Fault Lines

by K. C. Stewart

  Behind them all, Sadie let out a choked sob. “Mira?” Tyson immediately turned and with eyes and a heart filled with sympathy, he stroked her face. “Babe, shhhhh. It’s ok,” he whispered into her hair. “We will find her.”

  “It’s Canidae, isn’t it?” she asked.

  Owen hadn’t been able to talk, hadn't been able to do more than rage inside. He spoke now, “Yes.”

  “Do we have a plan?” Vince asked.

  Tyson pulled two chairs over to their table and sat with Sadie. “We will soon.”

  Cobie explained the events again, this time describing what he could of the driver. It was all very non-descript but Owen expected nothing less. He had excused himself to talk to Chuck for a moment. The man was a godsend and had reached the majority of the pack. They were all at ease to know that he was alive and the pack bond would be set back soon. Owen asked him to call Cobie’s mother and have to come pick him up.

  “Hey boss?”

  He turned back to Chuck letting the kitchen door swing close.

  “Lee has called a few times. She’s in a panic over you.”

  Owen didn’t have time to comfort Lee when he had Mira to find. “Tell her I’ll call her later,” he said sounding tired. “Assure her everything is fine. Same bullshit you’ve been telling everyone else.”

  Chuck nodded and laughed a little. “I’ll do my best.”

  With Lee, that was all you could do.

  Back at the table the plan was coming together more fully. Vince got up to cut him off before he sat down. He looked back at Cobie with the concern of a parent.

  “I need to ask you something.”

  He nodded for him to go ahead.

  “Cobie saw them, he may not have looked like he was paying attention but he still saw. I think they might try for him.”

  Owen closed his eyes for a long second. He hadn’t even considered that but Vince was right, they would come for him, and soon. They wouldn’t want to risk him getting the chance to tell anyone what he saw.

  Tyson joined them, having already come to the same conclusion they had. “I have an idea but neither of you will like it. And not that it will make a difference but Cobie is on board.”

  All three of them looked to the table where Sadie and Cobie were talking about his summer plans.

  “What is it?” Owen asked.

  “We set Cobie up as bait. Put a tracker on him, both electronic and wolf. We follow and bust them both out.”

  Vince, whose feelings for the boy were as strong as blood, shook his head vehemently. “No. Absolutely not.”

  In any other situation, Owen would agree. Today however, he wasn’t thinking straight since it had been Mira who was taken. His little Rabbit, who was strong willed and spoke her mind, who was fragile in her human skin, who he cared more deeply for than even he or anyone else had realized. His wolf demanded her return at any cost.

  He hadn’t said anything. Both Tyson and Vince waited for him to agree or disagree. He nodded at Tyson. “We will have to talk to Candice first. I’d want two wolves and one person following in a car. Tyson, I kept all your equipment from before. It’s in my room. Head there now and get back within twenty minutes. I want to act fast. Odds are they will drop Mira off where ever they are holding her and then be back out to find Cobie.”

  Vince began to object but Owen was done. “We’ll keep him safe. I want you as a wolf alongside myself. Tyson will be in the car with the tracking. If any one of them fails, we have two backups. We will find them, extract them safely, and kill all the bastards.”

  Owen left them and walked to the table where he sat across from the young wolf. There was a determination in his face that Owen had never seen there before.

  “Why do you want to do this?”

  Cobie didn’t look surprised at the question. “She helped me. I want to help her.”

  Owen nodded once. “Good enough.”

  His mother showed up minutes later. She was relieved to see her Alpha whole and hugged him. He returned it with enthusiasm, not realizing how much he needed the hug. She then sat down beside her son and they began to explain for the third time what was happening.

  “If he wants to do it I won’t stop him. But if he is hurt in any way, Owen Purcell, I will hunt you down myself.” Candice was a fierce mother wolf. He approved.

  “It’s a deal.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Secure her so we can head out for the boy.”

  The truck had stopped, along with Sadie’s heart. As long as they were driving she wasn’t with “the boys,” who sounded like they played rough. The side door slid open revealing the man she had only seen a glimpse of earlier. He reminded her of a ferret, long and lanky with beady little eyes. The man smiled at her. It was not an impressive smile, nor an evil one, but it did make her feel dirty.

  “She’s awake,” he said loud enough for the driver to hear.

  The other man had already climbed from his seat and came around the side of the van to stand next to ferret. This was the man with the quiet voice. He wasn’t an especially big man but he was toned to the point that she was pretty sure those were bricks under his shirt. He stood silently beside the ferret, assessing. She got the impression that this one didn’t miss anything. The catch in her breath, the raise pulse in her chest, the way her eyes avoided his. He caught it all.

  “Put her inside. Lock the door. No one is to touch her till we get back,” he said stoically before walking off.

  “Rest up, little lady,” the ferret said pulling her out of the van. “You’re going to have a long night ahead of yourself.”

  *****

  “Do you think they’ll actually go after him?” Tyson asked from the driver’s seat while Owen sat in the bed of the truck. The window was open so Tyson felt the need to talk. All Owen could do was snort or grunt when he was a wolf. He chose to grunt.

  Tyson glanced over at him and chuckled in an easy way. “You know, I forgot how much I enjoyed you like this,” he said with a smug smile. “Can’t talk back. Ya know, since I don’t know when I’ll get another chance like this, I have a few things I’d like to say to you.” Owen sighed audibly. “First of all, I never did thank you for being a complete and total dick to Sadie after she was changed. No really, I’m not even being sarcastic. I appreciate it. Had you been your normal charming self, she probably would have fallen for you and I would have had to tear your throat out.”

  This time he snorted.

  “Second up on the agenda,” he said while scanning the street. His eyes never left the road even though he was talking to Owen. Cobie sat on a bench with his head phones in and an air of indifference that could only be achieved by a teenage boy. Vince, who was also sporting his fur, was on the other end of the street. If, or when he was taken, Owen would jump out of the truck and all three of them would follow.

  “What are your intentions with Mira?”

  Really? Owen said with his eyes.

  Tyson cast a glance his way. “Don’t give me that look. It’s only fair I have this talk with you since I already had it with her.”

  That was news. He imagined that it didn’t go to well. Maybe if Tyson was closer to his Rabbit he could see her taking it seriously but they just met and not on good terms either.

  “I’m not telling you what she said so just get that out of your furry little head.”

  He growled.

  “Nope.”

  Owen turned his head back to the street but he kept the small snarl.

  “So? Is this a fling, which I’ve never known you to have, or are you hoping for something more? Because there are some things you need to consider if you want this to turn into something.”

  He knew that already.

  “Like the fact that she is human. Now, it’s not forbidden or anything but it’s just not done if you aren’t submissive. Not to mention you are the alpha…”

  All things he knew already.

  “The pack is a decent bunch but you know you would get shit f
rom some of them. Then there is the whole she ages faster than you do thing. Do you really want to watch her grow old and die when you are only half way through your life?”

  He’d thought of that too.

  “Plus you’d have to tell her and I’m not sure how that would pan out. You know not everyone handles what we are very well.”

  All the signs told him no, don’t bother with this one. He knew it would be the safe choice, the sane choice. But she called to him like a siren to a sailor. They had this chemistry that he had never felt with anyone before, not even Lee. The possibilities were infinite with her. He felt like the world could be so much more if she was sharing it with him.

  “All I’m saying is that you need to think this through before you start humping her leg. Don’t get me wrong, I like the girl. She’s feisty and I think you need a little of that in your life but I don’t want either of you to get hurt because then my life would become hell. Sadie would make be choose Mira’s side because they are sisters and then I’d have to defend her honor or some shit. We’d fight. You’d lose because you’ve gone soft and then I’d be alpha and I really don’t want to be alpha. So for my sake, think about it.”

  Owen didn’t respond. A white van was slowly making its way down the street. Tyson sat up a little straighter.

  “You might want to get out of the truck now.”

  That was a good idea.

  Owen leapt from the truck bed as Tyson started the engine. The van slowed considerably as it neared Cobie. The passenger side window rolled down and Cobie lifted his head. Directions maybe? He was too far away to hear. Owen stayed low and went a little closer. There was only one guy in the truck, the driver. He knew what was coming but still had to hold himself back from intervening. The back door slid open and the second man jumped out. He grabbed Cobie who put up some of a fight but it was all superficial, and drug him back into the van. They began to drive off as the door slid shut.

  Owen saw Vince on the other side of the road. He nodded and began to follow. Tyson pulled out on to the street and kept his distance. The three of them followed the van out of town. Once they were free of the town limits the van sped up. But out here, Owen and Vince could run. This was their territory now.

  If they ever suspected Tyson, they never showed it. They cruised a consistent 45 miles an hour for 20 minutes before turning off onto a gravel road just south of the lake. Tyson kept on going on the road. He would pull off just ahead and meet up with Vince who would then follow Owen’s scent to where they were holding Mira.

  She was strong he continued to tell himself. She was strong and she would survive this. All she had to do was stay alive; everything else could be dealt with later. His ear twitched. He wouldn’t think about her being raped or beaten and used in whatever perverse way these Canidae fucks could think of. He couldn’t think about it or he’d snap.

  He couldn’t and yet, he was.

  Just stay alive.

  They came upon a large rectangular building. It was old and the roof had caved in at one end. Owen had never seen it before but the Adirondack Park was very large and there were definitely spots he had missed in his travels. The van door opened revealing Cobie, now bound with wire ties and duct tape over his mouth. The boy looked frightened but also very pissed off. From where Owen stood in the trees, he couldn’t see any damaged done to him.

  That was good.

  Vince, quiet as shadow, came up behind him followed by Tyson who flanked his other side. The three of them crouched low and assessed the building. Unfortunately, only one of them could talk.

  “He alive?” Tyson asked not much louder than a breath.

  Owen nodded.

  “Good. The plan still holds then. We go in and clear the place room by room, wolf by wolf. We get in, we get out. Truck is parked a half mile back. I’ll carry whoever needs it and we’ll have to make do with the other and hope they are in good enough shape to walk; otherwise we have to wait for one of you to change. But the faster we get them out the less time they have to send reinforcements.”

  Owen and Vince nodded. They had gone over all of this already. Twice. He was ready. Owen felt like he was a live wire. If they didn’t get moving someone was sure to get stung.

  Tyson grabbed him by the scruff as he stood up to get this thing fucking started. Owen turned and snapped at his hand.

  Friends or not, no one grabbed him. Ever.

  He growled at Tyson. His hair beginning to stand on end. Tyson held his hand close, but otherwise didn’t move. He had nipped him, drew a little bit of blood but nothing more than a scratch. It was a warning and one that had been received.

  “Sorry but damn you need to chill the fuck out.”

  He snarled.

  “Yeah, whatever. Let’s head in. Owen, remember the plan. Get them out. No changing. No unnecessary kills. Just get them safe.”

  Like he had forgotten in the ten seconds since they last went over it. He snapped his teeth at him again and turned to head in. Tyson and Vince followed. The man who had grabbed Cobie was still at the van. The driver had escorted the boy inside. Owen wanted the kill but as agreed, Tyson took it. They had to do this quietly and Owen would have wanted to hear him scream. His hand clamped around the man’s mouth before he could scream and with a hard twist, the man crumpled to the ground.

  Vince was standing by the open door. He sniffed the air and then pawed the ground five times. Owen nodded. He smelled five of them as well. Owen went first, slipping inside the door and slinking along the wall. The building was one giant room. They came in behind some boxes, which kept them from being seen. Something was going on just on the other side. He could hear the rapid heartbeat of two hearts, one pounding harder and faster than the other. Owen found a break in the boxes and got his first glimpse at the room.

  First thing he saw was Mira, alive and breathing. Her shirt had been torn open and pieces of it were lying on the ground at her feet. Her pale skin, now bruised and scratched, glowed in the darkened room. Her breasts were exposed and she didn’t bother to cover them up. Her hands were currently busy gripping one of the men by the back of the neck and holding a pistol to his head.

  Her pants were intact, although the button had been torn and a peak of her orange underwear was showing. He let out a long, silent breath. They had made it in time. She hadn’t been violated or harmed more than superficially.

  Vince had passed him and was creeping down the line of boxes. Tyson had done the same thing going the other direction. He looked at each of them. They were ready. Owen turned back to the crack and let out a low, guttural growl. The Canidae all looked around and then right to where he was standing. Owen growled again, this time barking at the end. One of the men cursed.

  He attacked.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Mira’s hand held steady. Even as a freakin’ giant wolf jumped through the wall of boxes, her hand didn’t budge. She was scared shitless but wouldn’t let it show. It wasn’t just her in this anymore. The kid they had just brought in was behind her on the ground, unconscious. He couldn’t have been fifteen. The men who had taken her had come back to “the boys,” as they had called them in the van earlier, playing with her.

  First they had touched her. Nothing horrible. Just little touches on her arms, face, legs. Every time she pulled away another was there to touch her again. She hadn’t been able to think straight. There were just too many of them, too many hands. Then they laughed as they tore her shirt. Each of them grabbing and ripping. She fought but it had been useless. As she’d slap one away, she’d run right into another who would rip another piece of her clothing and push her into someone else. When her shirt was completely off and her jeans ripped, one of them held onto her and didn’t pass her along. He held her from behind, a hand on her hip and the other around her neck. He ran his nose along her bare shoulder, collar bone and neck. Self-preservation had kicked in. If she didn’t do something she would be in for a very long and painful night, which would most likely end in her death.


  But that’s when the men with the kid walked in. She had never been so happy to see her kidnappers. The quiet one yelled at them to back off in a cold, smooth voice. They did, all accept the one holding her. He tightened his grip on her and bit her shoulder, streaking his claim. Mira let out a whimper but promised she wouldn’t give them the satisfaction of a scream.

  The kid they had bound began to flail around when he saw her. He yelled out her name, which was surprising because she had never seen the boy before. He fought to break the ties holding his wrists together but couldn’t make them budge. The ferret man told him to knock it off and punched him in the gut then pushed him towards Mira and her captor. He was walking back outside when the kid fell and his head cracked off the cement floor. He was still breathing, swallow but it was there. He just hadn’t woken up yet.

  While everyone was looking at the kid and the man who had just left, Mira slipped her hand back and grabbed the gun out of man’s waistband. She lifted the gun and put it underneath his chin. He flinched at the cold metal that she jammed into his jaw.

  “Back the fuck off,” she said with conviction, her voice echoing off the walls.

  Realizing what she had and where she had gotten it from, the man did let her go. She moved the gun up to his head and dug her nails into his neck, or what she could reach of his neck. Being short really sucked about now. All of the other men had pulled out their weapons and pointed them at her, all but the quiet driver. He studied her with a small smile.

  She ignored him.

  At this point Mira welcomed death by firing squad because then at least she wouldn’t have to die by gang bang. Plus if she could take one of them out with her? The world would be just a little better of a place without him in it.

  No one had a chance to talk or move before the growling started. It was one of the most terrifying sounds she had ever heard. Ruthless, pissed off and ready for a fight.