“Alive,” Blade assured him, and their team leader let out a shaky breath. “Thunder is staying with her in case this guy is working with a partner.”
Even though he knew it was the right call, Rose was unconscious and Cassandra was awake and trying to escape, he hated the idea of her out there alone somewhere, running for her life, with no idea they were only minutes away from coming after her.
Pushing himself harder, ignoring the thrumming pain that hadn't left him since he regained consciousness after the explosion, the others followed close on his heels as he burst out into the ice-cold night.
Above them, the sky was clear, a myriad of stars shimmering like someone had doused the atmosphere with glitter, the moon full and round, shining down upon them. If Cassandra had been safe beside him, he probably would have thought it was a beautiful night.
Now all he could think of was that he’d promised his little rabbit he’d keep her safe, and yet he’d left her alone, and she’d been kidnapped. Now that he was out there, away from the bleach, the dust hanging heavily in the air, he could smell Cassandra’s fear and the acrid scent of vomit.
And blood, he could smell blood.
Steel had bolted right for where Thunder said the van was parked, the others following him, and Dragon forced himself to follow as well. Running off randomly into the forest would take longer to find Cassandra than checking in with Thunder first, and learning which direction they’d gone in.
By the time he joined the others at the lone vehicle in the parking lot, Steel was on his knees, an unmoving Rose in his arms. Voodoo was crouched beside them, ignoring Steel’s protective growl to place his fingers on the woman’s neck, his own injury long since forgotten, or maybe already mostly healed.
“Pulse is strong, she’s going to be fine, the drugs just need to work their way out of her system,” Voodoo assured Steel as Dragon scanned the tree line not far from the van.
From the splattered blood and vomit in the van, it was clear that Cassandra had either woken up or never been entirely unconscious, then attacked her would-be abductor and made a run for it. The blood was from her attacker, he could tell by its scent, but the vomit was from her. Because of the drugs, or was she more injured than he wanted to consider?
“She went that way,” Thunder told him, stepping up beside him and pointing to the closest line of trees where he would have expected Cassandra to head if she was trying to run away.
“Was she injured?” Of course, she had to have some injuries, she’d been in that building along with the rest of them, there was no way she’d walk away completely unharmed. What he was really asking, without actually asking, was whether it looked like any of those injuries were life-threatening.
“It was dark, and I only got a glimpse of her. She was weaving a little, but she was up and on her feet and running like her life depended on it,” Thunder replied.
Not needing to hear anymore, Dragon took off. He knew the direction the two had headed, he didn't need to be able to see, although his night vision goggles afforded him that. All he had to do was follow his nose to find them.
“Thunder, Blade, go with him,” Steel ordered behind him, and Dragon could hear the others following him, but he didn't slow down.
The three of them ran, the other two following his lead, although he was sure Blade could hear where Cassandra and the man chasing her were without having to follow him. The closer they got, the stronger the scent of Cassandra’s fear became. She knew her life was over if she was caught.
“Wait,” Blade suddenly ordered.
No way in hell.
When he kept running, both Blade and Thunder grabbed him, shoving him up against a tree. He fought against them like a wild animal. Cassandra wasn't far away, and he had to get to her.
“He got her,” Blade hissed in his ear. “You go running in like a maniac, and there’s nothing to stop him from killing her.”
Much as he hated to admit it, the growing scent of Cassandra’s fear confirmed his teammate’s words.
Worse than that, he could smell something else.
Something that made him want to throw up.
“He’s going to rape her,” he growled.
“Like hell he is,” Blade shot back.
“We’ll get to her before he does it,” Thunder quickly added.
“Thunder will go in first as a distraction,” Blade said. “Then we’ll follow. You get Cassandra, and I’ll take care of her attacker.”
“No,” Dragon quickly refuted. “I’m killing the man for daring to lay a finger on what’s mine.” The moment Cassandra had shared with him her secrets, what she liked when it came to sex, and the fears she had, the guilt she’d heaped on her own shoulders, about how that related to her own conception, she’d sealed her fate.
She had handed herself—mind, body, and soul—over to him, and while he wasn't the best person to treat them with the tender care they deserved, nobody would defend her more fiercely than he would.
After exchanging a nod, his friends backed up, slowly releasing their holds on him. Knowing they didn't have time to discuss their plan in any more detail than they already had, Dragon jerked his head at Thunder, who quickly took off, he and Blade following.
