Unless he could find a way to get the video footage… The idea died in his head before it could take root. Even if the video was on-site, they were already behind with getting the shifters out of here. The clock was ticking on keeping all of them from discovery.
“I can’t stay here now,” she pleaded, urgency in her eyes now. “Look, you’re doing a way better job of doing what I came here to do. Let me go and I’ll just…figure out something.”
He gave a harsh laugh. “I can’t do that.”
Both because of what she knew and what she’d seen. Not to mention, if he was foolish enough to let her go, her brother and father would kill him for putting Sienna’s life in danger. He might not have brought her to this point, but they’d sure as hell consider him responsible for her safety from now on out.
Sienna was a liability now, personally and to the shifter community.
“Well, you can’t just keep me.” A hint of panic entered her voice.
He arched a brow in response. Amusement kicked in his gut, but he knew better than to smile as he glanced at her cuffed hand. No good would come from getting Sienna all riled up again.
“Warrick.” She jerked at her cuffed hand and shook her head. “Seriously, you don’t understand. You need to let me go.”
“Seriously, Sienna. You’re not going anywhere. Sorry.”
“No.” She jerked at her hand, her eyes widening. “No. Warrick, I’m going to freaking kill you! At least uncuff me.”
Good. This was good. Anger was much better than panic attacks.
“Can’t do that either. That’s as much for your own safety as it is mine.” He didn’t stop the lopsided grin this time.
“My safety?”
Rabid screams sliced through the air and they both turned to see the shifters and three agents approach. The shifters were all hooked together with rope, eyes wild with pain and drugs, bodies straining as some continued to shift. One man’s hand morphed into a wolf’s paw, claws shooting out from his nail beds. He let out a savage scream and began tearing at the rope.
Warrick’s gut clenched as the somberness of the situation was resurrected.
“I’ll be back,” he said quietly.
He moved out of the seat and hopped down from the van, seeing right away the agents needed assistance.
“Grab the fucking tranquilizers,” Larson yelled, trying to restrain a shifter who was baring his teeth and screaming as his body went through the agonizing change. The poor guy was half-shifted and seemed to be transforming back to human at that very moment.
“I’m on it.” Warrick ran around to the back of the van and dug in the black case for the loaded tranquilizer guns they hadn’t expected to need.
Whatever was going on with the rescued hostages, the shifters were now in a completely feral state. And with seven shifters to the four agents, they were definitely outnumbered.
He rushed back around front where Hilliard had just forced a shifter into the back of one of the vans. Lifting the gun, he took aim at another shifter who was baring his teeth at Rafferty.
Warrick pulled the trigger and watched the shifter fall back with a roar as the tranquilizer dart pierced his thigh. He stumbled, before falling to the ground a second later, twitching several times and finally going still.
“Shit, try and get them in the van first, Donovan,” Rafferty cursed. “Don’t wanna throw out my back lifting these damn guys.”
Warrick’s lips twitched as he took aim at another shifter and pulled the trigger. Then focused on another.
“Easy with her,” Hilliard snapped.
Warrick nodded, knowing she worked for the agency. How the hell she’d ended up here was anybody’s guess. He fired a shot into the shoulder of the female shifter and she let out a whimper before collapsing near the door of the van.
A scream pierced the air, but it wasn’t animal. He spun, ice rushing through his blood as he saw one of the more lucid shifters break free from the rope and leap in the van. He was heading straight toward Sienna.
Chapter Three
“Fuck.” Warrick pushed past the other shifters and agents, trying to rip her door open, but it was locked.
The shifter inside was almost completely human again. “Bitch!”
Sienna turned her upper body to look behind her. Her eyes widened and she screamed when she saw the rapid approach of the shifter. The man slapped her across the face, sending her head whipping to the left.
“You knew what they were doing to us!”
Warrick jumped into the back of the van, forcing back a dangerous rage as he took aim and pulled the trigger before the shifter’s fist could connect with Sienna’s head again. The man roared—the sound a mix of wolf and human—before he stumbled back and fell to the ground with a gasp. A second later he was out.