“Where is Donovick? Why does he want me…” Her words trailed off.
“Dead?” Speck supplied. “You filed a police report that could cost him his job, that could out his kind, and now you’re standing there wondering why he wants retribution. You deserve everything that’s coming to you.” Speck brought the flask toward his mouth but stopped before he pressed it to his lips. “Take her and get out of here before I alert the pack to your presence, too. The fun they could have with the two of you, while he takes his anger out on the woman. Now that could keep the pack off my people for a while.” He appeared to be debating whether or not to make the call.
“Go ahead. Call them. See how that works out for you.” Red went to the door, opened it, and looked out to make sure things were clear. “Let’s go.”
Carran tipped his head toward the exit, signaling her to go ahead. “Things are changing,” he told Speck. “You might want to consider whose side you’re on, otherwise you could find your leap at the mercy of others…and I can promise you, the pack will be the least of your problems.”
“That’s tiger business, not mine.” Speck tipped the flask back, finishing the last drop, and tossed it across the room. “I’ve got enough to deal with, without worrying about what’s happening with your species.”
With better things to do, Carran headed for the door, keeping the leopard in his sights. One day, the drunk would realize that if he’d spent more time dealing with shifter issues and less time with the bottle, things would have been different. Carran only hoped it wasn’t the leap that suffered.
* * *
The cool air whipped around Brooklynn as she stood in the doorway of Reaper’s, not sure if she was safer inside or outside. Reaper could have killed her if they hadn’t shown up, but what kind of danger was she in now? She wanted to turn back and ask the older man what he meant when he said he knew who they were and didn’t want any trouble. What kind of trouble? Who were they? Tigers.
Shifters—she knew what kind of trouble they could bring. She had already been tossed across an alley and was on the verge of losing everything, all because she had the bad luck to run into one. Getting involved with more would only bring her more trouble. She wanted to get one on film so she could prove she was sane. She wasn’t about to mingle with two; it would be more than she could handle.
Without giving it a second thought, she inhaled deeply and took off in a full out run. She’d already witnessed the lion was quicker, and unless she got a head start she’d never escape. Outrunning them wasn’t an option. She just needed to get farther away so she could hide somewhere. It was too far to her apartment and the only places that were open at this time of night were other bars. After her last experience, she wasn’t in any hurry to rush into another bar full of bikers and drunk assholes.
At the corner she slowed just a little to look both ways to make sure there weren’t any cars, and that was all he needed. A hand grabbed her just above her elbow, the grasp tight without being too firm. He pulled her backward and pressed her against the building and instead of it being the man who’d held the door, it was Carran. His hair fell down around him like a curtain and she couldn’t see much of his face, except for his eyes. She tried to determine the vibrant color of his eyes, but every time she decided they were blue, she thought she saw a greenish tint. Aquamarine might’ve been too pale in comparison to the beauty they actually held. They seemed to sparkle at her, transfixing her until his words shook her back to reality.
“Stay very still.”
“Why? Are you going…” She wasn’t sure what she wanted to say. Fear rose within her, tightening her throat and cutting off her words. Was he going to kill her? She tried to dismiss the fear. He wouldn’t have just saved her only to kill her. Would he? Maybe her attempt at escape made his animal angry and he was about to shift. Damn it! Why did I leave my camera in the car? What am I thinking? I’d be dead before I could use it.
“Quiet.” He pressed his body along the front of her. “There’s a wolf down the block. I don’t know if it’s Donovick, but we don’t need to draw attention.”
She started to turn her head to look but he reached up, curling his hand along the side of her neck, his thumb brushing against her cheek, electricity sizzling through the touch. “Ah…” Part of her wanted to arch into him to feel the heat coursing through his body, while another part screamed for her to attempt escape.
His body stiffened until every muscle was taut and even though he was just as close, he was no longer pressing against her. Something changed, but she wasn’t sure what. He slid his hand over her lips, silencing her before she had a chance to ask. Each second seemed to tick slower than the last, her patience slipping. The heat from their touch was fueling her rage. Who did he think he was? He couldn’t just press her up against the wall and clamp his hand over her mouth to shut her up.
“Let’s go.” He took his hand from her mouth and stepped back.
“Go? What makes you think I’ll go anywhere with you?” She kept her voice low as she glanced down the street to where he’d said a wolf had been lurking.
“Don’t worry, he’s gone.”
She turned back to him to find that he was still watching her, completely ignoring her questions. “Gone?”
“Yes, and so should we before anyone else comes along.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” She wiped her sweaty palms on the thighs of her jeans.
“Right now, I’m the only one standing between you and an unpleasant death. So if you want to live, you’re coming with me.” An SUV pulled up to the curb behind him and without even looking, he added, “It’s only Red. Now, are you ready?”
“I want to go home.” Her words held the sadness that had replaced her earlier rage. In less than a day, her whole world turned upside down and everything was slipping from her grasp. Now all she wanted to do was go home and grieve for her loss. Right then, she didn’t care about catching a shifter on tape or proving she wasn’t insane. She just wanted the nightmare to be over.
Chapter Four
Brooklynn stared out the window of the SUV, looking out at the city she had grown to love. If she’d been in her apartment, she would’ve had a better view, but it didn’t matter anymore. Things had gone from bad to disastrous and with every new turn, it seemed this whole mess would keep her from ever reclaiming her old life. It had gotten to the point she wasn’t sure she was even going to make it out alive. Her strength and willingness to fight had diminished, leaving her hollow.
It wasn’t until she was in the SUV and the man with long black and gray hair was driving that she realized she’d never asked his name. Carran…Carran and Red. Those were her saviors and now captors. For over an hour, Carran drove around the city, heading nowhere in particular as far as she could tell, while he questioned her about what she’d witnessed, the lion shifter, and why she’d chosen Reaper’s. He asked the same question multiple times, but phrased differently. As a police officer she knew the tactics. He was trying to trip her up and see if she was lying. Everything she said was the truth.
Finally, while Red pumped gas, she had an opportunity to turn the tables on Carran and ask him the question that had been weighing on her mind since their touch. “Carran…” She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “When we…uh…when you…touched me…” She stumbled over her words, not sure how to say it.
“When I touched you, what?”
How could he not know? She turned to look at him and found him staring at her, his face void of expression. Was she the only one who could feel it? Maybe she was losing her mind after all. No, she refused to believe that. She had witnessed the man shift into a lion and she felt the electricity and the heat when Carran touched her. No matter what everyone else thought, she wasn’t nuts. “The…sizzling heat. Damn it, tell me you felt it, too!”
Without saying a word, he reached over the armrest and let his fingers caress over the top of her hand. His touch was feather soft, barely making contact, but th
e current sparked to life between them, bringing the heat. “This?” His voice barely rose above a whisper as his fingers continued to trace circles around her knuckles.
“Yes.” The word came out breathier than she wanted it to, forcing her to take a deep breath. “Why?”
“Think of it as a sign.”
“A sign? What kind of sign?”
Before he could answer, his phone rang and he withdrew his hand, grabbing the cell that he’d tossed into the middle divide between them. “I’ve got to take this.” He brought it to his ear. “Ty…” He opened his door and stepped out.
“Don’t worry, I’ll wait.” She let out a deep sigh, not sure if he’d heard her. Her frustration was growing but he wasn’t completely to blame. They had been driving around for over an hour, obviously looking for someone, but when she asked they seemed to avoid her questions. Were they looking for Donovick? If so, what were they planning to do when they found him? Eventually she’d have to face her patrol partner, but she needed to have a plan.
If Donovick really wanted her dead, she wasn’t sure how she’d handle that. They had been partners for nine months and she thought he’d had her back. Now it seemed to change. What would his wife think? If he was charged and convicted of murder, he’d be in prison, leaving his three-year-old son to grow up without a father.
Wolf pack…
She remembered that phrase coming up in conversation over and over as Carran and an old man at the bar spoke. Before the lion shifted, he’d told Donovick they were the same. It was coming together. Donovick was a shifter.
The driver’s side door opened and she turned, expecting to see Carran climbing back in. Instead, she found Red holding the door open. His brows knitted together and confusion filled his gaze as his watched her.
“You okay?” he finally asked.
“Umm…yeah?” Startled, her answer came out more like a question.
“Shifters can feel emotions. Feelings like rage and terror make the air so thick it can be difficult to breath. Depending on the species, fear might bring the beast closer to the surface.” He paused as if he’d said too much. “While you’re composed, the jumble of different emotions raging within you are clear in your scent. Rage, fear, anxiety, resentment, confusion, and grief toss within you and from one moment to the next a different one has control.”
“I don’t understand why you’re telling me this. Your kind must live by some rules, otherwise the rest of the population would have found out about shifters by now and my police report wouldn’t have put my life in jeopardy.” She met his gaze. “Or are you going to kill me?” If they were going to kill her, she wanted them to look her in the eye when they did it. She wasn’t sure if either of them had a conscience or morals, but if they did, she wanted them to live with the knowledge that they’d killed an innocent person. She had meant no harm to them.
“Our existence is kept quiet not for your safety, but for ours. We’re no danger to the human population, but they’re a danger to us.”
“Huh?” How could humans be a danger to shifters? All they had to do was shift into their animal and they’d outweigh any human. They were faster, and had claws and teeth that could tear someone apart in moments. How could shifters be victims if their existence was known?
“We’re immune to sickness and diseases,” Red said. “Do you believe doctors wouldn’t want to study us to see if they could duplicate that? That hunters won’t see us as their next target? We aren’t invincible, but we are harder to kill. Due to that, don’t you think the government will try to use us to fight their battles? Or when they can’t use us to kill, don’t you think they’d seek to eliminate us?”
Each question hollowed her heart a little further. Humanity…they were supposed to be a collective group, but with his words she knew humans would never consider them part of that group. Shifters could change from human form to their animal at will, and that would be enough to create a divide between them that would make swimming across the Pacific Ocean seem like a short swim. Wars broke out for lesser things and she didn’t doubt that would happen if humans learned about shifters tomorrow. What have I done?
“Seeing things in a different light?” Red leaned against the door frame. “I wonder if it was my words or—”
“Get in,” Carran hollered, jogging across the parking lot. He reached the SUV before Red climbed into the backseat. “Brooklynn, I need you to climb in the back. Red, you take the passenger seat.”
Brooklynn stared at him a moment before she grabbed hold of the door handle and started to pull it back toward her. If he thought putting distance between them would stop him from answering her question, he would soon receive a newsflash. Carran had asked her to trust him, and she did, but there was only so long she’d be willing to follow him blindly. Until I figure another way out of this mess.
“No, you need climb over the seat.”
“Why?” Without removing her hand from the door, she glanced back at him.
“We can’t afford to take the chance someone will see you.” He nodded to Red, who walked around the back of the SUV. “Please…”
“I’ve been sitting here all this time and now it matters?” She let out a huff, but let go of the handle and climbed over the seat and into the back as Red came alongside her door. “I think it’s time you take me home.”
“Right now, Red and I have to deal with something. I need you to promise me that you’ll stay in the SUV.” Carran slid behind the wheel, started the engine, and as Red pulled his door shut Carran gunned it out of the gas station. “While we’re gone, you need to keep the doors locked and stay hidden. We shouldn’t be long.”
“Where are we going?” She stayed in the middle of the backseat, rocking sideways as Carran raced through the deserted city streets.
“To deal with what we came to town for.” Carran was forced to stop at a red light and glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “The man you witnessed shifting…”
“What are you going to do to him? He has a warrant out for his arrest. If you know where he is, you need to call the police.” She wanted to be the one to take him down. How would taking him into custody get me my life back? Could I really expose shifters? Earlier that night, she knew the answer would have been yes, but in that very moment she wasn’t convinced. That would be like damning a whole species for the crimes of one.
Dad, what would you do? She didn’t even need him to be there to tell her, because every ounce of her knew he would’ve protected the shifters’ secret. He believed people could improve themselves, could change. He always said that if someone tried hard enough, they could put their bad ways behind them. All they had to do was reach down and pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
“She should team up with Quinn.” Red chuckled. “The two of them seem to have the same views.”
“Who’s he?” She grabbed hold of the edge of the seat to keep from being pushed backward as Carran pressed his foot to the pedal the moment the light changed. “Damn it, Carran, slow down.”
He ignored her complaint and as they reached the outskirts of the city, he continued to accelerate. “Quinn is with the United States Marshal Services, and he’s eager for the day that shifters can be thrown in jail cells.”
“Until his coworkers find out that he’s deceived them all.” Red turned in his seat enough to glance back at her. “He’s a black panther, living the life of a human, and rarely giving in to his beast. One day that will work against him.”
She wasn’t sure what to say to that. How many shifters were law enforcers? Was there any risk of them turning against their fellow officers? One day their secret was bound to be exposed, and then what? Would their species be divided? Humans against shifters? She wanted to believe they were better than that, and that they’d be able to respect their differences. In her heart she knew shifters would be seen as the enemy.
Carran and Red had come to her aid when she needed it, which made her want to believe that good people of any species would alway
s be there to lend a helping hand. Donovick was supposed to be one of the good guys and he’d turned his back on her. He chose his own species over her and now, because she threatened to expose him, he wanted her dead. They were partners. He should have come to her and told her the truth. Instead he did nothing while she was attacked. What if the lion had killed her? Would Donovick have done nothing?
Donovick…he’s a…wolf. No matter how many times it ran through her thoughts, she still couldn’t wrap her brain around it. I better get used to it before he finds me.
* * *
The lights of the SUV were off as Carran killed the engine. At the far end of the street a single house stood, while all of the others had been demolished. This was the last one that stood in the way of a strip mall and was set to be knocked down the following week. To most, it looked innocent enough, except Carran knew the man they had come after was waiting inside. He was on the verge of leaving his life behind and giving in to his beast. If it wasn’t already too late, they would only have one chance to stop him.
As if knowing Carran needed a moment with Brooklynn, Red stepped out of the SUV without being asked. Alone with her, he took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the scent of…his mate. Those two words made his tiger excited and anxious. She was a strong, independent woman and while she had been willing to trust him so far, it wouldn’t last. He’d have to tell her everything and hope she could see him for more than just the animal within him.
“You’re not going to call the police, are you?” Staring straight ahead toward the house, she seemed resigned to whatever would happen.
“No.” He turned in his seat to look back at her. “Your police can’t help him, but we can.”
“He has a warrant out for his arrest.”
Her Black Tiger Page 3