Page 25 of Captive Beta
The people from Derrick’s team quickly surround us as they guide us to the exit.
This is one of the normal entrances and exits of the research complex, now fully taken over by one of our teams, who point us towards a path into the surrounding forest.
The trees are close together, suffocating, but we keep going. It feels like we’ve been walking like this for a long time, but it’s probably not even been three minutes when we reach the clearing where the vans are parked.
Mathew suddenly stops walking and when I look around him to see why, my heart sinks. Timothy is waiting for us and the way he’s frowning doesn’t give me a good feeling.
He’s not supposed to be here! He’s not supposed to move. He’s supposed to stay where we left him, wait for the rest of our team to return and then go home.
This wasn’t part of the plan!
“We have to talk.” Timothy nods to his van and a tightness builds in my chest as we follow him.
“What’s going on?” Mathew sits on one of the chairs in the back of the van, leaning forward, putting his gun on the table.
Timothy waits until I’m seated too, before he closes the door behind him and speaks again. “Vera, Jorge and Caleb intercepted a transport from the Hearts tonight.”
“What?!” Panic shoots through me.
Vera, Jorge and Caleb faced the Hearts on their own?
Are they okay?
Are they hurt?
What happened?
Are they safe now?
Mathew tenses at my side, leaning forward more, his voice strained. “When?”
“A while ago. They didn’t want me to tell you while you were still on the mission.”
Well, that explains why Timothy started sounding more and more stressed over time.
Mathew takes my hand, his body trembling. I’m not sure if it’s from anger or fear, possibly both. “Are they okay?”
“Yes.” Timothy answers quickly, letting some of his cinnamon pheromones slip out to show that we don’t have a reason to worry. “They’re fine. Nobody is seriously hurt. They’re all safe.”
Fuck.
Vera and Jorge were supposed to have a fun evening, they weren’t supposed to do anything like this.
They weren’t supposed to be in danger.
I need to see them.
I need to see them right now.
My teeth start clattering, my body going cold, my emotions fluctuating wildly. I’m at the end of my energy, I’m going into shutdown mode…
I need to go home and be with my mates right now.
I can’t do anything else anymore.
Mathew takes me into his arms, his voice soft, soothing, as he rubs his hands over my back. “Let’s go home and curl up in our nest all together. I think we all need a good pheromone recharge after tonight.”
Yes. That sounds perfect.
