Page 60 of Heron's Flame

Our crows didn’t have the same enhanced sense of smell as other shifters, specifically those predators who hunted on the ground. We ruled the skies, but ground assault wasn’t our specialty. Even a mobbing of crows couldn’t hunt with the same accuracy and skill as when in the air.

I reached for my cell, swiped across the screen, and found Brax’s number. He answered after three rings.

“Heron. What can I do for you?”

“Help me find Rebel,” I growled.

“Shit. What happened?”

I filled him in, explaining why I needed his specific talents.

“Nightstalker and I will find her. We’ll be there within the hour.”

We ended the call, and I stood, rushing toward the bathroom for a quick shower. Now that I had a plan, I knew I’d find her.Hammerhead couldn’t hide her scent. Brax would pick it up. Today, I’d find my woman.

In the back of my mind, Carrion’s words lingered.

Three days, fifteen hours, twelve minutes, and eight seconds.

“Fuck,” I whispered, slapping my hands against the tile.

I couldn’t let it take that long. Rebel had only been missing a little over twenty-four hours. Enduring another two and a half days? I didn’t know how I would survive it.

Chapter 19 Rebel

“Don’t fucking touch me,” I spat at Snake Eyes, Paul, err Hammerhead’s V.P. “I’ll fucking rip off your balls and stuff them down your throat.”

It didn’t matter that I’d been handcuffed, my arms wrapped around a giant metal pole in some warehouse basement. My wrists might be secured, but I could still fight.

Snake Eyes had taken delight in trying to torment me since my arrival. He kicked me, slapped my face, and pinched my breast. That was only the first hour after he handcuffed me. Now, he tried to reach for the waistband on my pants, and I kicked out, catching him in the crotch.

“You fucking bitch,” he roared, taking the lit cigarette from his mouth and pressing the cherry-red end into my arm.

A scream tore from my lips as he laughed.

Someone rushed down the stairs, and I looked up in time to see Paul as Snake Eyes pulled the cigarette from my skin. I tried to remain brave, trembling as the burn on my skin stole my focus. I’d never felt anything so painful in my life.

Scratch that. I’d come close many times, all at the hands of the sick motherfucker who stared me down, grinning as he enjoyed my suffering.

“It’s time for a chat, Rebecca.”

For over two days, I stayed in this basement, used a bucket as a toilet, and was given minimal food and water. I was exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and beginning to lose hope that Heron would find me before Paul either passed me to his biker friends or killed me.

I didn’t know where they’d brought me or if we traveled outside Nevada. There was no clock and no windows. I didn’t know if it was day or night. The only way I knew how manydays it had been since Paul had kidnapped me was because I overheard Snake Eyes talking to another biker in the club.

Paul approached and stopped in front of Snake Eyes. “What did I say?”

“Don’t hurt her, Pres.”

“And you didn’t follow my orders.”

Snake Eyes blinked. He seemed scared. “Pres, I lost my shit when she kicked me in the nuts. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“You’re right. It won’t.”

Snake Eyes lifted his hands. “I’ll make this right.”

“You should have thought about that before you touched my property. I said not tofucking touch her,” Paul growled.

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