Page 29 of Captive Beta

“They’ll go after them. Yeah. Do they live nearby?”

I let out a soft laugh. “Riley asked the same.”

I glance down at the phone again, waiting for the next message from Jorge. My breath catches in my throat when I read his reply. “Only an hour. They live an hour away.”

Panic grips my heart. If they live that close, they’re in a lot of danger!

Caleb lets out a snarl, glancing at the back as he fights to keep his pheromones under control.

If they only live an hour away… We need to move really quickly.

We don’t even know if the Hearts have someone stationed near Luca’s family’s house who could act within seconds, or if they have to drive from the city to get to them…

“Where are Mathew and Riley?” Caleb’s voice is low and I relay the message to the chat.

Riley sends us the tracking for her phone, which shows they’re not that far away from us.

“They’re nearby, only minutes away. It shouldn’t be complicated.”

Caleb touches his earpiece, immediately creating a call that includes the pack and Timothy and Derrick. “We’ll meet up at the next rest area. Vera, Mathew, Luca and Jorge will keep going to the house. Riley and I will go over to Luca’s family’s place with Derrick and some others. We can’t wait until we’re back home. We need to move now.”

“No!” Mathew’s voice is hard. “I’m coming with you. If you’re taking my people with you, I’m not being left behind.”

“I think it’s more important that you go home. Vera and I can’t go near Luca. Right now, Jorge is the only one who can be near him and Luca needs more of his mates to help him feel safe. He needs you. You’re the only one who understands what he’s been though. What it’s like to live under the control of people like the Hearts. He needs you.”

“Right…” Mathew seems distracted, and worry shoots through me. What’s going on now?

“Mathew?” I want to know why he seems distracted.

“I’ll see you in a moment, when we’re at the meeting point.” After that, the call goes silent.

My heart races.

What’s going on?

There’s something wrong on his side and I want to know if it’s because of what Caleb said about his past, that Riley isn’t well or that it’s about something else.

But I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Eli, Luca and Jorge are already waiting next to their van when we drive up to the meeting point.

The moment Caleb turns the engine off, I jump out, needing to hug Jorge. He wraps his arms around me tightly. He feels so good and he’s got some of Luca’s pheromones on him now, which makes it even better.

How I wish I could hug Luca right now. He’s standing not too far away, his eyes on us sad, no longer full of fear, but he’s also not coming closer. He gives me a tight smile when he notices my eyes on him and when I wave at him, he waves back.

So, yes, he’s still scared. But also, it’s not because he wants to be.

“The rest should be here soon.” The moment Caleb speaks, three more vans drive up to us, parking behind us.

Mathew is the first one to get out, soon followed by Derrick and Timothy. Their faces are clouded and Mathew keeps glancing back to the van he just got out of.

But even when the three of them are right in front of us, Riley still doesn’t come out of the van.

That’s not good.

“Is Riley okay?” I keep glancing behind them, my heart beating louder every second that passes that she’s still not here.

Mathew shakes his head slowly, his eyes watery, his lips a thin line, like he’s trying not to cry.

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