It took him a couple of minutes to figure out that Raymond was holding someone in front of him, a gun pressed to the guy's head.
Again with the guns.
Luca didn't know who Raymond had in his clutches, but he seriously doubted the man wanted to be there. Luca had to do something. He glanced around looking for a weapon. He wasn't a bear shifter. He couldn't do what bears did.
His eyes landed on the wooden box Randal had found in the apartment. He didn't exactly know what was in those syringes. He wasn't sure he cared. He just hoped it would stop Ralph and Raymond from doing anyone else harm.
Luca grabbed several of them and then slowly opened his door and climbed out of the car. He popped the stopper off three of the syringes and began to walk forward. He was only going to get one shot at this. He had to make it good.
Luca crept up behind the trio as quietly as he could. He knew the moment Rob spotted him because the man's jaw clenched and then he started shouting. Luca suspected the alpha was trying to mask his approach.
He slid one syringe into one hand and held the other two with the other hand. Some sound must have given him away because Ralph started to turn just as Luca reached him. Luca lunged, driving the needle of the syringe into Ralph's chest and pushing the plunger.
Ralph's roar of outrage was enough to get Raymond's attention off of Rob and the man he was holding. He dropped his grip and took a step toward Ralph. Luca switched hands with another syringe and drove it into Raymond's shoulder when the man was within reach.
That left the third man.
Luca started to turn to confront him when a burning agony ripped up along his side. Luca screamed as his legs went out from underneath him and he fell to the ground. He heard a distant roar of rage, but everything faded quickly before going dark.
Chapter Eighteen
Randal had been watching Luca's chest intently enough to notice when he sucked in a deep breath. He quickly moved closer to the side of the bed, grabbing Luca's hand between his.
"Luca, mate?"
Luca's eyelids fluttered for a moment before lifting.
Tears sprang to Randal's eyes. "Hey, baby, how do you feel?"
"Th-Thirsty."
"Oh, hold on." Randal reached for the glass of water on the nightstand. He held the straw up to Luca's lips. "Don't take too much."
Luca sucked down a little more before turning his head. Randal set the glass back on the nightstand before grabbing Luca's hand again. "Do you hurt anywhere?"
Randal still felt enraged every time he thought about the damage to Luca's side. Granted, the claw marks weren't that deep, and probably wouldn't scar, but there had been a lot of blood. The assault was meant to kill him. No one was contesting that.
He wanted to kill the man who had attacked Luca, but he'd been forbidden to by Rob. It was the one time he ever considered disobeying a direct order from his alpha. Only with Rob's promise that those responsible—including his father and brother—would pay for their crimes kept him from ripping off the head of the man who'd hurt his mate.
"What happened?" Luca asked.
"A lot." Randal almost laughed at how much had happened in the last two days while Luca had been unconscious. "Some guy who worked for my father was waiting for them when they got to the sheriff's department and he jumped the sheriff, knocking him out. When he was interrogated, we discovered that he was the same guy who poisoned the sandwiches and told Dwayne his grandmother had fainted. He was pretending to work in the kitchen. He swears up and down Ralph ordered him to do it, but, of course, Ralph denied it. We have no proof whose idea it was, so they were both charged with the crime. The sheriff was ready to throw them all in a deep dark hole and throw away the key."
Luca lifted his eyebrows.
"After you stabbed them with those syringes, Ralph and Raymond couldn't shift, which tells us what was in those things. The council was very interested in learning about that blue stuff. Rob kept one vial so someone could go over it, but sent the rest off with the council guards when they came to pick everyone up."
"Where are Ralph and Raymond now?"
"Cooling their heels in a council cell, awaiting their execution." Randal knew he should have felt sadness about losing his father and brother, but he just didn't. He actually felt relief. "The evidence was too great. Between all the things he'd done before Rob arrived to upset the clan, kidnapping your nana, attempting to create a shadow clan, ignoring his banishment, and what they found out about his involvement with Jason King, he had no defense."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not." Randal's nostrils flared as he tried to retain control of his anger. "They kept us apart for two years and then they kidnapped your nana—who is the sweetest old lady I've ever met—and they tried to hurt you. I don't care what happens to them."
"But, your family—"
Randal smiled at Luca and reached up to brush some hair back from his face. "I have all the family I need right here."
