Chapter Eight: Across the Desert
1097 Words
Ethan’s POV
“Which route should we take?” Kai asks, handing me the tablet with the map pulled up.
“Rose was grabbed in Vegas off I-70, and we found her in Utah. Samuel’s men are probably on our tail right now.” I study the map. With only twenty soldiers in the convoy, I’d rather avoid a direct clash, whether with Samuel’s men or the feds.
I glance sideways. Rose is asleep again, her chin resting on Daniel’s chest, his jacket pressed against her wound. My jaw tightens. I want to rip her out of his arms and hold her myself. The only woman I’ve ever felt protective over is my sister, Emily. But Rose? The possessiveness she stirs in me burns like fire. I don’t want her near another man.
“The best move would be a chopper out of Colorado,” Daniel says.
“Too obvious,” Kai mutters. “Wyoming or Idaho would be safer.”
“Idaho’s too close to Nevada,” I cut in, decision made. “We stick to I-70 through the desert tonight. We’ll set up a base in Green River, like planned. The terrain gives us high ground for defense. One transport chopper for us four and Trent. One gunship for cover.”
“Got it, boss,” Trent replies from behind the wheel. “I’ll update the soldiers and notify air support. I’ll secure two birds.”
“Do it.”
My gaze drifts back to Rose. Sweat beads on her forehead. Infection. The scent hits my wolf nose before my human mind can name it—pure blood laced with fear, sharp as lightning. She smells like a wounded wolf, fragile yet untouchable. My chest tightens with an urge to shield her. Daniel’s hand on her thigh trembles, and my gut twists with the need to rip it away.
“Ethan,” Daniel says.
“Yeah?”
“She’s burning up. We need a pharmacy.”
“Could be infection,” Kai adds, touching her forehead.
“For us, it’s nothing. For her, it could be deadly.”
“We’re not stopping in the middle of the desert.” Outside the SUV windows, nothing but endless dark stretches across the western wastelands. “Once we hit Green River, we’ll get meds.”
“Valentine’s gonna lose his mind when he sees the scar,” Kai smirks. “Rapunzel left her tower only to get herself cut.”
“Don’t joke like that,” Daniel snaps. “If Niger hears you call his sister that, he’ll rip your balls off.”
“Everyone calls her that. Just not in front of the Valentines.”
“Focus on the mission,” I growl. Their chatter about Rose grates on me. “We still don’t know why she was taken.”
“It’s strange they even knew about her,” Daniel admits. “She’s been locked away her whole life. Even I didn’t know what she looked like.”
“And we’re always at the Valentine house,” Kai says. “Feels like they’ve been hiding something.”
“We’ll get answers in New York,” I say, handing the tablet back. “For now, rest. Stay sharp until we hit the complex.”
“Fine.” Kai’s game bleeps in the silence.
“Turn that s**t down,” I order.
“Yeah, yeah.” He lowers the volume.
“You’re gonna lose your fingers one day with all that playing,” Daniel mutters.
“Kai, take off your jacket and put it over Rose,” I command. “Daniel, watch her fever and tremors. Let me know if it gets worse.”
They obey, settling back into distraction. Kai with his game, Daniel scrolling through his phone. I lean my head back, exhaustion clawing at me after two days of hunting.
My mind replays what I know. Friday morning, Rose left for med school with Niger and the guards. The chopper grounded from maintenance, they used cars instead. That’s when the convoy was ambushed—waiting with heavy artillery, knowing the exact route. Niger’s car rolled. He caught three bullets, leg, gut, shoulder.
Rose was dragged from Vegas to Utah over two days. We got word an hour after she was taken, then spent the rest tracking. Kept in a trunk, she was nearly impossible to trace. Facial-recognition on one of the bastards who’d been spotted at a casino with Samuel weeks back gave us the trail. Her call to Valentine helped us lock down the perimeter. Brave move. I thought she’d be a scared kitten. Turns out she’s a lioness. I like that in her. My wolf approves, sensing the strength of a mate.
Still, I don’t know what Samuel and Bartolomeu talked about at that casino. Valentine reported it as an “attempted alliance.” Unthinkable. Boston’s mafia is chaos, sloppy, desperate. We’d never stain the Tanorra name with them. We aren’t just crime. We’re the pack, the shield against hunters and hybrid scum like Boston.
My phone buzzes. Andrew’s message: reinforcements sent to Valentine, another unit heading to meet us at Green River.
“Road clear?” Trent asks into his comm.
“Yes, sir. Aerial scans show the next five clicks clean. No pursuers,” a soldier replies.
“I want updates on every speck of dust out here,” I warn.
“Yes, Boss.”
The road hums steady beneath us. I close my eyes, letting sleep drag me under.
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Author’s Note
This chapter marks a turning point for Ethan and Rose. Until now, Rose has been seen as a fragile piece hidden away by her family, while Ethan has operated as a cold, calculating soldier with his own ambitions. But in the silence of the desert, with danger stalking their every move, we begin to see something shift. Ethan’s possessiveness isn’t just about power anymore—it’s primal, instinctive, and tied to something much deeper than strategy.
For Rose, this journey across the desert isn’t just physical survival. It’s the beginning of her awakening—her instincts, her strength, and the dangerous truth hidden in her bloodline are all simmering just beneath the surface.
I wanted this chapter to feel like a pause before the storm: the endless stretch of desert roads, the tension in the car, the way unspoken feelings hang heavy in the air. It’s quiet, but it’s the kind of quiet that vibrates with danger and desire, as if everything could erupt at any second.
From here on, nothing between Ethan and Rose will be the same.
- Writer
