Blaidd
I removed the corrugated metal roof panel and checked that the area inside was clear before tossing the rope down. My sailing knots came in handy, but I tugged on the rope once more to ensure it was secure before climbing through the panel.
Fenrir was sniffing the air the moment we began to descend.
Remember, they will have guns, I told him.
We move fast.
True—but the bigger you are, the easier it will be to shoot your wolf form.
Lielit was still tapping for us.
Hanson was a dead man. Tonight, I didn’t care who had given the order. He took the job, and he would pay the price.
My feet hit the ground and I ran toward the sound.
Ground floor.
She was to our right, and further through the building the men were guarding the main and side doors. The place was filthy, littered with abandoned possessions from the homeless. A large pool of water lay in the middle of the warehouse from the rain a few days earlier.
A terrible location for a kidnapping.
I peered through the dusty glass window and saw the empty hallway. I pushed the double door, and the tapping immediately grew louder. My eyes snapped to the source as I rushed forward and pulled the door open.
It wasn’t locked.
She was sitting on the filthy floor.
“You took your sweet time,” she grumbled.
I grinned, but the expression fell away when I saw her handcuffed to the pipe. I crossed the room, inhaling her clean scent before ripping the cuff free. The chain snapped, leaving it dangling from her wrist like a bangle.
“Are you okay?” I asked, helping her up before pressing a hand over her belly.
“I’m fine,” she said, rubbing her backside. “Freezing—but fine.”
I swallowed, remembering the hypothermia. I tugged my black sweater off and handed it to her. Once she pulled it on, I crushed her against my bare chest and held her there.
“They stuck a needle in my neck and drugged me. I woke up here,” she murmured, wrapping her arms around my waist.
“I’m going to take care of them,” I said quietly, smoothing my hand over her hair.
“There’s one arsehole in charge,” she continued. “He said it didn’t matter what you did—he was going to sell me and the babies tomorrow.”
My eyes snapped open. Fenrir growled low in my chest.
“I told him I’d give them what they wanted as soon as they contacted me,” I said grimly. “Is he still here?”
“He’s the only one I’ve seen.”
“I count five. Call him.”
She nodded as I stepped behind the door.
“Hello,” she called out. “I need to use the bathroom.”
My sweater drowned her frame. All I could see was the hem of her skirt.
“Oi. Dickhead,” she shouted.
She paused when footsteps echoed down the hall.
The door creaked open.
I watched as the man stepped inside.
“How did you—”
He didn’t finish.
I rushed him from behind, locking my arm around his neck and counting silently as he thrashed. His breaths turned wet and panicked. When I released him, he collapsed in a heap. I crouched, stripped his tie free, and bound his hands behind his back.
“Don’t move,” I warned her. “Don’t follow us. You won’t like what you see.”
She frowned and opened her mouth. I pointed at her.
“Stay.”
She doesn’t look happy, Fenrir said, already wanting to hold her again.
“I can’t let you or the babies get hurt,” I said softly.
She nodded, then walked over and nudged Anthony with her foot.
“Feel free to slap him around while I’m gone,” I said, gripping her shoulders and kissing her forehead before turning away.
I was halfway down the hallway when I heard a loud, satisfying slap.
I’m all yours, I told Fenrir as soon as I heard all four voices. Annihilate them.
With that decided, I took off sprinting toward them, allowing my rage and his bloodlust to merge as he shifted. His head curled down as he hurled his body weight against the door. It burst open, and the men never got a chance to draw their weapons.
Fenrir moved so fast that everything became a blur. Two men were already rolling across the floor when Fenrir stretched taller—and wider. His teeth didn’t just sink into flesh; they tore through muscle. When his jaw clamped down, bones crunched and blood flooded our mouth.
It felt so damn good.
The terrified sounds around us were a bonus.
Beautiful.
It was over too quickly, but as I glanced around the room, I gloated at the sight.
Blood spatter streaked the kitchenette and seating area. Body parts were strewn across furniture and floor. Pools of blood reached his paws.
Fenrir wanted more.
He wanted Hanson.
No. He needs to suffer.
He grunted, swiping a paw and batting a severed head off the wall like an unruly pup with a whine.
God. You’re such a child at times. Let’s go. She’s waiting for us. Probably still slapping that dumb bastard.
The message we left for Hanson’s master would be clear as day.
My family was off limits.