Blackstone Ranger Guardian - Alicia Montgomery Page 0,18

in as he tackled Anders to the ground.

“No!” Hands reached out to claw at him. “Let me go!”

“Anders.” Holding the other man down, Krieger reached out to his animal side, its rage burning hotly. “Anders!”

That seemed to work as the fury in his eyes dulled down. “What the fuck, man!” He wrenched himself away. “They took her, Goddammit! Took my mate!”

“And how would getting flattened by that car have helped?” Krieger snorted. “Use your fucking head.” Still, he couldn’t blame Anders.

“I need to go after them.” He shot up to his feet and marched toward his pickup.

Krieger let out a grunt. “I’m going with you.”

“Whatever,” Anders warned. “Just don’t get in my way.”

They both hopped into the pickup, and Anders sped out of the parking lot, tires screeching as he chased after the limousine. His teeth were gritted together and his knuckles white from gripping the wheel, mind seemingly focused on one single task: get his mate. So, Krieger knew he had to be the calm, reasonable one.

Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he dialed 911 and reported the incident. The dispatcher was cool and professional as she took down the details. “…we’re in pursuit now, heading northbound on Highway Seventy-Five … yes, thank you.”

The limo was still a small dot down the highway, and Anders let out a frustrated sound as the engine of his truck protested as he pushed it to its limits. “Goddammit!”

“Just keep ’em in sight,” he assured the tiger shifter. “We’ll get help.” While he kept the dispatcher on the line, he switched to his messaging app and sent a text to Damon, giving him a quick rundown of what was happening.

“What the fuck?”

Krieger slammed his palms on the dash as Anders suddenly engaged the brakes. “What the hell?”

Anders’s animal growled, and Krieger followed his gaze. The limo they had been pursuing was now slammed up against a massive pine tree on the side of the highway.

The muscles under Anders’s skin crawled, and Krieger knew his shift was inevitable. “I’ll take the right, you take the left,” he instructed. “And do what you can to keep your mate safe.”

Anders answered with a savage, inhuman roar as he leapt out of the truck. Krieger whipped his shirt off and shucked out of his jeans and boots as he dashed toward the limo.

Calling on his grizzly, he let the mighty bear tear out of him, skin making way for fur and hulking shoulders. Coming up on the right side of the vehicle, the bear smashed a giant paw through the window, then pulled the entire door off. Then it poked its head in and let out a defining roar. To his surprise, a large, burly man flew out, tackling him to the ground.

Fucking idiot.

Despite putting up a big fight, the male was no match for the bear. Oh, he was fierce and fought well, and Krieger could sense the other man was a shifter, too, but that didn’t mean shit when faced with a thousand-pound beast. However, as he always did before he had to take a life now, he had to tell himself this was necessary, to protect a friend and prevent another death of an innocent. With that in mind, he finished the job.

The roar of a tiger and the pathetic cry that followed it told Krieger that Anders took care of things on his end as well.

As the bear stood over its kill, it suddenly went very still. The beast turned and lumbered back toward the highway. The sirens in the distance were coming closer, but that wasn’t what caught his bear’s attention.

And when he saw the flash of coppery red on the gray asphalt, his heart stopped beating.

No.

“No!”

Krieger didn’t even realize he’d begun to shift as he raced toward the middle of the highway. By the time he reached the prone body lying on the ground, he was fully human, and he cradled Dutchy’s frail, naked body in his arms.

“No …” Tears sprung in his eyes, and he was powerless to stop them. “Please. No.” He brushed the hair covering her pale face, not that he needed to confirm it was her. He just knew, just as his bear did. “Don’t leave me. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t be better.”

“... what the hell happened?”

“... kidnapped Darcey.…”

“... went after them … and Krieger.…”

“... shit. I need to go check on Sarah. Will he be okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll stay here.”

That last voice Krieger recognized as Damon’s. And the other man who strode down the