Outlaw (Wolves of Royal Paynes #4) - Kiki Burrelli Page 0,68

the distance told me something, somewhere was electrically charged. My bet was the gate.

Knox pulled the car up to the intercom and pressed the button. If they didn't let us in, we'd just let ourselves in, but it would make everything flow more smoothly if they came willingly.

The black asphalt driveway wound through a pristinely manicured lawn. Three cars, all black Kia SUVs, were parked on the blacktop closest to the front door. There was a four-car garage to the right, the doors closed, with a standalone basketball hoop placed between the middle garage doors.

"This place looks like a postcard," Huntley said with a tone that wasn't appreciative.

"It's too perfect," Jagger added.

I stared at the windows, attempting to see through the glare and inside. "Why aren't the cars parked in the garage?"

"Hello?" a soft woman's voice replied through the speaker.

"My name is Knox. I'm the man who called and left a message? I know you likely think I am insane, but I swear to you, your lives are in danger, and we are here to help."

The woman didn't immediately scream for him to leave or threaten to call the cops, so there was a chance we wouldn't have to do this the hard way.

"I…um…I actually b-believe you. I sometimes…see things and…just come in." Her voice shook. Breathy and distressed.

The gate swung open, and the electric hum stopped.

There was picture perfect, and then there was too fucking easy… This smelled too fucking easy. "You think they don't trust us?"

Knox didn't reply with words; all he offered was a scowl. "We have to go find out. Whether they want our help or not, there's no way they can handle what's coming for them." He cut the engine and opened his door slowly. Leaving the vehicle outside the gate ensured our fastest mode of transportation wasn't locked behind an electric fence.

The security cameras followed our progress, tracking our movements through the gate and up the driveway. With a swift but cautious pace, we stalked closer to the picturesque home.

Claus surged between me and Knox, skipping ahead toward the house like we were arriving to a barbecue. He'd changed out of a ridiculous flannel but had replaced it with a colorful button-up Hawaiian shirt. The unbuttoned shirt flaps billowed as he stretched his arms over his head before scratching his hairy human gut. "You're all so gloomy all the time. Maybe something is just going right for once? Think of that?"

Knox grunted, slowing the closer we grew to the door. "Too much isn't adding up."

He froze, and loud footsteps sounded from inside the house. With seven members in their family, the footsteps wouldn't be alarming if it weren't for the fact they all sounded like heavy-duty boots. Their breaths and heartbeats were close enough to hear through the cabin walls. Some breathed more rapidly than others, but it was a single heartbeat that stuck out above all the others.

Slow, steady, calm…the heart of an alpha shifter.

Knox turned back to the vehicle the moment the gates swung closed and sparked, igniting with an electric whir. Annoyed and furious, Knox muttered, "Fuckin' trap," as he faced the cabin, his hand reaching for a blade.

"Your streak is over." I refused to give up the chance to ridicule Knox. His plans always worked; the opportunity was rare. We dropped into formation, backs together in a circle so we were ready for an attack from any direction.

"Fuck you, Diesel." Knox grabbed Claus's bicep and jerked him from his position of most-likely-to-get-shot-first to a place in formation between Knox and Jagger. Claus was getting stronger, but I wasn't stupid enough to believe playing human dress-up was the only strength that'd been restored. "You try next time, dick. I'll gladly give the responsibility—"

The front door opened, swinging slowly with a low, anticlimactic groan. "Do you ever tire of being a step behind, Knox?" Pierce slunk out the front door. We'd all been expecting him the moment we'd heard his heart. Ten men, all dressed in black tactical gear, marched out the door, dividing to either side of Pierce, standing with their weapons aimed and ready. Inside, I counted no less than thirty additional men. Pierce would bring an army, too weak to face us unless the odds were stacked.

"Where are they?" Knox wouldn't indulge Pierce in his evil banter.

But Pierce didn't need indulging. He already had a small tape recorder in his hand. "I…um…I actually b-believe you. I sometimes…see things and…just come in." His smile widened. "That's what she told me