Before I reached the edge of the porch, something sharp pierced my back. I whirled, facing my attacker. My entire body was on fire, my muscles convulsing uncontrollably as I fell to the wooden planks beneath me.
The pain subsided for a moment and I looked up at the shadow looming over me. He crouched down, his face coming into focus.
Darrell Whelby’s dark eyes stared back at me. “Thanks for saving me the trouble of coming in to get you, son.” He held a black device in his hand, his finger twitching on the trigger.
Once again, my body was seized by unending waves of pain that continued until I slipped into unconsciousness.
When I cameto, I was lying on my side, my body swaying. I cracked my eyelids open, hoping to get an idea of where I was. I saw the metal shell of a van and realized that my body was swaying because the vehicle was in motion.
Then I focused on the lump in front of me, my blood running cold when I realized that it was Chloe. I tried to reach for her, but my hands were caught tight behind me, bound in chains and thick shackles.
The van slowed to a stop. I tilted my head back to look toward the driver’s seat. Darrell stared back, his eyes grim. He lifted a black handgun, pointing it straight at my chest. I barely had a chance to register his intentions before he pulled the trigger.
When the tearing pain never came, only a sharp pinch, I looked down and saw a silver dart sticking out of my chest. My head swam as it dawned on me that he’d drugged me.
“You don’t get off that easy, Lachlan,” Darrell muttered as I fought the effects of the sedative. “You have a lot to answer for.”
I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. As the darkness claimed me one more time, I whispered, “Chloe.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chloe
Ilay perfectlystill as the van rolled to a stop, keeping my eyes shut. I knew without looking that Lachlan was beside me and he was awake as well. We’d only been on the road for a short time and I wondered if we’d already reached our destination. Then I heard a soft whooshing sound and Darrell’s voice.
“You don’t get off that easy, Lachlan. You have a lot to answer for.”
I lifted my lids slightly to look at Lach, but his eyes were rolling back in his head, a silver dart sticking out of his chest.
“Chloe,” he whispered.
My wolf rose up within me, enraged to see our mate in pain, but I fought the urge to howl. If Darrell knew I was awake, I would get the same treatment as Lach.
I listened as Darrell put the van in gear and we moved back onto the road.
When I’d left the house earlier, my heart breaking after seeing the look on Lachlan’s face, my only thoughts had been of outrunning the pain. By the time I’d smelled Darrell’s scent in the air, it had been too late.
There was another wolf up front with Darrell, one of his officers from the Prater Police Department. The rest were following behind us in an SUV marked PPD. Six against one were shitty odds, but I had no choice.
There was no doubt in my mind that once they got Lach and I to our destination, they were going to kill us. I had no choice but to try and fight my way out of the situation.
As I told Lachlan before, strategy wasn’t my strong suit. I couldn’t even feign weakness in hopes it would lower their guard. These wolves knew my reputation and me. They’d taken no chances, chaining me to the floor of the van just as they had Lachlan.
My only hope was to let them think that I was unconscious when they removed me from the vehicle and lash out when they least expected it.
Thirty minutes later, the van turned, going over several bumps, before rolling to a stop. I controlled my breathing, keeping it deep and even, as Darrell shut off the van.
“You and the boys grab him. I’ll get the she-wolf.”
My ears strained as they climbed out. A few moments later, there were footsteps and the doors at the rear of the van swung open. I desperately wanted to open my eyes and take measure of how many men were there, but I couldn’t risk it. I would only have one shot at escaping. With Lachlan unconscious, I would have to find a way to get him out of here too, but I needed to take one step at a time.
I hoped they would remove me first because then all I would have to do was grab the keys and drive the van away with Lach inside, but those thoughts were dashed when I felt the bed of the van dip as one of the wolves climbed inside. The jingling of keys told me they were unchaining him from the floor. The van jostled more as they slid him out, the two wolves barely grunting as they took Lachlan’s weight.
When hands grasped my ankles to turn me over, I fought the urge to kick. My wolf raged inside me, wanting to fight. To kill. But I forced her back.
Not yet.
Someone clambered up into the van, standing over me. From his scent, I knew it was Darrell. He stood there for a long time and I felt his stare on me. Then the chains holding me to the floor loosened and my body slid toward the open doors.
