Zeke (The Boundarylands #6) - Callie Rhodes

Chapter One

She wasn't going to make it.

The wail of sirens filled Darcy Winters's ears. Flashing blue and red lights lit up the inside of her car, the steep canyon to the right whirring by in a blur.

No matter how hard she floored it, the cops were gaining on her.

"Come on. Come on." Darcy gripped the steering wheel even tighter, leaning forward as if the force of her will could push her little hatchback faster.

It didn't work.

A split second later, Darcy screamed as one of the cruisers rammed her rear bumper. The impact slammed her forward into her steering wheel.

She glanced frantically into the rearview mirror to see what she already knew was there—the cop car practically on top of her, preparing to come at her again.

At least Darcy was prepared for the next impact. She held tight to the wheel as her car was rammed to the right, barely missing the guard rail. Through some miracle, she managed to stay on the road.

The bastards were trying to force her over the edge to her death.

Of course they were. By now, the Baron brothers had to know where she was headed—the only place where their authority didn't reach.

The Boundarylands.

Darcy was under no illusion that she'd be safe there--not in the traditional sense of the word. She was a lone woman, driving straight into the heart of alpha country. As recently as yesterday, she wouldn't have dreamed of doing something so stupid and reckless.

But a lot had changed since then.

The most important being that Scott Baron was dead.

His blood was still all over Darcy’s hands. On her clothes. In her hair.

And now his brothers were on her tail, fired up for vengeance.

How the hell had she gotten mixed up with an entire empire of corrupt cops?

The same way she always ended up in trouble—by ignoring her head and listening to her heart instead. Though in Scott Baron's case, Darcy had been following someplace south of her heart.

Of course, she wouldn't have to worry about any part of her anatomy if she didn't stay focused on getting over the boundary.

She was close—less than a mile away. No doubt that was why the Baron brothers were becoming more desperate, bashing into her car over and over, leaving rubber on the road. Someone up above must be looking out for her because Darcy had somehow managed to avoid plunging over the edge so far.

On the next impact, she heard a deafening pop, followed by a cascade of raining glass.

Darcy screamed as both her back window and windshield exploded, splintering into a thousand little fragments of safety glass.

Those bastards were shooting at her now! They were done fucking around. They wanted her dead, and they no longer cared if it was messy.

Well, screw them.

Darcy hunkered down in her seat, gritting her teeth and putting her full weight on the gas pedal. It didn't do a damn bit of good—her little two-seater was already topped out—but at least she wasn't giving up.

Just up ahead, she could see the sign clearly marking the boundary between the beta world and alpha territory.

She was almost there.

Another shot sounded behind her.

And another.

Darcy's screams had become a hoarse wail, but she kept going…until finally, her tires passed over the line.

And just like that, the cop cars fell back, the last of their gunshots echoing in the night.

The treaties didn't allow beta cops to enter the Boundarylands, not in an official capacity anyway. Of course, Darcy knew first-hand that the Baron brothers didn't care about rules. But apparently, the threat of getting torn apart by beasts twice their size was enough to deter them.

Darcy risked poking her head up just high enough to steal a glance in the rearview mirror. Sure enough, both police cruisers had pulled to a stop just on the other side of the border.

Darcy let out a gasp of relief, savoring the first deep breath she'd taken in the last twenty-four hours, knowing it would probably be her last for a while.

Because now she had to figure out what the hell she was going to do next.

The Boundarylands were every bit as dangerous for Darcy as for Scott's brothers. Maybe more so.

After all, everyone knew the only thing alphas liked to do more than kicking beta ass was destroying beta women—throwing them down, riding them hard, and hoping they came out the other side an omega.

And if they didn't—

Darcy shuddered at the thought, but then her anger flamed again and ignited her determination. She didn't plan on surviving the Baron