91
TY
Iwas poring over yet another stack of papers that needed my attention when my phone rang. My instincts were suddenly on high alert, and I felt a strong sense of urgency.
I snatched it up. “What?” I snarled vigorously.
“Ty, it’s Rick,” the voice on the other end was panicked, and my stomach immediately sank. “Liza’s SUV was hijacked, and the guards who were accompanying her were attacked by several masked men.”
My blood ran cold. “What the fuck happened? Tell me,” I roared, fear and anger threatening to choke me.
“Sir, they came out of nowhere. We’re twenty-four clicks northeast of the estate. They boxed in the vehicles. We tried to fight them off, but…” His words caught in his throat.
“Enough. I’m on my way.” I didn’t wait for him to finish, slamming the phone down and grabbing my keys with trembling hands. My chest was tight, I couldn’t breathe, so upset and pissed at myself because I should have said no when Liza asked to see Sabrina. I shouldn’t have let her go, no matter how pitiful she looked or how much she needed a break from the mundane life within the estate. Yet again, I’d failed my mate. This was myfucking fault. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to her.
Racing down the steps, my mind swirled with images of what I might find when I reached her. My wolf paced and huffed inside me, just as frantic as I was. The drive to Sabrina’s house was one I knew well, but now it seemed like the longest, most arduous journey of my life. I sped out of the gates, barely registering the raindrops beginning to pelt against the windshield.
I pressed my foot down hard on the throttle, the engine screaming, and pushed the car to its limits. The heavens suddenly opened up, and the rain began to pour down, beating against the roof of my car with such intensity that it was impossible to see more than a few feet in front of me.
It had been threatening all day, and only now it decided to start?
“Son of a bitch.”
The large amount of surface water meant the roads were dangerously slick, and I had to slow down if I didn’t want to risk hydroplaning. I’d be no use to Liza dead.
Traffic slowed to an almost complete stop as visibility worsened. With the windshield wipers rendered useless by the deluge, drivers were left to strain their eyes and peer through their windshields to make out the road ahead. My fury surged, and I considered driving over the middle of the road. Just as that thought crossed my mind, an ambulance raced by in the median, its siren cutting through the sound of the pounding rain. I prayed to the gods that the ambulance wasn’t heading to Liza.
My hands tightened on the wheel. The minutes ticked by like hours, each second a painful reminder of my helplessness. “Fuck!” I navigated the congested road, my rage only growing as the traffic refused to let up.
I blamed myself for whatever trouble Liza had found herself in. If I had insisted she stay home, none of this would have happened. The weight of that guilt threatened to crush me. All I wanted was to keep her safe, to protect her at all costs. But now, because of my mistake, she was in danger.
“Come on, come on!” I yelled, willing the car in front to move faster. My wolf snarled inside me, just as desperate to reach our mate. With the rain still pouring down and making visibility difficult, there was nothing else I could do but inch forward painfully slowly, and hope that I would make it to her in time.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the traffic cleared, and I raced ahead, my heart pounding against my ribcage. The rain lightened to a drizzle. It was like the heavens themselves were granting me a small reprieve. It wouldn’t last long, but it allowed me to increase my speed.
The closer I got to the location Rick had given me, the more my stomach churned with a mounting sense of apprehension and fear. What if I was too late? What if those bastards had already taken her, or worse?
But as much as fear gripped my very soul, I couldn’t. No, I wouldn’t allow myself to think like that. Liza was strong, and I had to believe that she was still fighting. I’d watched the security feed. I’d seen the way she’d fought that traitorous asshole. If she could just hold on, I was on my way, if she just kept fighting…
“Please let her be okay,” I muttered into the damp air, my eyes darting along the wooded road, scouring for any sign of her or the attackers. My wolf echoed my plea, our bond with Liza pulling us forward like a magnet.
Suddenly, the scene came into view, and my heart stopped. The rain had slowed to a drizzle, but it did nothing to lessen the impact of what lay before me.
“Damn it,” I cursed under my breath as I slammed the brakes and skidded to a stop. The chaotic scene before me was likesomething out of a nightmare. Multiple black SUVs were parked haphazardly on either side of the road, their headlights casting eerie shadows. Four men lay on the ground, tied up and writhing in pain.
“Alpha Keller!” one of my team members shouted, running toward me.
“What the hell happened?” I demanded, not waiting for them to reach me. I sprinted over to the nearest SUV, searching for some sign of Liza. Where the fuck was she? If they’d taken her…
It was only when I walked around the car and saw a familiar figure huddled in the backseat that the iron band squeezing my chest loosened. She was wrapped up in a blanket to shield her from the cold. Her gaze was unfocused as she stared off into some unseen void. She looked like she was in shock.
“Liza,” I called to her, checking her over for injuries and trying to keep the panic from my voice. But she didn’t respond, just continued to stare blankly ahead.
“Boss,” one of the guards said, moving to my side. I turned to look at him and recognized fear in his eyes, which wasn’t exactly comforting. “You won’t believe what happened.”
“Spit it out.” My patience wore thin. I needed answers, and I needed them now.
“Delta team tried to intercept, but they boxed us in from all sides and we were overwhelmed when the aggressors used tasers to incapacitate. They were just about to make a grab for Mrs. Keller when, according to Jamie, who was still in the SUV with Liza, he said they grabbed her and pulled her out of the vehicle. Her powers went into overdrive. She threw the aggressors high into the air, and they crashed into the trees. They’re all pretty banged up, a few of them have injuries that probably require medical attention.”
