“What is it?” Lacey asked. Nothing about this was even remotely funny.
He gestured at the two vehicles parked in the darkest corner of the lot. “That’s Remy’s Mustang and Brooks’s truck.”
No sooner were the words out of his mouth than Remy and Max jogged over to meet them.
“What are you guys doing here?” Alex asked.
“We followed Pettine here about thirty minutes ago,” Remy said. “McDonald showed up ten minutes ago with Brooks right behind him. Brooks is out sniffing around now.”
Alex was in the middle of filling in Remy and Max on DeYoung and Pendergraff when his phone rang. It was Brooks.
“McDonald and Pettine just left,” the man’s deep voice said over the speakerphone. “I let them go, because I caught a whiff of Kelsey’s scent. She’s definitely in the building somewhere.”
Lacey’s heart beat faster.
“Where are you?” Alex asked Brooks.
“There are some azaleas along the front of the building. I’m right behind them.”
“Best way in?” Alex wanted to know.
“The front doors,” Brooks said. “There are some private security types in there, so we’ll need to neutralize them.”
The muscle in Alex’s jaw flexed. “Standby. I’m calling Gage.”
Lacey held her breath as Alex got his Pack alpha on the line and told him where they were and what they were up against.
“I can’t get anyone there to back you up,” Gage said, frustration clear in his voice. “Deputy Chief Mason had me empty the shop to support the raid on the drug location on I-45 that you told me about. Can you wait?”
Alex didn’t hesitate. “No.”
“Then the four of you are going to have to do this on your own,” Gage said. “Hit them fast, and don’t hold back. I’ll get backup to you as soon as I can.”
Alex thumbed the red button on his phone, then called Brooks back. “We’re on our own. I’ll be there in two minutes.” He hung up, then looked over at Remy and Max. “If we go in there and Brooks is wrong, we’re hitting the unemployment line.”
Remy and Max only shrugged.
Alex looked at Lacey. “This is all going to be over soon. We’ll get Kelsey out of there safely. I promise.”
Lacey grabbed his arm as he started to get out of the truck. Then she leaned over and kissed him. It was just one quick touch of the lips, but she prayed it said everything she hadn’t been able to say to him before.
“Be careful,” she whispered.
Alex nodded, then was gone, racing with Remy and Max toward the building so fast, they were a blur.
Chapter 17
Alex didn’t pause to have a long, drawn-out conversation with Brooks when they met up with him in front of the building. He told his teammates what he intended to do, and that was it. Brooks eyed him thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded.
“It’s Lacey’s sister in there,” he said. “I’ll follow your lead.”
Giving them a nod, Alex led the way to the front door of Central Texas Medical R&D. He jerked open the door so hard it partially tore the hinges away from the frame, but he didn’t care. Kelsey was in here, and he wasn’t leaving until he got her out. Her scent hit him the moment he stepped inside the building, making his claws and fangs extend on their own.
The security guard at the desk jumped to his feet and rushed around in front of it, one hand out in front of him in a step-back gesture, the other on his holstered weapon.
“This is private property,” he said. “You can’t come in here.”
