Page 29 of Relentless Touch

Rio crossed the room in two steps.

“Easy,” he gritted out. He didn’t care about the wolves in the hallway. Nothing else mattered. He knelt at Kevin’s side, hands trembling, fumbling with the zip tie.

“I’m fine,” Kevin croaked, stubborn as always. “Told you you’d regret this.”

Rio couldn’t manage a word for a second. The zip tie finally snapped in his hands.

Something moved behind him, and then Rio heard the click of a pistol. Instinct took over. He spun, taking Kevin with him, rolling to put his body between Kevin and the threat. The shot tore through the air, splitting the plaster above their heads.

Zeppelin’s voice thundered through the cabin. “DROP IT.”

The pistol clattered to the floor.

“Stay down,” Rio told Kevin. He rose, blood pounding in his head.

Ameer was back on his feet, blood dripping from his nose, gun in hand. Zeppelin stalked toward him, an ugly smile on his face.

“Just couldn’t walk away.” Zeppelin’s tone was calm.

Ameer fired. The shot went wide, thunking into the stairs leading to the attic.

Zeppelin caught Ameer’s wrist, and snapped it with a crack that silenced the whole house. Ameer shrieked, tried to swing at Zeppelin with his free hand, but that only earned him a punch to the gut that doubled him over.

Pack members dragged the rest of the wolves out onto the lawn.

Rio ignored the howling from the porch. He turned back to Kevin, whose eyes were finally focusing.

“Can you walk?” Rio asked.

Kevin nodded, even though he tried to stand and nearly toppled over.

Rio caught him and wrapped an arm around his waist. “I got you.”

They made it to the front room. Kenai waited there, face bruised but he was conscious, propped up against the wall. “Well,” he managed, “guess we don’t need the energy drink after all.”

Kevin snorted, which Rio took as a good sign.

Outside, the night had grown even cooler. It made every cut and bruise feel worse. Behind them, the wolves cursed and struggled. Zeppelin barked out a command, and two of his men hustled the prisoners off into the woods.

Rio steered Kevin toward the road. A pack member joined them, but Rio couldn’t recall his name.

“You all right?” the guy’s asked Kevin

Kevin nodded again, more solid this time. “Call it a tie.”

Kenai shuffled behind them, muttering curses about “that oversized frat boy with the clown shoes.” He winced every few steps but seemed to be in one piece.

The van sat by the bend in the road, its side doors hanging open. Rio kept an eye on it as he walked, just in case. The night felt less heavy now, the woods quieter.

By the time they made it back to Glass Oak, exhaustion had set in. Rio’s body hummed with adrenaline and leftover anger. He unlocked the door, steered Kevin straight into the kitchen, then sagged into the nearest chair, only after making sure Kenai had also made it inside.

Kenai dropped straight to the floor, back against the walk-in. He looked up at Rio. “If I die, make sure they spell my name right on the headstone.”

“You’re not dying,” Rio said.

Kevin nearly smiled.

“Let a guy be dramatic,” Kenai mumbled.