What This Wolf Wants (21 page)

“The question is, where are you taking me? And what is that sound?” She could still hear the high-pitched noise over the rain and it was getting on her nerves. It was akin to a fly buzzing around her ear and she wanted to swat it.

“The sound is the alarm. It’s pitched too high for human ears, but not for shifters.”

“Alarm?” She turned her head back and forth, looking everywhere she could, expecting the bogeyman to jump out at any second.

The cloud cover might be thick and the rain heavy, but neither was enough to overcome the power of the full moon’s glow. In fact, as Zan moved into and through Russell’s office, Jackie saw through the window how several patches of gauzy moonlight bathed the wet ground. It reminded her of the soft affect angel hair had on Christmas tree lights.

What a weird connection to make.

“Yeah. Perimeter wall’s being tampered with, but Shider’s not on the premises. Yet. It’s the initial alarm, warning us that someone’s trying to get either through or over the wall.”

“Oh, God.” Now she really was going to throw up. “Can’t you call the cops or something?” Instead of going out there and possibly getting killed, she added silently.

“He’d just make bail and try again. And then we might not be ready for him. I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder for the rest of my life. Would you?” No, actually. She really wouldn’t. But she kept her mouth fully clamped shut.

“Here we are.” Zan bent over and carefully dropped Jackie back to her feet.

“Here” turned out to be some kind of control room, very similar to the one at Moon Haven, the wolf compound back in Woodcliff. As Jackie peered through the faint yellow light, she felt a wave of homesickness, which was ridiculous since she’d only been gone two days.

She brushed that feeling aside, noting that Russell and Marion were already present. The shifter sat in front of several lit screens that she quickly perceived to be strategic views of the grounds. Marion sat next to him and gave her a wan smile. “You okay?” She asked with quiet concern.

“Uh. Yeah.” Jackie wrapped her arms around her middle. “Still trying to wake up. So if the electricity is out, how come those are working?”

“Back-up generator.” Zan was moving toward a large steel cabinet. It was then she noticed he’d changed clothes. Black pants adorned his legs and a long-sleeved black shirt covered his torso. Both had a slight sheen to them and were so tight they clung to his body like a second skin.

Yet when he moved, the fabric flowed with him.

“Where are Scott and Joe?”

“Out in the forest. The alarm will bring them back.” Zan answered as he reached into the cabinet, grabbing, checking, and then attaching various weapons to his body. Jackie tried not to grimace as he tucked two wickedly sharp knives into his black boots.

“This may be a dumb question,” Jackie turned to face Marion.

“But how’d they get into the forest? This place is walled in?”

“Doggie door.” Marion replied, causing Jackie to drop her chin in surprise.

“It is not a doggie door, babe.” Russell denied.

Marion only grinned at her husband’s growl. “Close enough.” She flicked her eyes back to Jackie. “There’s a section on the lower half of the wall that’s been replaced with a steel door. Next to it is a screen. When the wolves want in or out, they lick that panel and, voila, the door slides open.”

Wow. “It’s DNA activated? Impressive.”

“I thought so.” Russell answered smugly.

Marion rolled her eyes. “He only says that because he thought of it.”

Russell looped his arm about his wife’s neck and pulled her over for a quick kiss. “That’s why it’s impressive.” A tendril of jealousy at their easy affection caused Jackie to avert her eyes, and collide with Zan’s intense ones. Her breath caught in the back of her throat. The man was suited up for battle. It terrified her and turned her on at the same time. Terrified because he was gearing up for war and turned on because he somehow seemed larger, more macho in his outfit.

Like a warrior of old, out to save his home, and country, and the damsel in distress.

Which was what he was.

They stared at each other for several heartbeats before he tore his gaze away to pick up a small item. He fiddled with it at his right ear. “The boys back yet?”

Russell flipped through the screens. “I don’t see them anywhere and it’s starting to piss me off.”

“Hmmm. Might have some difficulty hearing the alarm with the rain.” Zan didn’t appear concerned. “Test me.” Russell murmured something too low for Jackie to hear. Zan responded with an affirmative and she realized the tiny earpiece was both receiver and transmitter. Evidently no expense was too great for these bad boys. And she was glad. If part of her tax dollars went to make Zan safer, then so be it.

The buzzing noise changed to a rapid beeping. Still just as soft.

Still just as annoying.

“West wall’s been breached.” Russell said. “And there’s our boys.

Finally.”

Jackie made out two dark shapes slinking through the trees by one of the perimeter walls. On another screen she saw a human-shaped shadow crouched low to the ground. Three more dropped and followed suit in quick secession.

“There’s four of them?” Jackie asked, turning to look where Zan was. Only, he wasn’t there. He was gone. The door was closing even as she rushed over to it. “Zan! You bastard.”

He’d left without a word. Locking her in the safe room with Russell and Marion. The latter who was looking at her with a mix of pity and understanding. It was Russell who said, “Leaving you was probably one of the hardest things he’s ever done, Jackie. Don’t think to harshly of him.”

Jackie let out a snarl. “He could have at least said goodbye.” Russel shot her an undecipherable look over his shoulder before turning back to his screens. “No. He really couldn’t.” Seething, Jackie moved into position behind Russell. All the better to see each and every screen.

“There’s another chair, Jackie. Why don’t you sit down?” Marion asked

Though the question wasn’t meant to be uncaring, Jackie just couldn’t sit down and see the next several minutes—hours?—unfold in front of her as if she were watching some damn movie. “I’m good. Thanks though.”

Good? What a lie. Just another to add to the list of lies she’d uttered over the last several days. To others and to herself. God, she was a mess.

Chapter Twenty

The four shadows broke into pairs, one pair doing their best to remain invisible as they headed toward the direction Jackie last saw Scott and Joe. At least Jackie thought that the north section was where the younger shifters were. There were so many camera angles and Russell flipped through them so fast, she was losing all sense of direction. Added to that was the heavy rain and dark clouds that kept obscuring the moon and she no longer had any idea which screen shot belonged to which section of property. All this squinting was giving her a headache.

The other two shadows remained low to the ground and just when Jackie was beginning to wonder what the heck they were doing, they looked up.

“Shit. Is that a fucking zip line?” Russell pushed a button and the picture zoomed in. A heartbeat barely passed before another shape slid effortlessly over the wall and right into the throng of trees.

“Sneaky bastard sent his men in first as a distraction. Coward.” Jackie looked from the screen to Russell as he relayed that information to Zan and back to the screen again. “There’s no way we can inform Scott and Joe though, is there?”

“No. Which is why they’re working as a team. To cover each other for exactly this type of thing.”

Jackie straightened. “For zip lines?”

Russell snorted. “And anything out of the ordinary. One thing they’ve learned is not to expect anything and how to adjust to unexpected situations. If you can’t be flexible in this line of work, you’re dead.” What a pleasant thought. “Where’s Zan?”

“East quadrant. Moving toward the three perps.” Perps. In the past, whenever she read or heard that word, she wanted to laugh. It sounded too much like peeps to her. Those yummy, Easter marshmallow treats.

She didn’t want to laugh now. “Why don’t you have big screens in here like you do downstairs?” She complained as she strained to see Zan on the small screen.

“It’s not like this is a common occurrence.” Russell all but growled at her.

Almost under her breath she hissed, “Could have fooled me.” Intent on the screens as she was, she saw a small white flash go off in the distance and then that screen went black.

“What just happened?” Marion asked, leaning forward.

“Son of a bitch,” Russell grit between his teeth.

Someone had shot out the camera. “Night vision?” Jackie wondered.

“Not if he has any brains. Lightening flashes would blind him.

Has to be infrared. Asshole. That camera was expensive.” If Shider, who,no doubt was in the tree, could make out the electricity powering the cameras to shoot them out, then Zan stood no chance. He might be super strong, super fast, and have claws, but his super senses wouldn’t be of much use in the pouring rain. “Oh, God. Zan.” Russell shot her a quick glance. “The suit he has on hides body heat. It’s also bullet resistant.”

Resistant? “Not bullet proof?”

The shifter rolled his chair a fraction to the left. “Depends on the bullet.”

Not comforting. Besides. “His head isn’t protected.” Nothing for a moment. “Yeah. I know.” Russell spoke into his earpiece and relayed what was happening to Zan.

“We need to have sharpshooters on the roof.” It was Marion that answered. “Thomas and Cooper were delayed by the storm. Otherwise we would have.”

Jackie tore her eyes from the flat screens to study Marion. “I take it you’ve done this before?”

A brief look of anger. “Once.”

While curious, Jackie wanted to know more, she didn’t know Marion well enough to prod, and now certainly wasn’t the time.

Movement on another screen drew her eye and there was Zan, threading past several trees, using them for cover, stalking the hunters. He disappeared again and two seconds later Jackie saw a dark shadow fall.

Before she could gasp, Zan stepped onto the screen again. She almost sighed in relief. He was okay. He’d just taken down one of the intruders.

Then his big body jerked sideways and he went down.

A scream of denial lodged in her throat. And then if she wasn’t feeling helpless enough in this sickening situation, there came a soft
boom
and everything went dark. “Zan,” she gasped.

“Generator’s gone.” Russell bit out several curses. “I need to get out there.”

She heard movement, a brush of clothing, and all she could see was the replay of Zan going down. He’d been shot. Again. How bad, she had no idea. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t even think. Couldn’t freaking breath!

“I need to get the back-up generator going. Ensure the house is protected.” She heard the sound of the metal cabinet opening. “And I need to get to Zan.”

“Baby,” Marion whispered, then stopped. A strangled sound came out of her, “Be careful.”

There were sounds of kissing. Jackie almost wanted to slap them both. Scream that they didn’t have time for that. Not when Zan was hurt, possibly even dead.

She pressed her lips tight, understanding that Russell was heading into that danger, leaving behind his mate, and unborn child. She couldn’t even imagine how hard that was for him. Or for Marion. But at the same time, Jackie’s mate lay injured. And she was a doctor, dammit. Russell couldn’t be in two places at once and she instinctively knew he would head for the generator to insure his mate’s safety. Zan was important to him, she knew that, but a mate’s safety came first. Always.

Just as hers came first. It was one of the reasons why she couldn’t remain with him if he continued to live this lifestyle. If he still lived at all.

“You get the generator up,” Jackie stated firmly, her mind made.

“I’ll get to Zan.”

Shocked silence. “You’re not going out there. Zan would slice me open if anything happened to you.”

“And I’m not going to sit back and twiddle my thumbs waiting for you to start the generator and only
then
go check on Zan.”

“He might not even be hit, Jackie. There’s always the possibility he heard the bullet and ducked. Or it might just be a flesh wound.” Jackie wasn’t taking that chance, and told Russell so. “I’m not willing to take that chance. If he is hurt, I can take care of him.”

“And whose going to take care of you?”

Jackie bared her teeth in the general direction of Russell’s voice.

Another string of curses. “Fine. Dammit. But you’re wearing this.” Her arms were shoved into a vest followed by a backpack. The combined weight was so heavy and unexpected she nearly staggered. “The medical kit.”

He moved away from Jackie, murmured something low, sharing another moment with his wife. Then he grabbed Jackie’s arm and pulled her from the room. While her eyes adjusted to the dim light that filtered into his office, Russell shut a heavy door behind him and then slid a bookcase in front of it.

So that’s why she hadn’t noticed the door before. This particular wall of his office was lined with bookcases, the safe room hidden behind one of the panels. Maybe not the most original, but sneaky all the same.

Then they were on the move, Russell informing Jackie of Zan’s exact location as they headed for the kitchen. He pressed his back to the wall next to the outside door and peered out into the stormy night. The rain had let up some, the cloud cover not as thick. His eyes shot to hers, amber ringing the gray of his irises. Jackie knew his wolf was riding high. If she could shift forms, her beast would be dong the same. As it was, she could feel her animal lunging in her mind, anxious to get to it’s mate.

“I take it you know how to use a gun?”

“Yeah.” She held out her right hand. “Aim and pull the trigger until the bad thing goes away.”

Russell’s lip twitched. “Smart ass.” He handed her a thirty-eight special snub-nosed revolver. Proving she knew what she was doing, she flicked open the cylinder, checked it was loaded, and swung it shut with a flip of her wrist.