Chapter Thirty-One
Chloe
The town was unusually quiet as we approached. Though there were a few hundred residents, there were no cars on the streets and no lights on inside the homes. It was as if the town was sleeping.
Or dead.
I shook off the unsettling thoughts. No one was dead yet. We’d been watching via Carter’s laptop. They were waiting for us, but I doubted they realized exactly what they were up against. If they had, it wouldn’t just be Darrell, his two remaining deputies, and the Kirkpatricks.
Though we outnumbered them, they were all armed with guns and knives. It sickened me that they were too cowardly to face us with fangs and fists, as was custom in shifter communities. They knew they weren’t strong enough to win without them and counted on firepower to replace strength, speed, and skill.
I couldn’t see the others or even smell them, but I knew they were there. Finn’s spell worked better than any of us had thought it would.
We crept through the streets, moving silently. Finn explained that the spell would be impossible to hold once we attacked as all his focus would need to be on fighting, but it gave us the advantage of surprise.
As we approached the police department, I could hear the shifters talking amongst themselves. The prisoners were scared but trying to keep their children calm. Darrell and the rest were discussing what our possible strategy might be and how to defend against it.
When we reached the rear of the building, I took the key Carter had given me out of my pocket. Finn was up front, holding the spell. He would have to release it when he set off the distraction he had planned. I doubted they would go outside to investigate, but it would at least serve as a chance for us to sneak in the back without gaining their attention.
Carter had checked the roof and the hatch he used the night before was chained shut. He’d merely shaken his head and gone to a house a few streets over. He’d returned with a “borrowed” set of bolt cutters and climbed back up, Nicholas on his heels. Carter insisted that Darrell would go straight for the hostages if he thought he wouldn’t be able to escape, and he wouldn’t let his father kill any more innocent wolves.
I took a deep breath and waited for the signal. Finn assured us all earlier that he had something special planned. As we stood still, waiting, Lachlan was tense beside me, his body vibrating with ferocity. Even as we faced danger and possibly death, he was more alive than he had been for two years. Whether he wanted it or not, the events in this town had brought him completely back into the land of the living.
Silently, I fit the key into the lock, not turning it, but ready. A loud explosion rocked the building, coming from the parking lot to the side. I twisted the key and cracked the door to peek through. There was no one in the back room.
Lachlan shoved the door open, rushing in before me with Finn right on his heels. I could hear shouting from the front of the building and the screams and sobs of the families in the holding cells.
I followed Lach and Finn down the hall, moving quickly. We didn’t want to get caught here when they realized we were coming. It would be too easy to shoot down the hall and take us all out.
Lach crouched at the mouth of the hall, his eyes toward the front. Finn moved to the other side of the doorway and peered through as well. When Lach motioned us forward, we stayed low and crept through the file room.
I nearly laughed when I looked out and saw all the wolves standing near the front windows. They’d made themselves perfect targets.
Except for Darrell.
He edged back, toward the room where we waited. He might not be strong enough to take be a true alpha, but he was cunning. Darrell knew that the fireball that had enveloped his car was just a distraction.
We stayed out of sight as he backed up a few more steps before turning and heading straight for the file room where we waited. As soon as he stepped through the door, Finn was on him.
I watched in surprise as the vampire’s eyes glowed a brilliant purple. Darrell slumped in his grasp, unconscious. Without a word, Finn dragged him to the door at the rear of the room. When he opened it, I saw cleaning supplies. After he stuffed Darrel inside, Finn shut the door and waved his hand over the knob. I knew without asking that he’d locked the door to anyone but himself.
Lach shifted beside me and I looked out toward the front room again. My mouth dropped open when I realized that Darrell’s two remaining officers were exiting the front door, their guns drawn. Brian and Brayden Kirkpatrick clutched their own weapons, two shotguns.
I wondered if it truly was going to be that easy, shaking my head at their stupidity.
As soon as the thought crossed my mind, all hell broke loose. I heard the gunfire exploding outside as Calder, Mason, my grandmother, and her men, Paul and Greg attacked. Brian Kirkpatrick turned, heading straight for us.
Unfortunately, Lach didn’t move out of sight quickly enough and Brian raised his shotgun and fired. The pellets hit Lach, blood spreading on his shoulder and chest. Then Brian turned, fired a shot out a side window, and dove through.
I glanced up front, but Brayden’s attention was riveted to the window his father disappeared through. I leapt to Lachlan’s side, ripping his shirt open to examine his injuries. My pounding heart slowed a little when I realized he’d only been hit by a few pellets.
“Thank God,” I whispered under my breath.
I looked back to see Finn brushing pellets off his shirt as well. A few had entered his skin, leaving dots of blood behind, but it appeared as if the rest had been halted by an invisible shield around his torso.
“He okay?” Finn mouthed.
I nodded.
The sound of crunching glass brought my attention to the front of the department again, just in time to see Brayden Kirkpatrick disappear out of the same window his father had used.
“Like hell,” I murmured.
The sound of gunshots outside stopped abruptly and I knew that Darrell’s two officers were down. Without hesitation, I jumped to my feet and sprinted after the Kirkpatricks.
I heard Lachlan call my name but ignored it. I would not let either of the Kirkpatricks get away with what they had done. Not only had Brayden tried to force me to mate him, but, for reasons I still didn’t understand, they’d arranged for the death of my parents. I wanted to know why. Then I fully intended to kill them both.
I paused at the edge of the parking lot, inhaling deeply. Brayden’s scent was the strongest so I followed his trail. Wherever he went, his father would only be a few steps ahead.
As I followed the scent, I cursed the fact that it was broad daylight outside and we were in town. I felt exposed as I darted down the street, my eyes moving from side to side.
The trail disappeared into a copse of trees on the edge of the city limits. I glanced back for a moment but didn’t see anyone behind me. I hesitated. I knew I should wait for the others. It was the smart thing to do.
Then I remembered the horrible pain of Brayden’s bite, the way he’d touched my body as if he had every right, and I knew I wouldn’t wait. I couldn’t.
Sniffing the air one last time, I followed the trail Brayden left behind.