Wild seduction, p.10
Wild Seduction, page 10
Lana leaned over the panting cat. “Don’t. I will go with you. Cyril has suffered enough.”
Gerald lowered his gun. “That’s Cyril. You’re sure.”
Lana nodded. “I can’t explain why he’s alive. You of all people should want him breathing.”
Gerald looked over the injured cat. “Interesting.” The cold statement reminded her so much of Kevin Kallan she turned to make sure it was his son. His eyes locked with hers. “Let’s go, then. Get in the SUV without another delay or I kill him.”
Lana went to the black SUV. She got in without a word. The engine’s roar did nothing to drown out those of her cat.
CHAPTER 8
Luca woke to a jackhammer in his brain. He moaned, trying to remember what happened. He was kissing Lana. She was smiling at him, then nothing.
Liam put his hand on Luca’s chest, preventing him from moving. “Racheal says you need to rest. She has administered the antidote to the drug but it was a high dosage. You had me worried for a minute there.”
Luca shook his head, attempting to clear his thoughts. “What the fuck happened? Where is Lana?”
“Gerald attacked us. One of his men shot you while he exited the property.”
Luca’s face flared with anger. “Where the fuck was everyone?”
“They attacked Mom and Dad, Luca,” Liam said, rubbing his forehead.
Luca paled. “What did that bastard do?”
“Gerald’s men attacked Talen’s house. They sprayed it with bullets, then set Mom and Dad’s house on fire. Fortunately, Judd and his brothers were here. They helped extinguish the fire while we fought off the gunmen. They turned and ran. It wasn’t till we found you that we realized that the hit on Talen and our parents was a diversion. Gerald only wanted Lana.”
Luca could always tell when his twin was hiding something. “There is something else. What is it?”
“Cyril was in the woods. He spotted Lana and Gerald. He attacked the fucker, but Kallan shot him. Lana protected him when Gerald wanted to kill him. He said Gerald is strong. Way stronger than Kallan’s other soldiers.”
Luca nodded. “Lana said Gerald was deteriorating quickly. Must be because they gave him high doses of the shifter hormone. It saved his life, but it’s a short-term fix. He thinks Lana can save him.”
Liam removed his hand from his brother’s chest. “Garrett has eyes on them. He knows where they are, but not their ultimate destination. We are waiting for him to settle so we can plan for the attack.”
Luca sat up. “We are not waiting. That shitfuck has my woman. He wants to mate her himself. I’m not giving him time to put his hands on her.”
Talen strode into the room with black soot on his face and a burned t-shirt. “Settle the fuck down or you won’t be on the mission to retrieve Lana.” Talen’s voice gave no room for misinterpretation. He was serious, and he was mad. Talen was the most disciplined of the brothers. Their father had taught him from the time he was born to be a leader. Now, his eyes blazed amber. They settled Luca more than anything else. Talen wouldn’t let this attack go without retribution.
“Like fuck. I’m going after her one way or another!”
Talen eyes flared. “Ryan is the lead enforcer. Liam is second. You have a mate. Don’t make me lock you down.”
Luca rubbed his eyes. Guilt was a bitter pill, but he had no right to disrespect his oldest brother. “I’m sorry. I failed my mate...”
Talen’s voice was a whip. “I failed this whole fucking family. Suck your shit up. Our parents almost died. Their house is in ashes and my mate can’t stop crying. Your mate is coming back if I have to purchase the whole fucking island Gerald is flying to. Get dressed and be at my house in fifteen minutes.” Talen stormed from the room.
Luca looked to his brother. “I’ve never seen him like that.”
Liam blew out a breath. “He has actually calmed down some since the attack. If Lucy could stop crying, it would calm Talen’s nerves.”
“Was Lucy hurt?”
Liam shook his head. “No, she feels bad because she can’t shift and it forced Talen to stay with her while our parents house, burned down. Racheal says it’s hormones and that a woman this far along in her pregnancy shouldn’t be dodging bullets.”
“Why did Talen come here if Lucy is upset?” Luca said, pushing away his anger and frustration.
Liam raised an eyebrow. “Lucy is crying. She will not die. Racheal and Mom are with her. Talen may be the leader of the lair but he was our brother first. He made me text him when you were showing signs of waking.”
Luca swung his legs out of the bed. “Let’s get the boys together. I need my woman back.”
Luca inspected the bullet holes in Talen’s entrance way. His cat rose in anger. The need to protect his family, a primal instinct that couldn’t be ignored. Garrett paced the floor in Talen’s front room. The mess had been cleaned up and Talen had showered and wore a clean shirt, but Lucy’s eyes were still red from crying. They sat on the love seat Galen had made them as a wedding present. “Where are Mom and Dad?”
Talen eyes flickered. “They are sleeping in the spare room. Their healing abilities are almost human. The smoke could have killed them if Judd hadn’t been visiting. He got them both out. We want Lucy and Marie under one roof for now.”
Luca made a silent promise to thank the enormous bear they had been friends with since they were old enough to wander into his territory. “Where is Judd?
Talen put his arm around Lucy as she nestled closer to him. “He used his body to shield Mom’s, so he went home to change. He will be back with his brothers soon. The fire burned his skin. His fur was missing from his back when he shifted.”
Luca nodded. “I will thank him. How did they subvert our security? I know they used the scent blocker, but why didn’t surveillance pick them up?”
Garrett stopped pacing. “Because I am a fucking idiot.”
Talen stood from the love seat. “You are not an idiot, Garrett. That madman Jordan is just as skilled with computers as you are.”
Garrett’s hands moved as he spoke. “That’s the thing. I don’t think this was Jordan. I found out where the hack originated.”
“And?” Talen said.
“It came from within my computer.”
Talen’s eyes flared. “Are you saying one of us sabotaged your computer center?”
Garrett shook his head. “I mean no disrespect, but not a single person here has that kind of computer knowledge. I think the relay was in a component when I installed it. It was inside the Faraday cage but couldn’t transmit any data unless I was exiting or entering the room. I have removed it, but I want to know who had access to those computers before we got them.”
“What information did they get?” Talen asked.
Garrett shook his head. “There are two hours of out-going transmission. I tracked the cage’s vulnerability. So, it isn’t a lot compared to what we have, but I don’t know what they took. It’s a relay, not a storage device.”
“Why don’t you think it’s Jordan?”
Garrett put his hands on his hips. “The relay transmitted to a location in Florence. Kevin Kallan owns that facility. Since they accessed it yesterday and I know Jordan is with Camilla, I think Kevin has someone else with skills that are almost as good as mine and Jordan’s.”
“How did you find it?” Luca asked.
Garrett huffed. “The hacker tried to make it look like a malfunction. A glitch. He didn’t want the relay found. But I know my equipment. It doesn’t break down. Once I realized the sensors were off, I took my computer apart piece by piece. It won’t happen again. I won’t put any component on our system until I have pulled it apart and rebuilt it myself.”
Talen glanced at Luca. “You can’t be everywhere at once, and as brilliant as you are, there are many talented hackers in the world. If anything, this reinforces our need to increase security at the lair.”
Garrett shook his head. “Our home has always been the one place we don’t have to hide...” He looked down when his phone chimed. He looked at the image displayed before his eyes flashed amber. “That fucker did it again. He tricked me.”
Luca stepped toward him. “Who tricked you?”
“Whoever Kallan has is a professional. He must have had Gerald and Lana get on a plane and exit without security seeing. If I hadn’t put surveillance on all the men with Gerald Kallan, I would still be tracking an empty plane headed to Mexico.”
Luca put a hand on Garrett’s shoulder. “You tracked all of Kallan’s men, so whoever this hacker is didn’t get the best of you. Where is Lana?”
Garrett continued to watch the screen. “I haven’t spotted her, but one of the men who attacked the lair just entered a warehouse in Salem.”
Luca sucked in a breath. “They are in our back yard. Why would he stay so close?”
Garrett huffed. “Because we wouldn’t look for Lana here. We would assume he’d take her to a remote locale.”
Talen rubbed his chin. “He needs a lab. Whatever Gerald’s plans for Lana, he needs her to have all her equipment.”
Luca nodded. “Nick met Gerald there once. His father owns several properties there.”
Garrett grabbed his tablet from the case he had brought. He typed into it rapidly. “There is no record of Kevin Kallan owning anything close to the warehouse Gerald’s man entered... well this is interesting.”
“What?” Luca said.
“Marksmen Enterprises owns the warehouse. It’s on the list of properties for Brock to inspect, but it’s reported to be empty, so it hasn’t been a priority.”
Luca shook his head. “Gerald knew it was empty, or that we thought it was. He has Lana at one of Sarah’s holdings. If I didn’t want to kill the bastard so bad, I would admire his ingenuity. We would never have checked our own properties. Garrett, if you didn’t have surveillance on everyone associated with Gerald and Kevin, we would never have found her.”
Garrett huffed. “Save your appreciation. If I had done my job in the first place, he would never have gotten her.”
“Talen is right. You can’t be everywhere. We are spreading you too thin. This is on all of us. Me included,” Luca said.
Garrett grabbed his phone when it rang. “Hey, Maize.” He listened for a long time. “Are you sure? Lana is in Salem too.” His face went white as Maize yelled. “He wasn’t keeping secrets from you, Maize. You don’t talk to Cade. I...” Garrett pulled the phone from his ear. “She hung up on me. She’s pissed Cade didn’t tell her Lana was alive.”
“Is Cade in Salem?” Luca asked.
Garrett nodded. “He is at a storage facility owned by Kallan, waiting for us to pick him up.”
Luca’s eyes widened. “How did she get Gerald to release Cade?”
Garrett shook his head. “I don’t know, but she is mad about it. Cade will kill her and me when he finds out what she traded. There is always something with the Kallans.”
“It can’t be a coincidence that Lana and Cade are in Salem.” Talen said.
Luca nodded to his twin as Liam entered the house. “No, I don’t think so. They must have an operation there. They likely moved Cade to the warehouse because we already knew about the clinic.”
Talen shook his head. “I’m surprised Kallan let Cade go.”
Luca’s face hardened. “They don’t need Cade. They need Lana. At least Gerald does. Now what are we doing to retrieve my mate? Extracting Cade gives us a reason to be in Salem. They won’t see us coming if we make it look like we are just there for Cade.”
Luca sat in the van a block away from the warehouse and kept his face hidden. They had cut Nick’s hair to match Luca’s, and had him wear a ballcap and dark glasses. Nick and Ryan had taken a plane to Mexico. They had reported being followed, and were sure Kallan had taken the bait. He shook Cade awake. “Hey, man.”
Cade snapped his eyes open, looking around. “Where the fuck am I?”
Luca recapped the events leading up to them picking Cade’s unconscious form up at the Kallan facility. “What do you remember?”
Cade shook his head. “Nothing. They shot me at the clinic and I woke up here. I’m fucking starving. How long was I out?”
Luca grabbed a power bar from his bag. “That was days ago, Cade. Eat this. It will get you through the next few hours. We are infiltrating the warehouse in two minutes. You going to be okay or do you want to wait in the van?”
Cade snatched the power bar. “Don’t be a dick. You know I’m going with you.”
Luca nodded. “Maize is pissed you didn’t tell her about Lana.”
Cade swallowed hard. “Maize is always mad at me. It’s the foundation of our relationship.”
“I recommend you build a fresh one.”
Cade unwrapped a bar. “I will deal with Maize.”
“She made a deal with Kevin Kallan to get you released. You know that isn’t good.”
Cade’s eyes flashed. “Fucking Kallans. Kevin is a monster, but Gerald is completely off his nut. He was drooling when he ordered the men into the clinic. He is nothing like the man he was before Devon attacked him.”
“Devon killed him. Whatever they did to him was enough to resuscitate him. But it’s short term. That thing they brought back isn’t Gerald Kallan.” Luca said.
“Yeah, well that nut job has his father backing him and an arsenal at his disposal.”
Luca leaned forward in his seat. “We think Kevin has come to a similar conclusion about his son. Gerald is in that warehouse with minimal support. The enhanced soldiers have left. He only has human mercenaries with him. Kevin knows they will be useless against us.”
Cade popped the rest of the power bar in his mouth. “Let’s get your girl.”
Luca looked him over. “You sure you’re up to this?”
Cade grabbed a gun. “No way I’m sitting this one out. We are taking Gerald Kallan off the board today.”
Luca nodded. “Agreed.”
Cade inserted his earpiece as Luca donned his.
Garrett’s voice pierced the silence. “There are fifteen guards. All human. Security is decent, but Gerald doesn’t have Jordan’s weapon deactivation system. I’m guessing Kevin is missing his bastard son’s WDS security system.”
Luca looked at Cade. “I guess you were right about Jordan splitting from his father.”
Cade nodded. “Let’s get this done.”
They exited the van and waited for the others to take their place. They had the warehouse surrounded when Garrett spoke into their ears.
“Go. Go now.”
Lana sat on the four-poster bed. Her hands gripped the red velvet cover. The lush material felt like sandpaper against her skin as she fought to control her raging cat. Gerald wanted her animal. Needed her. It was the last thing she would give him. She studied the lavish room. It was beautiful and ornate, completely opposite from the monster that held her. “This room is flashy for a laboratory, don’t you think?”
Gerald’s expression never changed. “I renovated a suite like this in all the labs when I thought I wanted Sarah. Now that she can no longer stabilize me, I need you. These rooms are yours. You will travel when I do. We will spend every night together. During the day you may work in the lab... until you are with child.”
Lana put her hand on her stomach. It wasn’t just his words. It was the complete lack of emotion when he said them. As if pregnancy were just an unavoidable result of being with him. Not something he wanted. “They will find me. Luca will never stop looking for me.”
Gerald leaned forward on the curved chair in which he sat. “We will stay here for a while. Give them a chance to think we have fled the continent. They won’t call off the search, but they will become less vigilant.” His eyes blazed orange. “Do you know why they won’t find you here?”
Lana didn’t want the answer. She didn’t want to lose her last thread of hope, but she needed the truth. “Why?”
Gerald smiled with no humor. “This location is owned by Marksmen Enterprises. It’s Sarah’s. I was supposed to be the next owner, but that plan didn’t work. The point is, Sarah has this building listed as empty. It’s managed by a local company. One that reports it clean and pays the minimal electric bill. My father owns that management company. They won’t look for you on one of their own properties.”
Lana hated that he was right. Who would think of that? Worse, when Sarah found out that the Kallans were still using one of her properties to experiment on the shifters, she would grab her gun and ask questions later. Sarah’s last name was more fitting than most realized. Her aim was deadly accurate. Gerald and Kevin had made a mistake using this property. She wondered if she would be alive to see it. “You can’t be sure my DNA will stabilize yours. Even if Jordan used the same DNA strand on both of us...”
Gerald stood, crossing his arms. “He did. Jordan paired you to me, believing you were dead. He devised a way to appease my father for his insurrection and ensure I would suffer and die in the next two years. Your resourcefulness has saved me and severed the relationship between my half brother and my father. I will kill Jordan the next time I see him.”
Lana huffed. “While I would love to help you with that, I must decline. I won’t sleep with you.”
Gerald looked her over. It wasn’t lust. It was like he was looking at a petulant child. “You will change your mind soon. While I have no interest in sex, it’s the only viable way to stabilize the degradation. Until you find a suitable alternative, we must have it often.”
Lana choked. He talked like he’d just offered her a coffee. “I won’t let you.”
Gerald pulled a dart gun from his jacket. “I knew you wouldn’t agree. I had Jordan design this for Sarah. It will work as effectively on you.”
She held her hands up, sweat beading her brow. “Please, don’t.”
Gerald pulled the trigger. The dart lodged in her shoulder. She ripped it out, throwing it to the ground as Gerald went to the door. “I will give you a few hours to reconsider. You should be in heat by this evening and begging me to fuck you.” The lock from the door clicked as he left.
