Page 73 of Forbidden Devotion
The wound made a sickening slurping sound, which Mitchel forced himself to ignore. The quicker they got out, the better chance Ramsey would have to stay alive.
He tied the two ends together as tight as he could manage. Hopefully, that would hold the wound closed while they escaped.
As gently as he could manage, he hauled Ramsey from the floor and settled him over his shoulder. He tried not to jostle him too much, but even so, Ramsey didn’t wake. Dread set heavily in Mitchel’s gut.
“Come on, Ramsey. You gotta make it.”
He rushed back outside.
Blood seeped through the white sheet.
Ramsey needed a doctor right away if he was going to make it. Surely, they’d be setting up triage somewhere, but where would that be? And who knew how long Ramsey had inhaled the smoke that filled his room? How long he’d been bleeding? It had to be over an hour by now, maybe two. His sense of time felt distorted.
With no better idea, Mitchel ran back to Erika. She’d wrangled both Josh and Nathan, and the whole group was staring, wide-eyed, as he approached. Nathan was the first to overcome the shock and rushed forward. He grabbed Ramsey’s shoulders, and together they lowered him to the ground.
“Holy shit, is he okay?” Nathan asked.
“Oh my god, Ramsey.” Erika dropped to her knees to feel for a pulse as Mitchel had done.
“He’s alive but badly injured. The ceiling collapsed onto him, and he’s been breathing in smoke since the explosion. That wound is serious. Erika, he needs a doctor. Can you send some wolves to find one?”
“Yes.” She turned to her pack mates, delegating with calm and smooth precision, even in this crisis. She was a fine alpha leader. Born for this.
Mitchel addressed Nathan and Josh. “I need your help. Sinclair is missing. He’s been kidnapped, carried away in a van after the attack. You two are the best trackers I know. Will you help me find him?”
“Of course.” Josh agreed right away.
Nathan was nodding as well. “What should we do?”
“We need to meet up with Sinclair’s parents. They’re checking the security camera footage. That might give us an idea of where to start. I’ll call Luther and tell him we’re on our way.”
It wasn’t natural to leave Ramsey behind, hurt as he was, but there was nothing more they could do for him. Erika would see to his care.
“This way,” Mitchel directed, and they followed without hesitation.
* * *
As hard asit was to admit, Mitchel realized werewolves could learn a thing or two from vampires. Josh and Nathan wore twin expressions of awe as they took in the impressive array of electronics before them.
They stood in a spacious, well-lit series of rooms near the heart of the city’s center at the Vampire Council’s headquarters. Dozens of monitors spread out in rows, men stationed at each console, fingers tapping away at keyboards. Luther and Ann presided over the team.
“Mitchel,” Luther greeted swiftly, gesturing to a monitor. “Come. We have the information we need to mount a rescue.”
They hurried over and stared at the screen. A photo of an angry-looking man and a list of data beside it lit up the display.
“The vehicle is registered to one Russel Wilcox and is in service of his personal business, Wilcox & Sons Funeral Home, LLC. Russel has a criminal record, including assault and battery charges and a misdemeanor for breaking and entering. I have his home address, business address, and records for all known associates and employees,” Luther explained.
“You’re a genius, Luther.” Mitchel's heart raced a mile a minute.
“Before we celebrate, let’s find Sinclair. My guess is he’s been taken to the funeral home, not the private residence. I think we should start there. I pulled the construction blueprint for the building. Take a look.” He indicated the screen.
The image of Russel disappeared and was replaced by the interior layout of the funeral home, a labyrinth of a structure. It would be a bitch to memorize.
“Can you print this?”
“Yes. Do it,” Luther instructed the vampire at the monitor.
“This is Nathan and Josh,” Mitchel said. “And this is Luther and Ann.” All parties shook hands quickly. There was no time for pleasantries. “Let’s memorize this floor plan and organize our strategy.”
