Page 47 of Healer's Call

“Get her out of there, Mike,” Cade says now in our ears. “We’re meeting you at the rendezvous point.” I keep walking, feeling adrenaline coursing through my system. We walk outside, and Mike doesn’t slow down. When we stop at a car I don’t recognize, he stops. “This is mine. Here.” He shoves keys into my hand and I stare at him in confusion. “Drive,” he demands.

Scared to death that they’re going to come after us out here, I do what he says without arguing. I climb in and start the car. He climbs in a moment later. “Go.”

I pull away from the curb, glancing in my rearview mirror. “Why am I driving your car exactly?”

“Because I need two hands free.”

It’s then that I notice the gun in his hand, resting on his thigh. “What are you doing with that?” I whisper.

“Making sure we get away.”

That's all he says, but I feel my heart increase its speed. “You think they’ll come after us?” I ask, glancing behind us.

“You mean the men that are trying to murder an entire pack—men, women, and children?” His voice holds no emotion.

I fall silent at his words. “Where do we go?” I ask when we come to the end of the road.

“Left at the light. We’re heading to Orange Park.”

“I don’t know where that is,” I say, my voice sounding panicky.

He glances in his side mirror before glancing over at me. “Oh, now you decide to panic? Not when you decide to just ask them outright if they’re the ones murdering your pack?”

I don’t correct him on the fact that it’s not my pack. I can feel the censure in his words. “I was trying to get the information we needed.”

“You don’t need to explain it to me,” he says. “I’m not the one you’re going to have to answer to.”

His ominous words give me a stomachache, and I suddenly fear seeing Cade and the other shifters. I follow his directions to a park nearby. I haven’t even finished parking when Mike’s door is wrenched open, and he’s dragged from the car. I scream in fear and fumble with my seatbelt managing to finally get out. I run around to the other side of the car and see Maverick hasMike up against a wall with a hand at his throat. Knowing Mike has a gun, I shout as I run toward them. “Maverick, stop!”

“Get your hands off me,” Mike says in anger. “I didn’t do anything.”

I can’t hear Maverick’s response because it’s too low, but Cade takes over the situation. “Mav, get off him!” Mav doesn’t listen for a moment. Finally, he releases him and then whirls on me.

“And you! What the—”

“Mav!” Cade shouts at him.

But Maverick ignores him and strides toward me, fury coming off him in waves. “What do you think you were doing in there? Trying to blow this entire thing?”

I stiffen my shaky legs and use the adrenaline still coursing through my system to strengthen me. I lift my head. “I did what I needed to do, Maverick; and I’m not going to be treated like a two-year old by you.”

“Then you shouldn’t act like one!” he thunders.

My anger is rising, and it’s not a good feeling. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I got angry, truly angry. “I made the best decision I could. I got the information, didn’t I? You know as well as I do that they’re guilty. You could see it all over their faces, faces and reactions I have on a recording. So maybe instead of yelling at me, you should be thanking me.”

It’s deadly silent for a moment; then I hear a snort. “You just got told, Mav.” I don’t turn around to see which guy said that.

His eyes narrow, and I can tell he’s going to go at it again with me. “I’m not having this conversation with you until you calm down, Mav.” Then I turn and walk over to the waiting car. Cade gives me a nod and a small smile when I walk past him, and Stu fist bumps me. Van gives me a high five, and even Eli gives me a nod when I walk past him.

I glance back and see Cade talking to Maverick, but Mav’s eyes are on me. It’s too far away for me to hear what Cade is saying, but I can see that Maverick is still angry. I climb into the backseat of one of the cars, so I don’t have to see him anymore. It doesn’t take long for Stu to climb in the front passenger seat. Cade sits in the driver’s seat, and Eli climbs into the seat next to me. I look out the window, wondering if I’ll panic being stuck in a car with three males. Earlier, I was too full of nerves for the dinner that I didn’t really notice. Now, it’s all I can notice. But I work on my breathing techniques that my therapist taught me, and I’m able to keep the panic at bay.

“So,” Cade finally says, and I dread hearing what he’s going to say.

I jump in before he can say anything. “I’m sorry I messed things up; I just couldn’t let the meeting go without finding out for sure if they were involved.”

Cade meets my eyes in the mirror. “You did good, Rose.”

I blink in surprise. “You’re not mad at me?”

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