Skin Walkers - King

by Susan Bliler

  Second, there was no surveillance system. Granted, most duplexes wouldn’t have that type of equipment, but if he had his way, Lilly’s would.

  Circling the park, his breathing wasn’t even labored. Like all Walkers, he was extremely fit. He could run hard for hours before he’d even break a sweat.

  Ignoring the flouncing redhead that jogged by, eyeing him with clear interest, King’s eyes snagged on a car that had pulled in four cars behind where Lilly’s was already parked.

  King slowed to watch as the driver, a man, rustled around the front seat before pulling up a huge pair of binoculars and pointing them at Lilly’s window. Amateur! The stalker stood out like a sore thumb and the mere idea of him catching any glimpse of Lilly with his outdated equipment had King shifting from a jog to a full on run.

  He hit the loop at the end of the park to slingshot toward Lilly’s apartment, his mind drumming with possibilities. As he raced by the car, he noted the man didn’t even give him a glance. King slowed and covered the last few yards to the humvee. Climbing in, he started the vehicle and maneuvered it to the alley behind Lilly’s apartment where he parked, retrieved the length of thick, silver, chain from the backseat and threw it over his shoulder. This would be a little risky in mid-day, but it wasn’t like he was dealing with any Spec Ops soldier. No, the man watching Lilly was a first-class idiot.

  Stealthily, King crept to the row of vehicles parked behind the moron’s car and inched toward the man, making sure to keep out of the side mirror’s line of sight. Just behind the moron’s car, he knelt to wrap the length of chain around the bottom of a fire hydrant that sat in the boulevard. Once he secured it, he ran the length through his large hands, careful not to rattle the links as he crawled partially under the man’s car to fasten the chain around the vehicle’s rear end. It was quicker than he’d thought. The moron, apparently bored, had opted to blare his country station and chant along with the lyrics, window down. Talk about conspicuous.

  Once the chain was secure, King crawled from beneath the vehicle and stayed low as he inched back down the line of cars toward his ride. He dusted off his ass and unzipped his jacket the rest of the way before climbing into the vehicle and pounding Five Finger Death Punch as loud as he could stand. Gunning the motor, he peeled out of the alley and came to a screeching halt just beside the moron’s car, instantly earning his attention.

  King schooled his features into a look of angry impatience as he jumped from the driver’s side and stalked toward the suddenly pale man.

  “Hey!” he called, hoping he looked the part of the metal muscle head he was going for. “You’re parked in my spot.”

  The moron opened his mouth, but King didn’t let him speak. Instead he jabbed a finger down the street and ordered, “MOVE!” He didn’t wait for a response as he went back to his vehicle, climbed in, threw it in reverse and waited.

  The moron’s car wheezed to life and the guy actually had the audacity to throw an arm out the window, middle finger held high as he attempted to peel out.

  Chain snapped taut and seconds later, the fire hydrant ripped free of its moorings to bounce off the concrete before jerking on the chain and being flung onto the moron’s trunk with a deafening crunch.

  King smiled as the man slammed on his brakes, exited his vehicle, and threw both hands on his head. An elderly woman poured from the apartment next to Lilly’s and screeched accusingly, “What did you do? I’m calling the police.”

  Moron paled as he pinned King with an accusatory glare before jumping in his rig and racing down the road with the fire hydrant still crunched on the trunk of his car.

  Feeling extremely self-satisfied, King’s smile slipped when he turned and caught Lilly frowning at him, arms crossed over her chest, and foot tapping as she stood in her front entry way.

  ***

  Standing in Lilly’s apartment, King felt like a kid who’d been sent to the principal’s office.

  “What are you doing here?” Lilly’s blue eyes sparked with anger. King couldn’t help but notice that they kept dropping to his exposed torso with barely disguised feminine interest. He tightened his frame, accentuating each muscle. His shoulders flared wider, his gut clenched and he slightly puffed his chest. He wasn’t above posturing for her appreciative eyes. He smiled when Lilly’s eyes dropped and her sweet little tongue darted out to wet her lips.

  “I was running at the park. Was just heading back to StoneCrow when that guy pulled out in front of me. Seem’s he was the brunt of someone’s prank.”

  “That’s a lie, King.” Lilly tore her eyes from his chest to frown at him. “You wouldn’t drive all this way just to go for a jog. There’s a gym at the estate.”

  Shit! “I had to come to town anyway to do some shopping. Thought I’d squeeze in a workout.”

  Again, her blue eyes sparked angrily. “Mr. StoneCrow called me an hour ago to say you two had just returned to the estate. He needed to know the password to the mainframe.” Brows furrowed accusingly, “You’re spying on me.”

  All the air left him as he relaxed his posture and zipped his jacket halfway up. “I’m not spying. I’m watching over you. It’s my job.”

  “No,” she turned and stalked to her tiny kitchen as King noted the cozy décor and cleanliness of her place. “Your job is to watch over Monroe and everyone else at StoneCrow. I’m not at StoneCrow.”

  “You’re being watched, Lilly.” He decided to get straight to the point. “That asshole out there was casing your place.” His anger flared when he realized she wasn’t shocked by the admission. “You knew? You knew you were being followed and didn’t tell me?” He took several steps closer.

  Lilly’s hands, working on pouring a cup of hot tea, stalled. “I didn’t know I was being watched. I just knew that…” she sought the right words. “That I was being…watched.”

  “Well,” King threw his arms in the air, “Great, now that we’ve got that all cleared up.”

  His sarcasm wasn’t lost on Lilly. “Oh for crying out loud. He stopped me on the porch one time.”

  “Do you know him?”

  “No.” The response was too quick and King scented the lie.

  “Lilly!” The word was a warning.

  “I’m on a coalition to protect wolves. He’s an opponent.”

  “I want you off that committee.”

  “No!” she gasped. “I’m not quitting just because some crazy rancher doesn’t like what I’m doing.”

  “Damn it, Lilly!” King’s voice rose, “THIS ISN’T A FUCKING GAME!”

  His shout had her face flushing in anger. “And this isn’t StoneCrow! I follow orders within those walls. Outside, my time is just that. Mine!” She stalked to the door and jerked it open, “Good night, Mr. Mulholland.”

  King stood seething in her kitchen for several tense moments before finally stalking to the door. “Fine. You don’t want my protection. You don’t get my protection.” He exited the apartment and barely cleared the threshold before Lilly slammed the door on him.

  Climbing into his humvee, King was seething. He’d have Monroe talk to Lilly in the morning when she arrived at work. She needed to understand that she wasn’t the only one at stake.

  Pulling away from the curb, King eyed the street. No sign of the moron. Hopefully, he’d learned his lesson and wouldn’t be back.

  Chapter 10

  The words that buzzed through the mist had King freezing in his tracks.

  “Shots fired! Shots fired at the main gate!”

  King was to the door before Monroe had even fully risen from his chair.

  “Lilly’s been shot! One shooter.”

  King tore off down the hall, his hand itching to pull the pistol that was secured in the holster at his hip. Outside of Monroe’s office, King dashed to the railing that lined the hall and looked down over the lobby. He jumped the rail and partially shifted his arms to wings to catch himself as he dropped the three stories to the main floor. He wanted to be at the main gate, not racing to it. H
e dashed out of the building and just outside the door to the manor, he shifted in mid-stride. Arguably, a hawk may have been faster, but he needed to sink the claws of his mountain lion’s form deep into the earth as he propelled himself at breakneck speed down the length of dirt road that wound its way from the main compound down the mountain to StoneCrow’s, recently erected, front gate.

  “We have the shooter in custody. I need medical here now. Lilly’s hurt bad! Get me some fucking help down here!”

  It was 8am. Lilly always showed up to work at precisely 8:10am. He knew where she would have been ambushed even before the information sliced through the mist. He passed over a black humvee as it raced up the winding road toward StoneCrow.

  Fear shook him as he approached the gate and saw Lilly’s car riddled with bullet holes. The windshield and side windows had been shot out and crimson stained the gray leather interior of the now empty driver’s side seat. King inhaled sharply. Blood. Lilly’s blood. The scent of it enraged him more than it should have. She wasn’t his. Now, even with her gone the scent of her fear lingered in the air mixed with anger. Not hers. The shooter’s. He’d attacked Lilly with one sole intention. Killing her.

  Shifting back to his human form, his clothes regenerated with his flesh, clothing him just as he’d been before he’d raced down the mountain. King let his gaze sweep over the area while information was exchanged through the mist.

  Monroe was being informed that Lilly had just arrived at the infirmary and was being rushed into surgery. When word came across that Jenny wasn’t sure if Lilly would survive, King had to fight down the unreasonable fear that seized him.

  He had no claim to Lilly. She was Monroe’s personal assistant, and as such he’d interacted with her often, but she wasn’t his. Lilly was strong willed and refused to take any shit from Monroe, which instantly endeared King to her. But it was her determination, her competence, her quiet reserve that he thought of when he was alone. He’d thought of her often, a little too often lately. He was beginning to wonder if he was trying to create some bond where none existed. He didn’t pursue her, but he thought of it. All the while, Lilly avoided him like the plague. In her defense she avoided everyone. She arrived at work at 9:10am and departed at precisely 5:10pm. As Monroe’s personal guard, he’d heard the CEO issue offers for Lilly to stay at the estate. The offers were always declined. Lilly was all business, straight to work, and then straight home. Only on a handful of occasions had she lingered at StoneCrow to talk with Jenny. The two were good friends. King knew it would kill Jenny to see Lilly wheeled into her surgery in the state Lilly must be in.

  Now staring at the blood soaked seat of her car, King couldn’t produce one single person or Walker for that matter that would want to harm Lilly. She was genuinely liked by everyone. The moron! His heart thudded to a halt when he remembered his last exchange with Lilly. “You don’t want my protection. You don’t get my protection.” God no! If he’d failed to protect her from that man…

  Raised voices caught King’s attention. He drew his pistol and strode angrily toward the black humvee that he knew housed the attacker. Before he got to the vehicle, he heard Monroe’s voice cut through the mist. “Move.” The command was simple and before King could get his hands on the shooter, the doors of the vehicle were slammed shut and the tires squealed as the vehicle raced through the gate and onto the estate.

  King watched it disappear, his head lowered, his brows pulled into a deep scowl and his lips pulled back over sharp teeth. He debated shifting and chasing after the car. But it would have to wait, he needed information. His teeth ground together in frustration. Once again Monroe was preventing him from doing what he did best. Kill.

  King holstered his pistol and raced to StoneCrow’s infirmary. Jenny would either still be in surgery trying to save Lilly, or Lilly would already be dead. The thought of Lilly’s lifeless body sent a chill over him. He was more than a little startled that the thought would affect him as much as it did. Regardless, he had to know.

  King shoved his way into the long concrete corridor that led to the infirmary. Ahead he could see Monroe briefing several of the Sentries who’d been on the scene of the ambush when King had arrived. With a flick of Monroe’s fingers the Sentries looked up to King then dispersed, disappearing down the opposite end of the corridor, no doubt in an effort to avoid King.

  “Well?” King demanded as he came to stand in front of Monroe.

  “We’ve got the shooter in custody, but he’s not talking.”

  “Let me at him,” King ground out, “he’ll talk.”

  Monroe shook his head and raised a hand to rub at his temple. “We need him alive, King. We’ve got to find out why he attacked Lilly. It makes no sense. If he’s an enemy to Walkers then why attack her? If he were an enemy of ours he’d know she isn’t one of us. It just doesn’t make any fucking sense.” Monroe dropped his hand. “I’ve got Bronco and Legion trying to find out if she had any enemies…”

  Enemies? Never. A stalker? Maybe. King cut in, “What about the man watching her house? What else do you have on him? There can’t be anyone else, Crow.”

  Monroe frowned up at the larger man. “You don’t know that she can’t have other enemies. It’s our duty to explore all avenues. I mean for Christ’s sake what do we really know about her?”

  King took a step closer to Monroe, until his angry face was inches from the CEO’s, “She’s in there dying and you’re out here questioning her loyalty?”

  Monroe let out an exasperated breath. “Not her loyalty, King. I’m just saying we don’t know much about her. We have no idea who she’s associated with…been with.”

  “She’s been with no one.”

  A grin tugged at Monroe’s lips, “And you know this how?”

  “Where have your fucking senses gone? You smell her every morning just as I do. You and I both know she hasn’t been with neither man nor a Walker since I’ve been here.”

  Monroe shook his head and leaned back against the wall. “Well I need answers. I can’t have her drawing this kind of attention to us. I need to know what happened and I’ve got to keep this from leaking to the authorities. The last thing I need is the sheriff sniffing around.”

  Both men turned toward the stainless steel doors that swung open and watched as Jenny strode toward them, pulling the surgical mask from her worried features as she briskly approached.

  “Jesus Christ, Monroe, what in the hell is going on?”

  Monroe didn’t get to answer. King stepped angrily toward the doctor and growled.

  He was right, Jenny needed to update them first, and then ask questions.

  “She’s alive. Barely. We had to replace four pints of blood.” Jenny frowned up at Monroe, “We nearly ran out. Get your men out there and re-fill my supply. She’s not out of the woods yet.”

  “Damage?” Monroe demanded, ever direct and to the point.

  Jenny rolled her head, raising a hand to rub the stiff muscles at the back of her neck. “She sustained two gunshot wounds, one to her left shoulder and one to her abdomen. The shoulder wound was easy to fix. It should heal perfectly in time.” Then Jenny dropped her head and looked down at her hands. She sighed heavily as she contemplated how to formulate the next statement. “The gunshot wound to her abdomen was severe. The bullet tore through her uterus and she was hemorrhaging uncontrollably. There was irreparable damage.” Jenny looked up to argue as if the action required further explanation. “There wasn’t anything I could do.” She sighed heavily again shaking her head, “We barely saved her.”

  Monroe put a reassuring hand on Jenny’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

  Jenny raised her head to glare at Monroe, sparks of anger and regret lighting her eyes. “Don’t you dare thank me. She wanted children, Monroe. How am I supposed to tell her that’ll never happen now? Hell, we were discussing it just last week. She had her kid’s names already picked out for Christ’s sake.”

  King tensed at the revelation. Why hadn’t he known that?<
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  Jenny fought to restrain the tears that now glistened in her eyes. “I should have just let her die. When she finds out what I’ve done…” Jenny shook her head, dropping her eyes to the floor as she choked back a sob, “it’s going to kill her.”

  Monroe squeezed Jenny’s shoulder again. The emotional reaction was rare for the surgeon. But she’d made few friends during her time at StoneCrow and none was dearer to the doctor than Lilly.

  Monroe eyed Jenny warily, “The bullets?”

  Jenny tucked a slender hand into the pocket of her surgical pants and produced the fragments. “Gun powder residue only.”

  Monroe held out his hand and Jenny dropped the fragments into it. Monroe held them up to his nose and his eyes dimmed to a dull brown as he sniffed. He pulled back, a frown tugging his brows together. “No trace of white ash in her body either?”

  Jenny shook her head numbly. “None.”

  Those who hunted Skin Walkers believed that the ancient technique of dipping their bullets into white ash was the only means of killing a Walker. It wasn’t true. A regular bullet could kill any Walker. Well, almost any Walker. It was rumored that Walkers of indigenous origin were impervious to any bullet. The rare indigenous Walkers claimed their gifts were passed down from the Anasazi.

  Monroe had his origins traced back to the Dine. King had no idea where his gift had come from, and he felt no compelling reason to try and find out.

  Monroe handed the bullet back to Jenny. “None of this helps. All it tells me is that the shooter isn’t hunting Walkers. So why in the hell would he be hunting Lilly?”

  King ground out, “You need answers from him.”

  Monroe shoved a frustrated hand into his short black hair, “He won’t give them willingly.”

  “Take them!” King demanded on a low growl.

  Monroe glared at King before turning to the surgeon, “Jenny, notify me when she improves.” Then Monroe turned to stalk down the hall. His steps halted when King failed to flank him. “Coming?”