Finding Hope (The Others Book 2) Read online

  Pressing several spots in order, a section of the stone slid to the side with very little grinding and gave way to a yawning tunnel leading into the heart of the mountain.

  Clipping the light to her belt, she entered the tunnel and slid the stone closed behind her.

  Very few things could be left in a secret tunnel to guide the way. It had to be something unobtrusive that wouldn’t erode.

  Long ago, Harmony decided to use beer caps painted with iridescent paint. They looked like they moved easily but were fixed in place with cement to the rock.

  As a backup plan, she cemented glowing plastic bugs to the cave ceiling above every cap.

  Their dad used to test them in the tunnels. He liked to move all their little tricks and make them scent their way out.

  Two hundred feet into every correct cave was a buried scented candle. They were added after their mother’s death, when they worried that Phoebe might get lost.

  Clamping down on everything inside herself that wanted to howl, she picked up her pace. Things would be better when she knew for certain that Ryan was alive.

  That was all she was asking for. Let him be alive. She could work with anything else.

  During training exercises with their father, the trip from cave entrance to home took an hour.

  Hope made it in thirty-five minutes since she didn’t worry overly much about being ambushed anymore.

  Pushing hard, she took the tunnel to their old barn first. When she didn’t pick up the scent of anyone on the other side of the mechanical trap door, she opened it quickly. She was glad her father had installed measures to minimize noise.

  Climbing through, she hit the support beam to reclose it as she made her way up the loft ladder.

  Taking her pack off her back, she put together her scaled-down sniper rifle loaded with tranquilizer darts. Each dose was enough to down the biggest, baddest Were motherfucker alive.

  Then she increased the kick just a bit.

  Spraying herself heavily with more scent-blocker, she approached the window that faced her old house.

  Based on the scents and cars, she was dealing with at least eight males of Montana Pack on the immediate property.

  Fuck.

  Most of them were still sleeping. Aiming, she darted the Were circling the house. Ten seconds later, she hit his partner as he returned from checking the fences.

  She raced back to the tunnel. As she made her way to the house, she disassembled her rifle and returned it to her pack.

  She hustled to the secret entrance of the basement cells.

  Ryan’s scent came through the stone and wood clearly. He was hurt, bleeding badly, but his heart rate was steady.

  There was at least one Were male in the basement with him. Taking the high-powered tranquilizer gun from her thigh, she screwed on a silencer from her pack and sprayed herself again.

  She laid down the litter and spread out the straps and thermal blanket in preparation for Ryan.

  She had to do this. She had to chance falling into the hands of the very people who’d been tracking her for years to get to Ryan and everything he represented.

  Keying in the entry code, the door slid open silently behind the real wall that formed the back of the basement. The small space was an optical illusion with several layers of overlapping rock that made the wall look solid.

  Her father and his secrets. How thankful she was for them now.

  In shadow, she moved silently to examine the rooms created for females to endure their Heat in safety. Something she’d never experienced herself.

  There were two males in the basement space in addition to Ryan. One of them was sleeping.

  The man she’d come to rescue was bloody, had several broken bones, and infection had set in on many of his wounds.

  Dart gun in one hand, pistol in the other, Hope waited and listened. Within ten minutes, the Weres she’d darted outside would be discovered.

  She needed to get Ryan into the tunnels.

  Edging carefully around the first layer of rock, the awake guard was turned away. The sleeper was three feet from the rear wall.

  Removing a second dart from her vest, she moved with his breaths, covered his mouth with one hand and injected his jugular with the other. The scent would move through his bloodstream quickly and alert his partner.

  She was running out of time.

  Taking aim, she said a prayer and shot the other Were with a dart in the neck. It immediately paralyzed his ability to speak.

  Sticking a second dart in both males, she rushed to the door leading to the house above and dropped the steel bar across the exit. They’d have to hit it for a while before they made headway into the basement.

  Pulling zip-ties from her jacket, she secured the two guards. They wouldn’t hold long if they woke up but she didn’t want to leave them completely unrestrained behind her.

  She took their keys and her used darts and dropped them into a hard pocket. She wasn’t leaving shit behind.

  Her dad would have kicked her ass.

  At the door to the cell where they held Ryan, she stared at his still form for a long moment. He was barely recognizable. It looked like every inch of him had been beaten badly.

  Wearing nothing but ragged sweat pants, he shivered in the chill air. Stepping closer, she brushed his dark red hair off his face. He grabbed her wrist.

  The eye that wasn’t swollen shut opened and she saw the confusion in it. She gave him a sweet, gentle smile.

  “I’m going to get you out of here, Ryan. Can you walk?”

  He shook his head. “Not well. They keep breaking bones. I’m healing but slowly. I can go but I won’t be fast.”

  She felt a surge of victory for the first time in hours.

  “I don’t mind slow. We’ll go slow together.” Years before, he’d said the same words to her when he told her he wanted to talk to her father about a Mating.

  So much had changed since then.

  “How I’ve missed you, Hope.” He gave her as much of a smile as he could, despite a swollen jaw and cracked lips.

  She dressed him rapidly in the clothes and boots from one of the guards and tried to be careful of his injuries.

  “Arm around me. I’m going to lift you. I’ll strap you to a litter and get you out. We can do this. We must, Ryan.”

  He nodded and she pulled him to his feet. It took work to move together through the staggered wall but they managed.

  It slid closed behind them as she heard the first shouts from the yard followed by a long howl.

  A light mist covered them and he stiffened. “It’s just scent-blocker. Don’t worry.”

  Lowering him carefully, she strapped him to the litter and covered him. Spraying him with more scent-blocker, she lifted the shoulder braces and clicked on her light.

  Jogging through the tunnels, she came to the large cavern past the barn that split off into almost a dozen passages.

  No one ever expected the door to be just to the side of the exit into the cavern. Keying it open, she dragged Ryan inside and left him there so she could erase their tracks all the way back to the basement entrance.

  She could hear the echo of Weres trying to break through the door to the cells.

  Pulling a worn t-shirt from her pocket, she threw it as far as she could down another tunnel that went on for miles.

  Moving back through the opening where Ryan waited, she let the door slide shut behind her.

  Pressing her lips to his ear, she breathed, “We can’t make any sound. Everything echoes down here.” He nodded and she squeezed his shoulder. “You rest and I’ll get you out. Don’t be a martyr or we’ll end up dead.”

  He released a low growl then another nod. Were males weren’t big on weakness. She didn’t give a single fuck about his feelings in a life or death situation.

  Strapping the litter to her shoulders, she started jogging and listened to the puffs of air from vents along the floor that would erase their tracks and cover their scent.

&n
bsp; Slade Kassis had been a fucking paranoid genius. Thank the gods for everything he’d done and taught them.

  It took more than an hour to make it back to the cave. In an unlikely place off the bigger mountain range, the opening wasn’t visible until you were on top of it. It was also further from the main road she knew they would check first.

  It would have taken time for them to assess the situation. More time to find the tunnel entry. More still to break through since there was no way to open the doors without the codes and they were six inches of solid steel.

  They’d lose time stumbling around the caves.

  Knowing the way Montana Pack worked once upon a time wasn’t the same as now. They’d wait a while to call in reinforcements so they didn’t look stupid and incompetent.

  Once help arrived, they’d comb through the immediate woods first. They’d never expect someone to be able to travel with a wounded Were very far or quickly.

  The poor dumb dogs didn’t know how Kassis minds worked.

  She had less than two hours to get clear of Montana Pack territory. Ryan wasn’t bleeding to death so she planned to push him to the limit. No time for medical attention or rest.

  Quickly spraying them down with scent-blocker and removing all signs of herself, she dropped the fur over the cave mouth and strapped the litter to a rappelling harness.

  Clipping in her ropes, she pushed him over the side and lowered him as fast as possible without hurting him more.

  Once he reached the ground, she restrung her lines and strapped on the larger pack with the small one inside again.

  Descending the side of the cliff in smooth jumps, Hope touched down in less than seven seconds.

  Yanking down the ropes made the anchors less noticeable. Rolling them and securing them to her pack, she lifted the litter and hauled ass.

  She crossed over a small creek a mile from the cave and the smell of her twin sister grew much stronger. Hope stilled with a low growl and braced herself for an attack.

  They might kill her but she’d take a whole fucking bunch of the motherfuckers with her.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Frowning, Hope stashed Ryan behind a huge fallen tree, unstrapped him from the litter, and slapped a gun in his hand. Finger over her lips, he nodded.

  Drawing her other weapon, she followed the scent to a clearing where a huge man stood with his hands behind his head. He was beautiful with hair that was mottled with many shades of browns and blondes, eyes that glowed pale green.

  Her Wolf roared to dominance instantly and she growled.

  “Hope Kassis. My name is Talon Stonehill. I’m the Regional Alpha of West Texas Pack. Your sister and her Mates sent me. They’re on their way to air lift us out.”

  He tossed her a t-shirt that held the clean scent of her twin. “It is only through unrestrained Hope that we can achieve true Harmony.” She nodded, lowering her weapon.

  “You came alone?” She couldn’t keep the condescension out of her voice. “An Alpha?”

  He gave her a wink. “I’m a big boy…I can wipe my own ass, too.” She chuckled despite the circumstances and his nostrils flared. “I came for you and Ryan Sharpe.”

  Talon grumbled aggressively and tilted his head. “Your Mate?” She didn’t answer what she knew was a question. “You’re being tracked over the back side of that mountain.”

  “No fucking way.”

  “They’re using heat signature. They didn’t have a chance in the cave but they’ll locate you fast in the open. They have a chopper in the air and sat images of the area taken every two hours for the last twenty-four.”

  She closed her eyes. “A fucking trap after all. Of course it was. Let’s go Alpha Stonehill.”

  No options. No time.

  She backtracked to Ryan and bodily lifted him off the ground. “Time to go. Don’t speak. Conserve your strength.”

  Talon gave a low growl when she appeared with her wounded Were. “Strap him to me.” Ryan snarled defensively and Talon snapped his teeth. “Your woman was baited here. Do you want her caught? Shut the fuck up and do what keeps her safe. We’ll move faster without worrying about your pride.”

  To Hope, he repeated, “Strap the injured and bitchy Wolf to my back so we can get the fuck out of here.”

  Pressing her lips together tightly, Hope used the straps from the litter to bind Ryan to Talon.

  The much bigger male said, “When you’re healed, you can fight me over it. We’re wasting time we don’t have.” “Can you take point, Hope?” She nodded. “We have fifteen miles to the vehicle and another sixty from that point to clear Montana Pack territory. No stopping.” Grinning at Hope, he added, “We gotta hustle, honey.”

  “Then I hope you can keep up…honey.” Then she tore off through the woods. “I know every acre within a thousand miles of my old house. Trust me, it’s faster. There’s a shortcut around the gorge that shaves off two miles. Haul ass.”

  She settled into a smooth four-minute-mile pace, glancing back each mile to check on Talon and Ryan. No one was faster than Harmony but every child of Slade Kassis was unusually fast.

  When they topped the last ridge overlooking Talon’s vehicle parked behind Hope’s, she moved into a crouch and scented the air with a low huff.

  “Already here. Fuck.”

  Pulling two spray cans from her pack, she started spraying them all down. “As bad as we’re sweating, it won’t last long. Ten minutes, tops.”

  Ryan was passed out on Talon’s back. “You and I need to talk the moment we’re secure. The moment, Alpha Stonehill. Keep him covered.”

  Shaking his head, he drawled mockingly, “I’ll keep him safe as a baby’s ass, sugar.”

  She got in his face, growling low in her throat. “I didn’t say keep him safe, I said keep the motherfucker covered. As a big bad male Were, you should be able to figure out the fucking difference. Try your brain in lieu of your dick for thinking.”

  Tilting his head, he gave her a single nod and followed Hope down the steep slope toward their cars.

  She screwed a silencer to the weapon loaded with live rounds. The waiting Were male turned at her low whistle and never heard the shot that killed him. When she had to kill, she always went for the head shot. A smaller target but a lot more permanent.

  Another Were came over the ditch to wait with his buddy and she shot him as well. To Talon, she whispered, “Put him in the cargo hold and let’s get miles between us and this place.” She cut the straps holding Ryan to his body. “You drive. I’ll shoot.”

  Talon laid him down, covered him with the blanket she tossed him, and got behind the wheel. “What about your vehicle?”

  “Not mine. All my shit is on me. Let’s go, Alpha.”

  Without a word, he tore down the dirt track, turned hard on the county road, and drove for the highway at more than ninety miles an hour.

  Ryan groaned in the back and she turned, aimed a tranquilizer dart, and shot him with it. He went still and silent.

  “I can’t deal with him right now. Better for him to be out.”

  Talon whistled. “Harsh.”

  “Yeah, I’m harsh.”

  “Spill your guts, Hope. Right now.”

  She didn’t turn to look at him and she knew he wouldn’t be able to detect any nerves or fear. It wasn’t that she didn’t feel them, she’d just gotten exceptional at hiding them.

  Glancing behind them, she settled against the seat. “The only reason that piece of shit is alive is because he has information I need. He sold my sister and me out and he’ll die for it.”

  Talon growled low and aggressively.

  “I need him for now because he doesn’t know I know. Play along, Alpha Stonehill. I will torture and kill until he tells me what I want to know.”

  “Jesus. What the fuck does he have that you want?”

  “My daughter. I’ll kill every Were in Montana Pack to get her back.”

  The silence drew out between them for a long time. “You thought he was your Mate?�
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  “Never.” Turning to look at him, she growled, “Let’s leave memory lane for a bit, alright? I don’t feel like talking about my stupidity or weakness at the moment, Alpha Stonehill.”

  “Talon.”

  “Talon then. Suffice it to say that Harmony and I were running for over a year when I convinced her to leave me behind. I could never keep up with her as a child.”

  “I’ve heard she’s fast…”

  “Understatement.”

  “You’re fucking fast, too.”

  “Not like my sister.” She sighed and glanced back to shoot Ryan with another dart. Talon’s eyes were wide when she turned back around. “What? Just being sure.”

  “Uh huh.”

  “Harmony hid me in Reno and drew all four hunters away.” She released a bitter laugh. “He’d been waiting for us to split up. Ryan knew I’d suggest it eventually.”

  The squealing of tires made them turn to see two huge trucks skid onto the road behind them. They built speed quickly.

  “Drive it like you stole it, Talon. I’ll get them off our ass.”

  Climbing into the back seat, she shot out the rear window and took aim on the driver behind her. Her bullet hit him dead center of his forehead and the truck rocked side to side before flipping several times and skidding into the ditch.

  No more darts. They were all going to die.

  The second truck sped up to try to pull along their side and she shot out the two passenger side tires. They bounced sideways and took out several rural home mailboxes before crashing into a cattle gate.

  Without turning, she said, “How much further?”

  “Twenty miles.”

  “We’re not going to make it without a fight…”

  They were hit hard on the passenger side and Hope was thrown against the window. They skidded to a stop in the middle of the road. Ears ringing, she kicked open the damaged door with a gun in both hands.

  Four Weres piled from the destroyed truck they’d used to ram them and her heart rate barely went up as she shot them in the head one by one.

  “Out of the truck, Talon! We have to run for it!” She turned and realized the Alpha already had an unconscious Ryan slung over his shoulders. “I need my weapons.”