William led the convoy in his BMW, keeping a steady speed. Next was Lexi, driving the black Dodge Challenger with Austin beside her. Trevor and Jericho sat in the back with Izzy sandwiched between them. Then came Reno and April, and finally our car at the back of the line. We had a good view of Reno hanging out the window with his gun aimed at nothing in particular, but it sure made him look menacing.
I glanced in the back seat and noticed Denver had made Maizy lie down. She was curled up in a ball, and he reached out and held her hand. Wheeler’s car only had two doors, but anyone could break the windows and grab her. Chances are they wouldn’t hurt a child, and I had doubts Fox knew she was human. They hadn’t gotten close enough to our pack to realize we weren’t all Shifters.
Rocks popped against the undercarriage of the car and we hit a few small potholes, making for a bumpy ride.
“Someone needs to fill those,” I said.
Reno fired his gun and Maizy covered her ears. “Denny, I’m scared.”
“It’s okay, shhh,” Denver said in a low voice. “No one’s going to hurt you. You’re always safe with me.”
Through Wheeler’s window, I saw a shadow running alongside us in the dark woods. “Wheeler, a panther,” I said, trying not to panic. “Tell William to speed up.”
He called Austin on his phone and, after another minute, we began moving faster. Austin gave all the orders, so anything we did had to go through him first.
My heart raced, and the heater hadn’t warmed up the car yet, so I could still see my breath. Headlights illuminated the road, and Ben’s wolf was barking in the back of the truck in front of us.
“I want to go home,” Maizy whined.
Denver’s eyes were sharp and alert as he scanned the dark cover of the woods. While Reno had given everyone a weapon, we all knew if someone threatened Maizy’s life, Denver would shift. That’s why Lynn had agreed that her little girl ride with him.
A couple of men were standing in the woods and my heart picked up speed. Fox had scouts in human form to report what was going on. One of them looked like he was on a phone, but it was dark and hard to tell. I caught a glimpse of another man running back the way we’d come.
“Are we ready, boys and girls?” Wheeler asked in a crisp voice.
An animal dashed into the road, and Wheeler swerved to hit it. When the wolf yelped, several eyes glowed from within the woods.
Wheeler straightened the car with a hard jerk of the wheel. “And boom goes the dynamite.”
A black wolf approached April’s truck, and Ben’s wolf impulsively jumped out. Wheeler had no choice but to hit the brakes. The wolves stood on their hind legs before rolling into the gully on our left. Brake lights flashed up ahead, casting a red glow.
“Dammit, Ben,” Wheeler whispered to himself. “Get your ass in the truck.”
Ben was supposed to alert the pack of imminent danger, not leap out of the truck. It took me by surprise because Ben was the omega of the pack.
When another wolf closed in, Wheeler reached for the door.
“Wait,” I said, gripping his arm. “They’re trying to draw us out of our vehicles.”
Lexi blared the horn and then Austin appeared, marching toward the wolves. A gun fired, striking the rogue wolf in the hip. Up ahead, William stood with his arm extended and a gun in his hand. My fingernails must have embedded into the dash as I nervously watched. Austin grabbed the scruff of Ben’s neck and led his wolf back into the truck.
A scream pealed out of the truck ahead when a black panther vaulted at Austin from behind. A loud crack made me jump, and the panther fell to his side, immediately shifting to human form and back again as he struggled to heal.
Reno’s entire upper body was outside his window and he fired another shot. “Let’s move out!” he shouted.
Austin jogged back to his car after he put Ben’s wolf in the truck and shut the tailgate. When his wolf didn’t stand up, I knew he must have been injured.
Once the cars began moving, Wheeler dialed his phone. In the truck ahead, Reno glanced out the back window with his phone to his ear.
“Is he okay?” Wheeler asked. After a few seconds, his shoulders relaxed. “Good. Keep an eye on him.”
Once we hit the main road, we left Fox’s men in the dust.
It didn’t take long at the speeds we were traveling before we reached our destination. Since Howlers wasn’t the kind of bar that would offer protection, we sought out a busier atmosphere with a mix of other Breeds. Austin decided a bar full of Shifters wasn’t a good idea. They’d be more likely to join a fight than stop it. Most people had a low tolerance for Shifter drama, so the upscale bars heavily enforced their rules. With all the different Breeds, a fight could escalate and turn deadly fast, so the owners and even the patrons made sure to keep everyone in line.
I peered up at the sign. “Blue Door,” I said. “What does that mean?”