“Please don’t hurt him,” Carol pleaded. “Please don’t erase his memories. You can’t! It ain’t fair. We didn’t mean to hurt nobody.” Tears welled in her eyes.
“Spare me the crocodile tears,” Christian said, knowing how clever children were at manipulating adults. “Your infatuation put one of us behind bars.”
Viktor snapped his fingers. “Both of you, go.”
Joshua stood first and helped Carol to her feet. He clutched the pixie-sized girl tightly to him as they made their way to the back of the trailer and closed themselves up in the room with the twins.
Viktor crossed the room and took a seat in their place.
Without missing a beat, Blue got out of the passenger seat and dutifully sat beside him. “When’s the last time you had anything to drink? Christian, get him some water.”
He patted her hand. “What would I do without my Blue?”
Christian filled a plastic glass and handed it over.
After Viktor quenched his thirst, he set the empty cup on the divider between him and Claude. “One of you must stay behind and watch the boy until the mission is complete. If we set him free, he’ll either follow us or try to get help. Someone might get information from him or charm him. We cannot afford to make any mistakes, and he is a liability.”
Blue raised a finger. “I’ll stay.”
“Nyet. I need your eyes. And I need Christian’s ears and Claude’s nose.”
Shepherd tucked the unlit cigarette behind his ear. “I guess through process of elimination, that leaves yours truly.”
“But we won’t have a healer.” Blue looked between all the men. “Niko’s gone, and if something happens to one of the children, Shepherd’s the only one who knows emergency medicine.”
Claude raised his finger and cleared his throat. “I can heal superficial wounds.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Superficial isn’t what I’m worried about.”
“If Raven were here, I’d have her stay with the boy,” Viktor said. “But I cannot afford to spare any of you on the last part of our journey.”
“But you don’t need my eyes. We’re driving.”
Viktor averted his gaze and fell silent. Evidently, he had more in store for them. By the looks of the rugged terrain, probably hiking.
She leaned away and put her hands on her lap. “I’ll do as you ask. You’re the alpha of Keystone.”
Viktor wasn’t an alpha wolf by birth, but he had formed a group and led it with as much authority as any Packmaster would. Calling him an alpha was the biggest compliment you could pay to a beta wolf.
Christian climbed into the passenger seat and stared at the open road before them. He needed to forget Raven and keep his mind on the mission, or someone might die under his watch. It felt like an act of betrayal, but he’d seen many men make foolish choices in the name of love. Viktor had smartly included most of the team on this mission to prepare for the unexpected, including the loss of members.
Nevertheless, it wouldn’t stop Christian from paying a visit to that redneck gobshite someday and delivering a little payback, perhaps charm him into believing he’s a circus monkey instead of a cop.
Revenge was not only a dish best served cold, it was one served in the middle of the night, five years in the future.
Chapter 18
My internal Mage clock told me it was late afternoon. I had given up on concealing my presence from General’s brother, but I didn’t speak to him. I used the toilet, drank water from the sink, and stuffed my coat back in the bag, putting the hoodie over my T-shirt instead. Cold leather against my arms just wasn’t cutting it.
I wonder where they are? Have they made it to their destination? Probably not. Has Niko found Gem? Why the hell would Niko’s nemesis have taken her to begin with? Ransom?
We were stronger as a group, and the more divided we became, the more vulnerable. Hopefully nothing else had happened, like Carol escaping with that boyfriend of hers.
I jumped to my feet when I heard the outside door open. Someone whistled a melody out of tune while they unlocked the heavy door to the cells. A skinny man stepped in, silhouetted by the light in the front room.
I squinted and recognized the man.What the hell?It was Willie, the server from McDonald’s earlier that morning. The door swung wide and showered the room with light.
He walked jauntily in and headed toward Major’s cell. “So what did you do?”
