Chapter Eighteen
The sun wouldn’t sink for hours, but Holden and his buddies weren’t waiting until dark.
Maybe they thought since it was daylight security would be lax and it would give them the advantage of surprise, since an attack was most likely to occur at night.
It wasn’t a bad plan except for one thing—Eli and his brothers were always expecting trouble.
“I’ve got them on the western side of the mountain.
” Zach had set up a command center at the dining table.
Under normal circumstances he’d run the entire operation from here, giving orders through the communication devices they wore in their ears.
They might be wolves, but they didn’t depend solely on that advantage.
They embraced technology whenever it would aid them.
This time, using comms wasn’t possible because their opponents were werewolves, not humans.
With their preternatural senses there was too much risk of being overheard and tipping off their enemies.
If there was any way to convince Kinley to stay here, Eli would do it in a heartbeat. But she’d made her decision and wouldn’t be dissuaded. She stood beside him, along with all but Josiah and Levi who were already in position.
Silas was on the opposite side of the table, likely worried Eli was considering kicking his ass for his earlier comment.
He hadn’t meant anything by it. Teasing Kinley was his way of showing he accepted her as one of them.
Problem was, she didn’t know that. There was the even bigger problem of her refusing to make love with him again because she didn’t want to be overheard.
If he survived this, Eli would be buying more soundproofing material for his room. Either that or he’d build a small cabin at least a hundred yards away. Assuming she’d stay, that is. There were no guarantees.
When Cyrus didn’t begin issuing orders, he looked at his brother and got a curt nod.
This was Eli’s operation. He was responsible for keeping Kinley and his brothers safe.
This wasn’t like any other mission they’d undertaken.
This was personal. The stakes were incredibly high. They all awaited instructions.
I am wrath, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Justice and punishment are bred into my bones. The reminder dispelled all doubt. No matter what happened, his enemies would reap the vengeance they’d sowed.
“Cyrus, you’re with me and Kinley.” Eli wanted his oldest brother with him in case things went sideways.
There was no one meaner or more determined in a fight.
The word “quit” wasn’t in his vocabulary.
If it came down to it, he’d get Kinley to safety.
“Silas, you find Josiah. Noah, you’ll join Levi.
” It was the same pairing as last night. “Zach, you’ll stay here and monitor.”
“There’s no point. They’ll hear the comms.”
“I’m counting on it.” He’d been considering the problem and had come up with a way they might be able to use it to their advantage.
“We can use it to send them exactly where we want them. If things appear to be getting out of hand, drop a few hints and herd them there.” He pointed out a location on the map spread across the table.
“Then get up on the ridge with your sniper rifle.”
Zach gave a low whistle. “That’s devious. I like it.”
“I don’t understand.” Kinley frowned in confusion.
“The area below the ridge is a sheer drop-off. There’s nowhere for them to run if we corner them there.
They can jump, but if they don’t break their necks in the fall they’ll be awhile healing.
That should give us time to get to them before they can slink off and lick their wounds.
If they try to circle back around to come up behind us, Zach will take them out. ”
He watched her for signs of distress. These were people she’d grown up with, members of her former pack. His biggest concern was she’d hesitate at the wrong moment and end up dead. Compassion was an admirable trait, but not one any of them could afford today, least of all him.
What will she think after she watches me slaughter the former members of her pack?
It didn’t matter. Keeping her and his brothers alive was the objective.
If that changed how she saw him, so be it.
He ignored the tightness in his chest and the rock in the pit of his belly.
He could defeat his enemies but still lose her.
“Let’s go.” Calling on decades of training, he locked down his emotions, his entire focus on the mission. “From here on, only Zach is on the comms, and only if it’s absolutely necessary.” He looked around the table at his brothers. “Stay sharp. Stay alive.”
With a nod, they headed out, slipping soundlessly into the surrounding forest.
Kinley followed him out the door. “We have to move fast.” Holden Lewis had moved up the timetable considerably, likely in a bid to take them off guard. It was a damn good thing they had Ridge’s phone and were monitoring the chatter.
“You do what you have to.” Her shoulders were back, her chin tilted up, but her face was pale.
“I hope you mean that. If you can’t keep up, go back.
” There was no time to coddle her. He loped across the yard.
“If something happens to me, run to the house. One of the others will protect you.” If they were still alive.
His gut clenched. The possibility they might die on a job was always present, but they had advantages humans didn’t have.
None of that made a damn bit of difference this time.
They knew the mountain and had the upper hand, but they were outnumbered. How badly remained to be seen. There was no telling how many men Duke Wright would bring with him. Holden was actually offering them a huge advantage by coming early. It gave them a chance to thin the numbers.
“Eli,” she began.
He spun around to face her. “This isn’t up for discussion. You follow orders or you go back to base.”
Her mouth tightened, but she gave a curt nod. Trouble with a capital T. He couldn’t shake the feeling something would go horribly wrong. It was up to him to make sure that didn’t happen.
“No talking from here on. Watch me for signs. Sound carries up here.” It wasn’t easy to turn his back and shut her out, but it was what he had to do.
Both he and Cyrus were barefoot and bare-chested, wearing only jeans. It would make shifting easier. They’d run wild through these woods all their lives, playing as children, learning vital survival skills as they grew. But this was no pleasure run, no fun and games. This was all-out war.
Times like this he was glad they lived high on the mountain far away from others.
Their reputation for being inhospitable and unforgiving to trespassers was well-known and would keep the townsfolk in the valley below safe.
Not even the local law set foot on their mountain unless it was absolutely necessary to search for a lost hiker, and they always called ahead.
But for as much as they kept to themselves, the Sin brothers stepped up when they were needed.
Their reputation as trackers and bounty hunters was well earned.
They had an unbeatable success rate when it came to finding the lost or missing.
Law enforcement cut them some slack because of it.
The wind was in their favor, blowing up the mountain instead of down.
It would carry the scent of the invaders, making it easier to track them.
Eli sniffed the air and began to slow. Kinley stood beside him and off to his right, her head cocked to one side listening.
When she pointed to the right, he nodded.
They painstakingly made their way toward their targets and hunkered down behind a grouping of rocks some distance away but close enough to listen.
He silenced his comm and Cyrus did the same.
They wouldn’t need a distraction for this group.
There were four of them. Two he recognized from the altercation outside the motel.
There was no mistaking Holden. He was the one giving orders.
“Remember, Kinley is mine.” Holden pointed at his brother. “Edmund, you and Johnny will watch my back. Take her down if she gets around me.” Both men nodded.
“Where’s Ridge?” The unknown one leaned against a tree and looked up at the sky. “Day’s wasting.”
Eli glanced at Kinley and she mouthed the words, “Duke’s son.” She’d never mentioned a cousin, but alpha’s son or not, he’d chosen to come to Sin Mountain. Whatever fate befell him was on him.
Holden pulled out his phone and checked it before tucking it away. “Ridge is on the way. He’s scouting higher up. Says they’re all hanging around their house. Nice of them to congregate so we don’t have to track them down.”
“Too bad, I was looking forward to the hunt.” Duke’s son pushed away from the tree. “Haven’t had much in the way of fun since we ran down that hiker last month.”
Holden laughed. “You’re one bloodthirsty son of a bitch, Nash. Even more than your daddy.”
He pointed his finger at Holden. “Don’t you forget it. You can have my cousin, but you back me when the time comes to replace the old man.”
Eli and Cyrus shared a look. No loyalty among this bunch.
Kinley had gone rigid beside him. It was obvious she’d known nothing about any of this.
If she’d suspected, she’d have told her daddy.
Made Eli wonder if Lincoln Wright hadn’t suspected something and that’s what had gotten him killed.
Hard to watch your back when the people who were supposed to be protecting it were waiting to stab it.
Holden laughed and slapped him on the back. “I’m your man. We’re with you all the way. This is going to be fun. I owe two of those bastards payback for Chicago. They’re used to fighting humans, not real wolves. No prisoners. We take out this group of misfits and head home.”
****