Chapter Fourteen

Dom’s phone rang. The sound split the tense air. Growls hummed low, from each awake body. Sluggishly, Dom dug his phone out of his pocket and paused to stare at it. Morgan couldn’t take it. Each second felt like a lifetime while Callie was in Richard’s grasp.

“Who is it?” he snapped at Dom.

Dom blinked. Once. Twice. “Aimee.”

They all looked around. Somewhere, they’d lost the otter shifter. It had been chaos that quickly ended in disaster. Morgan had assumed she’d left alongside Callie. Why would she call them?

Morgan snatched the phone from Dom and held it to his ear. “What do you want?”

“You could start with something a bit nicer, like thank you for tracking down my beloved, Aimee! Maybe even, I can’t believe how ingenious you are, Aimee! I’m not feeling enough love on your end.”

Morgan didn’t have the time for her games. He tempered himself just to keep from breaking Dom’s phone, but Aimee didn’t have much longer. She quickly relayed where she was, a gas station on the way to a private tarmac. Richard was flying Callie back to Alaska. While Morgan wondered how Aimee managed to follow them, they didn’t have time to go over the details.

He looked to his family, not expecting them to help him. Callie’s arrival had shaken their way of life and threatened not only them, but the children to come. He fully expected them to hate his mate. It wouldn’t change how he felt for Callie, because he knew exactly who she was. Yet, when every face in the room turned to him with a fighting spirit in their eyes, Morgan was nearly brought to tears. His heart clenched, and he nodded.

Boomer turned to his mate and begged her to stay where she was. Emmy looked the massive bear-man in the eye and defied him. She was made of tougher stuff than anyone thought. Addison followed hot on her heels. Morgan was grateful that Callie wouldn’t be alone when he got her back.

Already, Callie had friends willing to risk their lives for her.

Orion caught up to Morgan’s side. “How many more of those darts do you think they brought? I know they wasted a lot on you, but that won’t be all they have.”

There was a hitch in Morgan’s gait. The darts presented an issue. Specially crafted to slow down shifters, the silver-tainted drug would stop all of them.

“I don’t mind being a pin-cushion,” Orion offered. “If I can get their attention and cause enough trouble that they have to waste the last of their ammunition on me, then you’ll have an opening to get to Callie.”

Morgan was struck by his friend’s offer. They thought that Boomer had been the reckless one, but Orion kept outpacing their wild friend by miles. Morgan put a hand on Orion’s shoulder and shook his head.

“That won’t be necessary.” He explained that Richard and his troop wouldn’t fire in public. As long as the shifters stayed out of arms’ reach, they wouldn’t be able to stab them with the darts, either.

Orion blew a long breath out his nose. “That’s a challenge.”

Morgan knew that. They all did. What other choice did they have?

Morgan approached his truck when a female form cut ahead of him. Emmy plucked his keys from his hand and yanked open the door. She claimed the driver’s seat before he could voice any kind of protest.

“Boomer and I came to an agreement. Either I stay home, or I stay behind the wheel. That means when we get there, your only job is to jump out and grab your mate.”

This was turning into some kind of mission. Everyone rallied behind Morgan. Even level-headed Dom was fired up. He leapt into the back of the truck and slapped the roof, signaling Emmy to turn over the engine. It roared to life and Morgan joined them.

The convoy of bear shifters rumbled down the hill. This was only the first fight of many, Morgan thought. They could get Callie back, but the Den would always hate them.

***

Callie had hoped for a busy airport and a public bathroom with a window big enough she could climb through. Instead, her father drove onto an empty tarmac. There was a small plane waiting, just large enough for Richard and his crew. Two people sat on the rolling staircase, lurching to their feet when the trucks rolled onto the scene.

Every direction Callie looked was wide open. She wouldn’t get far before one of the shooters loaded another dart with her name on it. There was nowhere to hide. Nowhere to run.

They’d stopped at a gas station earlier. The men had taken turns pissing behind the station. She should have made her escape then. Callie was smart, but she wasn’t particularly brave. She’d waited and waited, searching for an opening. One she felt confident in had never arrived.

She kicked herself now, dread curdling her stomach as she looked up at the plane. It was over. She was going back to the Den. Callie ducked her head, trying to make the best of the situation. At least her father hadn’t dragged Emmy along. It was only her that he wanted. And she would make his life a living hell every step forward.

Her door creaked open. She waited for someone to pull her out.

“Hey!” A familiar voice hissed.

Callie’s head jerked up. Aimee grinned at her, naked as the day she was born. Quickly, Callie glanced at her father to make sure he hadn’t heard Aimee. The man was busy talking to the pilots, oblivious to what was going on.

Callie wanted to throw her arms around her best friend’s neck and sink into the sweet feeling of relief. Seeing Aimee filled Callie with hope. It was a flash of brilliance that lit from her scalp to her toes.

“Did the old man leave the keys in the car?”

Callie gripped the back of the seat and pulled herself forward. Her stomach sank when she saw nothing in the ignition. As she lowered herself back into her seat, accepting failure, she noticed the glint of metal in the cupholder.

He had left the keys in the truck.

She met Aimee’s gaze, grinning. Without another word, Aimee jumped into the driver’s seat. Her best friend jammed the keys into the ignition. Outside the windshield, Richard’s head snapped up. He found Aimee in his seat and shouted. His voice was muffled by the closed doors and windows around them, bringing a smile to Callie’s face.

She leaned back and shrugged out of her jacket, tossing it into the passenger seat for Aimee to put on later.

“How did you follow us?” Callie knew this was no time for small talk, but she needed to know.

Aimee spun the wheel hard and the truck twisted around, tires lifting from the ground before they slammed back onto the ground. Aimee laughed, a sound that was more a release of nervous energy than an expression of glee. Callie felt that, too.

“The moment I heard the first dart, I jumped into the water and shifted. My otter form was small enough that I was able to hitch a ride in the undercarriage of the truck. Let me tell you that is not a way I ever want to travel again. Do you know how many times I nearly became roadkill?”

Callie was about to respond when the sound of engines caught her attention. The other truck full of shifters was following them. The truck surged forward. It kept pace with them, appearing alongside them. Callie cried out in warning just before the other truck slammed into them. It shoved them to the left.

Aimee struggled against the wheel, using her meager weight to twist it back toward the right. Callie couldn’t believe the lengths her father was willing to go through just to take her home. She was an adult, not a child. If she wanted to leave, she had every right.

The thought fueled the flames inside her.

Callie refused to be made into a prisoner by her own family. The Den was the exact opposite of everything she thought it was. How could she work for it if this was how they were going to react to defiance? The answer was that she wouldn’t.

She climbed into the passenger seat. Just as she settled in and pulled the belt over her chest, another truck roared onto the tarmac. Familiar faces stood in the truck bed, more flannel and plaid bodies packed into the rumbling truck behind it. It was a small army of lumberjacks come to her rescue.

Aimee hooted and smacked her fist against the steering wheel in excitement. Callie’s heart jumped into her throat. Her happiness was short lived. The truck beside them careened into her door. She heard the crunch of the impact.

At least she knew her dad wasn’t getting his insurance deposit back.

Angrily, she rolled down the truck window and reached out. The only thing she could grab was the side mirror. It snapped in her hands. She used it like a bat, smacking the driver of the other truck through the open window.

His head jerked back, and the truck veered away from them before he turned his glare at her and yanked the steering wheel. The nose of the truck angled toward them. Aimee did her best to turn away, but the truck still caught them. The impact sent them spinning.

Callie didn’t want to die in a rental truck. There was so much she still had to do.

Like apologize to her mate.

Through the cracked windshield, she found Morgan. He watched her and Aimee. She realized Emmy was behind the wheel of the other truck. The woman swung close and the men jumped out of the truck bed.

The rental truck bobbed as Morgan leapt onto their truck. The others scattered. Callie couldn’t believe how many had come to help her. Doubt crept in, whispering that they’d only come because Morgan had begged. Seeing Boomer inside the truck cab with Emmy, unwilling to get out and help, only made the doubt stronger.

Morgan tapped the hood of the cab and bent to speak through the back window. Callie had to twist to reach back and slide it open. She couldn’t begin to tell him how relieved she was to see him. He flashed a confident grin through the small window before glancing up again.

“Let’s get this back on the main road. I don’t think Richard will attempt anything if we’re where a human could see us.”

“Good idea. The only thing is that I’ve been trying.” Aimee looked more haggard than Callie had ever seen her before.

“Are you…naked?” Morgan’s voice wavered, his surprise evident.

Aimee arched a brow. “Do you magically get clothes when you shift forms? I didn’t think so.”

Their gentle teasing made the fight seem winnable. It brought a nugget of light to a time that should have felt grim. Callie was grateful for both. She didn’t know what she would do if she lost either.

Her smile faded when she saw the truck of Den shifters try to slam into them again. She cried out, but Morgan was ready for them. Before the truck could hit them, he kicked out. His boot hit the nose of the truck and it shuddered. Callie thought the engine might finally give up. She should have known trucks were too resilient. Even rentals.

Behind them, Morgan hissed. The impact of flesh against the steel monster must not have felt good. She couldn’t imagine it would.

She twisted in her seat and shouted to her mate. “Next time don’t be so stupid. Use your brain, not your body!”

Morgan spared a moment to crouch and respond. “I thought I was being smart.”

All Callie could do was give him an incredulous look. The truck of Den shifters was already back on them. Callie wondered where Emmy and Boomer were, finding the them waiting at the edge of the tarmac. She saw the two of them arguing behind the darkened glass of the windshield.

Her presence was causing friction in their life. Her stomach hit the floor harder than it had when the truck first sideswiped them. She had to tear her eyes away to find the others. Dom, Reid, and Orion jumped onto the truck full of Den shifters. They took them by surprise, throwing the shifters onto the tarmac.

They rolled away unceremoniously, but there were still Den shifters inside the cab. Particularly behind the wheel. So, when the truck tried to veer into Callie and the others again, Callie braced herself. Behind her, Morgan cursed.

The impact shook them, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blur of movement. Moments later, she heard a dull thud and a grunt of pain. She spun to make sure Morgan was still in the truck. He was, but the driver of the other truck wasn’t in his. He lay on the tarmac, unmoving.

The passenger of the other truck had to lunge to catch the steering wheel. Before the Den shifter could slide into the now empty seat, Orion leapt through the window. Callie heard another grunt, and the Den shifter slumped in his seat. The truck began coasting away from them, but Orion quickly righted it.

“They can’t keep the truck!” Callie warned Morgan.

Before Morgan could say anything, Orion parked the nearly destroyed rental truck beside Boomer and Emmy. The three men jumped from one vehicle to the other. On cue, Emmy hit the gas pedal and fishtailed before speeding away from the tarmac. Callie held the wheel while Aimee shrugged into the jacket she’d given her.

They’d made it out alive, without killing anyone.

She could barely believe it.

She looked back for Morgan, but her gaze focused on a lone figure standing beside the small plane. Her father stared back. How she could tell from this distance, she didn’t know. It was as if he held a tether that would draw her back over and over again.

Tearing her gaze away from him, she found Morgan. The stone in the pit of her stomach lightened. He flashed her a reassuring smile. After all she’d done to him, all the pain and suffering she’d put him through, he still came for her. The thought tightened something low and primal within her.

This was her mate. He was forever. No matter how life separated them, they would always find their way back to one another.

Callie held onto that idea, the hope that no matter what happened next, they would find a way to make it through. She knew this would not be the last of her father’s attempts to get her back. The leader of the Den would do anything to squash the small rebellion that she’d started.

Morgan vaulted himself through the back-passenger window, falling into the backseat. He leaned forward, hesitating only for a second, then laid a quick kiss on Callie’s lips.

“I hate to interrupt this tender moment, but we’re in a stolen truck, too,” Aimee reminded them. “I don’t think taking this all the way back to the mountains is a smart idea.”

Callie sank into her seat. The truck ahead of them barely had any room left, but Morgan signaled for them to pull over anyway. Callie carried her nearly naked and barefoot friend to the truck, helping her into the cab where she could sift through the clothes left there for days like this.

She and Morgan leapt into the truck bed. The air was cold and slapped their faces with pellets of ice, the first snow of the year. Reaching between them, she gripped Morgan’s hand in hers. Her father had tried, twice now, to separate them. Callie refused to let anyone come between her and Morgan.

Not even the threat of death.