Flint’s agony at leaving Kenzie soon morphed into something else, something cold and determined as Talon drove them to the entrance to Quinn’s estate and sounds started to filter through. The unmistakable noises of a battle. The racket grew louder the closer they drew to the main entrance and it was clear that this was indeed what Talon had warned them about.

Not just a skirmish with a few men but a full-on combat with many men involved on both sides. The only way to tell them apart was that Quinn’s men were well equipped and all dressed alike, whereas their opponents were not. They were dressed in ordinary clothing mostly, with only some dressed in the semblance of military attire, but not in the all-black clothing that Quinn’s were. It would be easy to tell who their enemy was, thank goodness. Victor had come dressed for the occasion, albeit not exactly the same, but near enough not to cause confusion. He had few weapons, then again, he didn’t require them, with his speed, power and unique abilities, Victor didn’t need anything else and would be an enormous asset to their side.

As they drew nearer he saw what looked like a command post set up further back from the fighting, Quinn and Ace giving out orders over radios and also to at least a dozen or so men who, in turn, spoke into their own radios. That’s where Talon pulled up the Range Rover and they sprang out, rushing over to get more information . . . in Flint’s case, the only Intel he wanted was where the hell Kragen and Stelian were.

“Glad you could join us,” Quinn greeted them, tipping his head to them and smiling at Victor.

“Wouldn’t have missed this little party,” Victor returned, leaping up onto the roof of a brand spanking new Hummer to get a better view of what was going on.

Talon murmured, “Can he see that far?”

Flint shrugged. “Of course he can.” Then he turned his attention to Quinn and Ace. “Where are they? Kragen and Stelian?”

Ace pointed way out to the left, shaking his head with a disgusted look. “Cowards are staying back out of the way. They’re not engaging, yet. That’s if they do at all. I suspect they’re waiting to see how this goes down. If their men look like they’re winning then they’ll enter the fray, so to speak, if not, well, I’ve a good guess they’ll run. But they did take great pleasure in taunting us earlier, saying how easy it was to find out where their property was, and how they were here to get her back. I can only assume they did what we would’ve done and hacked the city’s cameras and got a visual on your vehicle. After that it’s easy to find out who it belongs to, or track it.”

“That’s exactly what my men would’ve done,” Flint agreed.

“Where’s Jana?” Victor asked, his head spinning right and left. “I don’t see her, Quinn.”

“She’s not here,” Quinn replied, obviously uncomfortable. “The first wave attacked at the rear of the property, along the forest line and it was mostly wolves. She insisted she lead the defense. I’m afraid she can be quite . . . unrelenting. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, but she’s got a large contingent of men with her and we suspect that was just a diversion tactic anyway. It wasn’t long after that incursion, when they attacked here with a much larger force. I presume she’ll be here shortly.”

“Fuck, she’s too damn stubborn,” Flint ground out, his jaw clenching and his fists balled at his sides.

“Indeed she is, Flint, but we know that, and I doubt Quinn could’ve stopped her,” Victor added.

“I tried, but as you say, she’s a lady who knows her own mind and wouldn’t be moved once she’d made her decision.” Quinn lifted his hands as if to say, What could I do?

“Let’s just hope she’s in one piece,” Flint huffed out. “I don’t want to be the one to report back to Magno if she’s not . . . or the reason why.”

Quinn bristled, his back ramrod straight and his eyes flicking to him with a look that held a look of . . . what? He wasn’t quite sure but it wasn’t all warm and fuzzy, that was for damn sure. Flint shot him a smirk, cocking an eyebrow. “What? Do you want to make the call? Go ahead . . . be my guest, Quinn. I’ll let you do the honors if it comes to it.”

“It won’t.” Victor jumped down from his vantage point, landing lightly and without making a sound. “She’ll be back and in one piece, so stop being so dramatic, but if she does do something stupid like getting herself injured then I’ll make the damn call. But only as a last resort. I’m sure we can get her healed up before anyone needs to know. I understand that emotions are running high right now . . . but can everyone just calm down so we can focus on what’s important here? We have to deal with this threat and deal with it now. Shall we get on with business, gentlemen? I, for one, don’t intend to stand around here with my thumb up my ass. So, who can tell me where the fuckers are that my friend, Flint, here needs to destroy so we can go take care of that . . . I’m hoping if we lop off the head of the beast that the rest will fall too. What do you think? Are these men so loyal that they’ll continue to fight if Smithson’s taken out? Or will they turn tail and run?”

A vision filled Flint of the way the shifter had looked when his daggers had been sticking out of Stelian’s eyes and groin and he was certain there was no loyalty there. Absolutely none. “I can’t say for all of them, but the Wolf that was in the alley when we found Kenzie, he definitely isn’t loyal. Not to Stelian anyway. He looked like he enjoyed seeing him wounded from when I attacked, in fact, he was more focused on him than anything else with a look that gave away exactly what he thought of the fucker.”

Ace concurred, arms crossed, his face stern and harsh as he grunted, “Most of those out there are thugs for hire. They’re not on Kragen’s payroll, not on a regular basis anyway, they’re ones he uses when he has to. So, yeah, I’d agree that they don’t have any loyalty to him. They’re here for the big payoff he’s promised them if they win . . . and only that. If he’s not around to pay them, shit, that’s a whole different ball game. What do you think, Quinn? Do we send out a small group with the sole purpose of taking him out? It could mean a quick end to this bloodbath if we do.”

All attention turned to the master of the estate who looked out toward the battle that had invaded his land . . . the beautiful estate that was now marred by blood and gore, groans of wounded and roars of bloodlust filled fighters as they clashed together in mighty combat. The sights and sounds reminding Flint of some godawful scenes from a movie instead of the beauty he’d seen when he’d first arrived. Fuck. He’d caused this . . . the land before him mauled and destroyed by these marauders hell-bent on reaching him and Kenzie.

No! This was Kragen Smithson’s doing and it was him that would pay, and soon.

“Quinn?” Flint prodded, desperate for the man to make up his fucking mind. If he didn’t then he wasn’t waiting around for much longer. He would take matters into his own hands and go after Kragen regardless, even if it meant he did so alone.

“I agree. We take out Kragen, as well as Stelian, and hopefully the rest will scatter when they realize that he won’t be paying them a penny. I’ll go with you two as well as Ace and a few of his best men.” Quinn squinted his eyes, looking off to the side. “We can make our way around them and come up behind their position and take them by surprise. We’ll be outnumbered . . . Ace, how many are with him?”

Ace didn’t hesitate, barking out, “Around twenty, give or take.”

“Okay, there’s only going to be eight or so of us. We can’t risk more or they might spot us, so yeah, we’ll be outnumbered.”

“That won’t cause a problem,” Victor said coldly. “I’ll take up the slack and Flint will be going straight for Kragen and Stelian, remember they’re off limits so pass that along to everyone.”

Ace’s broad chest puffed out even more at Victor’s words, flexing his wide shoulders he countered, “Take up the slack? What exactly does that mean?”

Flint shook his head, sighing, “He’s as old as Methuselah, fuck, probably older. You’ve no idea what he’s capable of, Victor is worth a dozen of your men, so yeah, he’ll pick up the slack. Now, can we stop yacking like old women and get the fucking job done? Or am I flying solo?”

His words hit home, Ace’s jaw tightening while Quinn spat out orders to several men who stood nearby. One was huge, built like the side of a barn, and it was him that Quinn passed the reins. “You’re in charge until I return. Make sure everything is taken care of and whatever you do . . . you ensure that the line holds. Nothing and nobody breaks through. Understood? I’ve given my word that girl would be safe here and, damn it, that’s what she’ll be. All our reputations are at stake here, all of them. Do I make myself clear?”

The bear of a man hefted himself higher, his chest puffing out and his eyes glinting with . . . pride? Yes, definitely pride, Flint thought, as his gruff voice rumbled, “Naebody will make it anywhere near her. I’ll rip them apart myself, Sir.”

“That’s what I thought.” Quinn reached up, patting the man’s shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

He turned, facing them with a determined air and tipped his head to the men that now stood gathered behind Ace who addressed them. “I know the area better than anyone so I’ll take point. I’m aware that you’re faster than me but the aim is to get there without them being aware of us until the last second so we have the advantage. Stay close and I’ll make that happen . . . okay?”

Flint’s nerves were frayed, the urge to reach the enemy rushing through him like lava burning in his blood. He felt like as if his insides were boiling with rage, but he did his best to tamp it down, knowing that Ace spoke the truth. Victor’s hand landed on his shoulder, a welcome and steadying comfort with the turmoil rampaging through him. Glancing quickly at his friend, he knew that Victor was well aware of how he was feeling, he could see it in his eyes as Victor gave him a brief nod before they both answered Ace.

“That’s fine, Ace,” Victor said with his usual aplomb.

While Flint could only manage a curt, “Fine, just get us there as quickly as possible.”

“We’ll get there as fast as we can, as overtly as we can,” Ace returned. “Let’s go.”

And finally, they set off, Ace leading the way with Flint right on his tail, death and destruction in his mind.