Page 2 of Callen's Captive
The man screamed and dropped his gun, which Callen kicked under the table. He didn’t need guns, and he certainly didn’t like them being pointed at him. At the same time, chairs and tables were being shoved aside to make room for a fight, Callen heard the slight intake of breath under the table. That sweet scent that Callen had so-easily memorized greeted him as he bent down.
The second Callen peered under the table, a woman charged out from beneath, knocking him over.
“Katy, wait!” Callen yelled as he scrambled to his feet, but not fast enough to keep her from darting through the crowd and out the back.
A throng of bikers closed in around him, cutting him off from her. The scent of night air and garbage wafted into the club as Callen heard the metallic thud of the back door slamming shut. He shoved people aside and pounded the safety bar on the door open without losing any momentum.
As he bolted into the alley, a storm of bullets sprayed the large dumpster twenty-five feet away. A man clad in black fatigues and holding an assault rifle edged his way around the dumpster to the gap by the brick wall.
The scent of Katy’s fear filled the alley. She was hiding behind the dumpster. Clothing exploded off of Callen as he shifted and charged the mercenary. Callen’s wolf sank his teeth into the man’s shoulder, lifted him off the ground, and slammed him into a wall. The mercenary crumpled to the ground, and Katy was nowhere to be seen.
Callen had only caught a glimpse of short dark hair running past him as he’d taken care of the mercenary. Callen shifted back to his human form, quickly removed the man’s pants, shirt, and boots. He dressed as he followed her scent down the alley and toward a street. If it weren’t for all the people around, he would have let his wolf take the lead, but he didn’t need to attract any more attention to him or Katy.
The man he had knocked out was definitely working for the WSSO, but his scent wasn’t the same as the man who had been tracking Katy through the woods and later beaten Anna within an inch of her life. Callen had committed that scent to memory, and he fully meant to save Blade the hassle of having to kill him. First, Callen had to find Katy and help her escape the other mercenaries hunting her.
He’d followed many trails in his time, including those that smelled mostly of fear, like Katy’s did now. Fear smelled like a precursor to death because it often was. The smell always left Callen feeling anxious, eager to end a hunt, to catch his prey. Except, the one he currently hunted wasn’t prey. Right now, Callen’s wolf was as anxious as he was, digging his claws in, with the sole purpose of protecting Katy.
Her trail led to a narrow street between stores and the start of a residential area. As Callen rounded the corner, a pipe hit him square in the face.
“Son-of-a—” He bit off the curse as he yanked the pipe, pulling his attacker into a chock hold. He was about to crush his attacker’s throat when the soft feel of a woman’s curves against his body stopped him.
Katy.
Immediately, Callen swung her around. Dark brown eyes wide with fear froze along with the rest of her as she looked at him. Hair as dark as her eyes, but short and wavy, cut in an uneven and carefree style reached past her high cheekbones, accentuating her face perfectly. The jeans she wore were ripped, muddy, and hugged her form like a second skin. The t-shirt was relatively clean, though it was torn at the top as if someone had yanked her by the collar. A layer of dirt and grime covered her skin, but nothing could hide that delicious scent that had invaded his dreams for over a month.
“I won’t hurt you,” Callen said. His fingers itched to wipe the dirt off her cheek, to touch her creamy skin beneath, until a thin line of blood trickled down her cheek from her temple.
When he reached to brush her hair aside to check her wound, she yanked hard, trying to free herself from his hold. She didn’t beg or scream. She just stood there wide-eyed and silent, like a trapped animal.
“Easy now.” With the utmost care, he reached toward her forehead again.
The air remained thick with the scent of her fear, but she allowed him to sweep her hair aside and inspect the cut. The cut was minor, but an anger ripped through him at the mercenaries who’d hurt her.
“If you let me go, I’ll make it worth your while,” she said, her voice shaking.
It was a hell of a time for his cock to pay attention, going hard at the mere suggestion of getting to know this beauty. He pulled her back into the alley, away from the streetlights and open space where they’d be easy to spot.
“Please no! I meant money!”
The bitter scent of her fear made him reel, and he realized what she thought he intended. The instant he heard the click of a gun clip being inserted into a gun, he clamped his hand over her mouth.
One sniff told him three men were headed his way. He had two choices, leave her so he could confront the mercenaries heading toward them, or take her back through the biker bar. Either way, if he released her, she’d run from him.
Callen pushed her up against the wall with one hand over her mouth and his body pinning her. He nearly lost himself in how soft she felt against him until her muffled cry tore through him. He had never hurt a woman before let alone intentionally scared one, but he had to get control of the situation or they’d both be dead.
He tried to ignore how sweet and succulent she smelled as he pressed his lips to her ear and whispered. “They’re coming for you, and now for me. If you want to survive this, then you’ll do exactly as I say. Understood?”
Slowly, she nodded. Beautifully expressive eyes watched him with extreme wariness. She was trying to figure him out, but she wasn’t panicking and giving away their position.
“Three men are approaching. All with guns.” Callen removed his hand from her mouth.
Her eyes traveled down his form. “But you’re one of them.”
He snickered. “Only borrowed the uniform, Princess. It was either that or go naked.”
“Naked?”
Her fear spiked again.
