Blue Moon (15 page)

Chapter Twenty

Vivianna

Logan stood, arms crossed, his broad shoulders shrinking in my rearview mirror until finally he was gone. Swallowing the lump in my throat, I focused my eyes on the road, struggling to do the same with my thoughts.

I hadn’t told him I loved him.

What if something went wrong, and this time he got more than a gash in his arm?

Maybe that’s what held me back. We had unfinished business.

We had to survive.

But regret twisted in my heart. I’d told Lana, but Logan was the one who deserved to know.

This was not the time for psychoanalysis. I boxed up my frayed emotions and pulled into Damian’s driveway. The ten foot high security gate rolled open. A man in black riot gear approached my car. A gun was holstered on his belt.

My mouth went dry, but I clicked the button and my window descended.

“Can I see some ID?”

I nodded. When I’d interned for a paper in college, they sent me to a military base to help cover a story. I did my best to pretend this was similar.

My “best” wasn’t good enough. With trembling fingers, I handed him my driver’s license. His piercing green eyes studied my picture, then my face. He took a deep breath and scanned the street. Was he the jaguar shifter who took a chunk out of Logan’s arm?

He returned my ID, exposing a tattoo on the inside of his wrist—a lion’s head with an
N
emblazoned on its forehead.

“Park at the house. Mr. Severino is expecting you.”

I pressed the button on my window and rolled forward. Step one complete. I was in. Now I just needed to keep Damian talking and trust Logan, Luke, and Sasha could handle the rest. Sasha wore a wire, communicating with her mate, Aren. He was waiting with Adam in his Jeep in a parking lot a couple of miles down the street. They’d be our backup if the plan fell apart.

The other Pack members were at Adam’s ranch keeping watch over the little ones. Lana’s twins were almost two, the Pack doctor had two-month-old twins, and there was ten-year-old Charlie. Lots of kids who needed protection in case things went south here.

It was tough not to be impressed with the Pack’s unity. It reminded me of my dad and his fire crew. They weren’t blood family, but they wouldn’t hesitate to die for each other.

In the end, my father did.

Enough with the dying thoughts.
I went to the front door, and it opened before I could knock. Another big guy in black riot gear, but this one had black hair and dark eyes to match. Like his partner at the gate, he sucked in a deep breath, scanning the area.

“You reek of wolves.”

His dismissive tone stoked my temper. “I didn’t come here to be insulted by the doorman.”

His brow arched, and he sized me up. I raised my chin, my fear chilling over on the sidelines.

“Come in.” He stepped aside, and I noticed the same tattoo on the inside of his wrist. The
N
had to be for Nero. Not many companies tattooed their logo onto their employees’ flesh, but I doubted there were many companies like Nero. Thankfully.

“Mr. Severino is in the study.”

I followed him through the house. If I’d been here under different circumstances I might’ve gawked at the rugged interior, but I was too busy formulating questions to pay much attention. Logan’s safety depended on me being able to distract Damian.

We stepped into the study. A man sat behind the desk, but his chair was turned toward the window behind him. I couldn’t see his face.

“The journalist is here.”

He didn’t move. “Thank you. Keep alert.”

“Yes, sir.”

His bodyguard vanished down the hallway, and Damian finally turned to face me. I bit my lip to keep from gasping. Scars came up from his neck, covering most of his face, burns. He’d been wearing a Phantom of the Opera mask the first time we’d met, but he hadn’t been injured then. No way could that tiny half mask have covered this. One side of his profile drooped, like he was still melting.

But his eyes were sharp, and his bright white teeth flashed when he smiled, with no trace of the blood that had covered them in the coffee shop.

“Thank you for coming. I’m sure you have questions.” He paused. “I apologize for my…” He gestured to his face. “Before you decide the Wolf Pack are the ‘good guys,’ you should know they were the ones who left me disfigured. They probably failed to mention that fact.”

I cleared my throat. “I’m not much of a college football fan.”

He frowned for a moment, then laughed. “Clever girl, but we both know I’m not referring to the University of Reno’s Wolf Pack.” He sobered, leaning in closer. “In fact, judging by how that would-be rock star came into the coffee shop with guns a-blazing last night, I’d venture to guess you’re special to him.” His lips twisted into a thin, lopsided smirk. “His mate, perhaps?”

My pulse raced, but I struggled to keep my composure. “I came here to discuss the jaguar that took my friend.”

He rocked back in his leather executive chair. “I am the jaguar.”

“I figured.” I shifted in my seat and tugged my tablet out of my bag. “Mind if I take notes?”

He shook his head. “Please do. I want the Pack to understand that soon the human world will realize they’re not at the top of the food chain.”

The screen came to life, but my thoughts were scattered. Had Sasha gotten to Damian’s bodyguards yet? Was Logan watching me through the scope of his rifle right now? I blew out a slow breath and lifted my gaze.

“Why? Is this about getting even for your burns?”

A cold smile curved his lips. “Revenge will just be a delicious side effect.”

I stared at him for a second, collecting myself. “So, if I tell the world about shapeshifters and make them believe you’re real, won’t it affect you, too?”

He glanced out the window and frowned. “Did the Pack really let you come here alone?”

He didn’t give a crap about me exposing shifters. He wanted them to come. Was I leading Logan into a trap? My heart skipped a beat. I needed to keep his attention on me. “Where is Chandler?”

He glanced over his shoulder, that sick, twisted grin spreading across his mouth. “I have no idea.”

A chill crept down my spine. “You said he’d die if I didn’t come to talk to you.”

He turned to face me. “Oh, he’s alive.”

“But not here.”

He lowered his voice. “He could be anywhere by now.”

I frowned and got to my feet. He sent Chandler into the woods injured and bleeding? “He’ll die.”

He crossed his arms, shaking his head. “I should have known those wolves would keep secrets from you. Your friend is stronger now than he’s ever been. The bite has already healed. Right now, he’s probably realizing his senses are sharper, and how much faster he is.” He ran his tongue across his white teeth. “And he’s probably terrified.”

“You bastard.” My voice wobbled. I had nowhere to run, not yet. I needed to see this through and give Logan the time he needed. “If Chandler is so powerful now, why wouldn’t you keep him here to help protect you like the jerk at the front door?”

He scoffed. “Your friend is not a trained killer.” His voice dropped an octave. “But he
is
a reporter.”

Oh shit.
My mind spun out of control. Damian found out. Chandler could be sending emails to his correspondent contacts and getting examined by doctors right now.

“If he’s already spilling your story, then why am I here?”

He was beside me so fast, I gasped. His hand was like a vise around my wrist. “Because my father wants an heir.”

Animal instincts took over. I dropped my tablet, struggling to break free of his grasp, but in spite of my punches and kicks, his grip didn’t loosen. Tugging, shoving, and scratching made no difference.

He lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a cool kiss to the back. “My father wants a grandchild. If I produce one, he will welcome me back with open arms.” His eyes shone with desire or madness, I couldn’t be sure which.

My stomach twisted, nausea bubbling. This was a nightmare. If I couldn’t best him physically, my only hope was to keep him talking. About what? Heirs and grandchildren?

Something crashed in the other room. His head swiveled toward the door. “Stay here.”

He slammed it behind him while I picked up my tablet from the floor and jammed it into my bag. Muffled voices came from the hallway. This might be my only chance.

I ran around his desk with no idea what I might be searching for. There had to be something that could help
us find Chandler, or some information that might lead to Damian’s end game. My heart pounded in my ears as fear overpowered rational thought. I grabbed the folder and envelope on the desk and headed for the window.

I was getting the hell out of here.

Chapter Twenty-One

Logan

Sasha signaled that the perimeter was clear. While she headed for the house, Luke and I moved in to start searching the garage. The sooner I found Damian’s prisoner, the sooner I could get to Anna.

With our backs against either side of the door, Luke and I pivoted in unison, guns raised. Nothing. I nodded my head toward the north side of the garage, and he nodded and took the south. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air, but there was no sign of Chandler.

Maybe he was already dead.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. “Yeah,” I whispered.

“Sasha’s down.” Adam’s engine revved. “We’re on our way.”

“Shit. We’re going inside.”

Luke was already on the move to the house. We’d patrolled for jaguars together for years. We didn’t need to speak—instinctually we worked as a unit. A deadly unit.

The front door was ajar. Silently we made our way, tracking Sasha’s scent. No blood
in the main house so far. It had to be a good sign. Luke ducked into a hallway and gestured for me to follow. Sasha lay on the floor, her gun still in her hand. He knelt beside her, checking for a pulse.

“Alive,” he whispered.

As I sent Adam the text, a familiar voice echoed through the house.

“An heir? Are you insane?”

Sebastian.

I pointed in the direction of the voices, and Luke nodded. He’d stay with Sasha while I moved on. Had Sebastian already killed Chandler? If so, where was Anna?

“What are you doing here? I don’t answer to you.” Damian sounded breathless. “Get the hell out of my way.”

“You have no idea what you’ve done.”

I peered around the corner and spotted Damian sneering at his brother. “I am well aware of every move I’ve made. I’ve had to pivot a few times on this mission, but my target is still in sight.”

He turned to go, but Sebastian caught his arm. “If that reporter talks to the media, we’ll lose everything.”

“The Wolf Pack should find him before he ever sets foot on a news sound stage
.
”

Sebastian shoved him into the wall, pinning him. “You’re trusting
our
safety to a pack of wolves?” He slammed him one more time. “I won’t keep cleaning up your messes.”

Damian wrenched free of his grasp. “I didn’t ask you to.” He lowered his voice. “It must be killing you that our father won’t give the order to eliminate me. How does it feel to no longer be his golden boy?”

“I won’t need an order if the humans discover shifters are real. They’ll end your miserable existence for me.”

Damian chuffed. “Not likely.”

He stormed in my direction, and I stepped into his path, my rifle pointed at his chest. “Where is Anna?”

“Remind me to kill my bodyguards.” He glanced behind me and pulled in a slow breath. “You brought in another jaguar to do your dirty work. Clever for a bunch of dogs.”

“Fuck you.” I readied my finger over the trigger. “Answer my question.”

“If you’re going to shoot me, then do it.”

“Don’t.” Sebastian came closer. “He’s mine.”

Something crashed outside, followed by a woman’s voice. “Damn it!”

Anna.

I narrowed my eyes at Sebastian. “If she’s hurt, he’s dead. I don’t give a shit who his father is.”

Angling the barrel down, I fired a single shot into Damian’s left foot. He dropped to the ground screaming as I ran past.

Adam didn’t want us to kill Antonio Severino’s son, but wounding him would slow him down and keep him away from my brother and Sasha until they had backup.

I tracked Anna’s scent into his office and then to the open window. My pulse pounded in my ears. I hooked the rifle over my shoulder and peered out. Where was she?

In our earlier scouting, we’d counted two Nero jaguar shifters and one human on the property with Damian. When we came into the cabin, one jaguar was dead and the other incapacitated in the house. So either the human, or Sebastian, had choked Sasha out.

My money was riding on Sebastian.

The human could still be here. And if he worked for Nero, he’d be armed.

I couldn’t risk calling for her.

After another scan of the area, I climbed onto the windowsill and pushed off, clearing the bushes and landing in a silent crouch on the dirt. Now that I was low to the ground, Anna’s scent was stronger, and there were tracks. One foot tracked differently, limping.

I glanced at the bushes. There were broken branches. My gaze wandered up to the sill. She’d jumped down a good eight feet into a thick hedge. She was lucky she only twisted her ankle.

The tracks led toward the detached garage. My mouth twitched, almost smiling. She was heading for the cars. My mate was scared, injured, and still thinking straight. Jesus, I loved her more all the time.

I picked up my pace, following her scent to the corner of the building. When I rounded it, a baseball bat smacked my hip, knocking me into the solid wall.

Anna screeched, grimacing. “Oh shit. Logan?”

She dropped the weapon and reached for me. I winced as we slid down the wall together. “You’ve got a killer swing.”

“I’m
so
sorry. I thought you were that wacko. The garage is locked, but I found this bat and…” Her words drifted off. “Chandler’s gone. He wants him to talk to the media.”

Hearing her say his name cut right through the throbbing in my hip. “Yeah, I heard.”

“How can you be so calm?” Her eyes widened. “If he goes on television…”

I took her hand. “They’ll think he’s crazy. He has no proof, Anna. Not yet anyway.” I got up and helped her to her feet, gritting my teeth against the pain. “If he’s half the journalist you are, he’ll be contacting the sheriff to see if they have witnesses and pictures from the coffee shop.”

Her heart was racing like a rabbit. I lifted her chin, forcing her eyes to meet mine. “We’ll find him.” She didn’t respond, and I frowned. “Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head, but her voice was barely a whisper. “No, but…he wants an heir. Or his father does.”

The heir Sebastian was ranting about. I straightened up, my injury a distant memory. “What does that have to do with you?”

The fear in her eyes was answer enough, but she finally whispered, “He grabbed my arm, leering at me when he said it. I think he meant with me.”

A visceral growl crawled out from the back of my throat. “He’s a dead man.”

Visions of that twisted bastard touching my mate filled my head, fueling the rage. I turned toward the house. Damian was wounded, bleeding. He’d be slow and easy to track. He’d never be able to outrun me.

“Logan, wait. Please, let’s go home.”

I didn’t turn around. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Logan!” When I glanced over my shoulder, a tear rolled down her cheek. “You said you weren’t like him.”

“I’m not.” Her words knocked me back a step. “That sick motherfucker was going to hurt you, then rape you so he could have children to help him get an inheritance. I’m
nothing
like him.”

“He killed people in the coffee shop like they never mattered.”

“That asshole
doesn’t
matter.”

“But
you
do!” She shook her head, her arms wrapping around herself. “Killing someone should only happen when there’s no other option. There’s a big difference between murder and self-defense.” She offered her hand. “Don’t cross that line, Logan.”

The wolf demanded we protect our mate, warring with my tenuous grasp on my emotions. But her voice reached past primal instincts, calling me back from the edge.

I broke eye contact, staring at the cabin, knowing he was inside. My voice was raw and raspy. “If he ever touches you…”

Her fingers laced with mine, and she hobbled beside me. “He won’t.”

I turned to face her, my gut tied in knots. “I need you to understand. I know you don’t feel it yet. Maybe you never will. But for me, you’re my mate, my world.” I forced my tone to stay even. “And if anyone threatens your safety, I won’t hesitate to take a life if it will save yours.” I searched her eyes for any trace of fear. “I’m not human, Anna.”

She started to rise up on her toes then winced, sinking back down. Her hands slid up my chest to cup my face and bring me closer to her.

“You’re a wolf.
My
wolf.”

I closed the distance between us, my lips claiming hers, and scooped her up into my arms. The extra weight hobbled me for a second, pain radiating out of my hip. Resting my forehead against hers, I groaned. “You have a killer swing with a bat.”

Her soft laughter buoyed me. “Your own fault for sneaking up on me when I’m in survival mode.” Her attention focused on the multi-level cabin. “Is Luke still inside?”

“Yeah, but he should be fine. Damian’s wounded, and Sebastian has probably gotten his brother out by now.” The distinct purr of Adam’s Jeep hummed in my ears. “And the cavalry just arrived.”

I carried Anna back to the cabin in spite of her protests that I let her walk and rest my hip. Until Jason took a look at her ankle, I didn’t want her to put weight on it, and I didn’t have crutches handy. We could worry about my bruised hip later.

My hunch about Sebastian had been right. He and Damian were gone. Sasha was on her feet and pissed. Apparently Sebastian caught her from behind in a sleeper hold. Her pride was wounded more than her body. None of us had any love for Sebastian, but the cold rage on her mate’s features told me the jaguar had better watch his back.

I set Anna on the sofa and leaned against the arm, resting my sore leg. “Damian turned Chandler loose.” All eyes turned my way. “I overheard Sebastian chewing his ass out.”

Adam punched the wall and turned to face us. “We have to find him before he talks.”

I crossed my arms. “No one will believe him without proof.”

Sasha nodded. “He’s right.”

“Someone took a picture at the coffee shop, right? He could show that and his scar. He could get air time.”

“I called a friend in the sheriff’s office.” Sasha pulled back the slide on her Glock, checking the chamber. “He said the phone was soaked in blood. The memory card is fried.”

Adam lifted his chin, staring at the ceiling. “What if he goes after other eye witnesses?”

“Misdirection.” Anna chimed in beside me. “We could leak a story about illegal exotic animals.”

Adam met her eyes. “Someone’s giant pet jaguar got loose?”

“Why not?” Her back straightened. “Happens all the time.”

“I like the way you think.” The corner of his mouth curved a little. “Tell me about this Chandler guy. Is he a hard hitting journalist or just a pretty boy reading cue cards?”

“He’s smart and chases stories. Why?”

Adam glanced over at his twin brother. “Do you still have contact info for—”

“No.” Aren interrupted, shaking his head. “You can’t be serious.”

“Have you got a better idea?” Adam focused on Anna again. “If shapeshifters were a matter of national security, would he respect that and back off?”

A crease formed on her brow. “Chandler has worked on government stories before. You can’t put on a uniform and fool him. He’ll check the credentials.”

“General Miller Sloan has all the credentials we’ll need.” Adam gripped his brother’s shoulder. “Make it happen, Aren.”

I had only met Miller Sloan once, during the botched attempt to lure out one of Nero’s ex-Green-Beret bounty hunters. Sloan was Adam and Aren’s uncle, and seeing him had been like running into the ghost of Malcolm, our previous Alpha.

“Blood or not, we have no idea if we can trust him.”

“True.” Adam nodded. “But in this case, it’s in his best interest to keep this guy quiet, too. The government doesn’t want the world to know about shifters any more than we do. And since Miller’s a werewolf, too, he’s got a horse in this race.”

“I’ll work on getting him out here, but we need to find this guy or it’s all for nothing.”

I straightened, putting tentative weight on both legs. “We’ll track him down.”

Luke came to my side. “I’ll help them, too.”

Adam clapped me on the shoulder. “Keep me in the loop.”

He walked out to his Jeep while Aren and Sasha started clean up on the cabin. Since Nero owned the place, they wouldn’t be involving the police, but we couldn’t risk outsiders finding the body of one of the downed Nero guards. The autopsy findings would out all of us.

Anna looped an arm around my shoulders, and Luke took the other so we could help her out to the car. Once we had her in the passenger seat, she put her bag in the backseat while I clasped my brother’s forearms. I nodded toward the Jeep. “You should go with Adam. Finish up at the ranch, and I’ll call you if we get any news on Chandler.”

He frowned. “You sure?”

“Yeah.” I nodded. “Hopefully he went back to his sister’s place.”

He didn’t look convinced. Until now, we’d been partners in everything. But things were changing. I had Anna, and suddenly my brother was… I yanked him into a tight hug. “Be careful, okay?”