“Hobbs, look at me, pal. You need to shift and get the hell out of that cage. Your teammates—your friends—need you. You can do this. Fuck that asshole. He doesn’t know shit about you. You’re not broken. So you take meds. Who the fuck doesn’t these days? Don’t let that judgmental prick make you feel like shit for it. Does Calvin think you’re broken?”

  Hobbs shook his head.

  “No, he doesn’t. He thinks you’re the coolest fucking guy to walk this earth. He’s crazy about you, man.”

  Hobbs’s head shot up to look at him, his eyes wide.

  “Come on, bro. You can’t hide that kind of shit. He’s probably in a hospital somewhere terrified, wondering where the fuck his best friend is.” Ash snapped the last piece of metal in his buckle, his fingers bleeding, but he didn’t care. He had the pin. He wiped his hands on his pants, reached an arm through the bars, and stuck the pin in the lock to the sound of Hobbs screaming and shifting. Ash concentrated on trying to get the lock picked, his gaze landing on Sloane, who was pacing the floor in front of his cage. Ash had no idea if it was his friend pacing before him or the feral Therian inside Sloane, but right now he had to believe Sloane was stronger than that.

  The lock on Ash’s cage door clicked open, and he hurried out, coming to a halt when Sloane appeared in front of him. He sniffed the air and Ash before letting out a low mewl and sitting on his haunches. Relief washed through Ash, and he quickly went to work on the lock of Hobbs’s cage. Hobbs hissed and paced back and forth.

  “Yeah, hold your fucking horses,” Ash grumbled. He went as fast as he could, satisfied when there was a click. He’d barely gotten the door open when Hobbs propelled himself against the door, knocking Ash onto his ass. Hobbs landed over him and licked his cheek.

  “Fucking gross. Yeah, I’m happy too. Come on, get off.” Ash stood and turned to his friends. “Ready?”

  There was a collective round of hisses.

  “Okay. Let’s do this.” He had no weapons, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t get his hands on some. He sidled up to the door and peeked out. The hall was wide, with several closed doors and too many corridors leading into other corridors. At the end there was another door, and on the other side of it an armed guard. It was now or never. He had to find Dex and whoever had come with him. As much as he wished Cael hadn’t come, he knew Cael was somewhere in this building. Taking a deep breath, Ash broke into a run down the hallway, his feral teammates behind him. With a growl, Ash slammed into the door at the end, sending the guard on the other side tumbling down. One kick to the head, and the guy was out.

  A guard came barreling through a glass door into the hall to his right, and Ash instinctively ducked for cover. An agent dressed in a black suit, tie, and shirt rolled out, got to his feet, and kept running, crossing the corridor and disappearing into another hall with two of Fuller’s men on his tail. Who the fuck was that? All at once, everything went to hell, with Fuller’s men and agents in black beating the tar out of each other.

  Sloane sniffed the air and took off, with Hobbs darting after him. His best friend was trying to pick up Dex’s scent. Wherever Dex was, Cael and Fuller would be there.

  Ash ran as fast as he could after Sloane and Hobbs. His feral half wanted to break free, but he needed to be Human to confront Fuller.

  Those who didn’t want to die made a run for it. Feral Therian agents didn’t handcuff their attackers. They put them out of commission.

  Hobbs launched himself at an asshole with an MP5 machine gun. The guy hit the floor, the gun skidding away from him. Ash made a dive for the gun, snatching it up as he rolled and kept running. Behind him the sounds of men screaming and Felid roars echoed through the hall. Ash shot at anything that moved who wasn’t his team or some dude dressed in a black suit. He had no idea who the hell they were, but if they were fighting Fuller’s goons, then they were okay in Ash’s book. For now. Ash managed to pick up some more ammo and a handheld tranq gun. He shot one large asshole in the leg before dragging him behind a wall. He jabbed the barrel of the MP5 against the guy’s neck.

  “You have five seconds to give me your vest. Five… Four…”

  With a flurry of movement, the guy went to work removing his tac vest.

  “Three… Two…”

  “Here!” The vest was shoved at Ash, who snatched it up.

  “Thanks.” He slipped into it and fastened all the straps, finishing just as Hobbs and Sloane sped past him. Ash removed the tranq gun from his waistband and shot the guy in the neck. Hobbs roared, and Ash flinched. Fucking tiger Therians. He’d never get used to their roars. Lion Therians roared louder, but tiger Therians had the fucking scariest roars of all the Felids. There was something about the sound that turned your blood to ice.

  Ash rushed out into the hall, not wasting more than one bullet per bastard. Then the piece of shit jammed on him. That was fine. He didn’t need it. A small group of Humans approached, and Ash held back a smile. He tossed the gun before he held his hands up high in surrender. Five Humans against one Therian. Ash let out a snort.

  “What’s so fucking funny?” one growled, approaching him.

  “I’m picturing what your face will look like after I’ve kicked your ass.”

  “Maybe you haven’t noticed, but you’re outnumbered. You’re going down.”

  Ash grinned. Outnumbered but not outmatched. He puckered his lips and blew the guy a kiss. “I hope you plan on taking me out to dinner first. I may be fine, but I ain’t easy.”

  The guy charged with a right hook. So fucking predictable. Clearly they’d been ordered to take him alive, or they’d have shot at him by now. Too bad for them. Ash grabbed his wrist with his left hand and thrust his right elbow in the guy’s face, breaking his nose. He hung on to the guy and kicked back, catching a second goon in the chest and sending him hurtling to the floor. Spinning toward the guy in his grip, he thrust his elbow back again and caught a third gunman in the face while he front kicked a fourth in the chest. In between each gunman attempting to recover, Ash hit fast and hard. Punch in the kidneys to those stupid enough not to wear a vest, a kick to the knee, shattering it, the guy’s howl echoing through the hall among his cohorts’ screams. The fifth asshole wasn’t as stupid. He came at Ash fast, trying to take out his knee since he couldn’t get a hit in above the vest.

  Ash put his fists up and shuffled back, parrying and dodging the large man’s fists and kicks until the guy was out of breath. Ash grinned.

  “My turn.” No time to be fancy. Ash charged, threw his arms around his opponent’s waist, and lifted him off his feet with a fierce cry. He slammed the guy into the wall with all his weight and swung his elbow against the side of the Human’s head before kneeing him in the balls. The man crumpled to the floor as soon as Ash released him.

  “Assholes.” Ash turned and hurried down the hall, where Sloane had scratched the ever-living fuck out of a gunman who’d aimed his gun at Hobbs. Sloane scratched at the closed door leading to the stairs, and Ash opened the door. They all rushed through, and he followed Sloane as he leapt and ran down the stairs. Looked like they were heading down to the sublevel.

  Hang on, sweetheart. I’m coming.

  Ash had turned a corner where he ran into Sparks kicking a couple of Fuller’s goons’ asses. She swiped a leg out, knocking one off his feet and slamming him onto the floor before delivering a blow to the face that put the guy out. Casually, she stood and turned to him.

  “Good. You’re here.”

  Where the hell had Sparks learned to fight like that? And was that a bow attached to her thigh rig? He put all that aside. “Where’s Cael?”

  “Downstairs with Agent Daley.”

  Ash made to go around her when she stopped him.

  “You can’t go down there.”

  “What? Are you crazy? Fuller’s down there.”

  Sloane hissed, and Sparks thrust her finger at him. “Stand down, Agent Brodie. No one’s going anywhere. Agent Maddock and Agent Daley are taking care of it. You will wait for my signal.”

  “We can’t leave them down there alone to face Fuller,” Ash growled. If he had to go through Sparks, then he would. He was about ready to when she put her hand on his shoulder.

  “Do you have faith in him?”

  Ash frowned. “Of course I do, but—”

  “You either do or you don’t, Keeler.” She moved her hand away. “You need to let him fight his own battles.”

  Like hell he did. What Sparks was saying made sense, but that didn’t mean he could stand here and let Cael face that bastard on his own. Cael had been doing great in their training, but they hadn’t been at it very long. “I…” Fuck. What was he supposed to do?

  “Trust him.” Sparks insisted. “And in the meantime, you can help me keep those bastards from reaching your teammates.” She nodded behind him to the hoard of goons coming their way. Ash looked down at Sloane.

  “What do you say?”

  Sloane looked past Sparks to the door that would lead into the subbasement, then behind him. He let out a roar and turned on his heels, charging toward the oncoming men. Ash gave Sparks one last glance.

  “I hope you’re right about this.” With that, he followed Sloane and Hobbs.

  Cael had never hated anyone. He’d disliked some people, really disliked them, but never truly hated anyone. Until now. The thing Cael’s nightmares were made of stood toward the end of the subbasement with a handful of goons. Around them, the place was filled with moldy brick pillars, pipes, crappy lighting, fuse boxes, and a couple of old turbines that looked like they came out of the industrial age.

  “Nice to see you again, kitty cat. How’s the lip?” Fuller asked with a laugh.

  “Fuck you,” Cael spat out, his grip tightening on the case in his hand.

  “Ooh, isn’t that precious. Now be a good boy and hand over the case.” Fuller grinned widely as his men readied themselves.

  Dex stepped in front of Cael. “If Shultzon wants it, he’s going to have to come down here to get it himself.”

  “Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” Fuller drawled.

  “If he wants this case, he needs to give us assurances that our teammates are safe. That’s all we want. He can take whatever the fuck is in there and fuck off for all we care. We want our guys.”

  Fuller appeared to think about it. He turned and tapped his earpiece, speaking quietly. Cael waited with bated breath. Please let this work. With a deep frown, Fuller turned back to them.

  “You’re in luck,” Fuller said gravely, heading for a pair of steel elevator doors to their right. “The doc is on his way.”

  They waited patiently for the elevator to arrive. When it pinged, the doors opened and Shultzon stepped out. The asshole had the audacity to smile at them.

  “Cael, Dex. I would say it’s lovely to see you, but I doubt the feeling is mutual. Now I’m in somewhat of a hurry, so if you don’t mind.” He motioned toward the case. “And please do spare me the speech regarding my betrayal. We’ll simply have to agree to disagree on that matter.”

  Dex shook his head. “How do we know you’ll release our teammates?”

  Shultzon removed a small keypad from his pocket. “This here will open the cages, releasing your boyfriends. How about a trade? Their freedom for the case.”

  Cael gritted his teeth in order to keep his mouth shut. That bastard had locked them up in cages?

  Dex nodded. “Okay.” He turned to Cael. “You sure about this?”

  Cael nodded. “Yeah.” They didn’t exactly have much of a choice. This was the only way to end this. He drew a deep breath and faced Shultzon.

  “We meet in the middle. I give you the case, you give me the keypad.”

  “Deal. And please make it quick, my dear boy. My ride is waiting.”

  Cael took a deep breath. He thought about everything Fuller had done to him. For almost two years that asshole controlled every part of his life, from what he ate to who he talked to. He’d let Fuller in, let him hurt him, hurt his family, let him get in his head and make him feel worthless. Cael’s anguish spread through him, and he used it to fuel his anger. He slowly walked toward Shultzon, who he trusted about as much as he did Fuller. Sparks was waiting on his word.

  Cael was perfectly aware of Fuller discreetly shifting behind Shultzon, but Cael continued forward. He held his left hand out as Shultzon reached in his pocket and pulled out the keypad. He held it up for Cael to see. Cael held out the case. The rest went as expected.

  Shultzon grabbed the case, and instead of releasing the keypad, he dropped it and snatched Cael’s wrist, jerking him back and into Fuller’s arms.

  “Take care of it!” Shultzon shouted as he made a break for the elevator.

  “Cael!” Dex broke into a run toward Cael, only to be waylaid by Fuller’s men, who advanced on him.

  Fuller’s arm wrapped around Cael’s neck and lifted him off his feet. Cael’s fingers dug into Fuller’s arm as he coughed and sputtered, his legs kicking out. He stilled in Fuller’s grip, ignoring his laughter as he took hold of Cael’s head.

  “I wish I could say I was sorry, but you and your brother put me in prison. I’ve been waiting a long time for this.”

  “Me too,” Cael growled, snatching his tactical knife from his thigh rig and stabbing into Fuller’s arm. With a howl, Fuller released him, and Cael landed on his feet. He dropped down and kicked back, catching Fuller on his knee and bringing him crashing to the floor. Cael sprang up, readying himself as Fuller pulled the knife from his arm.

  “You stupid little shit!” Fuller threw the knife to one side. “I’m going to enjoy tearing you apart with my bare hands.”

  Cael could see Dex fighting from the corner of his eye. His brother was holding his own against the men. He’d already unarmed one and taken two down. With a grin, Cael motioned for Fuller to advance.

  “Aren’t we cocky?”

  “I’m not afraid of you anymore, you prick.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Fuller let out a fierce roar as he charged Cael, who spun to his side, missing Fuller, who ran past him. Fuller skidded to a halt and turned back, his frustration and growing ire clear on his face. He charged Cael again, and Cael remembered what Ash had told him about using his size to his advantage. He sped right for Fuller, dropping himself to the floor and sliding under Fuller, where he threw a fist, punching him in the balls. Fuller let out a strangled cry and grabbed his groin, his face contorted with pain and rage.

  With Fuller doubled over, Cael snapped his fist forward, catching Fuller in the nose. Ash’s words rang in his ears, and Cael delivered a fierce, unrelenting assault to Fuller’s face and neck, and when Fuller pulled back, Cael jumped and brought down all his weight on Fuller’s bent knee, shattering it.

  Fuller hit the floor cursing and sputtering blood from his broken nose. He held on to his knee with one hand and reached for his gun with the other. Cael dove for the discarded knife, scooped it up, and hurled it at Fuller, catching him in the throat. A horrible gurgling sound met Cael’s ears as Fuller stared wide-eyed at him, his hands grasping at his neck around the embedded knife.

  The door ahead of them burst open, and Ash came running in with Sloane, Hobbs, and Sparks trailing behind. Sloane dispatched the last gunman trying to take Dex down. It was over.

  Ash ran to Cael’s side and threw his arms around him, holding him tight. “Oh thank God.” He pulled back and looked him over. “Are you okay?”

  Cael nodded, his gaze going to Fuller gurgling and sputtering his last breaths. Ash turned, his expression somber before he pulled Cael against him once more, kissing the top of his head. Dex and Sloane came to join them.

  “You okay?” Cael asked his brother. Dex looked a little worse for wear, but other than that, he seemed fine.

  Dex gave him a wink. “Never better.” He threw his arm around Cael’s neck and gave him a squeeze. “I’m real proud of you.”

  “Thanks, Dex.”

  Something seemed to dawn on Ash. “Fuck, Shultzon’s getting away!”

  “No, he’s not,” Sparks declared. She tapped her earpiece. “Is the package secure? Good.” She turned to them with a smile. “Those were my operatives. They were waiting for Shultzon’s transport to land on the roof. The moment they did, they subdued the pilot and took out the men on board. Then they took their place. Shultzon believes he’s being transported to a secure location. He has no idea it’s one of ours. Good work, gentlemen.” She scratched the top of Hobbs’s head, making him purr.

  “So… you planned for him to get away with the case?” Ash asked.

  “Yes. Shultzon knew you three had escaped, but he didn’t know Cael and Dex were also aware. They acted as if they didn’t know. We couldn’t rouse Shultzon’s suspicions. As far as he knew, Dex and Cael were desperate to get their lovers back alive. With the three of you free, his biggest concern was the drug. He could always get new candidates. He took the case and left Fuller to dispatch anyone left behind so he could get away. My operatives are sweeping the facility.” With a scratch behind Sloane’s ear, she headed for the doors they’d come in from.

  “I want to see the five of you and Calvin in my office first thing in the morning.”

  “Calvin’s in the hospital,” Ash called out after her.

  “No, he’s at home. His injuries were minor and taken care of. Austen’s looking after him, along with a private nurse. He’ll be fine, and so will Seb. Someone will be along for Fuller. Go home and get some rest.”

  With that she disappeared, leaving them all stunned stupid.

  Dex turned to them. “What do you think she wants to talk to us about?”

  “I don’t know, and I don’t care.” Ash put his arm around Cael. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

  Cael paused. He went to Fuller and crouched down by his corpse. Ash joined him, speaking quietly.

  “He left you no choice.”

  “He was going to kill me,” Cael said. “I’ve never killed anyone before.” The thought hadn’t occurred to him until now. He’d fired his weapon plenty of times, tranqed perps, and shot in self-defense, but he’d never killed anyone.