Chapter 10
Chapter
Ten
Connal hated the way tension sat on Race’s shoulders. The way deep lines were etched next to his mouth.
His mate had enough stress in his life. This was just extra. Extra-fucking-extra. And that was so not cool.
“So, what are our options?” Connal looked at War, who always came up with the plans.
“Well, we could go in guns blazing, but we don’t know what they want, really. I mean, we know they want Race and Nolan. But for what? And how badly? We need to reconnoiter.”
“They can’t have him.” That came out in a pure growl. He wasn’t going to have it.
They couldn’t have Race. They couldn’t have Nolan, and he didn’t know Milo, but they couldn’t have him either, motherfuckers.
“No one said they could have your mate, Con. Put your dick away.” Warrick rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“It’s easy for you to say. Your mate’s not in danger. Ours are.”
Warrick didn’t even have a mate.
“Look, I’m trying to help here. I could just walk away.”
Connal and Ryder only stared at Warrick because everybody knew better.
Warrick was the least likely of them to walk away from anything.
He was the eldest brother.
He got what he wanted, and he made the plans, and he never got left out of anything.
“Stop looking at me like that.”
Nolan snarled softly. “Quit having a pissing contest and help us figure out where these people are.”
“Okay, so we know where Robbie was being kept. Robbie, you said Milo was there?” Connal asked.
Robbie, who had been slipping away, startled in a guilty way. “Yes.”
Race frowned at him. “So he helped you as much as he could?”
Robbie nodded. “Yeah, he can’t shift, but he was really nice to me. And I think he’s the one who distracted them long enough for you to get me.”
Connal wrinkled his nose. Race had said all along it had felt like a set up, but that he’d had to take the chance to grab Robbie. “Yeah, the whole thing felt like a trap that just didn’t get tripped.”
Race nodded. “Like I was supposed to… you know, like a net was supposed to fall, and they just missed.”
“That’s going to be Milo.” Robbie’s foot tapped furiously. “He was always causing hiccups and then getting in trouble for it. Not a team player.”
Nolan’s laugh was bitter as ashes. “That’s our Milo.”
“So why is he there? I mean, obviously they trapped him, but does he have a special skill that’s seriously marketable?” That was Rye. Always so practical.
Nolan and Race stared at each other for a second. “Should we tell them?”
“We have to. They need to know.” Race sounded sure.
“We’ve never told anybody.”
“Well, somebody knew, because somebody took him.” Connal had had enough of this shit. “So if there’s something we need to know, dammit, spill it.”
“Well…” Nolan chewed his lower lip. “Milo has a shine. He’s kind of a finder.”
“Would he honestly go find omegas for these assholes?”
“No.” Race shook his head. “No. Not Milo. Not even by accident.”
“It doesn’t make any sense.” Nolan agreed.
“He can’t shift. He’s holding out and not giving them what they want, but it’s killing him, to not reach for his bear.” Robbie shrugged. “I didn’t know how it fit until just now.”
“Well, Robbie, you need to lie low and not tell anyone anything. Except Quin, okay?”
“Sure. Sure.” Robbie’s big front teeth started nibbling that lower lip. “I promise.”
Race nodded and stared at Robbie. “Look man, this is important. We’ve got to get him. Do you have any idea where they were headed next?”
Robbie shrugged, nose wrinkling as he thought. “I think they worked there in the city. I mean, they never moved me. I saw others, but not often.”
Nolan growled low. “Did you ever hear our names?”
Robbie shook his head. “I heard that there was a matching set of bears, and they could get good money for a matching set.”
Con snarled, and Ryder was doing the same, both of them moving to curl around their mates.
Race rolled his eyes at them. “Stop it. Be good. We’re working here.”
“Sorry.” Robbie spread his hands. “I don’t know much more.”
“Go get some food, kiddo,” War told the bunny. “We need to growl a little, and I don’t want you frightened, okay?”
“I’m already frightened.” Robbie scurried out like he was hopping across the meadow with a wolf chasing him.
Connal wondered about that. What would happen if Robbie bunnied out? Would Quin or Thiago or somebody else who was a wolf or a big cat chase after him?
Bears weren’t really known for going after rabbits, despite the whole bear in the woods joke, because they were really too small a prey to keep a bear in any kind of condition. But—
Focus, mate.
He glanced at Race. Sorry, sorry, right, focus.
“So three things.” Ryder held up two fingers and a thumb.
“We need to get to that warehouse, see if anyone is still there, and do a thorough recon without getting caught. We need to get Milo out of there without any of us getting captured again, and we need to get any other omegas they might be holding out of there. Once we do that, Quin can put the right people on clearing out the snakes’ nest.”
“Do we know they’re snakes?” How did they know they were snakes? Did Robbie say something about snakes? Con didn’t think so. Usually these guys were like weasels or something, not terribly brave or big. Though one of them had been a pig last time.
“Con.” War snapped his name out. “Are you up to this? Are you recovered enough to do this? If you’re not, you need to speak up now.”
He stared, stony-faced, at his brother. “I am perfectly up to this. You know how I get when I have adrenaline. I’m fine.”
“Okay, okay.” War held up his hands. “We need to get back to our place and pack up and get the bikes. I want somebody to bring the SUV just so we have it. We won’t take the big trailer, though.”
“Nolan and I can bring the SUV,” Ryder said. “That way we have medical supplies and food, all the stuff we need. We can all sleep in the back if we have to, even if that means we’re stacked like firewood.”
Connal snorted at that image. “Okay, done. Race and I will take our bikes. We’ll rendezvous somewhere about a mile away from the warehouse.
There shouldn’t be any reason they’d have cameras that far out of range.
” He was thinking about the limits of technology, and these guys didn’t seem particularly hardcore about it because they really hadn’t known he and Race were there until they were hauling the bunny out of the warehouse.
If they had been any better than they were, he would have been dead.
Please don’t think like that. I don’t need the distraction, Race told him.
Don’t worry, baby, nobody’s going to kill either one of us, or any of us, for that matter. We’re going to get your brother, and we’re going to go home. Then you and I are going to take a vacation.
Race tilted his head, eyes going bright. What kind of vacation?
As one bear they had already turned and started outside, War stopping briefly to murmur to Quin at the bar.
I don’t know. Someplace where we can wallow together. I really love the idea of going someplace where there’s a lake or a giant heated swimming pool that’s just ours.
That sounds amazing. Do you really think it could happen? For a moment, just a second, Race looked so young.
I’m going to make it happen. Connal vowed it right then and there. I’m going to make it okay now.
“All right, back to our place. We’ll provision, then head out. Make sure we all have the coordinates, Race.” War was in action mode.
“You got it.” They all straddled their bikes, but Con held back just long enough to take a kiss from Race.
A hard one.
“What was that for?” Race asked, blinking at him.
“Because it’s going to get busy, and I want you to remember you’re with me. I have your back. Period.”
“Yeah. Yeah, Bear. We’re mates.” Race took his hand. “Let’s go get Milo and bring him home.”
Con nodded. That was their responsibility and it was his pleasure to help his mate do that and then they would have some time to themselves. He was going to make it happen.