Page 85 of Never Bet Against A Hockey Player

I froze.

“Answer it!” Conrad barked. Lachlan was already reaching for it. “Put him on speaker.”

“Gavin?” he asked immediately. “Is everything okay?”

A sob cracked through the speaker that had ice running through my veins.

“You have to come...” His voice broke. “She’s⁠—”

A scream echoed through the phone. Then another. Followed by the unmistakable sound of fists striking flesh.

Everything inside me went cold.

“We’re coming!” I shouted.

Lachlan kept talking into the phone as we bolted.

“Gavin, listen to me. Go lock yourself somewhere. Stay hidden. Don’t come out until you hear us.”

“We’re almost there,” Conrad promised, voice hard and strong. His alpha was out in full force.

“Chris!” I bellowed as we tore from the room. “Get the police to that house. She finally crossed the line.”

“I’ll meet you there!” his voice followed us out.

I don’t remember breathing normally during the drive. My entire world was locked onto the sounds coming through the phone. They were haunting, even when muffled, and Dhara’s screams were cutting straight through my soul.

The sirens reached us first as we pulled onto her street. Police cruisers were pulling onto the street as we skidded to a stop. An officer shouted for us to stay back but we didn’t bother to listen. If someone wanted to try to bury this they were insane. There were going to be witnesses.

Dhara was finally getting justice.

The front door was locked as I tugged on it but Conrad didn’t hesitate. He stepped back before driving his boot just under the lock. The door splintered inward with a boom and he flung what was left aside.

We rushed inside but the house was silent.

Too silent.

The metallic scent of blood filled the air. My delta shoved me forward as my pulse thundered in my ears.

Without saying a word, we split up.

“Master bedroom clear!” Conrad yelled back in seconds.

“Dhara’s room is clear!” I answered as I scanned the space. It was too clean for anything to have happened in here, either.

Lachlan walked out of the bathroom. “Everything up here is—”A muffled cry interrupted him.

He spun toward the kitchen.

“Basement!” I yelled. “Where’s the basement door?”

“By the back door!” Gavin shouted from behind his locked bedroom door.

We nearly collided racing toward the kitchen. Conrad reached the basement first. He yanked the door open so hard it slammed against the wall and shattered. Our footsteps thundered as we charged down the stairs.

The basement was unfinished. Concrete floors and exposed beams were coated in a film of dust. A washer and dryer sat against one corner and a few boxes were strewn around.

Right in the middle of the open space was our omega.