by Cherie Marks
Alex stood casually, as if preparing to throw his items away and leave. Just as the three stepped forward with unhurried strides, so did he, barely beating the goons to the counter.
Wasting no time, he thought quickly and said, “Miss, you must come with me now. There is a problem with the other girl who took my order earlier. I believe she needs you immediately.”
Anastasyia stared at him, a battle playing in her eyes. She wasn’t sure whether to make a break for it anyway, but if these men were who he thought they were, there were others close by. He didn’t know how many others were waiting for her out back, but he had to hope she would come with him without running. He just hoped the bond between them created a level of trust most shifters didn’t practice with strangers.
“What do you mean?” Clearly her English was as good as he’d been told, but her accent still identified her as foreign.
“Your co-worker is in the back of the restaurant and asked me to bring you to her.”
As expected, she looked thoroughly confused but nodded and followed him around the counter and toward the back of the café. Alex threw a quick look over his shoulder and saw the three thugs consulting with each other again as they watched the two of them walk away.
They rounded the divider she’d attempted to hide behind earlier and saw the other girl sitting, scrolling her thumb over her phone screen, and clearly not in trouble. She looked up, her eyebrows dipping in the middle of her forehead. Rather than try to explain with words, he put a finger over his mouth and pointed toward the men at the front of the restaurant. One glance at Anastasyia showed she understood they shouldn’t talk.
But the other worker didn’t seem to understand the situation entirely. “What are you doing back here, Tasia? Glad you’ve finally grown a pair and decided to talk to this guy, but your timing could be better. Who’s watching the front?”
Alex mouthed the word, “Trouble.” He pointed up front again, and she finally seemed to comprehend. She peeked out from the divider to see the danger for herself and quickly turned back.
“Is it Interpol? Are they here after a European cat burglar who stole a bunch of jewels?” Her gaze was locked onto Anastasyia, and he had to wonder what in the world she was talking about. But they had no time for explanations. Soon, the three would grow suspicious and walk back to where they were hiding.
Alex reached up and cupped Anastasyia’s face between his hands until their gazes locked. He touched just behind her right ear and mouthed the words, “They’re here for you. We need to run.”
Anastasyia finally seemed to wake from her stupor. “You do not look so good, Beatrice. Maybe we should call an ambulance.”
“What are you talking about? I feel…” An illumination entered Beatrice’s eyes and she nodded in understanding. “Now that you mention it, I think I could use a little medical attention. Ambulance, police, fire trucks…let’s bring ‘em all.”
“I will make the call and send them to the back door. We will be there to make sure the way is clear. The way really needs to be cleared.”
Beatrice gave a silent signal that she understood and stood up, rushing toward the emergency exit nearby. As she made her way out the door, she slipped into the shadows of the building and disappeared.
Alex didn’t waste another minute. He grabbed Anastasyia’s upper arm and moved back toward the front. The three men reached for something inside their jackets and seemed to puff up, blocking the front entrance as if that might be the direction Alex intended to move.
With a tightening of his mouth, Alex announced, “Let’s head into the kitchen and get something to elevate her head and legs. I’ll make the necessary calls.” They rushed behind the counter and through the swinging door that separated the front from the kitchen. But they didn’t stop until they’d flung the back door wide and witnessed the two, large men swinging their arms in the air, their faces splotched with red welts and eyes nearly swollen shut from multiple bee stings. Beatrice had done her part.
Alex didn’t stop for long, instead pulling Anastasyia with him away from the building and toward his car parked in the shadows on Albrecht Drive. He’d been taking precautions like these since he’d first arrived. Maybe he’d been expecting this very thing all along. And to think he’d almost let his guard down and left to work a job. She’d have been gone before he would’ve had the slightest chance to get back to her.
He glanced over at her frightened face and made the vow never to let her out of his sight ever again.
With quick motions, he pulled his keys free and pushed the button to unlock the doors. The warning lights flashed, so he didn’t have to tell her which car to get into. They both ran to their respective sides, but just as she was about to get in, she paused.
“Wait! This is crazy! I do not even know who you are.”
He’d hoped they could have this conversation in the safety and comfort of his locked car, but time for diplomacy was short.
“Look, I’m not exactly sure what I’m doing here either, but from the looks of those three guys in there, I think I’m your best alternative.” She didn’t look entirely convinced, so he added, “What if I gave you my word my next stop is wherever you tell me to go?”
“How do I know I can trust your word?”
“Honestly, you don’t, but like I pointed out, no way those three muscle-heads have your best interest at heart.”
Her indecision played across her face, and just as he thought she’d bolt, she surprised him and climbed inside the vehicle. With a quick look around, Alex slipped into the driver’s seat and started the car. He drove down the street just as the three gorillas ran out the front door, guns raised. But they didn’t fire at the car, and Alex realized his fears were confirmed. They weren’t here to kill her, they were here to force her back to be leverage. She’d be the incentive for her father to do anything they wanted him to do.
He had news for them though. It wasn’t going to happen like that. Not if he had anything to do with it.
“So can I count on you to do what you said?” Tasia couldn’t believe she’d just gotten into a car with a stranger. An attractive one, but a stranger nonetheless. Still…she knew better, but no way could she stay at the bakery. It would have been obvious to any creature with a brain that the three men who walked in speaking Russian weren’t there to order sandwiches. They were obviously hired by her father to bring her back to Estonia.
“I gave you my word. I’ll drop you anywhere, as long as it’s safe.”
“You didn’t mention stipulations before I got settled in your passenger seat. Not sure that’s quite fair.”
“Maybe we should start with introductions first. I’m Alex Chilikov.”
Warning bells went off in Tasia’s head. “That is an Eastern European name. Who sent you? Stop the car. I want out now!”
His face tensed and he gave her a brief flash of his icy-amber eyes before focusing on the road and explaining, “Yes, I know who you are. And yes, your father did send me, Anastasyia. To protect you, and from the looks of those guys, I got here just in time.”
“It’s just Tasia here. Though it sounds like it doesn’t matter anymore. My cover is blown.” Dammit! How had he found her so soon? Then, the truth came to her. Dasha! She’d given their father the letter too soon. “So, my father knows where I am? Why has he not come to get me yet?”
“Despite what you think, he just wants you safe. He’d thought as long as you were far away, you’d be out of danger, but after tonight, we know that’s no longer an option. Those three, oversized meatheads at the bakery were just the tip of the iceberg. Their boss is connected to a Russian crime ring, and he wants you. If he has you, he can keep your father in line.”
The image of the last time she’d spoken to her father came back to her. He’d been trying to tell her he was worried about her security. She’d thought he meant her future as a wife and a mother. If what Alex was saying was true, he’d meant from actual danger. But she wasn’t quite ready to believe e
verything just yet.
“You do not have an accent. If you work for my father, how did you meet him?”
His nervous shifting in the driver’s seat didn’t escape her notice. He was hiding something from her.
“He found me through my job manager. I find people for a living—bad people to know, like those three.” He tightened his hands on the steering wheel until Tasia saw his knuckles whiten and heard the plastic creak.
“That still doesn’t explain why you have been following me around.”
His breath came out in a heavy sigh, and she got the feeling she was still getting the lite version of the truth. “I’ve worked for him before, on an unrelated case. Though I still have family in Estonia, he knew I lived in this area and could be trusted to get the job done right. I honestly thought it would be a snooze-fest. Hate when I’m wrong.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Sorry to disappoint. Not like I advertised that I was a lost princess or anything.”
He turned the car away from town, and Tasia recognized the way to the Running Deer State Park. Her inner alarm had calmed considerably, but she still didn’t like that he was deciding where to take her, and the State Park seemed rather remote. What if this was all just a way to get her alone, so he could hand her over to whomever was after her or do horrible things to her himself?
“No, but you certainly weren’t hiding that well either. If you had to run away from your luxury home, you should have gone completely underground. Hidden out in a cabin, gotten supplies from your connections, and never stepped foot in public for years.”
Why did he sound so put out? Not like they were after him. She got the feeling he thought she’d brought this all on herself. All she’d wanted to do was avoid a forced marriage. He made it seem like she’d run away because she hadn’t gotten the tailored dress or custom-made car she wanted or something. As if she were that empty-headed and materialistic. Now she was getting ticked-off.
“I thought I was just lying low from my father. I had no idea people were trying to snatch me off the street. You would think he would explain my life was in danger because actual criminals were after me.”
She watched him run a weary hand down his handsome face. “I can’t even guess as to his motive in keeping the information from you, but now we need to figure out how you’re going to avoid becoming some Russian Mafiya boss’s leverage.”
How much of what he said could she really believe? He could be flat-out lying to her, luring her to a worse danger than she was in before. Once again, as the State Park came into view, she realized it was time to start thinking about herself and how to get out of this situation. She hated the idea of leaving all she’d built here but didn’t see any other option. The minute he stopped, she’d jump from the car, shift, and run. With any luck, he’d be too caught off guard to follow. She could sense he was a shifter, but she didn’t know what kind. Though some did, she didn’t have that ability. With a little more luck, he might shift into something small and slow, like a turtle or a snail or, best of all for the situation, an inchworm.
After a few more turns, the car rolled to a stop in a half-moon parking area on the side of the Running Deer State Park. She didn’t waste any more time. With shaking hands, she unlocked the door and flung it wide, not even bothering to close it as she leapt free and sprinted for the tree line. Just past the first layer of undergrowth, she shifted and took off without looking back.
Alex sat and watched her go. He’d expected her to run. It was the reason he’d driven to the State Park. But he wouldn’t follow because he couldn’t and didn’t have to. The minute he gave chase and shifted, she’d know he was a jackal like her, and as smart as she was, she’d figure out he wasn’t just a random jackal shifter. Far from stupid, Tasia would know he was the one to whom she was supposed to tie herself legally. Fortunately, he’d prepared for this very scenario. On the chance they’d get separated, he’d put a small tracker behind her right ear when he’d held her head between his hands on the other side of the divider at the bakery.
“Run, little beauty. I’ll find you again soon.” But it wouldn’t be right now.
Instead, he was going to set a trap. Those Russian thugs wouldn’t be far behind, but this time, he would be ready for them. With a plan in mind, he went to work.
First, he followed her scent-trail, wiping out any trace of her with his own presence. Then, he doubled back and turned to cover multiple trails. He sprinkled a substance he’d gotten from a local wizard. It would cover their scents almost completely. If the Russians came after them—and they would—they’d have a hard time tracking them.
Just in time, he finished setting up his final preparations and sunk down behind his camouflaged blind right as a set of headlights pulled up behind his car. The SUV parked and turned off the engine. Three large men emerged from the vehicles and started sniffing the air.
As expected, they looked confused and turned to talk with each other. Alex had to wonder where the other two who’d been waiting outside the back door were now. Hopefully, Anastasyia wouldn’t try to go to her apartment. More than likely, there’d be two Russian henchmen waiting there to stuff her into their car and whisk her back to their ass-hat of a boss.
Alex needed to act quickly if he wanted to protect her. His hands curled into fists. For some reason, he had a driving need to get back to her, like leaving her alone too long would lead to consequences on a world-crushing level, which was crazy because he hardly even knew her, having only tracked her from a relative distance for the past three months. The gun under his jacket would end all this quickly, but more than likely they had weapons too, and he could still sense her in the area. The last thing Alex wanted was a blind shoot-out with stray bullets flying through the air. The key to coming out of this uninjured and protecting Anastasyia was to maintain control of the situation.
As he’d hoped they’d do, they split up to follow separate scent trails. He waited, adrenaline building, until one pushed through the brush toward him. When he was right in front of Alex, back turned, Alex wrapped his arms around his head and twisted his neck quickly, hearing the crack as his neck broke and the Russian dropped to the ground. Alex moved swiftly to the parked vehicles. He knew if the men were shifters, they’d have heard even the muffled sound of their compatriot’s quick end. He wanted to get into the open before he took on the two remaining men.
Once there, he turned around just as the two, hulking men stepped out of the tree line almost simultaneously only about ten feet from where he stood. His skin tightened as he readied for the attack.
“Who the hell are you? And where is girl?” The heavy Russian accent of the one on the right thickened with disgust as he spoke.
Alex remained cool as he answered, “She’s long gone. I’m the one standing between you and her, and I’m not moving.”
The other grunted and garbled, “Then, we move you.”
“Like to see you try.”
With those words, they looked at each other once before focusing back on Alex and charging forward. He waited until they came close, dropped to the ground, and swept the legs out from under one, who went down and hit his head hard. Two rolls to the left took Alex out of range of the other one until he could stand up again and motion in a come here motion with his hand.
As the Russian reached him, Alex quickly dodged a right hook and a left jab. With a step back, he further threw the attacker off balance as he worked another punch in Alex’s direction. When the goon wobbled up again, Alex turned and swung his elbow into the thug’s face, which snapped back on his neck, and he stumbled backward, his hands flying to his now gushing nose. Alex followed with a left punch to the gut, which caused the brute to double over, and Alex slammed him with a right uppercut. The guy went down like a blown tire, just as the other regained his footing and came at Alex.
This time, the guy ducked as Alex threw a punch and he took a jab to his side before twisting and throwing another elbow at the man’s face. His fist barely gr
azed the guy’s nose as he pulled back, anticipating the go-to move. Alex followed with another swing that connected with the man’s jaw, but the guy swung back and pain exploded in Alex’s jaw as the fist hit like a brass rhinoceros.
His head whipped to the side, but he ducked to avoid the next hit, grabbed the guy’s waist, and shoved his full weight into the hulking gorilla to push him to the ground. Once on top, he squeezed his thighs around the man’s torso and threw punch after punch without ceasing, until blood coated his knuckles. With a sudden uneasiness, Alex stopped his assault and glanced up. Why was she back? He sensed Anastasyia near. For some unknown reason, she’d returned and put herself into danger again.
A quick drop of his gaze showed the guy under him motionless. Swiftly, Alex stood, looking around for the other guy, but too late he spotted him, blood still pouring from his nose, gun extended and pointed in Alex’s direction.
“Fight over. Time to die now.”
Dammit! He should’ve just shot all three of them when he’d had the chance. If he reached for his gun now, he’d be dead on the ground before he even felt the metal in his hand, and Anastasyia would be left to defend herself. Suddenly though, he heard movement and a dull thud. The remaining Russian jerked unexpectedly as his eyes glazed and his gun arm dropped just as his body hit the ground.
Alex finally pulled his gun and rushed over to the other unconscious body on the ground just as she emerged from the forest, hurrying to the same spot. He toed the guy below him, but not even a groan emitted from the goon. A large stone lay beside his head. The Russian was clearly out cold. Damn! She had a cannon for an arm, and he was impressed.
She hung back behind a tall bush, and he realized she didn’t have clothes on. That was one of the downsides of shifting. Most of the time, your clothes didn’t survive the transition.
With quick movements, he yanked off his field jacket and tossed it in her direction. It landed a little in front of the bush, and he had a tantalizing view of flesh as she retrieved it quickly, ran behind the bush, and began putting it on over her nakedness. When she emerged, it was zipped to her collar, but the jacket barely hit the tops of her thighs, and her long legs were hard not to look at. It took effort, but he lifted his focus and watched her approach.