by Tl Reeve
Jasmine didn’t even know how long they’d been gone. She’d been so focused on making lunch and trying not to let the creeping edge of darkness consume her completely, and she lost her girls. The bile burning her throat returned, and nothing she could do to keep it at bay worked. Jasmine crawled to the nearby trash can and vomited. She purged her system of her self-loathing and hate. Of her fear and doubts. She purged the guilt and sorrow and replaced it with rage. She gave over to the hate and determination. Allowed the part of her that always wanted vengeance, but feared it at the same time, out.
“You done wallowing?” Jenna cocked a brow as she knelt beside Jasmine, with her phone in hand.
“Fuck you,” Jasmine snarled, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Yeah, you are. You know, you’re a real bitch when you’re hurting. You keep taking your shit out on us and when you need us most, we’ll be gone,” her sister said.
“Then why are you still here?”
Jenna shook her head. “Some days, I wonder the same exact thing.” She placed her arm under Jasmine’s and lifted her up. “Come on, let’s go get you cleaned up. You can’t be this big of a mess when Rapier gets here.”
“Fuck you,” Jasmine slurred, too weak to stand on her own.
“That’s the fighting spirit.”
* * * *
“Quiet,” Zoe hissed at Bell as her younger sister got her foot caught on the inside ledge of the window Bell was currently climbing out of. “Mom catches us she’ll have our asses.”
“Why did I let you talk me into this?” Bell hissed out once she stood on the small ledge below their window.
“Because we’re both sick of mom putting us under house arrest,” Zoe reminded her. “If you’re going to back out, now’s the time. Just don’t turn me in to mom.”
Bell rolled her eyes and stood defiant.
Both of them knew, if Zoe said boo, her twin would tuck tail, scurrying away in fear. It was just who Bell was. Just like Zoe was the badass. Although in this case, Zoe would never admit it, especially to Bell, how she wanted her sister to stay and go on this adventure with her.
Whatever was going on with the adults, specifically their mother, had to be bad. Their mother wasn’t herself. She was shaking and on edge. Zoe would even go as far as saying she was worried their mom was depressed. Neither of the girls knew, because every time they walked into a room, all conversations stopped.
It was annoying as heck.
Zoe, the nimbler of the two, jumped the distance to the ground first. She was the spotter for Bell. Zoe’s knees and hips vibrated with the force of her feet slamming onto the red dusty ground. Thankfully, due to her beautiful brain, she could take apart Keeley’s security sensor on their window without anyone being the wiser. The only thing she feared was being caught on camera jumping. Nevertheless, she’d done it. Zoe doubted her mother would even check the notice on her phone that the camera had been activated—another byproduct of whatever was going on.
“I’m not letting you out on your own. Momma always told us to look out for each other, no matter what. I’m going,” Bell said.
Turning so her younger sister couldn’t see her, Zoe rolled her eyes at her Polly Positive sister. It was annoying. “Are you going to jump?” Zoe watched as Bell fiddled at the edge of roof. “You’re a freaking feline shifter, for cripes’ sake. Jump, you’ll land on your feet. I assure you.”
Bell nibbled at her lower lip and scanned the area behind Zoe’s head. If she had to guess, her sister was equating the distance and force or some crap like that. After a good minute, Zoe had enough, snarling at her younger sister. “We don’t have all day, Bell. Mom was making lunch! We need to be gone before she comes looking for us.”
Zoe blinked in disbelief as Bell simply stepped off the ledge and came tumbling to the ground. Oh…hell, Bell was going to hit the ground. Hard. Zoe winced, knowing it would hurt, and they were going to get caught. At the last second her sister did a tuck and roll, landing solidly on her two feet.
How the hell?
“Really? If you could do that, why’d it take you so damn long to even jump?” Zoe asked.
“Shhhhh,” Bell hissed pressing her finger to her lips. “Why do you always have to be so loud and obnoxious?”
“Am not.”
“Are too!”
Zoe, having had enough of her sister’s prissy, over-the-top ‘tude, pinched the outer part of Bell’s upper arm. She regretted it immediately when she saw tears build in her sister’s blue eyes.
Bell sniffled. “That hurt.”
“Duh…it was supposed to. Otherwise why’d I do it?” Zoe huffed, not wanting Bell to see her guilt. Instead, she wrapped her arm around her twin’s thin shoulders in comfort. “Let’s blow this joint.”
Bell shook her head. “Tell me again why we’re doing this?” Bell was stalling. It was a common tactic of her twin when she was unsure. Zoe knew her sister’s brain was firing on all cylinders, trying to get out of going with her.
“Because we wanted to find Bodhi and the guys, and most importantly because I’m a smooth talker.” Zoe smirked before they took off around the side of the house, making sure to keep low so the adults inside couldn’t see them. When they got to the fence, she undid the sensor just like she had with their window.
“More like nefarious,” Bell huffed under her breath.
“I know what that means, Bell. I’m not stupid.”
“I never said you were. I know how truly smart you are,” Bell reminded her.
It was true. Both girls were smart, but Zoe, well, she had an eidetic memory. It wasn’t just pictures and pages from textbooks she remembered. Nope, it was everything. She could recall conversations word for word, and scents, colors, and sounds as well.
To occupy themselves when they were bored, Bell used to test Zoe’s memory constantly.
No one knew. Zoe had made Bell do a blood promise to keep it between them and only them for as long as she could. It was an advantage, one she wanted no one to be aware of or look at her like she was a freak.
It was really being considered a freak that bothered Zoe. Combined with her memory and being a female panther shifter was odd enough in the human world. Once they made it a safe distance away from the house, Zoe gave a sigh of relief.
That was way easy.
“Where are we going?” Bell asked five minutes into the hike over the rocky path.
“The Raferty Compound.”
“What?” Bell asked, her tone dumbfounded. “Are you crazy, Zoe? If we go there, Mom and Dad are going to know we left the house without permission.”
“We snuck out,” Zoe hissed. “And from what I understand hardly any adults are there during the day anyway.”
“Yeah. I’m glad you’re risking our asses from what you understand,” Bell snapped before taking a right when they came to a fork in the path.
Zoe was so surprised over Bell cursing it took her a second to register her twin was going the total opposite way they needed to be going. “Bell, you’re going the wrong way.”
Her twin didn’t answer, continuing on the path she’d taken. Bell lifted her hand and flipped off Zoe.
Zoe fought back a smirk at her younger sister’s badass ‘tude. It was equal parts amusing and annoying. “Crap.” She took off in a run to catch up to her sister, who’d moved quicker and farther down the wrong path than she’d anticipated.
“Bell,” Zoe hollered “Wait.”
Bell didn’t slow down or stop. Zoe was starting to sweat at the energy she was using to move down the rocky path. It’d be easier if she just shifted and caught up, then she’d be naked outside. Nope. Not happening.
Zoe didn’t even have boobs yet, but it still bothered her being naked. Even though she’d been reassured shifters didn’t care about being nude, she did. She glanced down at her flat chest, hoping and praying one day she’d be able to fill out something more than those stupid baby sport bra thingies her mother insisted on buying both of them. A
rgh, what are you thinking about? She stopped ruminating over what her breasts would look like when she got older when she hit the small clearing Bell had gone into before her. Bell sat on a rock, looking rested, not a piece of hair out of place or a drop of sweat on her forehead.
It was official. As much as she loved her twin, Zoe also hated how she was always so put together.
“Took you long enough,” Bell teased.
Zoe shrugged. “I was shocked by your use of the word ass,” she sniggered at her sister.
“Please, we can’t all have your colorful vocab, Zoe.”
Zoe smiled proudly. “I do what I can.”
Bell snorted. “It amazes me you’re so proud of it.”
“If you can’t do it well, you shouldn’t bother doing it at all, is what I say,” she replied, sitting on the large rock Bell rested on.
Bell shook her head.
“Do you think there will ever be a time we don’t squabble?” Bell asked, twirling a stick between her fingers.
“Squabble?” Zoe blinked at her sister and her odd word choices. “You mean argue?”
Bell rolled her eyes in reply.
“Well say argue then, don’t use some old, antiquated word like squabble.”
“I like the word,” Bell admitted.
“Figures,” she puffed then shrugged. “To answer your question. Yeah, we’re always going to argue. It’s what sisters do.”
“I just want…”
“What, Bell? Want world peace?” Zoe snarked.
Bell giggled. “No, I want us to be friends.”
Zoe blew out a breath. “You’re stupid. Of course, we’re friends, Belly Bell. Thick as thieves, partners in crime and most importantly, sisters.”
Bell sniffed then quickly wiped a tear or two from her cheek.
Zoe scrunched up her face. “Why are you crying?”
“I think that’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Bell admitted.
“Yeah…well, don’t get used to it. I think the sun is baking my brain,” Zoe muttered.
“Told you to wear a hat.”
Zoe elbowed Bell right off the rock and onto the soft, red dirt surrounding them.
“Zoe.” Bell screeched. “I’m all dirty now!”
“You’ll live.” Zoe giggled at her sister’s pristine clothes covered in red dirt.
“Zoe?” Bell glanced up from where she was standing. The air changed. It had become too quiet. Too tense.
“Yeah…I sense it too.”
The back of her neck had started itching the second Bell had gotten up from her fall, but she ignored it, not sure of what she was feeling since she couldn’t see a thing. Someone was watching them, and it was irritating her panther, who yowled in her head. The loud sound of warning from the animal beneath her skin had her wincing in pain.
Squaring back her shoulders, Zoe scanned the perimeter. “Who’s there?”
“Shhh,” Bell hissed. “Don’t draw attention to us.”
Zoe snorted, because two ten-year-olds, out alone in the desert, weren’t quite enough of an oddity. “Too late.” She lifted her chin in the direction of the pine trees where a group of older boys stalked toward them.
At first glance, Zoe assumed they were like them. As they moved closer, she realized they were nothing like them. They were…orphans. They had gaunt, horror-filled faces, with hollow eyes blotched by purple circles. Their clothes hung off them at odd angles, exposing their boney, filthy flesh. Something about them had been off, and her cat agreed. It paced in her mind, hissing and spitting with every turn. She’d never reacted like that before.
The boys were also small for their ages. Like their growth had been stunted by their lack of food and personal hygiene. She sniffed the air and cringed. Body odor along with something feted assailed her. They weren’t human. Shifters obviously. They were sizing her and Bell up too. She glanced over at her twin, hoping her sister understood the danger they were in. However, Bell had a placid look on her face, as if she’d hope to make friends with the boys.
“Get behind me.” Zoe tried to push Bell behind her, but her dang sister was being too stubborn for her own good.
“Stop it, Zoe,” Bell grumbled, slapping at Zoe’s hands.
“You lost?” the taller boy said as he approached.
“Nope.” Her tone firm and confident. She’d die before she let these boys know she had a hint of fear in her. “We know exactly where we are and where we’re going.”
The shorter boy, who looked like he’d been beaten to hell and back, snickered. The taller of the group elbowed him in the ribs hard enough for the shorter boy to wince. They were siblings. She wasn’t sure how she knew it, she just did.
Bell let out a shaky breath and inched behind her sister. “Zoe…what do we do?”
The boys stepped closer, and the scent of hyena startled Zoe. There weren’t many of them around according to her mom. Those who did show themselves usually covered their scent. They were death. The rancid smell she inhaled before had been their natural smell, but she hadn’t put two and two together. Frigging great. Teenage hyena were just as vicious and dangerous as full-grown ones. If not more so. They were missing the one emotional response all shifters had: fear. It allowed them to get into dangerous situations and come out alive.
“Run. I’ll keep them busy.” Zoe understood the ramifications of being caught out in the open by those boys. They’d be dead before their parents found them. She regretted then and there leaving the house as they had.
“We can help you find your way,” the older boy addressed them again. “We know this land like the back of our hand.”
“Yeah, Apache County is our home,” the smaller boy added. “Sheriff Raferty, he’s a good guy.”
Zoe gave a silent snort. The Sheriff, according to their dad, was a massive asshole. She didn’t say it of course. Zoe would bet the twenty bucks she had tucked under her mattress at home, these boys didn’t recognize the Sheriff as their Alpha. The younger of the boys despised and hated the Sheriff. They probably all did.
Bell tugged on her elbow, distracting her. “We should go. Like now.”
No shit, Bell. But since these boys were one of the worst shifters types out there, they didn’t stand a chance, even if they shifted. Her sister couldn’t have possibly forgotten hyenas weren’t scared of a lion or a panther. Their mom had hammered it into their brains many times while sitting at the kitchen table learning both human and shifter skills.
“Run,” she said so softly that only Bell would hear her.
Bell didn’t move, and now, they were out of time. Zoe knew she had to take action. It would give Bell a chance to get away. Maybe, if they were lucky, she could find an adult and bring them back before they ate Zoe. When the boys got close enough, Zoe surprised the little group by jumping toward the boys. She wrapped her arms around the smaller boy, taking him to the ground.
Their dreaded hyena giggle chilled her to the bone as they rolled together across the desert sand. Zoe had the upper hand though, and she kneed him in the nuts, pressing hard and deep ‘til he cried out. Maybe she stood a better chance than she thought.
In the instant she took her focus off the small boy, he twisted them, escaping her hold. He slipped away, backhanding her as she stumbled backwards. Zoe cried out. Tears filled her eyes, making it harder to see, but she didn’t stop. She launched herself at him again, taking him to the ground, but he’d been prepared this time. He accepted her weight and rolled them, hitting her back hard enough against the rock it knocked the breath from her. “Knock it off. You can’t win.”
She’d die trying though. She could hear Bell struggling with the older, stronger boy. Even with their training from aunt Jenna, they were no match for the hyenas.
The younger boy was strong, stronger than he looked, and he pinned her down to the ground, breathing his rank, hot breath right in her face.
“Ever heard of a toothbrush,” she gagged.
“Bitch,” he spat, warm spit
tle landing on her skin, and her stomach turned.
“Fuck,” the old boy said as he appeared in her line of vision. “I want more money for this shit. The other feline bitch tried to claw my eyes out.” He had deep scratches starting at his forehead, slashing down over his eye and to his jawline. “Where is your needle?”
“Back pocket,” the boy on top of Zoe replied, his features twisted with a sardonic grin that scared the shit out of her. “Make it hurt, she nailed my balls.”
The older boy snickered. “It’s time to join your sister in la-la land, bitch.” He shoved the needle into her neck and pushed the plunger.
It burned. Holy crap did it hurt. She yowled, clawing at his hand as she began to float away. She couldn’t go to sleep. Not now. Bell needed her. She had to stay awake. The world tilted. Zoe floated above her body, and it became too difficult to keep her eyes open. She whimpered and tried to move. She had to save Bell, but in her hazy state she couldn’t even see her sister. Her tongue felt hairy. Her arms were weak and wouldn’t respond to simple commands. She tried to crawl but even her legs weren’t cooperating.
“Waiting outside the house paid off. Get the bitch, and let’s get the fuck outta here before someone comes looking for these two,” the older boy said with a laugh. “We can celebrate later on tonight.”
Zoe forced her eyes open one last time, only to see the boys carrying off Bell. Oh no, Bell.
Chapter Seventeen
Kalkin stood next to the kitchen island where Rapier had left the blue prints for the house. They were almost finished with it. He’d decided to come in for a few hours to do a final walkthrough and do a few touch ups. By the time he turned in the keys to the developer they’d be bidding on another contract.
“There’s still no word,” Kalkin said, trailing behind Rapier, when he figured out Rapier wasn’t stopping.
“Didn’t figure there would be. We both know this is the shit part.” Since the judge’s death everything, once more, settled down, and no one heard a peep out of Raymond.