“He’s in there,” Eric said without greeting them. “I smell him. How did you know Reid would bring her here?”
“Because he was so f**ked-up eager to grab her here when she came the last time.” Diego started taking weapons out of the truck. Besides his Sig, he holstered a Taser, and so did Xav. “Plus this was where Donovan was killed, and Reid was involved. There’s something special about this place for him.”
Eric nodded. “I thought that too.”
While they spoke, Xavier hiked a little away from them and started unloading his backpack.
“What’s he doing?” Shane asked.
“He’s going to create a diversion,” Diego said. “Reid won’t abandon his fortress unless he has to. But we’ll flush him out. When we do, you, Eric, and your guys grab him while I go in and get Cassidy. Even if we only scare him into vanishing, we still get Cassidy.”
Rescuing Cassidy was the main objective, at least in Diego’s mind. Finding Reid and stopping him, secondary.
“I’m going in there with you,” Shane said. He stood in front of Diego, big arms folded. The guy was huge.
Shane also loved Cassidy. Diego saw that. But he loved her enough to take her rejection and still make sure she was safe and happy.
“Yeah, that would be good,” Diego said. “We save Cassidy.”
Shane nodded silently but didn’t move.
Eric squeezed Diego’s shoulder, his big hand strong. “I appreciate your help, Diego. I’ll put my trackers in position. We’ll be ready.”
Diego still blamed Eric’s stupid trackers for Cassidy getting nabbed in the first place, but they could battle that out later. Right now—Cass.
Find her, take her home, hold her, love her. Never let her go.
Diego touched his earpiece. “Xav. You ready?”
“Almost there.”
Eric silently stripped down. Diego averted his eyes, but the sight of grown men suddenly removing their clothes no longer startled him. Shane stripped too, the guy so massive he’d make the most powerful wrestlers burn with envy.
Both men shifted at about the same time. Shane was close to Diego, and suddenly the space next to Diego was filled with grizzly.
Shane’s bear lips rippled as he growled, and he fixed a black-eyed stare on Diego. Dios, the man was scary, even with the Collar gripping his big neck. Shifter bears were larger than their natural counterparts, which meant Shane was gigantic. Any hikers meeting him in the woods would run away, peeing themselves.
Eric, in his wildcat form, let Diego fix an earpiece to his tufted ear. Eric wouldn’t be able to talk back, but at least Diego could keep him informed of what was going on. Eric didn’t look happy about the procedure, but he put up with it and slipped into the woods.
Xav jogged back to them soon after Eric disappeared. “Small charges, but they’ll make a lot of noise.” He stopped and stared at Shane. “Holy shit.”
Shane glowered right back at him. Xav drew a deep breath. “Remind me never to piss you off, Shane.”
Shane gave a grunt that might or might not have been a laugh, and turned away. He padded toward the rocks, with Diego and Xavier following noiselessly. They stopped on Diego’s command and crept toward the rock cave under the shadows of the closest trees.
“Eric,” Diego whispered. “We’re in place.”
A faint growl sounded through Diego’s earpiece, Eric’s answer. Diego and Xav positioned themselves on either side of the rock entrance with Shane in the shadows. Diego prayed to any saint willing to listen that this was going to work, then he drew a deep breath.
“Now,” he said to Xavier.
Xav pressed his detonator. Something flashed, then boomed in the middle of the clearing. The sound jolted Diego, and the wildlife took off. Wings fluttered and brush exploded as rabbits, birds, and deer fled the sound.
Nothing came out of the rock cave.
“We’re going in,” Diego said.
Xav nodded once, ready. Before they could move, Shane came charging out of the shadows—silent death—and ran straight between the rocks that marked the entrance. Xavier and Diego exchanged a swift glance and ran in after him, weapons ready.
Cassidy was there. She lay on her back on a flat stone, bound hand and foot. Red candles ringed her, all lit, throwing weird shadows onto the ceiling.
“Diego,” she shouted. A warning, not a plea.
Reid dropped on them from above, the man in jeans only. He wasn’t big, but he was wiry, his arms strong as they wrapped around Diego and pinned his firing hand.
Shane didn’t care. He charged, knocking both Diego and Reid to the rocky ground. Several tons of bear landed on them, razor sharp claws coming down.
Reid screamed. Diego felt Reid growing hotter even as he brought his weapon around, saw light filling the cave. The man was about to vanish.
This is going to hurt, Diego thought, just as he stuck his Taser against Reid and pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
There was nothing like waking up with fifteen hundred pounds of bear on top of you. Diego shoved, but Shane was still out.
He heard another crackle of Taser, smelled more burning flesh, then heard Xav’s voice. “No, you’re staying down.”
“Diego?” That was Cassidy.
Diego slithered and slid out from under the unconscious grizzly and climbed to his feet.
Xavier stood over Reid, Reid out on the floor, his bare torso covered with sweat, blood, and dirt. Cassidy lay naked on the stone, very still, as though afraid to move. Diego limped to her, holstering the Taser he still held and kicking candles out of his way.
Chains wrapped Cassidy’s wrists and feet, and wires ran through those up and down her body to her Collar and then to a Taser. No wonder she didn’t want to move. If she set off the Collar, she’d light up the chains as well.
“I’m sorry, Diego,” she murmured.
“Why are you sorry? Reid did this, not you.”
Diego felt along her Collar for the connections—simple ones, he was happy to find, but Reid would pay for every one of them.
“I shouldn’t have gone back into your apartment without checking it out, first. I knew Reid was still out there somewhere. I should have had Brody come with me.”
Diego gently pulled wires from the Collar. “Don’t beat yourself up, Cass. I’m kind of wondering why you went out the window in the first place. My mom’s chilaquiles aren’t that bad.”
“Because he was so f**ked-up eager to grab her here when she came the last time.” Diego started taking weapons out of the truck. Besides his Sig, he holstered a Taser, and so did Xav. “Plus this was where Donovan was killed, and Reid was involved. There’s something special about this place for him.”
Eric nodded. “I thought that too.”
While they spoke, Xavier hiked a little away from them and started unloading his backpack.
“What’s he doing?” Shane asked.
“He’s going to create a diversion,” Diego said. “Reid won’t abandon his fortress unless he has to. But we’ll flush him out. When we do, you, Eric, and your guys grab him while I go in and get Cassidy. Even if we only scare him into vanishing, we still get Cassidy.”
Rescuing Cassidy was the main objective, at least in Diego’s mind. Finding Reid and stopping him, secondary.
“I’m going in there with you,” Shane said. He stood in front of Diego, big arms folded. The guy was huge.
Shane also loved Cassidy. Diego saw that. But he loved her enough to take her rejection and still make sure she was safe and happy.
“Yeah, that would be good,” Diego said. “We save Cassidy.”
Shane nodded silently but didn’t move.
Eric squeezed Diego’s shoulder, his big hand strong. “I appreciate your help, Diego. I’ll put my trackers in position. We’ll be ready.”
Diego still blamed Eric’s stupid trackers for Cassidy getting nabbed in the first place, but they could battle that out later. Right now—Cass.
Find her, take her home, hold her, love her. Never let her go.
Diego touched his earpiece. “Xav. You ready?”
“Almost there.”
Eric silently stripped down. Diego averted his eyes, but the sight of grown men suddenly removing their clothes no longer startled him. Shane stripped too, the guy so massive he’d make the most powerful wrestlers burn with envy.
Both men shifted at about the same time. Shane was close to Diego, and suddenly the space next to Diego was filled with grizzly.
Shane’s bear lips rippled as he growled, and he fixed a black-eyed stare on Diego. Dios, the man was scary, even with the Collar gripping his big neck. Shifter bears were larger than their natural counterparts, which meant Shane was gigantic. Any hikers meeting him in the woods would run away, peeing themselves.
Eric, in his wildcat form, let Diego fix an earpiece to his tufted ear. Eric wouldn’t be able to talk back, but at least Diego could keep him informed of what was going on. Eric didn’t look happy about the procedure, but he put up with it and slipped into the woods.
Xav jogged back to them soon after Eric disappeared. “Small charges, but they’ll make a lot of noise.” He stopped and stared at Shane. “Holy shit.”
Shane glowered right back at him. Xav drew a deep breath. “Remind me never to piss you off, Shane.”
Shane gave a grunt that might or might not have been a laugh, and turned away. He padded toward the rocks, with Diego and Xavier following noiselessly. They stopped on Diego’s command and crept toward the rock cave under the shadows of the closest trees.
“Eric,” Diego whispered. “We’re in place.”
A faint growl sounded through Diego’s earpiece, Eric’s answer. Diego and Xav positioned themselves on either side of the rock entrance with Shane in the shadows. Diego prayed to any saint willing to listen that this was going to work, then he drew a deep breath.
“Now,” he said to Xavier.
Xav pressed his detonator. Something flashed, then boomed in the middle of the clearing. The sound jolted Diego, and the wildlife took off. Wings fluttered and brush exploded as rabbits, birds, and deer fled the sound.
Nothing came out of the rock cave.
“We’re going in,” Diego said.
Xav nodded once, ready. Before they could move, Shane came charging out of the shadows—silent death—and ran straight between the rocks that marked the entrance. Xavier and Diego exchanged a swift glance and ran in after him, weapons ready.
Cassidy was there. She lay on her back on a flat stone, bound hand and foot. Red candles ringed her, all lit, throwing weird shadows onto the ceiling.
“Diego,” she shouted. A warning, not a plea.
Reid dropped on them from above, the man in jeans only. He wasn’t big, but he was wiry, his arms strong as they wrapped around Diego and pinned his firing hand.
Shane didn’t care. He charged, knocking both Diego and Reid to the rocky ground. Several tons of bear landed on them, razor sharp claws coming down.
Reid screamed. Diego felt Reid growing hotter even as he brought his weapon around, saw light filling the cave. The man was about to vanish.
This is going to hurt, Diego thought, just as he stuck his Taser against Reid and pulled the trigger.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
There was nothing like waking up with fifteen hundred pounds of bear on top of you. Diego shoved, but Shane was still out.
He heard another crackle of Taser, smelled more burning flesh, then heard Xav’s voice. “No, you’re staying down.”
“Diego?” That was Cassidy.
Diego slithered and slid out from under the unconscious grizzly and climbed to his feet.
Xavier stood over Reid, Reid out on the floor, his bare torso covered with sweat, blood, and dirt. Cassidy lay naked on the stone, very still, as though afraid to move. Diego limped to her, holstering the Taser he still held and kicking candles out of his way.
Chains wrapped Cassidy’s wrists and feet, and wires ran through those up and down her body to her Collar and then to a Taser. No wonder she didn’t want to move. If she set off the Collar, she’d light up the chains as well.
“I’m sorry, Diego,” she murmured.
“Why are you sorry? Reid did this, not you.”
Diego felt along her Collar for the connections—simple ones, he was happy to find, but Reid would pay for every one of them.
“I shouldn’t have gone back into your apartment without checking it out, first. I knew Reid was still out there somewhere. I should have had Brody come with me.”
Diego gently pulled wires from the Collar. “Don’t beat yourself up, Cass. I’m kind of wondering why you went out the window in the first place. My mom’s chilaquiles aren’t that bad.”
