Kate Allenton (12 page)

    
Cathy shook her head. What did she know about Edward really? Hell, what did she really know
about any of them? Cathy pulled his hand to stop him. “What floor is Tessa on?”

    
Ethan slowed down and turned around. Cathy was two steps above him making him eye level
with her. His concerned eyes landed on her lips before meeting her gaze “Why?”

    
“We’re going to need her help.”

    
Ethan vehemently shook his head. “No, absolutely not. You can’t trust her.”

    
Needing him to understand, Cathy clasped both of Ethan’s hands. “You didn’t see the way she
looked at Jonah. She may not help us, but she’ll help him.”

    
Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose. “What does Jonah have to do with me getting you out of
here?”

    
Cathy stepped around Ethan and continued down to the bottom level. “He’s going with us, and
we’re going to need some medical supplies.”

    
Ethan jerked Cathy to a stop before she could push out of the stairwell. “No, he’ll slow us
down.”

    
“He’s coming with us.” He wasn’t going to win this one. She crossed her arms over her chest
and narrowed her eyes. “I’m not leaving him behind. The wolves might kill him.”

    
Ethan growled, grabbed her hand, and pulled her through the door. He whispered as they
walked down to the end of the corridor. “Act natural.”
He
turned to her and winked. “Well, as
normal as possible for
you.”

    
Joking was something they shouldn’t be doing
right
now. The more she thought about it, the
stranger it became. There was no way Edward would
do
this to her. No way would he have sent
people to ransack her room, and there was no way
he
would hurt her.

    
Ethan pulled the basement door open and
motioned
for her to stay at the top of the stairs. She
trotted down behind him, receiving only a little
growl
from her so-called mate. The minute she
started to listen to him was the minute hell would
freeze
over. Ethan rounded the corner and shook
Beefy’s hand before talking in hushed tones. Jonah
stood
at the cell with his fingers wrapped tightly
around the bars, the chain still shackled around
his leg.
His eyes bulged, and he gave her a quick and
subtle shake of his head as if in warning.

    
Cathy stilled, her eyes following Jonah’s. They
zeroed
in on Beefy before meeting her gaze
again. He mouthed the word vial and that was all
it took.
Things were about to go down the crapper
and quick. Cathy reached
inside her pocket and pulled out the last tranquilizer
dart she’d taken when
she first arrived. She palmed it while Ethan was chatting it up with Beefy. She maneuvered around
behind him and lifted her hand to plunge the needle. Only she wasn’t quick enough.

Several things happened at once. Cathy flew across the room and into the wall. Her head hit
with a hard thud, and she slid down the wall. She watched through glazed eyes as Ethan lunged for
Beefy. Fist flew, and punches were landing. Cathy pushed to her feet and tried to gain her balance as
grunts and curses went on around her. She blinked rapidly and opened her hand. Her gaze flew over
the floor, landing on the midway point between her and the fighting where the tranquillizer dart lay.
If one of the guys stepped on it and broke the needle, the dart would be worthless.

    
“What the hell are you doing?” Tessa called out from the bottom of the stairs. They both
looked down at the dart before meeting each other’s gaze, and they both lunged for it. Tessa was
faster, beating Cathy to it. The knot forming on her head might have played a small part in how slow
she was, but that didn’t matter. Ethan and Cathy and even Jonah were up shit’s creek without a
paddle.

    
Tessa stood, and a look of triumph crossed her face before she turned and shoved the
tranquillizer in Beefy’s neck and pushed the plunger. Beefy stopped fighting at once and dropped to

his knees. The look of disbelief on his face probably matched everyone else’s in the room. Cathy had
had an inkling that Tessa was fond of Jonah, but she couldn’t have imagined the woman would turn
against her own pack…for a human. Unless there was a reason she’d turned so protective…

    
Cathy’s hand flew to cover her mouth to stop
herself
from blurting it out. Ethan stepped over
the fallen commando and offered Cathy his
hand.

    
She clasped it, and he pulled her up. Concern
filled
his eyes as he tilted her head looking at the
bump that felt like it had grown in the seconds since
it
had happened.

    
She shooed his hands away, they had more
pressing
issues to deal with. Before she could voice
her concern he pressed a chaste kiss against her
lips, and
then they turned to find that Tessa had
already taken the keys from the guard and had Jonah
out
of his cell. He had his arm thrown over her
shoulder with his hand pressed against his ribs. He
was
worse than when she’d left him. Some

asshole was going to pay. She’d make sure they
did. Tessa
held Cathy’s gaze, and a silent

understanding passed between them. Tessa’s concern
was
for Jonah even if the men hadn’t caught
on yet; Cathy understood.

    
Cathy squeezed Ethan’s hand and glanced
up. “You
need to carry him.”

    
He silently nodded and grunted when lifting
Jonah
over his shoulder. The IT guy never
complained from the pressure
on his battered body. The scrunch on his face
told her he was in pain,
and the sweat on his forehead was a sure indicator that he really did need medical help. “We’ve got
to get to the roof. We probably have only minutes before they realize we’re on to them.”

    
Neither Tessa nor Cathy questioned why they were going to the roof. They both trusted that
Ethan knew what he was talking about. What she wouldn’t have given to have Tara’s teleportation
ability. Being able to pop in and out from place to place would be their sure ticket out of this jam.

    
Cathy palmed the doorknob and glanced back. “The elevator or the stairs?”

Tessa moved past them and peeked out the door. “Let me go call the elevator. No one will
question me. Watch for my signal.”

    
Cathy nodded, letting Tessa slip through the door before she pulled it closed to just a crack so
she could keep an eye on movement in the hallway. With purposeful strides, Tessa strolled to the
elevator and pushed the button. She folded her arms across her chest, tapping her fingers against her
skin. Her lips were turned down in a frown. If Cathy had been oblivious to the situation and walked
past Tessa wearing such a pissed-off, don’t-mess-with-me expression, she would have avoided the
woman.

    
A year ago she wouldn’t have believed that shifters existed, and now…. Well, now anything was
possible. She heard the elevator ding and waited for the hand signal. Tessa stepped inside the

elevator, holding the doors open and gestured for them to hurry. They moved quickly and silently
until they were absconded behind the elevator doors.
She
held in her breath and drew her gun not
knowing what might await them on the roof.
Jonah sat on the
floor, and Ethan was climbing the
small railing around the edge of the small compartment. He yanked the camera, pulling it out of the
wall, and threw it on the ground.

    
“We’ve only got minutes before security alerts Edward to where we are.”

    
Ethan picked up Jonah again while the elevator numbers climbed higher. Ten floors to go.
Thank god no one had tried to stop the elevator.
Seven
floors and Cathy held her breath. Two

floors and her shoulders tensed. Her heart raced.

    
“What’s the plan when we get to the top?”

    
“Keep your head down and run for the helicopter.” Ethan nodded to the gun. “You remember
how to use that?”

    
Cathy ejected the clip and shoved it back in.
She
chambered a round and met his gaze.

He nodded his approval. Tessa pulled what
looked
like a dart gun out of her doctor bag and
grasped it tight in her right
hand, keeping a sure grip on the bag in her other.
The elevator dinged.
The doors slid open as anticipation ate away at Cathy’s gut. A gust of wind met them as they hurried
to the helicopter. She didn’t waste any time climbing onboard. She settled into the seat next to the
pilot. Ethan unhooked the restraints securing their ride before climbing into the seat next to her.
The others settled in the seats behind them. Ethan started the blades and forewent the security
check. He flicked the switch, and the blades whirled to life in a fury that matched her heartbeat. In a
matter of a few minutes, they lifted into the air, hovering over the building and grounds below. Her
stomach lurched as she glanced down at the scene below.

    
Edward and several of his men were still at the gazebo. Several of the wolves had axes in their
hands, each swinging at or near the section where she’d been leaning against the railing. The alpha
cupped his hand above his eyes to block the sun and looked up. His mouth hung open, the farther
and faster they climbed, the smaller he appeared. He held up his hand as if he could just pick them
out of the sky or as if she would actually grab it. She didn’t trust him…not anymore. She trusted
Ethan with her life, after hearing how Black described mated pairs. Unlike Jonah, she trusted him as
far as she could throw him, and, well, Tessa was an unknown, but if Cathy’s guess was right, the she-
wolf wouldn’t be leaving Jonah’s side. Cathy turned in her seat. Jonah was settled in a seat, leaning

against the window. Tessa had her hand to his forehead like a mom checking for a temperature. Was
it just the doctor in her that prompted her to take care of Jonah or was it more? Cathy would have
bet money it was more.

    
Cathy turned back around in time to see Ethan motion to the headset he had on and then point
to another set hanging next to Cathy. She picked
them up and
put them on.

    
“Hang on tight, princess.” Ethan’s voice was
smooth
as velvet and clear as crystal.

    
“Where are we going?” she asked into the microphone and grasped the handle above her head.

    
Ethan banked right, and they flew farther and
farther
away from the wolves with the vials safely
tucked away in her pocket. She’d only mentioned
the
vials held powers to Edward. She hadn’t

pointed out or told him the truth about the second serum, the killing serum. They were headed
south and farther away from Black and his merry
band of
goons, away from Edward and his need
for the serum, away from Tara and the rest of the Phantoms. Black would still be coming for her.
She knew it deep down in her bones. Cathy pulled
out
her phone to see if she’d missed any calls
from Tara.

Tessa’s voice broke through the silence. “Wherever we’re going, we need to ditch the helo.
They can track it.” Cathy glanced back to find the she-wolf had her own headset on.

    
Ethan nodded. “I’ve
got it covered.”

    
Cathy leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes. The feelings in her heart and the
thoughts in her head battled against each other. Relying on Ethan was a bitter pill to swallow. She’d
hoped and dreamed of the day she’d find the one man that was supposed to be hers. Having been
hurt and not trusted with the truth, her head and heart were in a constant state of conflict.