Chapter 6

• Tripp took the heavy bag off his back and leaned it against a tree. It had taken him a lot longer than he would have liked to follow this trail. With the snow coming down now, the tracks were covered. If it hadn’t been for the narrow path in the trees, he would have lost it—but a vehicle could only fit there.
• The sun was going down, but that was to his advantage, the hazy period between day and night made it harder for him to be seen and easier for him to move through the shadows and glares the departing sun left in its wake. His cat was just as annoyed as he was that the woman had been out there this long. He didn’t have time to pause and reassure his animal.
• The trail from the vehicle headed down through the bush and he debated for a moment on following it, but the smell of a fire burning piqued his interest and he’d learned a long time ago that following his gut paid off more than misleading signs laid out before him. It wasn’t a coincidence that the trail led past someone with a campfire going. With the storm, it was doubtful it was just some hikers out enjoying the fresh air.
• Pulling a bottle of water out of the bag, he drank it down and then stopped all movement and listened. With the snow coming down, he couldn’t be sure of the distance as it tended to muffle sounds, but if his estimated location was right, someone was at the top of the hill. He looked in the direction the vehicle had gone. If he were a criminal douchebag, he’d send only one to make contact and stay back with the prize in this dead zone in the middle of nowhere.
• Picking up the bag, he hefted it on his back. If he was wrong, he’d shift and make up for the lost time following the vehicle. The map showed the nearest town wasn’t that far from this location—if you went straight down the mountain. His cat could go places something on wheels couldn’t.
• He moved up the hill, keeping in the trees, so he could see, but not be seen. If it was them, they were idiots for having a fire going. He liked idiots; they made his job much easier. As he got closer to the top, he could smell more than just a campfire. His cat analyzed the other scent without hesitation, it was blood. Not a lot, but still blood. There was also a strong smell of gasoline. Did they have rec vehicles up there? It would save him the energy of walking back out of here after he dealt with them—the princess would probably be happier with a ride out of here.
• As soon as he could hear the crackling of wood, he slowed his step and tapped into his cats’ better vision to help in the low light. The burning fire was like an invisible trail showing him the exact direction they were. He moved toward the left, not wanting to walk right into their camp when he got to the top.
• Pausing just before he could see their location, he took the bag off and set it where he’d be able to find it again. Moving his gun to the back of his pants, he pulled out his knife and then proceeded to move in that direction. Staying low to the ground, he crept along much like his cat would have if it was stalking something.
• With the snowfall, he had to stay in the shadows, or else he’d stand out like a flashing sign against the white. When he reached the point where the hill leveled off into an open area, he felt the satisfaction of being right. There was a camp set up. Three tents grouped together. Motion in front of one of them had him zero in on it. Two large men were crowded around a third one. Shit. The possibility of two from the bear clan was something he didn’t relish. If three were here, that meant he had to deal with four if he waited too long.
• “I told you not to get too close.” The one said, sounding more annoyed than anything else.
• “It’s not going to grow back even if you shift, you idiot.” The other one told him.
• Tripp held this position, breathing into his hand so it filtered his breath toward the ground, and couldn’t be seen in the cold air. What wouldn’t grow back? His interest was piqued now.
• The smaller man stood up and jerked his head away from the other one. He was holding a cloth against the side of his head. Tripp’s eyebrows went up in surprise. He looked at the tents, trying to see if there was anyone in them. Whoever had done that to that man wasn’t friendly. He didn’t detect any movement. First guess, the princess wasn’t as docile as he’d pictured her to be.
• “Pouring gas on her was stupid,” the one closest to him growled and waved his arm, “now we can’t move her closer to the fire to keep her warm.”
• He didn’t like the sound of that. They’d poured gas on her. Who did something like that? He shuddered, something that strongly scented on any shifter was just cruel.
• “The bitch bit half my ear off.” The other one growled, “let her freeze.”
• Tripp’s lips twitched with amusement, but it was short-lived. He needed them to move out of their little huddle so he could see if they had any weapons on them—and he needed to find the princess with the sharp teeth. Chances were she was probably halfway to unconscious now from the gas fumes.
• Moving back down out of their line of sight, he crept along the ground to find another vantage point to see if he could spot her. He didn’t have to go far; the smell of the fuel gave his cat the direction now that he was out of the smoke from the fire.
• She was tied to a tree, facing the tents. Her hands were bound behind her, and they had a collar around her neck as well—he wasn’t sure from this angle, but it might be the leather. They’d secured her to the tree by the neck. They were treating her like some kind of pet. He’d bite someone’s ear off too if they’d done that to him. Her face was banged up and he hoped the blood on it was from her biting that guy. He studied the way she sat; she didn’t appear to have any other injuries. In fact, she was holding herself board straight, not leaning against the tree at all for support. That simplified getting her down from here if she could move on her own.
• Tripp took his time assessing the situation, trying to plan the best way to take out three of them without her being in the line of fire. He couldn’t just outright shoot them, might prefer to, but he needed to know where the vehicle went, who was in it, and what the plan was. Anything less would yield him a major berating from Kenzo and other higher-ups in the Alliance. The fact that they got their hands on a member from one of the teams pushed all the wrong buttons and they’d need answers
• If he cut her binds, would she freak out and make them aware of his presence? She showed great initiative, biting the ear, so maybe she would stay still and silent and let him do his thing. The gas had to be burning through her clothes, so she could try to struggle out of them and alert them that she was free. Before he could come up with a solid plan, she turned her head and looked right at him. Not in his direction, but right at him. He was impressed, and from the look on her face, she was beyond pissed. Anger was something he could work with, just as long as it was cool, calculating anger and not the inferno kind. He moved his hand from his mouth and held up his finger to tell her to hold tight. She turned her head back to look at the men like he wasn’t even there.
• Now that she knew he was here, he couldn’t just leave her sitting there getting buried in snow, he decided. Staying low, he backed up, so he was in the darkness of the trees again, all while keeping his eyes on the three that were still debating on how stupid the little man was. In any other situation, he’d happily offer his opinion on the matter.