Chapter 265

The night had fallen silent. All the residents of the apartment complex had been ushered into their units and instructed to stay there until further notice. That did not stop the occasional looky-loo from peeking out of their blinds as the Alpha King and his armed warriors parked their vehicles at the front of the complex.

After unloading their weapons from the vans, Andrew and the team leader of the Gamma Warriors guided the others across the pitch-black property to the very back of the complex, where Bob’s apartment building sat. They remained alert, prepared to shoot at the slightest movement in case Bob tried to get past them and make a run for it. Their footsteps hit heavily on the cement ground, echoing through still air and causing Andrew to cringe, as though their position could be given away by those footfalls only.

They came to a halt at Bob’s building. Andrew could smell him from all the way down there. He could not tell yet if there was anyone else in the apartment with him, but Bob was there.

Andrew curled his hand tightly around his gun. He was so close. He would soon have the man responsible for ruining so much of Crystal’s life—for trying to ruin his.

He would not let Bob get away this time. One way or another, Bob would face justice for what he had done. Even if Andrew had to break his promise to Lisa, it would all end that night.

With great determination, Andrew and the Gamma Warriors flew up the stairs at an inhuman speed, trying to remain as quiet as they could on the creaking steps. They approached the corner apartment being rented by Bob. Andrew did not let himself be disheartened by the fact that the lights were all off, convinced that Bob was only trying to make it seem as though no one was home.

Andrew motioned for half of the dozen Gamma Warriors to surround of the apartment and enter through the windows while the other half followed him through the front door. The team leader silently insisted that Andrew enter fourth so that there would be three Gamma Warriors between him and any danger. Andrew did not like it, but he reluctantly agreed.

Guns drawn, they waited at the door for Andrew to determine that it was time to enter.

Andrew breathed in deeply. He could smell Bob but determined that no one else was in there with him. Now was the moment to strike.

Looking at the Gamma Warriors’ weapons at the ready, Andrew once again remembered his promise to Lisa. He knew that if Bob became too aggressive, they might have no choice but to put him down. He wasn’t about to tell Lisa that, though.

Andrew counted down—3…2…1—then motioned for the Gamma Warriors to enter.

In two tries, the team leader kicked down the door and ran inside.

Before Andrew could make it through the door, a gunshot went off. Then another. The sound of shattering glass soon followed as the Gamma Warriors from the side of the apartment broke their way in.

Andrew charged forward, using his advanced night vision to assess the situation. Bob stood in the middle of the apartment’s living room, brandishing a handgun. Gamma Warriors surrounded him, but two were down, including the team leader.

Andrew dropped to the sides of the injured Gamma Warriors. He quickly found their bullet wounds, both in the legs and fortunately superficial. Unfortunately, the bullets were silver.

“Press the panic button,” Andrew told the team leader, motioning to the man’s smartwatch. “Call for backup.”

“It’s just a scratch, Your Highness—”

“It’s silver. You need a medic. Now.”

“We will survive until—”

“I said call for the medic now. Do not disobey me.”

The team leader obeyed without any further objections.

Andrew returned his attention to Bob and the circle of Gamma Warriors closing in on him.

“Don’t get any closer!” Bob said, wildly flailing his handgun. “I’ll shoot!”

“It’s over, Bob,” Andrew said as he cautiously approached the other man. He kept his gun lowered but was prepared to use it if necessary. “Come quietly, and no one else will have to get hurt.”

Bob’s deranged eyes met Andrew’s. A chill ran down Andrew’s spine, but he did not let any sign of weakness show. The look on Bob’s face was unlike any that Andrew had seen, even in the most crazed domestic terrorist.

Bob’s hair stuck out everywhere, most likely from him trying to pull it out. His normally immaculate three-piece suit was half-unbuttoned, and his tie was all but undone. He scarcely looked like the same man who had, only hours before, stood before the Beaumonts demanding aid.

“Does it look like I care?” Bob asked, sweeping his arms out wide. “I have nothing left, Alpha King. What more could you take from me but my freedom?”

Bob sneered at Andrew.

“You even took Lisa from me.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes at Bob. Neither man took his eyes off the other, holding their gaze in a silent battle of wills. Andrew knew exactly who would win, but he could not give Bob even an inch if he wanted this fight to be bloodless.

“Then you know that there’s nowhere for you to go, nothing that you can do to get out of this,” he countered. “So please, just put the gun down and come quietly. It’s the only way you’ll get out of this alive.”

Bob chuckled dryly.

“Who said that I want to get out of this alive?”

Bob turned the handgun on himself and pressed the barrel to his temple. Before Bob could pull the trigger, Andrew tossed his own gun aside, threw himself at the man, and knocked him backwards.

The Gamma Warriors closed the circle tight as Andrew and Bob wrestled for Bob’s gun. Andrew easily wrenched the gun from Bob’s grasp, holding it just out of Bob’s reach. Bob snarled and thrashed for it, but Andrew pinned him down by the throat with one hand.

Bob’s wolf began to take over. His claws and fangs descended, and he dug his claws into Andrew’s arm.

Andrew roared, but he did not relinquish his grip on either the gun or Bob. He resisted the urge to let his own wolf take over. Instead, he raised the gun, gripping the barrel tight, and smashed the handle hard onto Bob’s temple until the other werewolf fell unconscious.

Andrew tucked the gun into his belt. He looked down at Bob, his head tilted. Bob might not be completely unscathed, but at least he would only be making it out of this situation with a severe bump to his head.

Lisa will just have to live with that, he thought.

Andrew stood up and turned to the Gamma Warriors. Outside of the circle, he saw that the two injured Gamma Warriors were being tended to by the backup they had called in.

“Tie him up,” he ordered the nearest uninjured Gamma Warrior. “Take him to the police station.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the Gamma Warrior replied. “What will you be doing, sir?”

Andrew sighed as he looked to the door that the team leader had kicked in.

“Damage control.”