Bailey Bradford - Southwestern Shifters 06 - Reverence (17 page)

It happened when they were on their way to the private jet Marcus had waiting. The prisoners would be driven to Marcus’ packlands, while Marcus, Nathan, Ryder, Val and Harley flew. The van in front of them, carrying the shifter Drake and his ready-made pack, suddenly veered off road.

“Stay on them,” Marcus ordered. “Everyone except Ryder and Harley, get ready for a fight.”
“I can fight,” Ryder argued. “But Harley needs to stay here.”
Val held onto Harley’s hand. “Please, don’t argue, Harley. If you’re out there with us, I won’t be able to concentrate on anything but your safety.”
“That’s how it is with mates,” Nathan said.
Harley glared at them both. “Then how in the hell am I supposed to sit here while my mate is out there fighting?”
“You’ll do it because he can’t stay here, it’s against his nature and is part of why he is such a good guard for me.” Marcus leaned across the seat and Harley got to see what it felt like to have his big hand on his nape now. “You’ll do it because you want him to be safe, and he can’t do that when he’s looking out for you. So you’ll stay, and Ryder will stay with you to make sure you’re protected, and the two of you will run over any shifter that isn’t one of ours if they get away. Got it?”
Harley nodded. “Yes. Got it.”
“Ryder?”
“Sure, Marcus. I’ll protect my little brother.” Ryder didn’t even sound angry about it.
“Good.” Marcus let go of him and faced the front of the vehicle. “Stop, Keegan. They’re about to hit those trees. Let’s go. Ryder, hit the door locks as soon as we’re out.”
“Please be careful,” Harley murmured, then he kissed Val and let go of his hand before he could talk himself out of it. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
“And I’ll come back to you,” Val promised. He got out with the others. Ryder locked the doors and they moved to the front seat as shifters began exiting the other van.
“That’s him, the fucker,” Ryder growled, pointing at a shortish dark-haired man with a pixie face. “He might look like a sweet kid, but he’s not. Those are the two who helped him, and—I guess the other one, the guy I didn’t see, is still in the van.”
“Guess so,” Harley agreed. He watched as Val, Keegan, Nathan and Marcus went after Drake and the other two escaped shifters. Perhaps because he knew who Val was, having spied on them in Sedona, Drake pivoted and dived right at Val, using his shoulder to catch Val hard in the stomach. Harley started to shout but kept silent, just as he forced himself not to run to Val’s aid. He had to show that he had faith in Val, and besides that, Nathan and Marcus were nearby.
Val cursed and his fists were blurs of movement as he and Drake swung at each other. Harley heard the contact as punches landed, but it was Drake’s head that rocked back, not Val’s. Val hit Drake again, tumbling him onto his back, then he straddled Drake. Harley saw Marcus and Nathan each lunge and go after one of the twinks who had tried to run off with Drake. He didn’t watch them, knowing Marcus and Nathan would quickly overpower their prey. He thought Keegan had gone to the van but didn’t want to spare a second to look and check.
Drake bucked and slammed a fist against Val’s left thigh. Harley hissed as Val’s complexion turned a shade lighter. Val didn’t let the pain distract him, though, managing to keep Drake beneath him as the smaller man went wild, kicking and punching and shouting. Val caught at his hands, or tried to, but Drake was fighting like his life depended on it. Harley supposed it did. He’d broken the one rule almost certainly guaranteed to cause his death.
Then Drake began to shift, in seconds turning from man to wolf, and Val was thrown off by the change and the squirming, powerful beast Drake had become. Drake reared up, his muzzle seeming to Harley to be more teeth than should have been possible. Val stood and stumbled back, pressing a hand to his left thigh. Harley’s pulse raced as Val gave the snarling wolf a smug grin and gestured for Drake to bring it on.
“What is he doing?” Harley muttered.
Ryder put a hand on his shoulder. “He’s pissing Drake off so he’ll be careless.”
“Val can’t shift,” Harley told him.
“He’ll be all right. I think you have a tough guy there. Smart, too. Look.”
Harley was looking, and he saw how Val turned just the slightest bit so he was braced on his right heel. When Drake leapt at him, Val spun and leant back at the same time, so that he followed Drake’s trajectory as Drake sailed by him. Val reached out and had his arms around the wolf in the blink of an eye. He took Drake down hard, throwing his weight on Drake. Harley heard the yip of pain from Drake, then Val was shaking the wolf until Drake shifted again into his human form.
“Can I go to him now?” Harley asked.
Ryder squeezed his shoulder briefly. “No, just wait. He’s still got to put that asshole back in the van, and I bet there’s going to be some major restraints used. Guess the fuckers slipped the cuffs or something.”
Harley grunted and the next five minutes had to be the longest of his life as he waited for Val to return. When Val finally began walking back towards him, Harley slipped out of Ryder’s gentle hold and got the door unlocked. He was out and running to Val’s side then, and Val stopped to hold out an arm to him. Harley didn’t barrel into Val like he wanted to, knowing Val’s leg had to be hurting him. He fitted himself to Val’s front gently, and framed Val’s cheeks with his hands as he examined Val’s face for signs of pain. “Are you okay?”
Val grimaced and rubbed one hand down Harley’s back while using the other to grab his own thigh. “Sore. Drake knew just where to hit me. He’s an observant punk, I’ll give him that.”
“I’ll give you the best massage ever if you’ll get in and sit by me again.”
Val’s grimace turned into a cute grin. “Like I’d be willing to sit anywhere else.”
They walked back to the vehicle and got settled. Marcus and Nathan joined them a minute or two later.
“Keegan and all the other guards will be riding with them since Matty was careless with Drake’s cuffs,” Marcus snarled as he got in. “Val, I expect you to teach Matty the error of his ways, and how not to let an innocent visage fool him again. Otherwise, I will strip him of his position.”
“He’s young, Marcus, and didn’t know better,” Nathan offered. “I’m sure Val can make him into a great guardsman for us.”
“Sure.” Val sat in the back and Harley climbed over the seats to join him. “See, it wasn’t a big deal.”
“I’m glad it wasn’t.” Harley snuggled up to Val’s side. “I guess the fourth guy was smart enough to stay in the van.”
“Fourth guy?” Marcus asked. “No, didn’t we tell you? The guards only found Drake and his two twinks. The fourth guy you said was there, but you didn’t see, Ryder? They say he doesn’t exist.”
“Bullshit! I know what I saw!” Ryder started to stand, whacked his head on the interior roof, and sat back down. “I saw a man running out of the room they dragged me into. I know I did!”
Marcus patted his shoulder. “And we believe you, but the guards couldn’t find him. They did catch his scent and followed it. Unfortunately, it just vanished. Best guess is he took a cab or someone picked him up. I’ll send some guards back to look for him, but right now I want to get home and find out just what Drake thinks he’s doing.”
“Is he from the Andes?” Harley couldn’t help but ask.
Marcus snorted and shook his head. “Damn man doesn’t have a South American accent at all. Sounded more like a Texan to me. Reminded me of Gabe’s accent, didn’t it, Nathan?”
Nathan hummed and tapped his chin. “Yes, he did. Maybe it’s just because we’ve been around Gabe so much the past few days, though. His voice tends to stick in your head.”
“You’re not kidding.” Marcus thumped Ryder’s shoulder. “What are you waiting for, man? Drive.”
Harley didn’t miss the way Ryder sat up straighter or the almost glow he had to him as he did what Marcus told him to. For the first time, he wished he had some of Marcus’ mojo, because Ryder, although Harley loved the hell out of him, had never listened to him like that.
“It’s a talent,” Marcus said as he sat across from Harley. “Maybe someday you’ll develop it as well.”
Harley wondered if that ‘someday’ meant when he was a shifter. If he ever was. “Can you tell us about this medical treatment you have for Val now?”
Marcus and Nathan both shook their heads before Marcus spoke. “No, I think it’d be best to wait until we can show it to you both. It’s…it’s honestly dangerous stuff, we believe. If it fell into the wrong hands, well, I’m just going to say I’m glad it’s only available in limited quantities, and once it’s gone there will never be any more of it.”
“Yeah, what he said.” Nathan rubbed Marcus’ thigh.
“I’m not sure I want to try it.”
Harley looked at Val, who cleared his throat. “Why not?” Harley gave Marcus a narrow-eyed stare. “Is it dangerous?”
Nathan nudged Marcus, seemingly pushing an answer out of him. “I wouldn’t recommend it for humans. It’s very rough on them.” He nodded and something clicked in Harley’s head. He opened his mouth but shut it rather than ask, because Marcus clearly didn’t want to spell it out when Ryder was able to overhear. Harley knew they could trust Ryder, but understood Marcus and Nathan didn’t so easily accept others, and for good reason, he supposed.
“It’s a very painful way,” Nathan said later as they pulled up to the private airstrip. “More, I’ve been told, than the commonly known method for doing it.”
“Fuck,” Harley muttered. Val grimaced and crossed his left leg over his right. Harley knew how he felt. “That’s gotta be really bad then.”
“Yeah, and for all we know it might be deadly for some humans. Our friend might just have been lucky.” Nathan stood and opened the door. “Maybe you and Val can meet him and his mate. They’ll be staying with us for a while. Todd needs the medical care Shania can give him.”
Harley ran the names through his head and landed on one. “Adam, is he the human— ?”
“Was.” Nathan pressed a finger to his lips. “Ryder, you need help with the bags?”
“Maybe. I’m still hurt.” And he sounded pouty about it. Harley couldn’t imagine his brother being an AA like Marcus. Hell, when he pouted like he was doing, Harley couldn’t imagine him being an alpha at all!
“I’ll help him.” Marcus’ grin gave him an almost feral appearance as he headed over to Ryder.
Nathan started walking towards the jet. Harley was shocked. Yeah, he’d heard them talking about a private jet, but actually seeing it was another thing entirely. He’d never even been on a regular plane before. Now he was getting in something that cost more than he could imagine.
“Adam’s alive, in case you got the wrong idea. He’s just changed now.” Nathan plopped down on a plush-looking bench. “Ryder, you can set the bag in the cabinet to your right.”
“Okay.” Ryder stared at the interior of the plane until Marcus caught him with his hip. “Shit, sorry. Didn’t mean to block the way.”
Marcus grunted and put the bags he carried into a different cabinet. “I hate flying, but I learned that road trips, at least ones by myself, were reckless vanity trips. That’s how I ended up as Dobson’s punching bag for six months, so now we fly, a lot, and I bitch every time we do so.”
“He really does.” Nathan stood back up and waggled his eyebrows at Marcus. “So to spare them, we should, you know, get you into the bedroom. Make sure they aren’t exposed to your very un-AA-like whining.”
“I don’t whine,” Marcus said, clearly affronted by the accusation. “I just fucking hate flying!”
“Which I am trying to distract you from, yeesh!” Nathan planted one hand on his hip. “I mean, if you want to stay out here, instead of coming to bed and getting naked—”
“It’s only about a half-hour flight.” But Marcus didn’t sound like he was protesting. More like bartering, Harley thought.
Nathan hummed and turned around, walking with enough of a swish to make his ass sway. “Wonder what we could do for half an hour.”
“I’ll see you when we land.” Marcus was gone in seconds, and Harley was feeling kind of warm and flushed.
“Well, I guess we could send Ryder to the bathroom, or maybe he could go keep the pilot company,” Harley teased. Val looked at Ryder, who was glaring at them both.
“I think that’s a good idea, don’t you agree, Ryder?” Val ginned and Ryder flipped him off.
“No, I don’t. This is not some orgy flight, and if it is, then somebody better find me a sweet ass to fuck, stat.” Ryder huffed as he sat in a chair.
“Stat, Ry? Really? What the hell?” Harley tossed the only thing he could find at Ryder, clocking him on the ear with a quarter.
“Hey, twerp!” Ryder started to get up but the pilot came on and told them to buckle up. “I’ll get you back.”
Harley grinned. “And I’ll tell everyone about your nickname.”
Val sat up a little straighter. “His nickname? This sounds embarrassing, do share.”
“Don’t you dare,” Ryder muttered, then he switched to pleading, “Please, Har, please?”
Harley shot Ryder an apologetic glance. “Sorry. I don’t think I can keep it from my mate, so you better be nice to him. Make him want to keep you from being humiliated, Pooter.”
“Aw, God,” Ryder wailed, covering his face with his hands. “You just had to!”
“I did,” Harley agreed. “And he got that nickname for the reason it sounds like, too.”
“It’s vegetables, okay? I can’t eat them. Green ones do lots of people that way. Good for you, my ass.”
“Doesn’t sound like it was good for your ass at all,” Val snickered.
“Or anyone around him,” Harley added.
“Ugh. Little brothers are
so
annoying.” But Ryder started laughing, and for a second Harley thought his brother had lost his marbles all over again. “Har, I wouldn’t trade you for anything, you know that, right? Even if you do know all my embarrassing secrets.”
The flight was short, as Marcus had stated, and less than forty-five minutes later they were walking down the steps and onto the tarmac of another private landing strip, this one within sight of the sprawling house Marcus and many of his pack members lived in. Actually, Harley thought of it more as a compound than a house. Whatever, it was huge.
“Wow, a private jet, a handsome guy, and a place like this?” Ryder clicked his tongue. “Maybe I really do want to be the South American Alpha Anax. This shit’s amazing.”
“Yes, it is,” Marcus said as he came up beside them. His white-blond curls were messed and there were what looked like love bites at the base of his neck. Harley reached up and touched the still-tender spot hidden by his collar, where Val had bitten him days ago. He wanted to feel Val taking him like that again.
“We’ll be alone soon,” Val whispered in his ear. “I can see your need in your eyes. It makes me ache for you.”
“I think you two need a room, seeing as how Marcus and I hogged the plane’s bedroom.” Nathan winked and hooked his arm through Marcus’. “Come on, let’s go home.”