To Have A Human (10 page)

“My pack will tear you apart,” John warned.

“Or I can shoot them. I’m a really good shot.”

“He is,” Denton verified.

“What about my leg?” Frank whined.

“Shift,” Carey shrugged indifferently.

“I’m not shifting in front of you!” Frank exclaimed.

“Then go outside, I don’t care,” Carey said.

“How am I going to get there?” Frank pointed at his leg.

“I can help with that.” Harris picked up the wolf shifter.

Eaton rushed forward to get the door. “After you.”

Harris tossed Frank out the door.

“Nice distance.” Eaton slapped him on the shoulder. “That shot-put training you had really paid off.”

“I thought so,” Harris said proudly.

The five wolves sitting in a circle looked at them curiously.

“Tell your alpha we don’t want to have to kill your pack, but we will if you don’t leave us alone,” Carey warned.

Harris slammed the door.

“Who wants a beer?” Eaton asked.

“Ohh, me!” Denton said.

The other two nodded and a round of beers were opened.

“How long before kitty cat arrives?” Denton asked.

Carey shrugged and took a sip of beer. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

“You think so?” Eaton asked.

“Absolutely. He’s obsessed,” Carey said wryly.

“Your interpersonal skills might need a little work,” Denton offered.

“Hmm. Maybe.” Carey rubbed his chin like he was thinking it over. “No. That can’t be it.”

Carey’s phone rang. “Hello?”

“Carey we have a problem. John Greben has kidnapped Broden. He says he’s going to kill him unless they get you. Come back to Seattle and let’s get Broden back,” Isaac proposed.

“You want me to turn myself in?” Carey asked in surprise. He’d thought Isaac liked him and if Broden found out his beta gave Carey over to the Greben pack, he’d kill him.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Isaac scolded. “I want you to come help us kick their collective asses. That way not only can you get Broden back, but he’ll have to eat his words about you not being able to protect yourself.”

“I like how you think, Isaac,” Carey commented. “We’ll be back in town in about two hours. Where do you want me to meet you?”

“Stop by the office and we can get you some weapons before we head out,” Isaac offered.

“That’s not a problem. Where is the pack located?” Carey had no idea of the pack headquarters. He didn’t generally hang around the part of town where scary wolf packs gathered. His father taught him to protect himself, but not to look for danger.

“They want to do the exchange at Seward Park. I think they believe we’ll be less likely to cause a fuss if we’re in public,” Isaac said.

“Idiots. I’ll call ahead to the human police and tell them to stay away. I’d suggest we go straight to their pack home and hit them where it hurts, but who knows what they’ll do to Broden. They might kill him just to teach us a lesson.”

“Agreed, but we also don’t necessarily need to go in there guns blazing. If you take out the leader of a wolf pack, they fall apart. If we can kill John Greben, it’ll all end quickly,” Isaac stated.

Most wolf packs were attack-now-worry-about-details-later and were completely under the control of their pack alpha. Little individual freedom or thinking took place. If they finished off John Greben, they were golden.

“Do you have a picture of him?”

“Who?” Isaac asked.

“John Greben.” Carey could grab a picture himself from the Internet, but it would save a lot of time if he didn’t have to.

“Yeah, I’ll text it to you. Just come back home,” Isaac pleaded.

“We’re on our way. We just need to pack up and head out.” After exchanging goodbyes, Carey hung up.

Eaton looked at his marshmallows sadly, then stuffed several in his mouth, giving him more of a chipmunk than an eagle look. “I wove mashmawows,” he said with his mouth full.

“That’s so gross,” Denton groaned. “You know I hate it when you talk with stuff in your cheeks.”

Eaton made kissy noises that sounded more like a deranged squirrel than a kiss, making them all laugh.

“Broden’s been kidnapped by the Greben pack. They want to exchange me for him at Seward Park tonight. We’ve gotta get going,” Carey explained.

No one moved.

“Which part of going did you guys not understand?” he asked.

“The part where you think we’re going to exchange you for anyone,” Harris answered.

“I’m not really going to be exchanged. It’s just a ploy to get Broden back and kill their leader John Greben. I won’t be in any danger,” Carey promised.

“I don’t know these cats well enough to trust them with this kind of exchange. I say before we go we call in the big guns,” Denton said.

Eaton nodded and swallowed his marshmallows. “Let’s call your father.”

The city streets shone from the recent rain as they headed to the park, giving everything a blinding glare when oncoming cars flashed their headlights.

Pulling into the parking lot, Carey saw the rest of the office had already arrived.

“You ready, Carey?” Eaton asked. The eagle shifter had his hair tied back and covered with a black beanie, and all four had Kevlar vests and enough weapons to start a revolution. Carey had damn near emptied the cabin’s weapon room.

“As ready as I’m going to get,” Carey replied.

He had a Glock in his underarm holster, a Sig tucked in the back of his waistband and a .38 nestled in his ankle holster, plus every pocket he had was filled with ammo. If that all failed, he had the Bowie knife his dad gave him for his tenth birthday because according to his dad,
if someone pulls a knife on you make sure yours is bigger.

There was no doubt in Carey’s head that the wolves had no intention of letting anyone but Carey leave alive, and that only because they needed him. The more cats they could take out, the better it was for the wolves. Less competition was better for them in the long run.

“Let’s go get your cat,” Denton said. His anticipatory smile would’ve been chilling if Carey hadn’t been sired by tougher stock.

“Looks like the wolves need to be taught some manners,” Harris said in his calm way. Even going into a possible gunfight, Harris never lost his Zen-like tranquility. Carey had seen him bash a rhino shifter’s head in and then calmly finish his sandwich.

In synch, the four friends exited the van and headed toward Isaac’s group. The beta’s eyes widened when he caught sight of them.

“I guess it’s not your first time at this rodeo,” Isaac commented.

“We like to call this a regular Saturday afternoon,” Denton replied.

Isaac examined their gear. “Military grade. How did you get your hands on this stuff?”

“It’s rude to ask where your presents come from when you find them wrapped under the tree,” Eaton said piously.

Carey suppressed his laughter because his dad had given Eaton that particular sniper rifle complete with a big red bow two Christmases back.

“You have hidden depths, alpha mate. I think you’ll fit in just fine,” Isaac’s eyes glowed approvingly while Carey wondered if that was such a good thing or not.

“Have you seen the wolves?” Carey asked.

Isaac nodded to a field away from the parking lot. “Over there.”

Carey nodded and headed in that direction, his friends flanking him on both sides, Harris on his right, Denton and Eaton on his left. He vaguely heard cursing and a stampede of feet following them. Carey kept his focus on the man standing in the middle of the field with a dozen wolf shifters, holding a gun trained on another man lying on the ground.

Carey had wrestled with himself over whether or not he could commit to Broden, but seeing his strong, vibrant lover collapsed on the ground sealed his answer. He loved Broden. Every stubborn, annoying bit of him, and if John Greben hurt one hair on Broden’s head, Carey was going to kill him.

“Took you long enough,” John sneered. He was a handsomer version of his brother, but his eyes had a meaner cast. Carey knew that type of man
—
he’d snap for no reason and beat the crap out of someone, then blame it on the victim later. A bully. Carey knew exactly how to deal with bullies.

“Didn’t your brother tell you we were on the way?” Carey gave Frank an appraising look. The wolf glared back at him.

John laughed, a cold sound holding all the warmth of the winter wind. “He told me you shot him.”

“Yes, I did. I’d have killed him if I’d known you had Broden,” Carey said.

John smiled, his dark eyes lit with a mean mirth. “I like you. You’re almost as ruthless as me. Your big drawback is that you have loved ones. If you have people who love you, you’ll always be weak.”

“Weird, I’ve always thought that’s what makes me strong.” Carey stared at John as if waiting to hear what he was going to say, but in reality he was assessing the situation.

“I like your house,” John said. “While we’re here, I’ve decided to make it my new base. My men are there now, helping themselves.”

Carey laughed. “I somehow doubt that.”

A look of confusion crossed John’s face. “I don’t get you, you’re not the least worried about coming out here and being surrounded by wolves. Even with your backup, you are outnumbered yet you don’t smell the least bit like fear, and neither do your buddies. The cats all stink of it,” he sneered.

“Can we get on with this?” Carey asked in a bored voice. “Give me back my mate and I won’t kill you.”

John threw back his head and laughed. “He’s your mate? This just gets better and better. Sadly, it does mean I can’t kill him if I want your services. Tell you what, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll free Broden here and you come work for me.”

“I have a counter offer. Free Broden and I don’t kill you,” Carey said.

“That’s your counter offer? How about I kill one of your pretty friends?” John moved the gun from Broden and toward Eaton.

“I wouldn’t do that,” Carey said.

“Why not?”

“Because my sniper gets an itchy trigger finger when my friends are threatened,” Carey offered.

“Sniper! Ha! You don’t have a sniper. Who do you think you are?” John taunted.

“Lance, shoot the eagle,” John ordered.

The wolf by John’s right pulled out his gun and pointed it toward Eaton. A loud crack filled the air. A red bullet wound appeared in the center of Lance’s forehead. He toppled to the ground. Before he even hit it, Carey knew he was dead.

“Did you want to try that again?” Carey asked.

John stared at his dead pack member. “I can shoot Broden before your sniper gets me.”

“You can try,” Carey agreed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he waited for John’s answer. “We can do the whole shootout at the OK Corral thing if you’d like, but that sniper taught me everything I know. We will win, and even if we don’t, we’ll kill most of your pack—all so you can get one hacker. You might want to think about that.”

John’s phone rang. Not taking his eyes off Carey, he answered. “What do you mean you can’t take the house?”

Harris’s big body shook with laughter beside Carey.

“Shush, you’ll make him feel bad,” Carey scolded.

Broden still hadn’t moved. Carey wondered if Broden was drugged or if the bruise on his forehead had caused his unconsciousness.

“Get everyone out you can. I’ll talk to the owner.” John hung up with the person on the phone still squawking in the receiver.

“Problem?” Carey asked innocently.

“Your house has apparently eaten ten of my wolves.” John paled.

Denton didn’t try to hide his amusement
—
he threw back his head and laughed.

“A wolf-eating house.” Eaton giggled.

“Enough!” Carey scolded his friends. The traps they’d set captured the wolves in cages beneath the ground. It would take a special pass code to release them. His father had set the system years ago when he’d worried some of his enemies might be interested in capturing or killing his son.

“I’m willing to trade your cat for my wolves. Do we have a deal?” John’s expression showed what he thought of having to make one.

“Deal. I take Broden now and I’ll send your wolves home.”

John scowled. “How do I know you’ll keep your part of the bargain?”

“What am I going to do with a bunch of wolves?” Carey asked.

“Good point. If I don’t see them in two hours, then I’m coming to get them myself.”

“You should come get them,” Carey agreed. “Otherwise, they won’t have a way to get home.”

“I’ll send cars,” John said sourly.

“What did you do to Broden?” Carey had held back asking before because he figured John wouldn’t answer just to spite him.

John pulled a vial out of his pocket. “I drugged him. If you give him this, it’ll counter the drug and he’ll wake up with only a headache for his troubles. Here, catch.”