“Fuck it, I’m going in,” I say as I grab my gun and head towards the back. As soon as I get flush with the wall next to the back door, I hear shouting, and I don’t waste a second as I kick the fucking door in and head for Diego’s scream just as the first gunshot rings out.
Chapter 23
Gage
Something is … off.
I heard Auryn and the other alphas earlier. Fine. We're a pack, and she has a right to have whatever fun she wants. If that means a group session with Diego and Emmett, that's fine. None of my business, so long as they're treating her right, and I doubt I have to worry about that.
That was hours ago, though, and for the last thirty minutes or so, I've had a sinking feeling in my gut.
My first instinct is to check on Auryn, but I find her with Olly, the two cuddling in her nest. Nothing wrong there.
As I search the compound for signs of Emmett and Diego, my unease grows. They're not in their rooms. Not in the kitchen, or the storeroom, or anywhere else. Both cars are missing, and I howl into the night as I realize where they must have gone.
When I get back inside, Olly and Auryn stand in the hallway waiting for me. From the pained expression on Auryn’s face, I'm not the only person who senses that something is wrong. It kills me to see my omega upset, even more because I can't fix it yet. I can’t make this better until I can get to the Orion house and find out what’s going on with Diego and Em.
They're in trouble. That has to be it. They're in trouble, and I don’t know how to help.
This is the worst feeling for an alpha, especially a pack leader.
“Olly, take care of Auryn,” I say as I stalk towards the supply closet. I'll need to gather supplies. Bandages. Gear.
Weapons.
“Gage!” I whirl around, and Olly flinches. He looks back at our girl, then whispers in my ear. “H-how should I take care of her? She knows something isn't right. She woke up crying, and it took all I had to calm her down this much.”
Poor Olly. He's smart, but he doesn’t understand emotional reactions. I'm amazed he got Auryn to stop crying.
“Make her feel safe. That's the most important thing. Make her feel safe, and keep her inside. The compound is pretty well defended, but it’s best not to risk it.” I pause, realizing that Auryn can probably sense my distress as well. “Distract her.”
“When will you be back?”
That's a good question. When … if … I don’t have an answer for him.
Olly disappears down the hall with Auryn, and I hear him talking to her in a low, even tone. It sounds like he's spouting off medical jargon, so I tune him out to focus on the task at hand.
Once I'm geared up and armed to the teeth, I dart outside and start running towards the Orions’ pack house.
Damn those two for taking both cars. Why did they do that? Now I have to hoof it all the way there.
About three miles into my run, the sound of the Jeep’s engine reaches my ears. I change direction, heading for the road. Drawing a gun, I rush the road and jump in front of the car, which barrels haphazardly from the direction of the Orions. The driver barely manages to avoid hitting me, swerving off the road and coming to a stop just shy of a large oak tree.
Dropping to a crouch, I creep to the driver’s side of the Jeep. I fling the door open, and Diego falls out, groaning as he lands on the ground.
“Diego!” I holster my weapon and bend to help him up. Together we get him to his feet, though when my hand comes away from his side, it's wet with blood. “What happened?”
He coughs, splattering me with more blood. “They were ready for us. Knew that we'd killed two of their own. Knew we had Auryn.” A loud groan escapes him as I press a cloth to the wound in his gut, one of dozens all over his body, but this one seems the worst. They beat the shit out of him before they shot him.
“I-I'm sorry,jefe. They got Em. He tried to get me out, but they knew he was there. If he hadn't gotten their attention … He saved me, Gage. Could have come back for you, should have come back for you, but he didn’t.”
“Slow down, bro. Take some deep breaths. We need to get you to the compound. Get you to Olly. He can stitch you up.”
Diego shakes his head. “We have to go back. They've got Em.”
He takes a step, but the blood loss wins out, and if I hadn’t been there to catch him, he would have landed in the dirt again.
“Emmett is tough,” I say as I lift Diego like a cub and place him in the passenger seat. “He'll be okay until we can fix you up and formulate a plan.” I buckle him in, cinching the belt tight around his abdomen.
