Chapter 7
Several hours after leaving wolf territory, Talen had to admit that having the boys in the backseat of the borrowed Escalade eased his mind a little bit. He’d had time to train them since the war had ended, and they both fought well.
Cara relaxed in the passenger seat once again, humming softly to herself. She liked having the boys there as much as he did.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked, taking note of her sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks.
“Much.” She rubbed both hands down her dark jeans, her fingers digging into her knees. “Just fine.”
Logan leaned forward. “A demon mind attack can leave impressions for a couple of days. You’re probably still feeling the aftereffects.”
She nodded. “I think so, too. My head still aches a little bit.”
Talen frowned and leaned over to brush his fingers against her forehead. A slight pounding, a bit of a pain, echoed in his own brain. He drew out her pain, all of it, and allowed his head to hurt for a second before banishing the ache into nowhere.
She smiled. “Much better.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?” he asked. One of the greatest pleasures of his life was taking away any pain she had.
She shrugged. “It just started to hurt a little while ago. Not enough to really worry about.”
That was his woman—tough and stubborn. Yeah, she was right about exploring the world a bit, and he could understand her desire to do so since she’d been cooped up for so long during the war. She hadn’t even had a chance to take immortality out and play with it yet. Although, she could lose her head and her life, so she still needed to be careful.
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “You’re thinking awfully hard.”
“I was thinking of a trip to Africa. That maybe you’d like to visit there.” He could show her the world and cover her back at the same time.
Her smile lit up her entire face. “I’ve never been there and would love to go.”
“Sounds good to me,” Garrett chimed in from the backseat.
“Me too,” Logan agreed.
Talen cut them a look. “You two are heading back to work with the Enforcers until that stupid Apollo drug is taken off the streets. Then we’ll talk about you guys doing some traveling.” He wouldn’t mind having them protect Cara at all times. But first, they needed to see their mission through.
They took the interstate and made several changes until arriving at an innocuous building in downtown Bellevue. Talen parked outside in a no parking area.
“Take the cooler inside to Dr. Brown, get a receipt, and come back out,” Talen said to the boys.
They nodded, and Garrett carried the cooler out of the car and swept the vacant sidewalk with his gaze before he and Logan strode through the glass front door, acting like any other messenger service.
“They look so grown-up,” Cara said, watching them disappear into the three-story brick building.
“I know.” Talen reached out and covered her hand with his. “I called the Enforcers earlier and asked if they could have a few days off, and Kellach said it was fine.”
Cara leaned forward, and her eyes sparkled. “They can come to Hawaii?”
“Yes, but they’re staying in their own room.”
“Totally agree.”
They sat there in comfortable silence for a few moments. The misty day hung around them with the promise of rain.
Cara played with a loose string on her jeans. “I feel like we’re not getting along.”
His hand covered hers. “We’re getting along, but for some reason, you’re pushing me and hard. I don’t understand why.”
She turned, and a smile tickled her mouth. “I’m tired of you treating me like I’m still ill. Like I’m fragile.”
He studied her, those dark eyes knowing, obviously thinking through his response. “You are fragile, but I know you’re not ill.” Sighing, he tugged her closer to him and immediately surrounded her with the scent of male and pine. “You’re also unsettled, and you’re looking for something, and I can’t figure out what it is. It’s frustrating.”
She blinked. Was she looking for something? Her life had been on hold for so long, perhaps she need to think things through. But no matter what, she was strong enough to be Talen Kayrs’s mate, and he needed to realize that fact. “I have a thought to shake things up,” she mused.
He barked out a laugh. “That’s all I need.”
Perhaps that was exactly what he needed. Cara opened her mouth to say so, when a loud boom erupted from the building.
She gasped and scooted over to look out the window.
“Hell.” Talen tapped an ear communicator. “Garrett? Logan? Status now.”
Smoke billowed out from a second-floor window. “There’s fire.” She moved to open the door, and Talen stopped her with a hand on her arm. Her head swiveled. “Let go. The boys are in there.”
“I know.” Talen flipped open the glove box and drew out two green guns, handing her one. “Stay in the car.” Indecision darkened his features.
Heat flared through Cara. “Go help the boys. I’ll start the engine in case we need to run.”
Another explosion rocked the day.
Talen looked at the silent doorway, a muscle ticking in his jaw.
Cara smacked him with the gun. “Go get the boys.”
“Can’t leave you.” His teeth clenched together, and his entire body vibrated. “The boys can fight.”
“If you’re not going, I am.” She reached for the latch on the door.
“No.” He pulled her away.
Glass shattered, and Cara twisted to see Garrett fly through the air on top of another man. They landed on the sidewalk with a loud thump, and cement flew in every direction.
“Garrett!” she yelled, kicking free of Talen and shoving the door open.
Talen was right behind her, gun out, gaze surveying the broken window on the second floor. “Is he okay?”
“No.” Garrett groaned and rolled off the unconscious man. A cut bled above his right eye, and bruises already darkened his chin. “The demons were waiting for the samples.” He stood and shook his head, spraying blood, and turned for the front door.
“Wait.” Cara grabbed for his arm. “What are you doing?”
“Logan is in there,” Garrett said grimly. “Hey. Can I have that gun?”
Cara handed over the weapon, her mind spinning. “Talen? Go with him.”
The pattering of gunfire filled the day.
Suddenly, Logan leaped through the glass doors, scattering shards, the green cooler in his hand. Talen swept Cara up and around, shielding her from the glistening sharp projectiles.
“Go, go, go,” Logan yelled, dodging into the back of the SUV.
Two men in all black, both bleeding profusely, ran out the door, already firing at the vehicle.
Talen tossed Cara into the passenger side and ran around to the front, firing his gun the entire time. The two men jumped to opposite sides, out of the barrage of bullets.
“Seat belts,” Talen said grimly, igniting the engine and hitting DRIVE in one smooth motion.
Garrett leaned out the backseat window, firing at the men still shooting. One bellowed in a shout of pain. “Fucker,” Garrett muttered, getting off several more shots before Talen careened around a far corner.
The boys sat back, both breathing heavily.
Cara turned around, her heartbeat roaring through her head and echoing in her ears. “Are you all right?” she gasped.
They both nodded.
“What the hell happened?” Talen whipped the vehicle around a corner and down another street.
“They were waiting for us,” Garrett muttered, wiping blood off his chin.
Cara tried to calm her breathing. “What about the lab techs?”
“Tied up in the second-story lab,” Logan said. “I tossed my knife at the security guard, so they should be free soon.”
“I hit nine-one-one on the phone before tackling that demon out the window,” Garrett said, poking at a purple bruise on his left cheekbone.
Sirens trilled in the distance.
“Good job,” Talen said. “Cara? Call Emma and ask her where we should send those samples now. This lab has been compromised. How the demons found it, I’d sure as shit like to know.”
“Me too.” She tugged her cell phone from her back pocket and quickly texted a message to her sister. “We have five more labs in the area that we could use, but that one had the best facility, I think.”
“Stupid purists,” Logan muttered, resting his head back on the seat. “What’s the big deal, anyway?”
Cara swallowed. “Are you two sure you’re all right?”
“Yes,” they both said.
Talen tensed, looking out the back window as he drove rapidly past high-rise buildings. “Good. We have a problem.”
Cara turned to look through the back window to see a black truck eating up the distance between them. Her frontal lobe began to ache. “Demons,” she whispered.
* * *
Talen kept an eye on the truck as well as upcoming alleys. If the demons had waited for them, then surely the bastards had a trap already set in place. “Everybody armed?”
“I gave my gun to Garrett.” Cara fumbled in the glove box and drew out a new purple prototype. “Whoa. What’s this?” She turned the sleek gun over in her hand, her finger inching down the barrel.
“New gun the wolves have been working on,” Talen said. “It’s a laser that turns to bullets upon impacting flesh, but these are supposed to explode at that point. Like a hollow point.”
Her eyes widened. “Cool.” She hit the button to roll down her window and visibly stiffened in preparation.
“Relax your body, baby,” Talen said, jerking the wheel around another high-rise building and almost careening right into a huge crane. Fucking construction. There were several cranes in the area, all surrounding at least three half-finished high-rise buildings. “The more relaxed you are, the better the aim. Deep breaths.”
She nodded and blew out air. “I remember.”
“Wanna trade guns?” Garrett asked, hope in his voice.
“Not a chance. Purple exploding gun is mine,” Cara said with way too much anticipation.
Where was the trap? The truck kept on their ass but didn’t make a move to intercept. Talen drove around the construction zone on high alert.
A low-flying black helicopter suddenly zoomed around the nearest crane.
“Shit.” Talen yanked the wheel to the left just as the helicopter opened up fire. Bullets impacted the pavement and crane, flashing sparks in every direction. “Hold on,” he yelled, turning quickly into the partially finished parking garage at the base of the nearest high-rise.
He slammed the accelerator to the floor. Steel beams, orange traffic cones, and boxes sped by in a blur. The Jeep jumped as he ascended through the parking area and screeched to a stop against the concrete block used for the central stairwell. “Out.”
Everyone jumped out of the Jeep, and Talen looked around, quickly finding the door to the block. He grasped Cara’s arm and all but carried her inside. “Stay here until I come get you.”
Garrett and Logan fanned out, both taking sniper positions toward the two entrances.
Cara shoved against him. “Wait.”
“No. Shoot anybody you don’t recognize.” Talen shut the door on her protest.
He turned back and waited, his senses sweeping out.
Vibrations. The helicopter. He gave hand signals to the boys, ordering them to stay in position and protect Cara. They gave twin nods, both well trained, suddenly looking like killers and not boys.
He ran for the open area outside the concrete ceiling, turned, and jumped to grab the cement floor above. His hands caught and he swung over, rolling to stand. Wood, metal, and cables littered the ground, which was still open to the air. Columns rose in several areas, concrete and round, all with rebar sticking out the tops.
The helicopter went high around the nearest building.
Timing. It was all about timing. He rushed full-bore for the nearest yellow climbing frame to a huge crane, swung inside, and started running up the ladder as fast as he could.
Thunder clamored, and the sun disappeared behind thick clouds. The first drop of rain hit his head as he went up, hand over foot, running up a ladder and trying not to look down. When he was at least fifteen stories up, he paused and set his ass against the heavy metal cage.
Drawing his weapon from his waist, he set it on the opposite metal bar and waited.