So, why didn’t he hate her? Because he was in love with her. He had to be, right? Why else would he feel as if his soul had been ripped out?
Gage punched his code into the control on the compound’s gate and let himself in. The deputy chief had wanted him to relocate to a protective services safe house immediately, but Gage refused. When Mason insisted, Gage had told his boss he’d quit right there on the spot. That hadn’t earned him any future favors with his division chief, but it had ended the discussion, which was all Gage cared about. After tonight, he wouldn’t be working for the Dallas PD anymore anyway.
Gage closed the gate behind him, then headed for the training building. The guys were waiting for him inside. They looked concerned—and wired.
“Where’s Mac?” Cooper asked. “Is she okay?”
Gage set his duffel bag on the floor. “She’s fine. She’s probably at theDallasDailyStarworking on her story.”
Cooper frowned. “Probably?”
“What story?” Becker asked.
There was no easy way to say it so he might as well rip off the Band-Aid. “The story telling the world that the Dallas SWAT team is made up of werewolves.”
No one said anything. They all stared at him like he’d announced he’d just been abducted and probed by aliens.
“Youtoldher?” Mike asked.
“I didn’t have to.” Gage couldn’t keep the bitterness from his voice. He quickly recounted the night’s events, keeping it as brief and to the point as he could. “I didn’t have a choice. I had to shift to fight them.”
Xander swore.
“Did she see you kill those men?” Mike asked.
“Worse,” Gage said. “She caught some of it on video.”
Xander wasn’t the only one who swore this time. Or shifted. They were all looking at Gage with yellow-gold eyes as if they wanted to tear him apart. But Xander was the only one brave enough to come at him with claws extended and fangs flashing.
Gage braced himself, letting out his claws and baring his teeth. Unfortunately, Mike and Nelson grabbed Xander, holding him back. Too bad. He wouldn’t have minded putting his fist in someone’s face right then, and something told him Xander would have given him a good fight.
“This is all your fault,” Xander snarled.
“Don’t you think I fucking know that?” Gage roared. He clenched his fists, welcoming the pain as his claws dug into his palms. “I never should have let Mackenzie step foot in this compound, but I did, and saying I’m sorry isn’t going to change it.”
“He’s right,” Mike said. “Our faces are going to be on every newspaper and television station in the country by tomorrow night. Let’s just worry about that right now.”
Xander pinned Mike with a glare, but only shook off his pack mate’s hold and stepped back.
“So, what are we going to do?” Lowry asked, his golden eyes filled with concern.
“Disappear,” Gage said. “Change our names and go somewhere no one can find us. There are already fake IDs and passports in the safe in my office, along with burner phones for each of us.”
They all looked stunned by that. He couldn’t blame them. Besides having a job they all loved, they had parents and siblings and friends they’d never be able to see again. Parents, siblings, and friends who’d be hounded by reporters like Mackenzie for a sound bite. She wouldn’t only destroy his pack in her quest for truth, she’d destroy the lives of everyone close to them.
Becker shook his head. “Damn. How long have you been planning this? Us going on the run, I mean.”
“Right after I recruited Xander and Mike,” Gage said. “I always knew there was a chance someone would find out what we are, and I wanted to be prepared.”
Xander looked at him scornfully. “And because you let some woman lead you around by the dick, we have to go on the run like the criminals we put in prison.”
Gage let out a soft growl. He didn’t need the reminder. “We don’t have a choice.”
“Yeah, we do,” Xander said. “We can get the video back from Mac and make sure she doesn’t talk.”
The entire room went still. Though whether it was because the rest of the Pack was shocked by Xander’s words or because they agreed with him, Gage didn’t know and he didn’t care. He fixed his senior squad leader with a hard look.
“Anyone who wants to try it will have to come through me first.” Gage slowly and deliberately locked eyes with every member of the Pack. “And you’d better be ready to kill me.”
