* I was cold. It seemed every where I turned was more cold. My stomach growled and I opened my eyes to see if I could gauge the time through the frost covered window. I couldn't tell if it was sunrise or sunset. I laid on the cot, shivering. I tucked my knees up closer to my chest in a bid to harbor the heat I was so desperately losing. The baby shifted and kick within me and I closed my eyes in a small prayer of thankfulness. At least I still had that. Everything else was gone. I wanted no part of whatever this was. I was practically estranged from my family. My mother had been livid when I had mated Eli and I had made the decision to get away. I rarely spoke with Gabe. I texted with Gina and Gillian on occasion. Eli's family had taken me in and they had been accepting and it had been enough. It wasn't that I didn't care. I loved my siblings very much. But for the sake of surviving, scattering away from our overbearing mother had been the theme. I didn't know what this Donovan Wilson expected from me. I'd never let my brother walk into this trap they were trying to set. I tried to remember everything that had been drilled into us from an early age and we were ruled by a filthy Alpha. I must have dozed because I was startled awake when the door banged open. Donovan Wilson filled the doorway, Cantwell hovering behind him. He smiled, flipping on a switch outside of the door. Light flooded the room and hurt my eyes. I blinked him back into focus.


* I was cold. It seemed every where I turned was more cold. My stomach growled and I opened my eyes to see if I could gauge the time through the frost covered window. I couldn't tell if it was sunrise or sunset. I laid on the cot, shivering. I tucked my knees up closer to my chest in a bid to harbor the heat I was so desperately losing. The baby shifted and kick within me and I closed my eyes in a small prayer of thankfulness. At least I still had that. Everything else was gone. I wanted no part of whatever this was. I was practically estranged from my family. My mother had been livid when I had mated Eli and I had made the decision to get away. I rarely spoke with Gabe. I texted with Gina and Gillian on occasion. Eli's family had taken me in and they had been accepting and it had been enough. It wasn't that I didn't care. I loved my siblings very much. But for the sake of surviving, scattering away from our overbearing mother had been the theme. I didn't know what this Donovan Wilson expected from me. I'd never let my brother walk into this trap they were trying to set. I tried to remember everything that had been drilled into us from an early age and we were ruled by a filthy Alpha. I must have dozed because I was startled awake when the door banged open. Donovan Wilson filled the doorway, Cantwell hovering behind him. He smiled, flipping on a switch outside of the door. Light flooded the room and hurt my eyes. I blinked him back into focus.
"It is cold in here, isn't it?" I stared at him, silent. "Cantwell, fetch her a blanket." He left to do Wilson's bidding, but he wasn't happy about it. I startled when the Alpha reached out and touched my arm. "You're skin is like ice." Cantwell returned with a blanket and Wilson unfolded it and tucked it around me. I remained silent.
"Are you ready to cooperate? All I'm asking is for you to call your brother and have him relay a message to Quinn Cooper." He seemed to be trying to chafe warmth into my bones. "You're a tiny little thing. I'm surprised at your temerity."
"My brother won't cooperate with you." I hardly recognized my voice.
"You don't think he would come for you?"
"One life is nothing compared to the hundreds you'll destroy if you get what you want." I replied weakly. His palm spanned my swollen abdomen.
"Two lives, you mean." My eyes filled with tears and I turned my face away from him.
"Just call him, Grace. Call him and I will take you out of this room. I will put you someplace warm. Feed you. You could have a hot bath. Warm clothes." I bit off a desperate whimper at how badly I wanted to be warm.
"And then what?" My eyes met his cold blue ones. "I call Gabe and then what happens to me? Do you honestly think that I believe that you're just going to let me walk out of here?" His silence damned him. I closed my eyes and looked away again. "I'll never sell out my family. Not to you. Not to him." The blow took me by surprise and the pain that radiated through my face took my breath away. Strong fingers squeezed my jaw hard. My eyes met Cantwell's swampy green ones.
"You're going to do exactly what we are telling you to do or we'll start finding ways to convince you to. For starters, we'll take your baby." Tears spilled down my face.
"Easy, Cantwell. You bang her up too much and she won't be able to talk." He released me, shoving my head back as he did. He climbed off of the cot and I eyed both men warily. I knew what I needed to do.
"Bring me the phone."

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  1. Gabriel JerichoFebruary 5, 2018 at 4:08 PM

    Hello. * I spoke into the phone. Everyone in the room seemed to be waiting. * Gabe. * It was Gracie. Her soft voice shook out my name. I had to play this right. * Hey, Gracie. How are you doing? * I could hear low murmurs of voices. * Gabriel, have you seen Quinn? * She jumped right into the heart of the matter. She was terrified, I could hear it in her voice. * Is everything okay? * I asked her, avoiding the question. * Gabe. I don't have much time. If you know where Quinn is, you need to tell him that he needs to get back to Talkeetna. * Kristen gestured for me to keep talking. * Okay, I can see if I can locate him. * I heard a soft sob and I swallowed back rage. * Okay, please try really hard. This is important, Gabe. This is for our family. * That one statement left my blood running cold. * I will, Grace. Where should he come once he arrives? * There was silence on the other end. * Grace? * Kristen was tapping keys frantically. * GRACE! * I shouted into the phone. The busy signal buzzed in my ear, the sounds mockingly close to a demon laugh. I hurled the phone against the wall and it broke into pieces. * Goddamn it! Goddamn it! * My hands tore through my hair. * Goddamn it. * I was so fucking pissed. * Did you get a location? * I snapped at Kristen. She shook her head. * Not a clear one. * My head fell back on my shoulders. * Of course not. Of course fucking not! Jesus Christ! * Quinn was out of his seat. * She tried, Jericho. She tried. * I nodded. * I know she did! This isn't about her, Coop. This is about you! You brought this shit to our door - to my door - and Grace's mate is dead. * +Bronwyn Jericho was there, her hand on my arm. * What do you mean, she didn't say that, Gabe. * I nodded. * Yes, she did. When she said this is for our family. She was telling me her mate is dead. * Bo shook her head. * I don't understand. * I tried to calm the rage within me. * When we were under John Luke's regime, we had code phrases. Things that would let the others know if there was trouble - without saying there was trouble. "This is for our family" is one of the phrases. The last time that was said, our father was killed. Grace wouldn't say that unless her mate was killed. * We were all silent. * Can you pinpoint a close enough location so that we might be able to locate where they've got her? * Quinn asked Kristen as I left the living room and stormed out of the back door. *

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  2. Kristen BauerFebruary 5, 2018 at 4:13 PM

    * I glanced up at Quinn as No followed her mate. Their son played in his pack and play, unaware of the tension between the adults.* I'll find her. I'm close. I know I am. * He laid his hand on my shoulder. * I know you are. * He squeezed my shoulder, and I fought against the longing attraction. Anyway..I'm pretty sure I imagined a caress, so I ignored the spark that traveled through my body. I turned back to my laptop and tapped on the keyboard. Equation after equation filled my screen and then I smiled as a longitude and latitude sequence popped up. I went to the map and punched in the sequence and watched as the lines covered the state of Alaska and then honed in on a little red dot. My attraction to Quinn forgotten as I let out a very girly sound of excitement. * I think I found them. I think I fucking found them! * I bounced in my seat and memorized the numbers. * Quinn look....* I was cut off by Quinn moving his head in beside mine, his scent curling around me. I fought a groan and kept my emotions in check. *

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  3. Quinn CooperFebruary 5, 2018 at 4:13 PM

    * I looked at the location on the map, Kristen's scent a huge distraction to my senses. She smelled so fucking good.
    "You amazing she-devil you." I told her in awe. "Can you zoom in?" She clicked some button and I watched as the map grew larger and then switched views to show the actual topography of the area. There was a small concrete looking warehouse with very few windows. The snow practically covered those windows.
    "Think she's there?"
    "I know she is." Kristen was confident as she started to notate the coordinates.
    "We can do this. If we can get close enough before they know we're there." My mind raced with options and the best line of attack.
    "I know we can do this." Kristen shut the laptop. "I just need a surveillance van. And you need back up." I knew she was right, but I also knew that Gabriel couldn't go. Bo needed her mate and that was important. She had just lost the man that was most like a father to her.
    "Maybe Caiden." I wondered out loud.
    "No. He's been hurt enough."
    "Then who do you suggest, Taz?"
    "I don't know. We can ask Gabriel." I half shrugged.
    "I don't think we will be seeing Jericho for a bit." She moved over to where Kody was playing and knelt down, picking him up.
    "Hi handsome boy." She cuddled the baby close and I was mesmerized. She'd make an amazing mother some day. I shook myself out of the daze and started looking through my phone at old contacts and wondering who I could trust to help us. Maybe Kristen could take their names and vet them out, too. I was pretty sure that this would be the mission that killed me. Even if I could beat Donovan Wilson and Junius Cantwell, there were followers that would come at me in their place. I was prepared for that, but no matter what, Grace would come home to her family. *

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