That was what she was learning more and more about him with each passing struggle they had. Kheem met Jamar with his fists ready, swinging them hard at his face and making contact the moment he came within range. Josie turned and looked at Jonathan who was coming closer to her with each step. He was moving at a slow pace, deliberate and trying his hardest to intimidate her with his serious presence.
She knew Jonathan wasn’t a killer. He was a bureaucrat and he was here just to put down the weak little girl. Well, she was more than eager to show him that she wasn’t someone to underestimate. In fact, she was going to mess him up real good.
“Just give up,” Jonathan said to her with a cold voice.
“Never,” she said.
She swung for him, aiming for his face and watched as he stepped back from her, dodging the blow. It was exactly what Josie was hoping he would do. While he shied away from the punch, all he did was lean back. He didn’t pivot or step backwards. So she took her chance. Kicking him hard in the groin, she watched his knees snap together hard and his face pucker with the sudden shooting pain in his groin.
As his hands clamped down on his groin, she swung her fist again, swinging upwards and catching him in the jaw as his head whipped back and he tumbled backwards. Josie had been in her fair share of fights and she knew how far she had to go before she hit that line that she couldn’t cross. She knew that you could only take a fight to certain limits before it became deadly.
She was ready to cross that line.
Slamming her foot down hard on Jonathan’s throat, she tried her hardest not to let the sound of his windpipe crunching bother her too much. His eyes were wide and his arms were splayed out across the floor as his dazed mind tried to recover, before she stomped the hope out of his life. His hands snapped to his maimed throat, but there was nothing he could do. Shifters were notoriously tough, but she had seen a man die from that before. She wasn’t playing around with him.
Jonathan had outlived his welcome in her world and it was time for him to retire. His eyes widened, bugging out in horror as they bulged inside his sockets, his legs kicking, trying their hardest to find footing so that he could stumble away for help. He tried to stand up, but Josie planted her foot into his back and kicked him over, leaving him to die in the middle of the stage in the auditorium.
Assuming Kheem was going to be the stronger fight, King Ronald had rushed to the help of Jamar who was taking a beating from Kheem. It wouldn’t be long before people started to transition and Josie knew once everyone started turning into animals, this fight was going to get a lot worse.
So she rushed to help Kheem who was starting to take the worst of the battle with the two men. She watched King Ronald dig his knuckles into his side and knock the wind out of Kheem. He dropped to one knee at the edge of the stage and Jamar got his revenge by swinging his fists viciously at Kheem’s head.
Kheem spun after receiving the blow on the side of his face, spinning and toppling off the side of the stage. Josie watched in horror, not sure what she could do. They were strong and they were better at fighting. Both of them had been in wars before. Both of them had actually killed men with their bare hands.
She needed a weapon. She needed something that would level the playing field. If they transformed into lions, there was no way that she was going to be able to hold her own well enough to have any distinct advantage. No, she needed something more substantial than that.
Before she could find anything, her eyes were drawn to the two figures lurking on the edge of the stage. Their bodies started to dance, launching this way and that, writhing and flailing as scarlet ribbons danced out of their back. It took a moment before she realized that there were bullets ripping apart the wall behind them, flecks of wood and velvet from the curtain. Her mouth dropped opened as she took a step back, watching as Ronald and Jamar were ripped apart by the silent bullets that only made sounds when they impacted the wood, hissing through their bodies like lethal whispers.
She couldn’t believe her eyes, not that she wanted to, either. It was horrible to see as parts of them ripped open and soon they both dropped backwards, landing hard with a splatter. The moment both of them hit the floor, she watched as their vacant eyes stared off into the unknown, blood pooling under them at an alarming speed.
When she opened her eyes, she looked to the back of the auditorium where there were two figures holding very large, very fancy rifles that looked like they could rip through the wall like hot lead through warm butter. Josie knew that if they turned those weapons on her, there was no chance that she was going to survive. Her only hope was to surrender and she did so willingly. Slowly, she raised her hands up over her head, surrendering to them and closing her eyes, praying that they wouldn’t kill her immediately.
“We surrender,” Josie said to the two figures that started to move forward down the walkway. They took cautious steps. The first had their rifle trained on her while the other was very interested in Kheem who was still trying to get up off the ground.
“Keep your hands where I can see them,” the person approaching her said sternly. She noticed that at the end of the man’s rifle was a very long silencer – that was why she wasn’t able to hear the bullets ripping apart King Ronald and Jamar. “Don’t make any quick movements. Stay where you are,” the man looked over his shoulder to his friend. “That one clear?”
“Yeah, it’s the Panther,” the second person replied. “We’re clear.”
“Jesus, you people sure know how to get in between a rock and a hard spot,” the man told her, taking off his facemask. “Cardel of the Hunters, at your service. We found Wahir and when we showed up, we heard the commotion. Figured you two could use some support.”
“You just killed King Ronald,” Kheem took the hand of the second Hunter and let him pull him up to his feet. The person looked Kheem up and down before turning back to Cardel.
“Suppose we did,” Cardel shrugged. “You know the law of the treaty. No Shifter is allowed to attack another Shifter or declare war. If you ask me,that looked like a declaration of war to me, didn’t it to you, Dutch?”
“Sure did,” the second person said without a drop of emotion in his voice.
“As for you two,” Cardel took over from that point, “I think you might want to prepare something for the rest of the survivors. I doubt they’re going to be so forgiving as we are. Or maybe they will. As far as I can recall, I think the Shifters are having a bit of a hierarchy rearrangement.”
Cardel reached up to the radio on his shoulder and turned away from Josie, as if she wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation. “Auben, we took out King Ronald and his lackeys. It looks like the Lions are out of the den now. We’ve got the she-wolf and the Panther here. Awaiting orders.”
He relaxed after he sent his message, looking at the far walls of the room and showing a surprising amount of trust by leaving his back exposed to her. The man named Dutch, however, was watching both Kheem and Josie. Hopping down from the stage, she rushed to Kheem, making sure that he was fine. Beaten and bruised even more, he stood strong and tall, not willing to show any sign of weakness in front of these Hunters. She admired him and was proud of him.
How was he supposed to take both of them? But, somehow he was willing to take the chance and he did what he needed to. He took the fight to both of them and stood tall. With a deep breath, she hugged him, exhaling as she felt the warmth of his body against hers.
“God, I love you,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief that they were still alive. They were running out of luck, but what they had still was enough to keep her hopeful.
“I love you too,” Kheem whispered, his eyes still on the enemies that were in the room with them.
She knew that he was tense and nervous, but she wasn’t afraid of them. They weren’t going to kill them and they weren’t going to turn on them after saving them from King Ronald and Jamar. She had no idea what they would have done if they hadn’t shown up. If they hadn’t been tracking J
osie, they would be dead right now. They would be gone and little Ony would be in the hands of King Ronald. That was more than she could stomach. She was grateful, indebted even.
“Cardel, lock them in,” Auben’s voice came over the radio on Dutch and Cardel’s shoulders. “I don’t want to see their faces again.”
“Yes, sir,” Cardel replied and turned around. He looked them over carefully before stepping toward them, Dutch still had his gun lowered but in their general direction. “You two have caused more than enough trouble. We’re done babysitting you and it’s time to get both of you out of here. All right? I want you both locked in here before things get out of control.
Understand me? If I see either of you on the field again or being held hostage or at the center of any nonsense that is going on, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger and end either of you. In fact, I would probably be doing this entire island a favor if I just put the two of you miserable sods out to pasture right now. But, you’re lucky the boss is a bit of a romantic.”
“Cardel, come on,” a woman’s voice called over the radio. Cardel took a step back from them and turned around once more. Josie wondered what that was all about.
“I’m here, Riana,” Cardel answered.
“We’ve found the bastards,” Riana informed him. “Both of them are holed up inside of a stripper bar. We’re setting up a perimeter and getting ready to attack. You got thirty minutes to get your ass over here with Dutch.”
“Got it,” Cardel turned and looked at Dutch, “we’re on our way.”
“Next time,” Dutch informed them with a sinister voice, clearly not as pleased as Cardel was that they weren’t killing the she-wolf and the panther.
Josie watched as Dutch walked backwards a bit before turning with Cardel and slipping out of the resort. How they were getting around the place with such enormous weapons was beyond Josie. How could they keep everyone from panicking and freaking out at the sight of them?
The moment the doors closed, Josie wondered who was going to come clean up King Ronald, Jamar, and Jonathan. Who was in charge now? The whole island was about to witness a massive thinning of the Shifter population and that probably meant there was going to be even more fighting. How many others were going to die before someone was elected leader of this place? Two members of the Council were dead, soon two Clans were going to be dead, and that was going to be just the beginning of the madness.
Kheem took a step toward the door and looked over his shoulder at Josie. His face was full of conflict and it scared her to see him so torn looking, so distraught and confused. His eyes were brimming with warring emotions and she couldn’t help but want to know what it was that was going through his head right now. What was happening that she didn’t know about?
“We’ve got a problem,” Kheem said to her.
When this was going to end, she wondered.
* * *
“I’m going to need you to go over that one more time,” Josie sat down on one of the red, plush chairs of the auditorium and shook her head.
This was a nightmare. How could all of this be happening right now? She just wanted things to come to a conclusion to be done once and for all. She was ready for the fighting and the insanity to come to a conclusion so that she could just settle down with her small family and enjoy what it was that she had. She needed this. They didn’t understand how much of a nightmare they were becoming to her. She wanted to scream and pull out her hair.
“When I was being held hostage by the Hyenas,” Kheem was pacing back and forth. His eyes were full of thought and disappointment. She knew he was warring with himself about what he should do, but it was a silly thing to be battling internally. Why wouldn’t he just tell her this up front? Was he thinking it was a bluff? Was he thinking that King Ronald would be able to do something about it and before he could tell him, they’d turned on them? “I heard them talking with the Jaguars about luring the Hunters to an ambush at the Torch. They have the place rigged with explosives.”
“What do you mean, explosives?” Josie shook her head. This was becoming a spy movie that she had been sucked into the middle of and none of it was making any sense to her. “Where could they get their hands on explosives? It’s not like we have a booming black market here.”
“The Hyenas have contacts and everyone here was in a war in Africa,” Kheem reminded her. “They rigged drums of gasoline from the mechanic’s shop they own to blow up when they call it with a cellphone. This whole building is going to explode when they walk it to. They’re going kill all the Hunters when they go inside to get them.”
“So, they’re all going to their death,” Josie shook her head. A thought illuminated her mind and she couldn’t shake it. “Maybe they’re lying. Maybe they told you that in hopes that you’d warn them and buy them more time for whatever it is that they’re planning to do.”
“No,” Kheem shook his head. “I don’t think so. They weren’t anticipating I would be freed. When Wahir showed up and wounded them, they gave me up unwillingly, hoping that they would be able to come back for me. I’m sure they’re pissed I got away.”
“So what are we going to do?” Josie didn’t know.
She didn’t understand what their role in all of this was yet. It wasn’t like they were the most skilled or successful fighters. In fact, they were developing a notorious reputation that meant more and more people were less inclined to fear them. They were probably going to laugh when Josie and Kheem showed their faces to anyone again. That was the legacy of this whole adventure that they were carrying around.
“We need to go warn them,” Kheem said after a moment of consideration.
He weighed his words carefully and tried to find the words that made the best sense to him and the course of action that was right for them. This was the last thing that Josie wanted to hear. What Josie wanted to hear, is that they were going to stay here and let things play out. If they didn’t act though, there was one very obvious conclusion.
The Hyenas and the Jaguars were going to win. They were going to overwhelm the Hunters and they were going to kill them all. Even if they didn’t kill every last one of them, they would kill enough to render them useless and send them all back on the boat to Warco, licking their wounds. If they succeeded in driving the Hunters form the island, then there would definitely be no one left to help them. The Hyenas and the Jaguars would claim the leadership of the Council and turn on everyone.
The island would be turned into a bloodbath or they would take their tyrannical ideals elsewhere. No matter which choice they decided upon, it would begin with the death of Josie and Kheem and would end with the loss of Ony to whoever was the highest bidder.
Josie couldn’t allow that.
“Fine,” Josie said to him. “I’m sure Karen still has Ony, but if we’re going to do this, we have to survive. No matter what happens, we survive, Kheem. Do you understand? We have a child to protect.”
“I’m not dying for this stupid war,” Kheem told her with all the seriousness that he could muster. “I’m not dying for anyone. We’re going to make it through this and we’re going to have our family.”
“Good,” Josie said with a sigh of relief. She wanted to believe him and she wasn’t going to give up hope. She wanted to be with him forever and she had the fortitude to believe that they would be. They had survived all that had led up to this moment. So they would make it a little longer. There was no doubt in her mind. Taking a deep breath, she kissed him before they left.
The Final Chapter
“So what’s the plan here?” Josie asked him, walking away from the resort and looking at the road leading into town.
It was a winding road through the jungle that gave them plenty of cover, but it was still a dangerous journey she was not eager to take. There could be numerous threats in the jungle and there was no knowing if the ambush had happened already. If they were under attack right now, they could be walking up to the victors only to get killed. They needed a plan they could sti
ck to and work with, something that didn’t end with either of them getting killed. That was going to be the trick here. That was going to be the hardest part of their planning.
“Wait for them to throw the ambush,” Kheem was limping, not looking the best as he moved toward their objective. He was limping hard and it was looking more and more painful with each passing step. “Whoever survives, we take out. It’ll be quick and it’ll be painless. We just have to make sure the Hyenas and the Jaguars don’t survive. If any one of them survives, then we’ll have to look over our shoulders for the rest of our days. I’m not interested in doing that.”
Josie laughed. “Neither am I.”
“I’m glad we’re of the same mindset,” Kheem chuckled and looked at her, his eyes full of love and admiration.
She liked it when he looked at her like that. She liked having that feeling in her stomach that his eyes gave her. It was the kind of feeling that made her think that she could take on the entire world without a moment of hesitation. She looked at Kheem and smiled back at him. She didn’t want him to ever feel like he couldn’t trust in her. She wanted him to believe that she was always there for him, because she was. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for him.
They walked for fifteen minutes, their fingers laced together and their eyes meeting each other’s over and over again. It was one of those moments that felt like it was pulling Josie out of chaos and insanity of everything that was happening. She loved it. If she could just live in this moment forever, she would be happy. She would be happy with her entire lot in life.
There were so many people who wanted nothing more than to find someone who truly loved them, who would truly give them everything and that was special in this world. She wanted to be with Kheem for the rest of her life and the fact was that she was actually fighting for it. She was fighting to have her relationship with him. People went their whole lives looking for that and she was the lucky one who was able to find the special match in her life.
The Panther's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance Page 12