Hunched low, Grud crept from one shaded spot to the next while listening for signs of pursuit, or any sounds at all for that matter.

But other than the occasional vehicle traveling up or down the road bordering the industrial park, there was nothing. It was as if the entire area was deserted.

Except, he knew it wasn’t true.

He was there, and so were the four immortals inside the facility he’d just escaped from—the woman, Dur, Shaveh, and Mordan.

There was also the driver of the car parked outside the building. Grud still hadn’t heard the car door opening, nor had he heard the engine turning on, which meant that the driver was just sitting there.

Doing what?

Grud’s best bet was that the guy was waiting for reinforcements, either human police or Guardians. There was always the possibility that the driver was talking on the phone or doing something else that had nothing to do with him or the other immortals inside the building. Except, Grud’s gut knew better.

Experience had taught him that ignoring its warning signs was a bad idea. Besides, it was always better to err on the side of caution.

His general direction was north, where he could see the hill with the residential neighborhood. Getting there on foot would take him no more than an hour of brisk walking, but getting his hands on an escape vehicle would be preferable.

The faster he got out of the area, the better.

An opportunity presented itself as soon as he rounded the corner of the next warehouse over.

The gardener’s truck pulling into a parking spot in front of the building’s manicured front lawn was an old, beat-up clunker, but it was there, and Grud didn’t get a bad vibe from its driver like he had from the other one.

Crouching even lower, Grud tightened his grip on the iron rod that had served as his escape tool and was now doing double duty as a weapon, and sprinted toward the truck. Opening the door, he yanked the driver out, and before the guy had a chance to open his mouth, brought the rod down on the back of his skull.

With no time to hide the unconscious human, Grud dragged him to a half-shaded spot under the low bushes bordering the grassy lawn. Quickly going through the guy’s pockets, he found a phone and a wallet. Regrettably, the thing held only a few dollars and no credit cards.

Not a big deal, anyway he had no intention of keeping any of it. As soon as he got to the residential neighborhood, he was going to dump the truck together with the phone and the wallet and get himself something better.

Casting one last look at the human lying crumpled under the bushes, Grud climbed inside the cabin, turned the ignition on, pulled the truck out of the driveway, and turned north toward the hill.

Except, a mile or so up the road he changed his mind and turned around.

If he left now without checking what was going on, he would always think that he’d missed an opportunity.

A quick drive by the facility should do.

If the car was still there, he would keep on driving and then come back later. But if it were gone, Grud could continue with his original plan, although he would probably need to make some adjustments.

He could get back inside the facility and listen from a safe distance to what Wonder and Dur were doing. As long as the woman had her Taser on, he couldn't get close enough to incapacitate her or kill Dur. But if he was lucky, the two had been done with the talking and had gotten busy fucking.

It was certainly worth a quick investigation, and the risk was low. Unless they’d already found out that he’d escaped. Then the risk was too high.

Fuck, the car was still there.

Grud kept on driving, made a U-turn at the nearest intersection, and headed north once again.

He hadn’t expected the sense of loss that had twisted his gut in a tight knot. Up until then, he’d hung on to a small hope that the woman could still be his. But it seemed like this opportunity was lost to him forever.

Or maybe not. Should he turn around and make another pass through?

Searching for other possible explanations for why the car was still there, he remembered seeing the for sale sign outside the facility. Maybe the guy was a realtor taking a look at the property?

If that was the case, he would be gone soon, and Grud could go back.

The twisting in his gut was getting worse the further away from the woman he got, and eventually Grud pulled to the side of the road and killed the engine.

He needed to think.

It was hard to decide how long to wait before going back. Too soon and the realtor, if that’s who he was, might still be there. Too long and Wonder would be done with Dur, return him to his cage, and discover that Grud was gone.

Fifteen long minutes was the most he managed to force himself to wait before turning the ignition on and once more turning around.

What he saw when he got there nearly made him shit his pants.

Five more cars were parked in front of the building, and Shaveh and Mordan were being led out in handcuffs.

Whether they were being taken away by the police or by Guardians, Grud would probably never know. He didn’t even slow down.

If those were Guardians, Wonder was lost to him forever, and his best bet was to get out of there as fast as he could.

But what if those males were human policemen?

He was pretty sure Wonder had been using the place illegally. The police would arrest her as well.

Shaveh and Mordan might be too nervous to thrall the humans, but they would be allowed to make a phone call, and they would call their commander. A rescue team would arrive at the police station and free them. If Wonder got arrested too, they would take her as well.

No one was stupid enough to leave an immortal female behind.

But if the Brotherhood took her, she would no doubt become the property of Lord Navuh. Simple soldiers didn’t get to fuck immortal or Dormant females.

Grud’s only hope was that she’d managed to escape. If she had, he could find her in the club she worked at. The name was printed on the T-shirts she always wore. And even if she quit that job, he could follow her trail.

The problem was that Shaveh and Mordan had seen those T-shirts too.

They would probably try to hide the humiliating fact that they’d been taken by a female, so there was a chance they wouldn’t tell anyone about her. But they might go after her themselves.

And then there was Dur.

If he were captured with them, the son of a bitch would sing like a canary, making up a story of how he’d allowed himself to get caught on purpose to investigate her. And if he escaped with Wonder, he would claim her for himself.

Still, Dur could be taken out.

First things first, though. Grud needed to get away and lay low until he could figure out his next step.