Page 76 of Jesse
But the fear kept creeping in, no matter how hard I shoved it down. My thoughts spun out of control. I should’ve woken up earlier . I should’ve felt something.
My wolf should’ve noticed the second the bed went cold.
My vision blurred. Not from the wind, not from the speed, but from the pressure behind my eyes. I blinked it back. Not now. I needed a clear head.
I needed to find that truck, stop whoever was driving, and get Beck back. I glanced down at the tracker again. Still moving. Still alive.
I repeated that to myself like a prayer. Still alive. Still alive. But that didn’t stop the spiral. The killer had waited until Beck was alone. That meant they’d been watching us closely.
Beck’s face after the competition played in my mind. His eyes were bright and he wore a tired smile, but he’d wrapped his arms tightly around me. He’d been happy.
We’d been so close to talking about the future. A broken sound tore from my throat.
I hit the throttle harder, the bike vibrating beneath me like a living thing. Streetlights disappeared. The edge of town blurred past in streaks of yellow and black.
Trees closed in on either side of the road. No other cars. Just me and him. I checked the GPS again. The dot had slowed, then stopped.
About two miles ahead. The killer must’ve pulled off somewhere. My stomach twisted. I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t care. I’d go in bare-handed if I had to, fight him with claws and fangs.
My thoughts raced ahead, imagining the worst, and then worse than that. Beck tied up in the back of the truck. Hurt. Bleeding. Alone and scared.NO.
My growl split the air, guttural and raw. My wolf snarled inside me, pacing just under my skin, furious and desperate. He wanted out.
Wanted to tear through trees and flesh alike. I didn’t stop him this time. I let the rage flow through me. Let the fear and dread sharpen into resolve.
“I’m coming, baby,” I said aloud, like Beck could somehow hear me through the dark. “Just hold on. I’m coming.”
The trees thinned, and then I saw it. The food truck, parked just off the dirt shoulder, lights off, engine still. Half-hidden behind a line of scrub pines.
My brakes squealed as I cut the bike, kicking up gravel and dust. I yanked my helmet off and tossed it aside, heart slamming so hard I thought it might burst.
The truck sat still. There was no movement and no sound.
I crept closer, breath shallow, ears straining. Every pine needle crackling under my boots felt loud, like the whole forest could hear me.
Closer. Twenty feet. Ten. I crouched low and peeked through the driver’s side window. Empty. The driver’s seat was empty. Beck wasn’t there and neither was the attacker.
The keys still dangled from the ignition. I pulled out my phone again and checked the camera feed.
The interior cam had recorded the man getting out and dragging Beck out after him. Beck was still unconscious and his arm flopped, lifeless.
The man slung him over one shoulder like he weighed nothing and disappeared into the trees. My blood turned to ice. They were close. Minutes ahead, maybe less.
I turned slowly, sniffing the air, reaching for my wolf’s heightened senses. Beck’s scent was faint but present, trampled beneath pine and earth.
Following it, I moved faster, silent as I could, but my wolf wanted to tear through the woods howling. Not yet, I reminded him.
I had to be smart, fast and lethal. The path was uneven, thorny brambles tugging at my jeans. But I didn’t stop. Every snap of a twig underfoot, every rustle of leaves, sent my heart lurching.
I’m coming, Beck.
Chapter 20
Jesse
I entereda clearing and immediately crouched behind a fallen log. There, under the moonlight, tied to a thick pine, was Beck.
His arms were stretched above his head, wrists bound in rope and silver duct tape that glinted against the bark.
