Page 309 of Secret Shifters Next Door

Gio texted me the address, and I left, not wanting to linger any longer. My emotions required some time alone. I texted Steff to meet me at the warehouse.

On the drive, I reflected on how much things had changed, and how quickly. Five days ago, I’d been desperate to be rid of Ava. To get back to the life I’d had before seeing her. Now? I just wanted to go back and see her again. My body craved being near her, and there was a sexual stirring deep in my loins that would have horrified me a week before. Instead of horror, it now filled me with a longing excitement.

Steff must have been closer to the warehouse because he was already waiting with Luis when I pulled up. The two were engaged in conversation. When I walked up, they stopped talking and turned to look at me.

“I don’t know about this family, Blayne,” Steff said.

I frowned and looked at Luis, then back at Steff. “What do you mean?”

He cocked a thumb at Luis. “The guy’s a Bears fan, for Christ’s sake. How are you gonna live in Colorado and not pull for the Broncos?”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Can we get on with this?”

Luis pointed toward the building. “Sammy’s inside.”

Steff and I followed Luis to the door. He unlocked the padlock and escorted us inside. The building was cavernous but wasn’t abandoned. Massive metal shelving packed with construction supplies were lined all throughout. Bags of concrete, and asphalt patch, lumber, and drywall were stacked on the shelves. This was being used for some kind of legitimate business. Or at least it was being used to hide some of the Francis family’s more unscrupulous dealings.

The hunter was bound to a chair with what looked like barbed wire. Upon closer inspection, I was proven right. Thewire was wrapped tightly around the man, with barbs every few inches digging into his flesh and drawing beads of blood. It looked like he'd struggled against his restraints at one point. Deep, jagged gashes showed where he’d attempted to pull himself free of the wire and been punished by the steel teeth of the barbs.

Sam nodded to us and walked over. “Looks like these assholes did target Ava because of Gio. Not you, Blayne.”

Steff and I stopped dead in our tracks. I looked at Sam. “What? They aren’t hunters?”

Sam shrugged. “No, they’re hunters, all right. I think Antonio has gotten wind of Gio trying to dig up some dirt on him. Not sure if he knows how tight you are with Ava yet, but it seems Senior Shithead Lowry was wanting to take my baby niece as a hostage to get Gio to back off. At least, that’s the info I got out of this guy.”

“Okay,” I said. “What do we do now?”

Luis and Sam exchanged a look. Sam smirked. “I think it’s time we let Antonio know the Francis family and their friends don’t take well to our people being hurt. We send a message they can’t misconstrue. Seems the guys we let go didn’t get the message across enough. Are you cool with this?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.

I glanced over at Steff. His eyes were telling me it was my choice. This was a dangerous path to keep going down. The other option was more dangerous, though. We had to let our enemies know they couldn’t keep fucking with us without repercussions.

I gave a curt nod. “All right. My priority is to keep my family safe, and Ava’s part of that group now. I’m down for whatever you have planned.”

TWENTY

AVA

The guesthouse was visible from my old bedroom. I’d watched Kyle and Marissa clean it and take fresh linens and towels down to it. Blayne had said he wouldn't be gone long, but he’d been gone a while.

I’d taken a two-hour nap. Exhausted from the events of the day, my brain had had to shut down. Being unconscious had been a nice respite. Thankfully, my sleep hadn’t been filled with nightmares.

I’d asked Dad whether he knew when Blayne would be home, but he’d been non-committal, saying that once my uncles briefed him, he’d be back. That didn’t make me feel any better. I picked at the dinner Marissa made for me and sat around, waiting for Blayne to get back.

I finally saw a flash of light sweeping around the back side of the house. Leaping up, I could see Blayne’s truck pull into the garage attached to the guesthouse.

Before I could run downstairs and across the backyard to see him, a knock came at my door. Glancing at the clock and seeing how late it was, I was surprised to see Dad standing outside my door when I opened it up.

“Dad?”

“Hey, kid. The light was on in your room. Figured you weren’t asleep.”

He stepped in and walked over to sit on my bed. I joined him. “Is everything all right?”

He chuckled. “I was coming to ask you the same thing.” He patted my leg. “How you doing?”

“Still a little shaken up. Today was terrifying. Honestly, I’ve never been so scared.”

Dad looked down at his lap for a few seconds. “I am sorry about that, sweetheart. This was all because of me.”

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