Standoff
Page 35
“Go,” Ben barked and they sped away.
“What the hell is going on?” Grace demanded.
“You’re going back to Seattle right now. There are Pellini wolves in that neighborhood. I don’t know if we’ve been made or not but I need to run him to ground and you need to be out of the f**king state when I do it or Cade will personally kill me.” Ben got on the phone and began to order people around on the other end. Benoit did the same and Grace sighed.
“This is stupid. I can help.” Grace said it knowing it was useless.
“Don’t cross your arms over your chest and look stubborn. You have helped. We wouldn’t have walked through every neighborhood in a fifteen-mile radius just sniffing the air. Who’d have thought your brother would be holed up in some blue-collar neighborhood? I’d have pegged him for a mansion like your parents lived in,” Tegan said. “You did your part, Grace. Now it’s our turn. Heavily armed, specially trained people need to do this.”
“No arguments, Grace. I’m taking you back like I promised.” Jack ignored her pout and they headed straight for the airport where they shoved her on a plane, she ordered them to stay safe and they took off.
“Are you hungry, Grace?” Dave asked as they reached safe altitude to move around.
“Yes. Yes I am. Shall I help you make something?”
“Sit and let me help for a change. The galley should be well stocked. Cade called ahead yesterday.” Dave went to the back of the jet and Grace slid her shoes off and tucked her feet beneath her.
“Are you all right?” Jack asked.
“Worried about them. My brother is unstable. Dangerous. If something happens to any of them—” She broke off, unable to even contemplate how Cade and the others would react.
“It’s our job. It’s what an Enforcer does, Grace. Ben is specially trained as a cop, Tegan has been in the Enforcer corps since she was barely out of her teens. All those wolves back there know their shit. Your brother has to be taken out, there’s simply no other way at this point. Benoit said a human was caught in the crossfire between wolves. That sort of thing puts us all in even more danger. If humans get involved, we’re in big trouble.”
Dave brought back a big tray filled with food and they all tucked in and ate. She was tired and worried but she knew to eat or Cade would be upset and it wouldn’t do her any good to let herself get worn down.
Afterward, Jack had put a blanket over her and pulled her against him. “Rest now. We’ve got hours to go yet.”
It wasn’t as hard as she’d thought to fall asleep surrounded by Dave and Jack’s scent.
Lex paced at the private airfield. Anxiety rode his nerves and he wasn’t sure what it was. His people had gone over the field an hour before and all was clear. It was probably Nina. She’d been pissed off that he’d made her stay back at the house. Could be his brother too. Cade was livid but Lex had refused to let his brother come to get Grace. Two Alphas at the airfield in a time of war? Absurd. And there was the little fact of hello, Lex Warden, big bad Enforcer?
“Megan, you there?” he asked into the wrist mic.
“I’m here.” He’d stationed her at the other end of the field to keep an eye on things. She had a good eye, one of the very few people he trusted totally.
“Something feel off to you?”
“Yes. But I’ve checked in with everyone and so far so good. I’m sure it’s just the stress of not hearing back from Tee yet.”
The control tower let them know the plane would be landing momentarily and they moved back as the sleek, small jet taxied down the runway and came to a halt.
He saw Dave come down the steps followed by Jack and then a glimpse of Grace and Hiroshi after her. Breathing sigh of relief, he motioned to have the car brought close and walked to greet them.
He wasn’t able to stop his grin at the sight of his sister-in-law. So serious, intellectual and compassionate, but she had a quirky sense of humor and God knew she adored Cade and she kept Nina in line, which he had to admire in a big way.
“Okay, everyone can let me go now.” She tried to get around them to move toward the car but looked up to see Lex and smiled. “Hey, any news?”
He put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Nothing. But they had to plan and get ready. Lots of humans in the area so they’re probably just watching and waiting for dark.”
He opened the door and that’s when he heard it.
Jack had too and shoved her down, landing on top of her. A helicopter had dropped three wolves carrying automatic weapons onto the tarmac and as they ran toward the car, they shot.
“Get her in the car, now!” Lex screamed and Jack moved faster than any wolf Lex had ever seen. In one deft toss, Grace landed in the car and Jack slammed the door, staying just outside.
Megan came running and in a moment of utter unreality, Lex watched a bloom of red cover her chest. She looked down and then fell. Lex transformed and charged their attackers as his own people came from all corners of the airfield, shooting, growling, transforming.
“Oh my God!” Grace shoved at Jack to get out but he held her there as she watched Megan get shot. She realized it was their normal car and she rifled under the seat until she found her traveling bag, just a basic medical bag but she thanked the heavens she’d been compulsive enough to carry it everywhere before going out the other door and running around the back of the car toward Megan.
“What the hell is going on?” Grace demanded.
“You’re going back to Seattle right now. There are Pellini wolves in that neighborhood. I don’t know if we’ve been made or not but I need to run him to ground and you need to be out of the f**king state when I do it or Cade will personally kill me.” Ben got on the phone and began to order people around on the other end. Benoit did the same and Grace sighed.
“This is stupid. I can help.” Grace said it knowing it was useless.
“Don’t cross your arms over your chest and look stubborn. You have helped. We wouldn’t have walked through every neighborhood in a fifteen-mile radius just sniffing the air. Who’d have thought your brother would be holed up in some blue-collar neighborhood? I’d have pegged him for a mansion like your parents lived in,” Tegan said. “You did your part, Grace. Now it’s our turn. Heavily armed, specially trained people need to do this.”
“No arguments, Grace. I’m taking you back like I promised.” Jack ignored her pout and they headed straight for the airport where they shoved her on a plane, she ordered them to stay safe and they took off.
“Are you hungry, Grace?” Dave asked as they reached safe altitude to move around.
“Yes. Yes I am. Shall I help you make something?”
“Sit and let me help for a change. The galley should be well stocked. Cade called ahead yesterday.” Dave went to the back of the jet and Grace slid her shoes off and tucked her feet beneath her.
“Are you all right?” Jack asked.
“Worried about them. My brother is unstable. Dangerous. If something happens to any of them—” She broke off, unable to even contemplate how Cade and the others would react.
“It’s our job. It’s what an Enforcer does, Grace. Ben is specially trained as a cop, Tegan has been in the Enforcer corps since she was barely out of her teens. All those wolves back there know their shit. Your brother has to be taken out, there’s simply no other way at this point. Benoit said a human was caught in the crossfire between wolves. That sort of thing puts us all in even more danger. If humans get involved, we’re in big trouble.”
Dave brought back a big tray filled with food and they all tucked in and ate. She was tired and worried but she knew to eat or Cade would be upset and it wouldn’t do her any good to let herself get worn down.
Afterward, Jack had put a blanket over her and pulled her against him. “Rest now. We’ve got hours to go yet.”
It wasn’t as hard as she’d thought to fall asleep surrounded by Dave and Jack’s scent.
Lex paced at the private airfield. Anxiety rode his nerves and he wasn’t sure what it was. His people had gone over the field an hour before and all was clear. It was probably Nina. She’d been pissed off that he’d made her stay back at the house. Could be his brother too. Cade was livid but Lex had refused to let his brother come to get Grace. Two Alphas at the airfield in a time of war? Absurd. And there was the little fact of hello, Lex Warden, big bad Enforcer?
“Megan, you there?” he asked into the wrist mic.
“I’m here.” He’d stationed her at the other end of the field to keep an eye on things. She had a good eye, one of the very few people he trusted totally.
“Something feel off to you?”
“Yes. But I’ve checked in with everyone and so far so good. I’m sure it’s just the stress of not hearing back from Tee yet.”
The control tower let them know the plane would be landing momentarily and they moved back as the sleek, small jet taxied down the runway and came to a halt.
He saw Dave come down the steps followed by Jack and then a glimpse of Grace and Hiroshi after her. Breathing sigh of relief, he motioned to have the car brought close and walked to greet them.
He wasn’t able to stop his grin at the sight of his sister-in-law. So serious, intellectual and compassionate, but she had a quirky sense of humor and God knew she adored Cade and she kept Nina in line, which he had to admire in a big way.
“Okay, everyone can let me go now.” She tried to get around them to move toward the car but looked up to see Lex and smiled. “Hey, any news?”
He put an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Nothing. But they had to plan and get ready. Lots of humans in the area so they’re probably just watching and waiting for dark.”
He opened the door and that’s when he heard it.
Jack had too and shoved her down, landing on top of her. A helicopter had dropped three wolves carrying automatic weapons onto the tarmac and as they ran toward the car, they shot.
“Get her in the car, now!” Lex screamed and Jack moved faster than any wolf Lex had ever seen. In one deft toss, Grace landed in the car and Jack slammed the door, staying just outside.
Megan came running and in a moment of utter unreality, Lex watched a bloom of red cover her chest. She looked down and then fell. Lex transformed and charged their attackers as his own people came from all corners of the airfield, shooting, growling, transforming.
“Oh my God!” Grace shoved at Jack to get out but he held her there as she watched Megan get shot. She realized it was their normal car and she rifled under the seat until she found her traveling bag, just a basic medical bag but she thanked the heavens she’d been compulsive enough to carry it everywhere before going out the other door and running around the back of the car toward Megan.
