Page 59 of Broken By Her Mate

“Good enough for me. Let’s go.”

When they made their way back to the others, Elena announced. “Laila and I are going with you guys. Let’s move gang.”

“Hold on a minute,” Ryder said. He pointed at Elena. “We have no idea what we’ll be walking onto you. Tolliver will murder me, bury me, wait until I decay, dig me up, kick my corpse’s ass, and kill me again if I bring his mateandhis sister into danger.”

Elena rolled her eyes. “Babe, easy with the dramatics. Laila and I are not taking no for an answer. We can help.”

Ryder opened his mouth to argue, but Zach clamped a hand onto his shoulder. He saw the determination in both women and knew they’d be there arguing all night. Tolliver might not have that much time. “If you two are coming along, you must follow our orders, got it?”

“Got it,” Laila and Elena chorused.

As they hurried through the door, Laila felt a heavy weight on her chest. If Jonas Mercer had gotten his hands on Tolliver, there was no telling what the psychopath might do. She hoped like hell that Tolliver was alive.

Chapter 21 - Tolliver

Tolliver groaned as consciousness crept back in. His head pounded as if tiny men were in his skull, hammering at his brain, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He blinked, trying to focus, but his vision was blurry, and his arms felt like lead. It didn’t take long to realize why. His wrists were bound behind his back with heavy silver chains that cut into his skin.

“Wakey, wakey,” a voice drawled, low and mocking.

Tolliver’s vision cleared enough to make out a man standing a few feet away, leaning casually against a wall. The man was tall and wiry, with a mean smirk and a cold glint in his eyes. Jonas Mercer. Finally, he was face to face with the man. It was too bad he was incapacitated because his first instinct was to rip the man’s heart out with his bare hand. He’d been a nuisance to the shifter community for months.

“Jonas Mercer, we finally meet,” Tolliver said. It hurt to even speak. The wolfsbane was wearing off, but every cell of his body still ached. He was lucky he hadn’t gotten a fatal dose of the poison.

“I guess I’m pretty famous around these parts, huh?”

“More like infamous.”

Jonas took slow steps forward and kneeled so he was at eye level with Tolliver. “You’re chained up in an unknown location where no one will hear you scream, might I add. Most would be begging for their lives right about now, but you’re suspiciously calm.”

“What can I say,” Tolliver drawled. “I’ve been dying to meet you.”

Jonas’ eyes narrowed. “You thought you were being clever sneaking around, didn’t you? The thing is, I knew you’d come sniffing around sooner or later, Tolliver Sterling. When my men told me they caught you, I took time out of my busy schedule to greet you myself.”

Although he was shocked that Jonas knew who he was, he didn’t show it. A part of his training was to master never giving anything away in incidents like his. He didn’t respond. Instead, he assessed his surroundings more keenly since his mind wasn’t so foggy anymore. He realized he was still inside one of the cargo cars, but the train was at a standstill. That was good. If he could get free of his bounds, he’d have an easier escape.

“Aren’t you going to ask how I know who you are?”

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me,” Tolliver replied dryly.

A muscle ticked in Jonas’ jaw, and fury gleamed in his eyes. Tolliver watched him closely. His calm demeanor seemed to rub Jonas the wrong way. He bet the man was used to people reacting to him with fear—he probably got off on it.

Jonas rose to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I took an interest in you because you’ve been standing in the way of what’s mine. I always get what I want, Tolliver, and I don’t appreciate your constant meddling.”

“And what exactly is it that you want?”

“Laila, of course.”

Just the sound of her name rolling off Jonas’s lips made Tolliver see red. However, he kept his cool. Now was his time to get answers. Meeting the man’s gaze, he calmly replied, “Of course. You’ve been trying hard to get your hands on her. I’m curious about why.”

Jonas took something out of his pocket and started to fiddle with it. Tolliver looked closer and realized it was a necklace with a pendant in the shape of golden letters, but he couldn’t make out the initials. “It’s simple,” Jonas muttered as if he was miles away in thought. “She’s the one that got away.”

Confused, Tolliver blinked but kept a straight face. “You know her?”

Jonas snorted derisively. “I’ve never met her, but they’re all the same, so I guess you can say I do know her.”

Tolliver was more perplexed than ever. Jonas Mercer really was crazy. Tolliver was so curious that he took his mind off escaping. “Who are all the same?”

“The women,” Jonas snapped. He shoved his fingers through his hair, his movements brimming with agitation. “They all deserve what they get because they’re just like her. Laila… when I saw her, I was so intrigued. She didn’t just remind me of her, shelookedjust like her. It was uncanny. The other women aren’t important. They’re just a means to make extra cash… a shitload, actually. But I wanted Laila for myself. She’s special.” He turned to Tolliver with rage-filled eyes. “But you keep thwarting my attempts.”