Van, Becca - Mate for Three [Pack Law 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (9 page)

“Paul was trying to cover his ass,” Blayk said. “He’s gathered information the Feds would love to get hold of. Let’s make a copy and send what we have here to the Bureau, that way our conscience is clear in regards to the drug-trafficking monster, Picotti.

“See if you can pull up this asshole’s address from the Internet. We need to study the layout of Paul’s property so we can get in without being detected.”

“I’m already on it,” Chris said, typing furiously.

“James, see if you can find out how many are in their pack. We need to know how many men to take with us,” Blayk stated.

“He’s got a property a couple of hours away. Wanna bet that’s where our girl is?” Chris asked. “Oh, and he has a dual-cab truck as well as an SUV registered in his name. I’ll bet he was the fucker who tried to run the women down.”

“Bastard! I’d count on it. I’m going to prepare my medical bag. I want to make sure I have everything I need, just in case. It’s only a couple of hours till sunrise. We’ll head out soon as we have everything ready and then we get our Alphas and our other cousins to come with us.” Blayk stood to go, feeling grim at the task ahead of them. “We don’t know what we’ll really be up against until we get there.”

Chapter Eight

Talia woke up with a mouth feeling like it was stuffed with cotton wool and what felt like a jackhammer pounding inside her skull. She opened her eyes to a slit and looked around the room. She remembered the prick in her neck and hands on her, then nothing. The room was bereft of any furniture but the bed she lay on. Frayed drapes covered the window, and the air smelled stale and damp. The room wasn’t familiar to her, but the scents she could smell were. Her ex had found her. The stench of Paul Rogan permeated the air.

She shut her eyes when she heard footsteps outside the closed bedroom door and prayed to God he would still think she was asleep. He obviously didn’t care one way or the other. The footsteps grew louder as the door opened, and the smell of Paul suddenly intensified. Talia screeched with pain as he grabbed her hair and pulled her up from the bed. She clawed at his hand with her nails, but he didn’t let go.

“Welcome back, wife! Did you honestly think you could avoid me forever? You always were a dumb bitch. You belong to me, Talia, and I am going to make sure you stay by my side. Those wolves you’ve been fucking are dead meat. I always knew there was a slut buried underneath that innocent façade,” Paul snarled at her.

“What do you want with me? I’m not your wife, we’re divorced,” Talia yelled as she continued to struggle.

“I don’t give a shit about what a piece of paper says. You belong to me. Not that I want to fuck you or anything. I just need the chip you stole from me.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Talia cried out as he tugged on her hair.

“Oh, that’s right. You were too dumb to know what was going on right underneath your nose. I have been working with some people to create a serum that changes humans to werewolves.” He offered an evil grin. “Would you like to try it?”

“What? Are you insane? You can’t go around changing people to werewolves. Think of the chaos that would cause.”

“Yes, chaos! I am going to create the biggest pack in the whole world. I will be the ruler of them all,” Paul stated with an evil grin on his face.

“What does your brother think of what you’re doing? He won’t let you take away his role as Alpha.”

“No, he won’t. He’s no longer alive. I am now the Alpha of the Rogan Pack, and my pack will rule the world.”

“You know you’re insane, right?” Talia asked. She wished she hadn’t let her tongue run away with her when his open palm landed on her cheek. The fire in her cheek brought tears to her eyes, and she felt her knees buckle. If he hadn’t been holding on to her hair, she would have fallen to the floor.

“I’m not insane. I am a visionary,” Paul ranted, spittle hitting her face as he went off in his own little world. “I can just imagine having all those people kneeling at my feet. I have plotted and planned this for years. I have even gathered information on the leader of the largest drug cartel on the planet and have him beneath the heel of my boot. Do you know what it’s like to have that type of hold over someone? No, of course you don’t. You’re too dumb and innocent.”

“What about the rest of the pack? They aren’t going to like finding out you killed their precious Alpha.”

“I don’t give a shit what they think. Oh, ah, ah, ah, you’re a naughty little wife, aren’t you, Talia? Do you think I don’t know what you’re trying to do? I know you’re trying to distract me. It won’t work. Now, where is your driver’s license?”

“I don’t have it.” Talia was bewildered. Her head throbbed. Why would he want her driver’s license?

Paul shook her a little, making her wince. “You little slut!” All at once he looked panicky. “If anyone else gets that chip…”

“What chip?” Talia winced again when he glared at her, but she added, “You’re not making any sense.”

“I left a bit of information with you, my dear wife. For safekeeping. I wouldn’t want it getting into any other hands. But then you left. You won’t escape me again, you little whore. Now let’s see how you enjoy becoming my own little bitch,” Paul said and began to pull her out of the bedroom by her hair.

Talia knew she had to escape him. The man was insane. She didn’t want to become a werewolf. Keira had told her how humans were changed, and she didn’t want to endure the agony of having her guts ripped to shreds. She fought against him, but she was no match for his strength. He pulled her so hard and moved so quickly she had trouble keeping her feet beneath her. Her head hurt as he tugged her by the hair, but she kept on fighting.

They reached the top of a staircase, and Talia knew her chance had arrived. This was the only option she had, and she was going to go down fighting. She used the last of her waning strength and dug the heel of one foot into the floor for leverage. With the other foot, she tripped Paul. Then she slammed her whole body into him.

Paul teetered for a moment, and then he lost his balance. He began to fall, and she tried to pull back so she wouldn’t go with him, but his grip on her hair was too strong. She screamed as she went tumbling down the long stairs with him. They rolled with unstoppable momentum. Her body smacked on top of Paul’s, and then the stairs slammed into her back. Talia heard a sickening crack, and then blinding pain radiated up from beneath her chin into her jaw and head. She literally saw stars, and then she was totally blind. She slid down into the beckoning black abyss.

* * * *

Chris was silent as he drove the truck. The knot of fear and anxiety which had been in his gut since the moment he and his brothers had found out that Talia was missing got bigger with each passing hour she was gone. They were headed toward Marvel in Colorado, which was just an hour or so across the border from Aztec, New Mexico. His Alpha cousins, Jonah, Mikhail, and Brock, were following behind in their own truck as were his other cousins, Greg, Jake, and Devon. They planned to storm the large country house and leave no one standing. He had studied the plans of the house and grounds for hours, until he knew he could move around without having to think. He knew where all the bedrooms were, the kitchen, the study, and every other room in between. He knew where the garage and garden shed were situated, and he knew the security system would be a piece of cake to bypass. So why was he feeling so unsettled? The only reason he could come up with was because Talia was in danger.

He vowed to never let her out of his sight again. The thought of not having her with him for the rest of his life tore through his heart. He loved his mate so much and knew his brothers felt the same. The thought of her in the clutches of her ex was just too horrific to bear. He slowed the truck and took the exit from the freeway. It wouldn’t be long now before he and his brothers had their woman back in their arms and in their bed. He glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the other two trucks traveling close behind. Pulling onto a quiet road, he slowed even more and traversed the small Colorado town. He pulled the truck to a stop five hundred yards from the Rogan property and got out.

Chris stood with his brothers until his six cousins joined them. He pushed his fear and anxiety to the back of his mind and silently led the way down the road. He made sure to keep out of sight of the windows once he had the property in his view. He and his cousins communicated through their wolves, knowing they were secure since it was a Friess Pack link. He and his brothers took the front door, while Jonah and Mikhail took the back. The rest of the men split up to either side of the house, covering all exits and entries.

Chris didn’t bother trying the door to see if it was open. He kicked it in. The sound of the wood frame splintering was loud and echoed through the silence. He rushed through the door, his brothers at his back, and froze with shock and fear. He felt sick to his stomach when he saw Talia in a heap on the floor next to a man. He was glad Blayk was there because he couldn’t seem to get his body to move. Blayk rushed past him and knelt down, placing a finger against Talia’s neck to feel her pulse. His waited in terror and dread for Blayk to look at him. His knees nearly buckled when he heard his brother’s words.

“She’s alive. Chris, call for the paramedics while I check her over,” Blayk commanded.

Chris stood over Talia and his brothers as James helped Blayk with their mate. She had a cut beneath her chin, a swollen, bruised cheek and a fat, lacerated lip, but she was breathing. He looked dispassionately at the man lying on the floor next to his mate. His neck was twisted at an odd angle, his eyes were wide open, and he wasn’t breathing. The bastard was dead.

Chris heard sirens in the distance fifteen minutes later. He could tell by the way Blayk was frowning at Talia that he was worried about something, but Chris knew he would do everything he could to see Talia had the best possible medical care.

While his brothers had looked after their mate, his Alphas and cousins had searched the place for any incriminating evidence in regards to their species. They had found a lot of stuff down in a hidden basement and were pleased find the files on werewolf DNA had all been stored on the computer. Brock had copied the files onto a USB stick and then wiped the hard drive clean, removed it, and destroyed it.

He watched as Talia was loaded carefully onto a stretcher and carried into the ambulance. Blayk climbed in the back. He would let him and James know which hospital they drove Talia to. The local sheriff had arrived, and so had the coroner. Chris knew it was going to be a long day. He didn’t want to have to deal with the local authorities, but he had no choice.

Three hours later Chris finally pulled his truck into the parking lot of the hospital in Durango, Colorado. He was bone tired since he hadn’t slept a wink the night before, but he had to see Talia. Blayk had sent him and James periodic text messages letting them know that Talia’s condition hadn’t changed, but he needed to see her for himself. He entered through the double front doors to the medium-size hospital and hurried down the long corridor. He was glad to see Blayk pacing in the distance and knew he wouldn’t have to harass any of the medical staff to find his mate.

“How is she?” Chris asked.

“Still no change. She hasn’t regained consciousness yet, and they’ve just taken her to get an MRI scan and an X-ray.”

“It’s not good that she hasn’t woken up yet, is it?”

“No. The longer she’s out, the more likely it is that she’s sustained brain damage. There is swelling in her brain, and even though she heals at a much more rapid pace, it may take longer for her body to repair itself, depending on how extensive the inflammation is,” Blayk stated, a frown on his face.

“Fuck. If that bastard hadn’t broken his neck in the fall, I would rip him apart,” Chris snarled.

“Yeah, me, too. We’ve done all we can. Now it’s up to Talia and God,” Blayk said.

Chris turned as he heard wheels rolling on the floor. His fury boiled to the surface again at the sight of his mate looking so bruised and battered, hooked up to a drip as the staff wheeled her into a room close by. He felt so helpless. He wanted to take Talia into his arms and take her pain and bruises away, but he couldn’t. He wanted to scream and shout at the unfairness of his woman being in such a state, but knew that wouldn’t help her.

He walked over to Blayk as his brother conversed with the doctor and listened as he related Talia’s injuries.