Page 28 of Luka

If Spencer wasn’t trying to escape with his life, he’d look to see if it was a participation trophy. Those were handed out like candy. He’d also see what year, because Ross had to have been a kid when he’d gotten it.

When he reached the window, Spencer shoved the curtains aside and tried the window, but like the window in the bathroom, it was stuck shut. Fuck, fuck, fuck. The only real thing he could do was try to hold out until Luka came back. It was his only shot.

“None of the windows open.”

Spencer spun to find Ross with his arms crossed and leaning against the door frame.

“You don’t have to do this,” Spencer said as he pressed his back to the window. “Why are you double-crossing Luka?”

“So you heard my conversation.” Ross straightened. “It’s not like I want to hand you over. I just got a lot of debt that I can’t possibly repay.”

“That makes it okay to screw over the one guy who would have and could have helped you?” Spencer curled his lip. “How did you even know about me and the situation I’m in?”

“Keep my ear to the ground. Hefty reward for whoever captures you and hands you over.” Ross shrugged. “Honestly, I had no idea who this Spencer was until Luka showed up with you and said your name.”

Spencer frowned. “Luka never said my name. He referred to me as human, but he never said my name.”

The apologetic look in Ross’s eyes vanished instantly, and then a slow smirk surfaced. “You’re too smart for your own good. I haven’t seen Luka in a while, so he has no idea I’m now working for Lazarus. I do owe a debt, but when I saw you walk through my door…” Ross laughed. “Someone is smiling down on me, because bam, there you were, dropped right in my lap.”

“Who are you?” Spencer’s gaze swung toward the trophy, and he wondered if he could get to it fast enough and have enough strength to knock Ross’s rotten ass out with it.

He didn’t get a chance to find out. Ross stormed across the room, grabbed Spencer by his arm, and yanked him to the back door. Spencer tried to fight, but he was no match for Ross’s strength. The guy yanked him out into the backyard, which was made of concrete, and threw Spencer into the passenger seat of a car.

When Spencer tried to get out of the passenger door, Ross slugged him in the jaw. Spencer’s head snapped back as he damn near lost consciousness. Everything was spinning as Ross started the car and took off, driving away from the house.

Chapter Nine

It took Luka all of five seconds to wonder where that beeping was coming from. He pulled his bike over, yanked out his cell phone, and saw that Spencer had activated the panic button. Had Spencer accidentally pressed the button?

Luka made a U-turn in the street and took off back toward Ross’s house. Luka should have taken his mate to Rayne’s pack. Luka hadn’t wanted to involve them, had trusted Ross, and if Ross had betrayed him, there wasn’t a place on earth the son of a bitch could hide.

Lazarus forgotten, Luka broke speed limits to get to his mate, trying countless times to call Spencer, only for his call to go straight to voicemail. When Luka arrived, he knew something wasn’t right. His gut told him that his mate wasn’t there.

Ross’s car was also gone from the back driveway. Luka pulled his phone out, and called Ross.

“It’s nothing personal,” Ross said. “I hand your precious human over and my debt is cleared.”

Luka’s heart plummeted. He’d laid his trust in the wrong person. He’d counted on his friendship with Ross, but what he should have done was…what? It wasn’t as if he’d had time to lie low and watch Ross to make sure he was still one of the good guys.

“Luka!” Spencer cried out, and Luka’s heart felt as if it was going to shatter.

“I’m going to find you, Ross,” Luka said, low and calm. “When I find you, I’m going to make you suffer in ways that will have you begging me to kill you. I’m the last person you want to make an enemy out of.”

Ross’s laughter chilled Luka. Ross had always been fair and compassionate, a good guy. The sound of that laugh told Luka that he was no longer dealing with the wolf shifter he used to know. Something had happened to Ross, something that had skewed his moral compass.

“I’m more afraid of Lazarus,” Ross admitted.

“Retirement over!” Spencer shouted.

“Shut the fuck up,” Ross snarled.

Luka wasn’t sure if Spencer could hear him, but he needed to say the words. “Retirement over, baby.”

He placed his phone on the gas tank, right next to the speedometer so he could track Spencer while he drove. “I’m coming for you, Ross.”

When Ross hung up, Luka took off, watching the dot on the GPS of the app for the panic button. It was taking him into the heart of vampire territory. Luka was damn good, and if this was just a job, he would have no qualms about going in.

But this was Spencer, and Luka didn’t want to take any chances. He couldn’t lose Spencer. Not when his mate had made Luka feel alive again. Not when Spencer had become the most important person in the world to him.

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