Chapter 26
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
STONE
The moonless night cloaks the Carlisle Pack’s estate in heavy, secretive darkness. Levi, Sasha, and I crouch in the underbrush at the edge of the property, tension thick in the air. Sasha insists she can catch Flynn’s scent on the cool breeze—faint but unmistakable—driving her determination to save him. I glance at Levi, silently asking if he smells it too. He gives a small shake of his head. Either the scent isn’t there and she's imagining it, or Sasha’s familiarity with Flynn makes her the only one to notice it.
“Keep sharp. While I expect Ronnie to be in the gym, anything can happen. We need to be ready.”
Levi nods in agreement, his fingers flying rapidly over his laptop. The glow from the screen illuminates his sharp features, casting shadows along his face. Sasha moves closer to him, placing her hand on his back, giving him a gentle squeeze, one that looks to be filled with comfort, love and support. A touch that, at this moment, I’m envious of.
The tension in the air is palpable, each second feeling like an eternity as we wait. One wrong move and we could be caught, putting not only our lives, but our omega’s in danger. Finally, Levi lets out an exhale, the faintest smirk tugging at his lips. “Alarm deactivated. We need to move quickly and quietly so that we can get inside the house.”
I stand and stretch my legs. “Good. Let’s move on three.”
I draw my gun, just in case, then raise my hand and count to three before darting forward, Sasha and Levi close behind me.
We move with care, each step deliberate and silent against the dry ground. Staying in the shadows, we circle the yard until we reach the back of the house. A heavy oak door stands before us, its brass handle dull and worn. I ease it open, the faint creak lost in the pounding of our hearts.
"Seriously? It's not even locked?" Sasha asks, her question dripping with sarcasm.
"Guess they figured with the alarm, they didn’t need to lock up," Levi whispers to Sasha. His soft voice reminds us to stay quiet. Taking them out one at a time will be easier than facing them all at once. It doesn’t matter that there are only three of them—this pack is sadistic, and there’s no way I’m risking our omega.
According to the blueprints, the gym is just beyond the door in front of us. That’s where Ronnie, the most volatile of the Carlisle brothers, is supposed to be.
I glance at Sasha. "You ready?"
Sasha’s dark eyes narrow, a mix of determination and doubt flickering in their depths. “Are you questioning if I can handle myself? You do remember what I was doing the day we met.”
My jaw tightens. “I don’t doubt you, Sasha. It was just a question.”
“Yet I didn’t see you asking Levi if he was ready.” She steps in closer to me, showing me just how much of a firecracker she is.
“Look, you two, we don’t have time for this. Brat, he just wants to make sure you’re ready. You know what you need to do. I want all of us to make it out of here and home tonight.”
Sasha shifts her glare from me to Levi, and I can’t help but feel a bit of relief rush through me. She rolls her eyes at him before looking back at me. “My mission is to make some noise, draw the asshole out, then get our omega, and get the hell out of this shit hole and back to the car. I’ll wait for you there. If you’re not back by the agreed time, I leave and head home. The two of you will make it there. I have to trust you and the plan.” She smirks at me, and I shake my head.
Fuck, she’s going to kill me.
Before she can press my buttons any further, the faint clinking sound of weights being racked spills into the hallway. The corner of my lip curls into a grim smile. "That's our confirmation. Sasha, make some noise and draw him out."
Sasha nods, slipping to the edge of the doorframe, her gaze shifting around in contemplation. Levi steps up beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. I turn my head to look at him and catch the proud smile on his face as he watches his mate.
From our position, we can’t see exactly what she’s doing, but Sasha reaches inside the door, picks something up, and steps back into the hallway. She turns our way, gives us a wink, then shows us the loose weight plate she’s holding proudly in her hand before dropping it on the floor with a loud clang. The sound reverberates through the hallway like a gunshot.
The noise does its job and hopefully doesn’t draw the attention of Bart and Andrew. I make a mental note to speak to her about being subtle. Heavy footsteps approach, each one deliberate and menacing. Ronnie shows up in the doorway, his big shoulders filling the whole thing. His eyes lock onto Sasha, sharp and mean, and then his smell hits—old fries and grease. It’s strong, like he’s been living in a fast-food joint and never bothered to change his clothes.
"Who the fuck are you? How the hell did you get in here?" he growls, stepping forward, his fists clenched, veins bulging along his forearms.
Sasha shivers, and I start running backup plans through my mind when Levi chuckles beside me. Confusion takes over until I realize why he’s not worried.
She isn’t fazed by it.
"Your brother let me in," she says softly, adding a tremble to her voice. She turns and starts backing down the hallway, drawing Ronnie away from us so we can come at him from behind.
"Which brother?" he questions.
"The—"
"Wait, you’re that cunt bitch from the door. My brother..."
I move like a shadow, closing the distance between us in an instant, knowing Sasha's play to distract him won’t go any further. He hears my movements and turns, but I land my first strike—a sharp jab to his solar plexus that drives the air from his lungs. Ronnie staggers backward, but he’s quick to recover, swinging his fist. I move quickly, barely dodging it.
Levi rushes up behind me, his elbow out, clocking Ronnie in the face. The force of the impact slams Ronnie into the wall, knocking the air from his lungs. Sasha takes off running, charging straight at Ronnie. She lifts her foot and thrusts the heel of her boot into his nose, blood splattering everywhere as it bursts open.
"That's for putting your hands on my omega," Sasha snarls.
"Calm down, Brat. I love the killer in you, but we need to stay level-headed. We got him, go find out if our next one is where he’s supposed to be. Just be careful.” Levi instructs her.
“Remember, if we’re not back at the car at the agreed time, leave. Don’t wait for us. We’ll find a way home." I quickly remind her as I pull my gaze from Ronnie just long enough to watch her turn and move down the hallway until she’s out of sight.
I move over to Ronnie, kneeling down in front of him, and start throwing a series of punches at his face. The sound of fists meeting flesh echoes in the narrow hallway, but we make sure to keep him subdued. One of us holds his arms behind his back, another clamps a hand over his mouth to stifle his screams. We keep swapping out, each of us taking our time releasing our anger out on him, never giving him a chance to recover or regain control. It’s a two-on-one fight, and we have the upper hand.
Our moves are made with precision, every strike calculated. A sharp uppercut sends Ronnie reeling, blood spraying from his split lip. I drive my knee into his stomach before pinning him to the wall. It’s time to end this.
Ronnie snarls, his teeth bared in a feral grin. "You think you’re tough? You’re nothing compared to us." He kicks out his foot, catching me in my knee, throwing me off balance.
Levi doesn’t hesitate, punching Ronnie right in the face, it’s then I notice the brass knuckles on his hand and I can’t help but smirk.
"Seeing how you’re the one bleeding and about to meet your death, I’d say you’re wrong. You and your brothers are going to die tonight, and our omega, Flynn, will be leaving with us." With one last, bone-crunching strike to Ronnie’s throat, his body jerks, and he gasps, struggling for air. But it's too late. His breath rattles in his chest for a few seconds before he crumples to the floor, lifeless.
I wipe the blood from my hands on my pants, my breathing steady despite the adrenaline coursing through my veins. "One down."
"Let’s go," Levi says, his voice tight with urgency. He leads the way as we head toward our next target.
I take one last look at Ronnie’s lifeless form before following, the resolve to save Flynn burning fiercely in my chest. The night is far from over, and the Carlisle brothers won’t go down without a fight.
We keep searching, our movements synchronized as we make our way deeper into the house. Sasha is nowhere to be seen, so we take our time checking each room.
Levi glances over at me, his voice low but urgent. "Where the fuck are they? Where’s Sasha?"
"I’m not sure. But let’s continue."
The house looms around us, each shadow and creak a potential threat. We move like ghosts, silent and determined, our bond to Flynn driving us forward. Tonight, we’ll bring him home—or die trying.
I turn to him. "Let’s split up, I'll take the basement. You take this floor. Be careful. If you find them, make sure Sasha and Flynn get out safely.”