Crimson (The Silver Series Book 3) (20 page)

Mrs. Carso watched from the door, her face
pinched with worry. “Be careful!” she called out.

“
We will,” Jaze reassured
her.

“
What’s going on?” I
demanded.

“
We just got a call from
Troy. They’re in trouble.”

A flash of cold ran through my veins.
“Keys,” I said to Mouse. He stared at me and I held out my hand.
“Keys,” I repeated, giving no room for argument. He looked at Jaze
and when the Alpha shrugged, he tossed me the keys.

I jumped into the driver’s seat of the SUV
and had it started and in gear before the others had the doors
shut. “Hold on,” I growled between gritted teeth. I floored the gas
and we shot out of the driveway and up the road.

“
How many are there?” Jet
asked from the seat behind me.

“
Troy counted four
vehicles. We don’t know if there're others he can’t see,” Jaze
said, his eyes on the road.

“
How did they find her?”
Panic raced through me at the thought that perhaps I had more than
one tracking chip inside me, or Grace did despite her denials that
they had never implanted one in her.

“
We’re not sure,” Mouse
replied from the backseat.

Reflectors brushed past us in a blur.

“
Try not to kill anyone,”
Jaze said in a quiet, calming voice. “They’ll still be there when
we arrive.”

“
How can you be so sure?” I
growled.

“
Because it’s you they’re
after, not Grace. They know they can get to you through
her.”

I shook my head against the thought that
Grace was in danger because of me, but there was no mistaking
Jaze’s logic. I slowed down.

“
I don’t think you should
be the one to pull up,” Mouse said quietly.

Everyone looked at him. He met my eyes in
the rearview mirror, a gesture so uncharacteristic for him it
caught my attention through the haze of panic that filled me. “Why
not?”

“
They’re waiting for you,
right?” When I nodded, he shrugged. “What better way to throw them
off then to not be where they expect you.”

The thought of being able to do something
more than rush in blindly calmed the torrent of adrenaline that
sped through my system. “What do you propose?”

Mouse smiled.

Chapter 19

I ran through the field behind the motel
with a lighter in one hand and a paper bag full of fireworks in the
other. I reached the back of the motel and used the garbage bin and
a handy rain gutter to climb to the roof. I crawled to the edge on
my hands and knees and voices rose to meet me.

“
Where's
Kaynan?”

My heart slowed at the remembered pain and
fear associated with that voice. I pushed down the urge to phase
and jump off the roof into the midst of the men massed below. Dr.
Tannin waved a gun toward Jaze, Jet, Brock, and Mouse who had
climbed from the SUV. A dozen men stood around the group, armed and
waiting for Tannin’s orders.

“
I don't know,” Jaze said,
his tone mild. “Troy said there was a group of thugs here, so we
came to join in the fun.”

“
Where's Grace?” Jet asked
in the same level tone.

Dr. Tannin's shoulders tightened. “In the
van, waiting for Kaynan,” he replied. He indicated a black van
close to the edge of the motel.

“
You better not've hurt
her,” Brock said with a fierceness that surprised me.

“
She's sedated with silver,
along with her brother’s pack who’re currently sleeping off the
effects in their room. I'll do the same to any of you who stand in
my way.” The doctor brandished his gun. “Although this is loaded
with silver bullets instead of tranquilizers; too bad werewolves
have such an acute weakness. It really does add a chink to your
armor.” His voice rose. “Lucky for you, Kaynan, we were able to fix
that. Unfortunately, we couldn't take away your heart. Your friends
are your true weakness.” He aimed the gun at Jaze.

I lit a firework, threw it back in the bag,
then tossed it into the middle of Tannin's men. Sparks flew out,
then fireworks lit and rockets went racing everywhere. My friends
dove back into the SUV while Tannin's men ran for cover. Tannin
swore and ducked under the motel awning.

Jet used the distraction to take down the
first two men near him. He punched a third in the chest hard enough
to stagger him back, then spun and kicked a fourth across the jaw,
knocking him out cold and sending the gun flying from his hand.
Jaze and Mouse followed close behind, taking down two more in a
synchronized attack of punches and kicks. Brock waited near the SUV
and watched the werewolves clear the area with swift efficiency. A
door to a motel room nearby opened at the commotion, then shut
again quickly followed by the sound of a bolt being turned.

Unable to stay out of the fight any longer,
I jumped from the roof and landed on two men with guns, then bowled
another one over with brute force. I picked up the body of a man
Jet had taken down, grabbed him by the ankles, and swung him around
to take out two other men; I then picked him up again and threw him
at two more. They fell backward against one of the SUVs hard enough
to dent the side.

“
We have got to teach that
werewolf how to fight,” Jaze said as he finished another man. His
arm bled from what looked like a knife wound, but he ignored it and
fought next to Jet.

“
Looks like he’s doing fine
to me,” Jet replied. I glanced up to see him drop one man with a
straight punch to the jaw, kick another in the head hard enough
that he turned a full circle before falling to the ground, then
drop to his knee and uppercut a third man in the groin hard enough
that I think everyone within hearing winced.

I turned to meet three more attackers.

“
Stop!” I jumped at a
gunshot and glanced over to see Dr. Tannin holding a gun to Mouse’s
head. I rose slowly from my crouch and lifted my hands.

“
Everyone freeze where you
stand.” He met my eyes, his own cold and calculating. “Except you,
Kaynan. You get in the van with Grace and I’ll let everyone go
without a scratch, or more scratches than they already have.” He
threw a wicked smile at Jaze and I fought back the urge to wipe it
from his face.

I was the closest to Mouse, and they stood a
few feet to the right of the van Dr. Tannin indicated. Mouse met my
eyes, his own filled with terror but also with a edge of steel that
surprised me. “Save her,” he mouthed, his gaze burning into
mine.

My heart turned over at the thought of a
bullet burying itself into the quiet, brilliant werewolf’s brain.
Dr. Tannin would kill him without a second thought, of that I was
certain. I took a step toward them. Dr. Tannin smiled, thinking I
was headed for the van. I walked closer and the edges of his eyes
tightened. His lips creased and he pressed the gun harder into
Mouse’s skull.

“
I’ll kill him, Kaynan.
Don’t push me,” he threatened.

I shrugged. “Do what you want with him. You
hurt Grace. It’s you I’m after.”

His eyes widened and he turned so that Mouse
was between us. “Stop right there!”

I closed the distance quickly. “You
destroyed her life once, Tannin. I’m not going to let you take her
again.”

He backed up, pulling Mouse with him. I met
Mouse’s gaze, then looked at the ground. He gave a barely
perceptible nod, then stumbled as if he tripped. Dr. Tannin aimed
down at him, but I crossed the last six feet in a blur. Dr. Tannin
looked up and his eyes widened; he aimed wildly, then shot.

The bullet tore into my chest. I gasped at
the pain, then bowled the doctor over. He fell to the ground with a
yell and the gun left his hands. He rolled with the force of the
blow, looked around blindly, then struggled for the gun that landed
a few feet away. I grabbed his ankles and pulled him back. A yell
of terror escaped his lips.

“
You've messed with your
last werewolf, Doctor,” I growled in his ear. I put my hands on
either side of his head, wanting more than anything to end his life
and stop the terror that filled Grace’s blind world. My conscience
warred with the wolf instinct to destroy any threat to my loved
ones.

“
Wait,” Dr. Tannin
protested. “Your sister.”

The words sent a jolt of surprise through my
body. “What about her?” I growled. My hands shook with the effort
to stay human and not rip out his throat.

“
She’s waiting for
you.”

My heart slowed. My breathing stopped.
Everything in the world held still for the moments it took for his
words to sink in. “What did you say?” I whispered.

“
Colleen’s at the
Development Center. She’s waiting for you.” His voice took on a
note of triumph now that he knew he had my attention. “I promised
her I would bring you back. She misses you.”

I shook my head, denying his words and the
surge of agony they brought. “You have my sister?” I asked in
disbelief.

He moved his head and I let him go and
backed up, staring. He rubbed his head, then rose on his knees and
turned around to face me. “She told me to tell you she forgives
you.”

Cold washed through me. A growl ripped from
my throat and I rose, stalked the few steps to the waiting van,
then grabbed one of the back doors with both hands and pulled with
the force of the anger and adrenaline that flooded my veins. The
door creaked on its hinges, then ripped free. A primal yell tore
from my lips and I threw it as hard as I could. The door sailed
across the parking lot and embedded into the trunk of two trees.
The trees shuddered and several leaves and branches fell to the
pavement.

My heart turned over at the small form in
the back of the van.

“
Kaynan?” Grace’s hand
lifted and I took it.

“
I’m here.” I picked her up
gently and carried her from the van to Jaze’s SUV.

“
Get in,” I said to the
others with barely concealed rage.

“
Where are you going,
Kaynan? She’s waiting for you. I promised her we’d bring you back
with us,” Tannin yelled behind me.

I turned and crossed the parking lot until I
stood nose to nose with him. He glared at me, a light of triumph in
his eyes. My limbs burned hot with rage at his defiance and
attitude that I owed him something. I clenched my hands into fists,
barely able to remember that I needed him alive. A growl ripped
from my throat and I stomped on his ankle. A loud snap sounded and
Dr. Tannin let out a cry of shock and pain as he grabbed his foot.
“Just to make sure you don’t go far,” I said between gritted
teeth.

“
I made you,” Dr. Tannin
yelled, crouched over his ankle. “You’d be dead without
me.”

I grabbed his broken ankle and dragged him
across the parking lot to the SUV, then tossed him in the back
where he cowered in the corner, true fear showing on his face for
the first time. Jaze met my eyes with a searching look, but didn’t
say anything.

I slid into the vehicle, pillowed Grace’s
head on my lap, and shut the door. Mouse started the engine and
drove us slowly from the parking lot.

***

Taye led Grace into the house while I dealt
with Tannin. Roger had a storage room next to the kitchen that
worked perfectly as a holding room. I might have been less than
gentle when I dragged him through the house, but he excelled at the
verbal abuse.

“
So what’s your plan,
Kaynan?” he asked, lounging as though he sat in a luxurious room
instead of on a cold cement floor.

“
You’re going to take me to
Colleen and I’m getting her out of your labs,” I replied, glaring
at him despite the throbbing in my chest from the bullet
wound.

Dr. Tannin’s eyebrows rose. “You think it’ll
be that easy?”

“
I don’t see why not,” I
growled.

A smirk curved the corner of his mouth. “You
seem to think you hold all of the cards, but you don’t.” I wasn’t
in the mood to be baited into asking questions, so I waited for his
patience to expire. Luckily, his broken ankle seemed to have
shortened his endurance. He gestured with one hand. “This new
facility was my back-up in case I needed to move from the old one.”
He gave me a wry look. “You assisted with that sooner than I
intended, but I had the chance to hire extra security in the
meantime. If you show up without me, or try to leave without my
permission, they’ll kill you on sight.”

My heart slowed. “And if I take you at
gunpoint?”

His smile sharpened. “I have very specific
instructions when it comes to bringing anyone to the laboratory. If
anything happens outside of protocol, they have orders to move your
sister to a different facility until they hear from me. She’ll be
long gone and it’ll be your fault that you lost her once
again.”

I fought back the urge to wipe the grin from
his face and took a calming breath. “What is protocol?” I asked,
spacing the words carefully to avoid growling.

“
I call my driver, he picks
up one individual with me at an undisclosed location and takes us
to the laboratory. Only one person can go, no tails, no weapons,
and no police or you’ll never see Colleen again.” His expression
turned serious. “But if I take you, you have to agree to stay.
That’s the only way I’ll let Colleen leave.”

I shut the door to the storage room before I
did something I truly regretted.

Chapter 20

“
You really need to stop
getting in the way of bullets,” Jaze said in a light
tone.