Carter nodded. “It’s worth a try.”
After the shift, the huge bear ran at the door and slammed its entire body against it with a load roar. It didn’t budge. He roared again in outrage and began to pound his huge meaty paws against it. Nothing.
Despite Seb’s best efforts, it was quite evident that they weren’t going anywhere. Carter’s mind spiraled. With his back against the cold, metallic door, despair seeped into his thoughts. How could Emily, his mate, have done this to him?
Chapter Ten
Emily
Night had descended over Emily’s condo complex, its silvery hue punctuated by the distant streetlights. Each step towards her front door echoed with the sharp clatter of her heels, but inside, her thoughts raced louder.
Please let them be okay. Let that card be their way in,she begged silently. The safety of Carter and his team weighed on her like an anchor. The memory of their last kiss, his lingering warmth, both comforted and tormented her with the uncertainty of what lay ahead.
But as she reached for her front door key, she felt an all too familiar, icy grip on her wrist. A flash of terror surged through her as she recognized the tattooed hand of one of the facility’s henchmen—Rory.
Before she could react, a second, equally menacing figure stepped out from the shadows, his cruel smirk barely visible beneath the low brim of his hat.
“Thought you were being clever, did you?” Jude sneered.
Desperation fueled her as she tried to break free, aiming a kick at the first henchman’s shins. But her efforts were in vain—they were too strong, too practiced.
Jude roughly grabbed her from behind. Panic surged and her vision blurred, the world tilting dangerously. She tried to scream, to shout for help, but her efforts were muffled by the large hand over her mouth.
As they shoved her into a nearby black car, one last thoughtechoed in her mind, a blend of fear and determination.Carter, wherever you are, they know! I’m sorry I let you down.
The car’s interior was dim, lit only by the passing streetlights that occasionally highlighted the cruel features of the two henchmen. Emily’s heart raced as she eyed the gun that Rory had trained on her. Taking a deep breath, she forced out the question that had been tormenting her since her ambush. “What’s happening? Where are you taking me?”
Jude, seated in the passenger seat, the jagged scar down his cheek making him look even more intimidating, sneered over his shoulder. “The boss wants to have a little chat.”
The menace in his voice sent chills down Emily’s spine, and she instantly knew this wasn’t going to be a simple conversation. She’d seen the brutality they were capable of firsthand, and she was as disposable as the shifters they experimented on.
The drive seemed to stretch endlessly, with each moment ratcheting up her anxiety until she could barely stand it. The vehicle’s hum was the only consistent sound, a monotonous reminder of the uncertainty she was moving towards.
Her fingers tingled from the tightness of her bonds. Every possible scenario raced through her mind, but one thought haunted her above all else—had they discovered her alliance with Carter?
Emily steeled herself, determined not to let them see her fear. Whatever awaited her, she had to be ready. For herself, for Carter, and for all the shifters they hoped to save.
The sterile walls of the facility seemed to close in on Emily as she was briskly escorted down the long hallway. Her footsteps echoed eerily on the polished floors, matching pace with the two henchmen flanking her.
They came to a stop in front of an imposing door, one that she had never noticed before, and certainly hadn’t been privy to. The thicker walls and additional security measures indicated that this was no ordinary office.
The door clicked open, and she was ushered inside. The room was dimly lit, dominated by a large mahogany desk. Behind it sat a man she had never seen, but his bearing and the way the two henchmen deferred to him made it clear who he was—the elusive ‘boss.’
His dark eyes assessed her, cold and calculating, and after a moment, he leaned forward slightly, lips curling into a small smirk.
“Miss Whitaker,” he greeted her with a heavy middle eastern accent. “It seems you’ve been up to no good.”
Feigning confusion, Emily straightened her posture and replied as calmly as she could, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Without breaking eye contact, he reached into a drawer, pulling out a photograph. He slid it across the table, ensuring it faced her. The image depicted a scene she wished she could deny—her, handing over the key card to Carter in his parents’ house.
Her heart plummeted, realizing the ramifications of that single captured moment. “How did you get this?” she whispered, barely able to find her voice.
The boss leaned back, interlacing his fingers. “We have eyes everywhere, Miss Whitaker. You truly believed we wouldn’t notice a key card of that level being stolen? We saw you on the security camera, and I became curious. So, I had you followed. When my men saw you hand over that card to those men, it was obvious what they planned to do with it.”
Emily’s resolve wavered, but she wouldn’t let him see her crumble. “What do you want from me?” she asked defiantly.
The boss simply smiled, the cold glint in his eyes promising that things were about to become much more complicated.
