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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

X av swam into and out of consciousness, each time trying to haul himself up and fight whoever had knocked him out before sinking into blackness again.

Once, he felt a rocking movement beneath him and smelled the close confines of a vehicle. Screwing open his eyes revealed that he lay in the back of a large van, with what felt like a scratchy carpet beneath him. Lindsay was curled up next to Xav, seemingly asleep, which relieved the hell of out him. They were both still unclothed, but at least the van was heated.

Moving lights reflected in the two small windows on the rear door, but Xav had no energy to pull himself up and peer through them, let alone try to break them to slither out.

When he half woke the next time, he reflected that whoever had grabbed him had done a much better job keeping him under than AC’s boys. They also hadn’t bound his hands or feet, which meant they weren’t worried about him getting away.

While there were many enemies who possibly could have done this, Xav focused on the most likely culprit—the gang who’d nabbed Dean. They must have known Xav and Diego were investigating them, and they weren’t the kind of people who’d make an appointment at DX’s offices if they had questions.

They must want to know what Xav and DX Security knew—and what Jeff had told them—to decide whether DX would pose any kind of threat. Or, if they were trying to reel in AC, maybe they wanted more bait.

They need Xav and Lindsay alive, Xav concluded, before he slid into unconsciousness again. Or else they’d have simply killed them both—or tried to, anyway.

The next time Xav came to, his head was much clearer, though his mouth was parchment dry, and he had a foul taste in his throat.

He was no longer in the van but lying on a cold cement floor in a place that felt large, with a pile of fabric on top of him. He fumbled at the fabric and discovered it was clothes—jeans and a sweatshirt. His own, in fact.

While it was dark in here, it wasn’t pitch black. Light filtered in from somewhere, showing him a tall aisle with filled shelves in what looked like a large warehouse. Lindsay was nowhere in sight.

Xav went cold with fear, but incandescent rage quickly followed.

If they’d touched Lindsay, or even looked at her, his mate , they would pay with all the blood in their bodies.

Xav quickly slid into the garments, having to stop from time to time as dizziness took over. His captors hadn’t bothered to grab underwear, socks, or shoes, he thought in annoyance, but at least they were letting him cover his ass.

Once Xav was dressed and no longer felt like he was about to puke, he leveraged himself to his feet. He wasn’t guarded, which again, did not bode well. His abductors believed he couldn’t get away and that he posed no threat.

They were wrong, of course, but Xav would let them think what they wanted.

There was no question this time of Diego tracking Xav. The tracker he’d worn for the mission was back home, along with his phone and the rest of his life. Xav had only this sweatshirt and jeans with empty pockets.

He had an entire warehouse of who knew what goodies that might help him, but first Xav needed to find Lindsay.

He started down the long aisle toward what looked like open space at its end. He had to pause and hang onto shelves to keep upright at first, but as his muscles uncramped and blood flowed, the effects of the drug lessened.

While the floor was cold to his bare feet, it wasn’t freezing. Xav would welcome coolness like this in the middle of the blistering summer.

The shelves were filled with unmarked boxes, many dusty. Xav wondered if this place had been abandoned by whatever company had stored their stuff here, and the gang had simply appropriated it.

Once he emerged from the aisle, Xav found himself in the corner of a vast warehouse with many more aisles of shelves and pallets of crates across the floor. Moonlight filtered through high ventilation windows, and a warmer light filled the windows of a walled office space that had been built in the center of the large room.

Xav kept to the shadows as he approached the office, then he pressed himself against a solid part of its wall and carefully peered through a bent slat in one of the windows’ blinds.

The small workspace inside was devoid of the desks, worktables, or shelving found in most offices. It held a few swivel chairs, like those a person would use at a computer station, plus a long folding table against one wall that held a microwave and a coffee maker.

Lindsay sat on one of the swivel chairs. They hadn’t bound her, and she lounged with her legs folded up under her.

She wore the cargo pants and the thin fleece shirt she’d donned to hike around the desert in, but no shoes or jacket. She was wide awake, Xav could see, and far less groggy than Xav still felt.

The three men in the room with Lindsay showed no wariness of her at all. They had no weapon trained on her and weren’t watching her that closely. No worries that she’d attack them, slash them with claws, and easily race away.

Xav felt a grin pull at his face. They didn’t realize Lindsay was Shifter.

She’s left her fake Collar on his nightstand, and even if she’d not shed it, they might not have recognized it if they weren’t familiar with Shifters. She bore a thin scar where the real Collar had once fused into her skin, but again, if these humans didn’t realize what that meant, they’d pay it no attention.

Xav studied the three with her. The two standing were obvious bone-breakers, hired for their muscle and ruthlessness. The dark-haired man with hard blue eyes, who sat in a swivel chair facing Lindsay, was clearly in charge.

He was younger than the other two, thirties at most. Xav had never seen him before, but his features were familiar, probably because he looked a lot like the AC of fifteen years ago.

Apparently, they’d found Dean.

He sat upright in the chair without being stiff, the man full of confidence and at his ease. He didn’t look like a captive, even one who’d decided to fall in with his captors. People who’d joined criminals after they’d been taken by them usually wore an air of defiance, as though daring anyone to dispute their choice.

Dean regarded Lindsay as though trying to decide if she’d be an asset or a vulnerability. If the latter, Xav feared, he’d dispose of her.

Lindsay never turned her head or came alert when Xav peeked into the room, but Xav knew she sensed him there. He couldn’t say why, but he felt her presence so tangibly she might have been pressed against him. There was a tingle in his chest, one that warmed when he looked at her.

“Are you going to kill us?” Lindsay’s voice held the perfect amount of shakiness. “Can I call my mom and tell her goodbye?”

“You aren’t calling anyone, sweetie,” Dean answered without rancor. “We’re waiting for your boyfriend to wake up and join us. Once he does, we’ll talk about what happens to you. I have a lot of questions for him.”

Lindsay’s mouth drooped. “You are going to kill us. Why? I never did anything to you.”

Xav wanted to warn her not to lay it on so thick, but he could only watch and listen.

“I know you didn’t,” Dean answered. “But Xavier and his brother are getting in my way. They’ve teamed up with my brother, who has become a serious pain in my ass.”

“Your brother’s worried about you,” Lindsay offered.

“Sure, he is.” Dean chuckled, a chilling sound. “He’s worried he won’t get a piece of the money I’ve been smart enough to make. He’s a washed-up loser. There’s a reason I don’t want him anywhere near me.”

Of course. Xav knew AC had been lying all along, though he hadn’t been certain exactly about what. Dean might have originally joined up with this gang against his will, but it looked like he’d long ago thrown off his shackles and gladly risen through its ranks.

AC had probably heard how Dean had orchestrated the robbery from the money launderers, and planned for his own payout. AC had grabbed Xav, who was close to his own brother, and recruited Shifters, who were all about family, telling them the pathetic tale of wanting to reunite with Dean. He’d used Lindsay’s soft heart against her.

Lindsay realized this at the same time, because her pathetic pose evaporated. “You mean he played me?” she asked, voice rising in anger. “That son of a bitch.”

“You aren’t the first to be duped by my brother, honey,” Dean said. “He’s shit on me most of my life. The day he was carted off to prison was the happiest day I could remember. I wanted to thank the Escobars for putting him away, but now I want to shoot them for almost leading him to me.”

“Is that why you were helicoptering all over the desert?” Lindsay asked, as though merely curious. “To keep AC from finding you?”

Dean shook his head. “No, no, to look for good stashing places. When you acquire a lot of cash, people want to take it from you. I was hunting for a place to put it for safekeeping. All those old silver mines are great for hiding things in.”

“Did you find one?” Lindsay’s question held the eagerness of a woman dazzled by the thought of loads of loot.

Dean laughed. “If I had, I wouldn’t tell you, but no. The places we explored were too dangerous. It doesn’t help to leave your money somewhere that will cave in as soon as it rains hard enough. The mines can be useful for other things, though.”

Like disposing of bodies, Xav mused. His and Lindsay’s maybe.

Xav decided to come off the sidelines. He readied himself for a fight but strolled casually into the room, treading carefully on his bare feet.

“You okay, Linds?” he asked before acknowledging Dean’s presence.

“Yeah.” Lindsay’s expression became that of a scared woman worried about herself and her boyfriend. He saw the flicker of Shifter impatience in her eyes, but she hid it heroically. “You?”

“Fine.” Xav turned to Dean. “I guess we found you.”

“No, my man, I found you .” Dean grinned. “I had my guys track down who the hell was dogging us. I’d never heard of DX Security, but when I looked into it, I realized that Xavier and Diego Escobar had turned into hired guns. Respect.”

Xav shrugged. “It’s a living.”

Dean lost his smile, his face hardening. “Then I found out you were working for AC, my scummy brother. I couldn’t believe it. You put him away, now you’re helping him? He was coming after me and my money, you idiot.”

Xav opened his hands. “What can I say? He appealed to our better natures, and we felt sorry for him. We had no idea of his true motives. So, why break into my house and take me and Lindsay? Leverage to make Diego throw AC to the wolves?”

“I only meant to grab you , Escobar. We didn’t realize you’d brought your girlfriend home for some celebration. She saw my guys, so they brought her along.”

Xav lounged against the wall near the door, a vantage point from which he could assess the situation and decide what to do. He’d been well and truly tranqued on the drive here, so he had no idea how far they’d come. Might have been two hours, might have been two days. They could be just outside Las Vegas or two states away. Likely still in the southwestern deserts though, or it would be colder in the unheated warehouse.

“What do you want me to do?” Xav asked as though unworried. “Tell Diego we were duped and to send AC back to jail? Give me a phone, and I’ll make the call.” He stretched out a hand.

Dean scowled. “What I want is my brother dead and out of my life. You’re going to help me make that happen, Escobar. Your girlfriend here can be my leverage over you. If I like what you do, I’ll send you two off to Tahiti or somewhere you can have a great long vacation. If I don’t …” Dean gestured to the thug on his right. “Your girlfriend is shot and killed while you watch.”

“That’s not fair,” Lindsay said at once. “I can help you as much as Xav can.”

Dean’s eyebrows rose, his sourness falling away. “Ooh, she’s ballsy. Don’t worry, sweetheart. If you’re right, I’ll give you a job. No matter what, though—if either of you disobeys me, the other is dead.”

Lindsay instantly became contrite. “Can I at least call my mom? She’ll be worried sick. I’ll tell her I’m all right, and that’s it. Promise.” She made her voice grow thick with tears.

“Sorry, babe. No phone calls. When you’re on your way to Tahiti, then you can call home.”

Lindsay scrunched up her face, as though preventing herself from crying. “Can I at least go to the bathroom? I really have to pee.” She unfolded herself, letting her lithe movements distract the standing thugs.

Dean jerked his chin at one of his henchmen. “Take her. Stand outside the door, but break it down if she stays in there too long.” He frowned at Lindsay, unimpressed with her beauty. “Don’t do anything cute, or your lover gets it in the back of the head.”

Lindsay flinched and nodded, as though frightened.

The henchman led her out, Lindsay brushing past Xav, who remained in place.

Xav laid a hand on her shoulder as she passed. “Stay strong, baby,” he said in a low voice.

Lindsay leaned into his touch, as though she couldn’t help herself, then gave him a wan smile and let the goon herd her out.

Xav had no idea what she was planning, but he steeled himself for whatever it might be.

Dean turned to Xav once Lindsay was gone. He hadn’t left his seat, comfortable in his authority.

“Nice lady you found,” he said. “Again, respect.”

Xav had no intention of discussing Lindsay’s finer points with him. “Tahiti, my ass,” he said easily. “When you’re done with us, you’ll dump our bodies into one of those convenient hidden mine shafts.”

Dean shrugged, unconcerned. “We’ll see.”

“You’ll have to get hold of another helicopter if you want to do that. The one you left in Death Valley is toast.”

“Yeah, our pilot said there was a defect in the electrical system or something. That was scary shit, riding it down, but we made it. He’s busy negotiating for another copter.” A smile touched Dean’s mouth at Xav’s surprised expression. “Did you think I’d kill him for crashing our ride? It wasn’t his fault, and it’s hard to find a dependable pilot.”

Jeff almost hadn’t made it, Xav reminded himself. Dean had left a broken man behind to die.

“That’s true,” Xav agreed, keeping his anger under control. “I know a pilot who refuses to work for anyone but himself. I’ve offered him permanent employment, but he prefers to freelance. Likes his space.”

“Pilots are their own breed.” Dean’s eyes narrowed. “You’re smart, Escobar. Capable. I could use you in my organization.”

“We’ll see.” Xav shrugged, mimicking Dean’s words. “Is that why you brought me here? To offer me a job?”

“No.” Dean’s lips twitched. “I told you, you’re going to bring my brother in. And then you’re going to execute him for me.”