No way was I leaving my mate, so I shoved the baby carrier into the kitchen and our son looked at me, his trusting expression making my heart contract and my eyes well up with tears.
Not now, my wolf berated me.
“Tell him what you told me,” my mate cried.
“You’re so fucking stupid, Matt.” Josh’s expression morphed from defeated to triumphant.
“He wanted me dead,” Matt spat out.
“What?” I was trying to wrap my head around why Josh was doing this, while my beast was preparing to rip out Josh’s jugular.
“My own brother. He set it all up,” Matt sobbed. “Just-just n-now I told him… I said… the police had rounded up almost everyone in The O-Obsidian Circle.” He choked and added thatthey were certain they knew the identities of two members who were still free.
Through Matt’s garbled speech, I deciphered that information had freaked out his brother, resulting in what was before me.
Josh sneered, his flared nostrils distorting his face. “You sniveling little worm. You ruined everything.” Spit flew across the room. “And I aimed to fix it accidentally on purpose by taking you to La Luna Noir.”
“Why?”
“I was working for Dane, and he discovered your true identity and what you were up to. He gave me a choice. My life or yours, but I didn’t want to kill you myself.” He rambled on about panicking and telling Dane that Matt was sharing information with La Luna Noir. “I figured Dane would do the rest.”
There was a clatter of footsteps in the corridor and Flint and Hunter appeared on either side of me. I ordered Hunter to get Storm far away from the building.
Matt whimpered, “My little boy.”
“He’s fine, Matt,” I assured him. Our son was safe, but my mate wasn’t.
Froth spilled over Josh’s mouth as he spoke. “I arranged with Hawk, who’d got himself in a similar position with Dane as me, to let us into La Luna Noir headquarters.”
Hawk? Damn! A member of the Nightfall pack, our ally. Sewell, the Alpha, would have to deal with him.
“Oh my gods,” Matt shrieked. “That’s how I recognized Hawk. I saw him talking to you on the street once when I was passing by your place.”
My belly churned, not with hunger, but a combination of anger and fear. Would my beast be quick enough to attack Josh before he pulled the trigger? Or did Riggs have to put a bullet in Josh’s head.
“We can fix this, Josh. I can make it all go away,” Flint spoke up. “That is in my power. But not until you release Matt.”
Josh laughed, a hollow sound that I’d heard from people who had one option. “Tell your man to lower his weapon.”
I jerked my head at Riggs, and he put his gun down.
Making sure my wolf was at the forefront of my gaze, I stared at Matt.
“Do not kill him,” my mate begged. Even though his brother was willing to end his life, my mate wanted him to live. He was a better person than me.
“I’m the one with the pistol.” Josh cocked the gun.
Ready?I asked my beast.
Since I heard the scream.
Don’t aim for his throat. We need him alive.
I gave my beast his fur and he leaped across the room, raking his claws over Josh’s back. Just before my beast made contact, Matt stamped on Josh’s foot while elbowing him. Josh screamed, and the gun flew across the room as he collapsed, blood streaming over his body. I shifted back and kicked the gun away while Matt flung himself toward me before yelling for Hunter and tearing down the stairs to Storm.
On the sidewalk, I cradled my mate and son. Someone must have phoned the police and ambulance because they swarmed the building, but Matt refused to move, weeping over Storm who was unhurt.
Flint and the police superintendent massaged the situation, allowing us to go home with Storm and agreeing to be interviewed at another time.