Page 83 of Savoring Her Snake

“I know.” I dart onto the street. The speed limit means nothing to me. “I fucking knew something was off. I should have listened to my gut. My mate is in danger, and I’m hours away.” I grit my teeth, and my tattoos glow through my shirt. “I was consumed with revenge and not the facts.”

“We don’t know who it is,” Bane says softly.

“It’s someone in her life.” Fuck, I should have looked closer at her past. Everyone who she has been in contact with.

“Call her,” Hunter suggests. I’m out of town in seconds. I special-ordered my car, and no one can stop me.

“Call Juliana,” I say as I engage my phone. I hold my breath as it rings and rings. “End call.” I grind my teeth. “Call Micah.”

“Fuck, Heath,” he answers, and my heart thuds painfully.

“What happened?” I ask, my mouth dry.

“There was an explosion. It was a distraction. We found Rylee in the woods. She was bound and gagged. She’s alive but hurt. She will recover.”

“Juliana.” I know what he’s going to say.

“She’s gone, brother. Shit,” he whispers.

“How?” My body vibrates, and Hunter and Bane are tense.

“It looks like he took her from behind the house. There are tire tracks close by. She’s alive, Heath. Sally and the wolves are tracking the car.” The door in the closet. She left willingly. “Daisy and Steph are with Rylee. Quinn is helping with the fire before it burns everything.”

“Is Rylee awake?”

“No. She is healing, but slowly.”

“Call me if she wakes before I get there. Keep her alive, and no one kills the fucker except me.” I end the call and press on the gas.

“Heath.” Bane cups my shoulder.

“Dig into everyone she knows,” I instruct, knowing Hunter always has his computer. “Find out where the mom is. Juliana mentioned someone named Jeff from the hotel. Call her brother and ask about Stanly. You have an hour.”

“On it,” Hunter says, reaching for his computer under the seat.

Something made her leave the house. She thought someone was in danger, and she couldn’t allow them to be hurt. Rylee. Juliana would know it would destroy me if she died. My sweet mate, who always takes care of everyone, thought of me before her safety.

The world blurs around me as I focus on one thing.

Showing whoever took her what it means when you take a snake’s mate.

Chapter Twenty

Juliana

Myheadispounding,and I smell blood. I’m lying on something hard, and when I try to lift my hand to my head, I can’t. A fog coats my memories. My eyes refuse to open, and all I feel is pain. Panic sets in. I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, and my mouth is dry. Why do I smell smoke?

The closet. I was in the closet debating on whether to leave the safety of the house. It looks like I fucked up bad. Why? I delve deeper, and my head screams at me. Pushing through the agony it causes, I remember. The text. Someone sent me a picture of Rylee. She was hurt and lying in the woods. Her eyes were closed, and I feared she was dead. They told me to come to her, or they would kill her. I acted without thought and flew out of the basement. An explosion rocked the earth and a few steps later, a pain exploded on the back of my head.

After that, everything went black.

Forcing my eyes open, I exhale harshly when I can’t see anything. There is something over my eyes. I jerk and barely move. The chains ring, and chills race over my body. I’m blindfolded and restrained. Is someone watching my struggle? Fuck, I can’t tell. It’s silent around me, and I’m cold. I turn my head to the side when I hear a door squeak, and I want to cry out. I bite my lip and hold in my pleas for rescue. The steps get closer, and I feel nauseated.

“You’re awake.” A man. I can barely focus on his voice. “I wasn’t sure the plan would work,” he says gleefully. “I didn’t know if I had the timing of the explosion right.” He planned the explosion as I left the house, everyone was upstairs, and I was concentrating on finding Rylee. “You're still beautiful. Even bloody.” I swallow, and suddenly, the covering is removed from my eyes. I blink several times, and when my vision clears, I wish it didn’t.

“Stanly,” I croak as I see his smiling face.

“Hey, pretty girl.” His grin widens as I stare. “You know, your mother has always liked me.” I shake my head and then cringe. “She told me once that she thought we should be together. I laughed it off. You weren’t my type, but after that, I saw you differently.” Looking away, I’m tied to a large metal bench in a dilapidated building. It looks like a small old barn, and half of the ceiling is missing. Everything is hitting me at once, and I can’t think. Stanly circles me, going round and round the bench. His hand strokes the metal. “We would talk all the time about the future.”

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