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Adrian gritted his teeth and shouted internally at Red. Stop it. You’re gonna cost Jaz her life! His wolf had been rampaging since hearing about Jaz with a titanium spike in her back.
No one got to waste a second if Adrian couldn’t afford to lose time on a meltdown, not even his wolf. Red almost shoved out while Adrian stood with the guys.
Their faces had held the fear of going into a mission with a wolf shifter who couldn’t control his animal. Adrian had drawn on his energy and stubborn will to keep Red in place.
Moving through woods now on the back side of the property, which kept him in a downwind position, Adrian had seventy yards to reach the spot he’d insert from. Hopefully, he’d get a look at where Jaz had been chained to a tree, based on what Hawk had told him.
While he took careful steps and watched everywhere to avoid making a sound, his wolf continued to pound his insides.
Red’s voice dropped into that demonic sound. Find golden wolf and save! Now!
Squeezing his eyes shut for a second to stay calm, Adrian returned to watching his surroundings and quietly replied, I am trying to save both of them. Jaz’s wolf has a name. Tarski. You say Tarski is your mate, well Jaz is mine if we ever get the chance to make that choice. She’s the reason I’m doing all I can to heal us. If you want Tarski as bad as I want Jaz, why aren’t you helping me? Do you think either of us ends up with a mate if the other doesn’t succeed?
Red pulled his withdrawing act again.
Hell, no. Adrian pushed his wolf again. Well, do you care enough about saving Tarski to do more than whine?
Shut up!
Oh, that’s great, Red. Yelling at me is not helping either. I’ve tried everything I can think of to reach you. What have you done? Adrian allowed a pause of silence and said, I need your help. I love Jaz and Tarski. I want to save them both. We are not worthy of them if we can’t mend this divide and heal. We will have more nightmares. It’s not going away any time soon, but if Jaz and Tarski are willing to help us we have to show we’re ready to save each other. Don’t you want that?
Adrian expected Red’s presence to drop out of sight again, but his wolf spoke in a halting, yet normal tone. Want mate. Want life. Tired.
That stopped Adrian in his tracks.
His wolf was not saying he needed to rest. Red admitted he was tired of fighting.
Emotion bottled up in Adrian’s throat. He pushed past it and said, I don’t like fighting either. Not with someone I care for as much as I do you.
Red came right back with anger. Human your best friend.
Not anger, but ... hurt.
Ah, shit. Had he wounded his wolf by constantly saying he’d lost his best friend when Leonard died? Adrian swallowed down bile at thinking about how often he’d said just that.
His chest hurt.
He had to fix this right fucking now. I was wrong, Red. Leonard was very important to me and he was my best friend. But a best friend is not someone who shares my body and my soul. You are more than a best friend or brother. I don’t have a simple word for how much you mean to me. I love Jaz and her wolf. I’m sorry I failed to explain this when I mourned Leonard. That was a difficult loss, but I never wanted to give up on life when he died. Not until I lost you. I want you and I to share a life with Jaz and Tarski, but I have no life without you. You were, and will always be, that important to me.
Continuing to ease through the forest, Adrian left Red alone to think on that. He had screwed up worse than he’d thought with his wolf.
Only time would tell if they had a chance to save their bond.
As soon as he got in position, Adrian sent one click no one near him would hear.
He and the guys had come up with a gutsy plan. Vic and Hawk would create a distraction one minute after that click. Vic started telling Hawk what he wanted to do, which sounded questionable, but Adrian had to let them do their part.
Hawk had pulled a hand grenade off his vest before shedding clothes. He handed it to Vic. “When you signal me, I’ll fly down to get this. Pull the pin and hold it up in the palm of your hand.”
Vic’s face rearranged to appalled. “What if you fail to pick it up in time?”
“I won’t miss.” Hawk dug through his vest as if inventorying everything.
Still staring at Hawk as if the guy might have landed on his head a few times, Vic argued, “You have to fly down, pick up a live hand grenade, fly back up and over the target, then drop it and get away before detonation.”
Not pausing as he checked every little thing on his vest, Hawk muttered, “Copy that.”
A muscle twitched in Vic’s jaw. “What if you can’t do all that in time?”
Sighing, Hawk’s reply came back full of confidence. “I can. I’m going along with the crazy shit you want to do. This is my crazy shit.”
Adrian hoped they both survived each other’s crazy shit.
He could not look at himself in the mirror again if anything happened to either of them that couldn’t be healed. That would be nothing compared to facing the Guardian.
An explosion near the entrance boomed on the sixty-second mark.
Up and moving low to the ground, Adrian hurried to a line of small buildings behind Jaz’s tree. He could see her chin lift, alert, but quiet.
Guards raced around, some shouting orders and others following. They left a solo guard to watch Jaz.
She started talking to him.
Good woman to draw his attention.
Red came up to the surface quick and directed Adrian. Go left. No sound.
Without questioning his wolf, Adrian went that way. His wolf had an innate ability to know when to stop, go forward, or change direction during an insertion.
When Adrian passed the most obvious path to the guard, he noticed where the ground had been disturbed.
A tripwire for a nasty surprise.
Copy that, Red, he sent back to his wolf.
When he had ten feet to go, Adrian raced forward, catching the shifter guard as he swung his rifle around. He hammered a hard chop to the shifter’s throat, ending any chance of calling out then caught his weapon that fell from hands grabbing his throat. Adrian hit a pressure point and the wolf shifter passed out. He’d live, but Adrian intended to be gone before the guy came to again.
Another explosion. As the sound died down, the snarling of shifters changing to their animals followed.
Hell, Vic couldn’t handle that many on his own.
Hawk could only do so much from the air.
Dropping down to search the guard, Adrian found a wad of keys on the guard’s belt. A huge freaking pile of keys. His fingers fumbled from terror of not freeing Jaz in time.
He couldn’t save anyone if he allowed his emotions to interfere. He forced himself to calm down.
Time to let his training take over. He grumbled, “Which ones?”
Jaz whispered, “Find six keys that look alike.” She wheezed out a difficult breath. “Hurry.”
At the weak sound, Adrian glanced to check on her. Pain ravaged her eyes. Sweat drizzled down her cheeks and ran past her neck in fifty-degree temps.
He yanked his gaze back to the keys, fingers shaking in spite of all the dangers he’d faced in his life. He’d never had a mate’s life hanging on his every move. If he failed her now, no one would make it in time to save her.
“Yes.” He found a set of six bright keys that looked like titanium to him. He barked at Jaz, “Number?”
“Six.”
That key worked. Hot damn. The chain and collar fell from her neck. They were going to make it.
As soon as he had Jaz on her feet, she said, “Have to free the other four.”
What? He had to get Jaz out of here. Now!
She gripped his arm. A weak grip.
He wanted to scream for her to run, but she couldn’t make it without him. “What four?”
Jaz pointed off to her right. “Those.”
He pulled off a key and handed it to her and glanced at the empty tree between her and the others. “If you were six, the next one is four.” Then he raced past that woman to the next one and dropped to a knee, warning, “Don’t make a sound. I’m a friend.”
Keeping an eye on Jaz and for any guards, he rushed to unlock the other woman. Whether they believed him to be a friend or not, they sat mute, and shaking in terror. The second he unlocked their bindings, he pointed toward where he’d come from. “Shift and follow my scent. I’m leaving another way. They should follow me from here. The rain will help, but if you find a creek, go right or left before crossing to the other side and slow them down.”
They took off without a word.
Howling and another explosion rocked the ground getting closer to the house. Thunder rumbled, adding to the noise.
How many times could Hawk drop air bombs and escape?
Rapid gun fire came next.
He headed for Jaz as she finished unlocking the last woman. They talked as if they knew each other, but Jaz would have told him if that woman had been Daisy. She sure as hell wouldn’t be saying, “Go now and look for your friend another time.”
The woman said, “I won’t be back. She isn’t here. You get out of here!”
Jaz asked, “What about you?”
“Dammit, don’t let curiosity over what I shift into get you and your mate killed. Leave. Now!”
Time slowed at those words. Your mate.
Adrian’s jaw dropped, then the world snapped back into real time with Jaz running to him. “Where do we go?”
He hadn’t figured that out yet, to be perfectly honest.
But he saw seven vehicles and two motorcycles parked near the house. He grabbed Jaz’s hand, noted that the other female was gone, and ran to a black dual-sport bike.
Best choice for both on road and off.
Like bikers he’d known, this owner had also left the motorcycle key in the ignition when parked at home.
He snatched helmets hooked on handlebars, stuck one on her head, and straddled the bike. She climbed behind him, snapping the helmet strap in place.
She hooked her arms around him. “Go.”
Adrian tore out of there, weaving in and out of trees, then pushing the bike up a twenty-foot incline by the time he reached top speed. With the motor whining, they shot off the ridge and went airborne.
He hadn’t ridden dirt bikes in years and hoped he could stick the landing. Front up slightly, he hit hard on the rear tire. The front dropped. He fought for control, pressing hard to swerve around a tree.
Jaz shouted at the landing. “Yes!”
His woman.
He kept up the speed until he had to wind his way through thicker growth. If he came out along the road they had driven down to reach this property, he’d probably run into the enemy.
Instead, he maneuvered away from the road, but still southerly, which should bring him to the main highway where he’d have a choice of directions.
Everything had been working well until he came up to a creek.
Slowly, he surveyed his options, revved the engine, and shot forward to ride the creek bank a short stretch for a better choice.
None. This bike could handle crossing a creek with plenty of bottom. No time to stop and survey it on foot.
He’d know soon enough if that rushing water hid a hole or trench. He shouted, “Hold tight unless we start going down. Then shove off and roll if you can.”
She squeezed his sides. “I’m good. Do it.”
Adrian did. Plenty of bottom, but the bike almost slid out from under him halfway across. They would have survived the crash, but the bike might not have.
Vic’s voice crackled in his comm gear with Adrian getting close to the transmission limit. “We’re good. Hawk’s taking your ride. I’m back at our wheels. Where are you?”
Decision time.
Not really.
Adrian had made his decision a long time back. He had to keep Jaz out of sight. “I’m going dark. I found a lead on the kidnapper.” Technically true since Jaz would provide plenty of information.
Cursing on the other end erupted. Vic asked, “Is that what you expect me to tell the boss?”
“Yes, don’t cover for me. In fact, please tell him this. I’m following my orders. Eli said I was the only one who could do this. I need everyone, including the boss, to trust me. Please tell him if he calls me involuntarily, I won’t complete the task he gave me. If I don’t find out why he had to save me, then any consequence will be his decision alone.” Adrian slowed as the trees thinned out and he drove into a pasture.
“You got a phone on you?” Vic asked.
“Copy that.”
“I have to check in at some point. He’ll probably call us back, but until then I’m staying in the area.”
That would keep Vic and Hawk within reach for now, but Adrian had no idea where he headed. He believed the Guardian would not use his power to call one of his Gallize shifters to him without knowing for sure he wouldn’t endanger the shifter.
Vic wrapped up their talk with, “If you call and I can’t get to you fast enough, the bird might.”
“Copy that.” Adrian wanted his team safe. “Get away from that compound until we can come back with a large force.”
“Copy that. Breaking up. Over and out.”
Adrian hadn’t felt as if he still belonged on the teams until now. Vic and Hawk had supported him going after Jaz. They’d seen him almost shift out of control and yet they were standing up for him and standing behind him.
He hoped he told Vic the words that would prevent the Guardian from calling him in.
He reached a broad path for farm vehicles. It ran between fenced pastures to a paved road. When he reached the end of the path before the highway, a wide steel grid had been installed between fencing. That allowed a vehicle to pass over a structure cattle wouldn’t walk on.
Slowing to roll over the bumpy surface, he took a left on a four-lane highway.
One of Jaz’s arms loosened and dropped to his lap.
Adrian grabbed for her and pulled her hand back to his chest. She had titanium in her back that had to be hurting and draining her energy. If they stopped now, they’d lose the lead they’d gained on shifters willing to do far worse to her.
He wanted to go back and kill the guards who had hurt her.
Squeezing her hand, he yelled, “Can you hold on ‘till I find a place to stop?”
In reply, she said, “Yes. No hotel. They’ll call the cops.”
He agreed. “It’ll be a wet night staying outside, but we can do it.”
“Head west ... take 40 toward Asheville.” She leaned against his back. On her next exhale, she said, “Go to Catawba Falls. Caves.”
She must know somewhere in particular, which was more than he had while flying by the seat of his pants. “Okay, hang on, babe.”
Watching every sign, he finally found one that suited him and turned off to the right toward another small town. He would have found fuel sooner, but he needed somewhere he could gas up without drawing a lot of attention.
He’d had to go a few more miles down this road than he’d thought, but it paid off when he saw a station from years back with two pumps. A late-model pickup had been parked off to the side and one car pulled out after fueling.
Perfect.
He parked and put the stand down, then Jaz climbed off. He stuck his helmet on top of the fuel pump and removed hers.
Rain drenched her hair and clothes. Her skin had lost color and there were dark circles under her eyes. He pulled her to him. “Let me fuel up so the owner doesn’t get suspicious when we park on the side of the building by the bathroom. I’ll get that spike out of you.”
She licked her dry lips and whispered, “Can’t do it yet.”
“Why?” He’d lose his mind waiting to get that shit out of her.
“Heard the guards say there’s a barb on the end that opens if anyone tries to pull it out.”
He clamped his mouth shut to keep from cursing like a mad man. He’d end up facing a shotgun pointed out the station office door. “We’ll have to cut it out.”
She kissed him. “Yeah. It’s okay. I’ll make it.”
“How far to Catawba?”
She told him. He could make it on one tank. He fueled up the bike, paid the man inside and came out with four bottles of water. She emptied her first one before he did. He stuffed the other two in the tank bag after tossing personal junk of no use to him to make room.
Back on the road, when he didn’t need to use the front brake, he placed a hand over her cold fingers and kept telling her to hang on. Still, every minute pounded in his brain. He’d been told to get titanium out of his body in two hours. After that, the toxins began doing more damage. He had a cleaning rag in his pocket, but he’d have to wash out the wound.
That would be after he cut into her back.
With no anesthesia.
Night and a steady rain shielded them during the next hour until he reached Catawba Falls. Her voice got weaker and weaker as she told him where to exit and take a secondary road that looked like it was going nowhere.
The road started climbing. The last turn sent him off on a dirt road that narrowed into a path covered in roots and leafy ferns. Perpetually green pine trees reached for the skies on either side.
He stopped but kept the motor running. “Where to now?”
“We walk from here.”
So, she had been here before. He’d worry about that later. “You should have had a bike like this. Give me a direction.”
She did.
Her lack of argument meant if she struggled to talk at this point, she couldn’t hike over a rugged terrain.
He battled through some rough spots, careful to not jar her off, but they finally made it to a small plateau where he could take the bike no further safely. He spied a place where he could hide the bike from easy view behind thick bushes, short trees, and boulders.
Jaz climbed off clumsily.
He turned as she started falling backwards.
Adrian dumped the bike and leaped to grab her. “Jaz! Come on, babe, stay with me.” He pulled her up fast and held her to him. “Point me to any cave. I’ll get you there and we’ll heal you.”
“One cave.” She struggled to breathe and flinched in pain. “Must go there.”
He didn’t waste time asking why one cave. “Tell me before you pass out.” He wanted to keep her awake, but he didn’t know if he could do it while carrying her across this terrain.
She rambled.
He held her lips close his ear. The last thing she said was, “I must be ... awake to get us in.”
Lifting her over his shoulder to free his hands, he took off in what he hoped was the right direction.
