Jaxson(27)

He knew they were out of line-of-sight when the bullets stopped finding them.

“Fuck,” said Taylor, struggling to sit up in the passenger seat.

“You all right?” Jaxson asked. It came out as a gasp—his lungs were struggling for oxygen, just now catching up to the adrenaline pumping through his system with a heart beating twice as fast as normal.

“Yeah.” Taylor sounded disappointed. And his voice held very little strain for as much blood as was running down his front. “This was one of my favorite shirts.”

Jaxson let out a chuckle. “You’re such an ass.”

Taylor looked offended. “It was a present from my mom.”

Jaxson grinned. “Jace?” he called to the back. “What’s our status?”

Silence.

Jaxson’s grin fell off his face. Icy hands clenched his heart. “Jace!”

His brother popped his head through the opening in the glass window between the cab and the back of the van. “Keep your pants on. Everything’s fine.”

Jaxson breathed a sigh of relief and shook his head. “Injuries?”

“Murphy took a bullet. He’s complaining like a baby, but it’s nothing.”

“Could be mortal!” Murphy’s voice echoed through the van. “I might be dying here!”

Jaxson gave his brother a quizzical look.

“He’s playing it up for Cassie,” Jace said with an unimpressed look.

Jaxson rolled his eyes, then asked in a quieter voice, “How is she?”

Jace grinned. “I found her kicking the shit out of her guard when I opened the back.”

Jaxson snorted a laugh that almost choked him. “Well, she is a Wilding.”

Jace gave an appreciative look over his shoulder. “They grow ‘em feisty in that pack.” Then he swung his gaze back to Jaxson and smirked. “I’m sure her big sister will be very appreciative when we get back.”

Jaxson didn’t answer, just scowled then turned forward to drive the van.

His heart was still racing—the adrenaline mixed with the exhilaration of recovering the girl—but they were far from done with this. Tonight, they’d stopped whoever was hunting shifters from getting this little girl, but there was no telling who else was in that damn warehouse. Or what torments they were enduring. And if these bastards were bold enough to grab Cassie off the street, then they had to know the Wildings were shifters. Or at least the branch of the pack with Cassie’s family. Which mean Terra, Trent, and Cassie’s father were in danger, too. Hopefully, they had realized that already and had gone to Riverwise for safe keeping.

“Get on the phone, Jace,” he called back without taking his eyes off the road. “Tell them we’re bringing Cassie back to the office. And not to go home.”

“On it.” Jace’s voice muffled when he closed the window to the cab, but Jaxson could still make out the pauses and rhythm of his voice. It was no doubt Olivia on the other end, standing by for news that they’d recovered the girl. When he heard Cassie’s muffled voice come through from the back of the van, Jaxson grinned. Terra must have shown up at the office, just like he expected. Which meant he’d left Olivia there to deal with that hot mess all on her own.

He owed her. Big time.

And he’d deal with the mess when they got back.





Olivia couldn’t believe how relieved she felt when Jaxson walked through the door. Jace came first, along with a mini version of Terra that had to be Cassie. They weren’t four steps inside before Terra swept Cassie into a fierce hug. Olivia hung back by the corner to the rest of the office. Trent stayed back too, waiting for Terra to go first.

“Oh, Cassie, Cassie.” She kept saying the girl’s name over and over while clutching her tighter and tighter. The poor thing probably couldn’t breathe at all, but her smile lit up every face in the room. Which included Jaxson striding in behind Jace and Cassie, followed closely by his other three pack members, Murphy, Rich, and Taylor.

They were all bloody as hell.

Olivia’s mouth dropped open. She had taken the call from Jace, and he had told her they were all right… but they weren’t. Jaxson’s shirt was a torn, bloody mess, and Taylor looked like he’d lost more blood than he owned. Yet they were all striding into the room, laughing and grinning, like everything was fine with the world.

“Tell me they’re really okay,” Olivia whispered to Trent. He already knew she was a novice with this shifter stuff.

His brilliant smile for the reunion   quirked a little to the side. “They’re shifters, Olivia. They’re fine.” Then he stepped forward to embrace his kid sister because Terra had finally let loose her epic hug.