Chapter 21 - Tolliver
Tolliver groaned as consciousness crept back in. His head pounded as if tiny men were in his skull, hammering at his brain, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He blinked, trying to focus, but his vision was blurry, and his arms felt like lead. It didn’t take long to realize why. His wrists were bound behind his back with heavy silver chains that cut into his skin.
“Wakey, wakey,” a voice drawled, low and mocking.
Tolliver’s vision cleared enough to make out a man standing a few feet away, leaning casually against a wall. The man was tall and wiry, with a mean smirk and a cold glint in his eyes. Jonas Mercer. Finally, he was face to face with the man. It was too bad he was incapacitated because his first instinct was to rip the man’s heart out with his bare hand. He’d been a nuisance to the shifter community for months.
“Jonas Mercer, we finally meet,” Tolliver said. It hurt to even speak. The wolfsbane was wearing off, but every cell of his body still ached. He was lucky he hadn’t gotten a fatal dose of the poison.
“I guess I’m pretty famous around these parts, huh?”
“More like infamous.”
Jonas took slow steps forward and kneeled so he was at eye level with Tolliver. “You’re chained up in an unknown location where no one will hear you scream, might I add. Most would be begging for their lives right about now, but you’re suspiciously calm.”
“What can I say,” Tolliver drawled. “I’ve been dying to meet you.”
Jonas’ eyes narrowed. “You thought you were being clever sneaking around, didn’t you? The thing is, I knew you’d come sniffing around sooner or later, Tolliver Sterling. When my men told me they caught you, I took time out of my busy schedule to greet you myself.”
Although he was shocked that Jonas knew who he was, he didn’t show it. A part of his training was to master never giving anything away in incidents like his. He didn’t respond. Instead, he assessed his surroundings more keenly since his mind wasn’t so foggy anymore. He realized he was still inside one of the cargo cars, but the train was at a standstill. That was good. If he could get free of his bounds, he’d have an easier escape.
“Aren’t you going to ask how I know who you are?”
“I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” Tolliver replied dryly.
A muscle ticked in Jonas’ jaw, and fury gleamed in his eyes. Tolliver watched him closely. His calm demeanor seemed to rub Jonas the wrong way. He bet the man was used to people reacting to him with fear—he probably got off on it.
Jonas rose to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I took an interest in you because you’ve been standing in the way of what’s mine. I always get what I want, Tolliver, and I don’t appreciate your constant meddling.”
“And what exactly is it that you want?”
“Laila, of course.”
Just the sound of her name rolling off Jonas’s lips made Tolliver see red. However, he kept his cool. Now was his time to get answers. Meeting the man’s gaze, he calmly replied, “Of course. You’ve been trying hard to get your hands on her. I’m curious about why.”
Jonas took something out of his pocket and started to fiddle with it. Tolliver looked closer and realized it was a necklace with a pendant in the shape of golden letters, but he couldn’t make out the initials. “It’s simple,” Jonas muttered as if he was miles away in thought. “She’s the one that got away.”
Confused, Tolliver blinked but kept a straight face. “You know her?”
Jonas snorted derisively. “I’ve never met her, but they’re all the same, so I guess you can say I do know her.”
Tolliver was more perplexed than ever. Jonas Mercer really was crazy. Tolliver was so curious that he took his mind off escaping. “Who are all the same?”
“The women,” Jonas snapped. He shoved his fingers through his hair, his movements brimming with agitation. “They all deserve what they get because they’re just like her. Laila… when I saw her, I was so intrigued. She didn’t just remind me of her, she looked just like her. It was uncanny. The other women aren’t important. They’re just a means to make extra cash… a shitload, actually. But I wanted Laila for myself. She’s special.” He turned to Tolliver with rage-filled eyes. “But you keep thwarting my attempts.”
“Who does Laila remind you of?” Tolliver asked carefully.
Jonas dangled the necklace from his fingers and stared at it. “My mother… That wretched, soulless woman.”
After months of wondering, Tolliver finally got clarity. Jonas Mercer was obsessed with Laila because she resembled his mother. It was safe to say he targeted the other women because they had the same aesthetic as his mother, who Tolliver learned had simply disappeared. He couldn’t believe that so many lives had been affected and endangered because Jonas had mommy issues. Pathetic!
Gritting his teeth, he fought to hide his annoyance. Since he was chained up with nowhere to go, he might as well get the entire story. “What happened to your mother, Jonas?”
“Hey, who’s the captive here?” Jonas barked. “You or me? I ask the questions.”
“I’m just curious.”
“You mean your team hasn’t gotten a full dossier on me? I know about the Black Ops. Everyone like me, trying to do business in the shifter community, knows about you. You self-righteous bunch are like thorns in our sides.
Tolliver felt a sliver of satisfaction for that. If all else failed, at least they accomplished making the bad guys’ lives harder. “I just know that your mother disappeared,” Tolliver said evenly, hoping his steady tone would calm Jonas. The man seemed like he was about to go off the deep end over a mere conversation.
“The bitch abandoned me. I loved her more than anything, and one day, she was just gone. My father told me to forget about her because she was only good for one thing—bedding and breeding.”
Tolliver stared at Jonas. If his father had been anything like his son, he wouldn’t blame the poor woman for running away… That was if Jonas’ father hadn’t done something unthinkable to her. He’d have to look more into Jonas’ parents to learn more.
“So that’s how you justify selling women to the highest bidder?” Tolliver asked. “You think they’re only good for breeding?”
Jonas shrugged. “All I do is ensure shifter women like my mother do the only thing they were made for. If you ask me, I’m doing the community a huge favor.”
“I didn’t ask you,” Tolliver muttered.
Jonas swung the necklace, threw it into the air, and caught it. “This was my mother’s. I was hoping to give it to Laila. She’s the one who got away… just like Mom. She’s so much more than the others. I wanted to make her my personal pet—maybe use her to live out my fantasy of making my mother pay for leaving me with my asshole of a father.”
Tolliver couldn’t keep his cool any longer. “I’ll see you dead first,” he snarled.
“That’s big talk coming from my prisoner,” Jonas taunted. “You know what? I change my mind. Now I want you to suffer Tolliver Sterling, just for making my life difficult. Before I kill you, I’m going to make you watch your sweet Laila get tortured and prepped to be sold off.”
Tolliver’s wolf growled. Although still weakened from the wolfsbane, the animal clawed to the surface, itching to get to Jonas, but it was no use. Getting out of the chains at half-strength was impossible.
Jonas chuckled, much like the villain getting his way, and it irked Tolliver to the core. The sound of chaos outside interrupted Jonas’s gloating. Shouts and snarls echoed, followed by the unmistakable crunch of bone and ripping flesh. Tolliver’s ears perked, hope flaring in his chest.
Jonas turned toward the door, his smug grin faltering. “What the hell is that?”
A moment later, the cargo car’s door burst open with a deafening clang. A massive wolf charged in. Its glowing amber eyes locked on Jonas with lethal intent. The sheer size of it made the container shudder under its weight. Tolliver recognized the wolf as Zach and felt a surge of relief. He was sure Ryder wasn’t far behind. That was confirmed when another wolf leaped into the car.
Jonas didn’t stick around to take on the two wolves. He opened the other side of the car and dashed out. Before either Zach or Ryder could go after him, Jonas’s men intercepted them. Pandemonium exploded in the cargo unit, and Tolliver struggled to free himself. He couldn’t let Jonas get away. A flash of red caught his eye, and he looked up to see Elena hurrying toward him.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked. It became clear why neither he nor Jonas had detected Zach's or Ryder’s presence. They had a witch masking their scent.
“You shouldn’t be here, Elena.”
“Now is hardly the time for a lecture,” she said as she hacked his chains open with some kind of enchanted blade. Sparks gashed as the tool cut through the metal. Besides, I had no choice but to come to watch Laila’s back.”
Tolliver’s heart ceased to beat for a moment as the chains fell from his hands and clattered to the floor. Laila had walked right into Jonas’s hands. “Shit,” he groaned. “You shouldn’t have left her alone.”
“It’s okay. I told her to stay hidden.”
“It’s not okay, Elena. Jonas might find her. Get yourself to safety now.”
Elena glanced at her mate, who had his jaw clamped around another wolf’s neck. Her eyes widened. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”
Tolliver heard her mutter something about wolves being unreasonably violent before he took off. He knew Jonas would sniff Laila out from a mile away, and his obsession with her would likely make him forget about escaping to target her instead. For the first time since he got captured, he felt real terror. He ran as fast as his weakened limbs could carry him.
The scent of Laila lingered in the air, and he locked onto it. Everything around him blurred as he sprinted down the train tracks. The adrenaline coursing through his veins dulled the lingering effects of the wolfsbane. The faint sound of a struggle reached his ears—footsteps scuffing the gravel, a muffled shout, a vicious snarl. Then he saw them. Jonas was hauling Laila into the shadows. He had one arm locked around her waist as she twisted and kicked.
“Let go of me, you bastard!” she shouted.
Jonas’s menacing laugh. “Not a chance. You’re coming with me whether you like it or not.”
A snarl ripped from Tolliver’s throat, catching Jonas’s attention. He spun around, using Laila to shield himself. “Ah, there he is,” Jonas sneered. “I was wondering how long it would take you to show up, Sterling.”
Laila, not one to like being the damsel in distress, elbowed Jonas in the gut as hard as she could. He grunted out a curse and lifted his hand. A claw spurted from his index finger, but before he brought it down, her fangs extended, and she sunk them into his arm. She shook her head wildly, taking out a chunk of his flesh. Jonas let out a roar of agony and released her. She immediately dove out of the way, giving Tolliver the space he needed to attack. He’d never been prouder of her.
He was too weak to shift but launched himself at Jonas with speed and force, tackling the man to the ground. They wrestled, but Jonas had the upper hand at full shifter strength. Tolliver felt something sharp slice into his side, and he hissed. He realized Jonas had jabbed him with a silver blade.
Jumping to his feet, Jonas laughed. “You’re weak, Sterling. That wolfsbane is still doing a number on you, isn’t it?”
Dazed and fighting through searing pain, Tolliver watched as Jonas’ face contorted and his body lengthened. Seconds later, a wolf with glowing eyes stood in his place, and it seemed it had Tolliver on the menu. The animal lunged, and for a second, Tolliver was convinced he was done for. However, Laila appeared, holding a metal pipe. She swung, sending Jonas hurtling backward. Blinking away the tiny dots obscuring his vision, Tolliver gazed at her with admiration. Her wolf had taken over because her eyes glowed amber, and she had delivered one hell of an impressive swing.
Jonas growled and got to his feet to charge again, but Laila thwarted the attack with another swing. Tolliver was weaker than ever from blood loss, and the poison was still coursing through him. He had to summon every ounce of strength he had left to reach for the blade Jonas had dropped.
Jonas dodged Laila’s next swing and used a paw to swat her out of the way. Her body went flying and then hit the ground with a thud. Her groan of pain was the fuel Tolliver needed. He’d kill Jonas for that if it were the last thing he did. Tolliver’s wolf growled, his fury blinding as he staggered to his feet. He held his position and waited for Jonas to come to him. The man was all rage and bravado, but Tolliver was always calculating. Keeping the blade hidden, he allowed Jonas to pounce on him. They hit the ground, and just as Jonas stuck his claws into Tolliver’s flesh, Tolliver buried the blade in his heart.
Jonas made a gargling sound as he peered down at Tolliver in shock. His eyes flickered, changing from gold to dark brown before life vanished completely from the orbs. Pure silver straight through the heart was lethal to a shifter. He bet Jonas carried the silver blade around as a tool to inflict pain on other shifters. It was poetic that the same weapon ended him. Tolliver took a satisfying breath as he pushed Jonas’ transforming body off him. Finally, Jonas was dead, and Laila was safe. He saw her running toward him before the world went pitch black.