Page 75 of The Enforcers: NOAH

Rafe pounded up to the door. “Don’t come in,” Terin said. “Shifter toxin. Airborne.”

“Fuck.” Rafe slid to a stop, and his eyes went gold.

“I took my antidote,” Terin said. “We need yours for Tristan.”

Rafe took it out of his pocket and tossed it to her. She broke the seal and gave it to Tristan.

“Leave the human in here,” Flynn said. “And your clothes. If we hose you down, is that enough?”

Rafe had his eyes fixed on Robbie, growling. Mina saw his fists clench and ripple, and turn to paws with long wicked claws on the end.

“Connors,” Flynn said.

“I’m okay,” Terin said softly. That didn’t seem to make him feel any better.

Jesse said to Flynn, “Water should do it. We’ve only ever seen an injectable version of this, but it’s not persistent once it’s been exposed to air.”

Mina hosed them all down, being the only one who was immune, looking over her shoulder the whole time. All she wanted was to get Brock safe in the house, but she understood they couldn’t risk carrying the toxin inside.

Just as she finished, a red fox came running into the clearing at full speed. She shifted in mid-stride and stumbled. “They’re coming. Right behind us.” Several other shifters burst out of the trees.

“Everyone into the main cabin, now!” Flynn bellowed. “Move!”

They piled inside, Mina holding Brock tight. There was a rattle of gunfire that seemed to come from all directions. One of the front windows broke, scattering glass everywhere.

Mina held onto Brock, crouched on the floor with her back to the dining-room wall. She heard Rafe ask Flynn, “Do you have any weapons in here?”

“It’s a hunting lodge,” he said. “There’s a gun cabinet by the back door. It’s not locked.” He paused, then added, “The good stuff is under the dining room table.”

Jasmin headed toward the gun cabinet. “I’ll secure the back,” she said.

Mina flinched as Rafe and Flynn flipped the heavy dining room table on its side, dishes crashing everywhere. Rafe lifted up a set of long, narrow trapdoors set into the hardwood floor and whistled. “Hey, Terin!” he said. “What does this remind you of?”

She crawled over and looked down into the opening.

“Look at that,” she said in her soft, sweet voice. “There’s no place like home.”

Mina inched forward and looked into the hole. Holy fracking hell. It looked like an arms dealer’s cache in a movie. She glared at Flynn. “You keep all that in your dining room?”

Flynn jerked his head towards the door. “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.” He gave her one of his crazy grins. “You can thank me later.”

Mina sat numb while sweet, pregnant Terin handed her a flak jacket and a freaking machine gun. “Just point and pull the trigger,” she said.

She also wrapped a flak jacket around Brock. “Better to be safe,” she said, patting her own belly under her flak jacket. “And we need to move you two into the bathroom. That’s the safest place for anyone who can’t fight.”

Just then, Rafe looked up. “Where’s Jesse?” he asked.

There was a weak “here” from behind the couch. Rafe scuttled over in a crouch. “Fuck,” he said. “It’s the toxin. Didn’t he take his antidote?”

Mina felt her hands grow cold. “He gave half of it to Brock,” she said. “Is he going to die?”

Terin put her hand on Mina’s arm. “He took the other half?”

She nodded.

Terin bit her lip. “He should be able to hold out for a while, then—maybe even beat it. But we don’t have any more, until Jace and the others can get through to us. And the combination of the toxin and the antidote will make him loopy. We better put him in the bathroom with Brock.”

Rafe and Jasmin carried Jesse into the master bathroom and put him into the cast-iron tub, protesting all the way. “Fucking stay in here, Jess,” Rafe said, gripping his friend’s shoulder hard. Mina could see in his face how close they were, and how worried Rafe was.