Bonded (10 page)

Reno pushed off
from the wall he’d been leaning against and headed over to where
they were sitting, planning on explaining that things were
different now.

“I miss Steven!
Why didn’t he come with us?”

For some reason,
the child’s words started a knot in his stomach and his step
faltered. Steven? Who was that?

“Hey there.” He
hunkered down beside the child, noting the tear stains on her face
and dark circles under her eyes. Perhaps she was just tired. He
didn’t know much about kids after all, but this had to have been a
tiring day for her.

“I’m sorry, sir.
I’ll make her be quiet.” The mother pulled the child protectively
closer, clutching her fingers into the girl’s shoulders, and giving
him a wary look.

He responded with
what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It’s not a problem ma’am. I
was just wondering if there was something I could do to be of
help.”

“No, we’re
fine.”

“You can get
Steven!”

The mother and
child spoke simultaneously, but Reno focussed on the child. Her
voice was filled with hope.

“Who’s Steven?” He
cocked his head wondering what the story might be behind her
sadness. A pet? A favourite toy left behind?

“He’s my friend
and you didn’t bring him along. They were mean to him, just like
they were to us. Why couldn’t he come, too?”

“Ma’am?” Reno
stood up and looked to the mother for an explanation. “What’s your
daughter talking about?” He glanced around at the refugees. “Isn’t
this everyone?”

She licked her
lips and wrung her hands, her eyes shifting over the rest of the
group. “Well, I...I thought everyone was here, but we were all just
so anxious to leave and—”

“Who’s missing?”
He barked the question and she jumped, fear flaring in her
eyes.

“One...one family.
The Fishers. They weren’t home when your men came by. I...I don’t
know where they were.”

Reno took a deep
breath, trying to control his temper. He hadn’t meant to scare the
woman but, dammit, why hadn’t they said anything sooner? Probably
because they were still scared spitless, his more logical half told
him. Well, at least Langstaff—the town they’d rescued this group
from—was only a few hours away. This problem could be fixed and it
would only throw them a bit off schedule.

“Damien!” He
called out his partner’s name and the kid detached himself from the
group of Enforcers and wandered over.

“You bellered?”
Damien still hadn’t lost all of his cockiness, but compared to how
he’d behaved when first enrolled in the Enforcer program, he’d come
a long way. Just last month the captain had made them official
partners. This was their first big case together and so far they
seemed to be well suited.

“We have a
problem. One of the families was left behind.” He didn’t mention
his own exasperation.

“But how...?”
Damien looked at the woman who seemed near to tears and shut his
mouth. Given his attitude, it was surprising how intuitive Damien
could be when dealing with the refugees.

“Doesn’t matter.
You and I are heading back to pick them up. Garret!” He called over
one of his more senior officers and quickly explained the
situation. “You’re in charge of the operation until I return. Get
the refugees to the scheduled evening rest stop and wait for us
there.”

“Yes, sir.” Garret
nodded and went to inform the others while Damien and Reno headed
off towards the car. Luckily they had extra transportation, the
refugees being in several vans driven by Enforcers, while the rest
of the team followed in a variety of vehicles.

“Do we need to
notify Lycan Link about the change?” Damien asked.

Reno considered
the situation then shook his head. The Alpha had already
surrendered two families; why would one more be a problem? “No,
I’ll make a note in the final report. That’ll be good enough.”

Once they were in
the vehicle, he recounted how he’d made his discovery to
Damien.

“A male half?”
Damien gave a low whistle. “That’s unusual.”

Reno grunted in
acknowledgement and clasped the steering wheel tightly. While
female halves were poorly treated, a male half was seen as even
more of an affront to the Purists. It was a damned good thing he’d
overheard the little girl crying about her missing friend. He
imagined the treatment the young boy likely received and his mental
pictures had him pressing down a little harder on the accelerator.
The sooner he got there and removed the lad from the pack, the
better.

The trip back was
uneventful, yet when they pulled up near the woods that surrounded
the pack house, a chill swept over him. The scent of blood was
heavy in the air. He exchanged worried looks with Damien, some
sixth sense telling him something was very, very wrong.

Exiting the car,
he started barking out commands. “Call Headquarters and tell them
it looks like we might have a critical incident. Then contact the
rest of the squad. Half need to stay with the refugees, but we need
the others here. And make sure a medic comes along.”

“Will do. But
Reno... Be careful.” Damien issued the warning while pulling out
his phone.

Reno began to
follow the scent, his stomach knotted, his legs feeling heavy. Fear
had his heart pounding so loud he could hear it echoing in his
ears. Somehow he knew what he’d find and the fact that he was
responsible, that he’d messed up and likely caused a tragedy, had
bile rising in his throat.

Everything seemed
so surreal, like he was disembodied and watching a movie playing
out before him. A bright clear moon was suspended in the sky, its
cold light sending everything into stark relief. Deeper and deeper
he penetrated the woods, pushing through thick pines, splashing
through a small stream. Branches scratched his face and tore at his
clothing, however he barely noticed. Dread was like a pile of
stones in his gut. He didn’t want to find the source of the bloody
scent, but it drew him forward anyway, dulling his senses to all
else until finally a keening wail pierced through the protective
numbness that enshrouded him. Everything came crashing in at him
all at once: children crying, shouted accusations, snarls and
growls. The sound of flesh hitting flesh, a female cry of
pain...

He began to run,
shifting without even being aware of it, his wolf taking charge as
he raced through the woods. When he finally came upon the scene, he
faltered unable to believe the sight before him. The pack was
gathered around in a circle, the Alpha—his muzzle already covered
in blood—was poised to strike again. A youngster was injured on the
ground, a wolf—perhaps his father—lay dead beside him while two
other female children huddled nearby. The mother was struggling to
escape the Beta, trying to intervene, while the rest of the pack
stood around doing nothing.

Reno charged into
the clearing, totally losing himself to the wolf inside. He
attacked the Alpha, ruthlessly using every trick he’d ever been
taught. The fact that his opponent was biting him, that claws were
shredding his flesh, barely impinged on his consciousness. Rage
drove him onward and he fought as if possessed, ripping out the
Alpha’s throat without compunction and leaving the bastard bleeding
out on the ground.

Three others were
on him by then yet he shook them off like a mere annoyance,
spinning around and snapping the foreleg of one before going for
the underbelly of another. Blood dripped down his face, blurring
his vision. One of them had savaged his ear but he could still hear
the cries and screams of fear that echoed through the night. It was
those sounds that drove him onward.

Damien’s sudden
appearance on the scene only dimly registered in his crazed mind
and, following on his partner’s heels, members of his own team.
They must have taken it upon themselves to follow him when he’d
originally left the refugees at the restaurant. However, a deep
bark of acknowledgement was all he gave them for by that time a
full out battle was ensuing.

How long they
fought, he had no idea. Snarls and yelps of pain, the slipperiness
of blood on the ground. His senses were immersed in the battle and
then, just as quickly as it had started, it was over.

The haze of rage
cleared and his wolf began to subside, exhausted from its frenzied
efforts. Reno looked around surprised to see some of his team
herding the remaining members of the Purists into a small building.
An injured wolf, bloodied and panting, cowered at his feet, while
others lay scattered about the clearing. Dark damp patches stained
the soil. The scent of death filled the air. And in the middle of
it all, a small group of people were huddled on the ground,
illuminated by a patch of moonlight.

A shiver cascaded
over him at the sight and he shifted forms, knowing he needed to
investigate.

On shaking legs he
approached the weeping mother who was crouched near her injured son
and dead mate. She was a human, mated to a were. The injured child,
quiet and in shock, was being tended by one of his team with a
medical background.

Licking his lips,
his mouth drier than he’d thought possible, he forced himself to
speak. “I’m sorry.” The gruffly spoken words were inadequate, but
what else could he say?

“Sorry?” The woman
rose to her feet, dirt and blood smeared on a face contorted with
anger. “You’re sorry? Is that all you can say? They killed my
husband and attacked my son! They dragged us out here and made us
watch as they—” Her voice faltered on a sob and he reached to touch
her arm, however she slapped his hand away. “Damn you! Don’t touch
me. Don’t you dare touch me with your filthy Lycan hands! This is
your fault. You left us behind and they made an example of us! You
bastard! You’re no better than they are!”

The accusations
spilled from her lips, each word eating into him like acid on his
soul. When she began to hit him, pounding his chest with her
fists—fists red with the blood of her dead mate—he did nothing to
stop her.

Her words were
true; he deserved whatever punishment she wished to perpetrate on
him. He’d been too cocky, too caught up in his pride, in
congratulating himself as if he’d finally done something worthy
with his sorry excuse for a life. He hadn’t double checked with the
other mixed families and halves to make sure they hadn’t missed
anyone. It was his team. His mistake. His fault.

Her blows rained
down upon him until another Enforcer finally led her away. Then he
walked to his car, leaned on the fender and retched his guts out.
Too tired—too shocked—by what had occurred to even think or feel,
he just stood there staring blankly ahead. That’s how Damien found
him.

“Reno, I just got
off the phone. Headquarters has some DC officers coming in on a
private jet and...” Damien paused and frowned. “You okay?”

He shook his head.
No, he wasn’t okay, but it was too much of an effort to speak.
Besides how could you explain to someone your own self-loathing?
He’d fouled up. Caused more pain and suffering to be dumped upon
the very ones he’d sworn to protect.

“Hey...um...
Listen. Why don’t you get in the car and I’ll drive you to the
motel. I’ve called ahead and arranged rooms. You can wait there and
I’ll send a DC to get the particulars from you, okay?”

He nodded, dimly
thankful that Damien was taking over. His brain seemed to have shut
down and he was operating solely on autopilot.

At the motel, he
sat on the bed unable to think of what to do. The sight of the
boy’s bloodied body and the dead father couldn’t be erased, nor
would the accusations of the mother quit ringing in his ears.

Time passed. He
had no idea how long.

At one point he
roused enough to note there was blood on his hands but he didn’t
know or care if it was his own or someone else’s. His fingers
looked swollen too. Experimentally he moved them and welcomed the
pain that shot through him. Probably broken, not that it mattered.
As the pain dulled, so did his senses and once again he drifted on
a sea of nothingness.

A knock on the
door barely stirred him. The sound of it easing open didn’t even
cause him to blink.

“Reno?”

He looked up and
saw Brandi Johansson there and for some reason wasn’t even
surprised by the fact. It had been several months since their
encounter in the cafe. She worked at Lycan Link Headquarters now,
but their paths had yet to cross.

“Hey.” He stared
at her, unable to think of what to say, yet feeling an inexplicable
wave of comfort wash over him at her presence.

She gave him a
faint smile and stepped further into the room, pressing the door
shut behind her. “They sent me to help control the situation.”

“The situation?”
He gave a short bark of ironic laughter. “Yeah, I’d say we have a
situation.”

“I’ve already
talked to Damien Masterson so I have some idea of what went on. I
need to hear your side now.” She eased in closer and seemed to be
studying him carefully.

“My side? I
screwed up.” He turned his head away, unwilling to see the
disappointment in her face when he admitted his failings. “I left a
family behind and those Purist bastards killed their pack mate then
attacked a child in front of its mother. It was a ‘warning’ of what
would happen if they ever complained again.”

Tears stung at his
eyes and he swallowed hard. He was an Enforcer, dammit, and
Enforcers didn’t cry. You’re next thing to a rogue, he reminded
himself. No pack, no ties, no excess emotions. You do your job,
that’s it. Firming his jaw, he continued, his voice flat and
unfeeling as he forced the words past the lump in his throat.

“I made them pay.
I killed the Alpha and maybe some others. I don’t know. I don’t
remember.” He raked his uninjured hand through his hair and exhaled
slowly. “It doesn’t really matter though. That boy might die, his
father’s dead, and it’s all my own fucking fault.” He darted a
glance her way wondering what she was thinking, if she despised him
as much as he despised himself.