“That means one thing. They don’t want a wolf fight—a fight they can’t win. Did they say when?”
“No.”
“It’s almost dark now. They might wait until it’s truly dark to avoid being seen,” Liam said.
Zach leaned forward over the back of the seat. “Ten bucks say they’ll drop her off someplace else and have her walk into town.”
Liam and Alex were experts in strategy since both had studied military moves. “If the men who picked up the money have Tawny, we won’t let them reach their truck to deliver her anywhere.”
“Are you thinking shift and kill?” Zach asked. “At six against two, they won’t stand a chance.”
“Assuming they don’t have backup, I agree. Just in case, I’ll station myself nearby and shoot them where it will hinder their fighting performance but won’t kill them,” Liam said. “As soon as they drop to their knees, we grab Tawny.”
Alex twisted around in the seat to face Zach. “If there are more men, we’ll deal with them. Our main concern has to be Tawny. And that’s assuming they didn’t stash her someplace else, and these men were there solely to pick up the money.”
"Let’s hope that’s not the case," Zach said.
Liam turned to Trevor. “As soon as the shooting starts or a fight breaks out, how about you grab Tawny and take her to safety?”
“Can do.”
“Everyone ready?” Liam asked.
“Yes,” they answered in unison.
“I’ll let Seth know the plan.” Trevor texted his brother.
While the others more or less circled the property where the kidnappers—or possibly merely thieves—had taken the money, Liam hid across the road that was bordered by trees. While he might have a better line of sight if he remained on the ground, the shooting angle would be better from above. He wouldn’t have any vehicles or people in the way.
Everyone understood that they needed to maintain silence from here on out. That shouldn’t be a problem since he was the only one in his human form.
Zach’s concern about Tawny not being here bothered him. Then this could be a wasted effort—other than retrieving the cash. However, if someone else had her, and they let her out near town, she would find her way to the sheriff’s office where she’d be safe.
The Grangers didn’t need to have a confrontation in town where someone could be harmed. Hopefully, these men had Tawny. When they came out of the house that’s when they would snatch Tawny. If they didn’t leave at some point, Liam and the men would swarm them. The kidnappers wouldn’t know what hit them.
Liam had been staring at the front entrance so hard that he almost missed the movement off to the side. Two men were escorting a blindfolded Tawny. His heart raced and his hand shook. Not good. He was happy she was okay.
Making certain that his feet were securely wrapped around the tree, he took aim. His goal was to disable not kill. As soon as both men were down, Trevor would rush in and grab the woman Liam was in love with. This mission would have been much easier if he didn’t know the captive. But he did.
Having this occur at night didn’t help, but the scope provided the added illumination above and beyond their excellent sight. As soon as he picked off one of the wolves, he assumed the other would grab Tawny. If that happened, he might not get another shot. In that case, the men would have to charge. Alex would see to it.
The kidnappers were halfway to their truck when one of the men turned slightly to the side, giving Liam the shot he needed. He pulled the trigger, and a second later the man dropped, the sound from the shot reverberating off the house.
As Liam had anticipated, the second man grabbed Tawny. Even blindfolded, she managed to kick the man, which distracted him for a second. While Liam probably could have taken another shot, he didn’t want to chance hitting Tawny since she was thrashing about.
The first ones in to save her were Alex and Trevor. Next came Benson, Zach, and then Preston—all in their wolf form. They circled the man who’d grabbed Tawny.
Alex shifted back into his human form, probably to have a nice—or not so nice—discussion with the man.
It was time to provide some backup. As Liam slid down the tree, the man grabbed Tawny by the neck and placed a gun to her head. Liam had to work to keep his wits about him, since he wanted to shift and charge—only he wouldn’t. He was trained in this kind of hostage situation.
Keeping out of sight, Liam headed south until the house wasn’t in view. Then he crossed the street and made his way behind the house. His plan was to sneak up behind the man and Tawny.
By now, the kidnapper Liam had shot might be gaining enough strength to fight. Liam needed to make sure he didn’t recover too quickly. Once at the back of the house, he crept closer. Liam’s people were chatting up a storm, hopefully preventing either man from hearing him.
Liam raised his rifle and aimed for the man who was holding Tawny. Not wanting to distract Alex, Liam didn’t telepath him. Once the man was in his site, Liam popped off two rounds, one in each leg. It was enough for the man to collapse enough to lower his gun.
The men shifted back to their human form and stormed the injured man. While the downed man might have been able to get off a shot, he was smart not to. If he had, Liam would have made sure the next shot went right through his heart.