Page 149 of Pack Choice

I fire my gun in the direction of the bullets, unable to see the shooter, and with my other arm, grapple with the mad woman. Her knife is lodged in my arm, but she’s still coming for me with her nails, hissing like a wild cat.

I hit the heel of my gun smart against her temple, and her lights go out, her body crumpling to the ground.

I spin back to the gunfire.

“Hannah!” the man yells, more anxious now. I catch sight of him sprinting towards us, firing haphazardly, and I drop down to a crouch alongside Colt, shielding Molly as we shoot in tandem.

Colt gets a hit to the man’s shoulder, but he doesn’t even break stride, too desperate to reach his omega. I line up a shot, his bullets whistling millimeters above our head. I take a deep breath and I shoot him. He halts in mid-air the bullet hitting him in the chest and he falls just like his omega.

I cringe. I had no choice, but I didn’t do it with relish. When his omega comes round, the pain will be unbearable and I don’t envy her.

“Mmmm hmmm mmm,” Molly murmurs frantically, gesturing down the hallway. Colt unties the gag from her mouth.

“There’s another one. Another alpha!” she says.

“It’s all right,” we hear River’s voice call down the hallway. “The Monaco cops have him in handcuffs.”

I swing my gaze towards Molly and the sight of her has so much relief and love flooding through me, that my entire body begins to shake and a sob breaks free from my throat.

Molly looks up at me and she’s so damn beautiful it chokes me up completely.

She smiles at me. “I’m okay, Alpha. I’m just fine.”

Thank God, thank god for that.

But then her eyes drop to my arm and all the blood drains from her face.

“Oh God,” she says, “Ford there’s a freaking knife in your arm.”

42

Molly

“Ford,we really need to get you to a doctor,” I say, as the alpha showers me in kisses, his face wet with tears, a knife lodged in his upper arm and blood seeping from the wound.

Ford seems oblivious to my words.

I appeal to Colt instead. “We need to get him to a doctor.”

Colt shakes his head. “Just give him a minute. You have no idea what it was like to see that knife pressing into your throat.”

I roll my eyes at him. Wasn’t I the onewiththe knife pressed to my throat?

“I’m fine. Honestly. There’s not a scratch on me.” Which isn’t strictly true. My wrists are sore from where they were bound tightly together and my ribs ache where that omega kicked me down the steps onto this boat.

“We could have lost you,” Ford mumbles, his face buried in the crook of my neck. I stroke my fingers through his hair.

“But you didn’t, Alpha. I’m here. Right here.”

“Thanks to you,” River says, resting his hand upon Ford’s shoulder. “Seems those soldiering skills of yours do come in handy.”

Ford shakes his head. “It was my fault. I took my eyes off Molly and–”

“Went to look for my daughter,” Colt says, “and I am extremely grateful for it.”

“Me too,” I add, “it was the right thing to do in the moment. Besides, it was my fault for trusting that stupid bitch and following after her.” I shake my head. My brothers have spent my entire life telling me not to talk to strangers and the moment disaster strikes I forget all that good advice.

“I tell you what,” River says, lifting my chin. “How about we all agree to stop blaming ourselves? They were pretty smart. Luckily for us, we’re smarter.” He grins in satisfaction. “In fact, we make a pretty good team working together.”