by Liv Brywood
Even in the hazy darkness, she sensed Luna’s distain. Diana wanted to take the confession back. Of course her sister wouldn’t understand. She’d never accept Ryker. No one would accept their relationship, not the wolves, not the humans. No matter how much they cared about each other, even if he did love her, they could never be together.
Diana sighed. “Never mind.”
“When we get out of here, you need to see a shrink. You have Stockholm syndrome. It’s happened before, women falling in love with their captors. I’m sure we can find a psychologist who specializes in the disorder.”
Chilly air seeped through the cracked walls and into the barn. Diana shivered. She’d been with the wolves for days and hadn’t considered her bizarre reaction to them. Most women would have run screaming into the woods rather than stay with the wolves. Why didn’t she do that? Could Luna be right? Could her relationship with Ryker be born of need because she would have been the wolves’ captive otherwise?
“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” Diana pushed the questions aside, but Luna’s accusation hung in the air. Diana knew there was only one way to find out if what she felt for Ryker was real or not, she needed to escape and find him.
Chapter 16
Rage propelled Ryker down the mountain. It was well past midnight and the moon hung low on the horizon. Dark trees stood like sentinels along the path to his den. An eerie sense of foreboding, heightened by adrenaline, forced boundless energy into Ryker’s legs.
He couldn’t believe Stryde had hidden Trista’s dress all these years. As soon as he found Diana and Leah, he was done with Stryde. The wolf didn’t deserve to be alpha of any pack.
Ryker rushed through the forest. Stryde followed close behind. Nothing would stop Stryde from searching for Leah, so Ryker didn’t bother to try to get rid of him. Until they found the missing women, he was stuck with the liar.
Ryker skidded to a stop in the underbrush just outside his den. Zane could be holding the women captive here, so he needed to proceed with caution. He listened for any hint of movement, but the only sound in the night was the hoot of a lone owl.
He padded to the entrance to the den. Still no sound.
Stryde tried to pass him, but Ryker stopped him with a low growl. The reckless jerk would get them killed if they weren’t careful.
Ryker trudged forward. The fur on the back of his neck stood on end. With each step, his worst fears played like a horror movie in his mind. All manner of tortured, dismembered scenarios played through his head. Diana had to be alive. There was so much he wanted to tell her, so much he never said. He needed the chance to confess the deep longing in his heart.
As he rounded the corner to the central room, he spotted the outline of a wolf crouched low on the central dais. Two beady eyes glistened in the darkness. Ryker couldn’t make out any features of the wolf, so he couldn’t tell if it was a member of the pack or not.
Ryker bent low and growled at the wolf. He took a step forward and the wolf shifted.
“Ryker, is that you?” Trent asked.
Ryker quickly shifted. “Yes. Have you seen Diana or Leah?”
“I thought they were up on the mountain.”
Stryde shifted then pushed past Ryker. “We went up there, but they’re gone. You haven’t seen them?”
“No. After the humans were captured, I left Clyde in charge and circled back to protect the den.”
Ryker paced the room. “Dammit. If they’re not here, and they’re not in the mountain den or with the Dark Moon Pack, then where are they?”
“We need to keep searching,” Stryde said.
Ryker said, “Let’s split up and search the forest. Maybe they escaped and are hiding somewhere. Stryde, you take the river. Trent, go out to Phantom Lake Pack and see if they’re with Kyran. Sunrise is just a few hours away. If we don’t find them by first light, then let’s meet here to regroup.”
The three wolves raced out of the den then split up. Ryker roamed the forest in a zig-zag pattern so he wouldn’t accidently miss them. He’d just finished the fourth pass when he heard a blood-curdling scream coming from the direction of the river.
Ryker ran toward the howling cries. The pitch was too low to be coming from a woman. Did the humans shoot one of the other wolves?
He burst through the tree line onto the beach then stopped cold. Pale moonlight streaked out from behind a cloud to illuminate Stryde. He sat in the center of the sandy beach holding the limp body of a woman. Wracked by tremors, his pitiful howls echoed up the mountain.
Ryker’s knees shook as he moved closer. His chest heaved from the strain of not being able to see the woman’s face. The closer he got, the more light-headed he became. If the dead woman was Diana, he’d never forgive himself for leaving her alone. He should have stayed to protect them.
Ryker was within ten feet of the pair when he could finally make out Leah’s features. Coagulated blood clung to an ugly bullet hole in the center of her shirt.
Ryker fell to his knees, partially from the horror of finding a member of his pack dead, and partially from relief that it wasn’t Diana. He hated himself for thinking of Diana when Leah lay dead in Stryde’s arms. But he couldn’t help it. Diana could have met the same fate and he wouldn’t know until he found her.
Any earlier fear paled in comparison to the sudden despair that tore through Ryker. He leapt to his feet and scoured the beach. He found a piece of severed rope dangling from a tree. Three sets of tracks led away from the tree. Two smaller sets followed by a large set. He dropped to all fours and sniffed the ground. He immediately recognized Diana’s scent and swayed with relief. She could still be alive.
He didn’t recognize the scent wafting from the third set of tracks. Who else would be out in the woods in the middle of the night?
On the beach, Stryde screamed. “Who did this? Who took her from me?”
Ryker hurried to his side. “Zane did this, but I think Diana’s still alive.”
“I don’t care about Diana. If you hadn’t saved her from Zane, none of this would have happened and Leah would still be alive.” Stryde sobbed and rocked Leah’s lifeless body against his.
A rustling in the forest drew Ryker’s attention.
Trent sprinted onto the beach. “What the hell happened? I heard screams.”
His jaw dropped when he spotted Stryde.
Ryker said, “Leah’s dead. But Diana’s alive and Zane has her.”
Trent approached Stryde. “I can’t believe she’s dead. We have to find Diana immediately.”
“We could track them, we have a trail.”
Stryde scooped Leah up and started into the forest.
“Where are you going?” Ryker asked.
Stryde’s voice cracked as he spoke. “I’m not leaving her out here. I’m taking her to the den.”
“We’re going to track Zane. Catch up with us when you can,” Ryker said.
Trent pointed to the trail of footprints leading into the woods. “Let’s go.”
They followed the trail to the old logging road. Ryker walked in circles trying to pick up the scent trail but it had disappeared.
“Dammit.” Ryker kicked a rock across the road.
Trent said, “We captured a lot of humans. One of them has to know where Zane could be holding her.”
Ryker nodded. “Good idea. Let’s go.”
When they reached the captives, Ryker approached the group. “A woman is missing and I need to know where Zane took her. I’ll release the man who tells me where he’s holding her.”
“I ain’t sayin’ shit.” One man said before spitting on the ground.
Ryker circled the men. “Zane killed a woman. Are you going to stay silent and protect a murderer?”
A few men whispered amongst themselves, but no one responded to Ryker. Frustrated, he was about to take a different approach when Stryde appeared in the clearing. The wild look in his eyes reminded Ryker of the insanity in Zane’s eyes.
Stryde grabbed on
e of the men and dragged him out of the group. He punched the man in the face. “Where’s Zane?”
His fists curled and he swung again catching the man under the jaw. “You tell me, or I’ll kill every single one of you. I have nothing left to lose, so tell me before I kill you.”
Ryker stepped between Stryde and the captive. Stryde pushed him away.
“Get the hell out of my way. You think you can reason with humans?” Stryde’s dark laugh ended with the crack of his fist against the human’s nose.
Blood spurted out and the man crumpled to the ground. For a second, Ryker thought he was dead, but then the man groaned and curled into a ball.
Stryde stalked toward the group. “Who’s next?”
“Wait.” One of the captive stepped forward and held up both hands in surrender.
Stryde got within inches of the man’s face. “Where’s Zane?”
The man retreated a few feet. “He’s got a farm out on Route 39. It’s about ten miles out of town on the right side of the road. It has a big red barn. He might be keeping them there.”
“Them?” Ryker asked.
The man shuffled from one foot to the other. “Zane took Diana’s sister, too.”
Ryker grabbed the man’s upper arm. “You’re coming with us.”
Stryde shifted to his wolf form, causing the captives to jump back. Their faces displayed a mixture of fear and disbelief.
Ryker told Trent. “Stay and guard them. We’ll be back as soon as we capture Zane.”
Chapter 17
Diana crawled around the cage looking for anything that she could use to pick the lock. A few years ago, she’d watched a video on how to pick a lock because she kept locking herself out of her house. She’d become an expert lock-picker, which saved her a ton of money on hiring a locksmith.
She couldn’t find anything to use as a pick. “Do you have anything in your hair? A clip or bobby pin?”
Luna said, “No, nothing.”
“Does your bra have underwire in it?”
“Yes.”
“Take it off and throw it over here. Maybe I can use it.”
Luna removed her bra then tossed it toward Diana. It fell into the hay outside of the cage. Diana leaned out as far as she could reach. Her fingers brushed the edge of one strap but she couldn’t get a grip.
She felt around and found a piece of hay that was stronger and longer than the others. She hooked it in the bra strap and used it to drag it closer. When her fingers closed around the fabric, elation surged through her.
Diana inspected the bra. Each cup contained one curved underwire. She tore the edge of the bra with her fingernail and pulled the underwire out.
She worked one piece of the metal into a tension wrench and the other piece into a pick. With one piece in each hand, she reached through the bars. She stuck the tension wrench in the bottom of the lock. As she held it down, she used the pick to push the pins up until they were set. The padlock used four pins and it only took her a few seconds to unlock it.
She scrambled out of the cage and rushed to the lock on Luna’s cage.
“Hurry, we have to get out of here before he comes back,” Luna whispered.
“I’m going as fast as I can.”
Diana shoved the tension wrench in the lock and used the pick to set the pins. As she turned the tension wrench to open the lock, the thin metal snapped off.
“Shit.”
“What happened? Why isn’t it working?”
“It broke in the lock.” Diana tried to extract the broken piece, but it was wedged in.
“Hurry, he said he’s coming back at sunrise and it’s starting to get lighter outside.”
Diana glanced through a hole in the barn. The sky had lightened from black to charcoal and a hint of orange played on the horizon.
Sweat coated her fingers as she worked to remove the broken piece. She tilted the lock and used her nail to pry it out. As it fell into the hay, footsteps sounded outside the barn door.
As the barn door creaked open, Diana dove behind a tower of hay bales. She couldn’t have snuck back to the cage without Zane spotting her.
“Sunrise.” Zane called in a sing-song voice.
Diana peeked around the corner. Zane strolled into the barn. A shotgun lay in the crook of his arm. He cradled it like a baby.
“It’s time for the unholy to return to hell.” His light cackle rose into a crescendo of madness.
Diana gauged how far she’d have to run before she could tackle Zane. The plan was stupid, but she couldn’t think of anything else. She was about to step out from behind the hay when Zane pulled up short.
“What the hell?” He inspected the open lock on Diana’s cage.
His gaze darted around the barn as he stepped back toward the door. “Show yourself woman.”
Diana froze. She couldn’t possibly run fast enough to tackle him before he shot her.
Zane stalked toward Luna. He raised the gun and pointed the double barrels at her. “Get out here or I’ll kill your sister.”
Diana raised her hands and reluctantly stepped out from behind the hay. She was about to surrender when a desperate plan took hold. She turned and hurled her body against the tower of hay. At first, the bales didn’t budge, but when she rammed it a second time, the columns fell like dominos.
Zane cursed and ran toward the door. Before he disappeared around the corner, his key ring fell to the floor.
Diana dove for the keys, and then she ran back to her sister. Her fingers shook so hard, she could hardly get the first key in the lock.
She swore. “Come on, come on.”
She shoved another key into the lock, then another, but none of them worked. She looked over her shoulder to make sure Zane hadn’t returned. The last key fit perfectly. When she turned it, the lock popped open.
She quickly removed the lock and tossed it toward the back of the barn.
“Hurry, we have to get out of here before he comes back.” Diana helped Luna to her feet.
The two women raced to the barn door. Diana stuck her head out and looked left then right. With no sign of Zane, she grabbed her sister’s hand and raced down the road that lead to the main highway.
Half way down the road, a shotgun blast sounded in the air. Diana spun to find Zane sprinting toward them. The sun rose over the mountain to bathe him in an apocalyptic red haze.
In the distance, a car rumbled down the highway. Zane’s eyes went wide as he started at something behind her. He rushed forward and hooked his arm around Diana’s neck. The force of his chokehold stole her breath.
As he dragged her back toward the barn, a pickup swerved from the highway onto the driveway. She could barely make out the passengers, but she would have known Ryker’s form anywhere. Her heart lurched. She struggled to get away from Zane, but his vice-like grip tightened.
As the truck skidded to a halt, a hail of rocks clattered against the underbelly. Stryde leapt out from the back of the truck. He bounded toward Zane.
Ryker jumped out of the truck and raced along the road. Diana kicked and screamed as Zane pulled her behind the house where she lost sight of Ryker and Stryde.
“Shut up,” Zane snarled as he clamped a hand over her mouth. He lifted the shotgun with his free arm.
She thrashed violently. She couldn’t let Zane shoot them. The stench from his filthy palm made her gag. She reared back which through him off balance for a second. She chomped down on this finger.
The second he released his grip, she screamed. “Look out. He’s got a gun.”
A single set of stealthy footsteps crunched in the gravel. Only one set, where had the other wolf disappeared to?
Sirens sounded in the distance. Had her sister found help and called the sheriff?
A rush of steps crunched in the gravel behind her. Zane’s grip tightened as he spun to face the attacker. Diana’s eyes went wide, Ryker rushed straight for her. He slammed into her and Zane, knocking all three of them off balance.
Ryker
pushed to his knees and locked an arm around Zane’s neck. “Stop moving and I won’t kill you.”
Zane snarled. “I’ll never surrender to evil.”
Zane’s head snapped back and caught Ryker’s chin. The sudden movement knocked Ryker back and he lost his grip. Zane jabbed an elbow into his gut. Ryker grunted and pitched forward onto his stomach. He went still.
Diana screamed. She spotted the gun on the ground and lunged for it. Her fingers hooked around the barrel, but Zane grabbed her wrist and twisted it. She couldn’t let him get it, but pain shot up her arm and she had no choice but to release it. Zane grabbed the gun from her and stepped back.
Suddenly, Stryde raced toward them. As he threw Zane against the side of the barn, the gun went off and a bullet whizzed past her head. Stryde knocked the gun out of Zane’s hands and it clattered to the floor.
Neither man stopped fighting. As Zane tried to stand, Stryde punched him over and over.
Diana scrambled toward Ryker and rolled him onto his back. “Please wake up.”
His eyes fluttered open and he jerked up. He scanned the surroundings until his gaze locked on the fight between Stryde and Zane. He rolled over and staggered to one knee.
Diana stepped in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders. “Wait. You’re too weak. Stay here.”
Ryker grumbled. “No, I’m going to kill him for kidnapping you.”
Diana watched in horror as he stumbled toward Stryde and Zane. She pushed past him and ran toward the shotgun. She grabbed it and pointed it at Zane but couldn’t get a good shot.
“Freeze.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the sheriff. Relief made her drop her guard for a split second. Zane shoved Stryde to the ground and tackled her. He twisted her wrist in an effort to steal the gun. As they wrestled, she hooked the shotgun’s trigger with the end of her finger.
Boom!
The blast punched her in the stomach. She fell backwards and knocked her head against the hard ground. The rosy sky faded in and out of focus.
“No,” Ryker screamed.
Stryde dove for the gun and flipped onto his back just as Zane jumped toward him. He fired. Zane jerked like a dancing marionette before falling to the ground.
