Blue Moon (20 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Logan

We all parked about a mile from Damian’s compound while Sasha reached out to Sebastian. I was sick of waiting, but Adam refused to make the call to go in until we were sure it wasn’t a trap.

It seemed to me like we were giving Sebastian too much credit. A few days ago, he’d left Sasha unconscious on the floor. I wasn’t anxious to trust him—not with my brother’s life hanging in the balance.

The shadows of the trees were starting to lengthen across the street. “How long are we going to wait? It’ll be dark soon.”

Adam’s gaze cut over to me. “We all want to get Luke, but we’re not going in half-cocked.”

“How can you be sure Sebastian will tell us the truth?”

Sasha put her phone in her pocket, shaking her head. “Doesn’t matter. He’s not answering anyway.”

“All right, it was worth a shot.” Adam ran his hand back through his hair. “Let’s get this done. Sasha, you’re our negotiator with Chandler. Get him to release Luke and come with us.” His gaze rested on me. “And Logan, you’re our point man with Luke. While Sasha keeps the news guy busy, you get your brother out.”

I nodded.

“Gareth will be Logan’s backup.” Adam turned to the others. “As far as we know, Damian is still with Sebastian, so Chandler should be on his own. But we still have one of Damian’s bodyguards unaccounted for, so everyone take a viewpoint and keep watch for any jaguars.” Adam checked his weapon and slid it into the holster. “Let’s do this. We’ve got less than two hours before we shift.”

Before Luke shifted into a wolf on live webcam.

My gut twisted. Anna had forwarded the text, and the image of my brother bound to a chair was permanently emblazoned in my mind. He was just over an hour away from being exposed to the world as a shifter. All of our lives were in danger.

Gareth embraced his mate and then followed Sasha and me across the street. We slipped into the trees, away from the road. We’d enter the compound from the lake side so we wouldn’t draw any attention. If we were right, and Chandler was alone, we’d have my brother back well before the moon rose.

I didn’t want to think about what would happen if we were wrong.

Chapter Thirty

Vivianna

Twilight settled in outside and still no word from Logan. I ached to call him, but the last thing he needed was an interruption. Maybe no news was good news.

Lana had Malcolm and Madeleine in their PJs on the daybed, reading a story. Charlie was in Avengers sweats, munching a piece of pizza while he watched television. The normalcy made my head spin.

I stretched my tense muscles and glanced at Lana. “Maybe they’ve already got Luke, and they’re getting ready to shift.”

Lana closed the book. “Adam will let me know once there’s news.”

I sighed. “Why is it taking so long?”

She shook her head. “Could be all kinds of reasons.”

“I need a drink.” I got up. “Be right back.”

In the shadowed kitchen, I found a glass and filled it with ice before pouring in Dr. Pepper. I pulled out my cell phone and peered at the screen, hopeful I’d find a text.

Nothing.

Something flashed outside, catching my eye. I put my phone in my pocket and carried my glass to the window. With the lights off in the kitchen, I had no trouble seeing out. The barn light was on, a beacon in the inky twilight.

The lights were probably on a timer.

I glanced around, scanning the ranch as best I could. Having Logan’s werewolf vision right about then would’ve been a huge perk. I finished my drink and set the glass in the sink. As I turned to go back to the others, the porch light came to life.

Holding my breath, I made my way to the sidelight window. Nothing. I squinted into the darkness, but nothing moved. This was quickly becoming the longest night of my life.

I went back to the others, relieved to see everything just as I left it.

“The porch light came on.”

Lana looked up. “It does that sometimes when animals run by. It’s on a motion sensor.”

I tried to accept her answer, begging my adrenaline to give me a break. “I peeked out, but I didn’t see anything.”

Taryn got up. “As long as it doesn’t try to come inside, we’re good.” She glanced past me into the hallway. “I’m sure everything’s fine.”

She didn’t look sure. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Yeah. I’d hate to call the police out for a stray coyote.”

Lana shook her head. “Police aren’t an option. Not during a full moon. It’s too risky that they might see more than they should.”

My gaze locked on my messenger bag with the plastic case and the loaded Glock inside. Cold sweat made my palms slick. This wasn’t target practice. This was the very real danger Logan had warned me about. The danger I’d been so cavalier about facing.

And now I realized I wasn’t as ready as I thought.

Chapter Thirty-One

Logan

We made it inside the cabin without any interference. Too easy. Sasha and I had our handguns out at the ready, and Gareth brought up the rear.

But as far as I could tell, we were alone. Damian’s scent was days old—same could be said for the other jaguars.

“According to Taryn, the door to the wine cellar is in the back of the garage,” Sasha whispered.

“I’ll cover you.”

She threw open the door from the kitchen and we sprinted for the garage
.
Around the back, we opened the door, and I had the barrel of my gun in the space. My brother’s scent hit me like a freight train even though we couldn’t see him. “He was here.”

She nodded, and I took point. Sasha had a heightened sense of smell, too, but a jaguar’s strongest ability was definitely sight. She’d leave the tracking to me. I followed his trail to a door in the back corner. The knob wouldn’t turn. I forced it until the metal lock snapped inside.

It still didn’t open. “Deadbolt.”

Sasha frowned. “If we kick it in or shoot it, he’ll know we’re coming. It could put Luke’s life in jeopardy.”

Time was ticking away in my head. If we didn’t get Luke soon, the whole world would be after us. “Taryn said this is the only way in or out, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Then we have to risk it.”

Gareth’s voice was a low rumble. “I’ll wait here in case he gets past you.”

Sasha glanced his way. “Save me a bullet?”

He almost smiled and took a step back before launching himself at the door. The wood splintered around the deadbolt. One more kick and it swung open. I took the lead through the door and down the steps, with Sasha close behind.

“He’s got a Taser and pepper spray!”

Luke’s voice. Relief and urgency combined with the adrenaline already coursing through my veins. I forced in a deep breath through my nose. Some emotions were so strong, they carried a scent all their own. And right now the bitter sting of desperation overpowered my senses.

Chandler.

At the bottom of the stairs, I turned the corner and kept my gun level. Anna’s ex frowned, his gaze moving between his prisoner and me.

“Let my brother go.”

“Your brother?” Chandler pressed the Taser to Luke’s neck. “How many werewolves are there, exactly?”

Sasha came around to stand beside me, lowering her weapon. “You must be Chandler, right? We need to talk.”

“Talking isn’t going to change anything.”

She holstered her gun, careful to stay out of the Taser’s range. “In an hour, give or take, Luke is going to shift right there, and his paws will slide free from those ropes. And I can guarantee that wolf is going to be pissed. You’ll be dead before you can get up those stairs.”

“What do I care? My life is over anyway.” His eyes flicked to the webcam. “As long as the story gets out, Vivi, my sister, everyone else will be safer. Because of me.”

My finger caressed the trigger
.
It would be so simple to end this. One bullet and I could free my brother then smash the webcam. Threat averted.

But Anna would ask about Chandler. What would I say?

Sasha crossed her arms. “Your life isn’t over. Take a breath. Can you tell I’m like you?”

He sniffled and frowned. “Did Damian attack you, too?”

“No.” She shook her head, hands dropping to her sides. “But I didn’t ask to be bitten.” She paused and finally added, “But I learned to live with this. I’m a police detective. We can show you how you can have your life back.”

He jerked away from Luke. I had a clear shot.

“So, what, you just kill people once a month and then pretend like it never happened?”

Luke met my eyes. We’d been a team our entire lives. Reading each other was second nature, with or without words. My gaze snapped to Chandler and back. Luke’s almost imperceptible nod was all the answer I needed.
Chandler didn’t have a gun.

I sprinted forward, catching Chandler around the waist and knocking him to the ground. The Taser clattered on the cement floor while we grappled. I landed a solid punch to his gut, but when I lifted my head, he drenched my face in pepper spray.

The burning was instantaneous. My vision blurred as tears poured down my face.

“Freeze.” I couldn’t see Sasha, but the command in her voice was clear. “Drop the canister and back away.”

I wiped at my eyes, scrambling toward my brother.

Behind me, Chandler groaned. “If you really are a cop, how are you going to explain an unarmed victim?”

“If I was going to kill you, you’d already be dead.”

“Logan, three o’clock,” Luke whispered.

I followed my brother’s direction, struggling to shut down the pain and panic from losing my eyesight. When I bumped the chair, I dug into my pocket. “I have a Buck knife, but I can’t see for shit.”

“I just need one hand free and I’ll take it from there.”

My eye stung, tears soaking into the neck of my T-shirt. I opened the pocket knife and fumbled for the back of the chair. The metal leg was cool, and I ran my fingers up until I found my brother’s hand. Blindly, I searched for the rope wrapped around his wrist.

“Okay. Got it.” The heat from the pepper spray invaded my lungs when I spoke. Between coughs, I forced out a gruff whisper. “I don’t want to cut you.”

“I trust you. Cut my hand loose.”

I nodded and started sawing on the rope.

Behind us, Sasha cuffed Chandler. “You’re going to come with me. There’s someone else who needs to talk to you.”

Chandler growled. “I know my rights, and you’re going down for this.”

“Oh please. I found you here with a hostage, and when we tried to negotiate for his release, you pepper-sprayed a concerned citizen.”

“He’s going to turn into a wolf. A hungry animal. The public deserves to know about the threat to their safety.”

The rope snapped. I held the knife out, waiting for Luke to take it from my grasp.

“Fuck.” Luke gasped. “Your eyes are swollen shut. We need to rinse that crap out of them before you get some permanent damage.”

I nodded, struggling to keep from rubbing. “They’re on fire.”

Sasha touched my shoulder. “I’ll help you upstairs to the sink.”

“Did you get the webcam?”

She walked away. Plastic shattered across the room. She came back to my side. “Now, how about some water to flush your eyes?”

I turned toward Luke. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, one more ankle and I’m out.”

Sasha helped me to my feet, but before we reached the stairs, Luke was beside me. “I’ve got him.” She took Chandler ahead of us, while Luke supported me up the stairs. He gripped my waist tight. “Thanks for finding me.”

“Sorry I didn’t see this coming.”

“None of us did.” We made it to the top, and he turned us toward the kitchen. “I came out of my place, and he hit me over and over with the Taser until I couldn’t walk.”

“Bastard. Any other wounds?”

“Just my pride.”

He guided me to the sink and turned on the water. I reached out and splashed it onto my face. The pain exploded all over again. “Damn it.”

“Keep rinsing,” Sasha called from the other room.

Gradually the fire in my eyes cooled, but my vision was still blurry, and the swelling was massive. My eyelids were like boulders.

Luke led me to a stool. “Need a drink?”

“Whiskey.”

He chuckled. “Maybe something less flammable?”

Sasha came in. “Gareth’s putting Chandler in my car. We need to get out of here. Now.”

Luke stood up. “Yeah we’d better meet up with the Pack before we end up shifting right here.”

Sasha lowered her voice. “I’m taking Chandler to the Full Moon Bar and Grill. Your folks are bringing the general back there after they shift tonight.”

“All right.” Her face was distorted in my burned eyes, but even so, something was wrong. “There’s something else.”

She nodded. “Sebastian just called me. Damian’s gone. He’s probably headed over here. It’s time to go.”

A new wave of adrenaline had me on full alert. “I have to get to the ranch.”

Sasha glanced at Luke and back to me. “You don’t have time. It’s at least a half hour drive from here. You’ll be a wolf by then.”

I was on my feet. “So will Damian.”

She crossed her arms. “You lost me.”

“Damian wants an heir.” Saying the words out loud made my gut retch. “He missed biting Anna as a jaguar. Tonight he can do it as a wolf.”