20. Twenty

I jerked upright, fully awake. “We have to get to them before your father does.”

Sawyer held up a hand. “You can’t. You will be walking right into a trap.”

I gritted my teeth. Alpha Charles had made a mistake. His men didn’t deserve to die because of it.

“We have to help them,” I insisted. “I can’t just sit here while they’re hunted down and murdered.”

Sawyer sat on the bed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t. Just think it through and make sure you have reinforcements.”

I shifted off the bed and stood, rocking up onto my tiptoes and stretching my arms over my head. “I’ll put together a team to intercept. How many enforcers do you think I need to bring?”

Sawyer stared at me, his mouth ajar. His eyes widened, and he cleared his throat as he handed me my discarded shirt.

I’d forgotten I was completely naked. It was good to know that I still had that effect on him. I hated that he was so far away.

I took the shirt from him and slipped it on. I turned to grab my pants from the floor and found Lincoln staring at Sawyer.

I looked between the two men. “Everything okay?”

It was like they were having some weird conversation that didn’t include me.

Lincoln huffed and pointed at his brother accusingly. “He’s keeping something from us, sweetheart. I just don’t know what.”

I frowned, scrutinizing Sawyer. “How can you tell?”

I didn’t sense deception coming from him. Worry, yes. But wasn’t that a natural thing for us now?

Lincoln arched a brow at his brother. “He has a tell when he’s hiding something. See the crease by his left eye?” He dragged his finger by his own eye.

I squinted. “Yeah.”

Lincoln nodded. “That’s his tell.”

Sawyer cursed under his breath. “We don’t have time for this. Dad’s team is closing in on the group now. If you’re going to help, you have to act now. It might already be too late.”

I hopped into my pants. “How far away are they?”

Sawyer rubbed his hands on his pants as he stared at the floor. “About an hour from here. I think. I’m not caught up with the team yet, but I should hit your town about the same time they do, just from the opposite direction.”

They were making their way to the pack. At least they were trying to.

“If they get too close…” I began.

Lincoln jumped to his feet, hurried to the dresser, and grabbed some clothes for himself. “Dad won’t let them get here. He’ll kill them first, even if it means he can’t set a trap for us.”

I found a pair of socks and tugged them on, followed by my shoes. “How long until your dad makes that call?”

Sawyer stared off at a spot over my shoulder. “I don’t know. Soon.”

I kneeled in front of his position on the bed, grasping his hands. “Try to hold them off as long as you can. We’re on our way.”

I gave him a quick peck.

His lips still pressed against mine when he disappeared, leaving me to kiss the air. My heart clenched, immediately missing his earthy pine scent and full lips. If I hurried, I would see him soon in person.

Lincoln put a hand on my shoulder. “Come on, sweetheart. We have to get moving.”

Lincoln led the way out into the hall. His footsteps thumped against the floorboards as he stomped toward the living room.

The pack’s conversations died to a whisper when they saw me emerge from behind him. I did a quick glance around the room to see who was here. A few dozen enforcers. Good.

I marched to the middle of the room. “We just got word that Charles Denning’s pack was attacked by Alpha Dane. A few men were able to escape, and they’re trying to make their way here. We believe there is a small group pursuing them, but I am asking for all off-duty volunteers who would like to accompany me to come. I want to make sure that we can bring them in safely and quickly.”

The room fell deathly silent, so all I could hear was the pounding of my pulse echoing in my ears. I held my breath, and then slowly, one by one, enforcers stood.

There were twenty-three volunteers by my count. I couldn’t keep the smile from forming on my face. I didn’t know these men since only a handful were from my home pack. This was good, though. It meant I really had cemented my place as alpha.

I grabbed a set of car keys from the rack hanging by the door. “Let’s take six vehicles. There isn’t time to assign groups. We have to act now. Please, just get into a car if there’s space.”

The enforcers filed toward the door, and a series of thumps sounded as they went to their respective vehicles and clambered inside.

I turned to Brandon and grasped his elbow. “Call Sheriff Adam for me, please. Let him know what’s happening and have him call me if he sees any two-door black Mustangs.”

Brandon bowed his head. “I’ll do that right now.”

“Thank you.”

Lincoln held the screen door for me, and we jogged down the steps. I clicked the unlock button and surveyed the line of parked cars until one lit up. Then I motioned for Lincoln to follow me.

This time I took the driver’s seat. I jammed the keys into the ignition and pulled the stick into reverse. The gravel crunched beneath the tires as I peeled out and shoved the gear into drive.

Lincoln wiped his hands on his pants as his gaze wandered to the woods, looking both left and right.

I sped down the drive, taking it so fast that I left a dust trail in my wake. “Do you see anything out there?”

He shook his head. “No. I just can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right.”

I pushed down on the brake, slinging gravel as I stopped at the end of the drive. I did a quick double take to make sure I wasn’t pelting anyone behind me. The other cars were far enough back, so I didn’t think I was hitting them with the rocks.

“What do you mean?” I asked. “With the intel Sawyer gave us or something else?”

He pursed his lips. “Sawyer wouldn’t give us bad information. He’s hiding something. I’m guessing it’s related to my dad.”

I pulled onto the road and then reached over and put my hand on top of his. “I’m sure whatever it is, he will tell us when he needs to.”

Lincoln closed his eyes and let his head fall back against the headrest. “Yeah. You’re probably right.”

I licked my lips. His unease wrapped around me like an ice bath.

“So what’s wrong, then?” I asked.

He clenched his jaw. “You know Sawyer. He’s so busy watching out for us, I’m just worried that he’s going to put himself in danger. Nobody there is watching his back. There is only so much you and I can do when we’re miles away.”

His voice sounded strained, and he shook his head as he looked out the window.

I flexed my hands out over the wheel. “You think he’s in danger?”

A lump formed in my throat. I’d thought the same thing a few dozen times.

Alpha Dane might be crazy, but he wasn’t dumb. It was only a matter of time before he caught on to what Sawyer was doing. I’d seen what happened to Lincoln. It would be worse for Sawyer because he intentionally stayed to deceive him and feed us intel, and he was the next alpha. His punishment would be harsher.

Probably even death.

I shuddered as cold chills zipped down my spine, making goose bumps pebble my skin. We couldn’t let that happen. When we saw him, we’d put our foot down and demand he stay. It was time.

Lincoln fiddled with his seat belt, pulling it away and letting it snap back against his chest. “Sawyer is the golden child. After my mom and Hannah died, Dad paid extra attention to him. Mikey and I were afterthoughts. He’s always paid closer attention to him because of it. Dad might be distracted by what he’s doing, but only to a degree. Sawyer is his next in line. Believe me, he’s watching him.”

I gripped the wheel tighter as a cold sweat broke out on my brow. “Then we have to convince him to stay with us when we see him. We won’t take no for an answer. It would be suspicious if he was the only one who survived, and he came back empty-handed.”

Lincoln’s voice came out rough and low. “We might not see him. He’s so busy trying to keep up appearances that he might keep a low profile while we take out the team.”

I tapped my fingers against the steering wheel, needing something to do with them. “But then he’ll be the only one who goes back.”

I pounded my palm on the steering wheel. Didn’t he see the problem?

“I know. But he also can’t risk someone seeing him talking to us or helping.”

I shifted in my seat, sitting up straighter and leaning forward as I zeroed in on the road. “What if the trap isn’t for us? What if he’s testing Sawyer?”

Lincoln’s lips pinched as the worry on his face deepened. “Dad would have to be careful setting a trap. He wouldn’t want to alert Sawyer he was onto him.” He put a hand on his forehead. “This is all speculation. Dad has been preoccupied with everything, and with Mikey’s death, he’s got to still be reeling from that. I don’t think he’s worried about Sawyer. Not yet.”

I opened my mouth to protest, but my phone rang through the car. I hit the green answer button on the dash. “Hey, Brandon.”

The phone cut in and out for a moment. “I just got off the phone with Sheriff Adam.”

It cut out again.

I held my breath but realized I might have missed what he said when he didn’t continue. “And? Has he seen or heard anything?”

The phone crackled, and then his voice evened out, coming out clearly. “He has seen one black two-door Mustang with four men in it. They’re traveling down the main highway, going at slower-than-normal speeds. He wanted to pull them over for questioning, but I advised against it.”

I nodded as I flipped on my blinker to turn down a shortcut to the town’s center. “Good thinking. The less involved the police are, the better. I’m hoping we can avoid another fiasco. Any word on Alpha Charles’s men?”

“No sightings yet. But Sloane, if they’re coming in from the west, they’re going to hit the river. With all the rain, the water is rough. They’ll either cut through it or hit the main road.”

I exhaled slowly and narrowed my eyes like that would help me see into their minds to know what they might be thinking. That water could be treacherous with the rapids. There were signs warning against swimming nearby. Two people had died not that many years ago. Alpha Charles’s men wouldn’t know that, though.

The question was, would they risk it? I glanced over at Lincoln, who was studying me. We had risked it and been okay, but of course it had been a different river. It would cover their tracks, but it wasn’t a secret where they were heading, and the road would be faster.

I chewed my lip for a long moment. “Put together a team that will move along the riverbank. I don’t want anyone in the water, but be on the lookout in case they come through that way, and let me know. My team will continue down the road.”

Brandon didn’t say anything for a while, and I wondered if maybe we’d cut out. I chanced a quick look at the dash. We were still connected.

I frowned. “Brandon, you there?”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah. I got it. I’ll let you know if we see anything.”

“Thanks. Be careful.”

His voice cut out again. “Thanks…too.”

I ended the call. We were going to bring the survivors home safe and sound. Their alpha had failed to protect them and had paid the ultimate price. No one else would die on my watch.

I flexed my hands on the wheel. “Text the others. Let them know there is only one car in pursuit.”

We had Alpha Dane’s men outnumbered, but I wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating them.

I pushed down on the gas harder, accelerating to speeds that would make Sheriff Adam pull me over if he saw us.

I checked the rearview mirror. My men were right on my tail.

Lincoln’s phone chimed. He shifted in his seat, lifting his butt as he dug the phone out of his back pocket. “Sawyer?”

Sawyer yelled so loud even I could hear him. “How far out are you? We’re just on the other side of town by the ice cream shop. They have them cornered right on the side of the road and have apprehended them. I told them to wait for me to get there, but I don’t know if they will.”

We were already going eighty, but I pushed it to ninety. We were about ten minutes out.

“Stall them, Sawyer,” I told him. “We’re coming.”