But it was Bethany who burst through the door and she was alone. Terror filled her eyes and she was out of breath. Hank grabbed her. “What?”
“Chrissten.” She pointed up the stairs. “Brian has her.”
Hank swore and started for the stairs just as the piercing sirens stopped and several policemen poured into the room. Great, for once the cops weren’t delayed. They were going to want to talk with him but he couldn’t afford to wait. “Tell Isaiah,” he ordered Bethany.
He slipped out the door, closed it behind him and raced up the stairs. Terror, unlike anything he’d ever felt in his life, filled him. Brian had found Chrissten and taken her.
He’d promised her she’d be safe here and he’d failed.
All of his senses were on high alert as he entered his apartment. He could smell the other male, arrogance with a heavy dose of power. A tinge of fear and blood overlay the stench. Hank growled as he prowled the room. How had the other man gotten in?
He left the room and backtracked to the corridor outside the apartment. He hadn’t come up from down below and none of the windows had been tampered with, so that left only one direction. Up.
The roof. It was the only truly vulnerable area.
Hank strode toward the narrow stairs that led to the roof. When he looked up, he swore. The hatch was open and the cool night air was blowing in. Hank pulled out his cell phone as he hurried back to his apartment. Craig answered on the first ring.
He didn’t bother to mince words. “Your sister is gone. Brian’s taken her.” He ignored Craig’s cry of despair and his questions. “Listen. Listen to me,” he repeated when Craig kept talking. “Shut up and call Damek. I need to know where Brian and his pack are and I need to know now. The ruckus downstairs was an obvious diversion, but Isaiah and the rest of them are going to be tied with the cops for a while. That leaves me to find your sister. The rest of them can follow when they finish below.”
“Okay. Okay.” Craig’s voice was shaky but he was in control. “I’ll call you back.”
“I’ll be on the move. Don’t worry. I’ll get her back.”
“I know.” Craig’s faith steadied him. He’d made both Chrissten and her brother a promise and he planned on keeping it. He’d never failed on a mission and he wasn’t about to start now.
He went to his closet and pushed aside his clothing to reveal a locked panel. He pushed in the code and the lock gave. He pulled the door open to reveal a fully loaded weapons locker. He grabbed several silver knives, a handgun with silver-coated bullets and his sniper rifle. He didn’t know what he’d be facing when he found Chrissten.
He grabbed a bag and shoved extra rounds of ammo and some C4, blasting caps and wire into it. Just in case he had to blow up something. He liked to be prepared.
When he had everything he thought he might need, he quickly changed his clothing. He stripped and pulled on a pair of dark pants, a dark shirt and his sneakers. Nothing extra in case he needed to shift in a hurry.
He grabbed the bag and strode down the hall. His destination was Kevin’s apartment and the fire escape. The door was unlocked and Hank pushed his way inside, his strides long and hurried. He unlocked the window and yanked it up, paused long enough to make certain the coast was clear and then he was out, hurrying down the metal stairs to the ground below.
His phone rang just as his feet hit the dirt in the alleyway. “Talk to me.”
He listened as Craig gave him a location and instructions on how to get there. “The others will follow as soon as the cops finish here.” He hesitated. “I don’t think Damek is going to be able to help.”
“Thanks.” He started walking and looking for a cab to take him to his destination. He saw one and raised his hand to get the driver’s attention.
“Get her back.” He could hear the sheer desperation in Craig’s voice.
“I will,” he promised. He’d get her back or die trying.
Hank disconnected his phone and set it to vibrate so it wouldn’t ring at an inopportune moment. He was on his own and that was fine with him. He didn’t have time to wait for anyone.
His woman needed him.
Chrissten’s head was throbbing and she felt nauseated. She swallowed a groan, trying to order her jumbled thoughts. Brian. He’d found her. He’d come for her just like she’d known he would. She wished she’d had more time with Hank and her family, had hoped to be able to hunt Brian before he found her.
She lay still, not moving an inch while she struggled to pay attention to her surroundings. It was easy to pretend she was still unconscious. She wasn’t far from it. Only fear of what Brian might do to her kept her from slipping back into total darkness. It was safe there. No pain. No worries.
But Chrissten was a fighter. It wasn’t in her to simply give up. Plus, there was her family to think about. Brian knew where they were. There was nothing to stop him from going back to Haven once he stashed her somewhere. She couldn’t let that happen.
Adrenaline raced through her veins, giving her a much-needed boost of energy. She was cold and her body was vibrating. No, that wasn’t quite right. She wasn’t vibrating, but what she was lying on was. A vehicle. She was in a vehicle of some sort being transported somewhere. There was still time. Her hands were bound behind her, the heavy ropes biting into her skin, cutting off her circulation. The same rope was also wrapped around her ankles.
She dared to open her eyes a crack, trying to orient herself. Was Brian driving? Was he alone?
Concentrate, she ordered herself. She took a low breath and inhaled the scents around her. Gasoline, motor oil, metal, sweat, and beneath it all a musky male smell she recognized all too well. Brian. She beat down the terror that threatened to overwhelm her and sniffed again.
It was difficult to center herself with the pain pounding in her head and all down the right side of her body. Obviously, her mate hadn’t been careful when he’d dumped her in the vehicle. She couldn’t tell if it was a van or an SUV. Definitely wasn’t a car.
Chrissten was certain it was just the two of them. There would be more of them when they reached wherever they were going. Now that she knew Brian was driving, she opened her eyes fully and looked around. A van. Okay, she was in a van somewhere in Chicago.
She had to escape. She couldn’t let him take her back to his pack. There was no way Brian wouldn’t punish her for escaping him and turning to another. She knew him. Knew his ego and pride. No way he couldn’t smell another male on her. She was surprised he hadn’t mentioned it.
As quietly as she could, she inched her way toward the doors at the end of the van. Maybe she could open them. Her hands were tied behind her back and her feet were bound, but she still had the use of her legs. With her preternatural strength she might be able to kick the doors open. If she managed that, she could roll out of the vehicle and maybe attract attention to herself. It would hurt like hell, but it hopefully wouldn’t kill her. It was her only chance.
“I know you’re awake.” Brian’s voice froze her in place. “I heard the change in your breathing,” he continued, his tone one of calm conversation. Chrissten wasn’t fooled one bit. He was on the verge of a murderous rage. It was always this way with him. The calmer he seemed the more violent he got.
There was no reason to wait. She had nothing left to lose. Chrissten rolled to the end of the van, placed her feet on the doors, pulled back her legs and struck. Pain radiated up her shins and thighs. The door didn’t budge. She did it again and again. Why wasn’t it working? She wasn’t even making a dent in it.
“Reinforced steel.” He made a tsking sound under his breath. “Really, Chrissten. You continually underestimate me.”