Gunshots echoed in the night, making Jayna jump. Terrified shouts quickly followed, then a loud, menacing growl. After that, an eerie silence descended over the whole farm. Even the horses out in the barn seemed to be holding their breath.
Then, a single gunshot sounded from outside, and one of the Albanians over by the granite-topped island crumpled to the floor without a sound. The eight remaining Albanians aimed their guns at the row of windows over the sink and started shooting while Kos turned to fire at Moe.
Jayna knocked Moe to the floor, then threw herself at Chris and Joseph, taking them down too. She glanced over at Ethan and Kathryn. The couple was on the floor, wedged up against the other side of the island, Ethan shielding his wife with his body.
More bullets whizzed through the opening in the wall, sending Kos and his men scattering. Leaving the guys with Megan, Jayna used the distraction to herd Ethan and Kathryn toward the living room. Joseph and Moe showed up to take over for her before they got more than a few feet.
But then Kos caught sight of them. He shouted for two of his men to stay and finish them off. “The rest of you, come with me. We’re going to kill that asshole cop right now.”
Jayna froze. Eric may have been an alpha werewolf with SWAT training, but she was still terrified at the thought of him taking on Kos and the six Albanians by himself. But right then, she had to push her fears for Eric out of her head. If she didn’t find a way to get her pack and the Stones to safety, she wouldn’t be around long enough to worry about what happened to Eric.
But when she went back to grab Megan, all she found was a trail of blood leading out of the kitchen. For a moment, she thought Chris had gotten her to safety, but he was helping Moe and Joseph with Ethan and Kathryn.Crap.
That was when Jayna realized the front door was already wide open. She didn’t have to get a whiff of the two distinct scents leading in that direction to know Liam had taken Megan.
Heart in her throat, Jayna jumped up and ran for the door, ignoring the bullets zipping past her head and missing by mere inches.
“Get everybody somewhere safe,” she growled as she sped past Joseph and the other guys.
Jayna hoped the oldest werewolf in the pack was up for the task because all she could think about right then was saving Megan.
* * *
Becker had just cut the engine and was letting the Escalade coast down the Stones’ gravel driveway when he heard the gunshot. He threw open the door and was running for the house before the SUV came to a stop.
He slowed and dropped to one knee, reaching for his off-duty Sig 9mm he always kept clipped inside the top of his motorcycle boot. And swore. Before going undercover, he’d locked his weapon in his gun safe in his apartment, and in all the craziness of the past couple days, he hadn’t gotten it out.
Cursing his stupidity, he headed for the front door of the house, fully intending to kick it in and start tearing people apart with his bare hands. But one glance in the living room window stopped him. He could see Liam standing in the kitchen, a gun in his hand and a body on the floor, thick, red blood pooling beside it.
Becker’s heart stopped. He couldn’t see who’d been shot, but his mind was filling in the blanks.
Jayna.
He grabbed the doorknob and started to turn but forced himself to stop and take a breath. Even though everything in his body screamed for him to get the hell in there, he knew it wouldn’t do any good to rush in without a weapon or a plan.
As he paused, he realized the person on the floor wasn’t Jayna. He could hear Jayna’s heartbeat going nice and strong.Damn. It was Megan. She was too tiny to take a wound that serious. He could hear her heart beating, but it was weak.
Becker could hear Jayna and Liam arguing about something. He’d hoped his pack would get here in time to set up some kind of entry plan. But when he heard Liam say something about Jayna betraying him tothat fucking cop, quickly followed by a threat to kill her, Becker knew he had to move. There was nothing he could do on this side of the house though, so he darted around to the back.
He got there in time to see Kostandin with his Colt .45 aimed right at Moe’s head. The look on Jayna’s face told Becker everything he needed to know—Kos was about to start shooting.
The hell with a plan.
Becker dug his claws into the wooden frame of the kitchen door, then yanked, letting the rage he usually did a good job of controlling come out with a vicious snarl. Tossing the door aside, he reached in and grabbed the two Albanians nearest the door, pulling them out. He slung one across the gravel courtyard between the house and the barn, then turned back to deal with the second guy. The man twisted in his grip, pointed his MP5 at Becker, and fired.
Becker knocked the barrel aside with a growl, slashing his claws across the Albanian’s throat, ignoring the gurgling noise as the man died. But he was so worried about Jayna and her pack that he didn’t have time to think about it.
Becker spun around just as the first man was getting to his feet and lifting his weapon. For a moment, Becker contemplated diving for the MP5 the now-dead Albanian had been holding, but he didn’t have time. So instead, he flung the body at the first Albanian just as the man pulled the trigger. The move distracted the gunman, letting Becker close the distance between them, then put the Albanian down in the most efficient way he could, regardless of how much blood was spilled.
Snatching up the man’s MP5, Becker checked the magazine, then flipped the weapon’s selector switch one click up from full auto to single-shot semi. He quickly moved to the left, aimed for the first Albanian inside the house he could see clearly, then put a single shot through the guy’s chest. Becker would have preferred to take out Kostandin or Liam, but they wouldn’t oblige by making a nice target of themselves.
All hell broke loose in the kitchen as the rest of the Albanian thugs started shooting in his direction. Becker doubted any of them could see him in the dark, but he sure as hell could see them. He started peppering the Albanians with carefully aimed shots. He wasn’t necessarily looking to hit them, just keep them from going after Jayna and the others.
His plan worked too well. The Albanians came charging out the recently renovated kitchen door, weapons blazing. Becker returned fire, dropping two of the men. But then his ammo ran out.
Shit.
One round clipped his hip, another his right thigh just above the knee. Becker bit back a howl as his leg fractured. The pain only got worse when he was forced to turn and fall back to the barn. He would have rather stuck a fork in his eye than turned tail on those jackasses, especially Kostandin. But trying to stand up against a group of well-armed thugs with nothing but claws and fangs was the definition of stupid, and he liked to think he was smarter than that.
