Page 61 of Resisted

The men ate, each getting louder as they grew more comfortable, oblivious to the eyes of the locals staring them down, wishing for their deaths, smiling secret smiles at the knowledge that they would come shortly and, depending on the mood, they might not be so swift.

The first group at a booth toward the back stood, tossing a wad of cash on the table before saying something to each table as they passed. The tables’ patrons stood, gathering in the aisle as they filed out of the booths, tossing down their tips before making their way toward me. I braved a glance outside, noting that Boyce still had trucks left as he helped a girl down from the bed of one.

Fuck, we wouldn’t get them all to safety before the drama began, but we got most, That had to count for something, right? The fates would have to be appeased. I stood as they neared, trying to delay them as Boyce finished with the girl. I knew he knew his time was up, his hearing was impeccable, but if I could just buy him a few more minutes… I blocked the door, shouting toward the kitchen so that Lynn could hear me.

“Lynn darling, my lunch is up, so I need to go back to the office. The wait time was a little longer than usual, wouldn’t you say? If you could just have that delivered to me, that would be great.”

They all stood and waited, trying to squeeze past me, but I held the door handle in my hand, waiting for Lynn to acknowledge my statement before I opened it. I would be the first one out, while Rig would be the last. The protection of our people was imperative, and if shit went down in the parking lot, he would be their last line of defense.

Another ten seconds went by before Lynn shouted, “Sure thing, love. I’ll deliver it personally.”

“Thanks, doll!” I waved her a goodbye, pretending to be oblivious to the grunts and impatience of the men I was blocking.

When I walked out, Boyce was nowhere in sight. I was thankful for that. The cages that had been vacated were arranged to look like they had never been touched, and I prayed they didn’t look under the tarps to see how the shifters faired. I took a left at the end of the walkway, heading for my truck on the street as the men all scattered to their vehicles. They didn’t look, and though that was a dumb move on their part, I was thankful. Their lack of knowledge now meant that we could move along until they were out of the city limits before attacking.

They pulled out of the driveway, heading down the main road as if they didn’t have a care in the world. My wolf rumbled with satisfaction, knowing that soon, I would give them reason to worry. Soon, their blood would be on my tongue and they would be powerless to stop it. Too weak to prevent their own deaths. Unable to stop us from clawing out their dripping hearts and burning them. Not strong enough to fight against us as we took their last breath before we dumped their bodies in the bay for the fish to feast on.

When the last vehicle pulled out of the lot, I started my truck, waited a minute while Boyce got in, and followed. When the door slammed closed, he stated, “Three more left.”

“Bodies or cages?” I asked.

“Cages.” He buckled his seatbelt like a fucking boy scout. “The three trucks leading the group. I hadn’t gotten to them.” He sounded tortured at the thought that he’d missed getting them, but it wasn’t his fault. Even I knew time was limited, and the fact that he’d succeeded in what he had was a fucking miracle. “They had them in tight in that cage. Some—” He swallowed like his confession was choking him up. “Some so fucking weak that I knew they hadn’t eaten in days. It’s no fucking wonder they have so many guys on this trip, with so many shifters in cages.”

“How many?”

“Shit, I don’t know. I didn’t count.”

“If you had to guess…” I prompted.

He ran his hand through his hair. “Shit, twenty-five maybe? Counting the cages not cleared, possibly thirty-five.”

Holy hell, where had they snagged that many shifters? “All female?”

“Every one of them.”

I bit down on my lip hard, tasting copper. “Children?”

He shook his head. “None, thank fates.”

The fates were sure as hell screwing our people lately, but I was at least thankful there were no kids in harm’s way. In front of us, the traffic slowed just outside of town, the fields and trees concealing what I knew was a heavy number of my people. The cause of the traffic coming to a stop ahead was a planned roadblock.

“Do you think they’ll stop?”

Judging by the commotion ahead, I knew the chances of them stopping were slim. My suspicion was only confirmed when the sound of squealing tires filled the air around us and feral growls broke free as wolves bounced out of hiding, landing on the metal truck hoods, clawing and gouging their nails into vehicles long enough to cause panic before chaos was completely unleashed and the wolves attacked.

Chapter 26

VINCENT

“No,”I told Bella for what had to have been the hundredth time. “If you touch that doorknob, I will bite you.”

She cocked her hip to the side, her hand solidly planted in the dip. “I dare you.”

Fuck if that wasn’t a dare I wished to fulfill deep down to my very bones. I groaned. “Baby, it’s for your safety that you can’t go out there and you know it. You’re not the only one stuck indoors, so stop acting like a victim.”

“I’m the only one stuck indoors with you though.”

Why did she have to be so mean? “I’m not even bugging you. I’ve been reading this book right here for two hours.”

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