“I think you do,” he argued. “I know about the park. He told me.”
She shivered involuntarily. She had to think. Calm. Stay calm and focus. She couldn’t run. There was no place to hide… Wait. The safe room. It was close. She could get Oscar inside—if she was careful. “He who?” she asked, stalling.
Thomas frowned. “Cyrus. He said hi, by the way. That he’s not the bad guy here, Finn is.”
Her stomach tightened. Finn was the bad guy? She remembered the anguish in his face when he’d confessed what he’d done to his brother. She couldn’t imagine seeing remorse in Cyrus’s pale gaze. Not that it mattered. She wasn’t handing Oscar over to anyone. She needed time. She needed room to maneuver. “Oh?”
Thomas shook his head. “He stole their ancestor’s bone, Jessa. Stole their mojo, you could say. And he won’t give it back. And his pack? They’re bad guys. More than a third of the missing persons in San Antonio? Finn’s pack. And they’re not missing, they’re dead. He’s a murderer. Your boss is a murderer. He killed his own family, for Christ’s sake.” He shook his head. “You’re not safe here.”
Thomas’s mounting agitation made it hard to breathe. She wouldn’t listen to him—she couldn’t. Finn wasn’t a murderer. He couldn’t be. “You want to keep me safe?” she asked.
He nodded. “I care about you.”
The sincerity in his voice tore at her heart. Whatever had happened to him, he was still Thomas. Surely she could reason with him—after Oscar was safe. She stared at him. “You do? Give me a few minutes to pack him a bag?” She turned and headed down the hall, hoping he wouldn’t follow—hoping he wouldn’t pick up on her out-of-control pulse.
By the time she’d reached the nursery, she was vibrating with nervous energy. She picked up a bag, cradling Oscar close in the sling.
“I don’t think he’s going to need much,” Thomas said behind her, making her jump.
She didn’t want to think about what that meant. All she could focus on was getting Oscar to safety. Then she and Thomas could talk this out, could make sense of what was happening, and how they’d both been caught up in a world that shouldn’t exist.
“I’ll pack light.” She smiled at him, heading for the closet. She pulled an item from the hanger, running her finger across the small emergency latch that released the panic room door. It slid silently open. She had to hurry. But before she could free Oscar, her head snapped back, her hair gripped tightly, a searing pain forcing tears from her eyes. Panic came crashing in.
“Jessa,” Thomas’s desperation washed over her. He tugged her hair. “I can’t let you keep him. Give him to me.”
The sling was too tangled. It took all her strength, all her focus, to ignore her fear and pain. There wasn’t time to be scared. She gripped the closet doorframe and pushed off, shielding Oscar as they fell into the safe room, and kicking the red button with all her strength. Thomas lunged forward, the flash of fury on his normally friendly face terrifying her. The door slammed shut, the resounding thud of him bouncing off metal echoing in the small, concrete room.
“It’s okay, Oscar,” she whispered to the baby, gulping down air. Finn. She pulled her phone from her pocket, but there was no service in the room. He’d know, surely he’d know. He’d sensed it before when they were in trouble. The small space felt cramped, claustrophobic and isolated. And safe. Now she needed to come to terms with what happened.
This was Thomas. Thomas was her friend…
But one look at the monitors mounted on the wall told her otherwise. Thomas writhed on the floor—a twisted scream choked out. His body was contorting, twisting in a hideous way—shredding his clothes and his skin. She didn’t want to watch, to see what was happening, but she couldn’t look away. She stared, horrified and transfixed by what she saw. What was left wasn’t human at all.
“Oh, Thomas,” she whispered. But he was gone. In his place was a large wolf. A very angry, very aggressive, wolf. And he was charging the door. The metal shook, the impact echoing in the room. Over and over the animal charged the door, hell-bent on getting in. She crawled across the room, huddling in the corner and cradling Oscar close. Terror was a new experience, all-consuming and paralyzing.
“It’s okay,” she said, patting his little back. “We’re safe.” If she kept saying it, maybe she’d believe it.
But Thomas—the wolf—wasn’t giving up. He paced back and forth before the door, scratching up the flooring, ripping the baseboards free and chewing through the drywall. The power of his attack left her shaking, pressed tightly into the corner. When he was done there, he destroyed the room. She watched, scanning the monitors for some sort of help.
But, if help came, they’d have to face Thomas. The wolf lifted his head up, and howled.
Oscar shuddered.
“Daddy’s coming,” she said. “All you have to do is wait. He’ll be here.” She knew it was true. Knew nothing would stop Finn.
Chapter Six
“Who’s here?” Finn asked the doorman, not bothering to slow. His son was in danger. Adrenaline coursed through him.
“Just the delivery boy,” the doorman answered.
He glanced back then. “Thomas?”
The doorman nodded, glancing from him to Brown. “No one else.”
But Brown picked up on Finn’s agitation, instantly alert. “What do you need?”
He yanked open the door to the stairwell. “In three minutes, cut the lig