Bear Meets Girl
Page 115
His lips pulled back and she saw fangs. Not those stupid fangs shed seen in even stupider vampire movies. But animal fangs. Just like the guy shed picked up off the road. His had come out when she was driving him to that office and thats what she saw now. Even in this barely lit place, she could see them.
Panicked, she fought back, swinging her feet out, desperately trying to kick him away. Anything to get him to let her loose. She didnt care she couldnt breathe. She didnt care that he was really hurting her now. She just wanted to get away. Anything to get away.
Then there was a flash of silver.
Sophie blinked, blood slashing across her face and neck. The man holding her gurgled and dropped her. She hit the ground, but kept her eyes open. She crawled away, but watched that woman, the woman with the dog eyes, yank the biggest knife Sophie had seen out of the guys neck. She wiped blood off on her jeans and tucked the blade back into the holster tied to her thigh. Then she pulled out the gun she had holstered to the other thigh, quickly fitted a silencer to the end, and walked around the man, gun down. Sophie thought she was coming for her. To finish what the man had started. But as the woman walked, she pulled the trigger four times, each bullet going into the man. One in his head, his face, his neck, his inner thigh.
She stopped in front of Sophie, crouching down. You all right?
Sophie nodded, but she still didnt know if she could trust her. If she should. Her eyes ... as she moved, the moon reflected her eyes back to Sophie. Just like a dogs.
The knife flashed again and then Sophies hands were loose. Fingers gripped her and helped her to her feet.
Im sorry, the woman said. I promised to look out for you. Sorry I let you down.
Sophie hadnt wanted to admit it to herself. She wasnt much for fanciful flights of fantasy as her grandmother liked to call it. Reality had always made that impossible. But now she knew. That guy shed picked up, he was one. The guys who took her tonight. That bitch woman whod slapped her around until she got the answers she wanted. And this woman. They were all kind of the same. They werent human. Not completely. Not like Sophie. Because no human Sophie knew, who could cut a mans throat, then shoot him in major areas and arteries on the body, would turn around and apologize for letting her down. And shed meant that apology, too. Sophie could tell. Sophie knew liars and she knew truth tellers. This woman, or whatever she was, was all about the truth.
What ... whats your name?
Dee-Ann. Dee-Ann Smith.
What now, Dee-Ann?
We get you someplace safe. With her arm around Sophie, Dee-Ann led her back to the road. While my friends deal with Whitlan and Baissier.
Sophie stopped,forcing Dee-Ann to face her.
Whats wrong? she asked. Sophie could see the concern on the womans face, but it wasnt easy not to be completely freaked out by those eyes.
But Sophie choked back the fear. The woman had saved her life; she owed her this much. Your friends are in there?
Yeah.
Get them out, Dee-Ann. Get them out right now. Sophie licked her lips and admitted, Theres something I didnt tell the other woman.
So this is what a country club looks like from the inside.
Not surprisingly, most Malones were never invited to join country clubs. Although a few had worked in them and robbed several.
Following the scent of bears, Cella and her team worked their way down several flights of stairs, far under the club, until she hit the last floor. She and the two lions walked out a door and into a long and wide hallway with marble floors. There were animal trophies lined up on both sides of the hallway. It wasnt until she passed the first one that she stopped in her tracks, her body shaking. The two males looked at her, then at the trophies. They stepped closer, took a sniff, and immediately stepped back.
Every trophy in this hallway that had been stuffed and mounteda male shifter. A couple of wolves, several panthers, but a whole lot of bearsgrizzly and polarand lions. The ultimate predators. Cella didnt see any tigers, but she had the feeling the pelts of her kind were decorating peoples beds and floors.
Cella took several breaths. She had to keep it together. If she lost her control, got angry, and started killing everyone, this would not end well.
Cella gestured forward with two fingers and she walked on, trying hard not to look or think about those whod met what could only be called a cruel end.
Theyd neared the end of the hallway when one male stopped, his hand raised to halt them. He lifted his head, sniffed. When he looked back at Cella, she let out a groan and pushed past him. She ran until she hit the last room. Stopping right inside, she closed her eyes and lowered her weapon.
You need to pull them out.
Knowing his team had Baissiers men covered by their SUVs, Crush looked over his shoulder at Dee-Ann. She had the girl with her. The poor thing had clearly ended up on the wrong side of Baissier, but at least she was still alive. It seemed as if the sow had taken it easy on her. Surprising.
What is it?
But before Dee-Ann could answer his question, he heard Cellas voice over his earpiece.
He and Dee looked at each other and Crush said, Repeat that.
I said hes gone, Crush. Whitlans gone. And you better bring everybody down here. Including Baissiers men.
Panicked, she fought back, swinging her feet out, desperately trying to kick him away. Anything to get him to let her loose. She didnt care she couldnt breathe. She didnt care that he was really hurting her now. She just wanted to get away. Anything to get away.
Then there was a flash of silver.
Sophie blinked, blood slashing across her face and neck. The man holding her gurgled and dropped her. She hit the ground, but kept her eyes open. She crawled away, but watched that woman, the woman with the dog eyes, yank the biggest knife Sophie had seen out of the guys neck. She wiped blood off on her jeans and tucked the blade back into the holster tied to her thigh. Then she pulled out the gun she had holstered to the other thigh, quickly fitted a silencer to the end, and walked around the man, gun down. Sophie thought she was coming for her. To finish what the man had started. But as the woman walked, she pulled the trigger four times, each bullet going into the man. One in his head, his face, his neck, his inner thigh.
She stopped in front of Sophie, crouching down. You all right?
Sophie nodded, but she still didnt know if she could trust her. If she should. Her eyes ... as she moved, the moon reflected her eyes back to Sophie. Just like a dogs.
The knife flashed again and then Sophies hands were loose. Fingers gripped her and helped her to her feet.
Im sorry, the woman said. I promised to look out for you. Sorry I let you down.
Sophie hadnt wanted to admit it to herself. She wasnt much for fanciful flights of fantasy as her grandmother liked to call it. Reality had always made that impossible. But now she knew. That guy shed picked up, he was one. The guys who took her tonight. That bitch woman whod slapped her around until she got the answers she wanted. And this woman. They were all kind of the same. They werent human. Not completely. Not like Sophie. Because no human Sophie knew, who could cut a mans throat, then shoot him in major areas and arteries on the body, would turn around and apologize for letting her down. And shed meant that apology, too. Sophie could tell. Sophie knew liars and she knew truth tellers. This woman, or whatever she was, was all about the truth.
What ... whats your name?
Dee-Ann. Dee-Ann Smith.
What now, Dee-Ann?
We get you someplace safe. With her arm around Sophie, Dee-Ann led her back to the road. While my friends deal with Whitlan and Baissier.
Sophie stopped,forcing Dee-Ann to face her.
Whats wrong? she asked. Sophie could see the concern on the womans face, but it wasnt easy not to be completely freaked out by those eyes.
But Sophie choked back the fear. The woman had saved her life; she owed her this much. Your friends are in there?
Yeah.
Get them out, Dee-Ann. Get them out right now. Sophie licked her lips and admitted, Theres something I didnt tell the other woman.
So this is what a country club looks like from the inside.
Not surprisingly, most Malones were never invited to join country clubs. Although a few had worked in them and robbed several.
Following the scent of bears, Cella and her team worked their way down several flights of stairs, far under the club, until she hit the last floor. She and the two lions walked out a door and into a long and wide hallway with marble floors. There were animal trophies lined up on both sides of the hallway. It wasnt until she passed the first one that she stopped in her tracks, her body shaking. The two males looked at her, then at the trophies. They stepped closer, took a sniff, and immediately stepped back.
Every trophy in this hallway that had been stuffed and mounteda male shifter. A couple of wolves, several panthers, but a whole lot of bearsgrizzly and polarand lions. The ultimate predators. Cella didnt see any tigers, but she had the feeling the pelts of her kind were decorating peoples beds and floors.
Cella took several breaths. She had to keep it together. If she lost her control, got angry, and started killing everyone, this would not end well.
Cella gestured forward with two fingers and she walked on, trying hard not to look or think about those whod met what could only be called a cruel end.
Theyd neared the end of the hallway when one male stopped, his hand raised to halt them. He lifted his head, sniffed. When he looked back at Cella, she let out a groan and pushed past him. She ran until she hit the last room. Stopping right inside, she closed her eyes and lowered her weapon.
You need to pull them out.
Knowing his team had Baissiers men covered by their SUVs, Crush looked over his shoulder at Dee-Ann. She had the girl with her. The poor thing had clearly ended up on the wrong side of Baissier, but at least she was still alive. It seemed as if the sow had taken it easy on her. Surprising.
What is it?
But before Dee-Ann could answer his question, he heard Cellas voice over his earpiece.
He and Dee looked at each other and Crush said, Repeat that.
I said hes gone, Crush. Whitlans gone. And you better bring everybody down here. Including Baissiers men.
