The Mane Event
Page 59
The woman sneered at her. Im going to have such fun with you, human.
Mace picked up Dezs phone. Her last attempted call still blinking, waiting for her to hit Send. 911. You smell em? he asked Smitty.
Sissy Mae stood next to her brother. They smell young.
Mace closed his eyes. Not good. Anything but that. Anything but hyena children. He could see it now. They lured Dez out here by pretending to be innocent kids. As a cop, no way in hell would Dez ignore them.
Smitty cast around until he locked onto the scent. He followed it to an unlocked metal door. He walked over to it and threw the door open. The scent of hyena sucker punched Mace and made him want to retch. Nothing smelled as bad as their markings. He glanced down. The stairs seemed to go on forever. But he could smell Dez. This is where theyd taken her. He had to go after her, no matter what the cost.
I dont have to look to know there is at least one Clan of hyenas down here. Maybe two. I cant ask you guys to go with me. But
Mace turned around and found the entire Pack had already shifted. Their clothes tossed all over the alley floor. They were just waiting for him. He would have smiled if he wasnt terrified for Dez.
He didnt waste another second. He shifted, shook off his clothes, and bounded down the stairshis Pack following him.
I was so excited when I heard you and your cat were walking around the Village like you owned it. I sent my cousins children to go get your dumb human ass.
Dez pushed herself into a sitting position, the wall against her back. She was in a long hallway, but she didnt know where. A healthy guess would say she was under the Chapel Club. If she hadnt been fighting for her life, shed marvel on the hyenas use of underground tunnels.
Dez glanced up and saw exposed plumbing, sturdy and within reach. Plus, there were doors all along the hallway, including a janitors closet.
Anne Marie held up Dezs gun still in its holder. Nice weapon, Detective. You ever been shot with it? Dez didnt answer. But where would the fun be in that, right? I wanna feel your flesh rip under my hands. Taste your blood on my tongue. Were going to have such a party, you and me.
Dez loosened up the rope on her throat with one hand while gathering the rest in the other. Sorry about your face. Did Gina find out about what you and Doogan did to Petrov? Or was that cause of me?
Do you have sisters, Detective? Dez nodded. Then you understand. At least a little. I was trying to protect the family. First she brings in that idiot Petrov, then she lets you into our club, reeking of lion, and she thinks Im going to let that go? Because she wants to find out who whacked her fuckin cat boyfriend? Anne Marie stood in front of her. Dez pushed herself to her feet and stared the crazy bitch in the eye.
But Ill deal with her later. Because first Anne Marie whispered, first Im going to hurt you.
Dez knewshe had only one chance, so she might as well make the best of it. She headbutted her. Anne Marie stumbled back, caught off guard by Dezs sudden attack. Dez pulled the noose over her head while she advanced on Anne Marie. Once close enough, she punched her. A right cross to the jaw. Anne Marie stumbled back several more steps, then Dez grabbed the brutalized side of the womans face, digging her fingers into the torn flesh. She got a good grip on her cheek and spun the howling, screaming woman around, slamming her face-first into the wall.
The air changed around themAnne Maries scent becoming stronger, her body shifting. Dez looped the rope around Anne Maries throat and tightened it at the moment the womans body began to change. Dez knocked her to the ground, one foot flat against her back to hold her in place. She lifted her other foot and brought it down hard against Anne Maries hand, breaking all her long nails. She did the same to the other hand.
Anne Marie howled in rage, completing her shift so she could tear Dez apart. But as hyena, her body would be no bigger than either of Dezs dogs. Dez had never done to one of her dogs what she needed to do now, but it was time for her to try it.
Yeah. It was time to take Anne Marie Brutale on a Nature Walk.
Mace stopped at the bottom of the stairs, the Pack surrounding him. Why the hell did he smell lion? He glanced at Smitty and realized he smelled it too. After another moment, he realized he smelled Shaw as well as Doogan and his brothers. Like he had time to deal with that little problem. This was starting to get freakin complicated.
He glanced down the long dark hallway and realized they were in one of the infamous hyena tunnels. He knew if he followed this tunnel, it would take him back to the Chapel Club. Growling, he sprinted into the darkness, Smitty and his Pack behind him.
Thankfully her left wrist wasnt broken. It hurt like a bitch, but if it had been broken, she would never have been able to swing Brutale around like one of her dogs.
As soon as Anne Marie finished shifting, Dez gripped the rope tight and swung Brutale up and into one wall. Her hyena body bounced off, but Dez used the momentum to hammer her into the opposite wall. This time she stunned the beast. Heard the air woosh from Anne Maries lungs.
Using the few precious seconds she now had, Dez tossed the end of the rope over one of the exposed pipes above her head, right by the janitors closet. She grabbed the end and yanked down.
She pulled until Brutale hung there. A good four feet off the ground. Satisfied Anne Marie wasnt going anywhere, Dez tried the door of the janitors closet. Locked. So she kicked it in. The door, not particularly strong, splintered and burst open. She walked in and spotted what she needed immediately. A large, heavy shelf case stood on one side of the room. Dez reached down and tied the end of the rope around one of the shelf legs. She made sure it was tight, and the bottom shelf prevented the rope from sliding up. With the rope taut, Brutale would continue to hang until someone let her loose.
Mace picked up Dezs phone. Her last attempted call still blinking, waiting for her to hit Send. 911. You smell em? he asked Smitty.
Sissy Mae stood next to her brother. They smell young.
Mace closed his eyes. Not good. Anything but that. Anything but hyena children. He could see it now. They lured Dez out here by pretending to be innocent kids. As a cop, no way in hell would Dez ignore them.
Smitty cast around until he locked onto the scent. He followed it to an unlocked metal door. He walked over to it and threw the door open. The scent of hyena sucker punched Mace and made him want to retch. Nothing smelled as bad as their markings. He glanced down. The stairs seemed to go on forever. But he could smell Dez. This is where theyd taken her. He had to go after her, no matter what the cost.
I dont have to look to know there is at least one Clan of hyenas down here. Maybe two. I cant ask you guys to go with me. But
Mace turned around and found the entire Pack had already shifted. Their clothes tossed all over the alley floor. They were just waiting for him. He would have smiled if he wasnt terrified for Dez.
He didnt waste another second. He shifted, shook off his clothes, and bounded down the stairshis Pack following him.
I was so excited when I heard you and your cat were walking around the Village like you owned it. I sent my cousins children to go get your dumb human ass.
Dez pushed herself into a sitting position, the wall against her back. She was in a long hallway, but she didnt know where. A healthy guess would say she was under the Chapel Club. If she hadnt been fighting for her life, shed marvel on the hyenas use of underground tunnels.
Dez glanced up and saw exposed plumbing, sturdy and within reach. Plus, there were doors all along the hallway, including a janitors closet.
Anne Marie held up Dezs gun still in its holder. Nice weapon, Detective. You ever been shot with it? Dez didnt answer. But where would the fun be in that, right? I wanna feel your flesh rip under my hands. Taste your blood on my tongue. Were going to have such a party, you and me.
Dez loosened up the rope on her throat with one hand while gathering the rest in the other. Sorry about your face. Did Gina find out about what you and Doogan did to Petrov? Or was that cause of me?
Do you have sisters, Detective? Dez nodded. Then you understand. At least a little. I was trying to protect the family. First she brings in that idiot Petrov, then she lets you into our club, reeking of lion, and she thinks Im going to let that go? Because she wants to find out who whacked her fuckin cat boyfriend? Anne Marie stood in front of her. Dez pushed herself to her feet and stared the crazy bitch in the eye.
But Ill deal with her later. Because first Anne Marie whispered, first Im going to hurt you.
Dez knewshe had only one chance, so she might as well make the best of it. She headbutted her. Anne Marie stumbled back, caught off guard by Dezs sudden attack. Dez pulled the noose over her head while she advanced on Anne Marie. Once close enough, she punched her. A right cross to the jaw. Anne Marie stumbled back several more steps, then Dez grabbed the brutalized side of the womans face, digging her fingers into the torn flesh. She got a good grip on her cheek and spun the howling, screaming woman around, slamming her face-first into the wall.
The air changed around themAnne Maries scent becoming stronger, her body shifting. Dez looped the rope around Anne Maries throat and tightened it at the moment the womans body began to change. Dez knocked her to the ground, one foot flat against her back to hold her in place. She lifted her other foot and brought it down hard against Anne Maries hand, breaking all her long nails. She did the same to the other hand.
Anne Marie howled in rage, completing her shift so she could tear Dez apart. But as hyena, her body would be no bigger than either of Dezs dogs. Dez had never done to one of her dogs what she needed to do now, but it was time for her to try it.
Yeah. It was time to take Anne Marie Brutale on a Nature Walk.
Mace stopped at the bottom of the stairs, the Pack surrounding him. Why the hell did he smell lion? He glanced at Smitty and realized he smelled it too. After another moment, he realized he smelled Shaw as well as Doogan and his brothers. Like he had time to deal with that little problem. This was starting to get freakin complicated.
He glanced down the long dark hallway and realized they were in one of the infamous hyena tunnels. He knew if he followed this tunnel, it would take him back to the Chapel Club. Growling, he sprinted into the darkness, Smitty and his Pack behind him.
Thankfully her left wrist wasnt broken. It hurt like a bitch, but if it had been broken, she would never have been able to swing Brutale around like one of her dogs.
As soon as Anne Marie finished shifting, Dez gripped the rope tight and swung Brutale up and into one wall. Her hyena body bounced off, but Dez used the momentum to hammer her into the opposite wall. This time she stunned the beast. Heard the air woosh from Anne Maries lungs.
Using the few precious seconds she now had, Dez tossed the end of the rope over one of the exposed pipes above her head, right by the janitors closet. She grabbed the end and yanked down.
She pulled until Brutale hung there. A good four feet off the ground. Satisfied Anne Marie wasnt going anywhere, Dez tried the door of the janitors closet. Locked. So she kicked it in. The door, not particularly strong, splintered and burst open. She walked in and spotted what she needed immediately. A large, heavy shelf case stood on one side of the room. Dez reached down and tied the end of the rope around one of the shelf legs. She made sure it was tight, and the bottom shelf prevented the rope from sliding up. With the rope taut, Brutale would continue to hang until someone let her loose.
