Page 104 of Her Wolf

“What?” Lars froze mid-step and turned to face Ana. “What do you mean?”

“Cora?” Ana said slowly. “She’s gone.”

“And you’re only telling me this now?” Lars yelled, immediately regretting it. Not only because of the agony, but because sometimes Ana didn’t quite get his sense of humor. Her face crumpled; part confusion, part guilt.

“Where’s Milo?”

“I don’t know.”

“Bailey?”

Ana shrugged. “Neo just said we all had to leave.”

“Right after Cora goes missing?” His lowered his voice from a painful shout. “What the fuck?”

Ana gave him an apologetic shrug.

“No, I know,” Lars said, holding up a hand in case she felt like apologizing again. “Jesus, I need—”

A cellphone began chiming out some irritating tune. Which was when he realized the music had been turned off.

Ana looked at him, and then at his pocket. “I think that’s yours.”

“I don’t have—” Lars began, laying a hand over his breast pocket.

But he did, and it was ringing. He slid out a cellphone he’d never seen before, saw there were seven miss calls on it, and hesitantly answered.

“What?”

“Lars?” came Milo’s voice, sounding both relieved and frustrated as fuck. Difficult combo to pull off, but the big guy managed with ease. “Thank Christ. We’re on the first floor. Get up here.”

“What’s going—?” Lars cut off when he heard the rude beep of Milo hanging up on him.

He took the stairs as fast as he dared, Ana’s heels clicking urgently behind him as she tried to keep up with his long legs.

Finn and Bailey were outside one of the doors on the first floor, Bailey propped against the wall and Finn in a crouch in front of him. When he got closer, he saw Bailey’s chin was on his chest.

“You two at it again?” Lars asked.

Milo looked up, and rose to his feet in a rush. “Neo knocked him out. Would have been a killing blow, but I think Bailey saw it coming.”

“Neo?” Lars snorted. “I doubt it. Probably his sidekick, Santa. I saw them running out of here with their tail between their legs.”

“They’re leaving?”

“The whole fucking party’s leaving,” Lars said. Then he stabbed a thumb behind him at Ana. “What’s this I hear about Cora being gone?”

Milo filled him in, but reluctantly. When he was done, Lars almost felt like kicking Bailey, but then again, he hadn’t been much help either.

“I was drugged?” he said. “By who?”

Milo pressed his lips together, and stabbed a thumb into the open door beside them. Lars frowned, and craned his head to peek around the door frame. Then he slowly drew back again, his frown even deeper.

“Who the fuck’s that?”

“You don't remember?” Milo said. “That’s the DEA agent that drugged you.”

Lars looked again.

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