"There, there, over there!"
Rogan smacked Wade's shoulder and pointed out the passenger window of their car. They'd touched down in Reno a few hours ago, and Wade had insisted he flat-out buy an off-roading vehicle. What they'd ended up getting was one of the best on the market, a limited edition Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, Four-by-Four—of course, in black. Rogan had wanted him to get the silver metallic, but even at night, it would have stuck out in the desert like a sore thumb.
Good thing the dealer took credit cards.
It hadn't taken that long to walk through the lot, decide on a car, and hand the salesman his card. Of course, they had to call the credit card company to make sure “Brandon Cameron the Third” had that kind of money to spend. Once he passed that test, they hadn't hesitated to bend over and kiss his ass. Even Rogan had gotten a kick out of it.
A few signatures and handshakes later, the dealer had dropped the keys in Wade's hand. They'd only stopped long enough for water and various foodstuffs, along with a few changes of clothing. Thank God for Walmarts.
Now, they were rampaging through the Nevada desert like they owned the place.
As it was, they weren't driving with their headlights, but Wade thanked B*E*A*S*T* once again for giving him keen eyes in the dark. Yet even his keen eyes couldn't keep them from their bumpy ride.
Rogan glanced once more at the GPS locator in his hand, which still showed the previous location of the beacon before the pinging had stopped. Apparently, it was over to the right.
"Look!” Noah exclaimed, pointing through the windshield from the back seat. “That huge black thing. Is that a...tarp?"
Rogan stuck his head out the window and took a deep breath. “Nope,” he said. “It's a parachute. Good news is, I smell ‘em. They haven't been here in awhile, but they were here."
Wade braked hard, bringing the Jeep to a stop in a cloud of pebbles and dust. Without another word, both Rogan and Noah hopped out. Wade turned off the engine and joined them.
"Oh God,” Noah said, breathing deep. “You smell that?"
Both Wade and Rogan followed suit. Rogan's eyes flashed. Even in the dark, Wade could see that much.
"The bastard from Florida."
"The one who killed Jet and Trevor."
A heavy silence descended on them as they glanced around in the dirt for any kind of clue.
"Something's not right. There's a faint odor of something. Like a machine.” Wade found a spot in the sand that smelled like Robyn. And not too old, either. “Guys, come here."
Noah and Rogan glanced over his shoulder at the ground.
"I think Robyn took off that way. Alone."
All three of them glanced up into the night, seeing nothing but sagebrush as far as the eye could see.
"What the hell happened here?” Rogan asked to no one in particular.
"Don't know,” Noah said. “But it's not good. Judging from that parachute, I would think they must have jumped from a plane. My hunch is they didn't escape for long."
"You think B*E*A*S*T* returned for them?” Wade asked, his eyes wide.
"Makes sense. Especially since the beacon stopped working at some point."
"Damn it."
"But I don't think they took Robyn.” Noah took
another breath. “No, I'd be willing to bet my life on it. She's out here somewhere—alone. Probably going after them herself."
"Well, let's go find her."
Rogan didn't wait for the others before climbing into the driver's seat.
"What do you think you're doing?” Wade asked, his hands crossed over his chest.
"Driving. You coming?” The wolf batted his eyes at him.
Noah took advantage of Wade's hesitation and climbed into the passenger seat. “Shotgun."
Wade blew out his breath between clenched teeth. He scrambled into the back seat and scowled.
"Aw, don't look at me like that,” Rogan said, glancing at him in the rearview mirror. “We still love you."
Noah chuckled.
They were damn lucky Wade didn't crack their heads together. He smiled at the thought. “Just don't scratch my car."
"Yeah, whatevs,” Rogan said, grinning as he floored it.
Wade fastened his seat belt if only to keep from being jostled around the cab. With their windows down, they could smell Robyn's faint odor. He didn't dare voice his concerns about not finding her alive. He didn't want to be the one to face that jag and tell him the bad news.
That is, if Mac was still alive.
They drove for awhile before Robyn's scent became stronger. She was close.
"Rogan, slow down. She's around here somewhere.” Noah glanced out at the night.
"Where?"
"Somewhere up ahead. Smell her?"
"Yeah,” Rogan answered with a nod.
"It's really strong.” Wade's eyes scanned the sage. Not too far in front of the jeep was a huddled figure lying in the dirt, motionless. “Robyn!"
Rogan stopped the jeep and Wade jumped out and raced to her, rolling her onto her back.
"Is it her?"
"Is she okay?"
The others pressed close.
"She's breathing,” Wade said, his heart beating a mile a minute. “She's alive."
"Damn, look at those cracked lips. She's so pale. Let's get her into the Jeep and get some water down her. I doubt she's had any for a good long time."
Rogan took her shoulders while Noah grabbed her ankles. Wade picked up the heavy duffel by her feet. They carried her to the backseat just as Wade held the door open for them. He tossed the bag into the back and rummaged for a bottle of water.
"Robyn, honey, you've gotta drink this."
"Mackenzie?” she whispered with a moan, her head flopping back and forth.
"No, it's Wade. I'm here with Noah and Rogan. We came to get you. Just sip the water."
Through panting breaths, she accepted it and then said, “They took him. And Dylan. We've got...to help them."
"We know,” Wade said in an effort to soothe her.
"Who's Dylan?” Rogan asked, his voice hard.
Wade gave him a damning glare.
Robyn wiped her mouth of moisture from another swallow of water before answering. “He's the one I thought had been my mate. He was hunting us, but B*E*A*S*T* turned on him as well. We were all going back to the agency in cages. Managed to escape, though."
"We saw the parachute.” Noah pointed his chin in the direction they'd come from.
"Dylan helped us. But he's...not stable."
"Not stable? What do you mean?” Wade asked.
"He's a crossbreed."
When all of them stared at her in confusion, she continued. “He can become more than one animal. He's a barn owl, a gorilla and a crocodile."
Rogan's eyebrows shot up a moment before he snapped his fingers. “That's why we couldn't figure out what the hell we were smelling."
Noah nodded, concern clearly written on his face. “You say B*E*A*S*T* took Mac?"
Robyn took a deep, shuddering breath. “He broke his leg when he touched down during our sky dive. He was a sitting duck out here. Dylan and I had shifted and were searching the desert for water. We couldn't move him, but he needed to drink something desperately. I never should have left him. Those bastards honed in on our GPS beacons before we had a chance to destroy them. They came in a chopper."
Rogan glanced up at Wade. “You destroyed the beacons?"
She nodded. “The scientists figured after Colorado and Oregon had been compromised, they'd implant a beacon in their shifters. A different place in different people. We had to find mine and cut it out. We did the same with Dylan's.
"We've got to hurry. The chopper came this way and disappeared beyond those mountains. Guess I couldn't take my fatigue anymore and blacked out."
She indicated another sip and Wade gave her the bottle. He dug another energy bar from the back.
"Here, eat this, too,” Wade said gently. “Might wake you up a bit."
"Thanks."
"Get in, cougar,” Rogan said, rounding the Jeep's hood. “We're gonna see what's on the other side of those mountains, shall we?"
Robyn sat up, allowing Wade to slide in next to her. Before his door was completely shut, Rogan had taken off, not bothering to take the time to be cautious.
Out the corner of his eye, Wade saw Robyn shiver as she gazed out the window. He placed his large hand over hers on her lap.
"We'll find him. He'll be all right."
When she turned, her eyes were full of tears. “I hope so,” she said, the potency of her fear permeating he cab. “I sure as shit hope so."
"What the hell is that?"
"Wow."
"Something's going down out there. Something big."
Robyn sat on her knees to peer over Wade's shoulder out the side window. They'd turned off the engine once they reached the summit of a mountain after a long, precarious climb to the top. What she saw in the valley below chilled
Robyn to the bone.
A huge airstrip stretched next to a row of buildings—hangars, she supposed. The cargo plane she'd jumped out of with Mac and Dylan was sitting at the end of the runway, illuminated by floodlights.
A huge, white building sprawled across the landscape, with more floodlights piercing the night. A helipad was on one section of the roof, with the helicopter she'd seen in the sky parked on top—it's blades perfectly still.
A buzz of activity swirled around the compound. A line of military trucks and Hummers made their way down a dirt road toward the buildings. A few of them had already parked, with men in cammo hopping out, toting guns and pointing every which way.
"Robyn,” Noah whispered, “use those eyes of yours and tell us what you see."
She swallowed hard, but squinted into the dark.
"Lots of men. Looks like soldiers. Seems like they're fortifying the place. Surrounding it."
"Well, shit!” Rogan exclaimed. “Our plans for infiltration just flew out the window. It's like Area fricken’ Fifty-One down there."
"It's not,” Noah said.
"How do you know?"
"Because we'd be dead by now. They've got snipers."
"And B*E*A*S*T* doesn't?"
"That would be my guess. Or maybe they're pre-occupied with all the commotion."
Silence descended before Wade piped up. “What if we lured some of the men away and jumped them? We could take them down, with or without guns, I'm sure."
"Why?” Noah asked, turning his flashing eyes to his friend.
Wade tsked his tongue in exasperation. “So we can steal their fatigues and walk right in, obviously!"
"How do you propose we lure these guys away from the whole lot of ‘em without being discovered?” Rogan asked.
"I don't know, it was just a suggestion."
Robyn glanced back down at the facility. “Looks like they're securing the airfield. Lots of men and trucks headed that way. A few of them are rounding behind the buildings closest to us and they don't have an entire entourage watching them. Maybe we can take them out."
"Good plan, good plan.” Rogan stroked his chin. “Except for the part where they scream for back-up and shoot us before we reach them!"
"We're shifters, Wolfe,” Wade reasoned. “This is what B*E*A*S*T* engineered us to do."
"It's too risky.” With a growl, Rogan looked back down the mountain. “If we had tranqs, it would be a different story."
Robyn's heart leapt inside her chest. With a heave, she reached into the back of the jeep where Wade had tossed the duffel. The men watched with curiosity as she unzipped it.
"You mean these tranqs?"
With shock and awe, Rogan gazed into her eyes. “Robyn Bishop, I think I'm in love with you."
Both Wade and Noah grinned from ear to ear.