"Yeah, whatever," one of the men snapped. "Just hurry the hell up. I don't plan on babysitting your ass for the rest of the day. I have better things to do."
Hmm. It didn't sound like everyone was happy with Chad's leadership. Maybe he could use that. Grayson began to make plans as he headed for his shredded clothes. If these guys were pissed at their assigned duties, then they might get sloppy, and sloppy meant dead.
Grayson grabbed his pants, surprised that they weren't in worse shape. He used his claws to make a small tear in the denim fabric above the knee and then ripped the shredded legs off, leaving himself with a pair of cutoffs.
He'd go with that. Wolf-shifters weren't prudes, but leaving his bits and pieces hanging out under the circumstances just felt wrong.
Grayson quickly pulled the shorts on before checking the pockets. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found both his cell phone and the locket his sister left for him. He kept the locket in his pocket, pushing it down a little further to make sure it stayed there.
Pulling out his cell phone, Grayson dialed Iben's phone number. He turned and watched the two men guarding him, taking careful note of how bored they looked. He couldn't understand where Chad had found them, or how he had kept them. Was he promising them something in return for their loyalty, or paying them? How was he getting them to do what he wanted, no questions asked?
"Hello?"
Grayson gulped when he heard his new alpha's voice. "Hey, this is Grayson Sanchez. I was wondering if you've seen Brandon?"
He was a little surprised that the two men didn't demand he put the phone on speaker to make sure he wasn't playing them. Maybe they were as lazy as he thought they were.
"If I've seen … Is everything okay, Grayson?"
"Not exactly. I'm just trying to find him. I really need to speak to him."
"I thought Brandon was with you."
"That's true, but I haven't seen him in days. I was hoping you might know where he is."
"You haven't-" Iben's heavy sigh felt just as heavy across the phone line. "You're in trouble, aren't you?"
"Oh hell yeah."
"Is just you or everyone?"
"Apollo and I have been packing all day. We haven't seen Brandon." Grayson shot another look at the two shifters. "But a few friends stopped by to help."
"A few friends?" Iben asked. "I'm assuming you're not real happy about these friends stopping by."
"Nope."
"Okay. I'm calling in reinforcements. Just keep your head about you. Help is on the way."
"I'd really appreciate that. I'll be waiting." Grayson smiled at the two men, nodding as he snapped his phone closed and slid it back into his pocket. "My friend is going to make a few phone calls and see if he can track Brandon down."
"How long is that going to take?" one of the men snarled. "I told you I don't plan to be on babysitting duty all day long."
Grayson held up both hands. "Hey, don't let me keep you." If the guy wanted to take off, more power to him.
"Shut the hell up!"
"I'm just saying-" Grayson grunted and grabbed his jaw, pain slicing through him like a knife. He wiggled his jaw as he glared at the shifter that had punched him. This was not the way to get him to cooperate.
A flicker of movement beyond the shifter's shoulder caught Grayson's attention. He tried not to show his reaction as he glanced between the two shifters guarding him. They looked bored. Hell, one of them was cleaning under his nails. Neither of the fierce warriors was paying any attention to their surroundings.
If these were the type of men Chad surrounded himself with and trusted to have his back, he wouldn't be an alpha for long. Iben Khenti, on the other hand, had strong, loyal men that used their brains … like the two men sneaking up behind Grayson's captors.
Grayson must have given something away-a flicker of an eye, a knowing glint, maybe even a quicker pulse beating in his neck-but just as Warren and Jack reached the guards, one turned, letting out a howl that raised the hair on Grayson's arms.
Grayson barely had time to react before Warren and Jack were engaged in a deadly battle with his captors. They might have been lazy about watching him and their surroundings, but they fought like soldiers.
Once he saw that Warren and Jack had things well in hand, he tore off toward the backdoor of the alpha house. The front porch creaked like nobody's business. He would have a better chance of sneaking inside the house if he used the backdoor.
Grayson reached the back of the house easily enough. He even got into the house through the backdoor. Getting out of the laundry room was something altogether different. Chad wasn't alone inside the alpha house. He had guards with him.
Grayson could only pray they were as lazy as the ones outside.
He scooted to the edge of the doorway leading out of the laundry room. Before Carlos and Megan took over the alpha house, it had belonged to Grayson's parents. He had grown up in this house. He knew every nook and cranny, every creak on the floor. He knew just which direction to go to hide himself.
At the edge of the laundry room, the opening led in two separate directions. The left led to the living room, the right to the kitchen and dining room. The living room met up with the dining room on the other side of wide staircase that was pressed up against a brick wall. The other side of the brick wall was a fireplace in the living room.
The faint murmur of voices came from the direction of the living room. Grayson headed to the kitchen, scooting around the counters to the far side. Megan had placed a sideboard against the window, making a coffee bar complete with K-cups, Keurig machine, coffee pot, and espresso machine. She was serious about her caffeine.
There was a small archway at that end of the kitchen that led directly into the kitchen. Because he pretty much needed to turn sideways to scoot by the coffee bar, Grayson very rarely took this route to the dining room. He was hoping it was true for the others in the house as well.
Grayson grabbed the half-full coffee pot out of the machine and placed it in the microwave and set the timer for five minutes. It wouldn't take that long but still … He cringed at the very idea of Megan's beautiful kitchen being destroyed, but he needed a diversion.
This would do it.
Grayson quickly snuck around to the dining room and squatted down behind the edge of the long dining table, scooting between two wooden chairs. He covered his ears when he heard the hissing start. A moment later, an explosion shattered the quiet and smoke began billowing out of the kitchen.
Several men came running in, shouting and waving their hands in the air to disperse the smoke. Grayson waited until they had all passed his position then jumped up and ran toward the living room.
Whether he had made too much noise or Chad was expecting something like this, Grayson didn't know. But the sight of Apollo in human form, kneeling on the floor with Chad behind him, his gun pointed at Apollo's head, was one Grayson didn't think he would ever get out of his head.
"Did you honestly think I would fall for that shit?" Chad snapped. His face was mottled with rage. Every time he lifted his hand to swing his arm in the air, Grayson held his breath. Chad could so easily shoot him or Apollo.
"Just let us go, Chad."
"No!"
"I'm not going to give you Brandon."
"He's mine!" Good god, he man actually stomped his foot.
"No, he's not. He doesn't even know who you are."
"He will," Chad insisted. "Once I'm done with him, he'll be the perfect pet."
Grayson didn't miss the fact that Chad kept referring to Brandon as his pet and not his mate. Obviously, he saw Brandon as some sort of object and not a man with free will. It made Ares's fierce protectiveness over Simon make so much more sense.
Chad was a sick freak.
And he wasn't getting his hands on Brandon.
The anger burning in Apollo's dark eyes said the very same thing. Grayson knew that the elite enforcer was pissed that he had been forced to his knees. Apollo was a proud man and bowed to very few people. Being used as leverage had to be galling the man to no end.
"You're not getting Brandon or Simon or anyone else, Chad. The only thing that is going to happen is your death if you continue down this path."
"No!" Chad screamed like a petulant child. "The elders said if I took care of the pack that was here, these lands would be mine and I could make my own pack. They said they would make sure that I got to have my pet."
Grayson's eyes narrowed, his chest aching with the anger he was trying to hold in. "What elders?"
"Enough of this!" Chad shouted, swinging the gun back toward Apollo's head. "I want my pet!" The barrel of the gun moved against Apollo's head, the hammer clicking back. "Bring him to me now."
Grayson stopped breathing. His hands, hanging at his sides, twisted nervously before fisting. His gaze lowered to meet Apollo's. He felt like his heart was trying to pound itself through his breastbone as time seemed to stop for a moment.