Chapter Fifty-Six
Evan
“Can you also send an ambulance? Five people have been shot, one of whom was taken with the two suspects,” I told the dispatcher that Jett had called. He’d handed me his phone when he’d gone to confront that guy, who I guessed was one of Grace’s brothers from her world.
Who’d fucking shot them. All of them. Then took my mate.
The audacity!
Riley squirmed out of my grasp and ran to my four packmates on the ground. A couple of bystanders joined her.
The thing was, I got no pain from their bonds, only confusion. I gave the dispatcher the license plate number as I went over to them.
“There’s no blood,” one bystander said. “Were they stunned? The guys didn’t look military.”
“The stun guns were probably stolen. You know those fucking fundies,” I replied. “Grace didn’t mate with who they wanted.” Yeah, that would work, and her brothers sort of had that fundie militia look to them. The military had guns sort of like this, but civilians didn’t.
Though these didn’t look like the ones we’d at all.
I crouched down and looked them over, while still on the phone with the dispatcher, the sirens growing. No wounds.
“What the fuck did they do to them?” Riley sobbed. “How did her brothers even get here?”
“They’re stunned. I don’t know how they got here. Grab Brennan’s phone. We need to call the Bureau of Investigation.” Given Grace’s brothers had been the shooters at the university.
Also, I hadn’t missed what they said about Rosalind.
You okay? I reached out to Brennan with the bond code he’d developed.
Go.
Go?
A valet pulled up with Brennan’s motorcycle. Police sirens came closer.
Go. It came again, this time from both Brennan and Jett.
“Tell the police what happened. I’m going after Grace.” I handed Riley Jett’s phone and grabbed Jett’s gun.
“What the fuck? You’re not a superhero.” Fear leaked through her voice.
“No, just ex-military. I’ll be back. Promise,” I told her, getting approval from the bonds of all three of my mates. Especially Wes, who knew exactly what I’d done for the military before getting desk duty. I didn’t know what Spencer thought, but surely, he’d approve.
Without waiting, I got on Brennan’s motorcycle. I pulled up the location tracker on my phone, used it to track Grace’s phone, and hooked it up to the comm system in Brennan’s helmet.
“Love you,” I called as I took off toward Jett’s car.
The guys should hopefully be okay. The stun would wear off. But Grace… she needed our help now. There wasn’t time to wait for the police or the guys. I couldn’t let her brothers take her to Rosalind–or another world.
Following the navigation, I sped after Jett’s convertible.
While I’d never been part of some elite strike team back in the military, because of my size, I had been on a retrieval team.
We did a lot of breaking down doors, busting heads, and speeding after people, on jobs where they didn’t need anyone fancy, just a bunch of large people with guns.
Usually, we’d have someone helping us–changing stoplights, unlocking doors, and blurring cameras. It was how Wes and I met. Well, sort of. I knew his voice long before I ever saw him.
When I saw him, I knew I wanted to be his. He’d also been fucking pissed at me. While he hadn’t been part of my most recent op, the team I was on had sort of fucked up his.
But he forgave me. Oh, did he ever forgive me.
Jett’s convertible came into view, the top still down. I got closer, hoping they’d think I was just a guy on a motorcycle.
Yeah, those assholes paid me no mind. They weren’t even really speeding. Did they not think that they’d suffer any repercussions?
Mmmm, between their potential to be sigmas and whatever their mom told them, probably not.
Grace was in the back seat, just there, like a sack of potatoes, not even belted.
I drove up beside them, hoping that Brennan–and my body– would forgive me for what I was about to do. I leapt off the moving motorcycle into the back seat of the car. Ow.
“What the fuck, man?” one of them yelled.
Without waiting, I grabbed Grace, opened the door, and jumped out, rolling to help shield the both of us from the impact.
Taking Jett’s gun, I shot at the tire. Missed.
Fuck. I should spend more time at the range with Jett.
I shot again, and one tire blew, and the car careened.
That was what I was talking about. I shot out another.
“Take that, assholes. Wow, I’ve still got it.
” I looked at poor, frozen Grace, getting surprise and gratitude.
“I wasn’t always a social worker. One day I should tell you about working with Wes back in the Army.
Yeah, maybe it was dumb of me, but didn’t you once say about why not save someone you love if you’re capable? ”
Pain coursed through me. I wasn’t in my twenties anymore–and slightly out of shape. But shit, it felt good to do that. Finally, a situation that I could handle.
Police cars surrounded us. “Hands up.”
I put the gun on the ground and my hands up, holding Grace. One brother leapt out of the car and started running. An officer ran after him and tackled him to the ground.
Panic came through my bond with Grace.
“You’re safe,” I assured her. Then I got it. “Oh, they might be like your mom. They’re also not in the system. Shit. But we couldn’t let them take you.”
Hopefully, they’d be betas or something, given her dad was just some regular dude.
“What the fuck was that? I’m guessing you’re Evan? Your sister is not pleased you ran off to be a hero,” an officer said.
“My sister thinks that I sat on my ass at a desk when I was in the Army,” I explained as the two of them were taken away.
“I’ll tell you exactly where my mom is.” Abel rattled off an address.
“Abel, shut up,” Solomon said as they got put in the back of the police car.
“Army?” The officer’s nostrils flared. “Pink team?”
No fucking clue what that was. “I wasn’t always an omega. Are the others okay?”
They felt okay. Annoyed. Worried. But not hurt. My clothes were ruined, but aside from a few scrapes, I was okay.
“They’re being taken to the hospital. Hopefully, the stun will wear off soon.” He looked at Grace. “Is she stunned, too?”
“Yep. And she’s small, so it might take longer to wear off.” I looked at the gun. “That’s my mate’s service weapon. Jett’s an officer at Midtown.”
“I’ll take it and give it back to him,” the officer said.
An ambulance pulled up. I picked up Grace, who was silently sobbing.
“I’m sorry, Peaches. We couldn’t let them take you. I’m so sorry.” I held her hand as we got her in the ambulance.
Oooh, I was going to feel it tomorrow. But saving her was worth it. I’d just take some pain reliever and a long hot bath. Preferably with her in it.
Her phone was ringing. I answered it, thinking it was the Bureau of Investigation.
“This isn’t over, you little bitch,” a female voice shrieked. The call ended.
Fuck.
We got to the hospital and took her to the others.
“What was that?” Riley flew at me, hitting my chest with her fists. Then she looked up at me. “Someone caught it on their phone. That was some fucking action movie shit there. I’m not sure Marcos’ dad could do better. Where did you learn to do that?”
“The military. Before I awakened as an omega, I did cool shit. Sometimes I even jumped out of helicopters,” I answered.
“But nothing can happen to you.” She sobbed into my chest.
I wrapped my arms around her. “We couldn’t let Grace get taken… elsewhere.”
Though that phone call meant Rosalind was here. Why? While I could see her risking her kids to do her dirty work, would she risk everything to come here? How had she even gotten Grace’s number? No, that was easy enough. Still…
“Hey,” Brennan croaked. “Can’t move, but I can talk.”
“I rescued her because I’m a fucking badass.” I went over to my alpha and kissed him.
Someone had tucked Grace in with Spencer. Jett was with Brennan. I gave him a kiss, too. Then went over to Wes. “Yes, you get one, too.”
The officer I’d talked to previously, appeared. “Um, hi. I have questions. So many questions. Those guys aren’t in the system. They’re fundies?”
Shit. “I think they might actually be equalists,” Wes struggled to say.
Right. That was some place in Grace’s backstory. Maybe. I could feel Grace sobbing through the bond. Going over to her, I stroked her hair.
A bunch of people in dark suits swarmed in.
“You can go now,” one of them said to the officer. “This investigation is ours now.”