Wolf's Hunger (Mafia Monsters #5) - Atlas Rose Page 0,52

commander in that moment. He was my enemy.

“Don’t worry, Carina.” The way he said my name made me recoil. “You’re safe now. It’s all behind you.”

He turned and muttered a command. A second later, we were rolling forward, pulling away from the helicopter as it refueled and reloaded, this time with a squad of the fiercest-looking and most heavily armed guys I’d ever seen.

It doesn’t matter, I reassured myself. They won’t find them…

My pack would be long gone, doing what they did best, slipping into the forest, never to be found again.

“Goddamn savages,” Harlan snarled. “Goddamn fucking savages for doing this to you.”

I flinched at his touch and snapped back to reality. Harlan’s fingers brushed across my cheek, almost with a lover’s touch. “I’m fine,” I answered automatically.

“You’re not fine, Carina,” he said as he moved from the opposite seat to the one next to me, winding his arm around my shoulders. “You’ve been through a terrifying ordeal. Attacked, abducted, held prisoner. Jesus, to think what those animals have done to you.”

What. The. Fuck? I tried to slow the thundering of my heart. My thoughts were lightning strikes, arcing through the darkness to hit the ground randomly.

“I would’ve hunted them forever,” my commander murmured, his fingers digging into my shoulder in an effort to pull me against him.

I resisted, my spine ramrod stiff. My chest heaved with heartbroken breaths as my feet burned from the cold. I curled my toes, digging them into the carpet.

“Your poor feet, you must be freezing,” Harlan snarled, and reached forward, grasping me by the calves and swinging my feet up to his lap.

I swiveled with the movement, unable to do anything other than stare at the stranger sitting next to me. The stranger that’d been my commander for the last eight years…who’d never once looked at me the way he looked at me now.

“Harlan,” I murmured, my words burning in the back of my throat. “What’s going on?”

“They won’t get away with this,” he growled, his focus on my bare ankles and feet. His touch was awkward and light, fingers traipsing down the top of my foot before he rested his hand over my toes.

His touch made me tremble. His look did more. I swallowed hard. “Harlan, the Wolves. Murphy—”

My commander gave a shake of his head. “I don’t want you to worry about that. Not now. It can all wait. You’re cold, exhausted, and God knows what else…” he started, then stilled, brows furrowing. Anguish crossed his face before he continued. “Did they hurt you, Carina? Did they…I mean, do I need to take you to the hospital? They have rape kits available…”

“What?” Heat rushed from my face. I hadn’t been cold before…but I was cold to my soul now. “They didn’t rape me, Harlan.

He gave a slow nod, and relief swept his gaze, smoothing out the creases in his face.

“Harlan, you’re not understanding what happened between us. The Wolves, they—”

“We’re here,” he cut me off, lifting his gaze.

My heart was in my throat as the realization dawned. He didn’t see me as other than a victim in all this. Didn’t see me as anything other than a pawn in Phantom’s game. The black four-wheel drive pulled up in front of a nondescript house somewhere in the suburbs. I knew a safe-house when I saw one. The address hidden…except to those in charge. “Harlan, I lov—”

He yanked open the door and climbed out, leaving my feet to slide from his lap and smack the floor. Panic rose inside me, sending shudders to rattle my bones. Something had changed in the days we’d been running from him. The cogs had shifted, and a new machine had been built. One that was armed to the teeth…and pointed at the Wolves I loved.

My body was slow to move as I shoved against the seat and scooted forward before stepping through the open door. Lights were on inside the house. The front door was open and waiting. I tried to think, tried to work out how to call off the dogs.

I crossed the sidewalk and headed along the pavement, climbing the steps to the door. Movement came from inside. Shadows spilled across the floor and splashed on the wall. Two towering guards I’d never seen before stood in the living room, armed to the teeth. They met my gaze and gave a small nod as I stepped in. I knew what I was to them; a job, a victim to protect. But I was neither of those