Stolen and Forgiven (Branded Packs #1)(65)

The man scowled. “Turn around and walk away.”

Soren took several swaying steps forward. “Look, dude, I’ve been lost for hours. My phone is dead and I need to-”

“I said, turn around and walk away,” the guard interrupted, lifting his gun in unmistakable warning.

“What the f*ck.” Soren put his hands in the air even as he continued to stumble forward. “All I need is a phone so I can call for a ride.”

“Not here.”

“Why not?” Soren tilted back his head, pretending to notice the big-ass fence that blocked his path. “Is this some secret government facility?” Two more steps forward. “Shit. Do you have aliens in there or something?”

“Or something,” the man said dryly.

“Cool.” Another step. He hid a smile of satisfaction. He was within touching distance. “I wanna see.”

Belatedly sensing his danger, the man gave a wave of his gun. “Take one more step and I’ll shoot your ass.”

“Hey. I pay my taxes.” Without warning, Soren lifted his hands to shove them against the man’s chest, sending him toppling backward. “I deserve to make a lousy phone call.”

Regaining his balance, the man lunged forward, clearly intent on smashing Soren in the face.

“I warned you,” the guard snarled, taking a swing.

Soren easily dodged the blow, using the movement to head back toward the nearby trees. As he’d hoped, the infuriated guard followed, taking another swing that missed by a mile.

The guard had obviously never been in actual combat. Otherwise, he would never have allowed his anger to overcome his training.

Two more missed jabs and several feet off the pathway, Soren was finally certain that they were out of camera range.

Waiting for the idiot to throw another punch, Soren grabbed the man’s fist, and with one jerk, had him tossed over his shoulder. The man cried out in shock, the gun flying from his hand as he landed on his back with enough force to knock the air from his lungs.

Stepping forward, Soren kicked him in the head, hard enough to knock him unconscious. He preferred to kill his enemies, but if he could get in and rescue Cora without any deaths, it would give the SAU less ammunition to retaliate against the Packs.

With no time to waste, he efficiently traded coats with the guard, along with the uniform hat. Then, he reached into the man’s front pocket, a smile touching his lips.

Keys.

Jackpot.

Straightening, he strolled back out of the woods, leaving the gun behind. He could kill quicker and more efficiently with his bare hands. And more importantly, he could do it without making a sound.

Firing off an AK-47 would alert the entire neighborhood that he was breaking in.

With a nonchalant gesture, he lifted a thumb toward the camera on top of the fence, confident whoever was watching the feeds would assume the guard had dealt with the drunk and was returning to his post.

Heading down the pathway, he used the keys to unlock the gate.

Hold on, Cora, he silently pleaded. I’m coming.





Chapter 8


Soren swallowed a curse as he studied the steel door with the electronic lock that barred him from the lower floors.

He’d managed to use the guard’s keys to enter the brick building and search the upper floors. No surprise, there was nothing more exciting than a few offices on the first floor and what looked like a medical lab that took up the entire top floor.

It was obvious they hid their secrets in the basement.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have a way to force open the door. Not without a key card to trip the lock.

Shit.

Retracing his steps, he jogged down the hallway, heading toward the back of the building. He’d passed by a security office that was tucked beneath the stairs. There had to be a guard with a key card inside. Or better yet, a way to turn off the entire system.

The last thing he wanted was to get down to the basement and discover he needed yet another key.

Only a few feet from the door, Soren grimaced as he caught the scent of a human male jogging down the stairs. There was nowhere to hide. Not unless he wanted to waste more time by taking the nearby elevator to another floor.

Restraining his burst of impatience, he forced himself to continue forward, ignoring the security door as a uniformed guard arrived at the bottom of the stairs. One problem at a time. Dammit.

He strolled casually past the stairs, only halting when the guard called out.

“Stop.”

Turning, he studied the short male with a potbelly and nearly bald head. The man’s round face was flushed with a blatant sneer, twisting the flabby features.

“What?”

The male reached to grasp the handle of the gun holstered at his side.

Typical petty bully who’d been given a bit of authority. Always a dangerous thing.

“Where are you going?”

Soren shrugged, moving forward. “Just looking around to get my bearings. I’m new.”

The man scowled, but like the previous guard, he didn’t seem to notice that Soren was within striking distance.

Obviously, the SAU didn’t bother to actually train their staff.

Dumbasses.

“Grant didn’t say anything about a new hire,” the man said, his hand remaining on the grip of his pistol. “What’s your name?”