Bonded (48 page)

He kept moving at
a steady pace, eyes and ears alert for the sound of his quarry.
Victor was just ahead of him; the scent growing ever stronger as
surprisingly, the distance between them diminished. Not only was
Victor slowing down but the terrain was starting to look
familiar.

Reno suddenly
realized he was approaching the mine entrance he and Brandi had
used that morning, the one near the coal conveyor. What was Victor
up to?

The aging
structure was within view now, the rusty metal decorated by shiny
water droplets. Wind whistled through the sagging sheathing and
faint creaks could be heard as gravity fought to bring parts of the
frame tumbling to the ground.

Reno picked his
way through the grass that grew at its base, mindful that bits and
pieces of metal likely covered the ground and could easily slice
open a paw if one wasn’t careful. Another injury was the last thing
he needed.

A movement caught
his attention and he froze. The long grass and young saplings that
grew on the small plateau whipped back and forth in the wind but
between them he could just make out... Yes! Victor was crouched
near the entrance of the mine. He’d shifted to human form and
seemed to be pulling away rocks from the entrance.

Reno frowned. Had
the mine entrance collapsed again since he and Brandi had used it
earlier in the day? He winced at the memory of his shoulders
scraping against the sides of the passage, bits of dirt and rock
peppering down on him. Yeah, it had been a tight fit and given all
the rain, it wouldn’t be surprising if the tunnel had given way.
The ground was waterlogged and likely growing more unstable by the
hour. Not that it mattered. If Victor thought to escape through the
mines, he had another thing coming. The ACS wouldn’t let the man
avoid facing justice.

Keeping as low as
his injured leg would allow, Reno crept forward with practised
stealth, covering the distance as quickly as possible. Victor was
intent on his job seemingly unaware that he was being stalked.
Perhaps the clatter of stones being moved and the patter of the
rain were blocking out all other sounds. Or perhaps he was just so
intent on saving his own skin that he was being careless.

Within striking
distance, Reno stopped. He could attack while the man was unaware,
it would be a fair turnabout. No, he wouldn’t stoop to that level.
Wolf to wolf or man to man, that was how his honour demanded he
fight.

Shifting forms,
Reno winced, the usual euphoric pleasure of shifting blocked out by
the protests of his injured leg. Under some circumstances, shifting
was a recommended medical treatment to aid in healing. This, he was
sure, wasn’t one of those times.

“Victor.” He
called out the man’s name.

Surprisingly the
Purist gave no sign of being startled. Instead, he simply paused
then slowly set down the rock he was holding.

“Smith.” Victor
spoke without inflection, not even turning around. “I was wondering
if you’d find me before I made my escape.”

Reno quirked a
brow. “Are you happy or pissed off?”

Victor shrugged,
straightened, and turned around. “It doesn’t matter. We’re destined
to have our day, whether it’s now or later. The fates have decreed
it.”

“Really?”

“Ever since
Langstaff.”

Reno stiffened.
Langstaff. Was the damned place going to haunt him all his life? He
searched his mind, wondering how Victor was connected to that
debacle.

His puzzlement
must have shown for Victor snorted in disdain. “You don’t know? And
here I thought you were supposed to be so clever. You continually
disappoint me, Smith.” He mockingly shook his head.

Keeping his face
expressionless, Reno didn’t respond. Victor was trying to rile him
and he refused to give the man the satisfaction. Instead he sorted
through all the facts of the Langstaff case, trying to figure out
what the annoying bastard was referring to.

Victor wasn’t
pleased by the silence. He compressed his lips and clenched his
fists before continuing. “The Alpha you killed was my half-brother,
but I suppose it’s too much to expect you to recall the names of
all of your victims.”

Before he could
stop himself, Reno felt his eyes widen. He hadn’t been expecting
that. Studying Victor, he could see a resemblance though. “Scum
runs in your family, I guess.”

Victor curled his
lip, hatred flashing in his eyes before he smoothed his features
and continued on coolly. “When you came to Kolding’s Pass, I
couldn’t believe my luck but with the conclave meeting today, I
didn’t have time to deal with you properly. My plan was for you to
leave this morning in front of a number of witnesses. Then Walt and
his crew were going to run you off the road near the base of the
mountain, bring you back here and hold you until I could deal with
you at my leisure. A long, slow and painful death seemed
appropriate.”

“Sorry to have
messed up your plans.” Reno tried to keep his face blank as he
adjusted his stance. His leg felt like someone was stabbing hot
needles into it and he wished he was back in wolf form. Three good
legs were preferable to one.

“It happens.”
Victor gave a thin lipped smile. “I see your leg still hasn’t
healed.”

Reno realized his
movements had given him away. Damn, he hated tipping off his
opponent. He flicked his gaze up and down Victor then frowned when
he noticed the man’s pant leg was soaked with fresh blood. Red
droplets were slowly dripping down the side of his shoe as well.
Surely, he hadn’t inflicted any wounds that serious. And even if he
had, they should have been at least partially healed by now and
well beyond bleeding.

Victor must have
noticed the direction of his stare for he stiffened and raised his
chin. “Yes, I bear the sign of a pure-blood—slow clotting. Some
might say it’s a genetic defect, but we wear it as a badge of
honour that our ancestors have held true to the way of the
wolf.”

Reno snorted. “Too
much inbreeding, that’s what it’s a sign of—another thing you
Purists don’t take into account when you spout off about blood
purity.” Something one of the leaders had said came to mind and
Reno realized the clotting problem was probably why Victor seldom
fought; the man couldn’t heal quickly enough from his wounds. No
wonder he fought dirty. Getting in an early, lethal blow was the
only way he’d likely win a fight.

The knowledge gave
Reno an edge. Victor wouldn’t want to engage in an altercation
again this soon. Now if he could only distract the bastard long
enough until the ACS arrived. He wiped away an irritating raindrop
that was trickling down his face and considered his opponent.

Moving forward in
a seemingly casual way, he picked a topic that was sure to grab the
man’s attention, even if it was like twisting a knife in his own
gut to mention it. “That’s why you were considering mating Brandi,
wasn’t it? You needed some fresh blood in your lineage.”

“I’ve researched
the pack and with the exception of this current group of halves,
the blood line is clear of contamination. Brandi should breed well,
but if she proves too difficult, there are other females in the
pack who would serve my purpose once they reach the proper age.
She’s merely convenient for my purposes at the moment though not
irreplaceable in my overall plan.”

As he spoke Victor
side-stepped away from the tunnel and towards the coal
conveyor.

“Hmm... I see.”
Reno nodded his head as if the man’s logic was perfectly
reasonable. “But now you’re running? Did the arrival of the ACS
change your plans?”

Victor looked at
the tunnel entrance he’d been trying to clear, then shrugged. “I
wasn’t running, merely making a strategic retreat. You’ll note I
didn’t attempt to hide my trail.”

“Or you didn’t
think you had time.”

Victor narrowed
his gaze. “I’m starting to seriously dislike you, Smith.”

“I’m way ahead of
you on that. I already despise you.”

Throughout the
conversation, Reno had been advancing and Victor retreating, moving
ever closer the ledge where the conveyor was situated. Reno had no
real strategy in mind. His own ability to fight was impaired. His
only thought was to keep Victor here long enough to give the ACS
time to arrive. It meant he’d be arrested himself, but capturing
Victor was more important at the moment. If the man got into the
tunnels, would they ever find him? Klaus might, but Reno didn’t
know where the old Alpha was at the moment. And the fact that
Victor was trying to get into the tunnels through this entrance
meant he must know the mines better than expected.

By now Victor was
standing inside the actual conveyor. The structure creaked under
his weight and Reno eyed the rusting metal and weathered wood
wondering how much it would withstand. Victor backed up even more
and Reno took another limping step forward. It brought him onto a
short expanse rather like a loading dock that connected the
conveyor to the mountain side. The wood sagged a bit under his feet
but then stabilized.

He eyed the
interior of the conveyor noting that a belt made of some
rubber-like substance ran down the middle of the floor space. It
was showing signs of decay and in places there were actual holes
allowing glimpses of the cylindrical rollers it lay upon. The
rollers were supported by a frame along each side and it was on to
this narrow walkway that Reno stepped.

The sound of metal
shifting and groaning filled the air. Reno froze in place unsure if
the trembling beneath his feet was caused by the buffeting of the
wind, or if the metal monstrosity was giving notice of its imminent
collapse.

His concerns must
have shown on his face for Victor gave an evil chuckle. “Not so
keen on heights, are you?”

“The height
doesn’t bother me.” He shrugged and took a quick downward glance.
At one time the conveyor had been encased by a metal shell but a
number of panels had since fallen off leaving only metal struts to
interrupt the ample view in all directions. The land dropped away
abruptly beneath the conveyor and the ground underneath was covered
with a variety of sharp edged stones that had been dumped there
when the mining tunnel was originally excavated. If someone fell
from this height and landed on them, the chance of survival was
minimal.

“Really? You’re
not afraid? Let’s test that theory.” Victor moved deeper into the
conveyor.

Shadows cast by
the remaining bits of metal siding soon hid the man from view. Not
trusting the Purist enough to let him out of sight, Reno was forced
to follow.

Faint creaks and
groans accompanied each of his steps. He kept one hand on the metal
struts, trying to keep some of his weight off his leg. His other
hand was clenched in a fist, ready to react at the first hint that
Victor would attack.

Scanning the
shadows of the long, narrow interior, he searched for the Alpha. A
flash of movement, a glimpse of a pale face... Victor lunged
forward in the attack Reno had been expecting. The Purist had found
a metal rod from somewhere and was swinging it at him.

Instinctively Reno
jumped away, one foot landing on the actual conveyor belt. It
shifted, rolling forward, and he stumbled sideways, his bad leg
unable to support him. His full weight landed heavily on the side
brace of the conveyor. It screeched in protest, the base of the
metal strut he grabbed at for support pulling loose in his grip.
Scrambling to find something, anything, to hold on to, Reno found
himself staring down at the rock strewn ground some forty feet
below.

Chapter
30

Fuming at the turn
of events, Brandi sat tugging at the ropes that bound her wrists
and were wrapped around the trailer hitch of the van. No one seemed
inclined to explain to her how she’d come to be viewed as a leak
within Lycan Link. Instead, they’d only accused her, tied her up,
and left her sitting on the back bumper of a van in the pouring
rain. Several times she’d called out, hoping someone would have
enough time to talk to her, to explain what the evidence was, but
so far no one had even glanced her way.

Around her,
Enforcers milled about herding the Purists they’d already captured
into the vans that had pulled up moments earlier. The captain was
on the far side of the site, talking into his cell phone, directing
the ACS officers who were still scouring the mountains for Purists.
Others were in negotiations with those who were holed up in the
mine, trying to talk them out before employing force.

From what she’d
overheard, the talks weren’t going well but it was the Enforcers’
own fault. If she’d been asked, her skills as a DC officer would
have had the Purists at least considering the options she was
presenting. However, no one had asked for her services and even if
they had, after the way she’d just been treated, she wasn’t sure
she’d be inclined to help.

Damn, how had this
situation become such a mess? A simple visit home to her birth pack
had blown up in her face and become a major incident. Al had been
right. She should have gone to some tropical resort for a vacation.
She gave a rueful laugh thinking of how pleased he’d be if she told
him he’d been right; that was something that had seldom happened
over the three year course of their partnership.

Brandi frowned,
wondering what Al thought about the charges against her. Did he
even know about them? Had he tried to defend her? Or was he a
suspect too? And what about the ACS? Did Reno’s team really believe
he was guilty of conspiring with Purists? The thought of him out
there, injured and alone while being hunted down by his coworkers,
made the knot in her stomach tighten. She should be with him,
helping him avoid capture and finding Victor.

A frustrated growl
escaped her lips and she gave another futile tug on the ropes that
bound her. The ropes chafed her wrists, the skin already raw from
previous struggles, and her upper arms protested being pinned back
for so long. Of course, they’d put her arms behind her ensuring she
couldn’t transform; a wolf’s legs just didn’t bend that way.