by Meg Ripley
She was busy checking out the rest of the door. “It might not have been that at all. I’ve seen locking knobs on rooms like this before, just because that was what was available. Given how inept they seem at this weapons trafficking ordeal, I’d guess they weren’t quite prepared for this.”
“Made them paranoid enough not to want to let us go, though,” Hudson remarked. “We either need something long and slim to undo the lock, or something we can pry the hinges off with.”
“Yeah.” Leona’s response was absent-minded as she tilted her head at the door. “You think you can break this down? Maybe in your other form?”
“Possibly, but I’d rather not give them a heads-up that we’re getting out when they hear me crashing against the wood. Better to sneak out if possible. Help me look.” He turned to the shelves that took up two of the walls of the room and began sorting through boxes of old Christmas decorations.
She joined him, systematically starting on the other end of the shelves and looking thoroughly through each container. “Did you hear the way the women reacted when things went down?”
“What do you mean?” He wasn’t interested in the pride’s dynamics at the moment, more absorbed with getting out of their makeshift prison than anything. His mind was constantly working through alternate plans. If they couldn’t break down the door, they’d need to catch their opportunity when someone came to check on them. If they shifted and busted through the door that way, they’d need to be prepared for a flood of members to come rushing in to subdue them again. If they were taken down a second time, they might not simply be knocked unconscious the next time.
“I mean, they acted like they had no idea what was happening. Kim looked embarrassed at her husband’s actions. It was the women who were so freaked out about us being armed. Most of them ran out of the room.” She flung a string of heart-shaped decorative lights to the side.
“What’s your point?”
“They don’t know what the guys are doing. The men were quick enough to jump in and keep us from leaving, even though it was perfectly reasonable that we might not want to go through the induction tonight. My guess is that they understood their secret was on the line, but the ladies didn’t have a clue.”
Hudson stopped what he was doing to look at her. “Does it really even matter now? I mean, we know they’re involved in illegal activities. We know they’re supporting terrorism, even if they don’t know it. And whether or not they admit it, guys are always looking for a fight. They were probably happy to jump in just because they never get the chance for that sort of action. Granted, it wasn’t exactly a fair fight, but they won’t think about that until tomorrow.”
“I think it matters, because it means it’s not the entire pride that’s involved. Ah!” she held up a Christmas ornament hook in the older style that was essentially a piece of bent wire. Leona straightened it and took it to the door. She poked the wire into the hole in the brass knob, searching for the tiny release button.
Hudson wasn’t about to walk out into the clubhouse with little more than a tiny knife to protect them. He returned to the boxes he’d gone through, taking out a steel section of hollow tubing that was used as the center support for an artificial Christmas tree. Bits of tinsel were still stuck to it as he braced it over his shoulder like a baseball bat.
The click of victory was loud in the concrete room. Leona looked at him over her shoulder to be sure he was ready before slowly turning the knob. She pressed her ear to the door, listening for anyone outside before easing it open.
They found themselves in a larger basement room. It was mostly dark, but the light over the stairs illuminated a man who’d been stationed on guard duty. He looked uncertain as he shifted his pistol from one hand to the other, glancing up the stairs frequently. Hudson cussed silently in his head. This man wasn’t a trained soldier. He was someone who’d gotten caught up in something much bigger than himself, something he didn’t know how to handle. But he was also someone who would alert the rest of the pride as soon as he realized something was wrong.
Hudson raced forward on silent feet, swinging the tree pole over his head and bringing it down hard on the man’s skull. The dull thud vibrated through the metal as the guard fell. Leona caught him before he hit the floor and began dragging him backwards. Hudson understood what she was doing, and he joined her in stowing the unconscious man in the same storage closet they’d just escaped from. As extra security, Leona wrapped him in a length of garland that she tied expertly around his wrists and feet.
“Christmas in July,” Hudson whispered with a smile. “Let’s see what else we can find.”
The clubhouse seemed eerily quiet at first, but he knew they wouldn’t have just abandoned their prisoners and left them in the care of a solitary guard. The two of them slowly made their way up the stairs to the industrial kitchen, fully equipped with stainless steel counters and massive appliances. Like the basement, the light had been left on over the sink but the rest of it was dark.
Voices emanated from the common area where the party had been held. They were low and concerned. Hudson crouched near the doorway to listen with Leona right behind him.
“I don’t like this, Kevin. We need to figure out what to do.”
“I told you, I’m doing that!” the Alpha snapped. “I can’t exactly work a miracle!”
“Everyone, just stay calm.” This voice was Sean, and Hudson could easily imagine him in his Hawaiian shirt, gesturing downward with his palm to ease the assembly. “We’ve already taken one large step in explaining that the Talbotts were infiltrators from the other pride. As far as anyone knows, we acted against them for the safety of our own pride.”
“I still say we should’ve let everyone know what we’ve been doing, and a long time ago, too. I know we agreed to keep the weapons a secret when we first got into this, thinking it was safer that way. But we’re putting everyone’s lives on the line and they don’t even know it.”
“No one’s life is on the line,” Kevin retorted. “We’ve been making a shit ton of money on those weapons, money that we desperately needed. What the rest of them don’t know won’t hurt them. After all, they’re not the ones making midnight deliveries.”
Another worried voice piped up. “The Talbotts could be cops. Why else would they come in here with guns? And why would they refuse to join the pride?”
Sean let out a derisive laugh. “They’re not cops. They had guns, but they didn’t have any identification. Have you really ever seen a cop go anywhere without a badge? I don’t think so.”
“Then who are they?” the worried voice pressed. “And why would they come here?”
“Maybe you should ask my nosey wife who thinks it’s her job to welcome everyone to the neighborhood and treat them like her new best friends. I don’t fucking know!” Kevin was swiftly losing his temper, showing the side of him that had probably gotten him into this mess in the first place. “Damn it, I don’t know who these people are. I don’t know why they brought the guns in here or why they even agreed to come if they didn’t want to be one of us. I also don’t know why Kim had to invite them to begin with, so don’t ask me.”
“Well, you did tell her we needed to recruit more members,” Sean commented.
The resulting noise that resounded from the room indicated he’d earned a smack for his honesty.
“Let’s just go find out who they are,” one of the unidentified voices suggested. “They can’t do anything to us down there, and they’re still outnumbered.”
“Maybe we can take the woman out first and question her,” another proposed.
Hudson glanced behind him. The room was dim, but he could see the determination on Leona’s face when she nodded. They didn’t need to shift to speak telepathically. She understood, and she was just as ready as he was. She slipped backwards into the darkness, away from the door.
Footsteps pounded closer. Hudson calculated their distance, knowing that timing was key. He gripped the tree pole in his hands
and glanced at the kitchen. There room was too full, and if he shifted, his lion wouldn’t have any space to move. The erstwhile decoration was his best bet.
He pounced when the first figure came through the doorway and reached for the light switch. He never got a chance to touch it as Hudson clouted him across the face with the pipe. The man reeled backwards, taking a secondary member down with him as he grabbed out for balance.
“You!” Kevin roared. He launched himself at Hudson, prepared for an assault from the steel tube. He blocked it with his hand and forearm and cast it away. The Alpha was more dangerous than he looked in his chinos and polo. He launched a series of punches to Hudson’s face, several rights and a left. Hudson staggered back but caught the next uppercut and shoved the man backwards.
A strange sound entered Hudson’s ears, and he turned just in time to see Leona on top of the counter. She ran down the length of it, her legs strong and quick, a knife flashing in her grip as she leapt off the end, just past the pot rack on the ceiling and onto Kevin’s back. She buried the knife in his shoulder. Blood spurted out from the wound, soaking into his shirt as he sank toward the ground.
Sean took advantage of Hudson’s distraction, crashing into him with a strong shoulder. Hudson retaliated, bringing his knee up between the other man’s legs. A sharp crack sounded from somewhere, but Hudson didn’t have time to register the noise for what it was. He felt the air leave Sean’s lungs as he doubled forward in pain, leaving the perfect opportunity. Hudson grabbed his head and twisted. The snap sent him to the floor, dead.
When he looked up to find his next victim, Hudson saw the three remaining men near the fridge. One of them held a pistol—Hudson’s pistol—at arm’s length. Leona was on the floor near Kevin, and there was far more blood than what should’ve come from the Alpha’s knife wound.
Red rage filled Hudson’s eyes. He could no longer control his inner beast as he understood that someone had hurt his mate. His anger thundered from his chest, his skull cracking as his face formed a muzzle around his roar. He charged forward, his paws manifesting just as they hit the ground. He felt his claws scrape against the hard floor of the kitchen, heard the rush of his blood in his ears, noted the air rushing through the individual fibers of his mane as he tucked in and made his final leap.
The man’s neck snapped in Hudson’s jaws, sending the pistol falling to the ground. The other men didn’t bother sticking around to continue the fight. It was over.
13
“There’s more than enough evidence to get the guilty parties locked away for a long time,” Drake said approvingly. He, Flint, and Garrison had arrived to help sort out the remains of the pride. “The two of you did a good job.”
“Thank you,” Leona replied, feeling a certain sense of relief at hearing him say that. She’d understood that Drake’s opinion counted for a lot, and there were many parts of the mission that felt completely botched to her.
“They’re going to need some help getting back on their feet now that Kevin is going to jail and Sean is dead,” Hudson remarked from beside her. “Although honestly, I think a few of them are happy about it. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know they didn’t have the best leadership.”
“I can think of a few that probably aren’t happy,” Leona murmured. She detached herself from the rest of the Force, where they’d gathered the remains of the pride at the clubhouse. Leona hated that the other shifters had to visit the scene of the crime like this, but it was the biggest place available to gather everyone together.
Kim was standing in the corner of the living room, not far from where her husband had stood just the night before and announced that the “Talbotts” would be joining them. She had her hands folded in front of her, her fingers nervously sliding over each other.
“Are you holding up okay?” Leona asked gently.
“I should ask you the same, since you were the one who got shot,” she replied with a brittle smile.
She gestured vaguely at her shoulder, where the wound was already almost healed. “I’ve already had a leg blown off, so this is nothing.” It might’ve been a much bigger deal if the shifter had been a better shot.
“I should’ve known you weren’t just a typical woman,” Kim said, her eyes flicking up to watch the soldiers organizing the remaining shifters. “Then again, I also should’ve known my husband was doing something illegal. I can’t believe he was that stupid, and I can’t believe I was so foolish.”
“Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Leona advised. “It sounds like most of the pride had no idea, but it was all going to come out in the end. None of this was your fault.”
“I like to think I’m going to believe that someday.” Kim’s fingers shook as she pressed them to her forehead. “It’s just all so crazy.”
“I know.” Leona truly felt bad for the woman. “And I’m sorry that I deceived you. It was just part of my job, but I really did enjoy the time we spent together. Believe it or not, you helped me understand that maybe there’s another side of me I haven’t explored yet.”
“I’m glad to hear that. And I’m going to miss you.” Kim caught her up in a tight hug and then continued to clasp Leona’s arms as they separated. “I have to ask you something.”
“Of course.”
“You and Hank—I mean, Hudson. The two of you really are mates, aren’t you? I mean, if you’re not, then you two deserve an Oscar.” This time Kim’s smile reached her eyes.
Leona opened her mouth to reply, but looked over her shoulder at Hudson instead. He was conferring with Flint and looked every bit the soldier. He was all about the mission and his duty, as was she. They hadn’t talked about it any further, but now that they’d be going back to D.C., they’d have to. “I don’t really know,” she finally responded. “We’re going to have to figure that out.”
“When you do, let me know. I really would like to keep in touch. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to check in with my mother. She’s watching the kids for me.” Kim moved away from the crowd.
Leona returned to the man who’d been her partner for the last week and a half. Hudson looked up at her. “Everything is under control here. An unofficial vote is putting Kim in charge of the pride, although I don’t think she knows it. I guess they’re more interested in throwing block parties than in funding terrorism.”
“Any word on that front?” Now that they’d gotten the pride sorted out, Leona was ready to tackle the next problem.
“All taken care of,” Hudson assured her. “Drake lit a fire under a few asses, and Husam Simmons is being thoroughly interrogated by Homeland Security. He won’t be bothering anyone, and I have a feeling that his arrest will lead to more information about whatever organizations he’s been working with.”
“I’m a little pissed about that myself,” Flint remarked as he walked up. “I would’ve liked the chance to crack open that storage unit and see just what he had in there. Drake says you can get packed up, by the way. Everything’s under control here, and the two of you look like shit.”
“Thanks a lot,” Leona said with a smile.
The drive back to their home was a long and quiet one, but for different reasons than it had been when they’d first come to that club meeting. They’d only been living in Edwardsville for a short time, and Leona had known from the very beginning that it was merely a temporary situation. The whole thing—the nice home, the furniture, the slow mornings sipping coffee—was all just a sham to serve the mission. Still, as Hudson parked in the driveway and then headed inside to begin packing, Leona knew it was going to be difficult to let go of.
“I guess you haven’t said anything just yet,” she remarked as she folded her clothes and put them in her suitcase. The dress from the block party went in first so she wouldn’t have to look at it.
Hudson glanced up at her before getting his socks out of the dresser drawer. “It’s not solely my decision, you know.”
She pursed her lips as she added several pairs of jeans to her case. �
�Are you saying we don’t have to tell them?” Leona wasn’t sure how she felt about that idea. It would mean she’d get to keep her job, but she assumed that would also mean that she and Hudson couldn’t be together anymore. It was like she couldn’t win no matter which route she took.
“No, I’m not saying that at all,” he replied after a moment. “I’m just saying that I’m not the only one involved. It wouldn’t be fair of me to run to Drake and the guys behind your back. We need to go to them together. It’s the right thing to do.” Hudson snapped a shirt down off a hanger, began to fold it, then balled it up and tossed it in a duffle bag.
“I guess.” She felt tears burning at the backs of her eyes, which pissed her off. “I’ve only been on one mission, but I’m really going to miss this job. I thought it was so perfect for me.”
He was at her side in an instant, gently grabbing her wrists and turning her around to face him. “You know, you don’t have to work. I make plenty of money for both of us. We could find a way to make it work.”
“It’s a nice idea, but it’s not reality. I do need to work, Hudson. It’s not about money.” She felt completely defeated and drained, and she couldn’t see any way out of this where they could get everything they wanted. It just wasn’t going to happen, and she was too tired to imagine fighting for it. They were fated, but that didn’t mean they were destined to live happily ever after.
“You know we have to tell them, right?”
He looked so disappointed that she almost changed her mind. But Leona was a soldier. She had to stand by her decisions; there was no room in life for waffling. “Yeah, I know.”
“I mean, we have a loyalty to them.”
“I said I know.” She didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Yes, it was the right thing to do. But it was going to break her heart no matter what they did.