An unnatural silence flooded the opposite end of the phone, followed by furious clicking.

"Bastard. I'm calling my bank to report this."

"I don't suppose President Bennett and some of the other more straight-shooting club members know anything about your hidden auction site, do they?"

"What do you want?"

"Drop off the female wolf at the two-track located a half mile north of the training center construction site. You have one hour."

"That's not enough time. I'll need double that amount."

"Are you sure? Because your generosity to the Alliance doesn't stop until I see for myself that the wolf is unharmed."

"You and whoever you're working with will pay for this."

"Not as much as you. The Alliance thanks you for your contribution, by the way."

"An hour and a half," Norwood growled.

"Come alone, Norwood, or your contributions will double." Britt clicked off his phone.

"Daaamn," Reid said, "Maybe you and Jonah should have joined my unit."

"You know Norwood's bringing backup, right?" Grif asked.

"Without a doubt."

They both looked to Reid.

A grin broke out on his face. He clapped his hands, rubbing them together. "Finally, some action."

Britt glanced from brother to brother and prayed he'd be able to keep them safe. He'd never faced off with a threat like Norwood. The guy was a seasoned killer. Almost six hundred kills. Could someone like that shift their lust for conquering animals to humans?

Something told Britt he was about to find out.

28.

"Fucking redneck!" Richard Norwood sent his twenty-four-inch monitor crashing to the floor. "He won't get away with stealing from me."

"What's got you in a lather?" Samuel Taylor drawled.

"The Steeles." Richard paced his spacious office within the east wing of the club's lodge. "For every quarter hour we hold the bitch, they're going to donate ten thousand dollars of my money to charity."

Angus Ferguson whistled. "Bold devils."

"Can your IT expert block their attack against your bank account?" Neil Watters asked.

"Yes-in time. But they're sending the money to a damned nonprofit. The longer this goes on, the trickier the explanation."

Hands clasped behind his back, Jun Ito asked, "Should I put a halt on the auction?"

"That'll raise too many questions among the membership," Samuel said. "I've already heard murmurings about the legitimacy of our hunting permit."

"I would suggest a server error," Neil Watters said. "Puts the blame elsewhere and it'll explain the lack of video."

"So we're handing over the wolf and tucking tail?" Angus asked, incredulous.

"No. Each of them will forfeit something important. Something they will mourn."

"Do you think all four Steele boys are involved?" Samuel asked.

"Two for sure. The animal lover and the computer genius."

"The Green Beret, too," Jun said. "He would not miss an opportunity to prove his prowess."

"They're nothing but a pack of wild animals. You can bet Griffin's involved as well."

"Five against four," Samuel said. "Good odds."

Richard scrolled through his phone's contact list. "First, we take down the club's server." He set his phone to his ear. "The Steeles will either see it as a signal of good faith or it will send them into a state of wariness."

"Either reaction works in our favor," Jun said.

Richard spoke into the phone. "Shut the server down. Yes, down. All the way." He covered the receiver with his hand and caught Angus, Jun, and Samuel's gazes. "Find their weaknesses, make them pay."

29.

Randi drew her ponytail through the opening at the back of her purple Moosin' Around ball cap.

After Britt left, she'd skulked around her bungalow in a state of numbness. Rather than stay and talk things through, he'd bailed. He'd run off to save the wolf, leaving her behind. The irony was beyond measure, and she only had herself to blame.

She should have listened to the Nagging Nellie voice warning her not to get involved with a damn tree hugger. She'd known it would end in heartbreak. She'd freaking known it!

Grabbing the empty cookie sleeve, she tossed it into the trash. Some people drowned their disappointments in alcohol. Not her. She pigged out on Thin Mint cookies. Every winter, like clockwork, she'd buy a dozen boxes. She ate one box right away, and the rest she pulled out of the freezer when the mood struck.

While snarfing down an entire sleeve, she'd come to two important conclusions. One, men were jerks. Two, she wouldn't sit here and take this being-left-behind crap like she'd been forced to do all those years ago with her mother.

No, she would run Britt to ground, confess her feelings, and make him promise never to leave her again. And there would be some lovemaking involved, too.

But first, she had another mission to accomplish.

She snatched several water bottles out of the refrigerator and nabbed a handful of power bars. The doorbell chimed, and Randi froze. She stared at the solid oak door as if she could see through to the other side.

Drawing in a fortifying breath, she eased the door open and found three stunning women on her porch, each rolling in a kaleidoscope of excitement, wariness, and determination.

"I obviously got your text," Carlie Beth said, "and rounded up the troops, as requested."

"Thanks for coming on such short notice, ladies." Randi backed up a step and the trio filed in, giving her a hug as they passed by. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

"Beer," Carlie Beth said.

"Water would be great," Evie said.

"Nothing, thanks," Brynne said.

Randi waved toward the small breakfast table. "Have a seat."

"Don't leave us hanging," Brynne said. "What's up?"

Randi set their drinks down in front of them, but didn't join them at the table. "How much do y'all know about the wolf auction?"

"Carlie Beth and I were present while the guys were plotting how to recover Calypso," Brynne said. "We filled in Evie on the way over."

"Jonah's hacking into the club's server in order to retrieve the coordinates of the video feed," Carlie Beth said. "He'll do it, though he might be too late."

"Or he might run into a glitch," Brynne said.

"They're sinking all of their efforts into a technological solution." Evie's sweet features melted into a thoughtful expression. "Technology isn't foolproof and it can be far more destructive than intended."

"We tried to get the guys to consider developing a Plan B," Carlie Beth said.

"But they were having none of it," Brynne said.

Randi paced the area between the breakfast table and island. "I have an alternate plan."

Her guests perked up.

"It's dangerous."

"Can't be worse than a stalker," Carlie Beth said.

"Or a pissed drug trafficker," Brynne said.

They all looked to Evie.

"What? I haven't had anyone try to kill me yet. Though Teddy Bendicott tried to slip me the tongue in seventh grade."

Randi took a deep breath, hoping they wouldn't think she was crazy. "We follow the club members."

Her friends shared a look.

"'Follow' as in spy on them?" Brynne asked.

"Just like 007."

"Why, exactly?" Carlie Beth asked.

"To see if they'll lead us to Calypso's location." Randi picked up a pen off the island and began flicking it back and forth. "I can't stand the thought of Britt's wolf penned up and under Norwood's thumb. Who knows if the asshole's giving Calypso water or food. And her poor pups." She threw the pen down. "I can't imagine what this must be doing to Britt."

"I'm in," Evie said.

"Me, too," Carlie Beth said.

Brynne hesitated. "What happens if these club members catch us trailing them?"

"We'll put on the dumb blonde act," Evie said.

"You mean dumb brunette," Brynne said.

"Huh?"

"Ninety percent of blondes are brunettes in disguise."

Evie smiled. "Touche."

"From what Britt told me," Randi said, "Norwood and the others are intelligent, cunning men. I'm not sure they'll fall for the innocent act."

"Brynne's good at persuading bullheaded men," Carlie Beth said.

"Yeah, if she can win over Reid," Evie said, "Norwood and those guys won't stand a chance."

"Wouldn't it be best if you got the authorities involved?" Brynne asked.

"I have my cousin, Maggie, on speed dial," Evie said. "If things get hairy, she'll be at our side in a snap."

"You follow them, find Calypso, then what?" Brynne asked.

"We call Britt."

Brynne still hesitated. No doubt thinking about the last time she and Evie went sleuthing and she wound up confronting a drug trafficker on her own.

"If you're not comfortable with this plan," Randi said to Brynne, "you don't have to come."