Page 93 of Hayden's Haven
Chapter Twenty
HAYDEN
Hayden glanced at Mila while Callen lit the mattress on fire on all corners and shut the door to the backroom. Now they waited. Mila met Hayden’s eyes with a smile. No longer did his brave ray of sunshine look at the floor or look away. Her face, the very way she carried herself, brimmed with confidence. This was not the same woman who smelled of death and wreaked of fear in a body bag early this morning. She knew who she was and what she wanted out of life. That didn’t include him.
He and his wolf had yet to come to terms with her refusal to blood-bond him. He was torn between wanting to respect her choice and insisting she listen to him, that he knew what was best for her, for them. To do so would make him no better than Vance, and he would never force Mila to do something she didn’t want.
She didn’twanthim. He was damaged, a broken shifter, as broken as they come. It wasn’t her weak shifter abilities that would drag him down, as she had once said. It was his weak character, his inability to protect her and others from his brother and shifters like him. Hayden had failed to protect her, but he could not change the past. If it was the last thing he did, he would get Mila out of there. He would ensure her safety, at any cost.
“You run north, get out of the fray as fast as you can,” Hayden repeated the instructions he had gone over with her twice already. “If anyone catches you, don’t resist, unless you think you’re in mortal danger.”
“You’ll find me, right?” she said, her voice pitched slightly high. He hated that she had to go through this, that he had to send her into danger alone. She should be back at Aloe’s, or better yet his cabin, sitting by the fire, warm and happy. Instead, she was bruised, bloody, tired, and scared—and her journey home was far from over.
She flashed him a weak smile. Not once did she complain or cry. His Mila was strong, so very strong.
“Callen will catch up to you as soon as he can.”
“And you, Hayden.” She looked worried, as if she suspected there was more going on than she had been told.
“As soon as I can.” It wasn’t a lie exactly, just not the full truth. While she had slept, he and Callen had talked. Hayden was the bait that would lead the guards away, giving Callen and Mila the chance to escape. It was Hayden that Drake really wanted. The guards would abandon pursuing Callen and Mila in favor of capturing Hayden.
“Hayden, you’ll be right behind me, right?”
Before he could reply, the fire thoroughly engulfed the ceiling, spreading through the cabin faster than expected. The dried-out wood structure was a tinderbox.
Guards didn’t rush in and there was no shouting outside. That was the first sign that nothing was going to go right that day. Had the guards left? It didn’t matter now, they had no choice but to flee. Callen charged out first, with Mila following behind and Hayden bringing up the rear.
What had been ten or twelve guards was now thirty, and they had completely surrounded the area. Drake stood in the center, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the cabin burn down. “Took you long enough,brother.”
They hadn’t heard anyone moving outside the entire time they’d been inside. He had been too lost in thought, too concerned over Mila.
“I thought I’d give you one last night to fuck the girl before I turned you over to Agent Sloan. Sounded like you enjoyed yourself. Or was it both you and your enforcer enjoying her? I hear she likes to be shared.”
Unless there was a formal challenge for the position of alpha, Hayden would not fight Drake. He certainly would not be goaded into a fight by Drake when the shifter he really wanted to tear into was standing a few feet off and behind Drake.
Hayden charged at Chitman, but he never got close as three guards wrestled him to the ground.
Drake squatted in front of Hayden. “I knew you couldn’t keep your word any more now than you could when we were kids.”
“I fought to get you back.”
“Fought? Hardly. You feared Logan, too afraid he’d strike you.”
“Or kill me.”
“Logan kill you? Hardly. You were no threat to him. Until you became greedy. Thought you’d have it all. Reina. The pack.” Drake’s large hand encircled Mila’s slim neck. He began squeezing, and Mila clutched at his hand. “Should I kill her like you killed Reina? Snap her neck?” Mila couldn’t even gasp for air. Drake was choking her.
“She’s innocent!”
“Reina was innocent too! Did you even give her a chance to plead for her life?”
“I didn’t kill her!”
Chitman stepped forward. “The DSA, Alpha. If you kill her, Hayden won’t confess when you hand him over to the DSA.”
“Take her,” Drake said as he shoved Mila at Chitman.
“Leave me alone!” Mila yelled as Chitman pulled her in tight against his chest. His hands roamed her body until they landed on her ass and kneaded her flesh. She tried to pull away, but he ground his cock against her.
