Kenzie smiled. "There isn't a wicked bone in your body, Emmy."
Emmy grinned and shrugged as she hurried out.
Kenzie sank back into the sofa tiredly as she finished her wine and then stood to head toward the ladies' room. She'd just exited the office and turned toward the back entrance to the hotel when she saw an Asian man heading toward her. Fear skated up her spine, but she kept moving, hoping her trembling legs didn't give out on her. She glanced at the man as he passed her but other than briefly gazing at her, he ignored her. As soon as she was in the women's bathroom, she sighed with relief. She hated that she was suspicious of everyone, but after what she'd experienced and heard, she couldn't seem to help herself.
After doing her business, she stood at the sink to wash her hands and then turned toward the door. She'd just gripped the door handle and was turning it when the door burst open. Pain exploded in her head when the edge of the door hit her right in the middle of the forehead and while she tried to remain standing and conscious, she was fighting a losing battle.
Her knees buckled, darkness invaded before she even hit the floor.
"Did you deal with the fuckers who set off the firecracker?" Jay asked Brooks as soon as he entered the kitchen.
"Yeah." Brooks rubbed the back of his neck. "The stupid bastard did it on a dare. Needless to say, he and his friends have been kicked to the curb."
"That's the least they deserve," Jordan said. "They could have taken someone's eye out or started a fire."
Brooks nodded. "If Declan hadn't seen what they were doing after coming back from talking with you three and acted so fast, things could've ended differently. The carpet was already starting to smolder. Thankfully, there are water jugs on all the tables and he was able to douse it before it took hold." He glanced about before meeting each of their gazes before staring into Jay's eyes again. "We've stopped taking more food orders. You can start clearing up once you finished the last meals you need to get out.
"Where's Kenzie?"
"She's in the office with Emmy."
Declan's gut knotted when Brooks shook his head. "Emmy's back working behind the bar. Kenzie's probably finishing her glass of wine."
"She ordered wine?" Jordan asked.
"Yeah, you three did a number on her with all your sniping."
"Shit!" Jenson sighed.
"If I were you, I'd get down on my knees and ask for forgiveness. I don't know why you were all behaving like idiots and I don't want to know, but you need to apologize to your mate. You really upset her."
"We will," Jay stated emphatically.
Brooks sniffed the air and frowned.
"What is it?" Jordan asked.
Jay waited for the polar bear's reply with bated breath. He didn't like the feeling in his gut. He tried to feel Kenzie through their mating bond, but he couldn't feel anything. He wondered if she'd somehow managed to block them out so they couldn't feel how upset she was with them.
"I hate having the restrooms down this hall, there are so many scents it's hard to sort them out. I was sure I got a whiff of gunpowder, but after that firecracker going off it's not a surprise. Maybe I've got the stench stuck in my nose."
"Maybe," Jay murmured distractedly. The knot of anxiety was getting bigger and his panther was shoving against his insides trying to get free. He was only vaguely aware of Brooks leaving, and while he tried to concentrate on what he was doing, he couldn't.
Jay dropped what he was doing and hurried toward the office. He began to tremble when he found it empty. He spied the empty wine glass on the small coffee table next to the sofa. After inhaling deeply, he followed Kenzie's aroma down the hall and stopped outside the women's restroom. He leaned against the wall as he waited for his mate to come out, but began to get concerned as the minutes passed. He sniffed the air again and growled when he smelled an unknown male, as well as the slightest hint of gunpowder and blood.
The hackles on the back of his neck rose and he pushed the bathroom door open. When he smelled Kenzie's blood, he almost roared with fury and fear but quickly swallowed and staved off the urge.
The bathroom was empty.
His mate was missing.
Foreign voices penetrated the fog shrouding Kenzie. Her head was throbbing like a bitch and while she wanted to lift her hand to touch it, to see if she was bleeding, she remained still.
Keeping her breathing and heart rate at a normal level was difficult but she concentrated on breathing in and out at a regular pace. Fear raced up her spine, and if she hadn't been regulating her breathing she probably would have started panting.
Whatever was going on, she realized she was in deep shit. She remembered being hit in the head by the bathroom door and after that, it had been lights out. She was out in the open because the air was cold, probably well below zero, and yet she could feel heat emanating from a fire. Goose bumps raced over her skin and she shivered, despite trying to quell the urge.
Kenzie tried to push the hammering pain going on behind her skull to the back of her mind and concentrate on those voices, so she could work out what was being said. It took her a few moments to realize the men weren't speaking English, but what sounded like an Asian language.
Another shudder shook her body when terror permeated her heart and soul. She didn't need to open her eyes to know who had her. Sadness and fear warred inside her. It was very hard to keep her tears at bay.
Kenzie wondered if she'd ever see her mates again.
Chapter Eighteen
"What the fuck do you mean she's missing?" Jordan shouted.
"Calm down, Jordan." Declan squeezed his shoulder. "We don't want any of the humans to know something's wrong, or sticking their noses in where they don't belong."
Jordan shrugged Declan's hand away, hurried around the polar bear shifter and down the hall toward the rear exit. As soon as he stepped out into the cold, frigid air, his heart clenched with fear. Kenzie was out there somewhere without a coat to keep her warm. Even though she had some of their DNA coursing through her body, he wasn't sure it would be enough to keep her from getting hypothermia.
He didn't even bother checking to make sure the coast was clear as he started stripping out of his clothes. Jordan didn't give a fuck if someone who shouldn't, saw him shifting. All he cared about was finding his mate and getting her back. The others came out after him, but he ignored them and called to his panther. Moments later he was in his feline form and racing across the parking lot following his mate's scent.
Her orange and peach perfume was mixed with other strange aromas, as well as exhaust fumes, but thankfully her fragrance was easy enough to follow.
When he found his mate and the men who'd taken her, he was going to rip them to shreds, tear their guts out and relish the violence.
Jenson had never been so scared in his life. He had to blink back tears and take a breath to get a hold on his emotions. He nearly sagged with relief when he stepped out the back door after Jordan and saw that most of the men living in Ambrose were there to help.
The more the better since they had no idea what they were up against. If the fuckers who had their mate were who he suspected, then they probably had enough fire power to take down the whole town. Yet, there was no way they were going to win.
Jenson had no qualms about putting himself in front of his mate to stop any bullets that might be sent her way. He just hoped that they were in time to save her.
He pushed his fear aside and drew on his Marine training. It wasn't time to let emotions or fear take hold. Now was the time to become the cold, heartless killing machine he'd been trained to be.
He, his brothers, and the other shifters in town were on a mission, one they would win.
Losing wasn't an option.
Kenzie almost stopped breathing when she heard footsteps getting closer and closer. She wasn't sure her game of possum was going to work because she was getting colder with every minute that passed. She was lying on the ground in the ice and snow with no added protection and the tremors inside were starting to show on the outside.
"Open your eyes, slut. I know you're awake."
She took a fortifying breath and opened her eyes. When she saw the small Asian man standing over her she almost laughed but quashed the urge at the last second. He wasn't any bigger than she was, and he didn't look as if he could hurt a fly, yet when she met his lifeless gaze, she quickly changed her mind. He might not be able to physically harm her, but he was holding a gun and it was pointed directly at her head.