Page 81 of Brandon’s Mate

Someone had spilled gas all over, like they were planning on torching the place. What the hell was going on?

She made her way carefully to the main bar area to check out the body.

It was Caleb. He was lying on his back, and his face looked like he’d been beaten pretty bad. She could see a small pool of blood underneath his head.

Keeping him covered with her gun, she went over and nudged him with her toe. Nothing. She couldn’t hear him breathing.

Kneeling down, she reached for the side of his neck to feel for his pulse.

His eyes snapped open, and one hand reached up to grab Kitty by the throat. Before she could move, the other hand stabbed a concealed dart into her neck.

Kitty fought back, pulling away from him, but the dart held some kind of shifter-specific tranquilizer. A wave of weakness swept over her, and her legs turned to rubber.

She felt Caleb backhand her across the face, and then everything went dark.

She wasn’t out for long, though.

Monster Wolf was waking up, fighting the drugs with its unnatural healing power. The red churning rage was taking over her mind, and Kitty felt her muscles and bones rippling as the monster tried to get out.

She couldn’t stop it; she didn’t know if she wanted to. Monster Wolf would rip Caleb to pieces. He deserves to die, said the wolf. I will protect you.

But what about Callie?

Caleb hit Kitty again, and then she felt herself being dragged by her hair. She heard a whoosh of air as a pressurized door opened, and he threw her into a small room with metal walls.

She landed on someone else—someone lying on the floor. Callie.

The door slammed and a latch clicked. It was cold, and she heard a motor running.

Caleb had locked them in the walk-in refrigerator.

Chapter 35

Brandon and Colt were twelve minutes out from Raines’ meeting place when Brandon suddenly got a shaft of pain right in his gut.

He yanked the truck over to the side of the road and closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

“What’s wrong?” Colt asked. “Are you okay?”

He nodded, but the pain was crawling from his belly to his chest and down his arms. “Not me,” he said. “Kitty. She’s in trouble.”

Colt was already on his cell, texting Remy. Where are you? Have you heard from Kitty? B says something’s wrong with her.

They both watched the screen, but there was no answer.

“Damn,” Brandon said.

“He’s probably flying to meet us right now,” Colt said. “We need to go on to the rendezvous point.”

Brandon nodded and put the truck into gear. They drove another two minutes and pulled off the road where they’d planned to meet Remy.

He wasn’t there.

Colt was out of the truck, scanning the sky, waiting for silent white wings. Nothing.

Brandon couldn’t take his eyes off his phone. Kitty was in danger. His panther was pacing inside him, and his mind was filling with all the ways this scenario could be going sideways.

The minutes ticked by. “Something’s happened to Remy,” Colt said. He started swearing. “If that prick Raines has him…”