Chapter 11
Chapter
Eleven
“Do you think they’ll still be at the warehouse?” Nolan asked.
Of course he didn’t. It seemed to him that would be stupid, but Race didn’t want to be Debbie Downer. “I have no idea.”
“You liar.” Nolan stared at him, those big brown eyes like holes in a blanket. “So where? I know you have intel.”
“What intel? I have a bunny saying he saw a bear named Milo. He was snatched from a broken-down car. I have no idea where the tip came from to go to the damn warehouse.”
“Okay, so then we go set the grizzlies on the warehouse, and they tell where he is now.” Nolan’s lips firmed into a hard line as he shoved granola bars into a rucksack.
He was all about the food.
Race would never say that to Nolan, though, because Nolan was self-conscious about being a little soft. He didn’t judge. He could run that way himself if he wasn’t always on the road.
“Maybe that’ll work. Maybe I just go in and be annoying. There has to be a predator bar close by, right?”
“Hey, that’s a good idea.” Nolan paused, granola bar open and halfway to his mouth. “I’m super good bait.”
“Yeah, I don’t think Ryder’s going to love that.” Not to mention that he didn’t think it was the best idea ever either.
“Well, it worked before.”
“Yeah, and I got darted by a drone, and my mate got shot… This is a bad situation, bro.”
“I’m not a weakling, you know,” Nolan snarled, and he nodded.
“I know. I do know. I just want you safe.”
Nolan sighed. “I get it. I wasn’t safe for a long time.”
“And I couldn’t get to you. It killed me to leave you there. I was so proud when you got yourself out.”
Nolan shrugged and shook his head. “I knew you were out there, offering me support. You were why I could, you know?”
“I’m glad you feel that way.” Race didn’t feel that way. He worried that he’d left Nolan where he was for too long, and he could have done more to save him from the big fake alpha asshole that he had been stuck with for ages.
Now there was Milo.
They had thought Milo had gone off to make his own way in the world. Had they known he was in trouble, Race would have put more energy into finding him years ago,, even though he did search.
“Hey, stop.” Nolan handed him a package of chocolate chip cookies. “Just breathe. We’re going to go get him, and he’s going to be great, and we need to just stop having guilt.”
Easier said than done, but he was going to try. Guilt was overrated. He was learning that from Connal if nothing else. He loved how his mate lived very much in the moment.
Did you need anything, love?
Of course Con had heard him. His mate was incredibly attuned to him.
Did he?
More than anything.
Please. My heart is filled with guilt and shame.
Connal filled it with peace.
I’m coming. Let Nolan pack food and you go upstairs to get your stuff. You can bring it back to my place once we get home.
Yeah? Forever?
Forever, mate. We need to make our den.
After vacay. He wanted that heated pool and maybe a fancy breakfast every day so they didn’t have to cook.
Totally. Mmm. Honey cakes.
Thinking with your stomach, baby. He loved that Con was all about his creature comforts.
I think with my dick sometimes too, at least about you.
That was when he heard Con at the door, coming in to walk right over to him and wrap an arm around him. “I’m gonna take your brother upstairs so we can pack his stuff, okay?”
Nols gave him a funny little look, but then he grinned and nodded. “Sure go for it. I’m just going to finish up provisioning us and put this stuff in the SUV.”
“We’ll be down in a few, no worries.” Connal swooped him upstairs, carrying him along.
He clung to his big bear, loving how solid he was. His throat ached a little with how good it was just to not be alone anymore.
“Never again. We’re a family. You have a home, a space. You do.”
Race nodded, nuzzling into his goofy lover’s neck.
“I need to pack some stuff.”
“All of it. We can run to my place and leave it and just take one bag on the bikes.”
“Fair enough, yes. I don’t have a lot here, you know?”
“I do. Do we need to go get the rest of your stuff, or do we need to shop for you instead?” Con hefted his bag.
“There’s nothing else. Everything I own is here. The stuff fits in my bags.”
“Well, then, we’ll have to make sure you have comfy clothes and pillows and all the stuff you need.”
“I have you.” That was what he needed.
“You do. All the way.” They trekked to Con’s cabin, where Con had a saddlebag set lying by the door.
Race emptied his extras, then went to grab his toothbrush and shit.
They headed out to the bikes with Con’s arm around him, and they all met again in Rye’s driveway, the big SUV ready to go.
“All right. We’re all in agreement, then.” Warrick stared them all down, one by one. “No one goes rogue, everyone works together as a team. Are we clear?”
Race nodded ever so seriously, but he would do what he had to in order to keep everyone safe. No more getting bears shot on his watch.
No more trouble.
And he would protect his family — old and new — with his life.
Connal didn’t like the feel of the warehouse.
He hadn’t liked it before, honestly, but this time it seemed abandoned. Still there was this air of neglect and despair about it. A feeling.
A miasma.
Oh, he loved that word.
It’s fucking weird in here, mate. Race’s nose was twitching. I don’t like it.
Yeah, me either. He included everyone on the next thought. What do you guys think? There’s a weird… smell.
Like dead things. Not freshly dead. Carrion.
Ryder frowned. Scavengers?
Yes. That was Nolan. That’s it exactly. Someone is waiting for us.
Are they coming from, up or down? There are a lot of birds that scavenge. Race kept glancing around, searching the area.
Con scanned the sky, nose up. He had a good sniffer, so he put it to use. No. No this is like a rodent. Maybe rats?
Rats. Race’s eyes went wide. They can be brutal, and they work together well.
How many rats does it take to subdue a bear? Con asked. He had to. It seemed ridiculous.
It only takes one to shoot a bear.
It only takes one to keep a bear sedated and unable to shift, Warrick pointed out.
Race shuddered, and Con got it. That sounded like hell on Earth, and Milo was Race’s brother. He had to be horrified.
Okay, so if it’s rats, then we have a problem, because shifted, they can be in the walls. He gagged at the thought.
Then where the fuck is Milo? Race’s eyes were flashing.
They have to have moved him. We need to get one rat either coming or going and get it to tell us where. Con was sick of this shit already.
Okay. Okay, well, rats live in walls and basements. Tear this bitch down.
There was a round of grunts of agreement. They were bears. They had two things going for them. Their sense of smell and their raw strength. They could take that place apart and catch them a rat.
The five of them set to work, Ryder and Nolan upstairs, Warrick and the two of them down. A quintet of bears could do some glorious damage in short order.
They ripped and shredded, and a piece of wall came down, which sent four rats scurrying.
Con’s nose told him which one was a shifter, and he pounced. Not too hard. Not as hard as he wanted to.
Warrick’s roar proved he found one too, and Race was right there next to him, teeth bared.
Nolan came to them, a scowl on his human face. “You’d better shift and talk to us, or I’ll let the big guy eat you.”
The rat chittered, and Race roared, pure fury in the sound.
“Dude, I’m serious. You have our brother. You are in deep shit.”
The rat looked back and forth desperately, then finally slumped, changing right there where he hung in Con’s paws. “I don’t have anyone.”
“Someone does, and I know it,” Race snarled. “Someone has our brother. He was here!”
Connal shook the rat, whose teeth clacked together. “He will hurt you.”
It wasn’t even a threat; it was a promise.
“Okay! Don’t let him eat me. We’re supposed to dart you, but none of us can shoot for shit. And you can see, it was every rat for themselves.”
“Yeah, we can see that. Now tell us where the other bear is.” Race smacked the guy across the face with an open hand, not hard enough to even hurt but enough to shock him.
It was kind of hot.
“Oh fuck, stop it. Okay I’ll tell you but you gotta promise to let me go.”
“No promises. If he’s not alive when we find him, I will let the guy holding you grind you into dust under one paw.” That was Nolan. Connal had to admit he was damn impressed, and he could hear Rye and Warrick’s mental laughter too, even though they were fucking pissed.
“Look as far as I know, they headed back toward Denver. This place is about fuck nowhere.”
Shit. Had they really gone out of their way to head toward the Western Slope when they should have stayed in town?
Now it was Nolan who smacked the guy across the face. “You’re lying. There’s no way they would go back to Denver. There’s a network of rescues there, and they know it.”
The guy’s gleaming yellowish eyes widened. “Jesus, would you stop smacking me around?”
“Do you want him to smack you?” Nolan jerked his chin at Con, so he rattled the guy around a little bit more, making his head bob back and forth.
Rye moved up to stand in their field of vision, holding the other rat in both paws, squeezing until it squeaked.
“Okay, okay, don’t. Don’t do that. Look, I’ll tell you what you need to know.
I’ll even give you coordinates. They’ve taken them to this old farmhouse.
It’s like one of their headquarter buildings.
It’s in Eagle County someplace.” It actually sounded like the guy was telling them the truth, the desperation in his voice clear.
“Good rat. We’re going to put you and your friend here both in a cage, and we’re going to take you with us. If you’re good, you’ve told us the truth, we’ll let you go.”
“I promise; just don’t hurt him, okay? I’ve told you the truth. I’ll tell you more if you need it, and I’ll help you as long as you don’t hurt him.”
“You’re breaking my heart here.” Race nodded at Nolan. “You and War go get the cage.”
Good idea, he told Race. Rye needed to hold on to the other rat, and besides, he didn’t want Rye getting distracted by talking to Nolan outside.
Nolan gave him a nod back, lips pressed together, chin firm, and turned on his heel to head out to the SUV.
“Let me get you something to put on.” Race told the rat shifter.
Con didn’t even want to know the guy’s name. It was better if he didn’t. He sure didn’t want to see the pale yellow, pasty skin that sagged anymore, either.
When Nolan came back with the cage they’d thought to pack at the back of the SUV just for shits and giggles, both rats would get stuffed in and then locked with padlocks. They needed to get the one guy to tell them what coordinates they were heading toward so they could lock them into the GPS.
“Keep in touch with us,” he told Nolan, “If they give you any trouble, squash them.”
“I’m sure I will do that with absolute pleasure.”
Your brother is weirdly hot when he’s irate.
Ew. Don’t make me pinch you, Con. I totally will.
Yeah? It might tickle. Con wrinkled his snout up at his mate, teasing.
I will show you tickle. Race bared his teeth, playing.
What else were they going to do while they waited on a cage, huh? He needed to get Race home.
Soon.
So they needed to find Milo. Now, now, now.
Yeah, I agree. Now is good. I want to go home.
So, let’s do this.
Nolan came back in with the cage, War trailing behind him protectively.
“Get in. You’ll be safe and comfortable. No one will harm you. Once we find Milo, you can go.” Nolan was more trusting than Race.
He wanted to tranq these guys, honestly, but then again, they might need them awake to ask questions.
Rye stuffed the one rat in, then waited for the other to shift down and go in willingly.
“I’m serious. We’re not the bad guys. We’re good. No jostling these two.” Nolan seemed so serious.
“They’ll be in your vehicle,” Con murmured.
“I was telling Rye, not you.”
“Oh. Gotcha.” Con beamed at Nolan. “I would squash them a little. Just for fun.”
“You think? Race would eat them. In parts.”
Race blinked innocently. “Moi? Nah, rats are not nice to eat.”
“True.” Con warmed to the subject. “They eat weird stuff.”
“Trash. Not nice garbage like us,” Warrick agreed.
“Right? And we forage for real food too. Okay. Let’s go. Race and I will take point as we’re fastest.” Con bared his teeth at his brothers.
He wanted to get this over with. He needed to get Race his brother back. It was the only answer.