by Leslie Chase
His nostrils flared as his bear tasted the air. He recognized those two - on the left was a tall thin man, and the man on the right was heavy, favoring his right leg. The two men who’d been trying to drag off Lisa.
Good. Saves me the trouble of finding them later.
He smiled a fierce and hungry grimace, baring his teeth, and Vance’s eyes widened.
“Got the merchandise here for you to examine,” Vance said. “How soon can we expect to get paid?”
“I told you, it’ll take a few days,” Marcus replied, stepping up to the table as Big Jack entered behind him. “I made my call, it’s all in motion.”
Something was wrong, he could feel it. And he could taste the darkness of the witching stone on the air. It filled this place, along with the scent of old blood and death. Marcus didn’t need to see the bodies to know what had happened to those missing girls.
This is it, he thought, a savage anger in his heart. If the police look at this place, they’ll have enough evidence to put away the Serpents for a good long time.
A small part of him hoped that Danny had taken his advice and was far away by now. That wouldn’t be enough to save him if he’d had anything to do with the murders himself, but if he was clean of that, he might get a second chance.
“Looks good,” he said, trying to look as though his attention was on the drugs. It was even true - they were in neat packages, carefully wrapped, all identical. Exactly the kind of professional display he’d be looking for if he really was a criminal looking for a supplier.
“Yeah, we’ve never had a complaint from our customers,” Vance told him. There was a nasty edge to his voice, even compared to their earlier meeting.
Something’s definitely wrong.
“Looks like we should get on just fine, then,” Marcus said, looking up and meeting the man’s suspicious gaze.
“Funny thing, that.” Vance stood straight, flexing his hands. “We’ve got friends all over. It looked like a piece of luck, Lewis knowing you. Turns out that we got even luckier with Jack’s friend Elwood, who did some time with the guys you say you’re working for. Now don’t you try anything funny.”
Ah, shit. Marcus heard the unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked behind him and stood very still. If they just wanted him dead, they’d have shot him already: the fact that they were talking meant that they wanted something. This didn’t have to go to violence right away.
“Shouldn’t listen to everything you hear from strangers,” he said, quietly. “This Elwood, how much can you trust his friend?”
“More than we trust you,” Big Jack said, close behind him.
Too close, Marcus thought, keeping his face blank. Amateurs often got too close to someone they were holding a gun on. Often it was their last mistake.
Vance just grinned and nodded.
“You’ve got a point, though, I’ve got to admit. We don’t know either of you well enough to say more than one of you is lying. So I came up with a compromise. Your deal comes through, we’re all friends here, okay? I’ll even throw in a little extra for the misunderstanding. But to make sure you’re on the level, I’m going to hold some insurance till your delivery gets here.”
Marcus stiffened. He couldn’t help it, the anger was building inside him like a fire burning hotter and hotter. There was only one thing Vance could mean, but he asked anyway, playing for time and details. Suddenly he was happy that Lisa and Hazel had left straight away rather than waiting for the morning.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Your bitch, of course,” Big Jack laughed. “You really care too much about her for someone in our line of work, makes it an easy hook to bait.”
“No need to be rude, Jack,” Vance said. “Marcus, it’s simple. You pay up, or she pays for you. If you’re on the level, you’ll have no problem with that. She’ll just spend a couple of days as a guest of the Serpents, no problem. I’m sure the town can do without her store being open for that long. But if you aren’t willing to pay, then shit, I guess she’ll have to pay for you.”
Marcus nodded, clamping down with icy control on the rage boiling in his heart, waiting for his moment and thanking God that Lisa was safe. “Sure. I’ll make a phone call, see if I can hurry things along.”
“You do that,” Vance told him, with a smile that didn’t reach his cold eyes. “And I wouldn’t get any funny ideas just because you think your girl’s safe. Coldwood’s a small town, it’s pretty easy to watch all the roads in and out. Cal should be picking her up right about now.”
Big Jack laughed behind him, a nasty vicious laugh, and Marcus felt his fury rise up against his self-control again. He let it. This was no longer a time for calm - it had never been, he’d just let himself be fooled into thinking it was.
Time seemed to slow around him as he let his anger in. Not in some berserker rage, but in a much more controlled blaze, burning down familiar paths in his blood.
Four on one, he thought as the rage took over. Not good odds, and they’ve got guns. But my mate needs me, and that’s all there is to this.
Roaring loud enough to shock his enemies, he spun, one hand flipping the table into Vance’s face, the other snapping around in a short chop that sent Jack’s gun flying into the darkness.
16
The battered old car drove through the darkness, and Lisa yawned. Beside her, Hazel smiled, as though happy to be on an adventure.
It’s been a long time since she’s been anywhere, Lisa realized. Even this far.
They’d planned to head on to the next town, and see if the motel there had any rooms free. It wasn’t much of a risk, not this time of year - the bigger worry was that it might be shut, business would be so slow.
“Won’t be long now,” she said, not sure if she was speaking to Hazel or to herself. The road was eerie in the dark, no lights but theirs as they sped through the woods.
No, that wasn’t right. There were lights behind her, another car closing on them. Lisa glanced at her speed and shook her head. Whoever was behind them was clearly in a hurry to get somewhere, and didn’t mind taking risks about it.
“Idiot,” she said under her breath, slowing a little and making sure he had plenty of space to pass her.
She felt her mother tense as she looked around, “Don’t slow down.”
“What?” She looked at her mother and saw that her face was pale and frightened. “What’s wrong?”
“That’s not a car.”
She looked back and saw the lights separate in the mirror. What she’d thought was a single vehicle was two bikes, speeding to overtake them.
“They can’t be here for us,” Lisa said, trying to sound reassuring despite the pit of dread that was opening in her stomach. “The only person who knows we’re on the road is Marcus, and he wouldn’t have told anyone. Unless -”
Her heart skipped a beat, and she felt her hands tighten on the wheel. Unless they made him.
Hazel shook her head sharply. “Don’t be silly! You know that he’d never give you up, no matter what - and he can take care of himself. We need to look after us, right now.”
Quickly rummaging through her bag, Hazel pulled out a revolver. Lisa stared at it for a moment, appalled, before bringing her eyes back to the road. How had she not known that her mother had a gun?
She dragged her attention back to the road and tried to ignore the pit opening in her stomach. Her fingers trembled until she clenched them tight on the wheel, knuckles whitening as she glanced into the mirror again. The bikers were just behind them now, and her little car wasn’t going to outrun them. Not that she’d have trusted her driving in a high-speed chase, anyway. No matter how easy the movies made it look, she knew she’d be more likely to run herself into a tree than to get away, even if she could go fast enough.
Hazel twisted in her seat as best she could, trying to aim the gun at their pursuers. It wasn’t easy, and Lisa winced at the thought of this turning into a shootout. She slowed down.
“What a
re you doing?” Hazel looked around at her, eyes narrowed and gun mostly steady in her hands.
“I’m not going to get us into a crash, mom,” Lisa replied, pulling the car over beside the dark and looming trees. The bikes passed them and pulled to a halt a few yards ahead. Behind them, more lights were approaching. “We can’t fight them and we can’t run. Let Marcus know what’s happened, he’ll… he’ll do something.”
He’d better, she thought, undoing her seat belt and steeling herself to get out of the car. Hazel’s hand closed on her wrist with a vicelike grip.
“No you don’t! You’re not going out there, Lisa, not with them.” The venom in her voice was harsh, angry, and afraid. Lisa looked at her mom, tears welling in her eyes.
“I don’t have any choice! I’m not going to let them hurt you, mom, and if we try to fight, that’s all that will happen. We can’t win.”
“We might. I’ve got enough bullets.”
Lisa wrapped her arms around her mother and hugged her tight. Her heart ached and her mind was numbed by their near escape. But if the Serpents were there for her, not Hazel, then her mom could still get away.
“I’m sorry, mom,” she said, her voice wet with tears. As she sat back from the embrace, she reached for Hazel’s hand, pulling the revolver from her grasp. Her mother took a moment too long to react, and by the time she was reaching for her gun, Lisa was opening the car door. She dropped the pistol outside and stepped out following it.
“I can’t let you throw your life away defending me, mom,” she explained, not wanting to look back and see her mother’s reaction to her betrayal. “You can still get out of this okay.”
The bikers were nearly at the car now, and she straightened, looking up to greet them. Behind her, in the car, her mother cursed.
“Well, fancy meeting you here, Lisa,” Cal said, grinning nastily as he swung down from his bike. Lisa’s heart froze - why did it have to be him?
I should have expected this, she thought. Of course he wouldn’t give up a chance to harass me again if he could get it.
She felt scared, yes, terrified even, but more than anything she was tired of this bullshit.
“Just get it over with, Cal. Do whatever it is you’re going to do.”
Cal laughed, his comrade joining in. Behind her, Lisa could hear another group of bikes pulling up.
I love you, mom, but there’s no way you’re a good enough shot to take on this many, she thought, glad she’d gotten the gun away from Hazel before she tried anything foolish.
Cal stepped close, looming over her, the darkness obscuring his face. It almost looked as though he had snake eyes, though Lisa knew that must be a trick of her imagination. His hand reached up to hold her chin, pulling her up to face him. She shuddered at his touch but kept herself from pulling away.
“I reckon I owe you for the sucker punch that fucker Marcus laid on me,” he hissed, squeezing her face savagely.
“He beat you fair and square,” she told him fiercely, forcing the words out past his hand. “If you want to argue that with someone, pick a fight with him. I’d love to watch a rematch.”
Cal just laughed, dragging her back to his bike. The Serpents laughed with him, grabbing her arms and ignoring Hazel’s shouts. Taking some rope, they quickly lashed her hands together, and then to his bike.
“You’re going to regret this,” Lisa promised them, trying to keep her voice from shaking like a leaf. “Marcus is going to mess you up.”
The bikers laughed. “He’s not going to do shit,” one of them said, giving her a hard slap. “And you know it. Not with your life on the line for his good behavior.”
Cal smirked. “That’s if he’s even still alive. Wouldn’t want to bet on him getting out away from his meeting with Vance with all his bits intact. Shame, I wanted to be the one to finish him, but at least I still get to pay you back for betraying me, you bitch.”
They’re just trying to scare me, Lisa told herself. But if that was true, they were succeeding. In all the years that they’d been apart, she’d never doubted that Marcus was alive. Doing something dangerous, perhaps, but she’d never doubted that he’d come out of it alive and in one piece. Now, though, her heart was in her mouth as she thought of him. Could they be right; could he be dead?
Wouldn’t I know? I’d feel it somehow, right? She couldn’t be sure. The icy fingers of fear wrapped around her thoughts, and she couldn’t concentrate. Whatever connection there was between her and the bear who’d claimed her as his mate, she couldn’t feel it, or him. A small whimper of fear escaped her lips and she heard the bikers around her laugh at her distress.
They looked up as another bike approached down the road, its engine filling the quiet air of the night with its roar.
“Expecting someone else?” The biker holding Lisa’s right arm asked. He let go and took a step back, looking down the road at the headlight.
Cal shook his head, frowning. “Nope. Shouldn’t be anyone but us here.”
The oncoming bike slowed, stopped. The light switched off, and the moonlight fell through the canopy overhead to reveal the rider: Marcus.
Even in the pale moonlight, even at a distance, it was clear that he wasn’t at his best. He didn’t have a jacket or a helmet, and his white t-shirt was torn and covered in dark splashes of what could only be blood. His face was streaked with it too, and as he got off the bike, Lisa saw that he was unsteady on his feet.
But then he straightened and looked up the road to the group of Serpents surrounding her, his fury written across his face. Lisa felt her captors deflate as he fixed them with a glare.
“Let her go and leave,” he shouted, taking a step forwards. “I’ll give you one chance to get out of here, and that’s all.”
Cal laughed, but it wasn’t the confident laughter he mocked Lisa with. Now he sounded scared, laughing to convince himself that he was in control.
“Didn’t expect to see you, Marcus. That’s a bonus – we get to kill you and then have our fun with Lisa. You don’t think you can take us six on one, do you?”
The other Serpents spread out, and a couple reached under their jackets to pull out pistols. Marcus shook his head, bared his teeth, and growled.
The sound wasn’t human. It resonated, filling the woods, making everyone freeze. Even Lisa’s blood chilled at the sound and it wasn’t aimed at her. She found herself surprised that the gang members didn’t simply keel over in shock.
It did keep them in place for a moment as Marcus charged, rushing towards them with inhuman speed. In the blink of an eye he changed, grew, bursting from his clothes as a great grizzly bear barreling towards her and her captors.
One of the gunmen managed to shake free of his paralysis and pulled the trigger, the crack of his shot swallowed by the woods. The bullet went wide as the bear rushed him, but the noise was enough to shake the rest of them out of their shock and into action.
The Serpents scrambled for their guns, all apart from Cal and the biker beside him, who gunned their engines and pulled away as Marcus smashed into the first gunman, swatting him aside with a great sweep of his claws. Lisa shuddered at the fountain of blood he sent flying along with the man’s pistol. Others jumped back, one trying to bring a shotgun up, others blazing away wildly with handguns.
Lisa whimpered at the sight, twisting to see what happened as Cal tried to control his bike. The bear smashed into the group of bikers with a terrifyingly controlled fury.
He had the skill of a trained warrior, an elite soldier - and the strength and toughness of a bear, the claws and teeth to match. The Serpent with the shotgun tried to raise it to his face, but he ducked around the muzzle. The shot roared into the night an instant before Marcus’s great paw smacked down onto the face of the man who dared to threaten him.
Lisa watched the man go flying into his friends, the shotgun falling from his grip. She saw a bullet from one of the handguns hit home, but the wound on his shoulder only seemed to enrage Marcus more. He turned to snarl at t
he biker who fired it, the man turned tail and ran, dropping his gun as he fled into the darkness.
Smart man, for a Serpent, Lisa thought. Her heart was in her mouth as she watched Marcus fight on, but he didn’t seem to mind the wound at all. A wide sweep of his arms smashed another Serpent into her car with an impact that sent the small car skidding aside. She tried to see if her mother was all right, but couldn’t make her out through the chaos.
“Let’s get out of here,” the biker beside Cal shouted, and twisted his throttle, accelerating into the night. Cal didn’t need any persuading. His rear tire smoked as he gunned his engine wildly, and they sped off.
17
“Marcus!” Lisa shouted in panic, trying to get his attention, and the bear’s head snapped round. With a great roar, it bounded off after them, but the bike was already moving and he had so much distance to cover. Lisa’s blood ran cold as she despaired of him reaching her in time.
The distance didn’t stop Marcus. His great paws slammed onto the asphalt, pushing him forwards with a speed that shocked her. Even as the bike picked up speed, the bear closed the gap behind them, great bounding leaps carrying him ever closer to them. She saw the other bike fall behind as its rider tried to find an angle to shoot at Marcus without stopping the bike.
The bear was level with the rear tire, and without breaking stride, he struck a casual blow that sent the bike spinning, tumbling, crashing. The Serpent riding it was flung free and Lisa winced at the sound of his impact on the road, but Marcus’ focus didn’t leave her.
Over the sound of the engine, Lisa thought she could hear Cal swearing as he glanced back to see what had happened to his friend. Seeing the bear right behind them, he shouted something she couldn’t make out and yanked at the handlebars, dragging the bike away. It wobbled as he fought for control, and for a moment Lisa thought that they were going to crash.