Rivals and Retribution

  I pulled the key out of my jeans pocket and rubbed the lock with my thumb to clear the frost from the keyhole. The lock rattled off the chain, sliding with a clunk, clunk, clunk as I dragged it through the holes in the door.

  Tugging the door open, a thin beam of light fell across the bound and curled form of Jessica Gillmansen and the ramshackle mess of odds and ends rusting away near her.

  Jessie

  The noise of chains startled me before the door opened, light falling across me, just bright enough bouncing off the snow outside that it made me squint. My cheek was as cold as the dead ground beneath it; my ear ached. My nose had begun to run and sting not minutes after the two of them first locked me away, and now the inside of it felt thick and sharp with ice crystals. I tried to relax, to make myself appear asleep in hopes that Marlaena or Gabriel would mistake me for being less of a threat than I was.

  Or at least less of a threat than I hoped I was …

  I kept my wrists together behind my back, pressing them so tight the bones ached and my skin—raw from the tape I’d sliced through against the dull blade of the old lawn mower—stuck together. I opened my eyes just enough to peer out the scant space between my negligible eyelashes. The silhouette cleared in my vision.

  Marlaena.

  The bitch was back.

  My fingers itched in the cold, itched to wrap around her neck so that I could warm my hands throttling her. But I stayed still, my fingers tightening on the screwdriver and trowel as I waited for her to come closer. I had no idea what I’d do when she finally was next to me. I only knew I had to do something.

  Something desperate.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Marlaena

  I shuffled toward her, my eyes focused on her face to see if she was awake. Her eyes crinkled briefly—the movement of someone trying to fake sleep.

  I did the same thing when I lived with Phil and Margie so I could hear the prayers they said over me late at night when they thought I was fast asleep. They had to be more embarrassed by me than I’d ever expected, knowing what they said and the frequency with which they said it.

  They must’ve thought I was the Devil incarnate.

  Seeing me with Jessica taped and gagged in a rusty shed would only confirm their suspicion.

  I blew out a breath, and her eyes twitched again.

  Jessica Gillmansen was definitely faking.

  Fine. It’d make it easier to explain things to her and set her loose. Wouldn’t Phil and Margie be surprised?

  And wouldn’t Gareth be proud? If I ever told him. I took a step closer to the prone girl. I could never tell him. Better just hurry up. Get her out of here and apologize …

  “Jessica,” I said, nudging her with the toe of my boot. “Jessica.”

  She groaned and opened her eyes slowly to glare at me.

  “It’s over,” I stated, leaning across her body and stretching my hand out toward the knot that tangled in her hair and filled her mouth with foul fabric.

  Jessie

  “It’s over,” she said, reaching out to grab my throat. Before I could say a thing, someone behind her delivered the line instead.

  “It sure as hell is!” Gareth’s shout made her jump and I took my chance, lunging at her, my hands free and holding the screwdriver and trowel I’d found among the junk in the shed. I swiped at her face, and she leaped back with a shout as the trowel bit into her cheek and left a ragged cut from her eye to her jawline.

  “You bitch!” she shouted, lunging at me, hands going for my makeshift weapons.

  But I stabbed and sliced at her, keeping her back. “Takes one to know one,” I snapped, my eyes widening when I saw hers narrow in response to my taunt. Someday, Jess, I warned, someday you’ll learn when to keep your mouth shut.

  Her hand went to her face and came away slick with blood.

  “Not so pretty now, huh?” I shouted. Dear God. Maybe I’d learn that lesson eventually, but it sure wasn’t sticking today.

  “’laena!” Gareth shouted from behind her. “What—what is the meaning of this? Why the hell do you have Jessie—”

  “Stop!” she commanded me. The hand not holding the wound on her face was up, palm out. “Just stop!”

  For a moment I hesitated, seeing something new, something different in her eyes.

  Repentance?

  “Gareth—it’s not what it looks like…,” she whispered, far from the alpha role she normally played.

  She was … apologetic?

  But then Gabriel slipped up beside her, their combined bulk pushing me farther back into the shed, my feet tangling in the discarded junk.

  “Gabe—get out of here,” Marlaena demanded, her tone terse. “Let me fix this,” she said, her attention split between me and the two guys. “It’s over.…”

  In the thin space between their shoulders I saw Gareth move forward, reaching for Gabriel—to move him out of the way. And then—a shadow crossed behind Gareth and, as I focused on what was going on behind him, Gabe got past Marlaena, his hands clenching my wrists, shaking the trowel and screwdriver out of my hands with a growl.

  I looked pointedly at his bandaged hand and sneered despite the pain in my wrists, saying, “Not eligible for the five-finger discount anymore, are you?”

  With a snarl he raised his fist and brought it down sharply.

  Marlaena

  “Dammit, no!”

  Gabe cuffed Jessica and she fell, limp, to the ground, causing him to smirk.

  I turned back to Gareth, my hand still on my cheek, trying to find the words, to explain I was going to free the little wretch—to apologize.…

  But Dmitri was behind him, as smooth and fast as a shadow, and raising a gun, he brought its butt down sharply on Gareth’s head. Gareth blinked once at me, his mouth falling open as his knees gave way and he sank to the ground a heartbeat before I could even shout a warning.

  “Damn it!”

  Gabe turned to Dmitri and grinned at us both.

  But all I could think was that Gareth would wake up remembering two things: that I’d kidnapped Jessica Gillmansen, and I’d let someone get the drop on him.

  “No,” I whispered, the breath ghosting out of me along with any hope he’d understand. That he’d forgive me this stupid, stupid mistake. “Oh, no…”

  I stopped myself from rushing to him. From grabbing him and cradling his head in my lap. Barely.

  I was in too deep.

  Swallowing whatever thing swelled in my throat, I narrowed my eyes, pushed back my shoulders, and stretched to my full height. I could not allow them to think I was intimidated.

  I was the alpha.

  “Dammit,” I snapped again.

  Dmitri holstered his piece and shook his head at me. “He will be fine. He will not even feel it when he regains consciousness—how do you say it? When he comes to? The benefit of being oboroten, da? You barely feel anything.”

  I swallowed again at those last few words.

  You barely feel anything.

  Then why did my chest clench and ache at the sight of Gareth on the ground? And why did knowing how bad I’d screwed things up this time make it suddenly so impossible to breathe?

  Alexi

  The road conditions were far less than optimal as we made our way back to Junction’s main street, got a cell signal, and subsequently new directions. Our slow speed only intensified Pietr’s growing panic.

  “Something’s wrong, I know it,” he said.

  “Da. Of course something is wrong, Captain Obvious. Jessie’s been kidnapped,” I pointed out.

  Pietr glared at me.

  “Again,” Max drawled. “Do you think our Jessie is a magnet for trouble?” he asked offhandedly.

  “At one time I believed you were attracted to her, so da. Yes. She must be a magnet for trouble,” Cat stated, picking at her fingernails.

  Max growled a laugh, but Pietr failed to find the humor.

  “Can’t we go faster?” he asked, leaning forward to rub the dashboard as if
that would change things.

  “We will do her no good if we die in a fiery crash,” I stated, my teeth gritted against the frustration I felt. “We will make it to the motel. Soon.”

  Pietr looked at me, his eyebrows arching with worry.

  “Nyet, not as soon as you want.”

  “As long as it is soon enough,” he whispered. “That is all that matters.”

  Marlaena

  “Unfortunately,” Dmitri was saying, “this little mess means we must move up our plan. She is more dangerous than you thought, and with Gareth knowing you took her…”

  “I didn’t take her,” I protested.

  “It looks that way from where I’m standing,” Dmitri said coolly. “And it will most definitely appear that way to Gareth.” He nudged Gareth’s limp form with the toe of his boot.

  “Don’t do that,” I demanded, going down on my knees beside Gareth. I rolled him over, sliding my hands under his armpits and tugging him up so that his head lay in my lap. I brushed the hair back from his eyes, my hand trembling.

  Dmitri shook his head. “You are an alpha. Act like it.”

  “I am,” I said with a snarl. “I am protecting my pack. I was releasing Jessica so that she would not bring the others against us.”

  Dmitri bent forward at the waist, bringing him nearly nose-to-nose with me. “As much as you think you should release her, as much as you know it is what Gareth would like, deep down you know you want her to suffer. She has something you want, da?”

  Images of Pietr filled my head, slipping across every bit of my brain and I fought it all down, holding Gareth more tightly. “No,” I croaked out. “I have all I want right here. Right now.”

  Dmitri glowered at me. “Liar.” He shrugged. “Or perhaps…” He focused on my face with an intensity I had only seen him use when sparring. “Perhaps you do have all you want here and now. Perhaps this is a need.…” He chuckled and straightened. “It does not matter anymore. It is all semantics, da? The wheels have been put into motion. The juggernaut of destiny is now on the move. You owe me Pietr. Remember. We have a bargain. The safety and comfort of your pups for Pietr Rusakova.”

  Dmitri focused his gaze beyond my shoulder and I heard Gabe grunt behind me. “She’s not as light as she looks. Farm girls must be packed with muscle.”

  Putting his hands behind his back, Dmitri swayed on his feet, his mouth twisting in a sly smile he turned on me. “Winter in the northeast is a particularly harsh time when one is homeless. And hunted. Did you not lose Harmony in Chicago?” he chided. “It would be awful to lose another … And they are so young. So innocent. They look to you to protect and guide them as an alpha should.” He tilted his head, his eyes hard. “Will you back out on me and see your pack put on the streets?”

  I looked away, clenching my jaw, and focused on Gareth lying as if he slept in my lap. I could go along with Dmitri. I could lose Gareth’s love for me. Or I could lose more lives.

  Love might—eventually—be recovered. My brain pounded against my skull. Love might be recovered, yes, but lives … Despite my natural body heat and insulation against the cold, I shivered, realizing.

  I had no money to keep us housed and fed and safe.

  I had no allies.

  I had no options.

  As much as I wanted Gareth’s love, I needed my pack to be safe.

  Need always won.

  I gently slid Gareth’s head off my lap and watched Dmitri bind his hands. It would barely slow him down, but slowing him down was necessary.

  “Put her in the car,” Dmitri said to Gabriel.

  I rubbed my head. “You,” I said to Dmitri, trying to regain some semblance of control, “make an excuse for us to the pups. And tell them to stay inside. To keep the doors locked, ignore the phones, and to not let anyone—not anyone—in until we come back.”

  He grinned. “I will reword it so none of them wets themselves with worry,” he muttered before walking away.

  “Do you know what we’re doing?” I asked Gabriel. “Where are we even going?” I’d thought we’d have more time. I needed more time, time to plan.

  Why did time always run like water through my fingers?

  “Where are we going?” I repeated.

  He grinned at me, cocksure. “Straight to Hell,” he said, closing the trunk on Jessica’s body. “But at least it will be warmer there.”

  Alexi

  The glowing sign blinked from off to on and back again ahead of us, unsure what dusk was—day or night? Missing a letter and a numeral, the sign read: OTEL. “There it is,” I said, thrusting out my chin.

  “The motel,” Pietr said. “Max?”

  “Yeah,” he replied, his voice merely a whisper. “This is definitely the place. It smells of wolves.”

  We pulled into a parking space and quietly exited the truck, each watching for any sign of the pack or Jessie. Max’s nostrils flared as he tried to work out where the scents thickened, which way we should go to find them—or avoid them.

  “Here,” he said, jogging toward the steps. “Wolves upstairs. I’d guess that’s where the pack’s rooms are.” But he froze at the base of the stairs, his eyes narrowing with wariness. “Amy was right,” he said slowly. “He’s been here.”

  Cat adjusted the gun in her jacket pocket, keeping her hands hidden, her bright blue eyes roaming. “Is he still here?”

  “I cannot be certain.…”

  Pietr was already bounding up the steps, giving us no choice but to follow him.

  Up we went, cresting the stairs and turning down the long, slender cement porch that stretched like one continuous balcony.

  Max stopped us at room 204 and signaled Pietr to come back. “This is one of their rooms.”

  Pietr pounded on the door, and my face and palm slammed together. Cat and I jumped back, flanking the door. Pietr had always been impulsive, but never so socially inept. Cat and I pressed our backs to the wall.

  The hint of noise from inside had come to a halt.

  Max shook his head. “Stupid,” he said, looking at Pietr.

  “Ironic,” I said, looking at Max.

  Max pressed his lips together and spared me a brief glare. “You’ve scared them,” he said to Pietr. He rapped on the door with his knuckles, making a simple sound. A nonthreatening sound completely unlike Pietr’s previous attempt. “Look,” he said, just loud enough for the pups inside to hear him. “We just want to talk. One of our friends went missing. We’re hoping you know where she is.”

  Nothing but silence.

  “She’s part of our pack. You’d want us to help if someone in your pack was in trouble, da?” he tried. He glanced at me, cupping his mouth and speaking in the barest whisper. “Movement inside.”

  The curtain that hung heavily across the big picture window stirred, faces pressed to the glass. I relaxed my pose, looking more like a man bored with waiting than one ready to storm a room of werewolves in a hail of bullets.

  “It’s Max, by the way,” Max said. “Max and Pietr and Alexi…”

  “Is Cat missing?” someone asked from inside.

  Max looked at me, and Cat flattened herself more completely against the wall to his right. “Would it matter to them if Jessie’s missing?” he whispered. “Do they see her as part of our pack?”

  “Be honest with them,” Cat returned softly. “Perhaps a change of pace is exactly what they need.”

  Max nodded. “Nyet. Cat is here and safe.”

  “Allo,” Cat called out cheerfully.

  “Then who…” Distrust crept into the pup’s tone.

  “Do you remember the human girl who came with us to the campfire party you guys had?” Max asked, thankfully not adding, You know, the event after which we nearly died in a strange car accident?

  “The pretty redhead?”

  “Nyet,” he said. “That was Amy.” He tried again. “Do you remember the brunette? Jessie?”

  “The one who didn’t dance much?” they asked.

  “She has
a poor sense of rhythm,” Max tried.

  “And timing. Do not forget her bad sense of timing,” I muttered, watching the snow start to thicken just beyond the lip of the roof.

  “She didn’t howl much, either,” another pup grumbled.

  They were not Jessie’s biggest fans.

  “Her throat was sore that night,” Pietr said. “She would apologize if she were here to.”

  “Pietr?” More faces pressed to the glass.

  “Da. It is me,” Pietr answered, trying to smile. “Jessie is gone. She has disappeared and I must find her. Can you help me?”

  The bolt clicked open, the chain slid across, and the door opened for us.

  Marlaena

  When people claimed “the Devil made me do it,” I had to believe they meant “Uncle” Dmitri.

  I’d left Gareth out cold, in the cold, and I was beginning to wonder if there was any way I could ever come back from the dark place Gabriel and Dmitri had towed me into. Jessica still lay unconscious in the trunk; Gabe was driving, with Dmitri riding shotgun. I was stowed in the backseat like a disgruntled kid on the most hellishly dysfunctional family road trip ever.

  “She’s pouting,” Gabe muttered, looking back at me in the rearview mirror.

  “She is a female. They are often moody.”

  “You’re just a ray of sunshine yourself,” I retorted.

  He ignored me, saying instead to Gabe, “She will get happy soon. Very soon. I will have Pietr and I will leave you with the money you need to make it into springtime and without having the hassle of trying to appease me.”

  “That is happy-making news,” I said, staring out the window. The car slowed, taking us more cautiously up one of the roads leading into the mountains ringing the town of Junction like a crown. Outside, the snow continued to fall, lightly at some points, and then it suddenly washed across our windshield like a foamy ocean wave crashing and we crawled a few feet forward, nearly blinded by a whiteout, until it cleared again.

  The only good part about it was that we didn’t have to worry about any other traffic on the road. Almost no one else was crazy enough to be out in weather like this.