by Leslie Chase
On the other hand, he didn’t have an argument to offer. Vance didn’t look like this was up for discussion anyway.
“Sure, that’s fair,” he said, forcing his voice to sound reasonable when he wanted to tear the man’s arm off and beat him with it. “Won’t make any difference. She’s mine.”
Vance grinned and nodded, finally letting go of his hand. They both stood, smiling their fake smiles at each other, and with that, the meeting was over.
8
Lisa’s day hadn’t started well. Once Marcus left the apartment, she’d sat down in the kitchen and let herself cry for half an hour, sobbing and praying that she hadn’t made a terrible mistake.
Almost, she’d called out to him to come back as he left the room. Her heart felt like it was breaking, but she couldn’t compromise her principles for him, at least not this principle. What would be the point of being with him if he was going to bury the person she was?
Get whatever you’re doing done quickly, Marcus, you fat-headed beautiful idiot, she thought, listening to him on the stairs. I want you in my life but I can’t have that bring the Serpents in too!
She wished that she had someone to talk about her feelings with, but that wasn’t going to happen. Before he left for the military, Marcus had always been someone she could turn to, but now he was the one she wanted to talk about. And her mother… no, not when it involved the Serpents. There was too much old pain there already. Plus, it would be awfully embarrassing to try and talk to her mother about what had happened between Marcus and her last night.
In the movies everyone has friends they can talk to about sex stuff, Lisa thought with an amused sniff. Where are mine?
There was Janet, of course, but she was off on her own romantic adventure and Lisa didn’t want to spoil it with this mess. She really couldn’t see herself telling anyone else in town about her thoughts and feelings. They were too raw, too new, and she’d never been that close to anyone here apart from Marcus and Janet.
Eventually, she forced herself to get up. The store wasn’t going to run itself, and there was a full day’s business ahead. No matter how empty she felt, how hopeless, she still needed to take in some money, it was that simple.
Fortunately, it was a busier day in the shop. Not only did that mean taking enough money to make up for yesterday’s slow day, but it also meant that she didn’t have time to think about the emotions swirling inside her. She just had to keep smiling and working, and the hours passed quickly. For once, being too busy to take a real lunch break was a blessing.
By mid-afternoon the day was finally starting to slow down, and she had time to think. She checked her phone, half-hoping for a message from Marcus, half-glad that there wasn’t anything. As determined as she was to stick to her decision, she couldn’t be sure she’d be able to if he did decide to push her.
There was something about that man that made him irresistible to her.
Maybe I should stay out of his way for a while, she thought. I don’t want to distract him, or me. But that would mean not going anywhere he’d be, and the town wasn’t that big. And he’d still see her in the street, more than likely.
Besides, she didn’t really want to avoid him. She just wanted this all done and over with, so that they could be together.
She was lost enough in her thoughts that she didn’t pay much attention when a few the Serpents wandered into the shop, beyond momentary relief that none of them were Cal.
Gang members weren’t an unusual sight, they did have to shop somewhere after all, and so she didn’t think anything of it until they made their way to her counter, and she realized that half a dozen of them were in the shop now. All the other customers had made themselves scarce.
The smile on the face of the big guy leaning over the counter wasn’t friendly at all. Lisa tried to hide her nerves behind a bright smile of her own as she rang up his purchases. He was one of the older members of the gang, hair turning gray and belly going soft, but under that there was a core of muscle, and his eyes had the nasty look of someone who enjoyed violence. She was all too familiar with that look from Cal.
“I hear you’re Marcus’s now, that right?” The big man leered down at her, eyes flicking down to her chest and back. She felt her cheeks heat as she answered.
“I’m not anyone’s property,” she snapped, and then paused, not sure if that had been the right thing to say.
“That right?” the man laughed, and nudged another Serpent in the side. The laugh was anything but friendly, and Lisa found herself backing away.
“I guess you shouldn’t have been a bitch to Cal then?” the other, a tall thin wiry man, asked. He stepped around the counter. “Bad move, pissing off our brother like that.”
“If he’s angry at me, he can come here and tell me,” Lisa said, trying to put some fire into her words. She didn’t want to see Cal, not ever again, but it might be better than his friends.
“Hell, he’s gone right off you,” the broader Serpent answered with a sneer. “Maybe if you go and say sorry to him, he’ll forgive you for being so rude to him.”
The two of them loomed over her, and another couple stood by the door. No one was going to come in and break this up, she realized. Her heart raced, and she glanced at her phone on the shelf under the counter. But there was no way they’d let her call Marcus.
“Hey, that’s enough guys,” one of the others said, sounding a little anxious. Lisa glanced over and saw that it was Lewis, Marcus’s friend. “She gets the message, don’t you, Lisa?”
She nodded quickly, but the two Serpents at the counter just laughed. Skinny and Fats, she labeled them privately, hoping that giving them nicknames would make them less frightening to her. It didn’t seem to do much good.
Skinny took another step closer, pinning Lisa into a corner, and Fats turned to answer.
“Just cause you’ve got a hard-on for Marcus don’t mean the rest of us have forgotten who we’re loyal too, Lewie. He ain’t one of us, and we won’t let one of our own lose out to some fucking wanderer, understand?”
Lewis held up his hands and backed off, turning towards the window with an unhappy look on his face. Lisa felt a jolt of contempt for him - like a few of the other Serpents, he wasn’t a bad guy, just not strong enough to be a good one. He might not like seeing her victimized, but he’d still stand look-out for the men doing it rather than try to stop them.
That’s what’s wrong with this whole town, no one’s willing to stand up to the monsters. She looked between the two big, scary men looming over her. Can I blame them?
“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” she started, and the Serpents laughed.
“Should have thought about that before you got Cal hurt, bitch,” Skinny said. “Bit late to think of it now.”
“Maybe you can still maybe make it up to Cal, though.” Fats man said, and grabbed her arm. For a big guy, he was fast, and Lisa barely had time to flinch before his grip was tight around her wrist, dragging her around the counter as Skinny got out of the way, taking hold of her other arm as she passed. “C’mon, we’re going to go visit him so you can say sorry.”
Lisa screamed, but there wasn’t anyone there to hear, and this time it didn’t look like Marcus would be riding by to save her. Even if someone did hear or see something, they weren’t likely to risk getting involved.
The two men dragged her towards the front of the shop, ignoring her attempts to dig her heels in and struggle. There was laughter from the other Serpents as they watched her manhandled, and for a brief moment her rage overpowered her fear. She relaxed, letting herself be dragged easily, the sudden change catching her captors by surprise and making them stumble.
For a moment, their grips loosened, and she had the freedom to move. With an angry snarl, she stamped down hard on Fats’s instep, and was rewarded with a satisfying crunch. The man howled in pain, let go of her arm and toppled into a shelf, spilling canned food across the aisle as he scrambled for balance.
Lisa took adva
ntage of the moment of confusion to pull away from Skinny and dash back for the counter and her phone. If she could call Marcus, he’d save her! But the Serpents were close behind her.
She leaped behind the counter and grabbed up the phone, only for Skinny to slap it from her hand before she could use it. “You fucking bitch,” he snarled, eyes full of rage. “Y’know, maybe Cal would’ve forgiven you, but after this, no fucking way.”
His fat friend was still howling in pain, another Serpent helping support him as he limped to the door. That still left far too many for Lisa to fight, and before she could even try to get away from Skinny, another man grabbed her arm. Between them, the two Serpents dragged her towards the door, doing their best to ignore her struggles.
She didn’t make it easy, kicking and screaming for help, throwing her weight backwards in an attempt to pull free. Her struggles knocked produce from the shelves, sent the shelves themselves toppling over, and made a ruckus loud enough that Lisa couldn’t believe that her neighbors hadn’t heard it.
Of course, if they had any idea it involved the Serpents, there wasn’t much chance that they’d do anything.
Even if someone did call the police, she knew them well enough to know that they’d make sure to arrive well after the fight was over.
Finally, Skinny had enough of her fighting, and smacked her hard across the head. While she was reeling, dazed from the impact, he slipped a switchblade from his pocket and snapped the blade open, holding it inches from her face.
“Listen, bitch. You’re coming with us whether you like it or not; the only choice you’ve got is if you want to be bleeding when you get there, understand?”
Lisa shuddered and nodded, the fight draining out of her. Her mind was blank, and her body shook, fear filling her like ice, freezing her body solid. Skinny grunted in satisfaction and put the knife away, dragging her out of her shop with the help of his friend.
Outside, the Serpents’ bikes waited along with an SUV. The other gang members spread out, glaring up and down the street to warn off anyone who might try to interfere.
Fats limped to the car and pulled himself into the passenger seat. Skinny pulled Lisa toward the back door, and she had the sinking feeling that if she got in, that would be the last anyone would ever see of her.
Someone shouted in alarm, and her captor turned to look. She followed his gaze, hating the feeling of hope that bubbled up inside her, sure it would be dashed. There wasn’t anything that could help her now, no one to come to her rescue.
The thin man let go of her arm, and she stumbled back in surprise. Lewis was pointing down the street at a huge grizzly bear, and it was charging straight for them.
The animal roared, loud and terrifying, not slowing at all.
9
Leaving the gang’s headquarters, Marcus saw that the compound was deserted. Most of the gang had left while he’d been speaking to Vance, and for a moment he wondered what they were getting into. Then he shook his head and moved on. There was no way to tell, and anyway he had bigger concerns than whatever mischief they were up to. The plan was moving ahead, and it was time to check in.
He rode off towards town, taking it slowly and making sure he wasn’t being followed. That was easy enough, since he was alone on the forest road - one of the advantages of the Serpents’ base was that anyone following them to or from it would be obvious. This time, it worked in his favor instead of theirs.
A little way out from town he pulled off the road and took out his phone. Checking one more time that he wasn’t being watched, he dialed a number and waited.
“What?” The voice that answered was deep, gruff, and unfriendly.
“Wisconsin,” Marcus said, the prearranged password that meant it was safe to talk.
“Marcus! How’s it going out there, buddy?” The gruff voice was immediately warmer.
“Could be better, could be worse,” Marcus admitted. “Hope you’re not too bored waiting on my call, Lucas.”
“It’s not like I’ve got another job. I know how important backup can be. Speaking of, do you need some help?”
Marcus suppressed a laugh. Lucas might say that he didn’t mind waiting by the phone, but he knew his squadmate too well to believe it. By now he’d be itching for something to do, and his enthusiasm showed in his voice.
“Sorry old friend, but nope. I can handle things just fine, and having some strangers show up is only going to make it harder.”
“I know, I know,” the other bear grumbled. “So what’s going on? You figured it all out, yet?”
“I think I’ve got most of it. It’s a worse mess than I thought though, the whole gang stinks. And there is a bit of a complication. The Serpents don’t just want money for their guns - they want part-payment in girls.”
Lucas made a disgusted noise into the phone. “Yeah, that’s not good. We could front some money if you need more time to find the site, but girls… not happening.”
“All it means is that I’ll have to speed things up, it’s not like my cover was going to last that long anyway. I might need you to take a few calls from them - Vance, that’s the boss, might want to hear that the deal’s on from someone other than me.”
“That’s no problem, buddy.” Lucas didn’t sound thrilled at the idea of sitting by the phone to do his bit, but Marcus knew he could trust his friend. He’d do the job if that’s what was needed. “So, how close are you?”
“I don’t know,” Marcus admitted, looking around the woods and shaking his head. “There’s something nasty in the woods, but I figured it would be at their compound. No luck there, though. I had a look around and the place doesn’t have the smell, you know?”
Lucas grunted. In the Army, the three bear shifters had seen enough places with the touch of evil to be familiar with the scent of it. It was a scent human noses just weren’t sensitive enough to catch onto. It meant that shifters were ideal for this kind of work, but human language wasn’t very good for discussing the details.
“Any chance of following the scent?”
“That’s the next step, I think. But trailing it out from their base is going to be pretty suspicious. If there is an unholy spot out there, and they use it for something, then they’ll be keeping an eye out.”
Another voice broke into the conversation on Lucas’ end of the phone. “Marcus, hey, it’s Karl. Look, if the gang’s asking for girls, you know what that probably means.”
“Nothing good,” Marcus said. “They must be running through victims faster than they can find their own without being caught. Hey, aren’t you supposed to be in Europe still?”
“Ah, that went sideways. We’ll fill you in later,” Karl said, sounding a little defensive. “Anyway, there’s one thing we can try, maybe. If it comes to it, we could try and send them a plant, someone they’ll take out there. We plant a tracker on her, and follow them right to wherever they’re doing this shit. I know some girls who are up for taking a bit of a risk if we pay well and we’d be there to pull them out of the fire before anything happened.”
“No.” Marcus and Lucas snapped in unison. Karl was a good guy, of course - they wouldn’t be working together otherwise. But he was far too happy taking risks, especially with other people’s lives.
“Look, I’m not sending someone out there without knowing exactly what’s going on. We can take care of ourselves, but some civilian…”
“Yeah, yeah, fair enough,” Karl said. “Just trying to think of some way to help, that’s all.”
“Well, I do have something. Got some ideas of where their money is sitting, so you can have a look and see what their front companies are up to.”
“Are you sure that’s a good use of our time?” Lucas said, unconvinced. “Sure, it can’t hurt to see what else they’re involved in, but we’re planning on wrapping this up in a few days, right?”
“At least it’s better than sitting around your apartment all day, hoping Marcus calls and needs us to come running to the rescue,” Karl responded, la
ughing. Marcus heard him clap Lucas on the shoulder. “And after this job, we have got to get us a real base of operations. Doing this shit from home is not a good way to go.”
“Yeah, we’ll get right on that.” Marcus smiled and shook his head. They’d set up Guardian Bear Security in a hurry, and it was still running a little too much by the seats of their pants. But a team of bear shifters willing to deal with problems that no one else could had commanded enough business that they simply hadn’t had the downtime to sort things out yet.
I guess it’s a good kind of problem to have, he told himself. And it’s not like we just need an office, either. Three bears need some space, we want a place to train… that’s something to think about later, though.
“There’s one other thing I wanted to tell you guys, while I’m on the phone,” he said, pulling his mind back to the present. “Lisa’s still here.”
“Lisa, the girl from back home you’re always going on about?” Karl sounded amused. “I thought you said she’d left?”
“Yeah, well, I thought she would have. She was nearly as set on getting out of here as I was, and she’s bright enough she’d have been able to make it anywhere. But no, she’s still here, running her family store. And I think that she’s my mate.”
It was the first time he’d said that out loud, and it didn’t sound as silly as he’d feared. In fact, it sounded right, simply a statement of truth. There was a moment’s silence on the phone, and then Lucas spoke.
“Congratulations, buddy!” His voice was warmer than usual, and Marcus could almost feel the hug he’d be getting if they were in the same room. “That’s got be the best bonus we’ve had yet on one of these jobs.”
“Yeah, well done,” Karl put in, laughing. “I’m not exactly surprised, though. The way you talked about her, it was a little bit obvious. I mean, did he ever go a week without reminding us how perfect and wonderful Lisa-back-home was, Lucas?”