“Get the fucking rope,” he said to the other man, who had come up behind them.
No, no, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. She swung her leg back, ready to resume her assault, when a click sounded to her side.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the other male finally spoke, his voice a deep rasp that sent shudders down her spine. He tossed a length of rope to his partner, then lifted a handgun, pointing it straight at her head.
Maple froze. Getting beaten was one thing. Being shot was another. A yelp tore from her throat when her left arm was yanked back, then her right, nearly taking her shoulders out of their sockets. The rough rope scraped her skin as the man wound it around her wrists, tightening it to the point that her fingers tingled. Once he was done, he shoved her to the floor. She landed hard on top of the unconscious man, who groaned as her weight crushed him.
One look at him, and her heart shattered. “Uncle Peter?” She scurried off him as well as she could, trying to keep from hurting him more. Even if she could manage to get on her feet to try and run, there was no way she could leave him there to die.
“Why are you doing this?” she yelled as the man who’d tied her wrists grabbed her ankle and flipped her onto her back.
She tried kicking him away from her, but his grip was too strong. The cool metal of the gun pressed into her forehead, stopping her struggles in an instant. “What did I tell you about that?” the man yelled, spit spraying out over her, making her want to retch.
“I don’t know why you don’t finish them off so we can be done with this,” the other man said as he looped more rope around her ankles. “The old lady will be easy once they’re gone.”
Maple’s heart stuttered. They wanted to go after Grandma?
“Can’t you smell it?” the one holding the gun asked. “The Alpha will come for his bitch. Once he’s dead, we won’t need this land—we’ll have the whole damned town.”
The other man grunted.
“Please, let us go. We haven’t done anything to you,” she begged, panic making her voice shaky. “Tell me what you want. It’s yours. Just let us go.”
Seventeen
“What do you mean, she left forty minutes ago?” Jaxon all but screamed into his mobile. He hadn’t gotten a call, that was for damned sure. He’d had it with him the whole time. There’s no way he would have missed it.
“We sent her home. We had some trouble with a couple of guys at the diner, and we thought it would be safer for her there. I’ve been trying to call her to make sure she made it okay, but she’s not answering,” Bonnie said in a rush, her voice rising in distress. “I was hoping that maybe she’d gone to see you instead.”
“She’s not with me.” Jaxon sprinted into the shop. Emmet came out from under the car he’d been working on at his approach.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t sure what to do. Those men wanted her, Jax. They meant business, but they’re in custody now. Tate and his boys showed up and took care of it. I’m sure she must be fine.”
The words were meant to soothe him, but the worry lacing them did nothing but rile the beast inside him. His skin burned with the fur bristling below the surface as his wolf fought to emerge. “I’m heading out there now.”
“What’s going on?” Emmet asked the moment Jaxon disconnected the call.
“A couple of wolves tried to grab Maple from the diner a while ago. Tate and his enforcers took them into custody, but now she’s not answering her phone. Bonnie sent her home. She should have been there by now.”
Emmet tossed the rag he’d been using to wipe the oil off his hands to the side and grabbed his keys to lock up the shop. “Maybe she stopped somewhere on the way?”
“If she were still in town, she’d answer her cell.” Maple wasn’t the type to let people worry for nothing, which only increased his unease. If she could call him, she would.
“It’s probably nothing,” his brother tried to reassure him.
“You drive,” Jaxon said, climbing into the passenger side of Emmet’s truck. “I’ll keep trying to get a hold of her.”
Other than his grumbled curse every time he tried Maple’s number and the call went unanswered, neither of them spoke as they ate up the miles between the town and the cabin. Each second that passed without hearing from her had his wolf prowling closer to the surface. If anything happened to her…
He shook his head and took a steadying breath. She was fine. She probably decided to do something outside and couldn’t hear the phone.
He hit redial, but the reception was gone. He cursed again.
A cloud of dust rose as Emmet brought the truck to a skidding halt in the drive. Maple’s car wasn’t there. “I’m going to check inside,” he yelled as he ran across the yard to the door.
It only took a second to spot the note she’d left. Dread churned in his gut as he ran out again. Emmet was sprinting back to the truck.
“She went to the Sugar Shack.”
Emmet nodded, his expression grim as he gunned the engine. “Her tracks aren’t the only ones going in that direction.”
“Fuck!” Jaxon slammed his fist on the dash. He never should have left her alone with something brewing in town. He couldn’t even be angry with her for putting herself in harm’s way. She didn’t know about the shifters, much less the rogues that were hanging around.
He hadn’t been to the old building in his human form in years. The road was rough, but that didn’t stop Emmet from driving like his ass was on fire to get there faster, which was fine by him.
“Let me off here,” he
