The Gathering (16 page)

“Okay, okay,” he said. “Give me a second.”
She heard him talking to someone, the shuffling of things on the
other end, and peeked back over the top of the desk. Her heart was
pounding again. If she got caught now… She didn’t even want to
think about it. “All right. You have to stay on the line. It’s
tracing.”

She blew out a breath and sat back down. “Do
you have a pen handy?”

“Yes.”

“Write this number down.” She gave him the
number to the house in Wolf’s Creek. “Call Garrett once you find
out where I am. Tell him the Collective has me and they’re going
public tomorrow.”

“Whoa,” Chad said. “Slow down, Rayna. Where
is Garrett and who is the Collective?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Just call
Garrett.” The sound of someone talking nearly caused her to swallow
her tongue. “Someone is coming. I have to go.”

“Don’t hang up! The trace isn’t
finished.”

Rayna bit her lip as the voices grew louder.
Scrambling to think of what to do, she said, “Call Garrett,” before
standing up, laying the phone on the desk and walking to the
bookshelf on the opposite wall.

Victor and Thaddeus walked into the room a
moment later.

“Ms. Ford,” Victor said. “What are you doing
in my study?”

Rayna smiled and hoped she didn’t look as
rattled as she felt. “I got bored,” she said, shrugging her
shoulder. “I went exploring a bit and saw all the books.” She
turned back to the bookshelf and picked one at random. “You really
should show your guests more consideration, Victor. A girl would
think herself a prisoner the way you treat them.”

A sideways glance to the left and Rayna saw
the phone sitting on the center of the desk. She hoped Chad was
still on the other end. Would Victor notice it had been moved? She
hoped not. At least not while she was still in the room.

Focusing her attention back on him, she held
up the book. “Mind if I borrow this?”

He stared at her, his brows inching down over
his eyes into that hard scowl of his. “If entertainment is what you
wanted Ms. Ford, you should have told Catherine.”

“Oh, well Catherine was long gone before I
got bored.” She walked toward the door, book in hand.

Victor stared at her. “Go back to your room,
Ms. Ford. I won’t have you wandering the halls.” Turning to
Thaddeus, he said, “Go with her, Thad, and make sure she stays
put.”

* * * *

Garrett entered the house and walked into the
midst of chaos. Raised voices filled the foyer, the pack members
seemed anxious, and when no one noticed him in the room, he slammed
the door shut to get their attention.

Bryce turned to look at him and the relief on
his face was evident. “Man, where the hell have you been?”

“Spying on Carmen.” He looked around the room
again. “What’s going on?”

Judith approached, a worried look in her
eyes. “A man called for you. He’s been calling every thirty minutes
for the last four hours.”

Garrett raised an eyebrow. “Who is he?”

Bryce answered. “He said his name was Chad
Burrows and that he’d talked to Rayna. He said she’s in
trouble.”

Garrett’s wolf slid against his bones. It
howled inside his head loud enough to make his ears ring. He’d had
a hard time getting the beast to calm and now, it was all for
nothing. It was agitated again.

He headed down the hall, walking toward the
office, Bryce’s voice a constant echo in his ears. “He said he
knows where Rayna is but refused to tell me.”

“Did he leave a number?” Garrett asked.

“Yeah. It’s on the desk.”

Garrett found the number and recognized it.
It was the police station in Bluff’s Point. He dialed the number,
typed in Chad’s extension, and waited.

“Burrows.”

“Where the hell is she?”

Chad laughed. “It’s nice to hear your voice
too, partner. You sound just as surly as usual.”

Garrett couldn’t help but smile. He’d spent
ten years working along side Chad Burrows on the police force in
Bluff’s Point and leaving his friend behind without a real
explanation had bothered him. Hearing the teasing tone of his voice
let him know there were no hard feelings. “Where is Rayna,
Chad?”

“Tell me what’s going on first.”

“I don’t have time to explain.”

“Funny. That’s the exact same thing Rayna
said.”

At the sound of her name, the wolf pushed
harder. Garrett clenched his jaw and counted to ten. “You’ve talked
to her? Is she all right?”

“Yes and she sounded fine to me. Although she
was a bit rude and I could have sworn she growled at me.”

Garrett grinned. “Do you know where she?”

“Yes.”

“And?” Garrett said after Chad didn’t say
anything further.

“And you’re as impatient as she was. What the
hell has happened?”

The last time he’d seen Chad, Garrett had
looked him in the face and lied, told him he was running off with
Rayna to get married and start their life over someplace new. It
wasn’t a complete lie but the particulars, he’d left out. The why
and where he hadn’t shared with him.

He blew out a tired breath and sat down,
bracing his head on his hand. “She disappeared on me. I’ve spent
hours looking for her.”

The sound of rustling paper and multiple
voices dimmed in the background until nothing was heard but Chad’s
exhaled breath. “She said she was kidnapped. Wanted me to trace the
number she was calling from and told me to tell you the Collective
has her and they’re going public tomorrow, whatever the hell that
means.”

Garrett’s heart skipped a beat. “Fuck,” he
said, hissing the word past his teeth. The Collective had her? They
could only want one thing. For her to prove to the world they
existed.

“I take it that isn’t good news?”

“No.”

“What’s going on, man?”

Garrett ran his hand through his hair. He
didn’t have time to go into the particulars. “I can’t tell you,
Chad. You have to trust me. Just tell me where Rayna is.”

“Not good enough, my friend. Either ‘fess up
or I’ll go after her myself.”

“Don’t do that. You’ll get yourself killed
and I don’t want that on my conscience.”

“Sounds like she’s in more trouble than I
thought.”

“She is.”

“Then tell me what’s going on.”

Garrett looked up and saw Bryce standing at
the door. He could hear the others in the hall, still talking. The
thirty-two remaining pack members were his responsibility now and
they were his to protect. Protect from any and all harm. Protecting
their identities fell into that category. “Trust me, Chad. You’re
better off not knowing.”

Chad was quiet for long minutes before he
sighed. “Fine.”

“Where is she?”

“I’ll tell you once you get here.”

“I’m not coming to Bluff’s Point, Chad.”

“If you want to know where Rayna is, you
will.”

The line went dead before he could say
another word. Garrett slammed the phone down, shouted the word,
“fuck,” before he stood and motioned Bryce out into the hall and
back to the foyer where the rest of the pack still lingered. “I’m
going after Rayna,” he said. “I’ll need help.”

Gavin was the first to step forward. “I’m
in.”

“So am I,” Mitch and Dillon said,
together.

“And me,” Bryce said.

Garrett looked at Bryce and shook his head.
“No. The ones left behind need someone to protect them.” Bryce’s
lip twitched but he didn’t say anything. “As for you, Mitch, you’re
newly turned. You’re not strong enough to take on anyone stronger
than an Omega.”

“I’ll go in Mitch’s place,” Ethan said. Henry
volunteered as well.

Garrett nodded his head and looked at Judith
when she approached him. She demanded to go with them. Garrett
would have argued but didn’t have the time. When his small, rag-tag
team was assembled, he gave them twenty minutes to collect what
they needed before meeting him outside.

While Gavin’s SUV was being loaded, Garrett
watched the people who had volunteered to help him get his mate
back. People he knew put themselves in danger. Judith, he knew only
had Rayna’s interest at heart. She may not have looked old but
Judith mothered Rayna as much as any real mother would have. Gavin
and Dillon, both Alpha’s of the pack, were needed if he had to face
the Collective. He couldn’t fight them alone regardless of what he
thought. He’d need strength in numbers. Ethan and Henry, both older
pack members, were fierce fighters. Not Alpha’s, but close enough
in power that their help wouldn’t be turned away. What they lacked
in strength was compensated in knowledge and skill.

He turned back to the house and looked at
Mitch. He knew he was worried about Rayna. The relationship Rayna
shared with her newsroom partner had always made him wonder if
there weren’t more to it than the casual observer could see. He
knew Mitch cared for Rayna, and her him, but the look on Mitch’s
face made him question again if there was something he didn’t
know.

When Gavin shut the back of the SUV, he
turned to him. “That’s it. We’re ready when you are.”

Garrett nodded at him and walked across the
driveway to Bryce. “If Carmen comes back, don’t let her know I’m
not here and whatever you do, don’t let her in the house.”

Bryce smiled and looked toward the vehicle.
“Call once you have something to tell us. The others will be
wondering how things are going.”

“Will do.” Garrett walked back across the
driveway, looked inside the SUV at the others cramped inside, and
climbed in the front seat. He hoped like hell the trip wouldn’t
drive him crazy. The wolf was restless. It slinked along his limbs,
howled inside his head, and caused Garrett’s temper to flare at
unexpected moments. The wolf’s mate was in danger and he knew until
he had Rayna back, he’d be unpredictable. Bringing so many of the
others along was for everyone’s protection, even his own. If they
didn’t reach Rayna in time, he would lose her. The humans would see
to that the moment she shifted and when that happened, the wolf
wouldn’t rest until they were dead at his feet.

Thaddeus was outside Rayna’s bedroom door
talking to someone. She could hear him laugh every once in a while,
followed by his incessant rambling. The man loved the sound of his
voice, apparently.

He’d camped outside her door just as Victor
told him to do and she knew there would be no getting past him a
second time. Not that getting out would do her much good.

When she’d been brought back, the insane idea
of climbing out the window entered her mind. The fact she was two
stories up didn’t seem to matter much. To get away from these
people, she would chance it.

Without alerting Thaddeus, she’d lifted the
window and was sitting with one leg thrown over the ledge when she
saw movement near the tree line at the back of the property. The
creature that walked out of the shadows caused her heart to skip a
beat. She’d never seen anything so big. Or ugly. Taller than any
man or wolf she’d ever seen, the things skin glowed under the light
of the moon. It’s head looked too big for its body and she couldn’t
be sure but it looked as if horns sprouted from its skull.

She’d climbed back in the window when it
raised its head and a blood-curdling scream filled the night
air.

Hearing Thaddeus laugh again, Rayna looked
toward the door before crossing the room and jiggling the doorknob.
“Open up!” To her surprise, the door opened a few seconds
later.

“What is it, Ms. Ford?”

The man standing with Thaddeus was young and
Rayna was shocked to see him. Shoulder length blonde hair glistened
with copper and gold highlights. His eyes were hazel and the smile
he gave her caused his features to soften a bit. It made his jaw
look less stern. She blinked up at him before turning her attention
to Thaddeus. “What are those things in the forest?”

“What things?”

She rolled her eyes. “Those creatures. I saw
one near the tree line.” The blonde stiffened and Rayna could tell
by the look on his face whatever those things were, he didn’t like
them. “What are they?”

“Nothing you want to ever come face to face
with,” Thaddeus said. He glanced over her shoulder. “Surely you
weren’t going to jump from a second story window?”

Rayna shrugged her shoulder. “What’s a broken
leg when immediate death is in my future?”

Thaddeus sighed. “No one is going to kill
you, Ms. Ford. The world will be so amazed at your transformation,
they’ll write your name in the history books for generations to
come. You’re going to be famous.”

She smirked at him and leaned her shoulder
against the doorframe. “If it’s so fabulous, then why have none of
you volunteered for the job?”

The blonde grinned and elbowed Thaddeus on
the arm. “She has a point. Why didn’t you offer yourself up to be
the martyr?”

“Shut up,” Thaddeus said, glaring at the
blonde.

Rayna raised an eyebrow at the newcomer. He
grinned and said, “I’m Nicolas Mears,” before offering her his
hand. The smile on his face looked friendly enough but she didn’t
trust anyone in this house, regardless of the fact they were civil
toward her. She sniffed at him, ignoring his outstretched hand,
before curling her lip. “You’re not a wolf. But you’re
something.”

He grinned and lowered his arm. “Lion.”

A lion shifter. Just like Thaddeus. “You’re
awfully young to be a Breed leader.”

“I’m not.” He shoved his hands in his pockets
and glanced at Thaddeus. “A Breed leader, that is. I’m only here
because he insisted I be a part of history.”

When Rayna glanced at Thaddeus, she saw the
resemblance. Their hair was almost the exact same color, their
facial features were similar, their eyes, duplicates of the other.
These two were related by blood. “Let me guess,” she said. “This
unfortunate old goat is your father?”