Van, Becca - Mate for Three [Pack Law 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (12 page)

Talia made it to the first-floor landing. She wanted to turn and run, but she knew Michelle’s suite of rooms was on this level, and the last thing she wanted was to lead the evil bastard to his goals. She ignored the landing and began to move up the steps faster, hoping she wouldn’t misplace her feet as she was moving backward. She heard footsteps and knew her luck had run out. She turned her head and saw Michelle walking along the first-floor hallway.

She pleaded with her eyes for Michelle to run. Talia sighed with relief as Michelle fled back down the corridor and turned to flee when Tony Picotti was distracted by the sight of the bolting woman. She didn’t get very far. She screamed in pain as a tight fist gripped her hair, and she fell back a couple of steps, slamming into the chest of the evil man behind her.

Talia froze when she felt the cold steel of the knife blade against her throat..

“Tell me,” Tony snarled in her ear, “was that Talia? Maybe I need to go introduce myself to her.”

“No,” she whimpered. “I’m Talia. I’m the one you’re looking for.” She was so scared that her whole body was cold and she was trembling uncontrollably. But if she could keep the man from going after Michelle, at least her Alpha queen and baby Stefan would be safe. Deciding she may as well finish the job, she blurted, “That chip you’re looking for is gone! My mates destroyed it. There’s no more werewolf serum.” Some part of her had hoped he would let her go once he knew the truth, but Tony only gripped her more tightly.

“I don’t believe you,” he said in her ear. “Did your useless husband give you the serum already? I know he wanted to make you his queen.” He paused, his breath hot in Talia’s ear. “Maybe he had the right idea.”

“I am not a werewolf, and I wouldn’t fuck you if you were the last man on Earth,” Talia raged then ground the heel of her shoe against his shin.

Talia sobbed when he just cursed and didn’t let her go. He pulled on her hair so hard, tears of pain leaked from her eyes.

Low rumbling growls and howls filled the air, and she knew in that moment her mates and the other males of the pack were close by.

“You won’t get away with this. You’re surrounded by werewolves. They will rip you apart,” Talia said and cursed the wobble she heard in her own voice.

“Nah. You are my ticket out of here, sweetness. God, you smell nice. I can’t wait to fuck you,” Tony whispered in her ear. “You’re coming with me. I can use you to bargain for that serum.”

Talia gagged. She was surrounded by his evil stench and was afraid she would be sick. He wrapped an arm tightly around her breasts and shoulders and began to pull her down the stairs. The tip of the knife blade had pierced her skin in several places on her throat, the cuts were stinging, and she could feel her blood trickling down over her neck.

Tony pulled her toward the side door which led to the carport outside. She didn’t know if her mates and the other wolves would be able to save her. Tony held the knife tight across her throat. She was too scared to swallow in case she ended up hurting herself against the sharp blade. He walked her through the open doorway and pulled her out into the night.

The hair on her nape stood on end as growls erupted all around them. Tony didn’t stop. He just kept right on going. They were surrounded by wolves, but that didn’t seem to faze Picotti. Her eyes connected with Chris’s, Blayk’s, and James’s. She let them see all the love she felt for them in her eyes. She could see their fury as they looked back at her, but she could also see their anguish. She didn’t want to leave the loves of her life. She had only just found them. Tony didn’t give any of the wolves a chance to get at him from behind. He kept his back to the wall of the carport, and then pulled her through the open door of the large SUV.

Talia hoped for an opportunity to escape, but she didn’t get the chance. He got into the front of the vehicle and pulled her on top of him.

“Close the door or I’ll slit your throat here and now,” Tony commanded harshly.

Talia reached for the door and pulled it closed, the sound of the locks engaging echoing through the car. There was an awkward scuffle as Tony tried to get across the front seat. She whimpered as he pushed her off his lap and into the driver’s seat and handed her the keys.

“Drive, bitch.”

It took Talia three tries before she was able to get the key in the ignition. She gave her mates one last look and drove down the driveway. Talia knew she was never going to see her mates again.

Chapter Eleven

Chris memorized the license plate as he watched his mate disappear from sight. He changed back to his human form and raced for the study. He stopped short when the smell of blood permeated his senses. He looked behind him to see Blayk and James, as well as his Alphas and the others, on his heels. Blayk sniffed, taking in the coppery smell of blood, and then his brother headed for the kitchen. Someone in there was hurt or even dead. He couldn’t think about that now. He wanted to get to the phone and report Talia’s abduction to the authorities. The sooner there was an APB out on the vehicle and the asshole that had his mate, the better.

Men went running in every direction. His Alphas bounded up the stairs, obviously intent on checking on their mate and son. Chris ran toward the study. He grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1. James entered the room and threw some clothes at him as he hung up the phone. He pulled them on and grabbed his keys. Blayk would be busy tending to whoever was hurt, so it was up to him and James to track Talia. He ran outside and got into his truck. James was close behind him, and his brother jumped in his own vehicle. They went roaring down the driveway, heedless of the gravel spraying from beneath their tires.

Chris turned right at the end of the drive, and James headed left. They had to split up if they wanted to find their mate. Chris’s heart beat a painful, rapid tattoo in his chest. He felt sick to his stomach with fear as he remembered the blood trickling down Talia’s throat from several nicks in her skin. He wanted to find that motherfucker and tear his head from his body. Chris knew who the fucker was on sight. He had found his name when he looked at Paul’s Swiss bank account. He had run a check on Tony Picotti and had found a photograph of the bastard in a large newspaper.

He pushed the
answer
button on his Bluetooth when his cell phone rang.

“Yeah,” Chris snapped.

“Hey, man, we’re on our way to help.” Greg’s voice came over the speaker. “You need to be very careful if you find them. The man who has her is the mob leader, Tony Picotti.”

“I know. Fuck,” Chris roared, fear forming a larger knot in his gut. “He’s won’t hesitate to kill my mate. We have to find them.”

“The cops are on it and the Feds have been called in. If we can’t find him, they will,” Greg stated. “I’ll be on your tail in a few.”

“Does James know who we’re dealing with?” Chris asked.

“Yeah, Jake’s calling him as we speak. Cindy was hurt, but Blayk’s looking after her and she’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

“What about Michelle and Stefan?”

“Safe and well. Your woman let Michelle know there was danger and she locked herself in her rooms.”

“Thank God.”

“Yeah. The Feds are already in Aztec. They had a tail on Picotti, but he gave them the slip. They’re scouring the countryside for him. He won’t get away,” Greg said.

“That’s not what I’m worried about. He has my woman and she’s hurt. God, I can still see the blood on her throat,” Chris rumbled.

“Keep it together, man. You can’t lose it now. Talia needs you,” Greg said in a calm voice.

“Yeah, I know,” Chris replied with a sigh.

“I’m on your six,” Greg stated.

“I see you. Thanks, Greg,” Chris said and ended the call.

* * * *

Talia was so scared, she was in danger of wetting her pants. She was having trouble concentrating on driving. The SUV swerved again, and she corrected the wheel as she felt the knife blade prick the skin of her neck, yet again.

“Keep it together, bitch. You and me are gonna have so much fun. I can just see it now. I am going to have all the werewolves bowing down to me and nobody is going to be able to stop me.”

Her peripheral vision caught movement, and Talia glanced over at him. He grabbed hold of her hair and ran his tongue up the side of her face, and then he laughed at her as she tried to shrink away. Her stomach roiled with revulsion. Air rushed in and out of her mouth as she tried to control her nausea. She had no idea where they were going, but she tried to push her panic down deep. She had to try and keep her wits about her if she was going to have a chance at escaping the sick bastard.

She tried to reason with him. “I told you that I don’t have the information you’re looking for. Now you’ve got a lot of angry wolves after you.”

“Yeah,” Tony grunted. He didn’t sound nearly as confident as he had before. “Those wolves…Big, aren’t they?”

She could tell he was rattled. It crossed Talia’s mind that he’d panicked back on the stairs when he heard the wolves returning. Probably he had never intended on kidnapping her in the first place. The thought filled her with helpless rage. Why did this keep happening to her? Why was it she always ended up in trouble and in the hands of sick motherfuckers? Maybe she could grab the upper hand now that Picotti was nervous. She took a few deep breaths and pushed her fear to the back of her consciousness.

Talia saw flashing blue-and-red lights up ahead and knew the police were looking for her. Her men must have contacted the authorities, and she felt relief permeate her body when she finally realized she wasn’t alone. She hoped Chris, Blayk, and James were okay. She knew they would be out looking for her. She had seen the anguish in their eyes even when they were still in their wolf forms. She had wanted to run to them and hug them to her tight.

Talia slowed the SUV as the flashing lights came closer and closer. She hoped the police would be able to cut her off and get her out of Tony’s clutches. The man had such insane dreams of power and grandeur. She only wished the prick hadn’t pulled his safety belt on.

“Put your foot flat to the floor and don’t swerve,” Tony commanded in a hard voice.

“What? Are you trying to get us killed?” Talia asked incredulously.

“Don’t sweat it, sweetheart. Cops don’t play chicken very well,” he replied with a chuckle, then pricked her neck with the knife. “Do it!”

Talia was thankful they were on a straight stretch of road and prayed she would be able to keep the vehicle under control. She planted her foot on the accelerator, and the pedal met the floor. She clutched the wheel so hard her knuckles turned white.

The police flew past the car, a blur on either side of her since she was now driving in the middle of the road. She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw smoke rising from the tires as they slid along the asphalt of the road.

She looked out front again and saw more lights up ahead. It didn’t look like they were moving. She just hoped they hadn’t blocked the entire road. The last thing she wanted to do was crash into a stationary vehicle at such a high speed. She glanced down to the dash and gasped when she saw how fast they were traveling. She knew that if she were to crash she would be a dead woman.

A bubble of hysteria rose in her throat in the form of laughter. She didn’t know what she was worrying for. She was a dead woman anyway. There was no way in hell she was letting that bastard touch her.
Think, Talia. You have to do something! You can’t let him win!

Talia sped past the two police cars on the side of the road. She heard a pop, and then she struggled with the steering wheel. The police must have put spikes across the road, and now the tires of the vehicle had blown out. She slammed on the brakes and used all her strength to keep the vehicle straight and upright. She felt the car teeter on two wheels, and she pulled her foot from the brake. The SUV slammed back down onto four wheels, and she went to put her foot on the brake, but the knife at her throat pressed harder.

“Floor it, sweet cheeks.”