“I’m saying you are a dumbass. However, I won’t deny having my fair share of women.”
“Can we get back to the matter at hand, children? Namely, who wants to kill the boy here for lying to me? I’ve met my quota for the week, and I’ve got two women waiting on me back at my place. I don’t need blood on my hands when I slide between them.” Kellen held the young man out as if offering.
“Fine, give him to me. I’ll do it.” Coti held his hand out.
I wondered if they were seriously going to kill the kid and the other guys. I’d skated the line in the military, but here at home, I wasn’t sure I could turn a blind eye. Insta-wolf didn’t make me lose my moral values.
“Alpha, I found their vehicle. They’ve got a tracker, too.”
“Good job, Wyck.” I was having a hard time keeping track of all the men emerging from the woods. I hadn’t even sensed the huge African American man Kellen called Wyck. My ghost team would kick me out without a backward glance.
“Don’t beat yourself up, bro. Nobody can hear Wyck except for the Alpha,” Coti explained. “Am I killing the kid or what? I need pussy, and I don’t see any here, so let’s get this done.” The man shook his head, and, in moments, he’d shifted to the thing of nightmares. Half man, half wolf.
“Fuck, I hate when he does that. You know that’s what they based the movie An American Werewolf in London off of, right?” Wyck crossed his arms over his chest.
Kellen growled. “Coti, you got babysitting duty for the kid. Wyck, you get to carry the douche nozzles back to their vehicles. Let’s see what happens when they get back inside. Any word on Taya?”
“Wait. There was a woman. I remember a woman with long red hair and tattoos. They had her chained to a bed. I asked about her, but the boss said she was into BDSM and not to worry about it. Only she looked scared, and her screams didn’t sound like ones of pleasure.”
Like this kid knew anything about giving a woman pleasure. At his words, Xan knocked the boy out of Kellen’s hands, making him fall to the ground with a thud. The ferocity of the act startled the alpha so much that he fell on his back as Xan wrapped his hands around the throat of the kid. I feared my mate’s brother would kill him before we could find out what the hell was going on. Who Taya was to Xan was a mystery to me as well. Shit, this was a clusterfuck. I needed my own team I could trust.
A big hand landed on my shoulder. “You can trust us. I know this is a lot to take in, but we’re your family now.” Wyck nodded toward the men on the ground.
Kellen grunted, then jerked Xan up and off the kid. “We need him alive, jack-off.”
“If he knows where Taya is, then I’ll beat it out of him.” Xan’s voice sounded more wolf than human.
“If you kill the little fucker, he won’t be able to tell us shit, so get control, or I will.” Kellen’s power lashed out—even I turned my neck along with Xan. The other wolves dropped down to one knee until Kellen pulled back.
“Fuck me running. I hate when you do that shit, man,” Wyck complained.
“Taya’s not my mate, so get that outta your head. She’s seeing a dude whose family isn’t all that accepting of her. I was just an ear these last few months. Yes, I fucked her a few times a long time ago, but it’s been a very long time. Now, let’s move this circus along.” Xan brushed the dirt and leaves off his clothes.
“I know where the house is. I’ll show you,” Mike said.
“Kid, you tell us, and we’ll go there. If you’re screwing around, I’ll let Coti kill you slowly.” Kellen spoke as if he were commenting on the sky being blue.
With chattering teeth, the young man held out his hands. “I only know how to get there, not how to tell you how to get there. I mean, that doesn’t make sense, but I can see it in my head, I just can’t…I don’t know how to tell you.”
Kellen looked up through the towering trees, looking for what I wasn’t sure, but I wished they’d figure this out because I wanted to get back to my mate.
Chapter Eleven
Ihad moved past worried to freak the fuck out. I’d expected someone to come back and tell me all was okay. Or have my mate come sauntering through the door so I could kick his ass and then kiss his boo boo. As the minutes turned into a half hour, then an hour, I became even more worried. Our location had been compromised, and my mate was out there bleeding. I thought about calling out to Kellen or my brother Xan, but fear for their safety if they were in the middle of a battle kept me in check.
Knowing my friends were locked up in their own safe spots, I had nothing better to do than pace back and forth. Rowan’s scent still clinging to my body made me ache for him. Mr. McCartney eyed me with a look I couldn’t decipher. His wife sat behind him, chewing on her thumbnail. Several of the high-ranking wolves had taken up residence in the lower levels under the club. I could see the McCartneys didn’t want that much testosterone in one place without their attention elsewhere.
All unmated females had been accounted for, except for Taya, and steps had been taken to ensure the weaker were safe until the threat was addressed. So why then was I feeling as if something was off in one of the safest places? A look around at all the familiar faces didn’t turn up anything out of place.
My wolf itched to get out and protect me. I had learned early on to listen to the other half of myself and allowed a partial shift, one that would go unnoticed. My brown eyes became those of the wolf, and beneath my blonde hair, I allowed my ears to shiftalong with my nails. The men may be a lot bigger and stronger, but I was faster and smarter. If there was a threat amongst us, I would not be an easy target.
My ears twitched at the sound of static from the older couple's office. The noise reminded me of the walkie-talkies Syn, and I had played with as children. Why they would have such archaic devices, I had no clue. Not wanting to alert them to my plans but needing to find out if they had betrayed the pack, I entered their space. The static was even louder now that I was in there. Most of the wolves had no reason to enter where the McCartneys spent their time, and I could count on one hand the occasions I’d come inside. The sound came from Mrs. McCartney’s purse. I looked around, hating to snoop through another woman’s personal belongings, but saw no way around it.
As I stood there contemplating what to do, I noticed several other disturbing things. A picture of a man who looked very similar to one of the men who had attacked me outside of the club was tucked away in the corner, almost hidden. Any bit of guilt evaporated. Knocking the plaid bag over and watching the contents spill out, I bent to pick it up. The walkie-talkie had been turned down too low for most to hear. With a small adjustment, the device beeped, and then a man’s voice came across.
“We are five minutes out. How many are there? Just push the button if you can’t speak with the number.”
Anger threatened to overwhelm my good sense. We had five minutes to get out or prepare to defend ourselves against an attack by who knew how many. In the tunnels, we were sitting ducks, but if we got back up to the club, we at least had a fighting chance. Grabbing the little black walkie-talkie, I stepped out of the office.
