Chapter 15
Wren
Kaine walks me down the hallway toward the pharmaceutical storage area. One of his males walks behind us. Not that he is needed. It’s not like I’m going to get away. Kaine’s grip on my arm is so tight that it’s hurting a little.
I try to focus on my breathing. I work on staying calm.
How did a perfectly normal day turn into this?
The hallway seems longer than usual. Each step feels like it’s taking forever. The helicopter is still overhead, circling above us. I really hope that Draig Security gives them what they want, so that we can go home.
We round the corner, and the pharmaceutical storage area comes into view.
Just as expected, Ethan’s monitoring station is empty. One of Kaine’s guys searched the center not so long ago. They would have him now if he had been here at his post.
The chair is pushed back at an odd angle, as if he left in a hurry. His computer screen is still on, displaying the security feed from inside the storage room. But Ethan himself is nowhere to be seen.
I hope he ran when he heard the commotion. Then again, Ethan is a stickler for following protocol and obeying every rule, so I’m a little shocked at his absence.
I don’t blame him, though. It was the smart thing to have done.
Kaine pushes me toward the door to the refrigeration unit.
“Open it.” He hands me my keycard, which is still attached to the lanyard.
I step forward to the heavy security door.
I swipe it through the reader.
The light blinks red.
Access Denied.
My breath catches. What? That doesn’t make sense. This card should work. I use it every single day.
“What’s the problem?” Kaine demands.
“I…I don’t know.” I swipe it again, slower this time. Making sure it goes all the way through the reader.
Red light.
“Try again,” Kaine growls, stepping closer.
I do. And again. And again.
“It’s not working,” I whisper, staring at the card in my hand like it’s betrayed me. “I don’t understand. It should work.”
Kaine shoves me aside and peers through the small, reinforced window in the door. His body goes rigid.
“Hey!” he snarls, banging on the steel-reinforced door. “I see you, asshole. Let me in. Now!” He bangs some more.
“What is it?” I lean closer, trying to see what he’s seeing.
“There is someone inside there,” Kaine says. “A human male.”
So, Ethan didn’t run after all. He locked himself inside with the vaccinations, which makes more sense to me.
Kaine pounds on the door with his fist. “You in there.” He slams his palm against the reinforced glass. “Open this door!”
There is no response.
Kaine’s face is turning red. He looks at me. “What’s his name?”
“Ethan,” I tell him.
“Ethan!” Kaine shouts, his voice echoing down the hallway. “I know you can hear me. Open this door right now, or you’ll regret it.”
I hold my breath. I half expect the door to open. It doesn’t. There’s nothing. Just the sound of the chopper circling back around.
“Ethan,” Kaine tries again, and this time his voice is calmer. Almost friendly. “Listen, I don’t want any trouble. I’m not going to hurt you. I just need access to those vaccinations. That’s all. You let me in, I get what I need, and nobody gets hurt. This whole thing can be over. Simple as that.”
Still nothing.
Kaine waits, his jaw ticking. His hands ball into fists at his sides.
“Ethan!” he shouts again. “Don’t be stupid. There’s nowhere for you to go. You’re trapped in there.” He pauses. “Look, I’m willing to be reasonable here. But you need to work with me.”
“I don’t think he’s going to open the door,” I tell Kaine, having to work not to flinch away when he turns to me.
“Why not? That would be stupid. Very fucking stupid.”
“He’s been trained on certain protocols designed to keep the vaccinations safe. I’m sure this is all part of his meticulous training.” I want them to go away. Hopefully, when they realize that they’re not going to access the cold storage, they’ll do just that.
“Fuck.” Kaine slams his hand against the door one more time. Then he takes a step back, his expression darkening. “Fine. You want to do this the hard way? We’ll do it the hard way.”
He turns to me, and the look in his eyes makes my blood run cold.
“You,” he says. “Call him. Tell him to open the door.”
I shake my head. “I don’t think—”
“I wasn’t asking.” He grabs my arm, pulling me toward the window. “Tell him to get his ass out here now.”
I lean closer to the door, my voice shaking. “Ethan? It’s Wren. Can you hear me?” I look through the small window.
For a long moment, nothing. Then I see his shadow shift. He’s listening.
“Ethan, please. Just…just do what they want. It’s going to be okay. Give them access to the vaccinations, and we can all go home.” I’m not sure I buy that, but what can I do?
“Try harder,” Kaine says behind me, his hand tightening on my arm.
I’m going to have bruises tomorrow if he keeps this up.
“Please,” I try again. “They just want the vaccinations. That’s all. Just let them in and—”
“No can do, Wren,” Ethan’s voice comes through the door, muffled but clear enough. “I’m sorry, but I will never open this door, and that’s final.”
Relief floods through me even as fear tightens around my chest. He’s okay. He’s alive.
But he’s also not budging.
Kaine shoves me out of the way, putting his face in the window.
“Ethan,” he calls out, his voice harder now. “I have hostages. I’m sure they’re your friends. Do you want their blood on your hands? Because that’s what’s going to happen if you don’t open this door.”
Shit! Shit! Shit!
Adrenaline floods my system, and my heart goes wild inside me.
“I’m sorry,” Ethan says in a soft voice. “But I can’t.” His voice cracks a little.
“You can’t?” Kaine laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “You can’t or you won’t? I think you won’t, and it’s pissing me off.”
“I’m sorry, Wren,” Ethan repeats. It sounds like he’s crying.
Kaine’s face twists with rage. Without warning, he wrenches my arm behind my back, twisting it up between my shoulder blades.
Pain explodes through my shoulder. White-hot and searing. I cry out before I can stop myself, the sound torn from my throat.
“How about now?” Kaine shouts at the door. “You hear that, Ethan? That’s the sound of me hurting your coworker. Want to hear it again?”
“Don’t!” I gasp, trying to pull away. But his grip is iron.
He twists my arm higher, and I scream. I can’t help it. The pain is too much. It feels like my shoulder is going to dislocate. Like my arm is going to snap in two. He eases off, and I gasp with relief.
“Stop!” Ethan’s voice comes through the door, anguished. “Stop hurting her!”
“Then open the fucking door!” Kaine roars.
“I can’t!” Ethan sounds like he’s crying in earnest. “I’m so sorry, Wren.” He’s sobbing loudly.
Kaine twists again, and I cry out. The sound is anguished. Tears stream down my face.
“Please,” I sob. “Please stop,” I yell.
Kaine finally eases off.
“Open the door, Ethan!” Kaine shouts again. “I’m going to break her arm. Both her fucking arms. I’ll break every bone in her body.”
“No! Don’t! Please!” Ethan yells.
“I will. I’ll make you listen to all of it. It’ll be your fault,” Kaine tells him.
“I can’t!” Ethan’s voice cracks. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Wren. I won’t.”
Kaine yanks my arm into that agonizing position for another few seconds. I scream again, but Ethan doesn’t so much as move.
“Last chance,” Kaine shouts.
Ethan is silent.
It looks like I’m about to experience a world of hurt. I try to prepare myself mentally for what is to come. Instead, Kaine releases me on a snort. His face has a look of disgust.
“Cowardly bastard,” he mutters to himself.
I stumble forward, catching myself against the wall. My arm is throbbing, but it doesn’t feel broken. I can still move it okay.
He stops pacing and peers through the window again. Then he looks at the temperature reading on the panel next to the door. A slow smile spreads across his face.
“I saw what that male is wearing,” Kaine says.
“It’s a regular collared shirt. No protective gear.
” He taps the glass. “You know how cold it is in there? It’s a fucking refrigerator.
He might be tough, but he’s only human, which means he’s not going to last long.
Eventually, he’s going to freeze his ass off and come crawling out. ”
He turns to one of his males. “You stay here, Blaze. Watch that door like your life depends on it. The second he comes out, grab him, prop the door open, and call me.”
The male nods and takes up position at the monitoring station.
“Let’s go, female,” Kaine tells me. He grabs my arm.
There are two males outside the door to the file room. They step aside as Kaine approaches.
He unlocks the door. “Go inside.”
He doesn’t have to ask me twice. The door slams shut behind me. The lock clicks.
Then I look up.
And freeze.
Grim is standing in the middle of the room, his hands still bound with chains. And he’s completely, utterly naked.
I mean, I knew he was. I saw him earlier, but I guess I didn’t really look before. I’m looking now.
He’s enormous. All hard muscle and bronze skin and tattoos. So many tattoos.
He’s gorgeous. His shoulders are wide. His abs have abs. His biceps bulge. His cock is long. I can’t imagine how big he would be if he were fully erect. Actually, I can well imagine.
Shit!
I’m staring…at his cock.
Holy shit!
Stop! Stop!
I force my gaze up.
His jaw is tight, his dark eyes fixed on me with an intensity that makes my knees weak.
Heat floods my face.
Now is not the time, Wren. Now is absolutely not the time.
I tear my eyes away from him and rush toward Sally, who’s huddled in the corner. How did I only just see her?
I feel terrible.
“Sally,” I gasp. “Are you okay?”
She nods, standing up to meet me. I throw my arms around her, and she hugs me back, both of us trembling.
“I’m fine,” she whispers. “I’m okay. I have the tiniest cut on my neck. It’s nothing.”
I pull back to look at her throat. She’s right. It isn’t bad at all.
“What about you?” Sally asks.
“How are you feeling, Wren?” Grim’s voice is rough.
I turn to face him, trying very hard to keep my eyes on his face and nowhere else. “I’m fine.”
“Did they get into the storage facility?” Grim asks. “Did they hurt you?” His eyes seem to darken further. His muscles bulge, and once again, I have to force myself to look away.
“What happened?” Sally asks. “Is Ethan okay? Did you get to the vaccinations?”
I shake my head and quickly explain everything. Starting with Ethan locking himself in the cold storage. To how they left someone outside to intercept Ethan when he is forced out.
“Ethan locked himself in?” Sally’s eyes widen. “He’s so brave.”
“He’s so stupid,” Grim mutters. “He’s going to freeze to death in there. He should just give them what they want.”
“The refrigeration units maintain temperature at around thirty-eight degrees Fahrenheit,” I tell him.
“Cold enough to be miserable, but not cold enough to cause hypothermia. At least not right away.” I rub my lips together.
“But you’re right. He can’t stay in there forever.
What are we going to do?” I ask, looking between them.
“We sit tight,” Grim says. “We wait.”
“Wait for what?” Sally demands. “For them to hurt us? To kill us?”
“The guards are outside,” Grim tells her, his voice calm despite the chains around his wrists. “They’ll be negotiating. They’ll be working on a plan. We just need to stay alive until they can get us out of here.”
“These males are unhinged,” I say, wrapping my arms around myself. “They’ll stop at nothing to get their message across. They were going to beat you to death. If you hadn’t shifted—”
“I should never have done that,” Grim says, his expression grave. “I could have lost it. If it weren’t for you.”
“What did I do?” I say.
“You diverted my attention. It was stupid.” He gets gruff. “Don’t ever do anything like that ever again. My dragon could have killed you. Should have killed you. You got lucky.”
I nod. “I guess I did.” I frown. “What happened to me?” I ask him. “Outside, I mean. When you were… Just before you shifted. My head…” I touch my temples, remembering. “I’ve never felt pain like that. I don’t think I was hit by anything or anyone.” I shake my head, feeling confused.
“I’m not sure.” He shrugs.
It’s weird because he looks relieved. Why would he be relieved? It doesn’t make any sense.
I don’t push it. Not now. Not with everything else going on.
“You feel fine now, though, right?” Sally asks, defusing the strange tension. She sits back down, leaning against the wall.
“Yes, I’m good. My head feels fine. It’s the weirdest thing.”
“At least we’re all together.” Sally smiles up at us.
I nod, but the fear is still there. Coiled tight in my stomach.
These males are dangerous. They’re desperate. And desperate people do desperate things.
I sit down next to Sally… and suddenly everything is so much better.
I laugh.
“What is it?” Grim asks.
“You’re not going to believe it,” I tell him.