Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
Race loved being on his bike. It centered him. Calmed him. The roar of the motor. The vibration between his legs. The feel of the wind.
And looking sideways to see Con next to him helped too.
They were going to have to shut the bikes down soon, though, or the people holding Milo would hear them coming.
The rats had given them coordinates, and they didn’t love it, having someone else untrustworthy lead them. So they would go in careful, quiet. The rats had been sedated ten minutes ago.
Race wasn’t sure that was the safest thing, but it was the kindest thing, and goddess knew his brother was all about kindness.
Asshole.
He rolled his eyes at himself. He adored Nolan, and he was glad, after all his brother had been through, that he still had that core of sweetness in him. Race? Was all snips and snails and I’ll eat your damn puppy dog tails.
A few minutes later they pulled into a culvert far enough from the house to be quiet and parked.
Con covered their bikes with some brush he dug up from around the area, which would be good enough to keep people from seeing them from the road.
He hoped they were going to be able to make a decent approach.
Race nodded at Con and they started forward, staying low.
There was absolutely no way these guys weren’t waiting for them.
One hundred percent this was going to be a trap, but it didn’t matter.
They had to do this, because he wasn’t going to let Milo sit and rot in some magical state of non-shiftiness.
None of them were circus bears, and he was not going to have them treated like caged animals.
Con touched his mind, kind of shushing him mentally, and he got it. He was throwing off all sorts of vibes loud enough that somebody would eventually be able to hear him. If nothing else, Milo might catch his thoughts and then become agitated.
He really needed that vacation after this rescue.
I got your back, baby. I told you, any place you want to go. Con’s mind, when it touched his, was remarkably calm. His ADHD bear was ready for this, and he wasn’t about to let himself get shot again. Race could absolutely feel his determination.
He could also feel Nolan out there somewhere, but they had agreed to come in from random locations so they couldn’t give each other away if one of them got caught. They had to do this smart, fast, and quiet.
They crept forward, and he let Con take point so he could take the back trail.
Somewhere he knew War was back there behind him, with Rye and Nolan coming from another direction, but there was still a lot of land mass between them and this abandoned bullshit farmhouse or whatever, and also between where they’d parked and them.
A house came into view, lights barely glowing in the windows because they’d obviously covered them with something, maybe blankets or towels or newspapers. Who knew?
Con stopped him with a hand on his arm, and he could barely see his mate in the gloom of the sunset. He could see Con jerk his chin in one direction, then tilt his head the other. He was saying he wanted them to split up.
Race shook his head. No, he didn’t like that idea at all. Last time they had split up, Con’d gotten himself shot. Con bared his teeth at him, but Race stood firm. He wanted them together.
Finally Con puffed out a growly breath before deliberately stripping out of his clothes. Looked like he was going to shift.
Fair enough. He loved having his grizzly at his side, solid as a rock.
He would stay in human form. This time he had firepower of his own, and he wasn’t afraid to use it.
He wanted his brother, home and safe, and he wasn’t going to accept anything less.
They managed to make it to the side windows of the house before anyone sounded the alarm, which he hoped was good. He thought, from the height of the window, that they must have found a bathroom.
Milo.
***
That was an answer. A real touch.
And he had a feeling Milo was freaking out. But that was okay. They would work on that. After they got him free.
Climbing up Con’s body, Race worked quietly and quickly, popping the window out of the glazing so they could see in.
There was no way Con was going through that little square.
No way on earth.
But he could get in there. So could Nolan. We need a distraction. Nols and I can get in there.
War! Rye! We need a distraction.
The roars were immediate and loud, and Race launched himself into the room.
Sure enough, it was a bathroom, and not a particularly big one. And a black bear was chained in the bathtub.
“Hey, there. I’m going to let you go. If you want to get free, then we can do this, but if you’re a shithead, I’ll make you sorry you were ever born, fair?”
The bear groaned, head bobbing, and he thought it might be a decoy, but there were bloody spots on that fur, and the chains had dug in around the neck.
I have to let him go. I can’t leave him in here. Don’t let him hurt me. Race loved that Connal was out there, working for him.
Con’s golden eyes stared at him, peeking above the window frame. I will tear this place down, board by board. No one’s going to hurt you.
Good. He met the bear’s eyes again. “My mate is out there. My family is out there. Don’t make me hurt you, please.”
The bear groaned again, moving just enough to rattle the chains. Yeah he got it. Nobody wanted to be chained up, and this sucked. This was clearly a decoy for Milo, so where was his brother?
Race, I need a real update. What the hell is going on in there?
I have a bear chained in a bathtub. I am letting him go and praying he doesn’t kill me. Is that good enough? He didn’t need this pressure.
Yes. Get your ass out of there if he so much as makes a move.
That’s the plan. The locks were simple enough to pick, but man those chains were heavy.
He got Mr. Random Bear loose, then stood there, giving the guy the hairy eyeball.
Do not fuck this up.
The bear tried to rise, but grunted and fell back, shaking his big head. Then he pushed Race toward the door of the bathroom. All the while, shouts and bangs came from the front of the house.
“All right, Mr. Bear. Remember, we are not red shirts. Let’s go.” He was running on faith here.
The bear tried again, and this time he managed to get out of the tub, following Race as he left the bathroom. In his head he could hear Con moving around to try and find a better window to come in, now that the distraction was at the front of the house.
When he got to the main room, he saw Milo untying another bear while a half dozen assholes were fighting at the front door.
“Milo! Holy shit. I knew you were here. I knew it.”
“No time for that right now, bro. Just help me get these guys untied.” Milo looked exhausted and skinny and so small, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered.
The bear from the bathroom, he was swiping at chains trying to get them to break but he was clearly super weak. Nolan appeared by his side, making him jump a good foot in the air, and their brother grinned at both of them.
“Let’s fucking do this. I don’t want my guy to get shot.”
“Let’s get no one shot. What the actual fuck?”
Grizzlies! Come get these fuckers!
There was a huge roar, and then he heard the bathroom wall splinter as Con came through that way, blundering in wearing his bear form.
God you’re pretty. He loved Connal in full grizzly.
Shut up. I’m big and mean, rawr.
He bit back a laugh. My big mean bear. I love you.
No distracting me. I have to bite things and keep you safe.
Remember, don’t swallow. You don’t know where they’ve been.
Right.
Another roar, and Con swiped at a guy who was trying to shift into… something, sending him crumpled to the floor.
Race moved to Milo, helping him unfasten the other bears. You okay?
No. Good to see your face.
You too, bro. We have a lot to talk about.
Milo! Milimilomilo. Nolan sounded overjoyed.
Quit distracting us, bro. Breathe. I’m watching Con be sexy.
You are so gross. Meanwhile my mate is out there fighting for his life. Nolan glared at him, but he just grinned. Now they just needed to move out.
War has this. I’m going to find a vehicle we can steal, Rye told them all. Lots of shifters to move.
He doesn’t sound like he’s fighting for his life… He had to tease. Had to.
Nolan and Milo snorted, the sound eerily alike. God, he’d missed them. They could be unstoppable together. They always had been.
These bears? Good? Bad? Just okay? Nolan had a point. It was important to know this stuff.
They’re all trapped here for black market shit, Milo told them. We have to get them out. I told them you’d come. I promised.
Then let’s get it going. We’ll put as many in the SUV as we can, and if I can find a vehicle then we’ll take the rest in that.
The crashing, banging, snarling, and growling stopped in the other room and, just a few seconds after that, War came charging into the room with them. He stopped dead, staring at Milo, his huge grizzly nose flaring, scenting the air.
Milo stared back, poised as if he was going to run, his hands shaking but he never moved.
“Guys, as entertaining as this is, we need to get moving.” Nolan poked Milo, and before any of them could even blink, War had freed the rest of the bears with big swipes of his paws, breaking cages and chains.
He picked up Milo in a giant bear hug and rumbled toward the door like a freight train.
Connal met Race’s eyes, his dark brown bear eyes glinting with mirth. That’s interesting.
Totally. But you know what? I think at this point we just need to get the fuck out of here.
“Agreed.” Nolan started herding bears toward the exit. “Come on guys. We can take you to safe places. Please stay with us and don’t run unless, of course, you’re bad guys, then run away because Con’s gonna hurt you.”
Surprisingly nobody ran. This was going to be a nightmare of logistics, but they would call in Quin and his people, and they would get everybody to a safe place, dispersing the bears all across the southwest to keep them safe.
He had to give props to the bunny. He’d really turned them on to a hardcore ring of smugglers.
He didn’t want to look too hard at the remains of what was in the living room though. That seemed excessive.
Necessary, but excessive.
They slogged out to the yard to the vehicles, and Rye roared up in a big half-ton pick-up.
Well that would carry a lot of rescues. They got all the bears loaded up, and he and Con were returning to their bikes, ready to make a run for it when someone stepped out of the shadows, raising a gun and pointing it at Con, who had just shifted back to human and was a little disoriented.
“Motherfucker,” the guy snarled. “You ruined everything.”
Oh, fuck no, Race didn’t think so. No one was gonna shoot his mate again. So he stepped up and hit the guy’s arm hard, sending it flying up into the air so the gun went off harmlessly. He really hoped it was harmless. Sometimes bullets came down and hit things.
He punched the guy right in the nose, hearing a very satisfying squelch. “You’re lucky you’re not fucking dead like all the rest of your cronies, you asshole. We’re taking you back to the authorities so they can have someone who will sing like a bird.”
Energy gathered around the guy as if he was going to shift, but Race just stepped up again and smacked both hands over the guy’s ears, letting him have a concussive blow.
The guy dropped like a stone, and Race snorted, staring down at him, nudging him with one foot to make sure he was actually unconscious.
“Tranq him, Con.”
Connal chuckled but he did just that. He shot the guy at point-blank range with a dart. That was going to leave a mark. Then Con grinned at him. “That was super-hot, baby.”
“I was not about to let him hurt you. Not again.”
“See? We save each other. I love that for us.”
Warmth swelled in his chest because his mate was right. This had always been a solo act, but working with Con satisfied something deep inside him, in his soul. “We make a pretty good team,” he said casually, understating everything completely.
But he knew Con got what he meant. He could feel it between them along their mate bond. The pride, the love, and the desire for him that was never far from the surface.
“Hey, let’s get a move on.” War called. “The sooner we get all these bears dropped off, the sooner we can go home.”
He and Con shared another grin as they got dressed again and straddled their bikes. “Odds that War and Milo hook up?” Con said.
“Exceptionally good odds, I would say, but I will take him out if he hurts Milo.”
Con nodded seriously, pressing his lips together. “I bet War would rather chew off his own arm than hurt your brother.”
“Either way it’s going to be a hoot to watch.
Come on, baby, let’s go home.” Race got his engine going, and then got moving, him and Con leading the convoy of bizarre shifter-carrying vehicles.
They probably had a long couple of days stretching out in front of them as they got all of the logistics taken care of, but then they were on their own and maybe they would get that vacation.