The savage growls behind him told him Xander had shifted at least partially—human vocal cords couldn’t make those sounds. He had no doubt that at some point Brooks would be dropping his tactical gear and shifting to his full wolf form. While several of the team’s members could handle a full wolf shift—Xander, Cooper, Brady, Remy, and Carter included—Brooks was the only one besides Gage who could handle anything close to an instantaneous transformation. Gage imagined when that happened, the shouts were going to get a lot louder. He needed to get to Mackenzie out before that.
Gage was nearing the big open doors of the South Salinas hangar and the private jet running its engines when an unexpectedly powerful scent hit him, forcing him to slow. It was Mackenzie’s. But the scent wasn’t coming from inside the hangar. It was coming from outside. And it was close.
Then he saw Mackenzie step out from an entry alcove twenty feet away. Gage almost dropped to his knees in relief. She’d gotten away and was already safe. That was when he realized she wasn’t alone. Hardy was right behind her, holding that big Desert Eagle of his to her head.
“You and your cop friends are going to let me get on my plane and fly out of here,” Hardy ordered from where he hid behind Mackenzie. “If you don’t, I’ll shoot your girlfriend right in front of you.”
* * *
Mac tried to run to Gage, but Hardy tightened his hold in her hair, yanking her back. She stifled a scream and attempted to twist in his grip, but it was useless. He literally had her by the scruff.
She tensed, ready to jab her elbow back and smash the jerk in the face, but immediately went still as Hardy pressed his pistol harder against her temple.
“Drop it, Dixon, or I’ll shoot her right now.” Hardy pulled her backward so that most of his body was hidden by the edge of the door. “I swear I’ll put a bullet right through her head.”
It took everything in Mac not to give in to the overwhelming urge to struggle against Hardy. Now wasn’t the time to do anything stupid. Gage was here and obviously had a plan on how to deal with the situation. This was what he did for a living. She just had to be ready to react once she figured out what his plan was.
She searched Gage’s face, silently begging him to give her a hint, but he was focused on Hardy. Then, faster than she could have imagined, he moved in a blur, slipping inside the open door of the hangar with them, and disappeared into the darkness. The rapid move shocked Hardy just as much as it shocked her. The man turned, yanking her around with him like a shield.
“I’m telling you—I’ll shoot her!”
A low chuckle came out of the darkness. “Then what will you do without a woman to hide behind?”
Hardy moved slightly away from the corner he was hiding behind, careful to keep her in front of him as he tried to get an angle on Gage. Now the thug couldn’t seem to figure out who he wanted to cover with his pistol—her or the patch of darkness where Gage was hiding.
“Come out and show yourself, Dixon,” Hardy ordered. “And you’d better not be holding a weapon, or we’ll both get to find out what I’ll do without her to hide behind.”
No answer.
Mac strained to see in the darkness. She couldn’t even guess where Gage was. Could he shoot Hardy while the man was hiding behind her?
Hardy backed out of the hangar and onto the tarmac, the pistol still firmly planted against her head. “Come out where I can see you, Dixon, or I’ll kill her!”
Mac gasped as a shape moved out of the shadows. For a moment, her eyes couldn’t comprehend what she was seeing. The tall, broad-shouldered figure she’d expected was instead replaced with a large gray wolf.
Gage.
He’d told her he could turn into a wolf, but she hadn’t expected him to be so…so…huge. Or so beautiful. All Mac could do was stare at him, transfixed by his amazing presence.
“What the hell…?” Hardy muttered.
Gage bared his teeth in a snarl as he charged, moving so fast he was nothing more than a big, gray blur.
Mac barely had time to scream before Gage slammed into her and Hardy. The blow probably would have broken her in half if Gage had actually struck her squarely, but his big front paws skimmed over her right shoulder, hitting the taller Hardy with the force of a moving truck.
Still, the glancing blow sent her flying. She hit the ground hard enough to knock the air from her lungs.
Hardy’s gun went off, but the sound was drowned out by Gage’s snarl. Heart in her throat, Mac rolled onto her hip to see Gage clamp down on Hardy’s arm with his enormous teeth. After a few savage shakes, Hardy cried out in pain and dropped the gun.
Mac lunged for the weapon. She didn’t know if Gage needed her help, but she was determined to give it to him anyway. She scrambled to pick up the gun, cursing as she fumbled to get her hands around the large grip. She turned around just in time to see Gage going for Hardy’s throat.
She quickly looked away. Even after everything that Hardy had done to them, she knew this wasn’t something she wanted to see.
When she looked back a few moments later, Gage was standing over Hardy’s lifeless body. As if sensing her eyes on him, Gage turned his big head toward her. He gazed at her with those mesmerizing gold eyes she’d come to love. They were filled with so many emotions that she almost cried.
He took a slow step toward her, then another and another until he was right in front of her. He seemed even bigger up close. She set the gun on the ground, then
