Page 85 of Logan’s Acadian Wolves

As if Logan and Dimitri weren’t in the boat, the man continued to speak to Wynter. “You want to save your friend, doctor?”

“What?” Wynter gasped.

“I said; do you want to save your friend here? You know these wolves aren’t as tough as you’d think. Not so hard to kill them, really. With silver in her brain, it’ll take her months to recover. No, a shift won’t fix this so easily, I’m afraid.”

“Don’t listen to him, Wyn,” Logan yelled.

Wynter looked up at Fiona, whose cheeks and neck were streaked with tears. She couldn’t quite see her eyes because her head had been wrenched backward.

“What do you want from me?” Wynter screamed at him. It felt as if a black tunnel was closing in, she couldn’t escape. She couldn’t live with the blood of another wolf on her hands. It was her fault they’d come to Logan’s pack. Her responsibility. She should be the one to die, not Fiona.

“But you already know the answer to that, don’t you, Dr. Ryan? Shame to kill this she-wolf, but we will. In fact, we’ll take out this whole damn pack if we have to, but I guarantee you this, it will not end. You belong to him. He will not stop. I know he’ll take special pleasure in killing your Alpha. Don’t think we can’t get to him. We left him a note the other day…right at his door.”

Shocked, Wynter looked over to Logan. No, it couldn’t be true. Logan would have told her.

“Wynter, don’t listen to him,” Logan cautioned. Wynter’s face had gone white. “Get away from the side of the boat.”

The stranger laughed maniacally. “I see the great Alpha is keeping secrets from his mate. It’s true. The very night you shifted, we were at his house.”

“Logan?” Wynter questioned. When he didn’t answer right away, she knew it was true. They’d been at his home? Dear God, if they could get to her there, there’d be nowhere they couldn’t find her.

“Wynter, listen to me, now. It was just a note. No one was in the house. Fiona, she’ll be fine. She’s a strong wolf.”

“You lie, Alpha. Do you really think I’d bring a knife to a gunfight? These hollow-cavity bullets will mushroom her brain apart with one shot. She’s not going to make it back, not like she used to be anyway. And that’s if she manages to shift afterwards. No, this little girl’s goin’ to pop like fireworks.”

Wynter tried to drown out his words but it was no use. Her own guilt tore at her heart. Was she really going to sit and do nothing while this monster put a bullet in Fiona’s head? God, she loved Logan…so much. Reverting to her training, she considered the known facts, the data. True, Logan would be angry if she sacrificed herself for Fiona. But his boat was powerful, much more so than the small sailboat. Logan would follow, save her and Fiona, too, would be safe. The most important fact was that if she didn’t go, another Acadian wolf would die…at her hands.

“Your choice. What’s it going to be? You or the wolf?” He dug the muzzle into Fiona’s temple and she screamed.

Logan could see that Wynter was lost in her thoughts. Goddammit all, she was considering it. As much as he cared for Fiona, he couldn’t lose his mate. His breath caught and he lunged to restrain Wynter to keep her from going. Dimitri broke for the throttle.

“I’m sorry,” Wynter cried softly as she leapt over to the sailboat. She skidded onto the deck and fell to her knees.

“No!” Logan screamed. “No, he’s going to kill you. Get back here now.”

Wynter’s body collapsed into the rough landing. She scrambled to stand upright but the man kicked her in the stomach. Her face hit the side of the boom, tearing her lip open.

“Let her go,” Wynter pleaded. Her face throbbed but she breathed through it. “You don’t need Fiona…just take my blood. No more…no more…I’ll do whatever you want. Let her go now.”

The stranger cackled wildly and threw Fiona to the floor. With a jerk, the engine roared to life and the boat sped forward. Wynter attempted to push Fiona into the water. If they could get off the boat they’d have a chance.

“Jump,” she told her, but Fiona held tight to a cleat.

Logan tore to the helm and jammed the throttle forward. They hadn’t gotten far. In his speedboat, they could easily catch up and he’d jump over to get Wynter. But his boat lurched only a few feet before the motor died.

“What the fuck? This is a brand new boat,” Logan cursed, banging the dashboard. “Take the wheel.” He jumped in the back to check the inboard. Within seconds, he’d located the source of the issue. “Shit. There’s a nick in the fuel tank fill hose.”

Logan spun and aimed his gun at the tall dark figure that had Wynter by the arm. He knew he could hit him but the man slyly pulled Wynter against him as a shield. Targeting the engine, Logan fired off six shots to the stern. The bullets ricocheted off the screeching motor. As the man instinctively moved to the right to look at the damage, Logan pulled the trigger again, clipping him in the shoulder. He watched the pink-shirted form hit the deck but no longer could he see Wynter, as she too, had fallen.

Pain shot through Wynter’s body as fingers grabbed her hair, pulling her to her feet. The man slammed her up against him, holding the gun to her head. With her back to his chest, she faced Logan whose boat grew smaller as the distance between them widened. A loud gunshot jolted Wynter, and she tried to wretch her body out of his grip. Blood sprayed as more shots rang out. As she felt his grip loosen, Wynter tumbled onto the deck. She clawed at the slippery surface, intending to jump, when the chill of a second voice blanketed her consciousness. As she caught a glimpse of the familiar face, her heart stopped. The Directeur?

A blur of revolting confusion and hopelessness overtook her body. No, this couldn’t be happening. Wynter glanced at Fiona who now sat comfortably, almost peacefully staring toward the horizon. Deception. Betrayal. The Directeur grabbed Wynter, pulling her off her feet into his deadly embrace. She prayed for strength as she let the anger roll through her mind. Anger was good, she thought. It might be the only thing that would save them all.

The sailboat careened away while Dimitri and Logan helplessly watched in disbelief. One fucking hour on the lake. Four men on guard, and within seconds, they’d taken her and Fiona. As they sped off into the distance, the miles-wide freshwater sanctuary hid their path of escape. Logan screamed out to the heavens in agony. His mate was gone.

“Search every goddamned house,” Logan growled.

“I’m sorry,” Dimitri offered.