I hear more growls and then a loud thunk against the side of our car causing us to wobble side to side. Jeeves says some choice words under his breath, but keeps the SUV up to speed while making a few corrections to keep us from flipping. He could probably be a stunt driver if he wanted to.
“OH SH*T!” I screech as a bloody head collides with the window across from me. Then the glass of the back hatch explodes. I duck to avoid the shards and another thump against the car sends us spinning. This time all of us yell, but Jeeves works his magic through the spinout.
“Kennedy! Don’t move from this spot do you understand? No matter what. You wait for one of us to get you out, got it?” Danny yells at me, his eyes wild over the back seat.
“Yeah, I got it.” I shake some of the glass off of me as they both jump out of the SUV. I stayed huddled up next to the door for what seemed like hours, but was probably minutes. Listening to the snapping and growling of teeth. The sounds of fur being ripped and whines from wolves who are injured. I can’t tell who is who and not knowing is driving me nuts, but I can’t look either. The fact that no one has checked the car now that it’s stopped is a good sign that they don’t know I’m here, which is keeping me alive.
Then a vibrating growl rips through the air shaking the SUV and my body down to my bones. Ryker. I hear a few more sounds after that and then nothing. I feel like I have gone deaf, until I hear the screech of the door as it’s yanked off the SUV and I tumble out into arms.
I yelp and hear “She’s okay.” Bennet. Bennet found me. I’m safe.
I start to curl in towards him, the adrenaline making me shake, but another growl has him setting me on my feet instead. I wobble a little, blinking, but then I feel tingles on my arms and look up into blazing green eyes.
“You’re bleeding.” His voice is gruff and irritated.
“I’m not hurt. I got hit with the glass from the window. I can clean it up quickly.” He just nods and moves his attention from me.
“Get her a first aid kit. Grant, check the vehicles, make sure they are operational and nothing was planted. Josh, Danny take a team and sweep, we are exposed out here. Bennet, stay with Kennedy and make sure she get cleaned up. We need to get out of here fast if they are still tracking her.”
“Why would they track me?”
“There are several reasons I can think of and probably more that I don’t know. This is why it was a bad idea to give you your stuff without checking it first.” He’s not looking at me, but at least I know he is on alert and not just avoiding me.
“How would they track my books?” I tried and failed to keep the annoyance out of my voice. “If they were tracking ‘me’ would they have attacked the vehicle with my phone and computer in it?”
Ryker shoots me a look, but doesn’t argue. Yeah, that’s right buddy, I’m not as dumb as you think I am.
“We didn’t do a thorough sweep of your bag, there could be a tracker anywhere in it.”
“Then why didn’t they keep attacking the SUV? If they were after me, not coming after me when we stopped was a mistake, don’t you think?” He’s vibrating with anger now. He doesn’t like being questioned, but I’m?not one of his pack members, nor am I a subordinate, He can’t stop me. I’m not trying to make him angry, though. I’m trying to understand where his mind is and what the motive of our attackers was.
I have a huge desire to reach out and touch his arm, to try and calm him down. I move on instinct, I have nothing else to work with right now. My fingertips brush the hairs on his arms and I can feel the tingles start, but he pulls away before I can make full contact and my heart sinks. I feel even lower than when I watch Jeremiah induct Rayna into Silver Crescent.
Bennet must have caught my mood change because he’s right beside me, arm around my shoulders, holding me up. I am drained all of a sudden. I don’t really pay attention to what happens next. I am bundled into an SUV with four warriors, two in the front seats and two sandwiching me in the back. Someone gave me a blanket and I finally fall asleep.
Ryker
The rest of the drive is uneventful, thank the Goddess. I head straight for my office with Josh, letting Greta and Bennet get Kennedy settled back in her room. Another thing my wolf protested. He wants her with us, wants to help her heal from her scrapes. But she said she was fine, so I’m not worried about it. If she was really hurt and needed us, she would have said something when I asked.
Edward’s pack seems to be settling into their new routine and other small pack problems are working themselves out. Rory, Nathan and Don are on board with the school, training facility and hospital outpost and are prepared to work around Claude. At least a few things are going my way.
We take turns using the shower in my office, discussing the attack and what it could have meant. I didn’t tell Kennedy, but she wasn’t wrong. If they were after her specifically they would have tried to take her from the vehicle when it stopped. But, they attacked all four vehicles equally. But if she wasn’t the target, who or what was? It wasn’t me. Like Kennedy they would have put a full force on my vehicle if it was me. Josh had Grant take the vehicles in for a full inspection, maybe the attack was a diversion for something? else.
Robin had the kitchen omegas bring us food and said she would check on Kennedy as soon as she was awake. We are settling in to go over the latest plans from Linda that need approval. This project will be massive and bring in a ton of work and revenue for my pack if we can get it to go through.
“Alpha. The Luna wants to go on a run and just a heads up she is pissed I am even asking.” Bennet laughs.
“What is she even doing up? She should be exhausted after today. She needs to rest.”
“Your idea of ‘rest’ and hers are widely different.”
“Fine, Take her on a short route around the central town. That should be plenty.”
“Uh.” cough. Why the f*ck is he stuttering? “She wants to run the border.” he is barely audible.
My anger flares immediately. “ABSOLUTELY F*CKING NOT! Is she insane? Especially after today!”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.