Claimed (Blood Ties Book 6)

I sat at the base of a towering pine, watching the others in the dark, and suppressed a shiver. It was cold…damn cold. My breath blew white in front of my face. I was sure it was about to snow. That’s all we needed.

The faint green glow of Harper’s live satellite footage was the only light source the five of us had while we waited in the forest two miles from the compound which held The Order.

London had left my black Explorer at the base of the dirt road on the other side of the clump of trees. He wanted more than one vehicle to get out of here…if things went bad, that was.

Which was a little more than probable.

It was a fucking certainty.

I didn’t care either way, as long as I got Colt and Vivienne out of there…

Right now, that was all I focused on.

Vivienne sat inside the open rear door of the Hummer. I barely made out her darkened silhouette as we waited for the go-ahead. The aching knot in my chest flared, making my breaths tight and shallow. I knew what that was now. What this panicked, out of control fucking feeling was that hit me harder than a damn shovel. It was fear…it was love…it was everything.

My brother.

I closed my eyes as agony swept me away.

I have to get him out.

I opened my eyes, watching Vivienne as she moved. No, we had to.

There was no stopping this for me. No turning away, even if the plan went to hell. She knew that. I’d seen that same self-destruction in her eyes last night. That same…limitless rage. It was a rage that’d help us now. It was a rage that’d bring Colt home.

“There’s the patrol,” Harper murmured, drawing my focus. “It’s a…little light.”

Twigs cracked as shadows moved. I hadn’t even seen London standing that close to me before he moved. “Is that a problem?”

“For us?” Harper answered, the green glow catching the side of his face as he looked up. “No…it’s just…unusual.”

Silence closed in as I pushed up from the cold ground to stand. No one liked unusual when they were about to storm a building full of highly trained mercenaries that doubled as patrol guards.

No.

We needed predictable.

We needed familiar.

“It doesn’t matter.” I lifted my knife, turning the blade to catch the faint glow of moonlight. “We’re going in, either way.”

Thud.

The sound of boots hitting the ground followed. “Yes,” Vivienne whispered. “We are.”

I found her stare in the dark as she moved closer and stepped into that faint green glow. Her stare was only for me. She didn’t need convincing.

“You ready?” I asked.

One slow nod as she adjusted her grip on the gun London had given her. “Yes.”

Twigs snapped once more. London neared, gripping me by the shoulders, just like he used to when we were just kids. “Be safe in there, the both of you. But if…if there’s even a chance you can’t get out without either of you being captured, or if there’s…if there’s no point in rescuing him, then I want you to haul ass out of there. Do you hear me?”

I heard him…loud and clear.

He meant if Colt was already dead. That’s what he meant.

“Just come back,” he finished, giving me a gentle squeeze before releasing his hold and stepping away.

“We’ll be back before you know it.” My voice was lifeless, but the words were more for Vivienne than anyone else.

She barely seemed to hear me anyway, shifting her focus to London as he stepped close. “I’ll be right here,” he murmured. “Right fucking here.”

They melded together in the dark. I turned away, unable to watch them kiss. My desperation boomed in my fucking head. But I didn’t need to look elsewhere for long before she broke away.

“We’ll bring him back,” she whispered, her teeth chattering. “One way or another.”

She turned then and started walking, never once looking back. A wave of love slammed into me as I watched her. I’d never felt this way before. Never felt so…indebted to someone other than London in my entire life.

I’d never needed anyone.

Not like this.

But I needed her now as I followed her through the trees. I needed her more than I needed to breathe. I turned to her as we cut through the trees toward the fence line. That ache of love filled me, making me feel violent and desperate all at the same time.

I shifted my focus to the terrain in front of us, stepping ahead to lead the way. The last thing I wanted was her falling into a damn ditch and twisting her ankle.

She followed, the quiet thud of her steps haunting mine as we eased closer.

The Patrol is a little…light.

Harper’s words filled me now as I turned my attention to the compound. It felt like minutes before the glint of steel came through the tree line up ahead. I slowed, almost stopping, and reached behind me to grab her arm.

Instinctively, she knew, her gaze following my nod to the shine of razor wire. I met her dark eyes, finding her careful nod.

The plan was simple; we get in and get my brother out without being seen…

But if that plan put me anywhere near anyone of those motherfuckers, you can bet his fucking life I’d take the bastard out. I gripped my knife and lowered my other hand to the wire cutters in my pocket, then pulled them free as I stepped close to the wires.

Snip.

Snip.

Snip.

I worked fast, cutting an area large enough for us to get past, and yanked the strands upwards. Vivienne moved, dropping to her knees before she scurried through.

That’s it, Wildcat.

I followed her inside the compound.

“You’re clear,” Harper’s murmur was in my ear. “Switch to night vision.”

I reached up and tugged down the expensive goggles London had brought back with him. Vivienne’s eyes shone neon in the dark. But she didn’t want the goggles. Instead, she followed me as I moved low and headed toward the hulking building in the distance.

I pocketed the cutters, then sheathed my knife before I lifting the sniper’s rifle equipped with the silencer. At this distance and in this light, I’d see them well before they even knew I was there. And they’d be dead in an instant. Just like they were yesterday.

Tobias Banks and his damn brothers might’ve taken Amo and several leaders of Death Valley Motor Cycle chapters, but they hadn’t taken out all of them, leaving just enough of the assholes behind to gather two more chapters.

They were bad news.

And they handled a lot of Hale’s dirty work.

The kind of work that would tarnish his image. If only they knew the vile fucker like we did. I pushed into a run, leaving Vivienne behind to catch up.

“Two coming up on your three o’clock,” Harper’s voice was in my ear.

The low sound of a vehicle came a second later. Vivienne slammed against me as we hit the corner of the building. I grabbed her, held my hand across her mouth, and turned my head as the patrol came to a stop around the corner.

“Wait here,” I whispered.

“Carven—” she hissed, but I was already lifting the muzzle of the gun as I stepped around her.

I took aim as the first asshole stepped out, leaving just enough time for his buddy to follow and give me a clear line of sight for both of them before I fired.

Pfft!

Pfft!

Both hit the ground as I stepped out, taking aim and searching for movement. But there was none…

I glanced over my shoulder at Vivienne, then toward the building. This is too easy…I shoved the whisper aside and hurried back to her, leading the way further along to the set of automatic doors we had an access card for.

In and out, remember? It was supposed to be that easy. It was supposed to be that silent. Still, that unseen fist around my gut clenched tight. Something felt wrong.

I pressed the access card against the sensor and waited for the light to turn green before pushing through and held it open. Vivienne was inside, frantically searching the dark as I secured the door.

“You point and I’ll clear the way,” I murmured, stepping around her.

She jerked her head back to me, then slowly lifted her hand. “I think this way.”

I gave a nod. Not that she’d see. But she followed as I moved through the room, stopping at the door long enough to ease it open and step out into the hall.

Instinct rose to the surface, taking me back to the default setting of a killer. It was where I felt most at home. I eased my rifle across my body and grabbed my knife. Vivienne pointed, and I advanced, rolling my steps as we moved.

The Daughters’ rooms were east of here, that I knew. The place was almost like a hexagon, each wing branching off. Memories slammed into me. Unwelcome memories of crowded rooms filled with children’s screams and the cruel guards whose brutal blows broke us.

Sons.

Daughters.

One bred to kill.

The other bred to be fucked.

But both would break, it was inevitable. Unless they had someone like London. I clenched my grip tighter as Vivienne pointed through the doors, then jerked her thumb right.

I gave a nod, moved to the side, and pressed the card against the sensor. Red flared, turning green before the lock gave a click. I pushed through, holding it open, then eased it closed.

“Status?” Harper murmured.

I reached up and pressed a button on my headset. One that told him we were still alive.

“Copy,” he said before falling silent.

I sucked in a hard breath as Vivienne stopped walking. I jerked my gaze to her. Her wide, unflinching eyes were fixed straight ahead. She was shaking…I could see it clearly. I moved closer, brushed my finger along her jaw, then turned her gaze to mine.

She could barely make out my face, but she gave a nod. She was okay…for now.

I pushed on, moving further ahead, and turned right. Still there were no guards. Not patrolling the hallways, not anywhere I could tell. The icy breath of fate breathed down my neck, making me do something I didn’t really want to. I pressed the comm button on my headset and spoke carefully. “Status?”

Harper’s response was instant. “No more patrols, you’re all good.”

I scowled, then glanced behind us to the glass windows in the double doors we’d just passed through. You’re all good…but were we? That nagging feeling wouldn’t leave me alone. The place was silent. Too fucking silent.

It felt…empty.

“Carven?” Vivienne whispered, drawing my focus.

“Stay behind me,” I whispered, moving in front of her.

If we were to come under attack, I’d make sure I took the first hit. I reached out and gave her the access card. “You hear shots, you run. Got me?”

She just nodded and took the card.

For that, I was thankful.

I grabbed my Sig, held the knife in one hand and the gun in the other, and I moved forward.

The Daughter is coming with me…

The dead Son’s voice rose right at the perfect time, right when I was fucking jumpy enough. I pushed it aside, sucked in a hard breath, and kept moving, heading along the hallway as Vivienne pointed ahead. We reached halfway along before she held up her hand. Stop.

I turned as she pointed to a door that looked like the entrance to a closet. But it wasn’t a closet, was it? The night vision picked up the words Room 0.01. Be aware of steps. It was some kind of…service way? One that hadn’t been on the goddamn map. I met Vivienne’s terrified stare. She was still shaking, maybe harder than she’d ever been.

This was definitely it.

My lips curled into a sneer as I lifted my rifle. Three steps and I reached out and grasped the handle. My body trembled and my muscles tightened, ready to fight to get my brother out. I glanced back at her and gave her a gentle jerk of my head. She obeyed and stepped out of harm’s way as I turned back to that closed door.

He’s in there…he’s in there, and he’s waiting for us.

I turned the handle slowly, then yanked hard, aiming the muzzle of the gun into the darkened space.

But there was no team of guards waiting to open fire, no roars of the dead men I was ready to put to rest. There was just…nothing.

I scowled, then glanced at the darkened smear along the doorframe in the night vision goggles…a smear that looked a lot like…blood.

“Behind me, Wildcat,” I growled, not giving a shit if anyone heard me now.

I wanted them to…

I wanted them all to.

That lethal desire drove me into the solid darkness as I scanned the floor, seeing the section at the back fall away. There were stairs, narrow stairs.

“Status?” Harper called in my ear.

But I couldn’t answer.

My instincts were screaming as I pushed forward to where the floor fell away into what looked like the pit of hell. I sensed Vivienne behind me, but I couldn’t turn around. My gut clenched and my breath left me as I stopped at the top of the stairs.

The night vision picked up the stairs, as I sank down onto the first, then the second. The moment I saw movement, I’d open fire. But there wasn’t movement. Just an eeriness that stood the hairs on the back of my neck. Halfway down the narrow passage, the sickening stench hit me. Foul, rotting…metallic. Blood. And a lot of it.

My throat clenched. My knees trembled as I hit the bottom stair. I scanned the dark…but my mind couldn’t work it out. Not the vague outline. Not the mess along the wall.

“Carven?” she whispered. “I can’t.”

The moment it hit me, I knew it was far too late.

I saw blood…

So much fucking blood…

And a hand…lying close to my feet.

“NO!” I roared, spinning around as the click of the overheard light came.

I was already yanking the goggles upwards from my eyes as I lunged for her.

Her eyes widened, fixed on me as I barrelled toward her. Every cell in my body was howling. GET HER OUT OF HERE…GET HER THE FUCK OUT!

But her focus shifted behind me as I hit her midway down the stairs, grabbed her around the waist, and lifted before charging upwards.

“Carven, status,” Harper asked again, this time insistent.

PLEASE NO! NOOO!

FUCK!

“No!” Vivienne stiffened in my arms. “Carven NO! That’s blood…THAT’S BLOOD!”

“Carven, for fuck’s sake!” Harper barked.

But I didn’t care about them.

All I cared about was getting her out.

And getting her far away…from this.