A man’s voice boomed from across the road, “Why don’t you come out onto the road and make this easier on everyone? You’re going to die regardless. Why prolong it?”
“Why don’t you put those guns away and fight like real men instead of fucknuggets?” Caleb called back.
He was on point today with his cuss words.
“You want a real fight? Fine. Just remember you asked for it. We were trying to make it quick and painless on you,” the voice taunted, and I was actually a little nervous.
I heard their footsteps come down off the mountain and hit pavement, followed by the sounds of their guns clattering to the ground.
Liam and Caleb stepped forward first, and I held Jamie back. “You don’t have to go out there.”
She flipped me off. “You guys can’t baby me forever. No better training than field training, right?”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Whatever you say, but stick close to me. Caleb and Liam will be their main targets and we’ll likely be underestimated. Keep to the basics I showed you and I’ll watch your back.”
She nodded, and we moved forward to crouch behind the guys. Neither of them objected to our choice to join in the fight, which was smart on their part. I may have only heard two shooters, but that didn’t mean there were only two of them out there.
When we came around the front of the truck, I was proven right. Five men stood on the road, dressed in all black. They looked every bit the part of the rogue mercenaries I had heard about. I’d never interacted with one in person, but I wasn’t afraid. I wouldn’t let these asshats hurt my family.
Once we knew how many we were up against, we didn’t pause. All four of us charged ahead without waiting for them to make the first move. As suspected, three went for Liam and Caleb, while two headed for me and Jamie.
If these were true rogue wolves, I had no intention of fighting clean, because I knew they wouldn’t. I let my wolf partially shift. My hands became claws and my strength increased. I wouldn’t be able to hold the position for long, as it was painful to stay partially shifted, but at the same time, I was strongest when my human and wolf worked together like this.
I headed straight for the larger of the two and kept as close to Jamie as I could. I wasn’t sure she was ready to fight on her own, but we didn’t have much of a choice and I’d never be the one to hold her back.
I raked my claws across the man’s chest, but he was wearing some sort of Kevlar and I didn’t even break skin. He grinned as he punched me in the face, knocking me back several steps. I recovered and headed for him again without hesitation.
I rammed my shoulder into his midsection as his arms came around my upper body, but my impact was stronger, causing him to crash into the ground and slam his head into the asphalt.
I didn’t let up when I got the upper hand. I retracted my claws and pounded my fist into his face until the man was unconscious. It was cathartic. Once he went limp beneath me and I heard the crunch of facial bones, I stood up to check on Jamie.
The dickface she was fighting had control of the fight, but not by much. He was bleeding from his nose and favoring his left side. Jamie had done some damage and I was damn proud of her. Unfortunately, I wasn’t taking the risk that she couldn’t finish the fight on her own. I plowed into the man on top of her and together, we finished the fight.
Liam and Caleb were holding their own, but not for long. They had managed to take one out, but they each still had an opponent to take care of.
Three bastards down, two to go.
The one Caleb was facing pretended to give up, letting his arms go slack, but he was actually reaching for a blade in his side pocket. The guy pulled it out and jammed it into Caleb’s side as he twisted.
Jamie went nuts and charged.
Holy shit, my bestie had a crazy side.
Caleb’s attacker went down hard, but so did Jamie. I took a few steps forward, thinking she needed help, but her arms were swinging before I could make it two feet.
Caleb was lifting himself off the ground, holding his side as blood poured from it. I heard the screeching of tires coming around the corner and breathed a sigh of relief that someone would be able to stitch him up. From the looks of it, his wolf healing would take too long to fully kick in before the blood loss became too much.
Liam had tied the one he’d been fighting by his hands and feet, using the rogue wolf’s own supplies against him. I grinned, hoping their pack would be able to take these guys back and interrogate them, providing us with some much-needed information.
Jamie was lying face-up on the ground with blood covering her chest, but very little of it was her own, thankfully. I helped her up and we made our way to the caravan of shifters who had shown up just a few minutes too late to help.
“We had to switch vehicles. Twice,” the man before us said angrily. “Batteries were dead in our normal rigs.”
More fuckery. Someone was getting cocky and they needed to be stopped.
Aiden came from around the back of the van, scaring the shit out of me with just the look on his face. His eyes were dark, and his demeanor was sinister. He’d been pushed past his breaking point and heads were going to roll.
“Are you guys okay?” he asked, voice clipped.
“We’ll be fine,” Liam answered. “We left them alive for you to have your way with. At least one of them should break.”
I turned back to watch the one Liam had been fighting fall over from his sitting position. “Um, someone might want to check on that one.”
The one who greeted us stepped forward for permission to do so.
“Go ahead, Abel.” Aiden nodded.
As Abel looked into the rogue’s health, Caleb and Jamie were taken to the van to get fixed up and we stood with Aiden.
“We’ll find them, brother,” Liam said. “They didn’t win today.”
Aiden only grunted in reply.
I rubbed my cheek and hissed. The bastard had hit me hard and likely fractured something. Liam pulled me closer as we waited for Abel to come back.
“He’s dead,” Abel said. “I smelled cyanide on him.”
These guys were crazier than I gave them credit for. Aiden would have to search the other four carefully for any other poisons if they were to get anything out of them.
“Do you want to go back?” I asked Liam.
He shook his head. “If things are getting worse here, we have no idea what’s happening in Oregon. Aiden and Caleb can handle it.”
That answer caused conflicting emotions within me; I was grateful he was still ready to go back to my pack but also fearful. I didn’t like being so far away from home, not knowing if we had bigger problems to worry about within our own walls.
“We’ll take care of the truck; you can take the car I drove here in,” Aiden said. “Call me when you land and I’ll update you then.”
Caleb and Jamie joined us again. “We’ll still drive you. No more bleeding.” Caleb patted his waist.
“Fine, but I’m driving there,” Liam replied.
We made our way to Aiden’s car, which purred as Liam started it. I sat in front with him this time and got a good look at the grin on his face.
Liam turned toward me. “Aiden has the best toys.”
I shook my head. At least he had something to make him happy after the attack. We wasted no more time and headed straight for the airport.
We arrived with barely any time to spare, so our goodbye was quick, but neither Jamie nor I was able to hold back tears. I was going to miss her more than I ever anticipated.
“Alright, no more crying,” Caleb teased. “Man up and say goodbye like we’ll see each other tomorrow.”
Jamie snorted. “Ha! Says the man who was tearing up last night about how he’s never lived away from his brother before and how much he’s going to miss him.”
I laughed as Liam wrapped his arm around Caleb’s shoulders. “I love you, too, bro.” Then, he proceeded to wipe fake tears from his face.
Ca
leb gut-checked him. “Get off me, asshole.”
One last round of hugs was given and goodbyes were said before we raced to our terminal. Once we were settled in our seats – thankfully, in first class with plenty of room and privacy – I pulled out my phone to call Augie before takeoff.
“Hey, Tay. On your way yet?” Augie asked, his voice sounding a little off.
“Yeah, we just got on the plane and I wanted to call before I shut my phone down. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“August James, do not lie to me,” I demanded.
He groaned. “Can’t you just wait until you’re home?”
“No.”
“We found the traitor. Sam caught Rick tampering with some of our equipment. He’s denying it, but there’s a lot of evidence pointing his way.”
Damn it. My gut had told me our traitor was Rick, but I had still held out hope that I was wrong. Now, we had to hope he was the only one and there wouldn’t be any more surprises within our own ranks, but I was beginning to think that likelihood was slim. Everything in me was screaming that things were going to get much worse before they got better.
Chapter 7
I really hated planes. They were confining and loud and had too many rules. My wolf was restless. There had been heavy turbulence almost the entire flight, making it impossible for me to even get up to stretch my legs for six hours. Too long of a time span for me.
There were several times when the flight attendant almost got throat-punched. Once for checking out Liam and two other times for interrupting our conversations. Didn’t they know we had more important shit to worry about than needing a damn pillow? Apparently not.
When we got off the plane, the torture wasn’t over. We still had to get our bags and it was as if we were in the middle of Black Friday shopping. People pushed and shoved, wanting to be first to the conveyer belt to get their things. I actually growled at some woman who accidentally pushed her tits into Liam’s face, claiming she had tripped. Bull-fucking-shit.
I wasn’t used to being around other women and Liam. He needed to figure out a way to tone down his hotness if we were going to be in public again. I was going to land myself in jail for assault if we didn’t get out of the airport soon.
Liam rubbed his hand at the base of my spine. “Easy, killer. We’re almost out of here. Augie is waiting outside for us.”
I huffed. “I don’t think I’m going to make it outside without knocking someone out.”
“Go find him and I’ll get our bags, okay? No sense in both of us waiting in this zoo.”
I scoffed. “Hell, no. The moment I leave you, the vultures are going to swoop in. You need me.”
He shook his head at me. “Yes, dear.”
Ten minutes later, we were outside and loading our bags into the rear of the truck. I climbed into the back, so I’d have more room while Liam took shotgun.
Augie glanced back at me. “How was the trip?”
I groaned. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You know eventually you’re going to have to explain your crazy texts about coming home, right?”
I nodded. “Yeah. Later, though. I don’t have it in me to say things in a nice way after dealing with so many people today.”
Liam winced, and I knew he was nervous about what I would tell Augie about our time in the Catskills. Augie wouldn’t judge him too harshly. He would have likely understood Liam’s position and smacked me for being so self-conscious.
The drive back home was a couple hours long, so I decided to sleep for most of it. The time change was killing me already, and I knew my dad would want to meet with us as soon as we got in. A little extra rest after the irritating flight sounded like the best idea.
Liam shook me awake when we got back. It was early evening and the sun was beginning to set. My favorite time of the day was when the sun began moving below the horizon, causing a kaleidoscope of colors to grace the clear skies. Orange, yellow, red, and purple – so much beauty in Oregon.
Augie grabbed our bags. “Go see your dad. I’ll take these and be right there.”
I smiled at him and realized I hadn’t hugged him in far too long. I moved toward him as he dropped the bags and met me in the middle. His arms came around me and I held on as if my life depended on it. I hadn’t expected to get emotional, but I couldn’t help it.
Deaths from our pack, deaths in the Catskills, everything with Sera, leaving Jamie, and now someone double-crossing our pack. No, not someone. Rick. A high-ranking member of our pack. I needed a damn vacation from life.
“I missed you, Tay,” Augie mumbled in my hair.
I nodded, unable to speak yet. The tears had come, but I had managed to keep the actual crying noises at bay.
We pulled apart a minute later and I kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
I walked back to Liam and he took my hand in his as he used his other hand to wipe a stray tear from my face.
“I know Augie is your best friend and I have no problems with your relationship with him,” Liam said. “In fact, I’m glad you’ve had a friend like him growing up, but I also want you to know that I’m not going anywhere. Whenever you need to vent, whether it be verbally or physically, I’m here for you.”
I leaned up and pressed my lips to his. “Thank you. For all of that. It means more to me than you could possibly know. I promise there is nothing I can say to Augie that I wouldn’t tell you.”
Before Liam could reply, my dad stormed out of the house. I was sure something was wrong, but as I was about to ask what happened, his face lit up with a grin.
He held his arms open for me. “My baby girl.”
“Hey, Dad.” I went to him with no hesitation, just a bit of confusion.
I had assumed he’d have been stressed beyond measure with the news about Rick and hadn’t had time to miss me. I was wrong. His grip was tight, and he didn’t show any signs of letting up.
“Um… Dad, should we go to your office? We have a lot to talk about.”
“Of course.” He released me and turned toward Liam. “I’m glad to see you back with us, son. I spoke with your mom. She called to apologize for the rough start, but promised she’d be here to visit soon. Anyone care to tell me what she meant about the rough start?”
I answered before Liam could feel pressured. “Just a little misunderstanding when we arrived at the Catskills, but it’s been resolved. Nothing to worry about.”
I smiled up at Liam. I wouldn’t put him through my dad’s wrath.
Dad eyed both of us suspiciously. “All right, then. Let’s head to my office.”
As soon as we opened the front door, Augie came from the kitchen, fried chicken in hand.
“Man, I should have grabbed more food, but I thought you’d be started already,” Augie whined.
I wasn’t sure there was anything he thought of more than food.
My dad turned toward us. “Are you two hungry? You can grab dinner before we go over what’s been happening?”
I glanced at Liam and he was eyeballing Augie’s snack. “We’ll grab plates really quickly and eat in the office.”
I pushed Liam toward the kitchen and Augie followed. “I’m getting seconds,” he called to my dad.
We each filled up a plate and made our way to the office in record time. Courtney had made fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and pie. I was in dinner heaven.
I sank down on the couch in my dad’s office and Liam took the seat next to me.
My dad’s eyes narrowed on Liam and he put his serious face on. I almost laughed at him but thought better of it.
“Now, Liam, I know we haven’t spoken much about your role within the pack, but if you’re going to sit in on these meetings, you’re going to be expected to help out a lot more around here. Augie needs more shifters to help with the guard rotations and I could use you for some things around the pack house. Is that going to be a problem?”
“Not at all, Gerald,” Liam said
confidently. “I fully intend to make Raven Point my permanent home. Wherever I’m needed, you can count on me to be there.”
I smiled at Liam’s answer.
“Very well.” My dad nodded. “Let’s get started, then. Augie told you about Rick, correct?”
“He mentioned you brought him in, but we didn’t get specifics,” I said. “What happened? What was he messing with when Sam caught him?”
“Sam added some motion sensors to certain entry points on our property to give us a heads up in case someone tries to sneak in. One of them went off the night we put them up. It was late, and Sam was on rotation, so he went to check it out. Rick was there trying to rip one of them out.”
I didn’t understand why Rick would risk getting caught. If he was relaying information to Declan, then he could have just told him where not to go instead of taking the sensors down. None of it made any sense.
“What is Rick saying about being caught?” Liam asked.
“He’s saying he didn’t do anything. That he heard something coming from the sensor when he was passing by it and was only checking it out,” Augie answered.
My forehead creased in confusion. “So, was Rick on duty that night as well or was he just out wandering around? What was he doing?”
Dad leaned forward and sighed. “That’s the frustrating part. He won’t tell us what he was doing out there. He wasn’t on rotation. If he had a valid reason for being out there, then we might have believed him. It kills me to think our traitor could be him, but he’s hiding something, and we can’t risk that it may not have anything to do with Declan. There’s too much at stake”
I wanted to talk with Rick myself. Things weren’t adding up. Even though my head was telling me that Rick was our traitor, my heart told me not to rush to conclusions. Rick had been acting strangely lately, but there was more than one explanation for his out-of-character behavior. My gut was telling me that I needed to get to the bottom of it.
“I’m exhausted,” I said. “It’s been a long couple of days and I’m ready to go lay in my own bed. Do you mind if I go see Rick in the morning? I’d like to speak with him myself. I’d like to take Liam with me as well.”
Shades of Deceit (Raven Point Pack Trilogy Book 3) Page 5
