“I know. I wasn’t trying to make noise. There’s something up there, though. It looks like a tool bag. Maybe there’s a small flathead screwdriver we could use inside,” I said as I started up the ladder. “Do you know how to pick a lock?”
“Of course,” Eli muttered, but there didn’t seem to be much confidence behind his words.
My stomach rolled. This was going to take way longer than I would like.
When I reached the top of the ladder, I realized it wasn’t tall enough for me to reach the tool bag without standing on the very top rung. Since I didn’t feel comfortable doing so, I remained one rung below and stretched as far as I could. My fingertips brushed the rough, leathery pouch, but it was still just out of my reach.
“Get down,” Eli insisted. “Let me get it.”
I refused to listen. Instead, I held my breath as I stretched myself as far as I could, standing on the tips of my toes. I pinched the bag and was able to pull it to the edge of the shelf. Something inside of it shifted, oddly distributing its weight and causing it to slip off the shelf. With reflexes I hadn’t known I harbored, I caught it before it hit the floor and climbed down. Once both of my feet were on the ground, I peeked inside.
“What’s in it?” Eli asked.
My lips curved into a shit eating grin. “Ta da,” I said as I pulled a tiny flathead screwdriver out. “I knew there had to be one somewhere in all this junk.”
“All right, let’s see if we can get her door open now.” Eli took the screwdriver and handed me the flashlight back. “Shine the light steady on the lock for me.”
I followed him to Violet’s cage and adjusted the light so he could work without shadows. My gaze drifted to Violet. She hadn’t moved since we found her. I hoped there wasn’t anything wrong with her, like a head injury. Her ankle would keep her from shifting into wolf form, but there was something else keeping her from waking.
Had Drew drugged her?
Goose bumps prickled across my skin. What would be the purpose of drugging her? To keep her quiet? Placid? Was he really that afraid of what she was? If so, maybe we could use that to our advantage. Maybe we could scare the shit out of him, so he left our pack alone.
As Eli worked on picking the lock to Violet’s cage, I tried to think of how we could go about scaring Drew. What if scaring him wasn’t enough? He had done horrible things, and he needed to pay for them. We could beat him up before we left. We could kill him. Turn him over to the police for kidnapping Violet. Burn his house down with him still passed out in the recliner.
Darker and darker thoughts took up residency in my mind, but nothing seemed as though it would be enough.
The only thing I could decide on was the fact that I wasn’t walking away from this house without retaliating against Drew for what he had done. He and his brothers needed to know they couldn’t get away with what they were doing any longer. They needed to know there were consequences. Ones I was willing to dish out.
A click echoed through the basement, pulling me from my thoughts.
Eli had done it. He’d picked the lock on Violet’s cage.
“Got it.” He grinned at me from over his shoulder. “Let’s get Violet and get the hell out of here.”
Eli swung the cage door open. I expected Violet to stir from the noise, but she didn’t. There was something wrong with her. Was she dead? My heart pounded in my throat as Eli grew closer to her. I propped a discarded bucket against the cage door to keep it open before stepping inside, not wanting to take any chances it might swing shut and trap us.
“Violet,” Eli said as he crouched down beside her. His voice was soft and soothing, but it still didn’t do anything to stir her awake. “Hey, we’re here to take you home.” He touched her shoulder, but she still remained unresponsive.
“Is she alive?” I asked in a small voice.
Eli moved his fingers to take her pulse along the side of her neck. “Yeah.”
Thank God.
“Do you think Drew drugged her then?”
“Yeah, I think the bastard did.”
“Do you think he did anything else to her?” My eyes raked over her naked body, taking in her multiple bruises and cuts as my teeth ground together. I couldn’t even think about it.
“I hope not, but I don’t think we’ll know for sure until she wakes.”
My free hand clenched into a fist at my side. “He needs to pay for what he did. Are we going to do anything to him before we leave?” I had to know what Eli was thinking.
“Oh yeah,” he insisted. He smoothed Violet’s damp hair away from her face. “I haven’t decided what yet, though.”
“Me either.”
“Violet, hey,” Eli whispered, trying to rouse her again. She didn’t budge. “Come on, wake up. It’s time to go. We need to get out of here.” He tapped her cheek repeatedly. She groaned but never opened her eyes.
Maybe she couldn’t. Maybe whatever Drew had given her wouldn’t let her, no matter how hard she tried. It sucked because while I had counted on having to help her walk out of here, I hadn’t thought Eli would have to carry her. What if Drew spotted us and tried to stop us?
I guess I’d have to go toe-to-toe with him.
“Come on. You can do it. Wake up,” Eli insisted as he rubbed her shoulder. She groaned again and this time attempted to lift her arm. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to wake up or push him away thinking he was Drew. Either way, she didn’t manage much of anything. Her rubbery arm fell to her lap and remained motionless as she drifted back to sleep. “She’s not going to wake up. I’ll have to carry her.”
“Okay, you focus on getting her up and out of the cage, and I’ll see if I can find a weapon to use in case we need it.”
I exited the cage. There had to be something I could use lying around. A broom. A shovel. Something other than a dang flashlight or a pair of bolt cutters. I walked around the outer edge of the basement, searching. An axe wedged between the dryer and the shelf near where I’d left the ladder caught my eye. Now we were talking. Finally, something I could do some damage with.
I stepped around the ladder and bent to retrieve the axe from beside the dryer. Rough wood that felt slightly spongy met with my hand. The thing must’ve been waterlogged at one point.
I pulled it out, gripping it tightly. It still felt sturdy enough to be of use. I positioned the flashlight on it. The ax didn’t seem sharp and was rusted all to hell, but those were the least of my worries. It could still do some serious damage if I needed it to. There were few who could survive blunt force to the head by something like this. Adrenaline pumped through me as I rushed to show Eli my find. In my hurry, my foot caught on the ladder I’d left out from before, causing it to shift on the concrete and make a god-awful noise. I reached out to steady it before it could topple over. It wobbled, hitting the shelving unit behind me and knocked a box from one of the shelves, which fell to the floor with a thud. Curse words flew from my mouth. I froze and squeezed my eyes shut, praying Drew hadn’t heard the ruckus upstairs.
“You okay?” Eli asked instead of reprimanding me for making so much noise.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” My heart was about to explode, but I was okay.
“Bring me the light, I need…”
If Eli had finished his sentence, I wasn’t able to hear him. All I could hear was the sound of someone stomping around upstairs.
Either someone had come to visit Drew, or the noise I caused woke him. Neither situation was good.
I held my breath, listening as whoever it was continued through the house. When they stopped at the top of the basement stairs, anxiety prickled across my skin and my heartbeat hummed in my ears.
“What the fuck?” Drew’s groggy voice floated down the stairs. He’d spotted the cut padlock on the door.
Eli scanned the basement. I knew he was searching for an alternate way out. There wasn’t one. The basement was underground, which meant there was only one way out—the same way we’d entered.
We’d have to face off with Drew.
16
The basement door swung open, allowing light from the upstairs hallway to spill down the steps. I rushed to Eli’s side, not knowing what else to do. We were screwed. I could only imagine the amount of money Drew would get when he presented not one young female werewolf but two, along with a young male, to his boss.
“I need you to take Violet and get out of here,” Eli whispered. He secured the blanket he’d wrapped around Violet tighter and motioned for me to take her from him. His gaze flicked to the stairs, and even in the darkness, I could make out the heavy sense of determination rippling through the bright green of his eyes. “No matter what, that’s all you’re supposed to do. Got it?”
“What? No,” I insisted. “We’re in this together, Eli. Whatever you’re planning to do, you need to count me in.”
“I can’t. Violet needs to get out of here, and so do you,” he insisted in a harsh whisper seconds before the sound of a gun cocking echoed through the basement. “I mean it, Mina. Get yourself and Violet out of here.”
I shook my head. There was no way I would leave him. Not with Drew and his gun. “Eli…”
“Promise me.”
I couldn’t. He was asking me to leave him behind. There was no way I could do that. Eli would never leave me behind.
“Mina, promise me,” Eli insisted again. Drew was nearly halfway down the stairs. His heavy footfalls echoed through the basement, becoming an intense soundtrack to the conversation Eli and I were having. My mouth went dry. “Damn it, promise me!” He gripped my shoulders tight.
“I…I promise,” I muttered, hating myself the second the words pushed past my lips.
Eli’s mouth crushed against mine. He pulled me as close to him as he possibly could and worked his mouth across mine. The slight brush of his tongue touched my closed lips, but the instant I realized what was happening, he pulled away. He grabbed the ax from my hands, and started toward the stairs.
I didn’t waste time staring after him. Instead I dove into action. I knew if I could get Violet out of the house and to a safe location I’d be able to come back and help him with Drew.
While my plan might not be Eli approved, I didn’t give a damn.
Violet was starting to come to. She wasn’t fully awake, but her eyes fluttered and she was moaning. Whatever she’d been given was either wearing off, or she was one hell of a fighter.
I lifted one of her arms and wedged my shoulder beneath it. She was nearly as tall as me, and we weighed about the same, so carrying her was out of the question. She needed to wake up. I pressed my feet firmly into the ground and lifted her, helping to get her to her feet. All the times I dragged my drunk dad from one place to another now came in handy.
Mumbles and murmurs left her lips, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Instead of trying to decipher her words, I chose to ignore her. I shifted her to lean on me so she wouldn’t put weight on her ankle. I had no idea how I was going to get her up the stairs. Then again, I didn’t know how we would get past Drew either.
I was leaving that detail up to Eli.
A loud grunt captured my attention followed by banging. Drew was tumbling down the stairs. My gaze shifted to where Eli stood. From where he was, it looked as though he tripped Drew with the handle of the rusty ax he’d taken from me. I glanced back at Drew. He didn’t seem to be moving. Was he knocked out from the fall?
I continued dragging Violet toward the stairs, hoping we’d make it up them without falling like Drew. Also, it would be nice to do it before he came to. My stomach knotted as I cast a quick glance at him.
He seemed to already be stirring. I could hardly breathe.
I bit back a scream when he forced himself into a sitting position. He rubbed his head and groaned. I froze, watching to see what he would do next. Would he shoot us? Wait. Where was the gun he had?
“What the hell?” Drew grumbled once he spotted Violet and me. “That’s my paycheck you’re taken, little girl. Where do you think you’re goin’ with her?”
I flinched at his horrible words. Rage burned within me from how he viewed Violet. A paycheck? What an asshole. I opened my mouth to say so, but Violet moaned. Was she in pain? How could she not be? Her ankle had to hurt like a mother. A noise I couldn’t distinguish captured my attention. A gun went sliding across the floor.
Eli had kicked Drew’s gun out of his reach.
Thank goodness.
“Go! Get out of here,” Eli insisted. He stepped between Drew and the stairs, blocking his path to us and creating a safe exit for us to squeeze through.
I took it, knowing I needed to get Violet up those stairs and out of this house so I could come back and make sure Eli was okay. Adrenaline spiked through my body, causing my limbs to tingle.
It took everything I had to get Violet up the stairs, but somehow I managed. She helped as best she could, but she was still out of it. Her head kept lulling to the side. It was a wonder she could support herself at all.
Once we made it to the hall, I paused and listened to the house, searching for anyone who might’ve entered while we were focused on Drew downstairs. When no one else seemed to be inside, I started forward. Noises from the basement made their way to my ears, but I tuned them out. There was nothing I could do to help Eli until I got Violet to safety first. Besides, Eli was more than capable of handling Drew himself. Right?
“Come on. We need to hurry,” I insisted as I adjusted Violet’s weight on my shoulder. Pain sliced through my shoulder blade but I ignored it.
We were down the hall, through the living room, and out the screen door faster than I thought possible. Fear Eli might be hurt—or killed—was a powerful motivator. It had me almost dragging Violet.
Once we were outside, I deposited her at the edge of the woods, hidden behind a thicket. My hands went to my hips as I buckled over, struggling to catch my breath. Thoughts raced through my mind. What was my next move? Run straight to the basement and see what I could do to help get Eli out alive? Violet moaned, drawing my attention back to her. Her eyes stayed closed. Relief trickled through me because there was no way I had time to explain what happened to her or what I was doing here.
I needed to get back to Eli.
A manly growl spurred from the basement of the house. It floated along the humid night air straight to my ears, making the fine hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. It wasn’t Eli. It was Drew. And from the sounds of it, he seemed victorious about something.
Shit!
My feet were moving before I could form a plan of action. I darted up the steps to the porch and bolted through the screen door. The bedroom filled with guns was the only thing on my mind. I opened the cabinet nearest me and reached in for one. The shotgun was heavier than I thought it would be, but at least I had a decent weapon. I popped the chamber open the way I’d seen done on TV and spotted two large bullets crammed inside. A long breath exhaled from my lungs as another loud noise rolled through the house, stemming from the basement.
Drew and Eli had gone to war.
I launched myself out of the room, cut through the living room, and dashed down the hall. Once I reached the top of the basement steps, I paused to take in the sounds drifting up from below. The fight was still taking place, but it was hard to tell who was winning from listening.
I descended the stairs, gripping the shotgun tightly, knowing I’d use it if it meant saving Eli’s life or my own.
When Eli and Drew came into view, I aimed the gun at them, but I knew with as much as they were rolling around I’d never get a clear shot. I wasn’t a great shot to begin with. In fact, this was only my second time holding a gun in my life.
Drew mounted Eli and wrapped his meaty hands around his throat. Gargles and gasps for breath passed from Eli’s lips. I had to do something. Being frozen in the background wasn’t doing Eli any good. Now that Violet was safe, he was my priority.
I jogged down the remaining stairs and smashed the butt of the shotgun into the back of Drew’s head.
He tumbled forward, landing on Eli.
“What the hell are you doing back here?” Eli choked out as he struggled to get Drew off him and to catch his breath. “You shouldn’t have come back. I told you to get Violet out of the house and yourself.”
“I did get Violet out,” I insisted. “And, I believe a thank you is in order. I just saved your ass,” I said with more attitude than I felt. My insides were still quivering as the sight of Eli being choked to death flashed through my mind on repeat.
He could have died.
Eli slipped out from under Drew and forced himself into a standing position. “Thank you, I guess,” he muttered as he rubbed his throat while tossing a pissed off glare Drew’s way.
I scanned the length of Eli, making sure he was truly okay. Blood trickled from above his right eye. His lip was busted, and there were a few bruises forming across the left side of his face. When he brought his hand up to wipe away the blood from his eye, I noticed his knuckles were bloodied too.
It must have been one hell of a fight.
“Are you okay?” I asked, all attitude and teasing aside. I erased the small distance between us and reached out to touch the cut above his eye. He didn’t shrink away from my touch, but instead seemed to melt toward it. “That cut is pretty deep.”
For a human, it was probably deep enough to warrant stitches, but because Eli wasn’t human, I doubted he’d need any. In a day or two, it would heal on its own thanks to being moon kissed and the healing abilities that came along with it. It would still need to be cleaned, though. Werewolves might be able to heal cuts and broken bones, to a certain extent, but that didn’t mean infections couldn’t set in and cause severe damage.
“We really should clean that up. Do you have a first aid kit in your truck?” I asked. Eli didn’t answer. My gaze drifted from his cut to his eyes. He was staring at my lips. I licked them nervously. The air around us crackled with pent-up energy, and I knew he was going to kiss me again. This time I would be ready. This time I’d move my lips beneath his and respond the way I was supposed to, the way I wanted each time he surprised me with a kiss.
Mirror Lake Wolves 02 - Moon Hunted Page 13
