“It’s one of my favorites, though to be honest I have a lot of favorites.”
For the next half hour, Jen recorded Kendis’s struggle to borrow the money from the bank and then the effort it took to get the people to want tea over coffee.
“Are you doing okay?” The fact that Kendis lived in the same dive as herself implied things couldn’t be going that well.
“I’m surviving.”
* * * *
“She still in there?”
Jeremiah and Mario were there to make sure Jennifer stayed out of harm’s way. There was no telling when or how a member of The Sword would approach her.
Jeremiah lowered his binoculars and glared at Mario. “You just asked me that three minutes ago.”
“I got a bad feeling about this. Maybe we should go in and check out the place.”
He shot another death stare at him. “Why? You know I don’t drink tea. Besides, Jennifer might recognize us.”
He shrugged. “I like tea.”
That made Jeremiah laugh. “I’ve known you maybe a hundred years and this is the first time you’ve told me you like tea.”
“I got a feeling about the place. Like it’s special or something.”
“You got a feeling? What have you been smokin’?” He raised his binoculars and zeroed in on his target. He then moved the glasses a little to the left and caught sight of the owner. “Holy fuck.”
“What?” Mario grabbed the binoculars.
Jeremiah let go, a little stunned at the reaction of just seeing the woman behind the counter. Mario leaned forward. “You were right. That other woman is hot.”
“We aren’t here to get laid. We gotta keep an eye on Jennifer. Did you spot any of Gastron’s men?” Gastron was in charge of the opposition, all of whom were evil tiger shifters.
“No. Nada.”
Jeremiah swiped the lens back from him. “How can you see anything with that to your face?”
“Look. Jennifer’s coming out.”
Jeremiah slid down in his seat, hoping she didn’t look his way. Not that she’d be sure if she knew him, but why take the chance? If she did catch a glimpse, he would say he, too, was shopping.
“She’s headed back toward the paper.”
“Good.”
That meant they could relax. Instead of going in the door that went upstairs, she took the alley that led to the parking lot. He started the engine, ready to tail her. A minute later she pulled out and took a right. Since MacLeash Boulevard wasn’t very crowded, he waited for her to go a few blocks before executing a U-turn.
“Where do you think she’s going?”
He glanced over at Mario. While his best friend had amazing athletic skills, he talked too much. “Do I look like a mind reader?”
“We got feelings.”
He knew Mario wasn’t talking about emotional feelings toward a woman, but rather the intuition to know what was happening next. “It isn’t working in this case.” When she turned down Laurel, he knew her destination. “She’s going to the mall.”
“Shit. That makes it harder to follow her.”
Since the mall was close to the college and not far from the nearby town of Williamton, the place was a huge draw. Fortunately, Jennifer drove a beat-up VW, which would be easy to spot. She parked six rows from the main entrance and got out. Her blonde hair, extra-long legs clad in tight black pants, and long-sleeved white blouse would make her a breeze to keep track of.
“Ready to go shopping?”
“You bet.”
* * * *
Jen had checked online for the location of the sex shop and found one in the mall. There was another one closer to work, but since she wanted to check out some outfits, she chose the store in the mall. Hunter and Derek weren’t the only ones who could come up with some fun items to play with. She’d kill to be able to tie them up. Hell, maybe she’d even get a whip to spank their fannies. She bet they’d look good in red welts. If she didn’t go overboard with the toys, she’d see about getting a sexy top. She’d washed and returned the translucent top she’d borrowed from Kendis, but she wasn’t going to wear it twice.
The sex store sat at the back of the mall. Perhaps some people were apprehensive about going in there and the owners wanted it to be discreet. Inside, the scent of roses filled the air. She’d expected a tacky store, but there was a really nice lounge area, probably for spouses, and it had beautiful displays. The bondage section was tucked along the side wall.
Someone tapped her on the shoulder, and she turned around. Two giant men loomed over her. She might have been frightened if Derek and Hunter’s men didn’t immediately come to mind.
“You Jennifer Anderson?”
“Yes. Can I help you?” Maybe they would be willing to grant an interview for the paper. How cool would that be to have her story ideas come to her.
“We’d like you to come with us. There’s been a car wreck and Derek and Hunter have been injured.”
Her stomach punched inward and bile tinged her mouth. “Oh, my God. What happened?”
“They’re at the hospital in critical care, but they should pull through. Hunter is asking for you.”
Was Derek unconscious and couldn’t talk? “Sure. Fine. Let’s go.” Her hands shook and her legs worked hard to hold her up.
She turned toward the front entrance, but the two men ushered her out the back. “We parked the car behind the mall. There will be less traffic.”
She clutched her purse as if it was a lifeline. “When did this happen?”
“Less than an hour ago.”
She didn’t ask any more questions for fear the information they told her would further upset her. They exited through some storage area and out the back door where a black limousine sat idling.
The taller of the two men with the pockmarked face held open the door. The more broad-shouldered gentleman with a scar that went from his ear to his shoulder went around to the other side and slid in. When she was cocooned between them, the driver took off.
* * * *
“There she is,” Mario said, pointing to the blonde who was walking by the food court.
“Let’s keep back.” Not that she’d remember them in particular, but if they were to follow Jennifer for a while, they didn’t want her to spot them too often. Being watched made people uncomfortable.
With her head down she walked slowly in the direction of the entrance making sure to stop at each store and look in. By the time she stepped outside, Jeremiah was about the climb the wall. “Tomorrow I’m asking Casius and Hercules to do the tailing.”
As soon as Jen walked past her VW, Jeremiah knew something was up. “Where the fuck is she going?”
The woman turned around and shielded her eyes as if she didn’t remember where she’d parked. Fuck. That wasn’t Jennifer. At that moment, Jeremiah knew his days at The Cove might have been numbered. He immediately pulled out his phone and called Hunter.
“Jennifer okay?”
“Shit. I’m sorry. I think The Sword got her.”
Chapter Twelve
Jen worked hard to keep the bile from erupting in her mouth. Both men were strong and surely would recover, but the pain and possible rehab would be terrible for them—and her. She knitted her fingers together, forcing her breaths to stay even and the tears at bay. Never would she have expected to care so much for these men in such a short period of time, but they’d gotten under her skin. They were wonderful, caring men. If anything happened to them, she’d be devastated.
She finally looked out the front window, trying to get oriented. From what she recalled, this wasn’t the way to the hospital nor was it in the direction of Panther Cove. Because she’d wanted to do a women’s interest story at the hospital, which might include suggestions on getting annual mammograms and pap smears, she’d looked up its location. They should be going west, not east. Her gut churned.
“Where are we going?”
The one with the scarred face curled his lip. “Just shut up.” Gone was the man wh
o more or less appeared to be sympathetic about Derek and Hunter’s accident.
Not that she really needed to ask, but something inside made her open her big mouth. “You don’t work for the Black brothers, do you?” Their growl was her answer. If she felt like throwing up before, now it was worse. Her jitters had jitters. “Who are you?” There was no way she could get out with them hemming her in. “What do you want?”
“We want the Black brothers.”
Reality dawned. “I’m bait?”
“Yes.”
She laughed. At first it was nerves, but the more she laughed the less able she was to stop. Hysterics claimed her. The man on her right painfully grabbed her arm.
“Shut up, I said.”
The ache sobered her. “I’ve known them a week. I’m nothing to them.” At least she was proud of her acting skills.
“We’ll see.”
The pockmarked man nodded to the man in the row of seats behind her. Out of nowhere, the man dragged a gag across her mouth, causing fear and panic to slam into her. She grabbed the edge of the seat and leaned forward. She looked right and left, trying to figure out how to escape.
The man to her left yanked her arms behind her, secured her wrists in seconds, and shoved her onto the floor as if he couldn’t stand his body touching her. Even if she couldn’t see where there were headed, since they hadn’t blindfolded her, she’d be able to identify them.
Oh, shit. I don’t want to die.
* * * *
Hunter punched the wall with the hand that wasn’t holding the phone. “What the fuck do you mean you lost her?” Jeremiah and Mario were his top security men. They never lost anyone.
“They did a bait and switch, sir. They knew what Jen was wearing and had someone wear a blonde wig and put on the same clothes. We, ah, followed that woman.”
He pulled out his transponder. Because MacLeash had warned him something like this could happen, he’d slipped a GPS into her purse when they were at her house. Hunter now flipped it on. When the tracking device picked her up, relief washed through him.
“She’s headed east on Humphreys.”
“Good.” At least Jeremiah knew better than to question how he could be so certain. That would only have wasted time if he had to give an explanation. “We’ll follow if you want to come from the opposite direction.”
Even before Jeremiah finished discussing the plan, Hunter had found Derek and motioned he come with him. Jennifer’s been taken.
He figured Derek would see the need for speed and ask questions later. As soon as Hunter disconnected, they sprinted to the car.
“Gastron’s got her?”
“I’m guessing.” He wouldn’t have been so worried had it been anyone else, but tigers were always messy to deal with. He hoped with surprise on their hands, they could take them down.
As soon as he started the car, Derek began calling in the troops and telling them where to meet. Hunter pressed the accelerator as far down as he could. The fact it was still daylight helped. At night, these curves would have been murder. He pushed over the transponder. “Tell me if Jennifer’s direction changes.”
Derek studied the GPS. “Looks like he plans to take her to his compound.”
Fuck. “Once he gets her inside, we’ll never get her out.”
Hunter’s phone rang. He slapped it into the holder on the dash and pressed the on button. It was Jeremiah. “It better be good.”
“We’re tailing them.”
“Good. Don’t let them see you.”
“I won’t let you down.”
He turned off the phone. Hunter’s mind went into overdrive. Both of them knew what was at stake. Jennifer was their mate and they’d fight to the death to make sure she stayed safe.
“You gotta plan?” Derek asked.
Hunter sharply turned the wheel and left the paved road. “Yeah. Get there before they do.” They were now in a field. They bumped and rattled so hard his teeth smashed together, but it was the shortest distance to The Sword’s home base.
“Hurry.”
I’m going as fast as I can.
From the way Derek was holding on to the overhead handle, one of them would jar an internal organ or the car would break an axle if he went any faster. The road was just ahead, and he hoped he’d make it there before Gastron’s men did. As soon as the tires hit the pavement, he slammed on his brakes. Smoke billowed out and he bet half the tires were left on the road.
“Now what?”
“We wait.”
His cell rang again, and he punched the speaker button. “Where are you?” Jeremiah asked.
“We’re blocking the road about a mile from the entrance to their compound.”
“We should be there in thirty seconds.”
Both he and Derek bolted out of the car and immediately shifted. Hunter had picked this spot because driving around the car would have been impossible with the steep ditch on either side of the road. With his senses on high alert, he smelled the exhaust before he saw the car.
They stayed hidden. The black limousine rounded the corner. Brakes squealed. Burnt rubber filled his nostrils as the big car stopped inches from his truck. Hunter dug his claws into the ground, ready to pounce on those bastards. By taking Jennifer, Gastron had crossed the line. It was now war.
The driver probably would have plowed into his vehicle to get it out of the way had he and Derek been inside. No one got out of the limo. Shit. Whichever flunky had taken Jennifer was probably getting directions from Gastron about how to proceed.
He prayed they hadn’t harmed her. Poor Jen was probably scared to death. Those fuckers were cowards taking out their evil ways on an innocent woman.
Jeremiah coasted to a stop behind the car. Both doors opened, and he and Mario climbed out and stayed low. He wondered if they’d shift or try to shoot their way out. Guns left evidence. Wild animals couldn’t be traced.
Jeremiah, shift now. That’s an order.
He did. The savvy Mario stayed in human form and crouched low. As soon as Gastron’s men figured out what was going down, they’d probably shift, too, and then attack. Despite real tigers being larger than wild panthers, their shifter status made their fighting skills equal, except that he doubted Gastron’s men were as disciplined as his men.
All of the doors but the driver’s side opened, and an equal number of men got out. Crap. He needed Mario to get Jen to safety, which would leave the three of them to battle four of the enemy. He didn’t like the odds.
Gastron’s men must have been able to smell the four of them. A flash of light filled the area, but only three had shifted. He had to hand it to them. The remaining one remained in human form and aimed his guns while the tigers crouched low.
Let the war begin.
Mario, get Jennifer.
As long as he knew she’d be safe, he could handle anything.
* * * *
As soon as the limo had slammed to a halt, hope surged through her. The driver’s curse alerted her to the fact that a truck was blocking the road. Perhaps the people in the car could help her.
The pockmarked man cocked a gun and pressed it against her head. “Stay down.”
She squeezed shut her eyes, knowing she was about to die. Her pulse raced and the stench of her sweat reached her. Seconds passed and yet she was still alive. She wanted to sit up and signal whoever was out there to help her, but clearly her captors didn’t want the bystanders to see her. That gave her hope that maybe her potential rescuers were cops. Yes! Dread replaced her optimism. These awful men would have to kill them in order to get where they were going.
Several limousine doors opened at once and the cross breeze chilled her, but she didn’t move even though the pressure from the gun barrel had disappeared. Footsteps sounded as the men raced away. She attuned her senses to her surroundings to see if she was perhaps alone in the car. They might have bound and gagged her, but they’d left her feet unfettered. She was about to get up on the seat when the driver’s arm slid ac
ross the top of the seat and pressed another gun to her head.
“Stay down or you die.”
Damn it. A shadow appeared behind her, and the sound of bones cracking sickened her. The gun the driver had been holding bounced off her shoulder. If her hands hadn’t been tied behind her, she would have grabbed it.
A set of warm hands clasped her shoulders and eased her up. “Jennifer. I’m with Hunter and Derek. Come with me.”
She had no idea if he was the real deal, but the men who’d tied her up had definitely not been on Hunter’s side. She nodded.
“Keep low.”
Gunshots sounded, and she ducked behind this mystery man, not daring to look at the confrontation. Her knees almost buckled thinking about bullets flying. In a flash, this beautiful man swooped her up in his arms and ran across the road and down a steep hill without faltering. His grip tight, he shielded her head with his body.
Feet pounded on the pavement. She swore she heard growls along with more gunshots. Fists met flesh and grunts sounded.
“Let me untie you.”
She tried to tell him to undo her gag, but he kept shushing her. He probably figured she’d have been in such a state of panic that if he removed the cloth she’d scream. He just might be right. After a few seconds of fumbling he got her ropes free.
She pulled the gag down over her mouth. “Where are Hunter and Derek?” She knew they hadn’t been injured.
His handsome face saddened as he nodded up to the road. Her legs gave way, but before her ass reached the ground, this man caught her.
“Gotcha.”
“I’m okay.”
Not really, but having someone hold her other than her men made things worse. More of the scuffle sounded. Part of her wanted to know who was winning, but the other part didn’t. If she saw either Hunter or Derek get injured, it would kill her. Another set of tires squealed to a stop. She looked up at the man holding her.
“Reinforcements.” His smile calmed her stomach nearly as much as if she saw her men rush down to greet her.
Protecting Their Mate [Panther Cove 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 10