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He sat up and his head swam, his vision going wonky and his stomach rolling.
“Careful, man,” Gavin said. “You’ve been out of it for a few minutes.”
“Where’s Ashley?”
Gavin grimaced. “We lost her. Your vehicle was knocked into the ditch, and ours were surrounded by a handful of vehicles. Males opened their windows and started shooting at us so we couldn’t get to you.”
Lance nodded and offered his hand to help Romeo up, which he took, groaning as he went upright and his whole body felt like it had come apart and been stitched back together. “They kept us pinned down for a few minutes and then they took off. When we got down here to you, Ashley was gone and you were unconscious.”
“Midas and Maya were already on their way home when this happened, so they’re meeting us here. Maya can do a location spell.”
“I don’t have anything of Ashley’s on me.”
“Midas said she can do one by touching you because you’re truemates. They’re a few minutes out.”
Romeo went to the truck and looked at the mangled wreckage. It was a miracle they’d survived, frankly.
“Was this those anti-shifter assholes?” Lance asked.
“Brent Foley and Humans Against Shifters?” Romeo asked, then nodded. “Yeah.”
“Are you sure? I know we thought they might come for us, but why would they take Ashley?” Gavin asked.
“Because Ashley worked for them. She was spying for Brent and trying to help take us out, but then she realized we were mates and turned against him. We were going to talk to Midas about everything when he got back so he could help us plan how to get her free from him.”
Gavin looked skeptical. “Are you sure she’s not just using you?”
Before Romeo could respond with a swift punch to the face, Lance said, “If she was on their side still, they wouldn’t have almost killed her trying to get to her. She would have just walked away from Romeo and gone to them. Don’t be an ass.”
“I can’t help it,” Gavin said with a grin. “It’s hereditary, ask my dad.”
Romeo grabbed his cell which was on the floor with a cracked screen, but still working. He inhaled in the cab and caught the lingering scent of his mate, which was dissipating because all the windows were shattered, and the crisp winter wind was blowing it away. His cat let out a sorrowful call in his head.
Several vehicles came down an access road and stopped a few yards from the accident.
As Midas exited the lead car, Romeo’s phone buzzed with a video call.
It was an unknown caller.
“Shit,” he said. “Midas?”
Midas appeared. “Answer. Look for clues. Don’t lose your temper.”
He nodded and pressed the screen to answer.
There was only darkness on the screen, but then Ashley cried out and there was a slapping sound, followed by her whimper.
A light was turned on, illuminating Ashley bound to a chair, blood streaming from her nose and mouth. A male stood next to her, but it wasn’t Brent Foley, whom Romeo had seen in online videos. Romeo quickly set the app to record the video.
“Hello, Romeo,” the male said. He had a shaved head and a long beard, and he was lanky. “I have your woman. Come to 723 Fountain Place in Jefferson in two hours if you want to see her alive. You’ll bring your leader, and hewillpromise to leave the state of Ohio—with every tiger in your group—within twenty-four hours, or we will kill her.”
“I’ll be there, but we can’t get our people out of the state in a day. We need more time.”
He nodded to someone off-screen, who strode forward, tilted Ashley’s face up, and then punched her under the chin, sending her flying back, chair and all, to the floor. She groaned as she hit the floor hard and then didn’t move.
Romeo roared. “Ashley!”
“Time’s wasting, beast,” the first male said. “You have less than two hours now to get here, or I’ll do things to her that will give you nightmares.”
