Eli stepped to the end of the hall. He peered around the corner, looking into the living room where Drew was. I imagined he was waiting for the right moment to exit the house and make our way back to his truck. In fact, I was positive of it. Changing into our human form was the only way we would be able to get through that padlocked door. Either we needed to pick the lock or cut it. I hoped Eli had tools in his truck because we were going to need something.

Time ticked away while I listened to the TV show Drew watched along with the lazy sound of him slurping his beer. Just when it seemed as though he was never going to head to the bathroom to relieve his bladder again or to the kitchen for a refill, the sound of him snoring met with my ears. Eli must have heard it too because he stepped forward and crept toward the screen door.

Adrenaline spiked through me as I crept from the hall, following Eli’s lead. My gaze drifted to where Drew sat. His dirty sock-covered feet were lifted in the air by his recliner. They were the first thing I saw. My gaze traveled over his round belly to his face next. His eyes were closed, but his mouth was open. Drool dripped down his stubbly chin, pooling on the dingy white tank top he wore. He was out cold. I only hoped he stayed that way. We needed to make it to Eli’s truck, shift back, grab something to bust the lock, and get back to that door unnoticed.

Pretty much we needed a miracle.

When Eli reached the screen door, he pressed his nose against it and continued forward, pushing it open as he went. I squeezed in close behind him, allowing myself to make it through. Without hands to close it behind me though, the door slammed shut sounding like a loud crack of thunder. Eli and I bolted down the stairs and into the closest thicket of woods. Neither of us thinking it was a good idea to wait around and see if the loud noise had woken Drew. When he didn’t dash to the porch with a shotgun in hand like I’d imagined, we started down the driveway, heading back to Eli's truck.

It didn’t take us long. Once I made it to the passenger side, I shifted back. My wolf was reluctant to go. I could feel her unwillingness raging inside of me. Tension rippled through my lean muscles because of it. She was enjoying the sense of freedom she’d gotten from the swift change between moons, but there was also something else. She disagreed with allowing me to take over our current situation and tuck her away. I was forced to give her a solid nudge in order to be able to shift back into my human form. I swung open the passenger door of Eli’s truck and pulled on my clothes. An invisible clock ticked above my head, counting down our window of opportunity to retrieve Violet, and possibly Glenn.

There was no doubt time was definitely of the essence.

“If the door slamming shut stirred him at all, by the time we get back he should be asleep again,” Eli said as he tugged his jeans on. He stood on the opposite side of his truck. “I’ve got a pair of bolt cutters in the back we should be able to open the lock with. There’s a flashlight in the glove compartment, too. Grab it. We might need it.”

I pulled Eli’s black T-shirt over my head and slipped into my sandals before reaching for the flashlight he’d mentioned. “Got it. Let’s get back before he wakes for good or someone else shows up.”

“You sure you want to go back?” Eli asked as he pulled his shoes on. “Things are going to get intense from here on out.”

I loved how he said this as though nothing about our night had been intense already. Hadn’t we been walking around a drunk asshole’s house in wolf form trying not to be seen while we searched for missing members of our pack minutes ago?

“I can handle it. I’m down for things to get a little intense.” My voice harbored more confidence than I felt as my heart thundered so hard against my chest it was hard to breathe.

Eli cracked a grin. “Figured you’d say something like that. I’ve always thought of you as a tough-as-nails kind of chick.”

Tough as nails? I liked that.

“Thanks,” I said.

I tucked the flashlight in my back pocket and reached for the moon ring he’d gotten me. Once I slipped it on, I fastened my silver bracelet on my wrist and glanced at him.

Eli closed the driver side door and moved to search the bed of his truck for the bolt clippers he’d mentioned having. He held them up once he found them and shifted his gaze to lock with mine. “Ready for round two?”

“Absolutely,” I said even though I wasn’t.

We broke into a jog, both of us knowing there was no time to waste, as we made our way back to Drew’s house. Thankfully, the road we’d parked Eli’s truck on didn’t have any traffic. I was sure we looked suspicious—a young couple dressed in black with a pair of bolt cutters running through the dark.

When Drew’s house came into view, my adrenaline spiked higher. Eli slowed his pace, and I forced myself to do the same. We crept to the front of the house, careful not to make any noise. Eli motioned for me to stay where I was and started up the porch steps. I didn’t care for him telling me what to do, but I listened to him anyway. If Drew was awake, Eli would need to make a quick escape from the porch, and he couldn’t do that if I was blocking the steps.

My eyes remained glued to him, watching his every movement with my legs poised to run if need be. Eli rested the bolt cutters against his shoulder like a baseball bat as he peered through the screen door inside the house. Shouldn’t I have something to protect myself with too? I reached for the flashlight in my back pocket and wielded it in front of me like a weapon. It was better than nothing.

Eli lifted a hand, motioning for me to step forward. I released the breath I’d been holding and carefully crept up the weathered stairs to where he stood. My heart thundered so loud against my rib cage that it was hard to hear anything beyond its frantic rhythm. I sent a silent prayer to the moon goddess, hoping she would help us make it through tonight unharmed.

Eli glanced at me and placed his index finger to his lips, giving me the universal be quiet signal. I rolled my eyes. What did he think I was going to do? Barge in and make all kinds of noise? No freaking way.

Eli shook his head at my eye roll and eased his way inside. I followed after him, barely breathing.

My gaze darted to the recliner. Drew was still there, snoring. If he had woken earlier, he’d fallen back into a deep sleep quickly. I inched along behind Eli, heading to the hallway. Once we are out of plain sight, I paused, letting myself soak in the feeling of relief buzzing through me.

Creeping around in someone’s house in wolf form seemed a hell of a lot safer than in human form.

“I need you to watch him,” Eli whispered, his hot breath caressing across my ear. “Let me know if he stirs. This is probably going to be loud, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

I nodded, praying the racket coming from the TV would muffle most of the noise he was about to make. I licked my lips and shifted to peer into the living room. Drew hadn’t moved.

Yet.

The more I looked at the guy, the more I hated him. He was the definition of a slob. Beer tabs littered the floor around him. The ashtray on the dusty end table beside him was over flowing with cigarette butts, and the guy looked as though he hadn’t showered in days. Even the way he slept disgusted and irritated me. I couldn’t wait to get this over with so we could grab Violet and get the hell out of here.

But what about Drew?

Shouldn’t he pay for what he’d done? Some sort of justice needed to be dished out. We couldn’t let them walk free for what he’d done and what he planned to do in the future.

At least I couldn’t.

Eli and I hadn’t discussed any act of revenge or retaliation, but we should have. Whatever consequences for Drew’s actions needed to come from us. It was our pack he had screwed with.

I thought of Dan, the contact Eli’s dad had at the police station. We could go to him and make sure justice was served after we got Violet to safety. Then again, maybe involving the police wasn’t a smart move. There was too much we wouldn’t be able to explain. Like why Drew had kidnapped Violet in the first place. Although, we could say he was a sicko. Lord knows the world is full of them. It was believable. What would happen to him then, though? Would he go to jail? Was that enough of a punishment for what he’d done and what he planned to do?

The clanking of metal against metal sounded from behind me. Eli had positioned the bolt cutters in place, ready to break the lock. My heart slammed against my rib cage as I shifted back to stare at Drew, watching for any sign he was stirring.

“Ready?” Eli whispered.

Ready for what? Only one of us had an actual weapon that would do any damage. What would I do if Drew jumped up at the first sound of the lock being broken? Shine a damn flashlight in his eyes?

“Yeah.” I nodded and positioned myself in a fighting stance. I would just have to work with what I had. There wasn’t any other option.

Eli released a long exhale behind me. I did the same, my eyes never wavering from Drew. The tips of my fingers throbbed as I gripped the flashlight tight. Every muscle in my body grew tense as the seconds dragged on.

A loud clank blasted through the hall from behind me. I flinched and then froze, watching as Drew wiggled around in his recliner. His eyes fluttered but never committed to staying open. When his head lulled to the side and a loud snore rumbled from somewhere deep in the back of his throat, I realized luck was definitely on our side.

Eli’s eyes were on me. I could feel the heat of them boring into me. I gave him a thumbs-up without looking away from Drew, just in case. Another noise echoed through the hall stemming from behind me again. It was softer this time. I imagined it was Eli removing the lock from the door, but I didn’t risk taking my eyes off Drew for a second. In movies, that was when the bad guy charged. The instant someone let their guard down was when things went to hell.

I wasn’t about to make that mistake.

“Let’s go,” Eli whispered when he had the door open. “Hand me that light.”

I counted to three before leaving my post, making sure Drew was going to remain asleep, then started toward Eli. I passed him the flashlight with shaky hands. If Eli noticed, he was smart enough not to comment on it. Everything about me shook, including my insides.

“Come on. Let’s see if Violet is down here,” Eli whispered as he motioned for me to follow him down a set of creaky steps.

A musky scent hit my nose as I stood at the top, looking down. This was definitely a damp basement. I hated basements, but I hated the thought of Violet being down here all alone even more. She had to be scared out of her mind.

I followed Eli on wobbly legs. With the little bit of light offered by the flashlight and my own vision, I was able to make out dingy white walls and a set of old wooden steps. Holes, scratches, and scuff marks chopped up the walls smooth surface. The sight of it had images of someone fighting not to enter hell surfacing in my mind. Whoever it was, they’d left more than a few marks behind.

Could it have been Violet? What about Glenn?

If it was either of them, it looked as though they’d given Drew a run for his money. I hoped he hadn’t beat them for fighting him.

I would kill him if he had touched Violet.

A mismatched washer and dryer came into view as I neared the bottom of the stairs. It was as banged up as a rest of the house, which seemed fitting. Dirty clothes littered the floor around it, contributing to the musky stench of the space. Wooden shelves reaching from floor to ceiling stood on either side of the washer and dryer. Various tools, boxes, random coffee canisters, and loads of mason jars lined them. Eli positioned the flashlight on the top shelf, illuminating a row of mason jars with clear liquid inside.

“Either he makes his own moonshine or buys it in bulk.” Eli grinned.

“If he has all this down here, why does he waste money buying cheap beer?” My nose wrinkled.

“Good point,” Eli said. “I’d be drinking this every night instead.”

“The words of a budding alcoholic,” I scoffed.

“Say what you want, but you know you’d be right there beside me.”

Maybe. If it was apple pie moonshine. That stuff wasn’t half bad.

Eli swung around, casting the flashlight around the rest of the basement. Wooden tables and more tools occupied the majority of the space. A broken rocking chair and a stack of cardboard boxes were in the corner. When Eli and I crossed to the opposite side of the basement, I couldn’t believe what we found there.

Three wrought iron cages lined the far wall.

My eyes fixed on them. The bars of each were thicker than my arm and stood high enough to brush the ceiling. All seemed unoccupied except for the one in the middle.

Violet sat inside.