Lost and Found (A Werewolf Wars Novel Book 4) (23 page)

Even if they were clueless, she fully intended on asking questions the second they got to the car. Her heart sped up as they hurried through the exit.

The walk to the car was excruciating. Anger and terror clouded her vision. If something happened to Vincent, she didn’t think she could take it. He was her rock, her trusted friend, a confident, the man she...loved.
Wait? Love? Did she love him?

Her mind reeled at the revelation and she stumbled, tripping over her own feet. The way she felt about Vincent could only be summed up with one word: love. She’d be damned if something happened to Vincent before they could truly explore their connection.

“Sarah?” Nora’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Over here.”

Her face burned with anger. She’d been so consumed in her thoughts, she’d bypassed the car.

Sarah scrambled to catch up to the couple as Daniel opened the door. She jogged to the car and hopped in the back seat.

“What happened?” she demanded the second the door shut.

Daniel met her gaze in the mirror as he started the car. “Malakai insisted Vincent go with him to ensure I give him Natalia,” he explained, craning his neck as he backed up.

Sarah frowned, confused. “But we’re not giving him Talia. Where is he taking Vincent?” Her bottom lip trembled and she closed her eyes. Vincent needed to be okay.

“No, we’re not giving him Natalia,” Daniel stated. “Malakai said he’d be by tomorrow night to collect her. He’s going to pay Charles Luna a surprise visit today. We are going to New Mexico right now to intervene and make sure we get Vincent back. We’re going to carry through with our part of the plan and take out Luna and Malakai tonight so we can rescue Vincent,” he assured sincerely.

Sarah sat back in the seat as some of her fear subsided. They were going to get Vincent right now. Everything would be okay by tonight, she hoped.

Nora cleared her throat. “Are we going to get backup?”

Sarah watched, wondering the same thing as Daniel scrubbed a hand over his face. He blew out a long breath. “The more people we have in New Mexico, the more likely our plan is to fail. We don’t know when Luna and Malakai will be in the same spot again.” Daniel’s gaze drifted to Sarah’s again. “Are you as good a shot as Lark?”

“Yes,” she answered determinedly. “We have the long range rifle in the back. I’m really good with it.”

“Can you take out Charles Luna, his eldest son, Chip, and Malakai?” Daniel wondered.

Sarah bit her lip. She was a quick shot, but wolves were fast on their feet.

“I can back her up after she gets the first shot off,” Nora offered.

“We’ll have to be fast,” Sarah thought aloud. “But we can do this,” she said confidently. They would do this.

***

V
incent looked out the window as they exited the parking lot. He’d hoped to catch at least a glimpse of Sarah to let her know he was okay. But he had no such luck.

The only comfort he had was that Daniel would look out for her and that his brother, Sarah, and Nora would be coming for him. He would see Sarah again soon. He just hoped that when he saw her, she wouldn’t be too angry. They had promised to stick together and, currently, he wasn’t following along with that plan.

But he and Daniel hadn’t been given much of a choice. If they had refused, they would’ve lost the entire deal.

“You’ll be reunited with your little girlfriend soon enough as long as your brother delivers my sister,” Malakai sneered from the front passenger seat.

Vincent shifted in his seat so he could stare into the back of Malakai’s head. The Alpha thought he was so smug. Well, he had another thing coming.

“Do you not like me talking about your girl?” Malakai pressed. “She is your girl, right? I can smell her all over you. Pretty little thing.”

Vincent ground his teeth, but was unable to suppress the small growl that escaped his lips. He balled his hands into tight fists. If it were just he and Malakai in the car, he would take him on. The Alpha wasn’t too much larger than he was, but it wasn’t just the two of them; there was the driver and two of Malakai’s goons squished in the back seat with him.

“Shame she isn’t a part of the deal,” Malakai persisted.

Vincent closed his eyes and counted to ten. If he lashed out, he would only be giving the other men what they wanted. He needed to sit back and bide his time. Any wrong move on his part could seriously screw up their plans; he wasn’t going to let Malakai goad him into something that could hurt Sarah. Sarah was...he couldn’t even think of words to describe her, but he did know he would kill anyone who tried to harm her.

“I know his
friend
is off the table for the moment, but what about her older sister?” The driver asked, smirking as he turned to Malakai.

Vincent swallowed and turned his head to look out the window.
Listen, but don’t react,
he reminded himself.

Malakai huffed loudly. “Let’s see how it plays out tomorrow. Natalia’s actions against her own father are unforgivable. Family should never turn on each other. I would love to make her pay for Fernando’s death, but I gave my word we would leave their pack alone in exchange for Natalia. If, however, they decide not to cooperate, it will not end well for them,” Malakai chuckled. “I think I might like to sample both the Davies women. They certainly have the werewolf spirit, if not the ability to shift. I always do like a good challenge.”

“Is it true they descended from werewolves?” Vincent asked before he could stop himself. It was a stupid question—he shouldn’t be engaging them—but Sarah and Lark would want to know.

“I didn’t realize you were privy to that information,” Malakai replied, shifting in his seat.

“My father wrote a lot of things down, but I thought you would have caught on to that by now,” he chastised.

“Does it make her more appealing to you?” Malakai inquired, cocking his head to the side.

Vincent pursed his lips and remained silent. He wasn’t going to answer any questions like that. The more obscene Malakai became, the harder it was to believe the Alpha would truly keep his word. Doubt gnawed at his belly as he let out a long breath.

“Your silence only goes to show me how much you care for her. But to answer your question, yes,” Malakai grinned. “Luckily for you, my need to avenge my father is greater than my desire for her.”

Vincent turned back to the window. “All this talk doesn’t make me too comfortable that you intend to keep your word regarding my brother and Gene’s pack,” he said, voicing his concern. If this was the case, then he needed to find a way to alert Daniel so he could get Sarah home and warn the pack. Malakai had come to the park prepared and he didn’t want Sarah caught up in all this.

A small motorcade joined them as soon as they hopped on the main road. So far, he counted five identical white Toyota 4Runners. Malakai was not going into this meeting with Luna alone. That could either go well for him and his companions, or very, very gravely.

“I admire those who keep their word. Mind yourself the next twenty-four hours and your pretty blonde lover will remain unscathed. As long as the Harris packs stay out of my way and I obtain my sister without issue, my word is good,” Malakai snipped before turning abruptly in his seat.

Vincent still had a hard time believing Malakai, but if everything went according to their plan, it wouldn’t matter anyway. Between Daniel, Sarah, Nora, and him, they were going to pull this off.

***

S
arah bounced her leg up and down impatiently. The winding road they were on seemed vaguely familiar. She and Vincent had driven down this road a few days prior when they’d been outrunning the Lunas.

They were close to Vincent. Her heart sped up and she scooted forward in her seat, anxious to reach him. “We’re getting close,” she whispered to herself as they passed a large red barn. She definitely remembered seeing that.

“Yeah,” Daniel agreed. “If I recall correctly, the house is about twenty-five miles east from here.”

“Twenty-five?” Sarah questioned. She hadn’t realized she and Vincent covered so much ground while they were running from the Lunas.

“It’s been a few years since I’ve been this way. I could be off,” Daniel admitted.

“How close are we going to get? Last time, we parked and walked,” Nora murmured.

“We will have to walk and take care to mask our scent,” Daniel replied.

“Great,” Sarah sighed, but couldn’t quite contain her smile. “There is nothing better than smearing dirt and leaves on yourself.”

“Yeah, sounds fun,” Nora laughed.

“Charles Luna never allows anyone to just drive up to his house. He always stops visitors at the guard station. He’ll greet Malakai there and that is where we need to be to take him out,” Daniel explained.

“But how do we know he’s not already on the property and at the house?” Sarah asked, concerned.

“They only had a ten minute head start, if that. We took the scenic, longer route here. But at the speed we drove, I’m confident we beat them here,” Daniel said, scrubbing a hand over his face.

Were we speeding?
She hadn’t been paying attention. Not that it mattered—getting here and executing their idea was the goal.

“We’re going to park up here and walk. We need to make good time, so move quickly,” Daniel said.

Sarah gripped the front headrest tightly and drew herself closer to the front seat, her eyes trained on the road ahead. Only a few more minutes and this would be over.
Finally.

***

V
incent slowly climbed out of the white Durango he’d been riding in all day. His muscles groaned in protest, straining from being in one position for too long. He wiped his clammy hands on his jeans as Luna’s men approached.

He inhaled sharply, wondering if Daniel, Sarah, and Nora were somewhere close. He hoped so. All he wanted to do was hold Sarah and get home to Abilene.

Where we will do what?
he wondered.
Will we have a relationship or go back to being friends?
The latter wasn’t an option. He couldn’t be just friends with Sarah.

As if to taunt him further, Sarah’s heavenly cinnamon scent lingered in the air. He cursed under his breath and clenched his fists tightly, surveying his surroundings. She wasn’t in plain sight and the Lunas and Malakai didn’t seem to notice.

Perhaps his mind was playing tricks on him, but when the wind blew again, the scent was stronger. His heart sped up as his eyes darted around. If he could smell her, so could everyone else. But the two warring packs continued to talk completely clueless.

Sarah was here, he was sure of it. Was he that in tune with her that he could sense her from far away? Had her scent ingrained itself into him?
Holy crap, is she my mate?
Oddly enough, the thought was comforting, not terrifying.

He’d only just begun to process the information when a loud pop rang out. Before he could fully process what was happening, a body collided with his, dragging him to the ground. He grunted as something pierced his side and tore its way through his flesh. Warmth spread across his middle.

Fight back.
His adrenaline kicked up a notch as he willed his hands to change. He wasn’t going down without resistance. Mid-shift, he reached his hands up to push his attacker away. His pulse roared and his heart skipped a beat when the man above him howled in pain. He released a relieved breath, realizing his quick action had caught the other man off guard
. Don’t get cocky now, keep going before he reacts.
Taking full advantage of his enemy’s surprise, he lifted his hips and rolled himself on top of his bloodied assailant. With a quick swipe of his claws, he slashed the man’s throat.

Triumphant, he reeled back, readying for another attack, but none came. The other wolves had taken cover in the bushes and trees in an attempt to avoid the spray of bullets. He lunged forward and completed his shift, ready to take on the Lunas and Malakai—to finally end this war.

S
arah positioned the rifle against her shoulder and quickly found Charles Luna in the scope. Inhaling deeply, she let out her breath as her finger curled around the trigger. The rifle popped loudly, causing her ears to ring. The Alpha slumped to the ground as the other men backed away from their fallen leader. She blinked, reloading as she aimed and fired again before Chip Luna could scurry into the safety of the trees.

Two down, one to go.
Where is Malakai?
She used her scope to quickly locate the last Alpha. The coward scurried through the brush on his hands and knees, making his way to a car.

No. No. No. I can’t let him get away.

Sarah scrambled up the hill trying to get a good vantage point as Malakai and one of his goons jumped back into their vehicle. Determined not to let them get away, she aimed and let out a long breath as she watched the car fly backwards down the narrow drive. Malakai and one of his goons hopped in the car in an attempt to escape. Steeling herself, she fired, hitting the driver. The car jerked to the left and careened off the gravel before colliding with a tree. A sickening crunch filled the air as steam billowed out from under the hood.

She held her breath and repositioned. Malakai could not be allowed to escape. If he got away, no one would be safe. Charles Luna had been the first wolf she had taken out and she’d quickly succeeded in catching his eldest son. Now, she just needed to get Malakai. She secured the rifle against her shoulder and honed in on the car.
Where is he?

“Sarah. Over here,” Nora shouted. “It’s Vincent. They’re coming back out and attacking him,” she said frantically.

Sarah scrambled back over to Nora as her heart lurched painfully in her chest.
Nothing can happen to him.
Determined to protect Vincent, she positioned the gun and let off a shot, catching a wolf in its chest. The wolf dropped to the ground and she quickly reloaded. 

Daniel striped his shirt off. “I’m going down to get Vincent. Stay here and don’t move. I’ll be right back,” he ordered. “Please don’t shoot me, too.”