Stone Bear:Sentinel(Stone Bears Book 1)(28)

"How did you manage to break Nash's leg without him realizing it?"

Ben smiled again. "You humans are so fragile. All it took was a little clumsiness on my part, and I happened to fall against dear old Nash's leg." He shrugged. "Whoops."

Caia shook her head at his casual attitude. "Well, since you seem intent on killing me, at least tell me what the hell is going on. I don't believe for a second that selling this drug-whatever it is-is your end game." She dropped her pretense of not knowing what the Sapphires were doing out here, hoping the fact that she knew more than he would have liked might convince Ben to see reason.

Unfortunately, like everything else she tried, it seemed to have no effect.

"What I'd really like to know," she pressed, "is how you managed to take so many of the big players out of the game. Neutralizing the dragons? That's a pretty bold move for a bear shifter, don't you think?" she asked.

There was a brief flickering of surprise and something else almost like fear deep within Ben's eyes, but then he clamped down on it. His reaction was almost as heartening as it was frightening, as Caia thought through what it meant.

Ben had been unaware until she spoke about whatever it was that was keeping the Kedyns and Ferro from becoming involved. That meant that he wasn't the mastermind of everything that had been going on in Genesis Valley. Someone else was... someone who was controlling the most powerful shifters, and quite possibly the entire Sapphire crew as well. Ben was just another player, and one not trusted enough to be aware of everything that was going on. To cap it all off, he was scared by that sudden knowledge as well.                       
       
           



       

"What have you done?" she whispered.

"Shut up," he snarled. "Malcom, take her outside," he said, motioning to one of the Sapphires in the room. "Put her by the fire. We don't want her getting cold," he said harshly.

"Who are you working for, Ben Groll?" she shouted, struggling with her bonds as Malcom forced her to her feet.

"I work for no one," he snapped. "We do this on our own."

"Who gave you the recipe for the drug?" she yelled back over her shoulder.

Fingers snapped, and Malcom paused in his efforts to haul her outside.

"What do you know?" he asked, peering into her eyes as she looked at him defiantly.

Caia's brain was working on overdrive as his eyes searched hers.

What was it that I just said that got to him? It had to be something about the recipe, because I'd already mentioned the drug, and he didn't even blink then. Why is he so concerned about the recipe? Could a copy of it have leaked? Oh shit.

Caia fought back another blow of terror as she realized what it was that had Ben on edge.

"Holy hell," she said, her gaze stiffening as she took the upper hand in their staring contest. "You don't even make the stuff, do you? Someone else gives it to you. All you do is sell it to lowlifes like Evan and Kent." Caia closed her eyes. "You've fucked up so badly Ben. So badly."

"Enough!" His backhand caught her across the chin, snapping her head back and leaving her seeing stars. At least he held back, a part of her thought. Otherwise her neck would have broken under the blow, and whoever was supplying Ben with his drugs would have been the least of her worries.

"Everyone outside, now!" Ben ordered, and the various shifters all filed outside, with Malcom dragging her along behind.

"What are we doing out here?" Caia asked as her senses returned, aided by the brisk wind that traveled over her. The cold helped her focus.

The group of shifters was arrayed facing down the road toward the entrance. She looked around, noting the nervous looks on a couple of the former Opal Crew members standing there, as well as on some of the Sapphires as well. They were spread out toward the sides of the group, with the core at the center forming Ben's most ardent supporters, she assumed. Which was also exactly where she happened to be.

"Who's coming?" she asked Malcom nonchalantly. He looked at her but didn't reply. "Oh come on now. I'm clearly not a threat. At least satisfy my curiosity so that when he kills me, I'll at least know what was going on. Is that really too much to ask?"

Malcom gritted his teeth, but Ben had clearly overheard. He turned to look at her. "We're waiting for my contact.

As if on cue, a set of headlights became visible on the road. The afternoon had whittled away into evening, and the fifty-foot canopy of trees that hung over the road and also most of the clearing that Caia and the others occupied made it seem even darker than it was. She half expected it to start raining, making the scene like something straight out of a movie, but a quick glance at the sky told her that the weather wasn't going to change anytime soon. It was clear skies and even a few early stars as far as she could see. Which, admittedly, wasn't much with the trees obscuring most of her vision.

"Boss," Kent said to Ben, looking agitated.

"What are you worried about now?" the Alpha responded, his voice acidic in its disgust.

"Something isn't right. That's not the same truck."

She watched as Ben's eyes narrowed.

"You're right, it isn't." He turned to address the others. "Spread out. This may not be them. And Kent, get your men out of visual range. The last thing we need is someone seeing you here who shouldn't." The shifters scrambled to obey his commands as the truck continued down the lane, eventually coming to a halt in front of the group.

It was a big red truck, unlike any she had seen in Origin before. Caia wondered where it was. Judging by Ben's reaction, he was just as unsure of it as everyone else. The driver slowly put it into park, and then killed the engine.

She waited with bated breath, her nerves singing with tension as the door clicked and then slowly began to open.





Chapter Fifteen


Gabriel

He held his breath.

Although some of them had gone out of sight, there were still quite a lot of them. More than he wanted to entertain trying to take on alone. Thankfully, Gabriel knew he wouldn't have to.

He thought back to the meeting he had had with his team.

"Okay, team. Let's all get to know each other. I think Raphael, Uriel, Ajax, Garrett, Russell, you all know each other, right?"                       
       
           



       

There had been nods all around.

"Okay. Over here are the friends I called to help us out. They aren't here for the dirty work; that's our job. They're here for containment and sheer numbers, and because they don't want to see this drug take hold here in Genesis and spread toward them."

"Folks, this is Calan and his friends Jet, Andy, and Tanner. They're from Bear Bluffs. In case you weren't aware, Bear Bluffs is a town about two hours south of here."

Greetings and words of thanks had been exchanged on behalf of the bears from Genesis Valley. Gabriel had let it go on for a few minutes before he had raised a hand for silence.

"Okay," he had said. "Here's the plan … "

Now all he could do was hope that they were living up to their end of things. The lights were still on from his truck, and he had purposefully left the high beams on, effectively blinding any of them from seeing who he was until he stepped beyond the light, as he did now.

"Gabriel. I should have known." Ben was the first to speak, recognition sinking in.

"You should have known better Ben," he said, his voice as hard as steel. "This time you've gone too far."

He could see Caia and the restraints around her feet, and presumably her wrists too. It incensed him. The animalistic fury of his bear exploded within him, demanding the blood of whoever had dared lay a hand on her. On his mate. Gabriel's nostrils flared as she took a step toward him, but was pulled back by another shifter.

"You're going to regret that," he said evenly, slowly raising his fist and extending one finger at the unknown Sapphire shifter. "Let her go now."

The sheer command in his tone had the other shifter looking frantically between his Alpha and Gabriel as his loyalty warred with his natural instincts. His bear knew that Gabriel was a bigger threat and that he should submit, but he was sworn to Ben.

Gabriel's lips peeled back exposing his teeth as loyalty won and the other shifter stood his ground, yanking back on Caia's wrists once again.

"You are ridiculously outnumbered Gabriel." As Ben spoke, the other shifters Gabriel had seen as he came down the road walked back into view.

Interesting. He noted that they were all former Opal crew members, but that wasn't the most fascinating thing. Of the half dozen newcomers, only four of them appeared eager. Two of them hung way at the back, exchanging glances with each other.

Perhaps he wouldn't have to end everyone tonight.

"Once the fighting starts," he said, raising his voice so everyone could hear, "if you don't wish to be bound by the idiotic decisions of your leaders, stay in human form."

Ben snorted. "You going to take us on all by yourself?"