After a painful pop, my thumb dislocates, which I time with a fall to the floor of the van.
“Are you fucking stupid?” Tommy barks, stepping into the van to pull me out.
Slipping my hand free, I roll backward over my shoulder and bring my arms in front of me. Tommy is a big dude, taller than me and built like a bus. But no amount of muscle can stop him from reacting to a painful kick in the groin. I press back on my right hand and kick out my left foot, catching him right in the balls.
He doubles over, causing him to fall forward over the top of me.
Gun, holster on his belt. Left side.My wolf sees it before I do.
I scramble and grab his gun, pointing it directly at his heart.
“Sorry, Tommy, isn’t personal.” I grimace as I pull the trigger, putting a bullet through his chest.
The sound is deafening in the small space, and my ears start ringing. I bite back a cry as I push my left thumb back in place, staying back out of the view of the door.
“He killed Tommy!” Charlie yowls as he opens the driver’s side door before sprinting around to the side of the van. From far to the right, I hear a distant “Fuck!” from James.
Charlie cautiously approaches the sliding door, gun drawn. He peeks in just enough for me to lunge forward, push his forearm down, and quickly point my gun at his head. I pull the trigger.
No bang. Just the deadening click of empty. “Who the fuck brings just one bullet to a kidnapping?”
I press the still-hot barrel into Charlie’s cheek instead, causing him to scream and pull away from the van. Jumping out, I see James running toward us, fumbling with his belt. Before James can reach for his weapon, I toss the empty gun at him, which he tries to catch on instinct. Swinging a wide barrel punch, I clock him across the cheek and then kick him in the gut.
Behind you. Charlie’s up.My wolf helps.
I whirl around a second before Charlie can point his gun at me again. I grab his armed hand, forcing it to the ground. We struggle, and a gunshot fires off. I cry out at the impact on my left leg. The force dropping me to my knees.
Definitely got shot.Isn’t this lovely? Fucking Neil and his goddamned power trips.
But no pain comes.
I assume I can buy some time with the adrenaline pumpingthrough my veins, so I pull myself up and ram my forehead into Charlie’s nose. Might as well make the most of my headache. His nose crunches as he squeals, and he lets go of the gun. Pulling it from his grasp, I shove at his shoulder, pushing him back to the ground.
Before I can do anything, James tackles me from behind. Normally I’d be able to hold my own, but my bare feet slip on the loose gravel. White blasts across my vision as James lands a brutal punch across my face. Charlie might be a shit fighter, but James clearly has had some practice.
We’re missing lunch with our mate over this? It’s bullshit, my wolf snarls.
Charlie’s voice is muffled under the ringing in my ears, so I can’t make out what he’s saying as he approaches. The sound fades, and it takes a second for me to recover.
“We’re supposed to keep him alive, you idiot.” James is shouting, pinning me with his weight.
“He came at me!” Charlie defends.
“Shut up!” I command, channeling every little bit of my Dad and Valor, their alpha command-y-ness, as possible.
Reaching down, I grab the gun from James’s holster and buck my hips, shoving him off me. Charlie holds his hands in the air, with James joining him a moment later.
I wince as I stand, the pain in my leg starting to gain purchase. Pointing a gun at each of them, I ask, “Who else is coming out here? Why the fuck are we all the way out here?”
“You don’t get to make demands.” James rages at me. “You’re our fuckin’ hostage.”
We only need one of them to talk.My wolf huffs, and I pull the trigger.
Luckily, James’s gun fires perfectly. The round finds its home in his skull, and he drops to the ground, wide eyes unseeing.
I turn to Charlie, who slowly backs away from me, his shoes catching on sticks and roots as he backs toward the nearby woods.
Pitying him, I repeat the questions. “I’ll give you one more chance. Who else is coming out here? Why are we all the way out here?”
