Cat Of A Different Color
Page 20
Before she could answer Rudy disconnected.
“Don’t even think about it.”
She looked up at the large Pack Alpha. Menace rolled off him in waves. “I have no choice.”
“Then don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re leaving this house without me.”
The sound of a gunshot cut off anything else she might have said. A cry of agony was swiftly followed by another gunshot.
“Shit! Wait,” Richard said. “This must be what he was talking about. Move to the front door, I’m right behind you.”
She saw him pull something out from behind his back and figured it must be a gun. At least she hoped it was a gun.
She moved around the couch to grab Jerry’s harness but Richard’s hand stopped her. “Leave him. He’ll be safer.” She nodded her agreement and moved to the front door, opening it slowly.
A third shot rang out before it was open all the way, startling her. She heard Richard groan just before the large man fell, knocking her to the ground.
“Get up, Sheridan, let’s go.”
Rudy grabbed her arm and dragged her to a car. “Be grateful I don’t have much time,” he said as he shoved her in the car, “or I’d have made sure the big fucker was dead.” He got in behind her, crowding in close to her. “Drive,” he snarled to the man in the driver’s seat.
“Get off me,” Sheri said, trying to push him away from her. Another shot rang out, and this time Rudy cursed.
“Not on your life. You’re mine again, and there is no way in hell I’m letting you go.”
When he began ripping at her clothes she began fighting. A vicious slap stunned her long enough for him to rip away her sweater. She thought briefly about shifting but she was still mostly clothed. Getting tangled in her jeans would merely make her more vulnerable.
So she fought him with teeth and claws as he bit and snarled over her, praying that Adrian would arrive before Rudy got to finish what he’d started.
Max pulled up outside of Adrian’s house and snarled. “Problems.”
“No shit, Sherlock, what was your first clue?” Simon snarled back, climbing out of the Durango. “What the hell happened here?”
Gabe stepped out onto the porch, gun in hand. “Two shots out back, one out front. Richard’s down but not out. One dead, one wounded, both ours.”
“Sheri?” Adrian growled.
Gabe shook his head. “Not quite sure what happened but as soon as the shots rang out she took off for the front door. One of Rick’s men saw her go but wasn’t close enough to get to her. Rick tried to stop her but got taken out. We’ve got a license plate, and a Wolf followed the car for as long as he could before he had to double back.”
“Where the hell were you?”
“Trying to get to the sniper.”
“And?”
“He got away when I heard the shots out front. I shot at the car just as they took off, but missed the damn tire.”
“FUCK!” Adrian shouted. Both hands clenched in his hair. “What the hell was she thinking?”
A pained growl erupted from the Pack Alpha where he sat on the porch floor. “Rudy told her he had you. She couldn’t reach you, so she believed it. Is your cell phone on?” A dish towel was pressed against his shoulder and soaked through with blood.
“She is in so much trouble when I find her,” Adrian growled as he checked his cell. “Yes, it is.”
“Yours too?” Richard pointed with his chin to Max and Simon.
“Yup.”
“After what happened at Wallflowers? Damn straight it’s on.”
“Check in the car, see if there’s an RF jammer somewhere,” Gabe said to one of the Wolves. The man nodded and went to look.
“What the hell is an RF jammer?” Simon asked.
“Radio frequency jammer. Really illegal just about anywhere, but something a mechanical engineer would know how to build,” Gabe answered.
The Wolf came back quickly with a small yellow device the size of a deck of cards. “This is why no one could reach you.”
“Okay, Adrian, think! Where is she?” Max demanded.
“How the fuck should I know?”
Max glared at him as Simon went to the Durango and helped Belinda out. “You’re the Marshal. She’s pride. Where is she? ”
He concentrated on his mate, his eyes turning gold as he felt where Rudy’s hands were on her body.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“Good. Where are they?”
“In a car, still moving. He’s…” Adrian snarled, holding back the primal scream of his Puma with difficulty. “I think he’s trying to rape her, and she’s fighting him.” She’d lost her sunglasses somewhere along the way and the pain of the sunlight in the car was excruciating. He felt like both of his eyes were being stabbed with knives.
“Can you smell anything?”
Adrian found himself belted into the front seat of the Durango. A large red Wolf leaped into the back seat, a shoulder wound bleeding sluggishly all over Max’s leather upholstery. Another Wolf, this one smaller and a lighter red ( Ben, the Marshal his Puma whispered) joined the larger, wounded one. He sniffed, but the smell of blood and Wolf nearly overwhelmed him.
“You have to use her senses, not yours. What does she smell?”
“Why don’t you try this?” Adrian growled.
“I would if I could but I can’t. I’m not the Marshal.”
He took a deep breath and tried once again to reach his mate. She could smell Parker, the driver, and her own blood as Parker’s claws ripped into her soft flesh…
And the smell of the Susquehanna River.
“Shit. She’s about fifteen minutes away, somewhere near the Susquehanna.”
Max took off in a squeal of tires. “Think he’s heading for Harrisburg?”
“Not sure. If he picks up I76 he could move into Ohio or further east towards Philly.”
“Then we have to catch him before he hits the highway.”
His cell phone rang. “Gabe.”
“I’m on my way, following an alternate route. Consider yourselves escorted by the police.”
“Thanks, dude.”
“No problem. I can fucking feel what he’s doing to her. The son of a bitch.”
“Don’t even think about it.”
She looked up at the large Pack Alpha. Menace rolled off him in waves. “I have no choice.”
“Then don’t make the mistake of thinking you’re leaving this house without me.”
The sound of a gunshot cut off anything else she might have said. A cry of agony was swiftly followed by another gunshot.
“Shit! Wait,” Richard said. “This must be what he was talking about. Move to the front door, I’m right behind you.”
She saw him pull something out from behind his back and figured it must be a gun. At least she hoped it was a gun.
She moved around the couch to grab Jerry’s harness but Richard’s hand stopped her. “Leave him. He’ll be safer.” She nodded her agreement and moved to the front door, opening it slowly.
A third shot rang out before it was open all the way, startling her. She heard Richard groan just before the large man fell, knocking her to the ground.
“Get up, Sheridan, let’s go.”
Rudy grabbed her arm and dragged her to a car. “Be grateful I don’t have much time,” he said as he shoved her in the car, “or I’d have made sure the big fucker was dead.” He got in behind her, crowding in close to her. “Drive,” he snarled to the man in the driver’s seat.
“Get off me,” Sheri said, trying to push him away from her. Another shot rang out, and this time Rudy cursed.
“Not on your life. You’re mine again, and there is no way in hell I’m letting you go.”
When he began ripping at her clothes she began fighting. A vicious slap stunned her long enough for him to rip away her sweater. She thought briefly about shifting but she was still mostly clothed. Getting tangled in her jeans would merely make her more vulnerable.
So she fought him with teeth and claws as he bit and snarled over her, praying that Adrian would arrive before Rudy got to finish what he’d started.
Max pulled up outside of Adrian’s house and snarled. “Problems.”
“No shit, Sherlock, what was your first clue?” Simon snarled back, climbing out of the Durango. “What the hell happened here?”
Gabe stepped out onto the porch, gun in hand. “Two shots out back, one out front. Richard’s down but not out. One dead, one wounded, both ours.”
“Sheri?” Adrian growled.
Gabe shook his head. “Not quite sure what happened but as soon as the shots rang out she took off for the front door. One of Rick’s men saw her go but wasn’t close enough to get to her. Rick tried to stop her but got taken out. We’ve got a license plate, and a Wolf followed the car for as long as he could before he had to double back.”
“Where the hell were you?”
“Trying to get to the sniper.”
“And?”
“He got away when I heard the shots out front. I shot at the car just as they took off, but missed the damn tire.”
“FUCK!” Adrian shouted. Both hands clenched in his hair. “What the hell was she thinking?”
A pained growl erupted from the Pack Alpha where he sat on the porch floor. “Rudy told her he had you. She couldn’t reach you, so she believed it. Is your cell phone on?” A dish towel was pressed against his shoulder and soaked through with blood.
“She is in so much trouble when I find her,” Adrian growled as he checked his cell. “Yes, it is.”
“Yours too?” Richard pointed with his chin to Max and Simon.
“Yup.”
“After what happened at Wallflowers? Damn straight it’s on.”
“Check in the car, see if there’s an RF jammer somewhere,” Gabe said to one of the Wolves. The man nodded and went to look.
“What the hell is an RF jammer?” Simon asked.
“Radio frequency jammer. Really illegal just about anywhere, but something a mechanical engineer would know how to build,” Gabe answered.
The Wolf came back quickly with a small yellow device the size of a deck of cards. “This is why no one could reach you.”
“Okay, Adrian, think! Where is she?” Max demanded.
“How the fuck should I know?”
Max glared at him as Simon went to the Durango and helped Belinda out. “You’re the Marshal. She’s pride. Where is she? ”
He concentrated on his mate, his eyes turning gold as he felt where Rudy’s hands were on her body.
“I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“Good. Where are they?”
“In a car, still moving. He’s…” Adrian snarled, holding back the primal scream of his Puma with difficulty. “I think he’s trying to rape her, and she’s fighting him.” She’d lost her sunglasses somewhere along the way and the pain of the sunlight in the car was excruciating. He felt like both of his eyes were being stabbed with knives.
“Can you smell anything?”
Adrian found himself belted into the front seat of the Durango. A large red Wolf leaped into the back seat, a shoulder wound bleeding sluggishly all over Max’s leather upholstery. Another Wolf, this one smaller and a lighter red ( Ben, the Marshal his Puma whispered) joined the larger, wounded one. He sniffed, but the smell of blood and Wolf nearly overwhelmed him.
“You have to use her senses, not yours. What does she smell?”
“Why don’t you try this?” Adrian growled.
“I would if I could but I can’t. I’m not the Marshal.”
He took a deep breath and tried once again to reach his mate. She could smell Parker, the driver, and her own blood as Parker’s claws ripped into her soft flesh…
And the smell of the Susquehanna River.
“Shit. She’s about fifteen minutes away, somewhere near the Susquehanna.”
Max took off in a squeal of tires. “Think he’s heading for Harrisburg?”
“Not sure. If he picks up I76 he could move into Ohio or further east towards Philly.”
“Then we have to catch him before he hits the highway.”
His cell phone rang. “Gabe.”
“I’m on my way, following an alternate route. Consider yourselves escorted by the police.”
“Thanks, dude.”
“No problem. I can fucking feel what he’s doing to her. The son of a bitch.”
