information of the layout of the compound, the underground tunnels, labs, gym, and all the outbuildings.
Jasmine touched his arm. He met her gaze and realized she’d seen what he’d seen. Sorrow and determination etched across her face.
“He betrayed us,” Jasmine said to Silas.
“Yes, and the information he sold may have caused Frog’s death.”
“No. No.” Thorne broke down in tears.
Jasmine didn’t blink. “Frog wasn’t the only person hurt, Hawke, Asia, our den. All for what? Help me understand, Silas. Why would he do that after we took him in when his mom died?”
“Jealousy. He wanted more attention than we gave. His sisters were busy with their lives and he had too much time on his hands. Even after you gave him a second chance, he ran to be with our enemies.”
“You warned him,” she said, her voice resigned. “Who’s Cabbage?” she asked Silas.
“His mate.”
“A mate so young? Is that unusual?”
