Page 16 of Eleazar

“Twenty minutes tops,” Andrew said. “Hang tight. I’m coming to get you.”

“Then what?”

“We’ll talk about that when I see you.” Andrew hung up, quickly dressed, then headed to the garage. He grabbed the keys to the Rolls Royce and eased it out of the bay. Although Andrew didn’t want to put a scratch on the car, his friend’s life was more important.

The entire drive Andrew prayed that Chainsaw stayed asleep, that he didn’t wake up and catch Zach trying to leave. He would curse Zach for not listening to him when Andrew said that the guy was no good, but Andrew had dated a few scumbags in his time, as well. He wasn’t one to place blame on someone, anyway.

Zach had been looking for a thrill, but he’d gotten more than he’d bargained for. Now Andrew had to rescue him. He was going to call them even. He no longer owed Zach for getting him this job. Not after he got his friend out of this mess.

When he pulled up in front of the building, Andrew didn’t see his friend. He cut the motor, made sure he locked the car up tight, and went inside. Halfway up the stairs to the second floor, he saw Zach.

“I was waiting until I spotted you from the window to leave,” Zach whispered. “Nice ride, by the way.”

“Let’s just get out of here,” Andrew said in an equally low voice. He didn’t want Chainsaw to wake up while they were making their escape.

“Right.” Zach slung the duffel bag over his shoulder.

They’d made it down one flight of steps before Andrew heard heavy footsteps on the stairs.

He didn’t have to tell Zach to run because his friend was already hauling ass. Just as Andrew turned to make his final descent down the last flight of stairs, he was plowed into, slamming into the wall.

As dizzy as he was, and as much as his head was killing him, he reached out and tried to grab Chainsaw’s ankle to trip him. The guy turned and glared at Andrew. “I’m going to kill you for this.”

But he took off down the steps instead of beating Andrew to a pulp. It took a moment for Andrew to push himself to his feet. He gripped his aching head then took off, hoping to stop Chainsaw from hurting Zach. Andrew had no idea how since Chainsaw was so massive, but he wasn’t going to let the guy hurt Zach.

When Andrew rushed out of the building, neither Zach nor Chainsaw were anywhere in sight, and the tires on the Rolls were slashed.

Chapter Five

“Find him!” Eleazar snarled at Shayde. “Send my elite, all of them. I want Andrew found, now!”

“What if he chose to leave?” Shayde asked. “You said you gave him a choice.”

“And he chose to stay.” Eleazar shook his head. “No, something is wrong. I can feel it in my gut.”

Eleazar had had the entire estate searched, but Andrew wasn’t there. Neither was the Rolls Royce Ghost. Andrew’s scent had been all over the garage, which meant he’d been the one to take the car. But why? Had the human decided he couldn’t take this job? Had he changed his mind?

If Andrew had, Eleazar wanted to hear it from him. If the human had simply left, Eleazar was going to… He wasn’t sure what he would do. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d felt this way toward anyone, if ever. It was as if he was obsessed with Andrew.

Just then Eleazar’s phone rang. Shayde lingered as Eleazar answered it. “Eleazar Bancroft.”

“I need your help,” Andrew said, tears in his voice.

All of Eleazar’s protective instincts shot to the surface.

“Tell me where you are.”

Andrew gave the address. Eleazar stormed from the office, Shayde right behind him. He grabbed a car from the garage, forgoing a driver, and headed toward the city, Shayde in the passenger seat.

All the while, Andrew had told him what happened. Eleazar’s heart nearly gave out. While Andrew’s need to help a friend was commendable, he should have said something before he’d raced from the house. Eleazar would have sent someone to help Zach. There were many humans who would have jumped to do his bidding.

“Chainsaw must have slashed your tires,” Andrew said, clearly crying. “I tried to stop him from taking Zach, but I was too late.”

“Your friend will be found,” Eleazar reassured him. “Do not cry, little one.”

It actually hurt Eleazar’s heart to hear the grief in Andrew’s voice. He was going to kill Chainsaw for not only harming Andrew but for causing him so much anguish.

Eleazar drove as fast as he could through the streets of the city. He could hear the fear and desperation radiating from Andrew’s voice through the phone. It was making his fangs ache, and he had to resist the urge to sink them into the nearest neck to satisfy his sudden thirst for blood.

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