Wicked Kiss

by Rebecca Zanetti

  Geez. “So? I’m not.”

  “You’re smart,” Lexi protested.

  “Right.” The rain started falling harder and the spray shot wider. “I think he likes me, but that’s about it.” The words hurt to say.

  Lexi nudged her with her shoulder. “You’ve fallen for the big bad witch, haven’t you?”

  Tori shrugged her shoulders but didn’t answer.

  A second later, a body fell from the rooftop with a sickening thud, and blood sprayed across the asphalt. Tori sucked in air and barely stopped herself from screaming. The man’s head was turned toward her, and his eyes were blank in death. His neck was twisted awkwardly.

  Adam landed next to the body in a low crouch, his descent silent and deadly. He shoved a knife into a pocket of his cargo pants. “He was human.”

  Tori gagged down bile and stood. “Um, okay.”

  He held out his hand. “Are you sure you can do this?”

  No. Definitely no. She took his hand. “I’m sure.”

  Chapter 30

  Tori’s legs shook, but she stood facing the door to the warehouse, her stance wide. Her sister stood next to her in the same position. “I feel kind of like a badass in a Western,” Tori whispered.

  Lexi didn’t answer. Her entire body was solid and her gaze focused. Once again, she impressed the heck out of Tori.

  “We’re here, old man,” Lexi yelled.

  Wind whipped into them, around them, scattering small rocks and spraying rain.

  The door slowly opened, and a man Tori didn’t recognize pointed a gun at them.

  She swallowed. Adam was to the right with a weapon trained on the warehouse, and Kellach was up on the roof, looking for a way in. She kept her chest square with the door so the camera in her top button could capture everything.

  The guy gestured with the gun.

  “No,” Lexi called out. “Let us see our mom, or we’re not moving. And there are guns on you, asshole.”

  Tori just nodded. Their father had to know they’d bring backup. Why hide it?

  A small scuffle sounded, and the guy stepped aside to show their mother. Her light blond hair was a mess, and there was blood on her fragile chin. Next to the man, she looked petite and helpless, her blue eyes wide. Before she could speak, she was yanked away.

  “No,” Tori yelled, moving forward.

  Lexi grabbed her arm. “Wait.”

  “Come forward, or your father is going to kill her,” the guy said. He was about six feet tall with bushy brown hair and dark eyes.

  “Stay slightly behind me,” Lexi said. “If I start shooting, you fucking run.”

  Not a chance. “Okay,” Tori whispered.

  They slowly approached the building. As soon as they got inside, the camera would reveal the location of all threats, and then Adam and Kell would come in, guns blazing. Tori’s one and only job was to get her mother down and covered. She was fine with that.

  They soon reached the door. The guy stood aside.

  Lexi walked in first, and Tori peered around her. A folding screen decorated with exotic birds blocked their view of the rest of the warehouse.

  The door clanged shut.

  “Run,” Lexi yelled, pivoting.

  Tori turned, and the guy with the bushy hair grabbed her around the chest, manacling her arms. She struggled, fighting hard. He slapped the gun out of her hand, and it dropped harmlessly to the floor.

  The screen was ripped away.

  Lexi pivoted, and a gun instantly smashed onto her head. She dropped fast. Parker Monzelle stood there, a grotesque smile on his face.

  Tori screamed.

  The bushy-haired guy carried Tori over to an already running SUV and shoved her in the backseat. She landed next to her mother, who was handcuffed to a rod in the seat ahead of her. “Mom.” Tears blurred her vision. She grabbed the cuffs and tried to loosen them, but they wouldn’t give.

  “Get out of here,” her mother whispered, her voice hoarse.

  It had all happened so fast.

  Parker threw Lexi into the far back and slammed the door before jumping into the passenger seat. “Go, go, go,” he ordered a darker-haired guy with a square diamond earring in his right ear.

  The driver punched the gas just as a massive door opened at the opposite end of the warehouse. Tori had a moment to see a completely empty warehouse all around her as they sped the entire distance. So this was the trap.

  They shot outside and into the rain, straight at Kellach. He leaped out of the way and rolled until she couldn’t see him any longer. Tori’s breath panted out, and her chest hurt. She turned to look into the far back, where Lexi lay in a motionless ball, blood seeping from her temple. “Lexi?” she whispered.

  Her sister didn’t move.

  Tears slid down their mother’s face. Her body shook violently as she looked over her shoulder. “Lexi? Sweetheart? Wake up.”

  Tori swallowed down bile. Neither she nor Lexi had their guns any longer. But the knife at her calf felt cold. She almost reached for it, but then she remembered Adam’s words. Stop and think . . . measure the timing. He’d had a little time to train her before the mission.

  Parker Monzelle turned around. “You stupid women thought you could outsmart me.” He shook his head, his jowls moving. “Bringing the men you’re fucking.” He laughed, the sound grating. “I thought the six guards were a good touch.”

  Tori glared at him. “What is wrong with you?” There was more sadness than heat in her voice, but she didn’t care.

  “With me?” He turned and almost casually slapped her across the face.

  Pain exploded beneath her eye, and her mother cried out, but Tori didn’t make a sound. “You are such a fucking loser,” she said quietly. “You deserved prison.”

  He glared. “I’m outta prison, in case you didn’t notice. And I’m never going back.”

  Her own father. How was it possible her own father hated her so much? “Oh, I agree.”

  His eyebrows lifted. “How’s that?”

  “You’re not going to make it back to prison.” She held his gaze, even though her entire face was still aching. “You’re definitely going to die this time. I promise.”

  The driver took a sharp right turn, and Tori fell against her mom. She righted herself.

  Parker studied her. “Look who grew a pair. You think your boyfriend is gonna kill me? Or the guy who came with Lexi?”

  “No,” Tori said softly. “I’m going to be the one.” She could do it, too. The man would always be a threat to them, and if he didn’t kill them this time, he’d try again. “It’ll be just like swatting a fly. You’re nothing. You never were.” Why had she spent her whole life feeling not quite good enough because he hadn’t loved her? He wasn’t worth it. The problem was inside him, not her.

  “Oh, I’m going to enjoy teaching you a lesson,” Parker spat.

  The driver slowed down, but dark warehouses lined both sides of the street. They were still surrounded by warehouses, although they’d driven at least five minutes.

  “Parker, you’re all talk, you know that?” Tori sat back as if bored. She’d never again even think of him as her father. “Where exactly are we going?”

  “To a place where it’s hard to find the bodies,” he said, his teeth flashing again.

  Tremors shook her, but she hid her fear. She would die before she gave him that kind of satisfaction. “Who helped you escape the prison transport, anyway?” she asked, hoping the camera in her shirt button was still working.

  “Friends,” he said. “You wouldn’t understand. You never had any.”

  She laughed then. “You are such a dick.” She eyed the door nearest her.

  “Go ahead,” Parker said easily. “But you’re leaving your mother and sister with me. I’ll make them scream your name as they die.”

  Her lungs seized. She wanted to look down at the button and make sure it was still there, but then she’d give its existence away. She had to look elsewhere, so she focused on her mothe
r. “Are you all right?” Reaching out, she smoothed her mom’s hair away from her face.

  Her mom nodded. A bruise marred her chin, and her face was pale, but her blue eyes were clear.

  “We’ll be okay,” Tori whispered.

  “I know,” Jennie said. “Parker? Let the girls go. None of this is their fault. It’s mine.”

  He turned, pure meanness in his expression. “You bet it’s your fault they’re both so disrespectful and weak.”

  “No. I meant it was my fault for marrying such a complete asshole like you,” Jennie shot back.

  Tori’s mouth dropped open. “Go, Mom,” she said.

  Parker half turned, his fist already swinging. Tori jumped in front of her mom, taking the impact to her cheek. Pain popped behind her eye. “I can’t wait to kill you,” she hissed.

  She settled back, her mind fuzzing. Lexi still hadn’t moved. How badly had she been hit? Tori moved onto her knees and turned around, reaching for her sister’s neck.

  “Sit back down,” Parker ordered.

  Tori ignored him and felt for a pulse. Sure and steady. Good. But Lexi still didn’t move.

  Turning back around, Tori sat. Where were they going?

  * * *

  The second Victoria disappeared inside, Adam ran full bore for the entrance. The guy with bushy hair opened the door, spraying the street with an automatic rifle. Several bullets slammed into Adam’s vest, and he threw himself to the side, rolling and coming up firing. The guy ducked back inside the building, blood dripping from his thigh.

  Adam lunged to his feet, his gun out, his chest burning. He ran for the building again.

  A screech of tires echoed, and then something roared.

  He cleared the door and ran right into the guy, whom he tackled to the floor. Adam punched him in the face and hit him with the butt of his gun. The guy’s eyes widened, and blue and red streaks were evident in them. The asshole was taking Apollo? Adam hit him again.

  The guy roared, and fur shimmered up his arm.

  Fuck.

  Adam shot fast, right through the bear shifter’s neck. Blood sprayed. Adam jerked away as the bear’s head flopped twice and his eyes shut. He might be able to heal the throat wound, but it wasn’t going to be soon.

  Jumping up, Adam surveyed the empty warehouse. A gaping hole on the far side led to rain and darkness. “Kellach,” he yelled.

  Kellach limped around the corner, fury on this face, his gun down. “Get to the SUV!” he bellowed, turning back into the darkness.

  Adam nodded and ran out the way he’d come in, going full speed around the several warehouses to the vehicle. He jumped in the front seat and was already backing out when Kellach yanked open the passenger-side door. God. Victoria. The bastard had her.

  Kellach immediately punched up the GPS tracker on the screen to see a green blip moving quickly through the warehouse area. “Got it?” he asked tersely.

  Adam took a good look, memorizing where Victoria was right that second. “Affirmative.” He swung wide around a series of three smaller buildings. “Bring up the cameras.” His stomach felt like a rock had pummeled into it along with the bullets he’d taken to the vest. There were at least five, and his ribs protested. But his only concern was Victoria Monzelle. “Fucker had a car ready.”

  “Aye,” Kellach said, swiping his fingers across the screen. “We couldn’t imagine every possibility, but we have them tagged, and the cameras will work.”

  “Unless he was expecting cameras and tags,” Adam said grimly. What the hell had he been thinking, allowing Victoria into danger? He could’ve saved her mother another way. Somehow.

  “He doesn’t know us, Adam,” Kellach said, his voice gritty. “He thinks Alexandra is on leave from the police department, which she is, and he has no clue who we are or what we do. He thinks his daughters are weak and scared of him, and the last thing he’d expect is this type of surveillance. Nobody would.”

  Adam breathed out. Okay. That was true. He punched the gas and fishtailed around another corner, spraying rainwater.

  “Camera,” Kellach said tersely. “It’s Alexandra’s.”

  Adam squinted. It was dark. Maybe carpet? “Where the hell is she?”

  “Dunno.” Kellach’s voice deepened. “Let me switch to Tori’s.” He tapped the screen, and a full picture came into view. Tori’s camera faced the front of an SUV. Parker was in the passenger seat, and a man with dark hair was driving.

  “Maybe Lexi’s camera fell off?” Adam asked.

  “Maybe.” Kellach pushed a series of buttons on the screen, and the video rolled backward. He reached a point where a gun came out of nowhere and Alexandra crashed to the floor.

  So much tension filled the vehicle that Adam winced, his chest burning. “She’s okay. She has to be.”

  Kellach punched the dash. Once, twice, and then a third time. The glove compartment clanged open and dropped to his feet, scattering papers.

  Adam grabbed his brother’s arm while taking another sharp turn. “She’s strong and smart, Kellach.” He tightened his hold and squeezed. “Victoria won’t let anything else happen to her.” Which was the absolute truth. Victoria would definitely put herself in harm’s way to protect her sister. “You have to hold it together. Just until we get there.”

  Kellach didn’t answer. His massive body shuddered. “I can’t lose her.”

  “I know.” Adam reached over and switched the screen to GPS again. “I need to see where they’re going now.” He watched the blip, memorizing the layout of the area. “I think they’re staying within the warehouse district.” They’d driven across a couple of sections, but Parker Monzelle’s car seemed to be slowing down.

  Kellach switched back to Alexandra’s camera. Same view. Darkness, with maybe a hint of carpet. “She’s out cold,” he growled. “She has to be.”

  Adam nodded. If anything happened to Alexandra, his brother would lose his soul. “She’s okay.” There was no alternative. “You’ve been mated awhile, Kell. Her chromosomal pairs have surely increased already.”

  “We haven’t been mated that long, and you know it,” Kell said tersely. “That takes time.”

  Adam didn’t answer because there wasn’t anything to say. His brother was correct.

  “What if he shot her?” Kellach asked, his voice shaking.

  Adam shook his head. “No. We saw what happened. Parker knocked her out because she’s trained and tough. He had to take her out, but he didn’t want to finish her that fast.” No, the asshole wanted to make them all suffer. “He didn’t kill her, Kell. It was way too quick.” The fact sucked, but might help his brother to focus.

  Kellach nodded. “I know.” His hand trembled when he reached to swipe the screen again to Victoria’s camera. She was still looking ahead. Parker was saying something to her, raw hatred on his face and spittle flying from his mouth.

  Rage swept Adam hotter and faster than any he’d felt during his long years on earth. “I am fucking going to kill that bastard.”

  “Not if I get to him first,” Kellach said, death in his voice.

  Chapter 31

  Tori turned to check on her sister again. Nothing. Lexi had to be all right. What if she never woke up? No. That was impossible. Tears filled Tori’s eyes, and she pushed them away. Strong. She had to be strong.

  The SUV reached the back of a green warehouse, and the driver pushed a button in the roof of the vehicle. A double-wide door rolled up, and he manuevered the vehicle into the long metal building and cut the engine. As soon as they were inside, he pushed the button again. Tori turned and watched the door close. It impacted the ground, bounced, and then settled.

  Silence slammed them from every side.

  Parker exited the vehicle and opened her mom’s door, quickly releasing the cuffs. He yanked her, and she flew out, her legs catching on the seat.

  “Mom.” Tori leaped after her, grabbing her waist before she could fall. She jerked her mom away from her dad. “Leave her alone.”

&nbs
p; Her mom regained her footing. “I’m okay, Tori.” She turned. “Let’s check on Lexi.”

  “No,” Parker said, grabbing Jennie’s arm. “You sit down.” To the right of the vehicle was a cheap card table with four folding chairs. He shoved her into one.

  She went down with a soft cry, grabbing onto the table to keep from falling.

  Tori put herself between them, facing her father and quickly surveying the massive space. There were three men on the other side working along a wide table. Like the earlier warehouse, it was only one room, but several metal shelves made up one long wall. Tons of vials of gold liquid were lined up—thousands of them.

  The three men barely looked up to acknowledge the newcomers, all working furiously at putting the liquid into capsules, using some odd machines.

  Tori gasped. “Is that Apollo?”

  “Sure is,” Parker said proudly. “Do you have any idea how much money is sitting right there? And they need me—me—to move it all. To figure out how to get it onto the streets.” His chest puffed out. “My distribution avenues are still the best, even after all of these years.”

  “That drug kills people,” she spat, keeping her body between her mother’s and his. “Burns them from the inside out.”

  Parker smiled wider. “All drugs kill people, you stupid bitch. But usually not until they’re tapped out financially.”

  He really was an evil monster. There was no other way to look at it. “You are such a dick. Whoever is pulling the strings is just using you,” Tori snapped.

  “Wrong. They need me, and all I had to do was get you three women in the same place. Now I own the Apollo distribution monopoly in the States.”

  Tori caught her breath. The manufacturer of Apollo wanted her and Lexi in the same place? Why? Her head began to ache, and her stomach felt like she’d been kicked: This isn’t about us, you idiot. This was about flushing out Adam and his brothers. Hell. She was just bait.

  Another man came around the shelves, a clipboard in his hand. Wearing a lab coat, he was taller than the rest. With wild red hair and adult acne, he looked like a teenager. He gave Parker a short nod and then went back around the other side of the shelves, apparently cataloging.