Page 74 of Jesse
Claws extended from his fingers as he lunged, his weight crashing into me. I tried to hold my ground, but he was stronger, faster.
He slammed me onto the floor of the truck, his hands wrapping around my neck like iron clamps.
I clawed at his arms, my nails raking deep enough to draw blood, but he didn’t let go.
My vision blurred, black dots swimming in and out as I struggled to catch my breath. My wolf snarled inside me, desperate and panicked, but I couldn’t shift. Not like this.
The last thing I saw before blacking out were Aiden’s eyes, glowing gold and wild with fury.
Chapter 19
Jesse
I wokeup because I had to piss. Groggy, I rolled over, blinking at the red numbers on the bedside clock. 3:27 a.m.
My mouth was dry, throat scratchy, but more than anything, my bladder was screaming. I slipped out of bed quietly, careful not to wake Beck, only to pause mid-step.
The sheets were cold. The bed on his side? Empty. Frowning, I rubbed my face, brain still sluggish. Maybe he was in the bathroom?
I padded down the hall, the faint creak of floorboards under my feet. Light off. Door open. Empty.
“Beck?” I called softly, but the apartment answered with silence.
The kitchen? Dark. Living room? Empty.
My heart thudded once, hard. A bad feeling started to crawl up my spine like ice water. And then I saw a slip of paper sitting on the bed. Right where Beck had been.
My name scrawled across the front in his messy, rushed handwriting.
Jesse—
Took your truck. Headed to the food truck. Tony finally emailed the video file. Grabbing my laptop so I can see the video better. Be right back.
Short. Innocent. Something Beck would write without thinking twice. But my breath caught like I’d swallowed glass. He went alone, in the middle of the night.
Knowing full well someone was still out there, someone who’d killed more than once and was now targeting him for reasons we couldn’t fathom yet.
I sat down hard on the edge of the bed, my pulse pounding. The stupid note shook in my hand as I grabbed my phone with the other and hit call. It rang once. Twice. Four times.
Then it went straight to voicemail.
“Dang it,” I growled, standing so fast the mattress creaked under me. “Beck, come on, pick up.”
I tried again, but there was nothing.
My instincts were roaring now. My wolf clawed at my insides, pacing and snarling. Something was wrong. I could feel it like the air had shifted, pressure building in my chest.
Think, Jesse. The cameras. The full HD cameras I’d installed awhile ago both outside and inside the food truck. If Beck was there, I could see him.
I opened the security app with shaking fingers, switching to the live feed. Outside view first, and there he was.
Beck was walking around the food truck with his laptop bag slung over one shoulder.
Relief hit me hard enough I exhaled, knees going weak. He was okay.
I watched as he grabbed the door, ready to close it. Then, behind him, a figure stepped into frame.
The man loomed closer, his movements deliberate and unhurried. Beck turned, his posture stiff and guarded.
