Chapter 787 Chapter 787
Bear looked at the men standing with him. “Can you guys see anything?” All three were wolves, and they were supposed to have superb sight.
“A bit here and there,” Beck said. “This wind—I think my left eyeball is frozen.”
“Do eyeballs freeze?” Bear looked at him.
“Mine apparently do.”
Rosh slapped Kaid’s arm and pointed. Whatever he said was in a different language.
Kaid focused on where he motioned to. “I see it.” He reached under his hat and touched his ear. “We’ve got one flash on repeat coming from the left house at the back. Looks like someone from the basement.”
“One flash is yes,” Eaton said. “It’s got to be Calla telling us to go.”
“Why didn’t she send a message?” Beck asked.
“Go now. She might be compromised.” Eaton said.
Bear needed no further words. He yanked up the material to cover his mouth and nose and started running. He didn’t wait to see if the others followed him.
“No sentries at the road,” Luka reported. “Signal Gideon to get down here. We’re proceeding to the buildings.”
“Bear’s on house number one. Beck, go with him. Rosh and I will cover the other two.”
“Got it,” Beck answered abruptly.
Bear cleared a hedge, and then he saw the light flash. Why was she signaling from the basement? They would have noticed sooner if she’d been on the top floor. His animal gave him a little more speed. Something could be wrong.
He paused when he reached the edge of the yard and ducked down. He had to wait between gusts of wind to check that no one was outside. His animal didn’t like pausing, but Bear needed to make sure no one ambushed him. He heard Beck come up behind him.
“Go. I have your six.”
Bear didn’t waste words of thanks. He just headed to where the light kept flashing. He was almost to it before he saw the bars on it. Was she trapped? He slid the last five feet and then knelt and looked in the window. When she turned the light, he saw the door on the other side. “Shit.” It was Calla, and she was locked in a small room.
“What do we have?” Beck was behind him.
“She’s locked in. They must have caught her.” Bear said.
“Breeching the third house now,” Quinn announced.
“At the second one now,” Deacon said through the comm.
“Hold on one,” Beck said over the call. “Calla is locked in a room with bars on the window.”
“Holding. Quinn, Deacon, clear your locations and meet us at one.”
“Got it,” Quinn replied.
“Copy.” Was Deacon’s response.
“Think you can get those bars out of the way? One of us could wait it out in there with her until we can open the door from the other side.”
Bear nodded and pulled his gloves, so they were tight on his palms. “I’ll get them out.”
“Bear is going to remove the bars and wait in there with Calla until we unlock the door from the inside,” Beck reported.
“Remove? We didn’t bring a torch.” Dane said over the comms.
Someone chuckled. “Bear won’t need a torch.” It was Quinn. “King of the jungle and all that.”
Someone snorted.
“House three is empty.” She added.
“Same on two,” Deacon told them.
“Party must be in number one.” Luka sounded pleased. “Get those bars out of there, Bear.”
“Dane, you and Gideon wait out front, just in case anyone hops out a window or something. Kaid, you and Rosh watch the back.”
Bear tapped the glass.
Calla shone the light out and then stepped back.
He wasn’t sure if her expression was fear or anger, but either one, he didn’t like seeing on her face. He gripped a bar on each end and felt his animal move closer to the surface. Their mate was on the other side of these bars, and he wasn’t waiting any long to see her face to face.
“Give us the go, Beck.” Eaton’s voice in Bear’s ear reminded him that there was a lot at stake right now.
He blew out a slow, steady breath and then braced his weight and pulled. His boots slid in the snow, annoying him and boosting his strength further. Now was not the time to control anything. Placing one foot against the foundation of the building, he pulled again and was rewarded with the sound of metal scraping through crumbling concrete. With another yank, he fell back into the snow with the bars in his hands.
“Bars are out.” Beck took them from his hand and tossed them aside. “You’re going to have to drop down in. I’ll leave your gun on the ledge.”
Bear got up and looked at the size of the window.
“Headfirst will work best,” Beck tapped him on the shoulder.
“Bear is going to break the glass. Breech on one.” He said to the others.
Bear motioned for Calla to move aside. She did.
“Three.”
Bear sat down and aimed his boot at the glass.
“Two.”
Bear’s animal wanted to go in now.
“One.”
He smashed his foot through the glass and cleared the hanging shards out with his boot. Getting to his knees, Bear brushed some loose pieces off the ledge and then slid his head inside. Calla came toward him, her hands extended. What was she going to catch him? He looked down and noticed she was in socks. “Watch the glass.”
He felt Beck grab his leg and knew he was about to shove him in headfirst. Bear braced for the fast descent, and the next thing he knew, he hit the floor. Rolling out of the glass, he sat up.
“Beck?” Calla looked down at him.
Bear ripped the balaclava down and took off his hat. “No. Bear.” He stood up and heard the glass crunching under his boots. Reaching up, he grabbed his gun and then looked at her.
She blinked a few times, and then her eyes rounded. “It’s you.” She whispered and then looked relieved. “You’re not a wolf.”
Bear had no idea what he was supposed to say to that.
“Oh—” She held out her hand. “—give me the earbud. Eaton needs to know things.”
Still working out the not a wolf part, he took it out and handed it to her.
She jammed it in her ear. “The women aren’t here because they want to be,” she said fast. “And Liora is Deacon’s sister.”
Bear’s mouth dropped open.
“I think Ellery and Zuri are on our side.” She smiled. “Me too, Eaton.” She took out the earbud and held it out to him.
He put it back in.
“Did she say someone was Deacon’s sister?” It was Gia.
“I don’t have a sister,” Deacon said. “Upstairs is clear.”
“Someone care to come down and let us out of the steel doored room?” Bear looked at Calla, and she nodded. She was so pretty up close and not driving by him. Her beautiful pale eyes made him want to purr.
The metal bolts sliding across the steel on the other side had him raise the gun and sidestep, so Calla was behind him.
When the door opened, Gia stood there. She gave Bear a ‘really?’ look and stared at the gun. He lowered it.
“Hey, Calla. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Calla moved by him slowly. She paused and looked up at him. “Thanks.”
Bear nodded and had to force himself to stand there and not to do something embarrassing, like lean over and lick her cheek. When they were alone, he planned to remind his animal who was the main driver of this body. He wasn’t going to lick her face, regardless of how soft it looked and how great she smelled.