Page 105 of Chasing the Red Queen

“It was Jonas and Rubio,” Gage blurted. “I checked the car, it was definitely their scents. Jonas ripped the passenger door from the hinges and abducted Donja.”

“And the pictures, too.” Makayla sobbed.

“Pictures?” Torin questioned, his blood boiling. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Some old bridal pictures we found in our attic,” Makayla sobbed. “They were all Chippewa women, and so we posted them online to see if someone had lost them. Those two men Jonas and Rubio contacted us and said they recognized them. They said they had been stolen and wanted to buy them back.”

“Damn it, Makayla. The two of you went alone to meet a strange man about stolen pictures?” Torin growled. “You walked into a trap! Why didn’t you tell me or Gage?”

“She did tell me about the pictures,” Gage replied sheepishly, “but at the time I didn’t think much of it and I certainly didn’t think something like this would happen.”

Torin shook his head, his soul bleeding misery.

“I’m so sorry.” Makayla sobbed. “We never thought that…”

“It’s done.” Torin stammered. “So back to your meeting. What happened?”

“We arranged a meeting at the library but after examining them closely, they said it wasn’t the pictures they were looking for. That Jonas guy set his sights on Donja and questioned her about the bite marks on her neck.”

Torin cut a side glance to Makayla, his lips trembling. “What did she say?”

“She told him she had no idea what he was talking about and then they left. We thought it was over but after we left, I realized they were following us. Gage just happened to call me. I told him what was happening but soon thereafter, they slammed the Mercedes into my car and ran us off the road. They took Donja,” she sobbed uncontrollably. “I could hear her screaming but there was nothing I could do—everything was blurry. I couldn’t think. I’m so sorry.”

Torin exhaled. “Don’t beat yourself up, you’re lucky they didn’t snap your neck to silence your tongue.”

Makayla covered her face with her hands. “What am I going to tell our parents? They’ll call the police and since it’s an abduction, the FBI will get involved. What am I going to do?”

“Nothing,” Torin said, his voice edgy.

“Damn it Torin!” Gage chimed in. “I can’t believe two Iridescents would risk the wrath of the Council and abduct a marked female.”

“And they wouldn’t, not without orders to do so,” Torin retorted. “Someone powerful is behind this, someone who is taking a risk that Donja might be able to conceive a child.”

“But she has your antigens so they’re shit out of luck. There’s no way it would work.”

Antonio’s warnings echoed through Torin’s mind. “Sadly, it could work but it’s a long shot. They would need to drain her blood.”

“No!” Makayla screamed.

Torin, whose nostrils were flaring, tightened his jaw. “She would need a transfusion, but being Rh-null they would have to have her mother to…” his words trailed. “No,” he stammered, his lips trembling, “now that I think about it, that won’t work, Donja has her father’s blood,” his eyes narrowed. “Damn, they’ll go for her brother, it’s most likely a perfect match.” He plowed his hair with his fingers. “They’ll drain him dry,” he growled with such anger that he inadvertently gripped the armrest so tight that it shattered in his hand. “Grrr! I could kill every damn one of them right now, no regrets.”

“And I’d love to join you,” Gage glowered. “Any idea who ordered this?”

“Possibly, but I’m afraid there’s more to this than just Donja’s abduction.”

“What do you mean?” Gage asked.

“The victim at a crime scene I just left was drained of blood with every bone in her body shattered.”

“Another Chippewa?”

“Only half Ojibwe this time.” He sighed. “It was Marie.”

Gage’s jaw dropped. “Antonio’s daughter?”

“Yes, I’m afraid so and it was premediated. A vengeance killing if I ever saw one.”

Gage took a harsh breath. “That’s unbelievable. Does Antonio know?”

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