“No.” My voice is almost gone, nothing but a raspy croak. “‘S Jass?” I need to make sure Jacks is ok, but my voice won’t work. Thankfully they understand.
Gabe is still pacing angrily across the yard, but Joseph answers, “Jacks is…banged up. He needs to go to the hospital. He’s starting to wake up, but not making a lot of sense. Xan is trying to talk to him now, but he seems pretty agitated. I better go get this fire out. He turns and runs back to the front to help the rest of the crew with the hoses and actually putting out the fire.
Agitated is a nice way of putting it, as Jacks comes stumbling through the busted gate, Xan following closely behind, arms out, trying to keep Jacks from falling. He is weaving like a drunk,dragging his own oxygen tank and taking periodic hits from it. Blood oozes from a gash in his forehead, and he is holding his chest under his arm, with the hand not dragging the tank.
He folds up on the ground beside me, his legs collapsing now that he has reached his goal.
“Didja find ‘er?” He garbles out, blood leaking from the side of his mouth as he talks. What the hell? “That fuc’in fuc’…’e too’ ‘er…m’gonna kill ‘em,” he rambles, swaying back and forth. Gabe is staring at him intently. His own eyes are red and leaking from where he dragged me out of the house.
“Who? Jacks…Who took her, what the fuck are you talking about? What happened?”
While we are talking Xan finally catches up, dropping to Jacks’ side, with the first aid kit and trying to clean the soot off his mates face while he talks. He runs his hands over Jacks’ chest pressing in various places until Jacks hisses and flails at him.
“S’your fault…you hired that fuc’.”
Xan takes a deep breath. “I love you, but you have at least three broken ribs, I am guessing a punctured lung by the way you dribble when you talk, and most likely a concussion. Your jaw is also swelling, but I can’t hazard a guess on that. Now can you please explain what you mean so we can get you to the fucking hospital and go find our omega before I completely lose my fucking mind!” Xan’s voice rises with each word until he is shouting in Jacks’ face. I’ve never seen him this frantic before.
“Trey…that fuc’…he ‘az here. Sa’d ‘is name ‘as Sef…Sef Thoms’on…he ‘as here to fiss the winnow…Big wrench.” Jacksholds his hands out like he is showing us the size of a fish he caught…looks like a big wrench, yeah.
“Hi’ me inna fuckin’ chess an face…hi’ Can’ice wi’ hi’ fiss; knock’d out. Mo’erfucker kicked me inn’a face.” He is dribbling drool and blood all down his chest, and Xan and Gabe are both staring at him intently.
Gabe marches over and squats down beside Jacks–reaching out. But his hand just hovers, not sure where to touch that won’t hurt him. “Trey? The beta that works in my garage…that Trey?” Jacks nods like a bobble head, blood and spit flying.
“Son of a bitch!” Gabe yells, grabbing one of the water bottles and throwing it across the yard. He stands up, stalking back and forth again, scrubbing his hands through his hair.
He stops and turns to us. “Xan, get the paramedics. Take these two to the hospital. I need to talk to the cops, tell them Candice was taken and by who, I’ll head back to the shop to pull up Trey’s application information he gave us. The more info we have for the cops, the better, and he better hope like hell they find him before I do.” He stomps off towards the front yard, yelling for the medic team to bring a couple of stretchers around back. Gone before any of us have a chance to reply.
Gabe
Ihate that I need the cops. I don’t mind working with them–we do it on the regular with stuff for the fire department–but I hate that I can’t find Candice on my own, and I need their help.
Stopping in front of the house, the guys who were harassing Candice for her statement a few weeks ago are standing out in front of the burning husk that used to be her home. Watching the fire with their thumbs up their asses.
Boys in blue, take a bow, you’re a credit to your station.
No, stop it. You need their help.
Shit.
I stalk over to them, looking every bit the raging alpha, and the first one that sees me coming reaches down to unsnap his baton.
Yeah, don’t think I didn’t notice that little action, piss-ant.
I try to seem less intimidating, I need them to listen. “Officers, I need your help, my pack brother’s been beaten and our omega kidnapped. This was her house, the man who took her set it on fire."
They exchange a look before the tall one replies, “Sir, you must be mistaken, omegas can’t own property. We have this residence listed under one Candice Manning, beta."
Well, fuck.
“Yes, sorry, sir, Candice is our mate, we haven’t bonded yet, but we’re courting her. She was taken by one Trey Benedict, he works at my garage…except my packmate said he gave another name earlier when he was here…so that might not be the right name.”
The short one speaks now, the one who unclipped his baton. “So, sir, you’re telling me that your un-bonded beta mate ran off with one of your employees, and now you want us to go after them?" He looks smug, like he caught me in some sort of lie.
“No, you smarmy little bastard, he’s telling you that his omega mate–who was hiding out as a beta–was fucking kidnapped by the same bastard who set this fucking fire, and he is trying to get your help to get her back if you will pull your heads out of your asses long enough to do your goddamned jobs!" Joseph comes marching across the yard, away from the still sputtering shell that is all that’s left of Candice’s house.
“I’ve known her since she was a child, she’s been passing as a beta since her last family member died a few years ago, and yes, this is her house. I was here replacing a lock a few weeks ago. You need to call your captain and send them over to Gabe’s Garage to get the rest of the information he has on the suspect.” Joseph nods towards me and the first cop turns white. Yeah, we’re the only garage in town–guess who services all the police vehicles, and usually gives them a discount?
The taller officer is nodding numbly. “So, is that a yes, you’ll meet me at the garage?" The nodding continues, so I quicklyturn to Joseph.
