Page 89 of Defiance
That fucking collar.
Cole’s fingers tightened around his gun, years of friendship telling him to do something. Anything. But what the fuck could he do that wouldn’t get them both killed.
Paul turned to Cole then and smiled that same cold smile, and it was the most terrifying thing Cole had ever seen. “I believe you know this one.”
“Yeah,” Cole said, amazed that his voice came out steady when inside he was a fucking mess. “I do.”
Fucking hell, Nick. What have you done?
* * *
Cole watched helplesslyas Nick was half-walked, half-dragged out to the waiting SUVs.
“Change back,” Paul snarled. “Or it’ll be a rather cramped ride for you in the fucking boot. And don’t even think about trying to escape.”
Rich held his gun against Nick’s temple while three others were also pointed at him.
Cole swallowed, mouth uncomfortably dry as he stood back with Smith.
Paul unlocked the collar, sliding it off, and Cole winced at the red welts it left behind. “Shift.”
The air shimmered for a moment, then Nick stood before them, naked and bleeding. Rich slapped iron-silver handcuffs on him, fastening his hands behind his back.
Nick didn’t so much as glance Cole’s way before they manhandled him into the end SUV. The door slammed shut, and Cole felt hollow. What the hell was going on?
“What’s he charged with?” Smith asked, and thank fuck because Cole was desperate to know but didn’t want Paul’s attention on him again.
Paul raised an eyebrow, and for a second Cole thought he wouldn’t answer, but he did. “Suspicion of treason against his pack, his alpha, and the Shifter Alliance Party. We believe Nick Cox has been working with the CEG for a number of years, and now he’s trying to recruit shifters to his fucking cause.” Paul sneered. “Which we absolutely cannot allow to continue. We have units headed to his flat and his parents’ house.”
Fuck.
Sweat trickled down Cole’s spine.
This couldn’t be happening. It must be a mistake.
He’d known Nick for years.
Years!
And not once had he ever thought that Nick was involved with something like this. He’d been looking forward to joining the Cox pack, for fuck’s sake.
“Are you sure?” Cole asked, unable to help himself. He could see Smith’s little head shake, but shock made him carry on. “I’ve known him for years, his parents too. I can’t... I can’t believe this.”
“You want to ride with them?” Paul offered.
As a prisoner or a member of the HRU?
The way Paul was watching him, he wasn’t sure which it’d be. But he did know this was another one of his fucking tests.
“No.” He managed to feign indifference. “If he’s guilty of all those charges, then I guess I really didn’t know him at all.” Turning his back on Nick’s SUV, Cole opened the door of the car they’d arrived in and got inside.
Smith got in a few seconds later. “I knew nothing about this.Fuck.” He ran a hand through his hair, panic written all over his face. The cars were soundproofed, but Cole fidgeted nervously with Paul only on the other side of the door. “Human members of the CEG are bad enough in the eyes of the HRU, but shifters? They’ll use everything at their disposal to get information out of him.”
“And then what?”
Smith shook his head, expression grim.
“What do we do?” Cole whispered, feeling truly out of his depth for the first time since he’d come back here.
