BK 4 - Chapter 36 - Trust Issues
**Albuquerque New Mexico**
*"Make them do it again. Breanne's trying to come back to us hurry."* Nelo yelled in Dustin's head desperately. Dustin jumped up.
"Shock her again." He said, looking at the EMTs.
"We're sorry it's too late." One of them said sadly. Dustin refused to believe him.
"Do it again now. Please, one more time." If they didn't do it, Dustin was going to grab the machine and do it himself. He could tell they thought it was a waste of time, but they reluctantly turned the machine back on. Dustin held his breath as they shocked her.
Everyone waited, and just as they were going to tell him she was gone, there was a little beep. Dustin started crying with happiness as the beeping continued.
"I knew you were still here. I would have known if you had died." He cried, kissing her forehead. When he looked up, he saw Atzi standing at the edge of the treeline, waving at him. While the EMTs were checking out Breanne, he snuck over and saw that she was holding the book that had been in the backseat of the car. The book looked unscathed, even though that was where most of the damage to the vehicle had been.
"I'm sorry about your mate, young man, but don't trust those that are with her. Don't leave her side. As soon as she opens her eyes, you bring her to me. I'll heal her." Dustin turned to look at Breanne. When he started to respond to Atzi, she was gone. There was no sign of her anywhere like she had never been there. Where did she go? He walked back over to Breanne, thinking about what Atzi had said.
*"Listen to her, Dustin. Breanne has already been marked, so her blood is turning to werepanther. We can't risk her being exposed by the humans when she's so vulnerable."* Nelo said. Dustin silently agreed. Now he just needed to wait until she opened her eyes. Once they loaded Breanne into the ambulance, Dustin hopped in and sat beside her. He pulled out his phone and arranged for a rental car to be dropped off at the hospital so they would have a way to leave when Breanne woke up.
As they rode to the hospital, Dustin thought about what had happened. They had just pulled out onto the road. It was a clear day, so he was sure the truck driver was able to see them. Something else concerned him. An ambulance and firetruck showed up, but where were the police? He was going to ask the EMTs, but something told him he shouldn't let them know he was suspicious. He received a text that his rental car was in the ED parking lot and that he could use his phone to unlock the door.
"We're almost there," One of the EMTs said reassuringly. Dustin smiled and nodded. He didn't want to say anything, as he didn't know who he could trust.
When they pulled up to the ED, the EMTs told him to wait while they ran inside to get help. Dustin thought that was strange. They should get Breanne out and push her inside, not look for hospital staff. He looked down at her and noticed her eyes fluttering and open for just a second before closing again. Dustin decided that was enough for him.
He didn't want to hurt Brenne, but he had to get her out of there. He unhooked her IV and put a bandage on her arm. Then he took off the oxygen they had her hooked up to. Once he had removed everything, he gently lifted her into his arms and looked out. No one was in sight, which was odd. It was the middle of the day. He quickly carried her to the rental car and used his phone to unlock the door. After tenderly lying her on the backseat, he got in the front. As they were pulling away, he saw several people running through the ED door. Something told him that if he hadn't taken her away when he did, then Breanne would have ended up dead.
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**Roseville California**
"Which one of you would like to start talking?" Trey asked Tori and Ryan.
"I already told you we were paid to stop Roger, Lisa, and Alex. We don't know who hired us, but he's supposed to pay us a lot of money. What else do you want to know?" Ryan said angrily while trying to get loose from the chair.
"You told them everything? Are you stupid? Was this all so you could try and get into that little sluts pants?" Tori screamed at Ryan. She was so focused on him that she didn't see Janel walk over until her hand connected with her face hard enough to make a few teeth come out.
"You will never speak about my daughter like that again. Do I make myself clear?" Janel grabbed Tori by the hair, shaking with anger. She wasn't happy with Jade confronting these two idiots alone, but she understood why she did it.
"Yes," Tori replied with a muffled voice as her lip began swelling.
"I believe you know more than you're telling us. Why is someone so intent on us not having laws to protect us?" Cat asked, stepping in front of Trey. He kept his hand on her shoulder. Not because he was worried about Ryan or Tori hurting her, he was afraid she would hurt them before they could get the couple to tell them everything they knew. Cat was the angriest of them all. It hurt her deeply when someone she trusted betrayed her. If they weren't careful, Saira would take over.
"You are freaks of nature that shouldn't even exist. Why should you be protected from being hunted like the monsters you are? They should exterminate every one of you." Ryan spat at them with hatred. Cat walked over to him with Trey still holding her, and she looked him in the eye.
"Do you remember what condition you were in when we found you at the hospital? Your dad almost killed you, and then he raped Tori. Are you telling me that humans are better than us? I think you're wrong. They are far fewer shifters, vampires, and witches hurting their children. We deserve to be here just as much as you or anyone else. Where would you have ended up if we hadn't been there?" Cat touched his shoulder and used her ability to make Ryan feel at ease. As much as she wanted to extend her claws and shred him, she resisted for now.
"We would have been fine without you. Who said his dad raped me? He made me a proposition that I couldn't refuse. He said he would take care of me if I kicked Ryan to the curb. That idiot walked in when we were kissing and attacked his dad. After they were done fighting, we had sex and planned on leaving when the police showed up. His dad was already going to jail, so of course, I said I was raped." Tori rolled her eyes when Ryan looked at her in disbelief.
"You were sleeping with my dad? How could you do that to me? I loved you." Ryan looked at Tori through new eyes. When he thought back to when she moved in, he remembered she spent a lot of time with his dad. He had assumed she was sad about her parents leaving and needed a parental figure.
"Oh, please. We never loved each other we only stuck together because we didn't know what else to do. So when are you losers going to let me go?" Tori's face was a mess, and she was ready to leave. She didn't believe they would hurt her anymore. Besides, she had nothing else to say.
"Maybe we do know more than we said," Ryan said. Tori turned to him with a glare. He was feeling pretty good with Cat's hand still on his shoulder.
"You better keep your mouth shut," Tori said through clenched teeth as best she could, with blood still running down her face.
"Ignore her. What do you need to say?" Cat said, pulling Ryan's attention back to her.
"She has received all the messages on her phone. I think Tori knows who it is." Everyone looked to Tori, who was shaking her head.
"I'm not telling you shit, and you aren't getting my phone," Tori said with a smirk.
"You don't have a choice. I already have your phone." Jade said, walking towards Tori, holding a phone proudly.
"You won't get it unlocked," Tori argued. Jade walked over and held the phone up to Tori's face.
"Looks like I did." Jade held the unlocked phone out to Trey. She figured he would know what to look for.
Trey searched the phone and found the messages regarding Roger, Lisa, and Alex. There was no name attached to the contact, but there was a number. He did a quick search on the number, and he looked at the others.
"Call everyone to the house now. This is bigger than we thought." He said anxiously.
"What about Alex, Kiersten, Dustin, and Breanne? They're out at the reservations." Cat said with concern.
"I need them all to come back now. They're all in danger, and it might be too late if they don't get back immediately ."
