Page 35 of Fury

Chapter Thirteen

Somethingelse about what Dante had said moments ago got stuck in Penelope's brain. There had only been two men. If her captors had put her in that shack as bait, why in the world were there not more of them lying in wait for Sawyer and Dante’s arrival? They should have been ambushed by all of them.

She clearly remembered how they'd referred to Sawyer as an animal and now she understood why. Which meant those men also knew of their existence and had plans to eradicate them. Again, their words. So this escape made less and less sense.

Penelope turned to Sawyer and Dante. "How many of your men are out here looking for me? Is this all of them?"

Both men jerked to look at her, Dante's eyes narrowing as if he was starting to get where she was going with this train of thought.

"This is many of our men, but not everyone. There are two squads and my other brother still guarding the island along with the rest of our pack. Why?"

The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach continued to grow. Someone wanted them out here and away from their homes. And if it wasn't so they could attempt to take them out then there had to be something else they were trying to accomplish.

"You coming to get me. Exactly how easy was it?" she asked.

Sawyer's lips pressed together in a grim line before he answered. “Easier than we expected, that's for sure. Not that I was thinking all that clearly up to the moment we found you. My wolf was pretty damned upset that you were missing and potentially hurt.”

She wanted to understand what that meant, but she suspected they didn't have time to delve into details like that right now. And maybe she was better off not knowing more. But as for the other…

Crap. There were so many unknowns at the moment. And that pit in her stomach told her none of it was good. She turned to Dante. “Two squads. How many men is that?”

“Sixteen. But they aren't alone. Most of the pack is on high alert. They may not be our foot soldiers, but they are stronger than average men.”

That didn't sound like a lot and he must have seen something on her face that gave her thoughts away.

“Armed men?” she asked.

Dante shook his head. “We don't keep guns on the island. It’s not our way.”

“What? Why not? Not only are you different, but you've got a group of radicals hunting you. This is no time to be anti-gun.”

Sawyer snorted.

Dante shot him a 'look' before turning back to her. “Agent Bishop. I appreciate your concern, but we've got this. These hunters have been coming after us for decades. You don't know much about us yet, but trust me, we're more than capable of protecting ourselves against humans.”

Something about the way he said humans, as if they were inferior or something, clawed deep. And did absolutely jack to calm the wretched pit in her stomach that wouldn't stop twisting with each passing mile.

“How many of them did you see?” This time Sawyer asked the question, pulling her attention away from Dante.

“Just the ones at the bridge. They made sure we were both unconscious before we went anywhere. Just another fact I don't like. I don't know how well you know these criminals, but my hunch is they've got a plan and so far, they've executed it flawlessly.”

A dark, throaty growl from Sawyer filled the vehicle, making a shiver work its way down her spine. “You give them too much credit. They are the dregs of the human world. Every now and again they manage to get something done to further their goals, but eventually their plans always fall apart. Right about the time their egos take over.”

She nodded. “Most criminals follow that pattern. But underestimating their intelligence one too many times could factor in their favor. In this case, their behavior thus far is illogical. To dart you and capture me to then allow you to find me with ease with no consequences? It's way too easy. And if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is most certainly a duck.”

Both Sawyer and Dante frowned at her, their foreheads creasing.

“I have no idea what that is supposed to mean,” Sawyer said, the confusion stamped across his face evident.

For a moment she smiled. Recalling one of her grandmother's favorite sayings had temporarily eased some of the anger she had felt vibrating from the man/wolf who kept her off balance. “Just an old saying I heard a lot when growing up. Basically, it means that while appearances can be deceiving, if you observe someone or something's habitual characteristics then you can reasonably identify their true nature.”

Dante leaned back in his seat and let loose with a bark of laughter. “Wow, Sawyer. I think your mate might be smarter than the average human. Good thing she'll be on our side.”

Penelope frowned. This wasn't the first time she'd been referenced as a mate. “I certainly hope that word means something different to your people than it does to most species of animals. Unless of course it means that we're friends. The Australians use that word interchangeably for friendship. That I'm okay with.”

This time Dante laughed so hard he had to grip his stomach.

“Is she for real? Please make it stop before I piss myself,” he said, butting his head into Sawyer's shoulder when he doubled over with laughter.

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