Paige almost breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that their plan had hit a huge snag. The pile-up that had kept the parkway so empty was still blocking the only road out of Sylvan City and onto the Mainland. The man on Paige’s left groaned. “I need a doctor, damn you.” His hand clasped over his side, he turned inward and glared at the others in turn. “I’m going to bleed out if we don’t get off this rock!”

“Quit your whining, Dodge.”

Dodge. Paige tried to hold still. She didn’t want them to realize that they’d made a mistake.

Clasping his other hand over the wound in his side, he held out his bloody hand, almost under Paige’s nose.

She readied herself for the roll of her stomach, the tumble of her nerves. Since the night her mother died, blood had made her weak and shook her to the core, but there, with a bloody hand right before her face she felt something she’d never felt before.

Hunger.

She wanted to sink her teeth into his flesh and tear. She wanted to hurt him. Kill him.

The realization made her go cold. Where had that horrible feeling come from? As the two men on either side of her argued, she sat back and placed her hand over her belly. The instinctual movement froze her again, hoping that they wouldn’t take notice.

And they didn’t, arguing back and forth until the driver put an end to it. Stomping on the gas, he swung the wheel and turned them back onto the opposite direction of the parkway, barely turning any heads as they drove off in the midst of angry honks and shouted epithets at the stall of traffic. They drove until they had to turn inland and avoid the crash site where they’d grabbed her.

Something twisted inside of her as the smell from the burning SUV pulled into her nose, but it wasn’t fear. No, she felt her baby move and the sensation stole her breath and her fear. She had been focused on surviving before, but now it was a need. A bone deep desperation to save not just her own life, but that of her baby… her cub.

“Shit.”

Black Tie beside her glared at the driver. “What now?”

“We’re low on gas.”

Even the injured man beside her was pissed, slamming his fist against the back of the driver’s seat. “What the hell?”

“I had to steal a car, we couldn’t drive the other one.”

“So, you stole a car without gas?”

“You can’t see how full the gas tank is when you ‘jack it, asshole.” He scoffed. “At least I didn’t leave them alive.”

From what Paige could gather one of the security guards had lived long enough to take a couple of shots at their killers, hitting ‘Dodge.’

“Great,” Dodge swore under his breath, “there’s a gas station on the right, a couple blocks ahead.”

Black Tie breathed a sigh of relief, sagging back against the seat. “Then let’s get some fucking gas.”

Paige stilled herself, flattening her hands on the tops of her thighs, looking for any way out of this situation.

The car pulled into the gas station and the old-fashioned ding-ding of the pressure activated alert brought someone out of the body shop, wiping his hands on a towel. Paige bit her lip and waited for a chance to catch his eye. When the boy looked up toward the driver’s window she caught sight of his face and she let out a soft whimper.

Bolt, one of Boone Wayland’s boys, was working at the gas station. She didn’t want to involve him in this. She couldn’t stand to be responsible for another person’s death. He walked up to the door and smiled at the driver. “What kind of gas would you like?”

He leaned on the doorframe. “Buzz off, kid.”

“Sorry, sir.” Bolt pointed to the sign above the pumps. “We’re full service.”

Black Tie swore under his breath and glared at Blue Tie through the window. “Just let the little shit do his job so we can get going.”

Paige prayed that Bolt would just pump their gas and let them go. She wanted to be free, but she just couldn’t imagine what would happen if the young bear tried to stop two armed men. When he walked along the side of the car she turned her face away from the window. If he recognized her, if he showed any kind of reaction to seeing her, she had a feeling the men would shoot him on sight. They’d done worse to trained security men.

She saw Bolt lift his eyes, but he didn’t seem to realize that anything was wrong. It made her hope that things were going to be okay. That the young man wouldn’t be dragged into her troubles. He opened the cover to the gas tank, started the machine pumping the gas. He took the cash that the driver held out the window and thanked him when the man said to keep the change.

What was likely only a minute or two later, the lid on the gas tank slapped shut and the car pulled away from the pump.

* * *

Bolt was on the phone before the car was even on the road. Boone picked up a moment after the phone started ringing.

“I saw Paige.” He gave a quick description of the car, the plate, the men he saw, the blood that he smelled and then he shut up.

“I’ll relay the information to Devlin and you-”

“I’m already following them. Track my phone and call when you’re closer.” Bolt stopped at the corner and watched the car speed through a yellow light. He couldn’t run full out, the speed would attract attention from the men if they were paying any attention at all. He wasn’t sure they would look for him, but there’s no way he would take that chance with Paige.

* * *

Cage answered his phone a moment after it started to ring. “Gamble.”

“It’s Devlin. Someone took Paige.”

“Fuck!” Cage’s jaguar broke fangs through his gums. “Who would dare?”

“Men who tried to recruit me for government work.”

Cage growled his answer. “I know what that’s like.”

Devlin filled him in on what they knew. “They want me to get on my boat and head out onto the lake, but one of Boone’s boys said she’s still on island.”

Cage could hear the stress in Devlin’s voice. “Where do you want us?”

“Us?”

Cage faced his back to the wall and looked toward the men who had been sparring in the ring. All of them were shifters, all with hearing sharp enough to have heard the conversation.

Each of the men met his eyes and nodded in turn. “I’ve got three here and more at the gym. Combat or diversion, you’ve got us. Whatever it takes to get your woman back.”

“Thanks, Cage.”

“No need for thanks, we’re not going to be hunted. Not by these fucks.”

“When I get more information, I’ll be in touch.”

“I’ll gather the troops.”

* * *

They were sitting in an alley behind a strip bar, sandwiched between the roll-away dumpster and a pile of cardboard boxes soggy and disintegrating from the rain the night before.

The driver had turned around while he was on the phone, leaving only his back visible from the street. He was on the phone, swearing nearly every other word.

At one point his gaze flickered up and into Paige’s. “Yeah, we can keep her quiet as long as it takes.” He listened to more from the caller and a slow grin spread like frost across his lips, cracking the dry ruddy skin. “Sure, if it comes to that, we’ve got a place to leave the body.”

Dodge spoke up, shaking Paige free of her dread for the moment. “Ask him about me, I’m gonna bleed to death if I don’t get off this rock.”

The driver lifted his firearm and pulled the hammer back with the barrel level with Dodge’s forehead. “I can make that a moot point real quick. So shut up.”

He listened again and this time he only made eye contact with Black Tie. Paige felt the baby move within her body, a gentle reassuring brush of movement as if the baby was trying to tell Paige she wasn’t alone.

The driver lifted his gaze to the back door of the strip club and Black Tie gave him a little nod.

Sitting forward, he reached for the handle of the sliding door on the minivan. “I’m going inside, see if I can slip the bartender some cash for a few minutes in the office and whatever passes for a first aid kit in there.” He slid down to the ground and gave Dodge a glare. “Let’s go.”

Dodge flipped him off with a bloody finger. “I’ll wait here and-”

The driver waved the gun as he gnashed his teeth. “I’m tired of your lip.”

Dodge pulled open the door with his free hand and slid down. From the sound of it, he’d landed in a puddle.

The van door slammed as he followed the other man inside.

Paige tried to be as invisible as possible, hunching her shoulders and staring at her knees.

“You just had to live on a fucking island.”

Breathe, Paige.

“What’s it like?”

She swallowed. The sound of his voice raked at her nerves. Even with her eyes cast down she could still see the cold stare he’d fixed on her. “I’m not sure what-”

“Fucking an animal. Is that what you like?”

Fear blossomed deeper in her chest, but again she felt her baby’s movement like a gentle caress. “It’s none of your business.”

Cold metal touched her leg and she saw the barrel of his gun on her thigh, bunching up the hem of her skirt, baring her knee. “I admit, it’s got me curious.” He traced the end of the gun along her skin, putting pressure on the inside of her knee as if he wanted her to spread her legs. “Just how hard up you are… what you’d let me do if I pushed you down on that seat.”

Paige felt the sweat beading on her brow. She felt the tremble of her muscles just under her skin. And she felt the fear in her chest turn to fury, and her worry turn to rage. “Stay away from me!”

The side door of the van slid open with a loud rusty groan. Black Tie got in and when he flopped down on the seat, he bumped Paige and changed the dynamic in the van.

The driver’s jaw unclenched slowly as he lowered the gun to the console beside him. “You took care of Dodge?”

Black Tie gave him a cold look. “You have to ask?”

“Did you hide him?”

“He’s propped up on a toilet, door locked,” Black Tie brushed the front of his suit. “I’m going to need a change of clothes. I don’t even want to know what’s on that floor.”

Paige wanted to laugh at the absurdity of his words. He’d just killed one of his… people… and now he was worried about his clothes?

The phone rang again, and the driver picked up, his upper lip curling in something akin to disgust or anticipation, she was unable to distinguish the difference.

“What?” He listened for a moment. “Okay so the second team is handling the pick up on the lake. Where do you want us to take the girl?”

Girl. It shouldn’t have bothered her so much, but she was a pregnant married woman. ‘Girl?’ It seemed like the baby agreed and Paige felt a little pinch in her side.

“Really? Well, Boss, it’s a ballsy move. But at this point we don’t have a lot of options.” Snapping the phone down on the console between the driver’s seat and the passenger seat he tossed a look over his shoulder. “We’re taking her to meet with the boss and he’s arranging for transportation from there.”

The van pulled out of the alley and Black Tie slung an arm over the back of the seat, his fingers tapping Paige on the shoulder. “We’re just going to park this baby at the corner?”

“Shut up, Foley.” He hissed out his breath. “You’re taking her inside, I’m ditching the car.”

“And then-”

“And then,” he cut off his ‘friend,’ “we get the hell off this rock.”

The driver stomped on the break and Paige was forced to throw her hands out to brace on the back of his chair. When she pushed herself back against the seat, she caught sight of a couple of teenagers on skateboards in front of the van.

Cobb and Pino – two more of Boone Wayland’s foster bears. They shrugged an apology at the driver and skated off with the driver’s one-fingered salute at their backs.

“The boys.”

Beside her, ‘Foley’ turned a suspicious look at her. “What did you say?”

“The boys,” she swallowed, “they could have been hurt.”

Tipping his head back, Foley laughed out loud. “I bet you like puppies and kitty cats too.”

Pursing her lips together, Paige answered him in her head. ‘I like cats with big, sharp, claws.’

* * *

Information relayed like wildfire back and forth through Sylvan City.

As soon as Cobb messaged, tagging Devlin, Boone, Cage, and a few others, pieces started to move around the board.

Officer Gary Chin was working with them at Headquarters with the Chief of Police at his side, and Mayor Lundin slumped in a chair.

Reports were coming in, tracking the van through the town. They were taking a convoluted route, but they seemed to be narrowing their path.

“This is taking forever,” the Mayor mumbled into his hands as his leg shook almost violently, “who could do this?”

Gary spared the mayor a glance over his shoulder. “Sir, perhaps you can take a look at the screen. See if there’s something familiar. Some kind of clue.”

The Mayor’s hands dropped away from his face as he looked at the clock high on the wall. “Is Devlin on his boat? They were very clear about their demands.”

The Chief pulled a chair up beside the Mayor and grabbed his shoulder. “It’s taken care of, Patrick. Let us do our jobs.”

The Mayor’s stricken look turned the mood in the room bleak. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry, help us.” The Chief gestured at the screen. “Someone took your girl-”

“Agents took her.”

The Chief nodded, his voice even. “But someone had to tell them where she’d be.”

Mayor Lundin straightened up in his chair and pulled out his phone. “What time did the accident happen?”

Gary called up the reporting system and rattled off the time.

It took just a few moments to find the entry. “Her doctor. They were doing an ultrasound.”

Nodding, the officer turned back to the screen.

The Chief stepped back into the conversation. “Who knew?”

“Who knew her schedule?” He scoffed. “Me, Paige, Devlin, the security, but you can’t think they would-”

“Anyone else?”

“No, there wouldn’t be anyone else. Paige’s doctor visits aren’t anyone else’s concern…”

“Patrick?” The Chief moved closer, his face full of concern. “What’s wrong? You look sick.”

“That’s just it. Kessler. Doctor Kessler. He’s been asking about Paige. The pregnancy. He knows where she was.”

The Chief turned to the screen. “Chin?”

“Already up on the screen. Located in the center of the van’s tightening route is Doctor Kessler’s office.”

The Mayor was already scrolling through his contacts when the Chief grabbed his phone away. “You can’t call him, Patrick.”

“I can talk to him. I can make him see reason.”

The Chief tucked the phone into his pocket as Gary finished the message on his phone and sent it out.

A moment later the phone chimed, and Gary read the incoming message. “Devlin’s got a plan.”

The Chief nodded. “He’s going to get Paige back, Patrick. Just you wait and see. He’s going to save her.”

“How can you be so sure?”

Crouching down beside the Mayor, the Chief gave him a hard look. “Because he has to.”