“Fuck,” Rafe shouts, sending a blast of alpha energy through all of us.

So he does have an interest in Adele. Or some kind of stake in this. He slams the car into gear.

Charlie

A calm settles over me.

“I’m not Adele,” I say. “And I can prove it to you.” I raise my hand slowly and point to my jacket pocket. “I’m going to pull out my wallet.”

He nods and I pull it out, tossing it to the floor by his feet.

“I’m Charlie Archman. I work for the US Postal system,” I say quickly.

“Fuck,” the man says. His grubby fingers claw at my ID. He rises and slams the door behind him. I sag back in the dark.

Kidnapping a postal worker is pretty bad. But if the guy tries to mess with me, I’ll tell him I’m dating Lance Lightfoot of Black Wolf Security, and he’ll realize how well and truly fucked he is.

This situation wasn’t Lance’s fault. I’m not sure if that’s a relief or more worrisome, because I don’t even know if Lance knows I’m missing. I’d told him I wanted some space tonight. He might be giving it to me. Hell, it could be until tomorrow when I don’t show up for work before anyone knows I’m missing.

Lance

When we arrive back at HQ, Deke is piling gear on the lawn. He’s in tactical gear, with black greasepaint smeared over his face. Sadie stands a few feet away, arms wrapped around herself. As soon as we park, Rafe jumps out and opens the door for Adele. She steps out, head held high, followed by Tabitha. Sadie sees them and races over for a group hug.

“Inside,” Rafe barks. I help him herd the ladies into HQ. Rafe called in more favors and got Adele released while I nearly clawed the inside of the vehicle apart.

Channing rises to greet us, pulling off his headphones.

“What’s going on?” I ask. “Have you found her?”

“Got a lead on where they might be holding her. Carson National Forest. Teddy’s on his way,” Channing reports.

Thank fuck.

“Gear up,” Rafe orders, and Channing and I race from the room. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for. I’m coming, Charlie. Hang on.

The human women are gathered on the porch when I trot out. Far in the distance, I hear the sounds of a chopper coming closer.

“This is my fault,” Adele is saying. “This has something to do with Bing.” Her friends are on either side of her, hugging her.

But Rafe stops in front of her. “There's nothing you could have done. Don't take responsibility for what the enemy does. This is all on their heads.”

Adele nods but doesn’t look convinced. “So what's the plan?”

“We’ve got an idea of where she's being held. We're going to go, and we're going to bring her back.” And Rafe does something I've never thought I'd see him do. He catches Adele’s chin and raises her face to meet his gaze. “I promise you, we're going to bring her back.”

Teddy’s got the bird hovering right overhead now, the wind from the clacking blades shaking the trees around our lawn.

“But how—” Adele shouts and Rafe puts a finger to her lips.

“We’re going to do what we do. Stay here. Stay safe.” He backs away, waving to us. “Move out!”

Charlie

A small noise wakes me, and I twitch. My muscles are sore and stiff from sitting. Not that I can do much with my wrist handcuffed to the floor. At least I'm not still tied up.

There’s no light sneaking under the door. Is it morning yet? After I finished my water, I curled up best I could and shut my eyes. I must be seriously dehydrated because I haven’t had to pee. Not sure if that’s a good or a bad thing.

I sense rather than hear a presence outside the door. There’s a whisper of sound, and I stiffen. Is the guy returning?

The door creaks open and a large shadow slips inside. Glittering eyes in a paint-mottled face loom in front of me, and a gentle hand settles over my mouth, stifling my cry.

“Charlie.” His arms are strong around me. My breath rattles in my throat as I press my face against his chest, breathing him in. Is this a dream?

“Angel, I'm here,” Lance’s voice is a bare whisper. “We're going to get you out now. It’s gonna be okay.” He pats me down lightly, sniffing along my neck. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” I croak. I try to put my arms around him, and the handcuffs clank. A growl rumbles deep in his chest under my ear.

“Hang on.” There's a sound like a crumpling tin can and then my arm can move freely. The cuff is still around my wrist but the chain is gone.

Lance scoops me into his arms like a groom carrying a bride. “Hang on to me, angel. We’re sneaking out.”

Tags: Lee Savino, Renee Rose Shifter Ops Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net