Page 74 of Dark Sold Mate

“Silas,” August said quietly. “You need to focus.”

“I am focused.”

“No, you’re not. You have been looking at your phone more than the auction.” August moved closer. “I understand that you are worried about Elle. But if you want to go back to her alive, fucking focus.”

“I don’t—” Silas opened his mouth, but stopped when he saw something. One of the auction handlers had come out to take a smoke, and he was staring squarely in their direction.

“Shit,” Javi breathed. “He made us.”

The handler dropped his cigarette and picked up his phone. In another few seconds, three other shifters came pouring out of the building, and all four were looking up at the roof where Silas and the rest were.

“Time to go,” Rael started grabbing the equipment.

They moved swiftly, but the shifters were climbing the fire escape, cutting off their exit route. Silas and his team parted ways; his brothers headed off in one direction, while he and August went off in another direction.

The footsteps behind them got closer. Silas turned to face their pursuer—a massive bear shifter with murder in his eyes.

“Well, well, well,” the bear shifter growled. “What do we have here? Spies?”

Silas moved to a defensive position, his wolf rising to the surface. He thought about Elle and the bond pulsing with her vulnerability. He couldn’t afford not to return to her.

The bear shifter charged, but he was too big to move fast. Still, Silas barely managed to avoid the first and second swing.

August crashed into the bear shifter, and the two of them fell in a heap of limbs.

“Focus!” August grunted, punching the bear shifter who was struggling against his grasp. “Either get your head in the game, or we both die!”

The words sliced through Silas’s momentary distraction. August was right. Unless he concentrated, if he allowed his concern about Elle to cloud his thoughts, they might end up dying or seriously injured at best.

Silas’ wolf roared to the surface, all his training and instincts finally clicking into place. He joined August, and together they took down the bear shifter. They left him unconscious on the roof and ran, meeting up with Rael and Javi at the vehicle.

“Everyone okay?” Rael asked, turning on the engine.

“Yeah,” August shot Silas a look. “Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Did we get enough?” Silas asked Rael.

“I recorded the buyers, audio tapes of the deals, and pictures of the handlers.” Rael’s voice was grim. “But before we could track where they took the victims, the auction was over. We have information, but we didn’t get actionable rescue information.”

Silas’s chest tightened. “So we were too late.”

“We were a day or two late,” Javi spoke. “Whatever Elle saw in her vision was not timely.”

Silas took out his phone and looked at his message. Sara sent three texts.

Elle’s fever is getting worse.

She’s asking for you.

Silas, please hurry.

“Drive faster,” Silas told Rael.

The trip back seemed longer. Silas’ wolf stirred within him, impatient, the bond drawing him to Elle. She was sick. She needed him. And here he was, stuck in a car two hours away.

When they finally reached home, Silas immediately jumped out of the car and ran straight into the house. He climbed up the stairs—two at a time and made his way to Elle’s bedroom. He pushed the door open and saw Sara sitting by the bed, holding a cloth in her hand.

She glanced up at him and sighed. “Thank God. She’s been asking for you.”