One Second (Seven Series Book 7) (29 page)

Austin’s light shone in the dark hole, and he stomped his foot once. He crawled out of the small space and tossed my bag in. “Your pillow and sleeping bag are sealed up in a trash bag. Your backpack has weapons, but I had Reno put a knife down here just in case.”

I glanced around the woods, unable to see anything but shadows. Our packmates were spread out in the area. Denver was closest to me, and Austin would position himself away from the bunker. He knew rogues would sense his presence and didn’t want to draw them to me.

We held each other in a tight embrace, and he whispered, “I love you.”

A legion of butterflies swarmed in my stomach—the nervous kind. Hearing those words reminded me of what I stood to lose. “Austin, I’m scared.”

He could have said “Don’t be” or just thrown me into the hole, but instead, he whistled with his fingers—three sharp sounds.

Austin shone his light in the direction from where footsteps were quickly approaching. The fog wasn’t as dense, but it left me with an eerie feeling when William emerged as if he were a phantom from a dream. He skidded to a halt so suddenly that his foot slid out from beneath him, and he fell on his ass.

When Denver chortled, Austin snapped his finger to silence him.

“I think something just ripped,” William grumbled, wiping the dirt off his hands after he stood up.

“Change of plans, Will. I want you to sit with Lexi tonight.”

William nodded, his backpack sliding off his shoulder. Austin wanted us to carry them everywhere.

William moved around me, and they talked in low voices while I scanned our surroundings. I knew the property around our house like the back of my hand, but the fog made me uncertain how well I could navigate.

“Hey!” I whispered. “Wipe your shoes before going in there, or take them off.”

“I’m not taking off my shoes,” William protested.

“Then don’t track mud all over the spot where I’ll be sleeping. The left side of the room is yours.”

“Indeed.” After a quick scrape of his shoes with a stick, he hopped in and crouched down. “Cozy.”

I snorted. The bunker was more of a crawlspace, so the only option was to sit or lie down.

Austin cupped my cheeks, planting a kiss on my mouth. I savored it. Every brush of his lips, prickle of his whiskers, and especially the warmth from his hands. “You know where I’ll be. Just remember we’ve got you surrounded. The pack is spread out, with you in the middle. Stay hidden, and if someone gets close enough, use your shots wisely. The archers have the best visibility, so let them thin the herd.”

The archers were Katharine, Melody, Izzy, and Trevor. All had shown exceptional skill with the bow.

The door reminded me of the hood of a car because Reno had installed a metal prop to hold it up if we needed to peer out or get fresh air. Austin held it open while William gave me his hand and helped me step onto the bench in front of the opening.

“Stay quiet in there,” Austin said. “No talking above a whisper, and stay alert. Listen for a level red.”

The hatch door closed and buried us in darkness.

Our alert system came in the form of sounds. Austin had a series of whistles for each person, and everyone knew how to make a dove call with their hands—it was something we sometimes did when sitting on the porch after conversations died down.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, Will.”

He shifted around, searching for a comfortable position.

I rested my back against the wall, my legs outstretched in front of me. “Have you ever delivered a baby before?”

His flashlight immediately clicked on, piercing my eyes.

I laughed. “Just kidding. Get that off of me.”

William reached in his bag and pulled out a thin shirt, draping it over the flashlight to mute the brightness. “Don’t play jokes like that,” he whispered back.

“I keep feeling like I forgot something.”

“Did you turn the stove off?” he asked with a smirk.

“Don’t make jokes like that.”

William brushed his hair away from his face and pinched a few whiskers. “Mustn’t worry about critters, if that’s why your eyes are skating about. If I were in your shoes, I’d be more concerned that I recently ate a can of baked beans.”

I flicked a small pebble at him even though he was just trying to distract me.

“Have you ever been through anything like this?” I asked.

He knocked the toes of his black boots together. “I didn’t have to dress like G.I. Joe, but I’ve been to battle twice.”

“But nothing this big.”

He leaned forward. “Say, got anything good to eat? I know how pregnant women hoard food.”

“Keep that up and I’ll put you on car wash duty when this is all over.”

Will drew up his legs and wrapped his arms around his knees.

Something occurred to me. “Where’s Spartacus?”

What to do with Spartacus had been an ongoing debate for the past few months. Austin didn’t want the cat meowing and drawing attention to our hiding places, and Naya didn’t want to leave him behind.

“She put him out,” he said. “Not without a flood of tears, but he’s got plenty of food from several of those continual feeders, and I don’t think we have anything to worry about where water is concerned.”

I smirked. “He’s probably swimming in the creek right now. What about Ben’s wolf?”

William quietly cleared his throat. “Austin spoke to his wolf the way only an alpha can. He’s staying on the property.”

My heart sank. “But if the rogues come up from the road, it’ll just be Ben… all by himself.”

“He’s a smart wolf. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“I guess. I just hope he doesn’t do something stupid like fight a pack of wolves to the death.”

“At least it’s not winter,” William remarked. “We’d be down here having to get naked and hold each other for warmth.”

I kicked at his foot and smiled. “Stop trying to make me laugh.”

“Know any campfire songs?”

I thought about taking my shoes off to get comfortable and opted against it when a thought flitted through my mind of having to run through the forest without my boots on.

I untied the black garbage sack and unrolled the sleeping bag. “I hope I can fit in this thing.”

William crawled over and helped lay it down flat. “How many weeks do you have to go?”

“Three.”

William unzipped the sleeping bag and folded the top back. “Go on and get some shut-eye. I’ll take the first watch.”

I crawled forward across the floor and onto the soft bedding, resting my head on the cool pillow and missing the smell of my sheets. I circled my finger around my stomach, thinking about how much I loved our home.

“Goodness’ sake, girl. Take your shoes off.”

“If I need to run, I’m doing it with my shoes on.”

He snorted and pulled one of them off before I could stop him. “Something tells me you won’t be running, with or without shoes.”

I wasn’t sure if William meant because of my condition or courage, but I decided to put one of those assumptions to rest. “Use the silencer while keeping guard so we don’t draw attention to our hiding spot. If you have to fire your gun, close the hatch immediately afterward.”

“Will do.” He took off my other shoe and zipped up the bag. “Let’s just hope they don’t have their wolves sniff us out.”

“Not likely. It’s harder to sneak up on us if their wolves are running around barking and howling. They’ll shift to fight, but not if they’re just scouting.”

My back started hurting, so I turned on my right side.

He tested the hatch door with his fingertips. “Do the doors have a lock?”

“No.”

William sat on the bench near my feet. “Why’s that?”

“Do you really want to be trapped in here because of a malfunctioning lock? I’d rather fight for my life than hide like a coward. Austin’s right about leaving the house; it’s no different sitting in this bunker. They could pour gasoline on the top and burn us alive.”

William shivered. “Now there’s a pleasant campfire story. Did you pack any s’mores?”

“Sorry, you asked. What time is it?”

He glanced at his watch. “One.”

“Wake me at dawn. I’ll take over so you can get some rest. I know everyone outside has sleeping shifts, but this works better since we can wake each other up.”

“Sounds like a plan.” William crawled across the floor and grabbed the flashlight. “I’ll just be turning this off now. Do me a favor and don’t scream.”

I tensed. “Why would I scream?”

“It tends to attract attention.” He scooted closer, and my heart ticked an extra beat.

“Yeah, but you didn’t answer my question. Why would I scream?”

Will’s eyes weren’t on mine. They were on the wall just behind my head.

Nightmares came in all forms that night, but nothing quite as terrifying as the creepy crawlies that came alive when the lights went out.

Before dawn, an owl had startled me awake
. William was sitting on the bench with heavy-lidded eyes, so we switched places. Beef jerky for breakfast wasn’t terrible, but it sure wasn’t crispy bacon in a buttermilk biscuit. We’d packed dry goods in resealable bags—most of it being nutritious food like meat, nuts, and dried fruit. Reno had stocked ready-to-eat military food, which looked about as appealing as a can of Alpo. Reno made the rounds, stopping in every two hours to see how we were doing. Austin looked in on me once before he went to check the traps.

Months of training hadn’t prepared me for urinating behind a bush, and executing that maneuver in my third trimester was an achievement. I felt like one of those Weebles on the verge of rolling over.

“There’s no way I can do this for the next three weeks,” I complained to William.

He held my arm, escorting me back to our bunker through the dense morning fog. William had left markers using small sticks to guide us back from our designated bathroom.

“If they don’t come for us by then, I’m going to hunt them down. No man makes me pee in a bush.”

“I’ll see if anyone has a cup,” he offered.

“What for?”

“You’re pregnant, and I’m guessing your bladder is about the size of a peanut, which means we’ll be taking frequent trips.”

I squeezed his arm. “Judging by the small lake I left back there, I beg to differ.”

We stepped over a fallen branch, and I noticed the fog thinning. Reno’s silhouette appeared ahead of us, dark paint still on his face.

“You stick out like a sore thumb,” I said. “The fog isn’t helping our camouflage situation.”

“It will if you’re hidden where you’re supposed to be,” he grumbled. “What are you doing out again?”

“She had to water the lilies,” William declared.

I slugged him in the arm.

“Nature calls,” William sang, excusing himself from the conversation and heading off to the left.

Reno scratched the back of his neck. “The perimeter’s clear.”

I pulled my ponytail tighter. “Have you slept at all? You should know the rules about our sleeping shifts because you came up with them. Tired people make mistakes.”

“Axel’s working with us, and they’re close if we need their support. One of the insiders tipped us off that Judas is sending his men in.”

I dodged his gaze and scanned the area, the trees standing like slim shadows hiding in smoke. William and Trevor were talking to each other nearby.

“William should be out here, not in there with me,” I said quietly. “We need all the eyes and ears we can get.”

“I don’t know.” Reno’s brown eyes narrowed into slivers. “If Austin wanted him to—”

“Austin sent him down there to babysit me, but I’m fine. We need capable men watching out for rogues. If someone has to sit with me, send one of the kids. They shouldn’t be out there anyhow.”

“If they’re old enough to hold a weapon, they’re old enough to fight,” Reno said matter-of-factly.

That was the Shifter way, but it didn’t make it any less weird for me to accept.

“You armed?” he asked, staring at my oversized shirt.

I lifted it and showed him the gun on my hip. Reno didn’t seem as interested in the gun as he was my round belly. The look in his eyes shifted to that of concern.

The silence broke with a dove’s cry in two short intervals.

“Two are on the move,” Reno said. “Out of range.”

A call followed by a long note meant they were dead. A short note meant they were out of range.

“Damn this fog!” I whispered.

Reno withdrew his weapon. “Fog is our friend. Get back in the hole.”

“Stay safe,” I whispered before heading back.

Reno intervened when William tried to join me. There was a low argument before they settled it. Austin had only paired us up for the night, and William had to follow orders from the second-in-command.

As I neared the hatch, I glared up at Denver’s tree stand but didn’t see any sign of him through the cloud of fog. Once I lifted the heavy lid, the real challenge was sliding my ass inside without falling and having the stupid thing whack me on the head.

Once inside, I propped the hatch up a couple of inches. Reno had painted all the metal so it wouldn’t catch in the sunlight.

Someone screamed in the distance, and a man barreled past my line of vision at breakneck speed. I heard a series of muffled clicks echoing from a silencer.

Denver landed on the soft ground below his hideout, looking in the direction the rogue had gone. His shirt was solid green and matched the beanie covering his blond hair. Everyone had different gear, and those who stayed up in the trees wore darker greens to blend in.

He signaled me to stay put and quietly stepped around the tree to scan his surroundings. Denver could have run after the guy, but Austin didn’t want us impulsively chasing anyone.

An arrow sliced through the air and struck a tree. If the archers were this close, it meant the rogues were circling the area.

I removed the gun from my holster and set it on the bench to my right. I didn’t have a silencer like some of the men.

“Sons of bitches!” Denver hissed.

He hopped into sight and yanked something out of his leg, staring at it for a brief moment before tossing it to the ground. The reflective properties caught my eye as the unmistakable shape of a silver dart.

Denver ripped his pant leg all the way up and used a knife to cut where the dart had gone in. He squeezed hard, and blood trickled down his leg. Denver had a look that telegraphed his thoughts loud and clear, and he was thinking:
This shit is not going to work. My ass is Jell-O in about five minutes
.

He continued massaging with his hands, forcing the blood out. Then he ripped the pant leg all the way off and made a tourniquet above his knee.

Shifting to heal wasn’t an option since a tranquilizer affected his wolf as much as it did him. I’d be surprised if the man could tie his own shoe once the drugs kicked in. Denver collapsed by the tree trunk and retrieved a plastic baggie from his pack. Reno had distributed caffeine tablets to use during our shifts, and Denver was eating them like candy.

Another arrow whistled through the air, ricocheting off a branch and landing in the soft earth ten feet ahead. When Denver crawled out of sight, I gripped my gun.

Fog drifted through the woods like layers of smoke from a distant fire, and the smell of wet earth filled my nose. A shadow skulked behind the trees, but I couldn’t be sure if it was friend or foe. My heart slammed against my chest as the shadow darted to another tree even closer. When he held the dart gun and aimed it at Denver, I set my gun on the ledge and fired.

The door slammed shut—either from me jumping or from someone stepping on it. My heart raced as I sat in darkness, listening for sounds of struggle or fighting.

I raised my arms and aimed the gun when the hatch door suddenly flew open.

“Put me out of my misery,” Denver groaned.

I lowered the gun and took a breath. “I almost shot you.”

Denver began singing “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi.

Reno appeared and covered his mouth. “Put a lid on it.”

When he removed his hand, Denver sang, “
If you liked it then you should have put a lid on it,”
while shaking his butt.

I set the gun on the bench and climbed out of the bunker. “They shot him in the leg with a dart. I think he’s drugged.”

“No, he’s just an ass,” Reno said, snapping his fingers at Denver to be quiet.

Denver’s eyes glazed over, and he stared at his own fingertips.

Wheeler walked by with a dead man draped over his shoulders.

“Where’s he going?”

“Can’t have dead bodies or the scent of blood where we’re hiding. Better to take them downwind.”

“Denver bled on the tree.”

“The fuck!” Denver exclaimed. “Stab me in the back, why don’t you? Whatever happened to sisterhood?”

Reno sighed and faced me. “This is problematic.”

“Knock him out,” I suggested.

Denver’s eyes widened right before he began singing an old rap song by LL Cool J.

“Denny!” Maizy scolded, keeping her voice low as she rushed toward him. “I can hear you all the way across the hill.”

“Babycakes!” He opened his arms wide and stumbled toward her. “Give me a kiss and make it better.”

Maizy slapped him. “Snap out of it before you get us all killed.”

Denver’s eyes dulled with disappointment, and he staggered toward his tree stand. His paralyzed right leg left a trail behind him in the dirt.

“My Peanut doesn’t love me anymore,” he said sullenly.

Maizy rolled her eyes. “What happened?”

I kicked at the silver object below. “Dart gun, but unfortunately for us, the sedative wasn’t strong enough.”

“Do we have anything to put him out?” she asked Reno.

I shook my head. “Not sure if that’s a good idea. He ate a bunch of those caffeine pills.”

Reno’s shoulders sagged. “How many?”

“Have you ever seen that man eat a roll of candy?”

Denver made a melodic sound I recognized as the opening chorus of “Kung Fu Fighting.”

“How many rogues were there?” I asked Reno, ignoring Denver as he executed karate chops while performing his rendition of the classics.

“We spotted two scouts, and a third one came in behind them. That was your target. Nice shot, by the way,” he said with an approving smile.

“Score one for the pregnant lady.”

Maizy desperately tried to quiet Denver, but he continued singing while peeling off his shirt and imitating Bruce Lee. When he tried to kick with his paralyzed leg, it made him look like a beached dolphin. I heard one of the boys laughing in the distance.

“Back to your posts!” Reno shouted.

I searched our surroundings. “Where’s Austin?”

“Helping Wheeler with the bodies.”

“Why didn’t Axel’s men warn us?”

Reno rubbed at some of the dark smudge on his face. “Scouts are harder to catch since they travel in small groups, but they’re not usually skilled fighters. We figured a couple would get through—that’s why Austin split us up. They won’t keep sending their men in small groups; they’re too easy to pick off. When they think they’ve got enough information, they’ll come all at once.”

“Or not at all, if their scouts don’t report back.”

I glared at Denver, who had his arms around Maizy’s waist and was trying to dance with her. She stumbled over her bootlace, and they fell to the ground.

“Austin kept one alive.”

“I thought you said he was helping move the bodies?”

Reno nodded. “Soon-to-be-dead body, once we get what we need.”

I shuddered.