Page 61 of Wolf Sacrificed

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.”

Twenty-One

Sloane

I cut the ten minutes into five. My heart pounded so hard in my chest I was afraid it would beat right out.

The black Mustang had pulled over to the side of the road with both doors open. I didn’t see any sign of the Dennings or Alpha Dane’s men.

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