Mr Aldrich gave an evil smile, seeming to know full well what she longed to say. “See Hugh? Simply men trying to get their hands on her money.”
“So what’s my percentage?” Hugh studied Mr Aldrich again. “I said I’d help you, but you never gave me a number.”
The lawyer narrowed his eyes, obviously tiring of the word play. “Once you’ve dealt with the intruders, we’ll talk money.”
“If he’s getting a raise, I want one too.” Swanson spoke up.
“After your earlier performance you’ll be lucky to have a job, Swanson. Now both of you go and get rid of those men before they’re knocking on my door.”
Hugh nodded. “What do you want me to do with her?” He shook Cassie slightly.
“I’ll deal with her. Just go and make sure those men don’t make it up here.”
Swanson said nothing, but he gave Cassie a dirty look when he passed by and she shivered at the hatred she saw there. Maybe ratting on him hadn’t been a good idea. Hugh left as well, looking a little too pleased with his job for Cassie’s peace of mind. She hoped the Bryan and the Alphas would be all right.
Nervously, she brought her gaze back to the screen, wondering what floor the men might be on. Climbing forty storeys would be exhausting; would they have any energy left to fight? And it would be in a stairwell, which seemed a more dangerous venue to her. Images of Bryan falling down several flights of stairs, his limbs twisted and broken filled her mind.
Cassie fisted her hands, wishing there was something she could do to help him, but what? She was too far away to do anything. There was no way to warn them that Hugh and Swanson were coming. She sighed in frustration. God, she hated standing around like some pathetic character in a romance novel.
Her eyes flashed around the room, looking for something, anything, to do. There was just herself and Aldrich. Hmm... Cassie looked at the man before her. He was just an average build, greying... Surely, he couldn’t be that strong. And she was a werewolf, wasn’t she? That must give her some advantage. She had knocked out the security guard and her uncle had enrolled her in several self-defence courses. Maybe it was time to put them to good use. She licked her lips and shifted her weight to the balls of her feet.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, Cassandra.” Aldrich turned slowly to face her and casually withdrew a gun from the pocket of his jacket. “You might be a werewolf, but I think a bullet at this close a range would slow you down considerably, don’t you? Oh, and by the way, I’m an excellent shot. Marksman class.”
He smiled politely at her and Cassie eased her weight back. Okay, so attacking him wasn’t an option.
Aldrich cocked his head to the side and considered her. “You have the look of someone who could be impulsive and we can’t have that now, can we?” He opened up another drawer and rummaged around, then pulled out a roll of tape and held it up triumphantly. “Just the thing to keep you line. Turn around please, hands behind your back.”
Cassie hesitated and Aldrich tutted in obvious annoyance.
“Come, we don’t have much time. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll be obliged to knock you out. Which would you prefer?” He raised an eyebrow, his face bland, and matter of fact.
Realizing she’d rather be bound than unconscious, Cassie slowly turned, her mind racing. He couldn’t tape her hands together with a gun in his hand, could he? As she stood with her back to him, she listened carefully. There was slightly rustling of cloth, then the ripping sound of tape being pulled from a roll. Was the gun in his hand or had he placed it in his pocket or waist band?
She hesitated for a moment then decided to chance it. Kicking backwards, her foot made contact with some portion of his anatomy. He gave a loud ‘oomph’ and she took off running.
Unfortunately it was a short run, for as soon as she turned the corner, she encountered a security door. She tugged at the handle, growling in frustration when she realized it was palm print activated. Whirling around, she came up short. Aldrich was behind her, looking extremely displeased and holding the gun levelled at her chest.
“Did no one ever teach you how to play nicely?” His raspy voice was deceptively mild as he stepped closer.
Cassie felt her eyes widen as he reached up with his hand. Was he going to strike her? She braced herself to endure the blow, but rather than hitting her, he grabbed her pony tail and used it to twist her around until her neck was bent at an uncomfortable angle.
“Now hold still this time or I will use the butt of this gun knock you out.”
She whimpered as he yanked her hair even harder.
“Hands behind your back.”
Cassie complied and he thrust a piece of tape into her palm.
“Hold the end.”
While she gripped the end of the piece of tape, he wrapped the rest around her wrists using just his one hand. Once her wrists were secured to his satisfaction, he released her hair. “Very good. It’s likely that Swanson and Hugh will only be able to slow them down for so long, so please move along quickly.” He reached around her, pressed his hand to the sensor on the door and it swung open. Gesturing with the gun, he urged her ahead of him. “Turn to your left and proceed to the main living room.”
Cassie did as she was told, her feet sinking into lush carpeting as she moved deeper into the apartment. She looked around, taking in her surroundings and searching for anything that might help her escape. The decor was as cold and unwelcoming as the back rooms had been; ultra modern, no doubt expensive but lacking in any personal, homey touches. How could someone live in such a sterile environment?
Behind her, she could hear Mr. Aldrich breathing, a faint wheezing sound occurring with each breath he took. He seemed as cold and unemotional as his home. Well, that wasn’t strictly true. The man was scared, she could smell the fear coming off him—strange how she was able to identify that; perhaps it was her wolf’s doing—but his outward appearance and manner led one to believe he remained calmly in control. She supposed that was what made him such a good lawyer and why her uncle had employed him.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, wondering what his plan was.
Almost as if he could read her mind, he answered her question. “I’m well prepared for events such as this. If your pack mates—and I assume that’s who they are—thought to take me by surprise, they’re sadly mistaken. In the event of a security breach such as the one they’re attempting, there’s a silent alarm, which summons a helicopter. It will land on the rooftop patio and whisk me away to safety.”
Her stomach dropped. Did Aldrich mean to take her along with him? And if he did, once she was in the helicopter, how would Bryan be able to find her?
*****
Bryan led the way up the stairs, taking two steps at a time. It was quite a climb and he could feel the sweat dampening his body, trickling down the indent of his spine and dampening his waist band. His leg muscles were starting to protest, too. As he reached yet another landing, he looked up, but could only see more and more flights of stairs. There was no end in sight. Behind him, he could hear the panting breaths of the two Alphas.
“How many more floors to go?” Ryne paused for a moment, leaning his back against the wall and then sliding down to sit on the floor.
“I lost count,” Kane admitted, also stopping. He bent over and braced his arms on the railing then rested his head on them.
“A few too many hours at the Broken Antler, Ryne?” Bryan teased through his heavy breathing. He was tired as well, but not as much as the Alphas.
Ryne shot him a dirty look. “I can still whip your butt with one hand tied behind my back, pup.”
“True.” Bryan conceded the point having no wish to challenge Ryne. While he himself might have the physical endurance due to his strict training regimen, Ryne was the strategist whose cunning and quick moves allowed him to out-manoeuvre almost any opponent. Besides, being Alpha wasn’t in his plans; he enjoyed his Beta position too much.
“Was that light on before?” Kane had raised
his head to watch their good natured sparring, but now his eyes were fixed on a camera mounted in the upper corner of the stairwell.
“Damn!” Bryan started moving even as he spoke. “Someone’s turned the security system back on which means Cassie’s probably been discovered.” He forced himself to move faster, paying no attention to whether or not the Alphas were keeping up. A feeling that something was definitely wrong came over him; Cassie was scared, much more so than she’d been earlier.
He bound up the steps, hopping the railing at each landing, rather than taking the extra steps to walk around. His mate needed him and he wasn’t there to defend her!
The sound of their pounding feet bounced off the cement walls and echoed through the cavernous space. It was only by chance that Bryan caught the squeak of a door opening somewhere overhead and then the sound of more footsteps joined the din they were making.
Sparing a glance back, he caught the alert looks on Kane and Ryne’s faces. They, too, were aware that other persons were now in the stairwell and heading down towards them. Their expressions were grim as they continued to climb upwards—there was no other option—but now they were prepared for a confrontation as well.
The footsteps were getting closer and he could make out two voices though the exact words were muffled and distorted. Two more flights, possibly three and they’d meet up, he judged, coiling his muscles in readiness.
He rounded the next corner and two large men came barrelling down at him.
“Heads up,” Bryan shouted. “Incoming!” He bent low and rammed his shoulder into the gut of the first man, using the man’s own momentum to help pitch the fellow over his head.
Behind him, he heard shouts of surprise from Kane and Ryne. Someone was falling; there were grunts and groans, then the unmistakeable sound of flesh hitting flesh. He didn’t turn to see what was going on, knowing the two Alphas would handle the one man between them.
Instead he concentrated on the next fellow. Even though he’d only had a brief glimpse of him outside Cassie’s house, he knew it was Hugh. Not that names mattered, he thought as he tackled the man. Unfortunately, he didn’t have the element of surprise that he did with the first. Hugh was ready for him and threw him sideways over the railing.
Air rushed out of his lungs as his body slammed into the stairs, the edges digging into his flesh with bruising force, then raking his skin as he slid down a few steps before being able to gain a hold. Every bone in his back protested the treatment and a string of swear words ripped from his throat, followed by a snarl as his wolf threatened to take over. He rolled over and got to his knees only to have his head snap back when a kick landed in his face. It drove him backwards and he hit the wall hard, his head bouncing off the cement bricks. A coppery taste filled his mouth and he spit out blood before wiping his face with the back of his hand. Giving no thought to his throbbing head, Bryan took a deep breath and launched himself forwards again.
Hugh was in the process of climbing down towards him, when Bryan grabbed him by the knees, knocking the man backwards. They fell as one with Hugh on the bottom, providing a bit of a cushion from the impact. Bryan’s already sore body whispered its thanks. He pushed off the man, and grabbed the railing to steady himself as he attempted to regain his balance. Everything was swimming around him and he blinked trying to clear his eyes. A groan escaped Hugh and Bryan turned towards the noise. Two and sometimes three images of Hugh came in and out of focus before him.
Wasting no time to strategize, Bryan simply staggered forward and grabbed at the middle figure, which luckily enough was the real Hugh. Closing his eyes, he let his other senses lead him, drawing his arm back, and swinging with all his might. He was rewarded with the jarring feeling of his fist connecting with bone and opened his eyes in time to see Hugh’s head snap back, his eyes roll upward, and then his whole body falling limply to the ground.
Bryan flexed his fingers and gave his head another shake, pleased his vision was already clearing. He glanced around to see how the others were doing and saw Kane and Ryne were climbing over the body of the other man. Both looked slightly the worse for wear, but pleased with themselves at the same time.
“You two all right?” His eyes sought Ryne’s and then Kane’s even as he prepared to start climbing again.
“Piece of cake.” Ryne pushed the hair from his eyes, only wincing slightly as he touched a large bump on his forehead. “Except for the fact that when you pitched the guy over your shoulder, he hit me like I was a bowling pin in an alley. Knocked me down a whole flight of stairs. A bit more warning would be helpful next time.”
“I managed to duck.” Kane smirked before his face turned serious again. He jerked his head up towards the next flight of stairs. “Keep moving. Something tells me Aldrich isn’t just sitting there twiddling his thumbs, waiting for us.”
Bryan grunted in acknowledgement, the delay the fight caused upping his concern for Cassie even more. Turning, he started running up the stairs again.
*****
Marla opened her eyes, feeling disoriented. What was she doing sitting in her office holding her head? She felt strange...disconnected...as if a part of her was missing. With a shaking hand she pushed her hair from her face and took a deep breath trying to regain her equilibrium and recall what was going on. There was a vague recollection of arguing with her wolf, but...?
She got to her feet and carefully walked to her office door. Pulling it open she frowned. Why was there a light flashing in the hallway? Wasn’t that was part of Aldrich’s alert system, if the building’s security was ever breached? There wasn’t a security test scheduled for today, was there?
Stumbling down the hallway she made her way to Swanson’s room, surprised to find the palm print security panel deactivated. Marla peered down the hallway, but no one was there. She’d only been in the security office a few times and never alone, but she’d studied it carefully enough to understand some of the basic functions. Stepping into the room she looked around, wondering what was going on. All the systems seemed to be activated. Reaching out, she shut off the irritating flashing lights—they were making her head throb—and began to study the monitors.
Movement on one of the surveillance screens caught her attention. It showed Aldrich walking across the living room with someone. She leaned closer to determine who it might be, when out of the periphery of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar face on another screen. Her attention swung that way and she gasped, grabbing the edge of the desk to keep her balance as everything came rushing back to her; Cassandra Greyson, the connection to Ryne, Aldrich’s admission of knowing about werewolves, the rigged elevator...
And now, oh God, Kane, Ryne, and Ryne’s sidekick, Bryan, were running up the stairwell that led to the penthouse!
She backed away from the screen and out the door unable to take her eyes off the men she’d feared for so long. They were coming and when they found her...
Marla turned and ran down the hall as quickly as her wobbly legs would take her. Aldrich was in the main living room. He had to have another escape route; the man was too paranoid to rely solely on an elevator and a set of stairs. It all made sense now; his ridiculous security, the fact that he was almost a recluse. If she’d known it was because of werewolves, she’d never have set her sights on him. It was just too dangerous. Well, however he was leaving, she was going with him. She couldn’t be left behind to face those men. Who knew what they had planned for her?
“We should stay and accept the consequences of our misdeeds.” The wolf inside her intoned solemnly.
She ignored it and continued to hurry down the hall.
“We can’t run forever.” The creature almost sounded forlorn. “This is not how we were meant to be.”
“Be quiet, you stupid beast. Just shut up.” Marla pressed a hand to her head and tried to force the creature down again, but it was struggling harder than ever before. She rounded the corner and saw Aldrich near the French doors that led to the rooftop terrace. There was a
girl—Cassandra Greyson—sitting in a chair close to him. Marla hated her on sight. The girl was the cause of all this. If she hadn’t come back, Ryne wouldn’t be here.
She’s one of us. Her own wolf proclaimed.
As if I give a damn about that! She hissed back
”Leon, they’re here!” She called out the warning as she crossed the room, holding onto the various pieces of furniture to steady herself. Damn the wolf for interfering; her own legs didn’t even want to obey her.
Aldrich spun around, an irritated look on his face. “I know that already, Miss Matthews. Where have you been? Sleeping on the job? Or perhaps watching movies? It seems to be the trend today.” He looked out the glass doors and seemed to be searching the sky. “The helicopter will be here any moment.”
Marla breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. I’ll just run and get my purse and then I’ll be ready to go.”
“Go? Go where? The elevator isn’t working.” Aldrich swung his head around and quirked an eyebrow.
“With you. In the helicopter.” Marla paused in the act of turning. A bad feeling swept over her. Surely Aldrich didn’t intend to leave her? She swallowed nervously.
“Unfortunately, Miss Matthews, there’s only room for 3 passengers; myself, Sylvia and Cassandra Greyson.” He gestured with his gun towards the silent girl.
“But...” Marla sputtered unable to formulate a clear sentence.
Aldrich paid her no mind. “Sylvia!” He called out as loudly as possible.
The woman appeared in the doorway, almost as if she’d been waiting for her cue. “Now, Leon. There’s no need to yell. I’m here and all ready for our walk.”
“A slight change of plans, I’m afraid.” He smiled gently at the older woman. “We’ll be taking a helicopter ride instead.”
Sylvia gaped at him. “A helicopter...? But what about our walk? I had everything arranged at my house...” Her voice trailed off as she stared at the gun in his hand. “Leon? What’s wrong?”