Page 71 of Nico

I followed him inside and quickly sent over the files he'd asked for, already trying to think of some way to convince him that I could be useful.

I knew the systems better than almost anyone else. I knew how the tracking worked, where to pull up the camera feeds, and which roads to check. There had to be something I could contribute.

"I can come with you."

Tony stopped what he was doing and turned to me. "You should have updated Cooper first. You know the protocol."

I swallowed. "I know."

"I told you to update him before you did anything."

"I was going to." Even as the words left my mouth, the explanation sounded pathetic.

Tony's frustration was obvious. He turned away and resumed gathering the equipment he needed, leaving me with nothing but the growing certainty that he was going to leave without me.

"Tony, please."

I followed him toward the door, knowing I was running out of time. I couldn't stay in this house while everyone else went looking for Isaac, not when every instinct in me was screaming that I needed to go to him.

I reached out and caught Tony's arm.

"Please. I can't stay behind." I swallowed hard. "He's my mate."

Tony went completely still. I could almost feel the weight of the words settling between us, impossible to take back now.

He studied my face for several seconds. Then he closed his eyes and cursed under his breath.

When he opened them again, the anger in his expression had given way to resignation.

"Fine. You can come. But you're staying in the back seat. And keep out of sight. No one needs to know you're there. Especially Cooper."

Tony grabbed the last piece of equipment and headed for the door.

Once we were back in the car, Tony called Cooper. He told him he was heading out and would send the coordinates of Isaac's truck so the others could go ahead while he caught up with them.

After ending the call, Tony entered the location into the navigation system and checked the route. I leaned forward between the seats to look at the screen. The estimated travel time immediately made my stomach drop.

"That's going to take too long." I reached for the screen and zoomed in. "I know a shortcut."

16

ISAAC

I woke groggily, every muscle in my body weighed down as though someone had poured molten lead into my bones while I'd been unconscious.

Even drawing a breath felt like dragging air through water. A pained groan escaped me before I could stop it. My wolf exploded against the walls of my mind.

Wake up! The instinct wasn't words so much as raw urgency and fury. I forced my eyes open.

The world swam in and out of focus, a dull throb pounding through my skull. White light stabbed at my vision before everything settled into hazy shapes and muted colors.

Where was I? Confusion clouded my thoughts for several long seconds. I didn't recognize the ceiling above me. I wrinkled my nose as I breathed in the stale smell hanging in the air.

Then memory struck like another blow from that wrench. I recalled the broken-down car and the wrench coming down on my head.

The bastard hadn't stopped after the first swing. He'd known exactly what I was. One blow wouldn't keep a shifter down.

He'd kept swinging until I couldn't stand anymore. And that needle, he’d used some kind of tranquilizer. Whoever he'd been, he’d planned every second of it.