I have to get out of here.
How, though?
Suddenly, an electronic beep sounds, followed by a whirling mechanism. The sound…it…can’tbe.
That’s the sound the lock on the front door makes when it’s unlocking.
The gods must be smiling down on me, because Kellan and Victor are so preoccupied with Jasper, trying to stop the bleeding, they don’t even hear it.
And again, Irun.
I reach the front hall, and thank fuck, the lock really has disengaged.
Heart racing, my hand shoots towards the doorknob—
A sharp cry leaves my throat as I’m yanked back by my hair, my back meeting the ground so hard, the wind knocks out of me.
I gasp for breath, and my head throbs as I stare up at the face of the man who caught me.
Victor.
“You stupid bitch,” he snarls, leaning down and wrapping his fingers around my throat as he lifts me off the ground. I can’t…I can’t breathe. It’s too much. My adrenaline is fading, I haven’t eaten in two days, and things are only getting worse. “You better fucking hope Jasper makes it out of this alive,” he yanks me up, his grip tightening, “because if he doesn’t—”
The front door bursts open, nearly ripping from its hinges.
My vision spots black.
All I can see are two shadowy figures in the doorway, and everything is a haze as air suddenly fills my lungs, and then I hit the floor.
But…those scents. Leather, vetiver, blood orange, lemon.
Mine.
My omega finally purrs in contentment as the darkness overtakes me yet again.
Chapter 8
Maverick
The phone rings as we race to Pack Caruso’s home, loaded up with every firearm we could fit on ourselves. We’re two minutes out, ready to rescue the little omega that has my employee in a chokehold. “Ethan?” Brennan frowns as he hits the answer button, putting Ethan’s voice through the car speakers.
“You need to hurry,” his voice is more panicked than I’ve ever heard. “They just fuckingdruggedher.”
“With what?” I snap, my foot pressing down harder on the accelerator. Let the police try to get me for speeding. They can chase me all the way to the house of Pack Caruso and then maybe they’ll get caught in the act.
“They…they’re trying to induce her heat,” he rasps. “They injected it straight into her arm. It could have been synthetic pheromones, it could have been a chemical compound. We have no way of knowing.” Teddy curses up a storm behind me. ItoldBrennan it wasn’t a good idea to bring him. “She’s in the kitchen, and—fuck—they have her cornered.”
“Not for long,” Brennan growls, his expression going dark. “Ted, grab the FMS shot from my duffel. Have it ready.” I hope to fuck they’ve injected her with some sort of chemicalcompound, because if its straight hormones, the shot won’t work. It’s designed to filter through the blood, neutralizing foreign substances in the system. It has a technical name I can’t remember, but we just call it FMS—Full Maid Service.
We’ve used the compound for years, and they’re especially helpful in situations regarding trafficking. More often than not, the victims will be drugged to keep them compliant. The only thing is, it knocks them out for at least twenty-four hours while their kidneys work overtime to filter out the remaining substances.
Finally, the house comes into view, and I skid to a stop, nearly hitting their car in the process. Too much work has gone into keeping her safe for me to throw it all away now.
“The chef is gone, so just burst in and get her the fuck out of there—Shit! She just stabbed one of them!” Ethan gasps, and despite the undercurrent of fear in my veins, I can’t help but feel some pride. “I’m disengaging the deadbolt on the front door.”
First, she’s resourceful enough to get her location to us, and now she’s protecting herself no matter the cost.
I can see why Teddy is so enamored.
