Bite Deep (28 page)

Karla stared down at the pieces, eyes wide. ‘What are you doing?'

‘As soon as I can, I'll take her out of here. Don't bring Vaughn into this. Not yet.'

‘Why?' She tore her eyes from the shattered phone to stare at him, eyes full of scorn. ‘Because you
care
for her? Because you fell for a bitch with Hunter blood?'

He wanted to lie about his feelings for Lydia. They felt too much like a weakness, the death knell for any alpha. But he'd brought her here, which said everything.

‘I understand the allure of something different.' Her voice turned soft. ‘We all have our flings and to be honest, they're necessary.' She walked to him, touching his arm. ‘But this is not right. She has to go. Especially if she's been bitten. You know it's a mercy.'

Jericho stepped away. ‘I told you. I hadn't fully reverted, so she might not be. She's got a fighting chance.'

‘By bringing her here, you've condemned her.' She reached for him again. ‘But I can help you, Jericho. I can help you get through this.'

He pushed her hand away. ‘I don't want your help.'

She recoiled as if he'd slapped her, then her eyes narrowed. ‘She'll be dead soon enough. No way is the cop leaving this compound alive.'

‘I'm sorry.' Jericho's hands curled to fists, knowing what was coming next. Karla just hadn't figured it out yet. ‘But I will be leaving with her.'

‘Does she mean that much to you, that you'd risk everything?' Karla's voice shook with rage. ‘You'll lose your position here. Everything you've worked for.'

She turned to leave, but Jericho reached out, grabbed her arm. Karla whirled, eyes full of hate.

‘Let go of me,' she hissed.

‘Where are you going?' His hand tightened.

‘To find a phone,' Karla spat. ‘To let Vaughn know you brought a Hunter here.'

‘He'll kill her.'

Her chin inched up. ‘As it should be.'

Jericho steeled himself. Karla, finally sensing the danger, began to struggle in his grip. He pulled her to him, looping his arm around her neck and cutting off her air in a chokehold. Her hands batted at him, but he just squeezed harder and tried not to think about the consequences of what he was doing by choking Karla out. A few seconds, then her body went loose in his arms as she lost consciousness. Jericho quickly let her go and laid her out on the floor, checking her pulse. Finding it strong, he rose and sprinted from the kitchen, his own heart beating a thunderous tempo. He rode the elevator to the ground floor, trying to pretend he was fine as he stepped out. That he hadn't just rendered a full-blood unconscious. That he wasn't just a shouting distance from the Enforcer. He spied the empty operating table and Lydia lying on one of the recovery beds. Renee walked up to him, wiping her hands on a towel.

‘I gave her a mild sedative and put half a dozen stitches in her neck. She should wake up soon.'

He swiped a hand across his mouth, daring to feel some measure of relief. ‘I thought the cut was deeper than that. There was so much blood.'

Renee shrugged. ‘Guess she was lucky. I've taken blood samples and I'll run them for the tests. Should have the results in a few hours. Initial assessment looks okay, but her blood work is a bit confusing.' She hesitated, then added, ‘I got the impression Karla wasn't too impressed with you bringing her here.'

Jericho gave a tight smile. ‘You'd be right about that.'

‘Well, she's my patient, so I'll keep an eye on her for a while.'

‘I have to take her now.'

Renee's eyes darted over to where Lydia lay. ‘I would like to monitor her. After all, she's suffered some shock from the cut. Don't even get me started about what we're going to do if she's infected.'

He reached out to touch her arm. ‘Please. I can't tell you the details, but if Vaughn finds her here, she's going to be killed and I can't allow that, do you understand? This is happening because she was helping me find Anna's killer. She's on our side.'

Renee's eyes darted around behind him. ‘Where's Karla? I need to speak to her.'

‘She's indisposed for a few minutes, but she'll be fine.' Jericho walked to Lydia and scooped her up. ‘Just really, really pissed.'

‘Jericho, what have you done?' Her voice dropped to a whisper.

‘Nothing Karla won't shake off in five minutes.' He strode for the elevator. ‘I'm going to go now and I'm taking Lydia with me.' He kept his voice gentle, but let the alpha part of him radiate out like a heat wave. ‘Just wait a few minutes before going upstairs, alright? And maybe take some oxygen.'

‘But—'

‘I need you on my side about this, Renee.' The elevator doors opened and he backed in. ‘Please.'

Renee's eyes dropped to the floor ‘Yes, Jericho.'

Chapter 27

Jericho checked the rear-view mirror. Lydia lay on the back seat, eyes closed, mouth partly open, chest rising and falling with assuring regularity. Without anyone to alert Vaughn or the sentries, he'd managed to roar out of the compound twenty minutes ago without being stopped, though he had no doubt Karla had long since come to and raised hell.

He drove without thinking, knowing only one place that would mean safety for Lydia. His crew wouldn't like it, but he would just have to make them understand. He couldn't take her back to her house—he couldn't assure her safety there, especially if there was a second Hunter hiding in plain sight.

He frowned when he spied the gates of the compound wide open and no sentry on duty. Slowing, he rolled through the gates cautiously and pulled around to the clubhouse. A black van was parked in front and a knot of men had gathered, along with his crew. He braked and got out, seeing Vaughn surrounded by a pack of fellow Enforcers.

Turk hurried over, blocking Jericho's way. ‘We picked up the Hunter. He's still alive, just. We put him in one of the holes.' He paused, then said, ‘But while we were out, Vaughn managed to muscle his way in. Corbin was on sentry and they beat him up real good. I ended up having to explain about the Hunter and he's not happy.'

‘You told him everything?' Jericho growled.

‘I didn't have a lot of choice.' Turk's face became troubled. ‘Vaughn's saying he got a call from Karla, saying you stormed Crystal Waters with the cop and that you attacked Karla. Tell me that's not true.'

Jericho didn't answer, just kept heading for Vaughn, murder on his mind.

‘Did you really do it?' Turk called out from behind him. ‘Did you really take that cop to Crystal Waters?'

Jericho didn't answer, didn't stop until he was in front of Vaughn. Behind the Enforcer, he saw Corbin's still form lying face up on the veranda of the clubhouse. Frost leaned by him, checking his pulse and frowning. Jericho clocked the young man's beaten face, his right arm bent at an awkward angle.

Vaughn stepped forward. ‘You went too far, Jericho. I'm not even counting that you knew of a Hunter's presence in town and failed to notify me. And what you did to Karla is going to see you buried. I'm here to relieve you of your duties. You aren't fit to command this place.'

‘You think so, do you?' Jericho growled.

A slow smile spread across the Enforcer's lips. ‘This place runs on the scraps you make from your bar. But it's not enough. This place needs a champion, someone who can raise the funds this centre needs.'

Jericho heard murmuring around him and looked around, seeing more men from the compound had gathered, watching the confrontation unfold. He turned back to Vaughn, trying to ignore the throb his bad knee gave.

‘We don't
need
your help,' he snarled. ‘We don't
want
your help. You're a pure blood. You wouldn't understand how these men think, what they need. You wouldn't understand what they've been through and how to heal them.'

‘I know they need something more.' Vaughn gestured around the compound. ‘Just look at this place. A worn-out generator, bills not paid, living hand to mouth.' He looked around at the growing crowd. ‘Instead of living in luxury, like Crystal Waters.'

Jericho gave a bitter laugh. ‘Since when did you think mutts were deserving of the finer things in life?'

Vaughn's forehead creased. ‘I offer these men real leadership, Jericho. Why should Crystal Waters receive the majority of funding and donations?' He looked around at their audience, voice rising. ‘I can deliver this. I will deliver this.'

‘Nobody—' Jericho started, when a voice interrupted him.

‘Bulldog.'

Turk spoke from behind him. A warm hand on his arm. Jericho turned to stare at the old biker in shock. Turk dropped his hand and gave a helpless shrug. ‘Let's hear him out. Maybe we can work with him. Fresh perspective and all.'

Jericho's stomach dropped, the words a terrible blow.

‘Turk, what are you doing?' Reaper stepped forward.

‘I'm saying we should hear what he has to say,' Turk said slowly. ‘He's offering this place a lifeline. We should hear him out.'

Jericho stepped away from Turk. He could feel all eyes on him, judging. Rage, riding a wave of helplessness, crashed through him. Vaughn was trying to strip him of the one thing that gave his life meaning. The Enforcer's face was impassive as he stared at Jericho, a hint of triumph in his eyes. Then Frost gave a shout.

‘We got a problem here.'

Jericho's attention snapped to where Frost was beginning to back up. On the ground, Corbin's shoulders were jerking, bones breaking and matted fur erupting from his skin. The kid was reverting, incredibly fast, his body tearing itself apart.

‘Everybody back,' Jericho yelled, as men scrambled away. Frost disappeared inside the clubhouse where the emergency meds were, though as Jericho watched Corbin's body shake, he knew it was far too late. His walked to where Corbin struggled on the ground and knelt down beside him.

‘Come on,' he whispered, seeing the young man's body twist as he tried to fight the process: clothes drenched in sweat, eyes rolled back. ‘You can fight this. I know you can.'

Corbin cried out in a guttural voice and lumbered to his feet. Jericho stood, pulling his 9mm. He'd never seen a reversion this fast—a shift should take hours, not mere minutes.

Corbin tried to speak, but his face was pulled at angles, his skin mangled and torn, weeping blood as bone jutted out from broken skin as he shifted at an accelerated rate. His eyes were clouded with pain and he swayed on his feet as his body heaved and jerked, reforming around a new structure. His legs and shirt began to swell with new muscle, ripping his jeans, tearing his shirt to reveal matted fur beneath.

Frost stood in the clubhouse doorway behind him, meds clutched in his hands. Jericho shook his head at him. They couldn't pull Corbin back. Not this far in. Corbin shuddered, giving an agonising scream. Jericho didn't wait. Just pulled the trigger, and tapped Corbin twice in the head.

The young man's eyes rolled, his disfigured body quivered, and he collapsed to the ground with a soft sigh. Jericho stared down at the kid's body, feeling nothing.

‘Another man under your protection, fallen.' Vaughn was speaking behind him, voice pitched loud enough for everyone to hear. ‘Another failure. Not only that, but he bought a Hunter into the compound.' He sneered at Jericho. ‘Karla told me about the cop, Jericho, and you stink of her blood. Is she in the car?'

Some men shifted closer to Lydia's ute, before Turk stopped them, the old biker standing in their way. A warning growl erupted from his throat.

‘The woman is under the Diablo Dogs' protection,' he said, surprising Jericho.

‘She is Hunter, is she not?' Vaughn looked around at the gathered. ‘An enemy of ours, who your pack leader brings here, into your sanctuary.'

Jericho stepped towards Vaughn, ready to challenge him. Anything to keep Lydia safe. A hand stopped him and he turned, seeing Frost behind him.

‘Don't, Bulldog.' His words were a soft whisper, only for Jericho to hear. They both knew what Vaughn wanted. For Jericho to challenge him, there and then. Jericho met Frost's eyes and he realised the cold-eyed man didn't believe he could take Vaughn. That in a fight the Enforcer would beat him, possibly kill him. He thought of Lydia in the back seat of the car still. If he fought Vaughn now, even if he was victorious, he might be too injured after to get her to safety. And what would become of her then?

Reaper and Blades appeared beside Turk, faces hard.

‘She's not to be harmed,' Turk told Vaughn. ‘It was decided by pack, it will be upheld by pack. You are in no position to say otherwise.'

Around them, men murmured among themselves, some casting dark looks at Jericho.

‘Go, Bulldog,' Frost said. ‘We'll clean up from here. Take her somewhere safe.'

‘That's right,
Bulldog
.' Vaughn's eyelids lowered a fraction, a small smile playing on his lips. ‘Why don't you take your girlfriend somewhere else? As you can see from your men's reaction, you aren't too welcome here right now.'

‘Shut up,' Reaper said snarled. ‘Or I'll make you shut up.'

Vaughn gave a laugh. ‘I'd like to see you try.'

Reaper launched himself at Vaughn, but Turk and Blades managed to tackle him at the last minute, pinning him on the ground.

‘Get off me, you traitorous fucks,' he roared, legs thrashing in the dirt.

Movement flashed by Jericho, then Frost was near Vaughn, looking like he was going to follow through with Reaper's original intention.

‘Enough,' Jericho barked out. He held his hands up in a peaceful gesture. ‘I'm leaving.'

Reaper stopped struggling and stared up at Jericho with a betrayed expression. Jericho ignored it, forcing himself to keep walking towards the ute, the crowd parting for him. He took one step after another, his feet heavy clumps of lead. He knew it was the right thing to do. He had to leave. Had to take Lydia somewhere safe. He had failed his crew, failed the men under his care, and it was too much. He sucked in a breath as he climbed into the car and started the engine, feeling as if the entire world was now lying in the back seat of the car.