Page 4 of Emerald Flame
Me, too. You’d better get into the hall as well, since you’re not safe in your shield. Go now.
The sharpness of his command had her moving swiftly. He shifted sideways to let her pass. She switched to levitation and bumped his arm as she slipped by him.
I felt that,he said.
Exactly.Her heart beat so hard it was drumming in her ears.
She reached for Warren’s arm. He turned in her direction, but of course he couldn’t see her. He clamped his hand over hers.
He started to speak, but there was something she understood now, something he needed to know. She telepathed quickly,They’re after you, Warren. You’re the target. You’re the key to taking over Savage and Julio won’t rest until you’re dead.
~ ~ ~
As soon as Kiara’s words ran through his head, he knew it was true. He’d become a target and it made sense. If he was eliminated, Julio would have a much easier time taking over the entire territory. The Caldion Pack would be thrown into chaos. Without an alpha, his wolves would be unable to mount a counter-offensive.
Julio Mendez had risen in rank in the Viento cartel during the past five years. Viento was currently the prime source of illegal trafficking in Savage and Julio the man in charge. He’d kept a low profile until recent months when his ambitions prompted him to go after the two lowest packs. He was the kind of wolf Warren despised above all others because he treated his pack members like slaves. He was an alpha who only cared about himself.
Warren had also seen for himself that a large portion of Julio’s combined pack,El Lobo Grande,was now addicted to emerald flame. Keeping wolves addicted made them easier to control.
Hearing Kiara give voice to Julio’s intentions solidified something within Warren’s spirit. He’d been appalled by Julio’s takeover, but until this moment he hadn’t made it his mission to go after Julio with everything he had. He’d been biding his time, waiting for the right moment. He’d somehow thought theEl LoboGrande pack would be enough for the man. Instead, he was convinced there was no limit to Julio’s ambitions.
The first order of business, however, was much more immediate. He needed to get everyone out of the station in one piece.
As the steel shutters came down, he headed to Roberts’s office. The chief was already on his feet and moving toward the door. Warren wasn’t sure where Kiara was, but he stepped away from Roberts to let him pass. “I saw some of Julio’s men moving in from the woods opposite.” Julio’s force wore black tanks with silver bands and emblems. They were hard to miss.
Once in the hall, Roberts called out. “We’re under attack. Everyone in the locker room. Now. Warren, search the rooms.”
Warren moved at a clip and went from room to room. He sent anyone he found to the locker room. He got the drunk out of the tank and turned him over to one of the officers. By the time he made it to the locker room near the back of the station, heavy rounds of automatic gunfire sounded at the front entrance. He could hear the bullets bang against the thin steel, then a moment later glass started shattering as the shutters were shot off their hinges.
The locker room held a total of nineteen people. Most were officers, the rest support staff and a couple of criminals, besides the drunk. The mood was bleak.
When gunfire sounded at the nearby back door, Roberts put his hand to his head. A few choice words left his lips.
Warren glanced toward the door. With no one returning gunfire, Julio’s troops would move in. Each of the officers was armed with AR-15s slung over their shoulders, pistols in holsters.
Warren.Kiara’s voice shot through his head.
I’m in the locker room. Are you here as well?
I’m in the security room looking at the monitors. Julio has dozens of troops stationed at the back and the front. But he doesn’t have anyone in the air.
Warren considered what she was saying.Even if everyone got to the roof, it wouldn’t take long for Julio to figure out what we were doing. It would be a duck shoot.
Not if I helped. I could take everyone into the air inside my shield. We wouldn’t be seen.
Several thoughts rumbled through his head at once. Could she do it? Could it be done fast enough? Was she really that powerful? All that mattered, however, was getting everyone out alive.
Warren turned to face Roberts. “I’ve got a witch here who can help.”
Roberts shook his head. “How?” He glanced around. “Where is she? What’s her name?”
“She’s the one Veyda tortured. She has an invisibility shield.”
“Jesus. You’re talking about Kiara.”
Warren was surprised. “You know Kiara?”
“Of course, I do.” He switched to telepathy so that only Warren could hear the rest.Kiara rescues wolves. I gave her permission to set up a refuge in Savage some time ago. So, yes, I know her very well. She’s a good woman and I trust her. If she can do the invisible thing, we’ve got a chance.
