by Selina Woods
“You got it.”
He left me to stare down at the fishing boat rocking gently on its hawsers, hoping for a bad storm.
I dared not keep going to the market to talk to Kiana and Derek but also needed to communicate with them. How do I give the guards the slip and make them think I’m still up here? I knew I could lock the elevator so no one could enter the penthouse, and there was a stairwell leading down I could take. It was also a long way to walk from where I was to the downtown area.
“Why didn’t I ever learn to drive a damn car?” I muttered.
Hitting the intercom, I got Ramsey. “Are you alone?” I asked.
“Yeah. What’s up?”
“Can you leave a vehicle around the back with the keys in it?”
“Sure, that’s easy enough. Do you know how to drive?”
“Nope. So make it something nondescript and easy.”
He laughed and was gone. I locked the elevator and made my way silently down the stairwell, knowing how easily the echoes from my steps could be heard below. The place was dusty and informed me how little the stairs were used.
Ramsey met me in the alley with a battered pickup idling near a row of dumpsters. He opened the door and gave me a brief lesson on how to drive the thing. “Just put the lever to D for drive,” he said. “Take it slow. The right pedal is the gas and the left the brake. Don’t try to reverse for a while.”
“Do what you can to cover my absence,” I told him, getting in behind the wheel. “Tell whatever story makes sense.”
“Yep. Be careful.”
He went back inside while I set my foot on the brake, then put the truck into D. It stayed where it was until I hit the accelerator, and the thing took off like a wild horse. Near panic, I braked hard, and then worried the screech of tires would bring the guards around to investigate. Trying it again, more slowly this time, I accelerated more gently, and the truck rolled smoothly out of the alley.
I turned around the corner away from the front of the building, then, with growing confidence, drove through the back lanes and streets to downtown. “This isn’t so difficult,” I murmured, then hit the brake too hard when another vehicle passed in front of me. My head snapped on my neck, and I swore under my breath.
I finally made it to the market and parked in the alley in the back. I unlocked the rear door and went in, finding Tony and Albert unpacking crates of goods to put on the shelves in the store.
“Hi,” Albert said, busy loading his small arms with packages of bread.
“Kiana isn’t here,” Tony added.
“Is Derek out front?”
“Yeah.”
Rather than stride straight out into the open, I peered around the corner and saw Derek with his back to me, talking to a pair of shifters. From their size and the self-assured demeanors, it wasn’t a stretch for me to believe they were either lions or tigers. Nor did they have the sneering arrogance of enforcers. Too far away to hear what they said, I decided to wait until Derek was free.
Tony and Albert watched me curiously while moving in and out of the back, but to their credit said nothing to Derek. When I pondered paying them for their work, I realized I needed to find where Duke had hidden his wealth. Hopefully its somewhere in the suite.
At last, the shifters left the store, and I watched them through the front window walking down the street and out of my sight. Tony pointed toward me, and when Derek turned, I stepped out from the back room. But Derek gestured for me to return, then followed me. After a quick glance over his shoulder, he joined me.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” he told me, “but stay out of sight. Those guys were looking for you.”
Chapter Eight
“Enforcers?” I asked Derek, alarmed.
“I don’t think so. I’ve never seen them before, and they don’t act like it.”
Confused, I asked, “Did they say why they are looking for me?”
“Nope. But I don’t think they’re friendly. So watch yourself.”
“Right. Where’s Kiana?”
“Out drumming up support for our rebellion.”
I nodded. “Did she say when she’d be back?”
Derek took a quick glance out front to make sure there were no customers needing assistance and then replied, “Before dark. I was adamant she get her butt back here before the night hunters came out.”
“Good. Now, I found out some things.”
I quickly told him about the boat and the guns, and how we needed an experienced sailor to run the boat to a hiding spot under the cover of a storm. “We need to find a place to moor it while we unload it.”
“I think I may know a guy who knows a guy,” Derek said with a grin. “I’ll see if I can locate someone experienced with boats. You go find us a spot we can hide the thing.”
“I’m not good at driving,” I told him. “I shouldn’t be out trying to find a place with that truck out there.”
Derek clapped me on the back. “You got four legs, don’t you? Run.”
Overhearing that part, Tony exclaimed, “Can I come with you, Logan?”
“Not this time, kid.”
Once more in the alley, I looked around for potential trouble before shifting into my lion. Leaving the market, I loped tirelessly down one alley after another, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible. By heading straight east, I’d reach the old wharves that had been so badly bombed during the wars, there was little left of them. While they were far too open to conceal a fishing boat, I might travel up the coast a short way to find a hiding spot.
It didn’t take me long to reach them and the piles of broken cement and rubble that were all that remained of them. Sunken ships choked the sea inlet, so the city’s rulers had no reason to guard it against potential escapes. No boat could get through there with its bottom intact.
Choosing to head north along the shore among the crumbled warehouses and industrial area, I galloped through the thickly overgrown vegetation that had broken through the old asphalt. As no one occupied this area except perhaps the night hunters, I felt reasonably certain I wouldn’t be seen by anyone.
A few miles from the wharves, I discovered exactly what we needed. Ah, ha. A small inlet that seemed deep enough to float an old fishing vessel, and a boat ramp leading down to it. However, how would we get the weapons off the boat and onto the land? I shrugged. “Why not just land the damn thing onto the ramp? If it sinks later, who cares.”
Memorizing where the boat ramp was in relation to the nearby streets, I loped out of the rundown area and back toward downtown. The sun would set within the hour, and I certainly didn’t need to be caught out after dark by the packs of roaming night hunters. Putting on more speed, I dashed through the streets that quickly emptied of traffic and occupants.
I reached the alley behind the market before dark fell and shifted forms, breathing hard. Going inside, I found Tony and Albert setting up three cots in the storeroom. “Is this where you’ve been sleeping?” I asked.
“Yeah,” Tony replied. “Derek thinks this is the safest for us, but it gets really boring.”
“There’s nothing to do except play cards,” Albert added. “Can we have soda and candy tonight, Logan?”
“If it’s all right with your sister,” I replied. “I’ll deduct the cost from your wages.”
“You haven’t paid us yet,” Tony complained.
I grinned over my shoulder at him as I went into the front. Kiana was there, and for a moment, I didn’t recognize her. She wore ragged jeans and a shirt three times too big for her small frame. Dirt and grease smeared her face, and her silky black hair was now ratty and unkempt. But her smile for me was all I needed.
Taking her in my arms, I kissed her, then wrinkled my nose. “Uh, you stink.”
“Keeps the unwanteds from getting too close,” she replied. “There are too many of those around.”
Derek walked back from locking the door and switching off the lights. “I put the word out for a seafaring fella to
come by,” he said. “Meanwhile, Kiana has found a dozen potential fighters, and the word is spreading.”
“They’re keeping it quiet?” I asked her, wondering if I should point her in the direction of a washtub before continuing the conversation.
“Yeah,” she answered. “Before too long, we’ll need to organize them.”
“Maybe not,” I said, keeping my distance, and noticed Derek did the same. “With Ramsey creating a structured attack from all around town, we can start seizing the enforcers and get them off the street.”
“So as they shake down citizens,” Derek added, “our people with guns are waiting for them?”
“Right. Once we get our storm, we can fetch the boat and the guns, then distribute them.”
Kiana finally set her hands on her hips and glared at the two of us. “Do I stink that bad?”
“Yeah,” we answered at the same time.
Grumbling under her breath, she strode into the washroom at the back and slammed the door closed.
“I found an inlet that we can drive the boat to,” I told him. “It has an old boat ramp. We’ll have to load the guns from it and into a truck, then drive it here.”
Derek nodded. “It’ll be easier to distribute from here under the cover of night. Then get our guys into positions in the shops.”
“Now we have to hope we get a damn storm,” I said. “We can’t afford to take weeks for this. I’m already painting a target on my back with the enforcers.”
“If we don’t get one in a couple of days,” Derek said, “we’ll sneak the boat out under the cover of night.”
“The guards will hear the engine start.”
“We create a distraction, get the boat out,” Derek explained. “Come morning, they’ll see its gone and believe that some folks escaped the city on it.”
“Who’s gonna chase them across the sea?” I replied with a laugh.
Kiana returned with her clothes changed, washed, and was busy brushing out her hair as she emerged from the rear. “Better?” she asked, her tone caustic.
I kissed her. “Much.”
“The three of them are safe enough here,” Derek said with a glance out the window into the near darkness. “I’m headed home now. You should probably get back to your ivory tower before you’re missed.”
“I will,” I told him. “Be careful.”
He waved his hand over his head as he vanished into the back and out the rear door. I took Kiana’s hand and wondered how I could sneak her out from under the noses of her brothers. She must have had the same idea, for she said, “We may not have many opportunities for a while. There’s an empty house a block over.”
I glanced toward the storeroom. “Do we dare leave them alone?”
“We won’t be very long,” Kiana replied with a seductive smile. “Give them candy and soda and they won’t notice we’re not here.”
Taking cold cans and candy bars into the back, I handed them each their bribes. “We’ll be back in a few minutes,” I told them.
Overjoyed at the gifts, Tony and Albert sat on their cots and opened the candy eagerly. “You’re gonna go have sex,” Tony commented, then took a bite.
“Bump uglies,” Albert added, choking on his laughter.
I scowled, but neither of them was much impressed. “Remember what I said about privacy,” I snapped.
“We’re in private,” Tony protested. “You’re gonna have sex in private. What’s the deal?”
Kiana took my hand. “There’s no point in debating with them.”
Leaving them to chuckle and laugh, I locked the door with the boys inside, then held Kiana’s hand again. Keeping to the shadows, we slipped down the alleys to the house Kiana spoke of, seeing nothing moving. No roaming hunters, no enforcers. The hot, humid air lay still and quiet over us, without the breeze that usually wafted in over the ocean.
We said nothing until we entered the small abandoned house, and then Kiana murmured, “It almost feels as though a storm is coming.”
I took her in my arms. “Hope so.”
Kissing her, I felt my arousal rise as my shaft filled my jeans. Kiana’s hands roamed under my shirt, her breasts against my chest. I cupped her ass in both my hands, kneading it, my throbbing crotch pressed to her belly. Our tongues tangled and danced, Kiana grinding her pelvis against me.
“We have to be quick,” she whispered, her voice husky.
I opened the front of my jeans and exposed my pulsing shaft as Kiana pulled her jeans off. I followed her to an old couch that scented of dust and cats, and my heart beat faster as she bent over it and exposed her wet hole to me.
“My, my, my,” I breathed, pressing the head of my member to the entrance to her tunnel.
I gripped her shoulders and plunged my shaft in to the hilt. Kiana moaned in lust, hissing her breath through her teeth. I withdrew to drive back in as she thrashed under me. My hands held her in place as I picked up my rhythm and pounded her from the rear.
“Yes,” Kiana groaned, her hair hanging down over her face. “Hard, give it to me hard. Yeah, that’s it.”
I sawed in and out of her, my breath coming in short, hard gasps. I grunted with each stroke, her juices lubricating my rod to allow me to glide easily and without friction. Kiana’s moans grew louder, pushing her body back against mine. The sensations increased into a pounding tempo as the pleasure built up. My legs trembled as heat spread from my belly and balls, my climax approaching fast.
My head was thrown back to enjoy the feel of her tight pussy around my shaft, but also to try to hold off an explosion too soon. I wanted Kiana to climax before I did. A long shuddering moan escaped her lips, but I knew she hadn’t orgasmed yet.
Reaching my hand between the couch and her mound, I teased and tormented her slick button even as I pounded her tunnel. Kiana gave a sharp cry, then her body trembled and shook under mine, then grew tense. Her pussy quivered under the force of her orgasm, and her quake triggered mine.
I plunged in deep, my blast shooting straight from my balls and into her, gasping and groaning under my explosive orgasm. The sensations rolled over me like a wave, and I drove in and out of her still, keeping the pleasure going for as long as possible.
Flaccid, I rested for a moment to catch my breath, then pulled from her. Kiana straightened, then turned to wrap her arms around my waist and lay her head against my chest. “You know how to satisfy me,” she murmured.
Lifting her face to mine, I kissed her. “Come on.”
I stuffed myself back into my jeans as she pulled hers back on, then hand in hand, we left the house. Maintaining caution, we perceived no threats while we made our way quickly back to the alley behind the market. The battered truck still sat there, dark and silent, waiting for me to drive it back to the penthouse.
Tony and Albert paid us little attention as we entered through the rear door, engrossed in a game of cards. Their soda cans sat on the floor beside their cots, and candy wrappers lay strewn next to them. I paced out into the darkened store, found nothing amiss, and no one on the street or sidewalk out front.
I went back in and kissed Kiana. “Get some decent food into them,” I murmured. “You, too.”
She grinned slyly. “Good sex always makes me hungry.”
With a wink, I let myself out into the alley and locked the door behind me. Striding to each of the streets the alley ran between, I saw and heard nothing amiss. Returning to the truck, I got in behind the wheel and started it up. Without headlights, I droved out of the alley and tried to focus both on driving and keeping a sharp eye out for trouble.
Alternating between the brake and the gas was awkward, but I started to get the hang of it as I drove toward the beach. Having no other traffic on the roads helped, as I didn’t have to worry much about crashing into someone else.
I relaxed, enjoying the act of driving, cruising slowly past closed shops and shuttered homes. Thus, I was doubly startled when the truck’s cab caved in under a terrible weight and windshield exploded outward
. I instinctively tried to hit the brake but stepped on the accelerator instead.
The truck leaped forward. Out of control, seeing only the huge body of a lion on the hood, I slammed into the brick side of a building.
Chapter Nine
My nose broke on the steering wheel, plain exploding through my skull. I heard the lion yowl, and the growls and snarls of others behind me. My brain fuzzy, I thought they were in the truck’s bed, and knew I was in trouble. Out. Get out. Catching the door handle, I lifted it, but the door wouldn’t open.
Gritting my teeth, I slammed my shoulder against it, and the door opened, spilling me out onto the pavement. The pack, fortunately for me, was still getting their shit together after the very abrupt halt. I staggered to my feet, seeing another lion trying to get his paws under him in the truck’s bed, while another, obviously shaken from the crash, leaped awkwardly out to land near me.
The lion who had bashed in the cab had been smashed into the brick wall upon impact, also slowly regained his footing, blood seeping from a large cut between his ears. He saw me and bared his fangs. Limping, he stalked toward me, his head low.
Shifting into my four-legged self, I knew I couldn’t outrun them. Three against one is not great odds. The third lion jumped down from the truck even as the others shook the confusion from their brains, and approached me from the side. I backed away, hardly able to take my eyes from them as I searched for something, anything, that might save my life.
“I ain’t never fucked a lion before,” chuckled the nearest.
“Stay still, sweetmeat,” chimed in another, “and we’ll make it easy on ya.”
I continued to back away as two flanked me and one stalked me from the front. I hoped I could put my back against a wall where they couldn’t get around behind me. I’ll take at least one of them with me. I saw their bodies tense and knew they were about to charge.
“Fuck my dead body,” I roared and lunged forward.