Lover Uncloaked (Stealth Guardians #1) - By Unknown Page 0,98

shoved the phone back in his pocket.

“There could be all kinds of reasons why he’s not picking up,” Hamish tried to calm him, but it didn’t help.

“Yes, and I don’t like any of those reasons. I have to make sure Leila is safe.” She was his first priority. Nothing else mattered, not even the fact that leaving the house in Sonoma now meant they would have to set another trap for the traitor later.

“We can’t just leave here. This is our best chance to catch the demons,” Hamish protested.

Aiden sought his friend’s gaze. “Would you think the same if this were the woman you once loved?”

Hamish’s eyes flared. Aiden noticed the cords in his neck bulge, betraying the struggle raging inside him. Seconds passed until his friend finally nodded. “Fine, you win.”

They headed out the door into the warm September night and rushed to the car. The ride to the portal stretched for too long—long enough for Aiden’s mind to conjure up one terrible scenario after another of what could have happened at the compound.

He should have never left her there. It was a mistake. She would have been safer with him.

His heart racing, Aiden charged toward the portal the moment the car came to a standstill. His friends ran after him. The instant he stood in the portal, he concentrated on the compound’s location and transported, not even waiting for his fellow Stealth Guardians. They would be only seconds behind him.

When he exited the portal at the compound, he barreled up the stairs and ran down the long corridor to the command center. The door was wide open, the lights were on, but the chair in front of the console was empty, as was the entire room.

“Leila! Pearce!” he called out.

Behind him, footsteps approached. He turned, only to face Hamish and Manus. At the same time his eyes fell on a spot on the floor where something had splattered. His heart stopped.

“Oh, God, no!” He took a shaky breath, inhaling the metallic scent of blood. His heart clenched painfully. What had happened? Was this Leila’s blood? Where was Leila? He should have never left her side.

“Shit!” Hamish cursed. “There must have been a fight.”

Manus darted his head out the room, then turned back. “There’s a trail leading down the corridor.”

“We have to find them,” Aiden pressed out and rushed out of the room, following the trail of blood that looked as if somebody had been dragged. He tried not to think of the worse, and instead continued running until the trail ended—in front of the lead cell.

Each compound had a cell in order to lock up Stealth Guardians who’d infringed on their laws. Theirs had never been used before.

Aiden unlocked the heavy door and jerked it open. “Leila! Pearce!” He peered into the darkness.

“Aiden, here,” came Pearce’s voice.

“Pearce!” Aiden rushed into the cell and found Pearce cowering on the ground. “Where is she? Where is Leila?”

“I’m sorry, Aiden. He had a knife to her throat. I tried to fight him, but I was unarmed.” Pearce pointed toward his leg. “He cut my Achilles tendon.”

Aiden felt the air leave his lungs, virtually choking him. “No!” He stared at Pearce’s injury, knowing his friend had done what he could, but without the ability to move on his feet, he couldn’t have done any more.

Manus and Hamish entered behind him and helped their friend up.

“Finlay is the traitor. He took her.”

“Did he hurt her?” The thought of Leila in pain made bile shoot up from his gut.

“He didn’t,” Pearce alleviated his concern.

Aiden took a deep breath, trying to regain his wits. He had to get her back, somehow. And he could only do that if he could think clearly, something that seemed impossible right now.

“What happened?”

Pearce let out a long breath. “Finlay somehow caught onto us. He knew we had a trace on his phone. He left it at the council building, so I didn’t know he was on the move. He transported in and cut the power. By the time the backup generator kicked in, he’d already gotten to Leila and threatened her.”

“That explains why Logan and Enya didn’t get a warning about Deirdre showing up at the massage parlor,” Hamish interjected as he and Manus helped Pearce out of the cell.

Aiden slammed the door shut behind them.

Pearce glanced at Hamish. “Deirdre? Shit, I would have never thought she’d go that far. So she was the one trying to kill Leila?”

Hamish nodded.

“We’ll deal with Deirdre later,” Aiden acknowledged impatiently. She would