"Are you sure this is where he went?" Jake asked. Vladimir nodded and Jake looked at the small brick home. They were in Georgia on a deserted street. Jake could tell the place they were used to be a fairly rich suburb but now all the homes were empty and falling down.

All except one.

"I'm going in." Jake said standing up. Vladimir stood as well.

"Perhaps you should wait until the sun is not so bright. Then I could assist you." Jake shook his head.

"I work alone." he said. "Thank you for leading me here but I'll do the rest on my own." Vladimir simply nodded and faded back into the shadows of the tree line.

Jake crept toward the house. He could smell Draco and no one else. He smiled to himself. That son of a bitch was here alone and Jake was going to end this now. He kept low to the ground. The sun was low in the sky and he stayed in the shadows.

Suddenly he stopped. Something didn't feel right. Hundreds of years of training and hunting told him something was wrong. He growled and turned just in time to feel the silver arrow slam into his chest. He reached down and yanked it out but within seconds three more silver arrows slammed into him.

Jake felt the weakness overtaking him. He looked and saw Vladimir standing at the tree line the crossbow still in his hands pointed at Jake. The last thing Jake heard was Draco's laughter in his ears before he collapsed unconscious.

888

"Wake up, wolf pup." Vladimir's voice broke through the fog in Jakes mind. He didn't open his eyes as he used his other senses to take in his surroundings. He could smell Vladimir and Draco but no one else. He was underground judging by the lack of outdoor noise. The floor was cold and metallic and judging by the lethargy and weakness still in his body he figured he was in a silver cage.

"Open your eyes, Jake. I know you're awake." Jake opened his eyes and looked through the bars of his cage at the man who he had thought was dead.

"What the hell do you want, Draco?" Jake asked as he forced his weak body to stand. He didn't even spare Vladimir a glance.

"I'm almost disappointed, Jake. I expected it to be much harder to capture you. Vladimir told me he could earn your trust and get you to me but I doubted him. The Jake I remember trusted no one. Being mated has made you weak and stupid."

"Why don't you come in this cage and call me weak and stupid, Draco.." Draco laughed. The sound was cold.

"I'm not a fool, Jake. I know that you could very easily kill me. I am physically weak when compared to you but I know someone who I am stronger than." Jake noticed that Draco himself was staying far from the silver bars of the cage.

"And who is that?"

"I believe you know her. I met her once in a cute little pizza store. I hear that her condition is even more delicate now. I would hate for anything to happen to that innocent little baby inside her."

Jake growled so loudly that Vladimir and Draco both jumped backward. He slammed himself against the bars with such force that they bent slightly.

"How does it feel Jake? How does it feel knowing that your mate and your child are going to die?" Draco demanded. Jake reached an arm through the bars his fingers itched to close around Draco's neck.

"I do believe he is growing angry." Vladimir said his violet eyes glowing with amusement.

"What do you have to do with this?" Jake demanded looking at the vampire.

"Draco and his mate were old friends of mine." Vladimir replied. Then he reached out a slender, long nailed hand and grabbed Jake's wrist. Jake tried to pull his arm away but in his weakened state he found he could not. Draco laid his hand on top of Jakes and closed his eyes.

"Let's see where that mate of yours is hiding." he said. Jake could feel a tug in his mind and knew that Draco was searching it for signs of Angela. After several moments Draco let out a feline snarl and pulled away. Vladimir released Jake's wrist and Jake pulled his arm back through the bars.

"You are smarter than I gave you credit for. You have no idea where she is do you?" Jake smiled.

"No I sure don't." he replied. "And neither do you." Draco was taken aback for a moment by the smile on Jakes' face. It was not a good natured smile.. It was a heart stopping, blood freezing smile that most immortals and mortals alike would run from.....

"I will." Draco replied slowly. "It will just take me a little longer than I had planned. Do you really think that idiot brother of yours can keep her safe from me. You will pay for taking my mate and child from me, Jake. I can promise you that." Jake's smile became more malicious.

"There's a difference between the two of us Draco." he said. Draco raised a brow.

"Enlighten me." he said.

"I am a hunter. A rogue killer. You are a coward. A deserter. You and your mate thought you could do whatever you wanted and not have to face the consequences. When my father and I came calling and your back was to the wall you ran. You left your mate and your child to their fate" Draco's face contorted with rage.

"I was going to kill her quickly but for that I will make it slow." He turned and left the room walking up a set of narrow stairs and out of sight. Vladimir sneered at Jake.

"Draco will find her. You know that as long as she carries that baby inside her she is barely more than mortal. He will kill her easily and you will be left alive.. Living the rest of your life without her. You will know the pain that Draco has been living with after losing his love."

"Keep talking, you blood sucking leech. Try to convince yourself that the two of your aren't going to die at the end of this. I am going to drive a stake through your heart myself." Vladimir laughed and walked up the stairs closing the door behind him. Jake sank to the ground and prayed that he could count on his little brother.

888

"Lane, it's been almost two weeks." Angela said as she paced the tiny shack. "Why haven't we heard from him yet?" Lane could hear the panic in her voice.

"It must just be taking him a while to strategize...."

"Cut the bullshit, Lane." Angela snapped. "You know as well as I do that Jake doesn't strategize. He is an act first and think later guy. What if something happened to him?"

"Jake has been doing this for a long time, Angela.. He knows how to handle himself."

"Not right now he doesn't. He wasn't thinking straight when he left and you know it. He is scared and worried about me and the baby.. What if that made him make a mistake?"

Lane thought back to the night Jake had left and the vamp that had come to their home. He hadn't liked the look of that leech but Jake had seemed to trust him. Jake didn't trust easily. Surely he hadn't made a mistake that big.

"Would it make you feel better if I found a way to contact him?" Lane asked. Angela sat down on the bed with her head in her hands.

"We can't. You heard what Jake said. If anyone contacts him then Draco will know and Draco could know that I'm with you. He would find us." Lane smiled and sat down next to her wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"Have faith little sister. I'll contact our cousin Lucas down in Jamaica and have him contact Jake. Draco wont' be suspicious."

"Are you talking about the same cousin who held you prisoner and threatened to kill you if Jake didn't pay him?" Angela asked looking at him as if he were crazy. Lane grinned sheepishly.

"Jake told ya about that huh?" Angela nodded. "That was different though. That was about money. I don't think Lucas would have really killed me." Lane was actually positive that Lucas would have killed him but he didn't want to tell Angela that. "This is about family and we wolves stick together when one of our own is threatened."

"Contact him then. Have him check on Jake. I need to know that he is ok."

(Lucas.) Lane said making sure that Angela would be included in the conversation. He waited for Lucas to reply but no reply came.

(Hey cousin! Answer me I need your help.)

(What kind of help would that be Lane? I am not loaning you any more money Jake nearly killed me last time.)

(I wouldn't lose it this time. I've figured that game out. I could win big this time...) Lane stopped when he saw the way Angela was looking at him. (Right. Anyway this isn't about money.)

(What then? And who is listening in on us? Do you have a mate now?)

(No no no no no.) Lane exclaimed.(No mate for me I'm a free spirit kind of guy. I like all women. Can't be tied down to just one.) Angela threw him another look and he stopped. (Her name is Angela.) Lane said. (She is actually Jake's mate.)

(My condolences. Being mated to that hot headed jackass must be hell.) Lucas said dryly.

(Jake might be in trouble, Lucas. I can't contact him because then the man he is after will know where to find Angela.. I need you to contact him. He's going to be pissed but he's been gone longer then we thought he would be and Angela is going crazy with worry....)

(Give me a minute. I'll break this link with you and try to contact him.) Lucas replied. He took a long draw of his cigar and thought about his cousin Jake.

(Jake,) he waited but got no reply. Was Jake ignoring him?

(Jake, talk to me. Your mate is worried about you. Just let me know your ok and then I can tell her.) He waited a full minute but got no reply. He used their blood relation to search for his cousin but could only tell that he was in a town in Georgia. He couldn't tell for sure if he was alive or dead but it felt like the latter.

(Lane.) Lucas called to his other cousin. He purposely left Angela out of the link.

(You don't' sound happy cousin. Did Jake rip you a new asshole for bothering him?)

(Lane, he won't answer me. I even told him his mate was worried and he wouldn't respond. I felt for him but all I can tell is that he's in a town in Georgia. It almost feels like he's dead.) Lane shut the link down and looked over at Angela. She was looking at him with hope.

"Is he ok?" Lane couldn't seem to form words. He didn't want to tell her that Jake was dead.

"He uh... Lucas couldn't contact him. He wouldn't answer." Lane said. Angela saw the sadness in Lane's blue eyes. She felt panic and fear grip her and she grabbed his arm.

"Wouldn't or couldn't?" she demanded.

"Couldn't." Lane answered swallowing hard. "Lucas said he might be dead." Angela blanched at the thought. Lane expected her to break down in tears. He expected her to scream and sob. What he didn't expect was for her to stand and look down at him with the same hard look in her eyes that Jake got before a fight.

"My mate is not dead. I would know if he were. He must be captured. Trapped. When you were in that silver cage no one could contact you either." She said matter-of-factly. "We have to go save him."

"No. I promised him I would keep you safe." Lane said standing up as well. Angela glared at him with her hands on her hips.

"Lane, you know that I love you but if you don't help me I will kill you myself."

"You sound just like Jake." Lane said but Angela could see the smile tugging at his lips.

"Please help me save him. Lane. Don't you owe that to him?" Lane thought back to all the times that Jake had bailed him out of trouble.. All the times he had saved his life. He looked down at Angela and sighed. Over the last two weeks a bond stronger than any Lane had ever had, had formed between he and Angela.

Lane loved his sisters and his mother but this was different. He loved Angela in a different stronger way. It was nothing romantic. He didn't fantasize about having his brothers mate that way. It was like they were kindred spirits. Twins separated at birth.. He would do anything for her. Even if it meant his brother would kill him for it later.

"Ok. Let me talk to Lucas and figure out exactly where he is and we'll go get him." Lane said. "But when this is over you are responsible for making sure Jake doesn't kill me."