As soon as we finished packing, we headed toward the oversized garage that housed most of our vehicles and found Caleb waiting with Jamie. I was glad to see she hadn’t minded the spur of the moment decision to hit the road.
Caleb opened the door for Jamie while I raced around the SUV, sliding into the back seat from the other side. “Sorry,” I said as I leaned forward. “The back seat is full. I changed my mind. You can play DJ if you’d like.”
Caleb’s lower lip jutted out in an adorable pout. Then, he batted his eyes at Jamie as if she would help. This was her make-or-break moment in my book.
“Sorry, babe. Besties before testes.” Jamie shrugged, then tugged on the door, closing it in his face.
The look of bewilderment on Caleb’s face was one I’d never forget. His mouth flapped open and closed several more times before he realized there was no point in trying to charm his way into what he wanted.
I gave Jamie a high-five while Liam snickered from up front. “I did not see that coming. Well played, ladies. He deserves to be knocked down from his high horse every once in a while.”
“Ha!” I laughed. “You would know, wouldn’t you, dear?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he pouted.
Caleb had opened the door and, hearing the last of our conversation, decided to join in. “It means she believes you deserve the same thing, my big brother. Why did we decide to get mates?” he joked, then winked back at me and Jamie.
“You two wouldn’t survive without us,” I said, then remembered we were missing the most crucial reason for our trip. “Wait, we need to get the humans!”
“I saw your dad on my way over here. He asked us to drive over to the cabin they’re in and pick them up there, so they didn’t have to carry them all the way to the car,” Caleb answered.
“Oh, well, that makes sense,” I said, relaxing back against the seat. “Carry on then.” I waved my hand dismissively as I turned toward Jamie. I was going to enjoy messing with Caleb as he’d done to me and Liam.
We chatted for a few minutes before we arrived at the cabin. All four of us got out to help get the humans in the back. We lifted the back hatch, deciding to take the third row out and lay the three we were transporting next to each other instead of letting them flop around in the seat. Jamie helped me line the back with blankets and pillows my dad had brought out, while the others went inside to bring them out.
I heard a sharp intake of breath come from Jamie.
I quickly lifted my head and proceeded to slam it against the roof of the SUV. I rubbed the spot as I turned more carefully, needing to see whatever had Jamie so surprised.
Tricia hung lifelessly from Caleb’s arms and I understood Jamie’s shock. She had saved Tricia’s life and become even closer to her since Davis had brought them back to our pack several weeks ago.
I placed my hand over hers. “She’s just sleeping. I promise, she’s going to be okay.”
“Just sucks she won’t remember me. I get it, though. It would have been too dangerous, and she was okay with it. She didn’t want to remember her time with Declan.”
I nodded in understanding. From what we had heard, I couldn’t blame anyone for not wanting to remember that, but at the same time, I would hate to forget the dangers that were really out in this world. I preferred being well-informed.
Once we had Tricia, Chris, and Yvette situated in the back, we hit the road. We had a long drive ahead of us and not all the time in the world to get it done.
Liam and Caleb kept trying to involve themselves in our girl talk, so instead, I pulled my laptop from my bag, along with headphones to share with Jamie. We decided to binge-watch a new show on Netflix and ignore the guys for as long as possible.
We snuck in more conversation along the way. I realized we had a lot in common and wished she had been able to stay closer to my pack. For now, I’d enjoy the time we had and make sure Liam brought me with him to visit anytime he decided to see his family.
Way too many hours later, we passed through Grand Junction, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief. We were making great time, especially with the lighter traffic now that it was well after midnight. We were going to place each of them at a hospital, fire station, or police station, whichever had easier access, about thirty minutes from their hometowns. Tricia was first, then Chris, followed by Yvette, who was the furthest south in Trinidad, Colorado.
By the time we finished, it would be around five in the morning. We planned on getting a room to crash in for four or so hours and start the trip back home. We could have taken turns driving, but we were all mentally exhausted and getting off the road seemed like the best plan. I wasn’t looking forward to it, as I didn’t want to be in Colorado any longer than necessary. Until Declan was stopped, I didn’t like being so far from home and separated from my family.
Jamie had already fallen asleep, so I decided to take a nap, too. When I woke, Liam and Caleb were getting out of the SUV. I glanced out the window and noticed we were behind a fire station. There were no lights and it appeared as if the crew on shift was sleeping. Perfect for what we needed to do.
I shook Jamie awake so she could say goodbye to Tricia, even though it would be one-sided. Jamie made it quick, but her emotions still got the best of her as several tears leaked out. I squeezed her hand in support, wishing I could ease her pain.
Liam took one of the blankets from the back, wrapping it around Tricia before he and Caleb lifted her from the SUV and took her around the front. They were back within minutes and we took off quickly.
“We pounded on the door and heard someone yell before we took off,” Caleb said to Jamie. “Don’t worry. They’ll get her back home.”
Jamie nodded, but didn’t respond. We continued on in silence, moving along as fast as we could. The remaining stops were uneventful and went the same as Tricia’s, except one was at a hospital instead of a fire station.
I sent a text off to Augie, letting him know we were done, but I didn’t get a response. I texted him again a few minutes later, thinking they might not have been done yet. His group had at least an hour longer drive than us.
I began bouncing my leg up and down, contemplating whether I should call him. Jamie eyed me before asking what was wrong.
“Augie’s not responding and it’s making me nervous.”
Liam looked back at me. “How long ago did you message him the first time?”
“About ten minutes. I’m going to call him.”
I dialed his number and, just when I thought he wasn’t going to answer, I heard shouts and grunts. I immediately put the phone on speaker, letting the others listen. I didn’t speak. I had a feeling Augie had not meant to answer the phone. From the sounds we could make out, they were being attacked.
I pulled up my tracking app, thankful for smart phones, and found Augie’s location. I showed it to Liam. “I don’t care how long it takes to get there. Drive.”
The phone finally cut out and we lost contact with Augie for another thirty minutes. Thirty minutes of my life in which I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t function, and thought about nothing other than not being able to survive losing my best friend.
Finally, my phone rang and I answered before the first ring even finished. “Augie,” I said breathlessly.
“We were ambushed, but we’re okay.”
I let out a huge sigh of relief. “We’re headed your way. I used that damn tracking app Dad put on our phones when we were younger.”
“Don’t bother. We’re dropping off the last human and turning right around. Tommy is going to drive. We can meet somewhere in the middle. Let’s just get home and talk about it then.”
His tone was clipped and angry. I couldn’t blame him, but I wanted to hug him so badly.
“Are you sure?” I pushed, needing to make sure he was positive and hating that I wasn’t right there with him.
“Yeah, Tay. I’m sure. I’ll see you in a few hours outside Colorado when we get on the same highways.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you, too.”
The line disconnected and the car became utterly silent. Nobody said anything until Caleb urged Liam to pull over, so he could drive on the way back. When Liam pulled over, he asked Jamie to move up front, which she did without hesitation.
Liam pulled me into his arms when he settled into the back seat. I glanced up at him, tears in my eyes. “I’m really worried about him,” I whispered.
“I know you are, but he’s strong and capable. If he said he was fine, you have to trust him. Caleb will get us to him as quick as he can. Hopefully, keeping the road rage to a minimum. Just try to rest for a little while and I’ll wake you when we’re close.”
I nodded at him, having no intention of going to sleep until I had laid eyes on Augie myself and determined if he was okay. Well, that was until Liam began humming softly in my ear and rubbing my back. I was lulled into a fitful sleep.
For the most part, I slept fine. Then, my nightmare began. My worst fear through all the hell that Declan had been causing. Everyone I loved lay dead in a row on the ground in front of our pack house. Declan and Jaye stood behind each one, taunting me. My dad, Liam, Augie, Aiden, Caleb, Jamie, and more. They were all dead. Throats ripped out.
Liam woke me when I began to jerk around in the seat. “Taya, wake up! It’s okay. I’m right here.”
Finally, I was able to break free from the nightmare. I sucked in air as I tried to regain my thoughts and realized none of it was real. Declan hadn’t taken everything away from me.
“What happened?” he asked.
I looked up. Caleb was eyeing me from the rearview mirror and Jamie glanced back to check on me, too. “It was just a bad dream. A horrible one, but a dream nonetheless. I’ll be okay.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, I want to see Augie and get home.”
“I’ve been keeping in contact with Augie. We should be merging on to the same highway soon. Thirty minutes, tops,” Caleb said.
I sat up straighter in my seat, refusing to fall back to sleep. I didn’t want to chance the nightmare continuing. I shuddered at the thought.
Twenty minutes later, Caleb was getting off the highway and pulling into a rest stop. I noticed the other pack SUV before we stopped. I unbuckled and climbed over Liam’s lap. I didn’t even want to wait for him to get out. I needed to see Augie and I didn’t want to wait another second.
Augie stood waiting outside the SUV. His hands were tucked into his pockets. He’d changed clothes, but I could see a long red mark running down his face. I opened the door and jumped out before Caleb even had it in park.
Augie held his arms open for me and I fell into them as the tears rushed forward. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “I’m fine.”
I reined in my emotions as the others joined us. Pulling back from my hold on Augie, I still didn’t leave his side when he began to tell us what happened.
“We were dropping off the first human. Everything had been going great. As we were getting back in the truck, someone hit me from behind. After that, it all happened so fast. There were five of them, but they weren’t heavily trained, so the damage wasn’t great. It only got a little iffy when they first jumped us.”
I glanced over at Rick and Tommy. Rick didn’t appear to have any wounds that I could see. They’d likely already healed, but Tommy had a broken arm. He’d taken a shirt to make a sling. The grimace on his face told me he was in a decent amount of pain.
“Two died and three got away. Definitely shifters, but I didn’t recognize them. Hard to say where they were from. I wouldn’t be surprised if Declan had scouts out, watching for us,” Augie added.
“I’m just glad you’re okay,” I said. “That you’re all okay. Let’s get the hell out of here and back home.”
Everyone nodded and headed toward their vehicles. Augie tugged me back to him when I went to walk away. “Someone had to have told them exactly where we would be, Taya. We have a problem.” He had whispered so low that I was sure I hadn’t heard him right, but when I pulled back to see his face, I knew I had.
His expression was twisted in a mix of anger and sadness. Anger that someone had gotten the jump on him and sadness at the betrayal. I just couldn’t imagine who. Everyone had seemed happy as of late. This was the last thing we needed right then.
I nodded my understanding and headed back to the SUV. Liam held the door open for me as I climbed in. Once we were back on the highway, I typed out what Augie had told me on my phone. I hadn’t wanted to say it aloud. I felt awful not knowing if we could trust Jamie or not, but she came from Declan’s pack and lived under his roof. I couldn’t be too careful when my family’s life was on the line.
Liam and I continued to type messages in my notes on my phone back and forth. He promised not to say anything to his brothers for the time being, which I appreciated, because he did so without me having to ask him.
The drive home seemed even longer with the new information to think about, but I managed to get some dreamless sleep and was glad when we arrived back home that evening. Liam, Augie, and I headed straight for my dad’s office to give him the news of how everything went.
I was afraid the information just might break his heart.