Page 25 of Bonded By Christmas
Wilder never sounds frantic. That lights a fire under my ass like nothing else could. I bet my trainer is exceptionally fucking confused when I run out of our session in my home gym without so much as a word, but I’m not about to waste even a minute to give him an explanation.
Fine, it’s Wilder’s home gym.
I live here too, so that makes it mine.
It’s been icy and rainy on and off this week. That makes taking my bike borderline reckless, but it’s the fastest way to get to where Grim and Lacey are. He’ll have his truck, and if he’s not capable of driving, I’ll have someone bring my bike back to the garage.
I’m not the only one Wilder will have dispatched to Grim’s location, but I am the one, outside of Wilder, who’s most likely to get through to the rabid alpha. Speaking of my boss, he’s also on his way. He’s just farther out than I am since he was in meetings all afternoon.
I bump up my speed to levels that would have the cops dragging my ass away in cuffs without even giving me the chance to explain. It’s a tense seven-minute ride, and I only slow down once I’m a few streets away.
Hopefully the big fucker hasn’t moved since I left because checking my phone while driving would be a great way to end up roadkill.
I head down the opposite end of the alley from where Grim was when I last checked his location. The crowd of people in front of the bar only a few businesses down might be a problem. Here’s hoping none of them get the urge to be Good Samaritans. If they’re so intoxicated they’re barely aware of their surroundings, that would be even better.
I pull my gun from the holster at the base of my spine and haul ass down the alley. There aren’t enough lights to give me much visibility, and it’s at an angle rather than a straight shot. As soon as I come around the slight curve, I catch sight of the bodies.
Ah, hell.
I had no doubt that Grim could handle three punks without breaking a sweat. My main concern is if he’s lost to the fog. He doesn’t even recognize us sometimes, and that’s a mess waiting to happen, especially being in the middle of downtown.
Grim has Lacey wrapped around his chest, his face buried in her throat. He must hear me approaching because he pulls a dagger—from I don’t even know where he got that thing—and flings it at my face before he bothers to glance in my direction.
He’s lucky I’m fast.
I twist to the side just in time for the knife to ricochet off the brick.
“Fucking lunatic,” I grumble, squatting to collect the knife. We can’t leave any blatant evidence behind. This is already a clusterfuck. Even if Wilder calls in multiple favors, it’s going to be messy to clean up. “Don’t make me shoot your ass.”
He probably deserves it.
Nothing serious.
A flesh wound.
Something like the thigh or gut.
I’d avoid anything vital. Unless he pisses me off even more. In that case, all bets are off.
“Callum? Holy shit. What are you doing here? Is that agun?” Lacey whisper-hisses the last word, and I can’t help but chuckle.
That poor omega.
She has no idea what she’s in for.
I shove my gun into its holster and approach with my palms up. “Hey, Lace. Looks like the two of you could use a little help. All right, man. Why don’t you go ahead and put her on her feet and step back?”
“This is Grim. He’s not going to hurt you. He saved me from something…awful.” Her voice breaks, and my chest gets tight.
Goddammit.
I was getting in an extra workout when I should have been keeping her safe. She wassupposedto be at work. I had plans to meet her outside of her apartment after her shift. It’s really fucking lucky that Grim is an unrepentant stalker.
“We need to call the police, but I’m so afraid they’re going to try to arrest him,” she whispers, patting the back of Grim’s neck. “You do need to put me down. This is Callum. He’s my neighbor. No attacking him.”
We had plans to ease her into understanding that the three of us know each other, but that just went to shit.
Grim grunts. “He’s our backup.”
