Shift Work

by Christy Gissendaner

  She held up her hands and came to a complete stop. “It’s me, Greg. Tolly.”

  Greg lowered the gun and eyed her warily. “Don’t sneak up on me.”

  “Sorry.” It had been a long run through the woods to his house and terror made it difficult to breathe, so she sank to her knees to catch her breath. “They took him,” she gasped out.

  Greg was on his feet in an instant. “Who?”

  “Your brother. Three men took him away.”

  Greg took on a faraway stare. “What did they look like?”

  She recalled the funny clothing and the choppy accents. “Middle Eastern.”

  “JSIS,” Greg spat. “Shit. Where did they take him?”

  “Near my fishing hole. They headed south.”

  Greg headed to the back door, and she followed him. She’d never been inside his house despite him being best friends with her brother, and the immaculate interior matched Greg’s no-nonsense personality. “Should we call the police?”

  Greg shot her a hard look before bending down and pulling up a floorboard. It was connected to a panel, roughly six feet wide, and he lifted it and set it aside with ease.

  She gaped at the stash of firearms located inside. “Holy shit.”

  “Here, hold this.” Greg handed her a lethal-looking gun before stuffing several smaller weapons inside his waistband and the pockets of his cargo pants. He slid a bulletproof vest over his camo shirt and turned his cap around backward before reclaiming the big ass gun he’d given her. Ty had once teased that the ragged cap was Greg’s shit-kicking hat. She sure hoped that was true.

  “That should do it,” Greg said with a decisive nod.

  She bent down and stuffed a slim, curved knife and a few guns into her fishing vest. Loaded down with more weapons than the National Guard, Tolly followed Greg to his Land Rover. He stared at her when she opened the door. “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I’m coming with you.” She held his gaze steadily.

  “No, you’re not.”

  She leaned over the seat. “I love him, and you have no idea where my fishing hole is.”

  He didn’t blink. “Get in then.”

  She climbed into the passenger seat and put on her seat belt. “What’s the plan?”

  Greg glanced at her before turning around in the driveway and slinging dirt and rocks beneath his tires. “Now we go save my brother from these bastards.”

  Sounded like a good plan to her.

  * * *

  Even Ty’s teeth ached. He opened his eyes and immediately wished he hadn’t. He hung upside down—explained the pressure in his head—and his pecker was still there for anyone to see. The bastards could’ve given him a chance to dress at least.

  “Ah, so you’re awake.”

  Ty focused on the upside down figure approaching. Tall with dark hair and shockingly blue eyes, the familiar face bent down on his level. “Omar,” Ty gritted out.

  “Good to see you,” the ex-Blood Wolf and traitor said.

  “I’d be lying if I said I felt the same.” Ty casually studied the room’s bare floors and walls. They had to be inside one of the hunting cabins near the lake. “Still stabbing your friends in the back, I see.”

  Omar tutted and pulled a chair forward. He copped a squat and stared at Ty. “I go where the money is.”

  “You’re a piss-poor soldier.” Ty braced himself for pain, but Omar didn’t move a muscle. Instead a smile played about the man’s lips. In truth, it frightened Ty worse than the anticipation of pain. “Tell me, have you always been a dick?”

  Omar chuckled and sent a pointed glance at Ty’s limp penis. “You tell me.”

  Ty would’ve spit if he weren’t scared it would land in his own eye. He normally thought well on his feet, but with his hands tied and his ankles bound to the rafters, he was in quite the pickle. The predicament was bearable knowing he’d helped Tolly escape a similar fate. The thought of her in JSIS hands made his blood turn to ice.

  Omar pulled out a knife and used it to clean his fingernails. “Let’s cut to the chase, shall we? Where is the firewall?”

  Ty lifted…or lowered…an eyebrow. “If it was up your ass, you’d know it.”

  Omar cradled the knife in hand and angled it so the sunlight coming through the window lit the sharp blade. “Still stubborn as ever.”

  Ty ignored the blade. “Still using passive-aggressive techniques. Tell me, will you stab me in the hand or toe first?”

  Omar’s face suffused with red. “Or maybe I’ll just gut you and go after your pretty fishing buddy.” At Ty’s curse, Omar continued. “Oh yes. I watched you protect her. Didn’t take long to connect the dots. She’s the same Tolly who sent you dirty magazines, isn’t she? You shouldn’t have given them to me in the shipping box when you were through with them. I wouldn’t have memorized her mailing address.”

  Breath barreled in and out of Ty’s lungs. Damn Omar for being the yellow-bellied coward he was and taking the easy way out. Threatening loved ones was Interrogation Tactics one-oh-one. “But then you’ll never find my firewall.”

  Omar shrugged. “I’m sure we’ll think of something. She’s quite attractive, your Tolly.”

  “Touch one hair on her head, and I swear you’ll never walk again,” Ty promised in a deadly quiet voice.

  Omar continued. “A bit plump for my tastes, but more cushion for the pushing, eh?”

  Ty’s vision altered. A green tint overtook his normal eyesight, and his limbs stiffened. Shifting wouldn’t help him, but the frustration and anger brought forth his animal half. His nails lengthened and fangs appeared. Ty battled back the shift, needing to keep Omar distracted long enough for him to think of an escape plan.

  Omar stood and approached him. Ty growled out a warning, which Omar ignored. The strike, when it came, wrenched a grunt of pain from Ty.

  He looked at the blood welling on his thigh, inches from his dick, and forced a smile. “Tolly likes real men. I’m afraid she’d find you lacking in…err…certain departments.”

  When angered, Omar was erratic, prone to irrational behavior. It was one of the reasons he became a liability to the Blood Wolves. He’d been well on his way to discharge before he’d deserted the special unit. Forcing Omar to lose his cool was Ty’s only hope at escape.

  Omar withdrew the blade, and Ty bit back a groan. After wiping the blood on his sleeve, Omar returned to his chair. “You forget who is naked here. We can all see you’re full of shit.”

  Ty glanced around the room. “Where are your friends anyway? Would’ve thought they’d want to be here for the party.”

  A flicker of worry darkened Omar’s eyes, and Ty knew he’d made a direct hit. Omar hated nothing worse than being left out. If he got Omar out of the room, he could loosen the bonds enough to escape.

  “Aww, what is it? Little Omar’s still the last kid picked on the playground?”

  “Shut up,” Omar shouted. “They’re here.”

  Ty made a big show of looking around. “Huh. Must be experts at camouflage.”

  Omar’s eyes flickered to the window before he stood.

  Ty exhaled slowly. It had worked. He’d planted the seed of doubt.

  Omar paced the length of the room, agitation making his steps short and quick.

  Ty pressed further. “JSIS have no loyalty to you. You may carry the name of your ancestors, but in their eyes, you’re not one of them. You’ll never be one of them.”

  Omar’s eyes flashed blue fire. “Shut up.”

  “The truth hurts.” Ty fiddled with the knots behind his back. Not only a piss-poor soldier, but Omar had been terrible with knots. He was glad to see some things never changed. “You should cut your losses and run.”

  Omar stalked forward, pressing the blade to Ty’s throat. “I should cut you.”

  “That’s your prerogative.” Ty held Omar’s gaze, never once showing a flicker of fear.

  With a curse, Omar turned and left Ty alone in the room. Unable to believe h
is good luck, Ty loosened the ropes and used his lengthened nails to cut through the thick fibers. He lifted his upper body and sawed through the knots around his ankles.

  Unable to break his fall when the rope loosened, he tumbled to the floor and landed hard on his left shoulder. He rolled it, wincing at the ache in the bone. He’d heal eventually.

  Three to one were horrible odds, especially when he had no weapon.

  He stayed clear of the windows and searched the room. Other than a half-dead potted plant and a crocheted afghan shoved in the corner, the room contained nothing.

  He tied the afghan around his hips, pressed against the wall next to the door, and hefted the pot in his hands, waiting for Omar to re-enter. If he was lucky, he’d knock Omar out and take the other two in a fight.

  The door creaked open. Instead of Omar, one of the other JSIS entered. Ty silently cursed. Omar was a shifter too, which leveled the playing field in a bare-knuckled fight. Ty brought the pot down on the man’s head, and he went down like a stone.

  Ty jumped over his unconscious form and darted out the door. He made his way to the yard, but Omar and the third man stood a few feet away. Omar tossed aside his cigarette. “Damn you, Ty Harris.”

  Ty wasted no time. He shifted into wolf form.

  His bones shrunk and realigned while his muscles tightened and became those of a wolf. He no longer felt pain during the shift, only the raw physical power that came with his beast. He landed on all fours and shot forward. The element of surprise helped, and he took down Omar’s other companion with a bite to his thigh. The crunch of bone and the familiar taste of blood told him the man wouldn’t be dangerous for a while.

  Leaving the man howling on the ground in pain, Ty turned to Omar and flexed his massive jaw. Omar had completed his shift, his lanky body becoming that of an evil, sinewy snake.

  Fitting for the slimy traitor.

  Ty sized up his enemy. Although his wolf was more powerful, Omar’s length afforded him greater strike potential. Ty backed up, easing away from the deadly fangs, and considered the best way to attack.

  Omar hissed, and his beady eyes glittered with hate right before he struck. Ty leaped out of the way, and Omar’s mouth landed in a patch of dirt. Ripping his fangs from the earth, Omar moved in for another attempt.

  Ty avoided the second strike, but there was no way he’d be able to get close enough to sink his teeth into Omar’s scaly skin. Omar continued his deadly dance, writhing and striking wherever Ty moved.

  The injury to Ty’s thigh and shoulder slowed him down. As the minutes ticked by, he weakened. He couldn’t do this forever, but he refused to let Omar get away.

  Darting out of the way of another strike, Ty whirled and locked his teeth around the lower half of Omar’s body. Omar hissed in pain and swung his hooded head toward Ty, knocking him off him with a single swipe. Ty spat out the chunk of reptile flesh he’d brought with him. The injury was gruesome, but not fatal. He’d had to do more to bring Omar down.

  He moved backward, and his paws slipped on a wet patch of grass. His left shoulder screamed in agony as his leg slipped out from under him. Before he recovered, Omar was on top of him.

  Omar wrapped around him, taunting Ty as he struggled to get out of the snake’s tight hold. Ty snapped his jaws and clawed, but Omar tightened his grip.

  Visions of Tolly played through his mind. How she’d looked when he’d kissed her for the first time, and how she’d said she loved him.

  Goddamn it, he wanted more little moments with her and all the firsts they would share. This couldn’t be the end.

  Omar’s head came closer, his fangs dripping with the venom that even a wolf shifter couldn’t shake. Ty shut his eyes and prayed it would be quick, that Tolly would forgive him for leaving her, and his brother would find peace. He hoped Jackson would destroy the firewall and all evidence it had ever existed. It wasn’t worth the danger.

  He gave up the struggle and slipped into human form. Tolly would need closure to say good-bye. Best he died as a human, so she wouldn’t see him for the first time as a wolf in a casket.

  “Ty!”

  Ty’s eyes shot open at the sound of Tolly’s voice. No, please God no. He dragged in a breath when Omar’s grip loosened, enough breath to shout, “Stay back!”

  Omar swung his head toward Tolly, who paid no attention to the danger and ran to him. Ty shoved at the reptilian loops encircling him, unable to pry himself free despite Omar’s distraction.

  Omar dragged him along as he slithered toward Tolly.

  Tolly, finally realizing the danger she was in, came to a complete stop and stared wide-eyed at the massive snake before her. “What kind of snake is that? I’ve never seen one so big.”

  Ty ignored her question. Tolly didn’t realize shifters existed or a man could become a fifteen foot long Cobra/constrictor. “Run, Tolly.”

  Omar glanced at him, as if to taunt him, before hissing and arching his neck toward Tolly. Ty’s eyes bulged when Omar began to squeeze the life from him.

  Just do it already, he silently screamed. He’d rather be dead than see Tolly harmed.

  Omar struck, and Ty slammed his eyes shut. Instead of the cry of pain he expected, he felt Omar’s body jerk and heard a loud gurgle. Liquid dripped onto his head, and Ty opened his eyes to see a gaping slash through the center of Omar’s body.

  Half of the snake fell to the ground while the part still holding Ty loosened and he spilled from its grip.

  Ty wiped the blood from his face and shot his gaze to his brother, who stood there with a bloodied machete. Greg’s face held a blank expression and his hands shook.

  “Greg,” Ty said in a soft voice.

  His brother met his gaze, dropped the blade, and shuffled away. Greg had spoken of his PTSD once. Loud noises, violence, and blood. Those were Greg’s triggers, and he’d risked all three to save him.

  Ty let his brother leave, but made a mental note to check on Greg after he wiped up the loose ends here. Tolly had crouched with her hands over her head, but she peeked through her fingers and gaped at the destruction of the snake. “Oh my God.”

  Ty hauled her into his arms, unsure whether to kiss her or yell at her for running headlong into danger. “What were you thinking? I thought I’d lost you.”

  Shivers racked Tolly’s body, and she buried her face into his chest. “That’s not a normal snake is it?”

  “No, it’s not.” He put his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her gaze to his. “I have so much to tell you I don’t even know where to start.”

  Her voice trembled. “You can start with telling me how a snake that large found its way to Alabama.”

  “To do that, I have to tell you something about me. I’d prefer not to be naked and bloodied when I do it.”

  She hugged him tighter, and something sharp pressed into his side. Realizing she still wore her fishing vest, he put space between them. He noted the odd bulges in the pockets. “What are you carrying?”

  She reached into the pocket and removed a knife. “Greg’s weapon stash. I borrowed a few pieces.”

  “I see.” Judging from the bulges, she’d packed half an armory in her vest. “How did you find me?”

  Tolly tucked the knife back inside a pocket. “Greg tracked footsteps through the woods, and then we followed the tire tracks back here. He’s a handy one to have around in an emergency.” She tilted her chin toward the fallen JSIS members. “What do we do about them?”

  “I’ll call the authorities. They can deal with the clean-up.” Ty had a number for an ex-Blood Wolf who’d handle the case. Montevallo’s law enforcement didn’t have the manpower or awareness to deal with such an event. “Let me secure the other two, and we’ll get out of here.”

  He borrowed fishing string from Tolly’s vest and tied the two JSIS to a post on the front porch. After tossing a tarp over the bloody remains of Omar, he went to join Tolly, who waited by Greg’s jeep. “Where’s my brother?”

  Tolly stuck her thumb over h
er shoulder. “He said he preferred to walk. Five miles is a bit much, but I didn’t argue.”

  Greg had probably shifted as soon as he was able and gone for a run in the woods. He didn’t blame him.

  Ty wished he could do the same.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  As a country girl, Tolly had seen some big ass snakes, but nothing like the one Ty left lying in the yard of Old Man Grantham’s abandoned fishing cabin. Longer than a car and about two feet wide, the reptile was massive.

  When she’d seen Ty wrapped in its clutches, she’d zoned out, knowing only that she’d do anything to rescue him. She was a nature lover, but not when nature was intent on killing the man she loved.

  Yes, loved. No doubt about it. If she’d wondered whether her thoughts about Ty were real, she knew the answer now. Emotion filled her, and instinct pinpointed her in one direction.

  To him.

  On the ride home, Ty remained silent. She watched him, desperate to question him, but his taut jaw and narrowed eyes kept her quiet. What did he have to tell her? And better yet, what the hell did the snake have to do with it?

  Halfway home, Ty cursed and beat his palm against the steering wheel. She grabbed the oh shit handle when he swerved to the right and left the highway for an abandoned trucking route. The jeep bumped along the rocky path, out of view of the main road, before Ty parked, leaving the ignition on.

  She glanced around the wooded area. “What are we doing?”

  Ty grimaced and pressed a hand to his thigh. Her gaze dropped to follow the motion. “Is that fresh blood? Are you bleeding?”

  “Minor wound,” he replied. “Nothing to worry about.”

  “Nothing to worry about. Are you crazy?” She peered closer. “Did you get stabbed?”

  Ty dropped his head against the headrest and sighed. “I need to show you something, and I don’t want you to freak out.”

  “Too late.”

  “Seriously. I need you to have an open mind with what I’m about to show you.” He turned his head toward her. “Can you do that for me?”

  Nerves attacked her. What the hell was so important that he’d pull over when he was wounded and a big-ass snake had just attacked him? “Yeah, I guess.”