by Vella Day
I can do this.
Hell, yeah you can. I can’t wait to claw the bastard’s throat out, her suddenly vicious tiger warned.
We have to be patient. We need to find Anna first.
Leaving Brian had been so hard, but it was what she had to do. Because her hands shook so much, it took her a few tries to fit the key into the door lock, and then two more attempts before the engine turned over. Once on the road, she found Pine Avenue easily. As much as she wanted to speed so that she could reach Anna faster, she wanted to give Dalton and Brian time to follow her. At least they knew where she was headed.
Not only did she glance at the clock to make sure she wouldn’t be late, she kept looking in the rear view mirror trying to spot Dalton and Brian. The sun had set, making it dark enough to detect headlights, but she couldn’t see any. Either they hadn’t left the house yet, or her brother was one stealthy cop.
By the time she reached Crandall Avenue, her stomach was in a thousand knots. She shouldn’t be nervous. Her tiger was strong. Unless Whitlaw shot her multiple times, she’d survive. The chances of him even having time to raise his weapon though were slim. The second he went for his gun, she’d shift and attack. Being able to move almost instantaneously would assure that she would succeed.
Her headlights illuminated the road’s end. She came to a stop at the intersection then checked both ways. No cars were on the road in either direction. Following Whitlaw’s instruction, Jillian turned left but didn’t see him. What kind of game was he playing?
About a quarter of a mile down the road, a car pulled out from the berm and turned into the road to face her. The bright lights nearly blinded her. Unless she drove around him, she had to stop. Not wanting to block traffic should anyone come her way, she edged over onto the berm.
Now what?
Chapter Nineteen
‡
The temptation to jump out and shift was strong, but Jillian had to think of Anna.
Whitlaw opened his car door, and when the light illuminated his face, acid burned in her gut at his image. Her nails extended and her bones cracked. She wanted to take him down so fucking bad.
Head slightly forward, he marched toward her car. Oh, shit. Because she didn’t know if he wanted her to follow him or what, she stayed where she was.
Whitlaw yanked open her door. “Get out.”
Jillian slipped her keys into her purse. As she slung the strap over her shoulder, he yanked on her arm. “Leave your purse and keys.” His arrogant command grated on every one of her nerves. Asshat.
Dalton would not be pleased. He’d added an app to her burner phone that would allow him to trace her location. Now, he’d be blind.
“Mind if I move my car completely off the road? I doubt you want the police to investigate an abandoned car blocking traffic.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Those incompetents couldn’t find a rock if it hit them in the face.”
The urge to defend Dalton and his friends was strong, but she bit back the words. Let Whitlaw think he was invincible. He tugged on her arm again. If she hadn’t been able to stick her leg out for balance, she would have fallen. Drawing on her animal strength, she tried to jerk out of his grasp, but he held on.
Once she managed to stand, she glanced back toward Pine Avenue, wondering where Dalton and Brian were. Hopefully, they’d stopped at Pine Avenue, and were waiting there before continuing. She had no doubt that they’d find her car, but they wouldn’t know where she’d gone.
With long strides, Whitlaw half dragged her back to his car. He jerked open the passenger side and shoved her. “Get in.”
Jillian debated running for it, but she needed to do what he said for Anna’s sake. Whitlaw slid into the driver’s seat. Sitting so close to him had her heart pounding hard and her mouth turning as dry as sandpaper. Jillian wasn’t sure if she could even look at the vile man, but she didn’t want the bastard to think she feared him.
“We meet once more,” Whitlaw said with too much glee.
She ground her teeth together. “You killed my father.” She hadn’t meant to blurt that out, but it had been burning inside her for way too long to keep it contained.
“You’re direct, aren’t you. I like a woman with spunk.”
She didn’t give a fuck what he liked. “Why did you kill him? He was a fellow officer.”
“Tsk, tsk. Such an idealist. If you must know, your father threatened to turn me in to Internal Affairs.”
She swiveled toward him, needing more information. As if his confession meant little to him, he smoothly pulled onto the road and headed back toward Pine Avenue. As they neared the 3-way intersection, a white SUV turned left onto Crandall Boulevard. She fisted her hands. That was Dalton. She released her grip, not needing Whitlaw to know they had company.
Dalton would see her car and might assume they would continue heading west. Hope drained out of her. Focus, her tiger urged.
“So that’s why Dad wanted to turn you in. You were a dirty cop.”
“Dirty is such a nasty word. I was helping myself to what would otherwise sit in the evidence locker for years and rot. So many of the unused weapons would never be used again, and the drugs were destined to be burned. That was such a waste of money. Hell, I was doing the station a favor by getting rid of some of that stuff, but your father didn’t share in my beliefs. When he suspected I was the thief, he said he was going to turn me in. I couldn’t let that happen.”
So her father died because he was doing his duty. Life wasn’t fair. “And Dalia? What did she ever do to you?”
He sighed. “That was an unfortunate error on my part.” Whitlaw glanced over at her. “I thought it was you, though now I suspect I went to the guest room instead of the master.”
Jillian’s heart ached for her friend. If Jillian had been in the house, she would have sensed the bastard and killed him then and there. “Where’s Anna?”
“Someplace safe. You’ll see her shortly. Oh, how I’m going to take great pleasure torturing her in front of your eyes.”
“That so?” Shut up.
“Don’t worry. I’ll let you die a noble death right next to her.”
Jillian grabbed the door handle. “I’d like to see you try.”
*
“That’s Jillian’s car,” Brian said pointing to the blue vehicle off to the side of the road.
“Which means she’s in Whitlaw’s car.” Dalton slapped the wheel then pulled over.
“Why are you stopping?” They needed to go after Jillian. Unfortunately, he didn’t know where that was.
“I need to think. Didn’t you see the gray sedan head in the opposite direction just now?”
“You think that was him?”
“It looked like the car he’d rented.” Dalton put his SUV in drive and did a U-turn. Just then his cell rang. He picked up his phone and glanced at the screen. “It’s Connor,” he told Brian. He placed the cell to his ear. “What did you find out?” He listened for what seemed like a full minute. “You’re sure? Okay, okay. We’ll meet you there.” He disconnected.
“What did he say?”
“Connor didn’t explain how they figured it out, other than Jackson’s drone was involved, but they found Anna. She’s being held at the site where Jackson’s and Connor’s fathers are building the new office.”
“Really? It’s almost like Whitlaw wanted her to be found.”
“I doubt Whitlaw knows who owns it.”
Being a cop, Whitlaw had means and skills to break in. “Didn’t you say it was mostly finished?”
Dalton shrugged. “There are walls and a roof, but not much else. We’re meeting the team there.”
“What’s the plan?” Brian hoped it involved taking down Whitlaw as soon as he arrived. “Did Connor and his men free Anna?”
“We’ll find out when we get there.” When they reached Pine Avenue, instead of keeping straight, Dalton hung a right.
“Where are you going?”
“Taking a short cut,” Dalton said as cal
m as could be.
Five minutes later, he pulled into a lot about a block away from the building. His cell rang again. “Yes? They are? What do you want us to do? Okay?” Dalton turned to Brian. “Whitlaw’s been spotted. He’ll be here in less than a minute.”
Brian wanted to rush over to him and kill the bastard, but he understood if Whitlaw shifted, Brian would be dead in a matter of seconds. That caused his hatred for the man to fester even further. With the overhead car light turned off, they eased out of Dalton’s SUV and then kept to the shadows. As the gray car came to a stop, Dalton squatted and Brian followed suit. The passenger side door opened, and when Jillian eased out some of the tension in Brian’s muscles released. She was safe, for now.
All of a sudden, gravel spewed and some of the rocks pinged against the car. Brian blinked and then Jillian was gone. What the hell? One of the doors to the building banged open. Holy shit. Was that Jillian? She’d said she was fast, but he had never imagined she could be that speedy.
Whitlaw smacked his hand against the car hood and took off toward the building. Brian expected the team to appear en masse and charge after him, but other than Whitlaw shouting at Jillian and his feet smacking against the cement, the area was bathed in silence.
What was everyone waiting for? The woman Brian loved was being chased by a man who’d killed at least two other people and had beaten a third. These men were doing nothing! If any harm came to her, he’d make them all pay.
Go after her, his inner voice counseled.
Fucking A, I will.
Brian jumped up, and just as he was about to charge, a shot rang out from inside the building. His bear went crazy.
Not waiting for Dalton or any of the other men to do something, Brian darted into the open, heading toward Jillian. Footsteps echoed from behind and to the right of him. Now they acted? They better not be trying to stop him.
Jillian screamed, but he couldn’t be certain if it was from outrage or pain. All Brian could think of was saving her. As he tore open the door to rush into the dark, his bones cracked, and his vision blurred.
What the hell? Pain seared his gut and mouth, and he swore his face had been set on fire. As he crashed into the large room, his hands met the cement floor—or rather his furry paws met the floor. Holy hell. He’d shifted. As much as he wanted to celebrate this miracle, he didn’t have time.
A lone flashlight pointed upward, barely illuminating the exposed beamed ceiling, but it was enough to see blood pouring from Jillian’s side. He froze. Next to her, Anna was hunched over in a chair. Whitlaw was fifteen feet from the women with a gun raised, aimed at Jillian.
As if a power from above sent a charge through him, Brian rushed Whitlaw. A deep throaty roar emitted from Brian’s mouth, startling him as well as his enemy. Whitlaw whipped toward him, the gun clasped in both hands.
The sound of the shot echoed off the cement floor as a white-hot ember burned his front left leg, slicing his skin. Brian’s heart hitched at the attack, but a bullet wasn’t going to slow him down. Nothing could stop him now that Jillian was hurt.
Brian’s new mission was to end this man’s life. Suddenly, fur flew and a wolf appeared before him with bared teeth.
The animal howled. He was close enough that when Brian reached out, his front paw swatted the wolf across his snout, sending him backward. The animal shook his head and then immediately righted himself. Body low to the ground, he charged.
Brian dropped onto all fours, ready to do battle. Out of the corner of his eye, white fur flew. A moment later, Jillian was in her gorgeous tiger form. Except for the blood covering her belly, she looked fierce. He expected her to charge, but all she was able to do was stagger toward them, and his protective instincts shot into a higher gear. His moment of distraction cost him. Whitlaw’s wolf managed to land on Brian’s shoulder, and he clamped down hard with sharp teeth. Damn it. As much as he wanted to make sure Jillian was okay, he had to fend off this ferocious mangy wolf first.
Brian twisted his head and bit down on the animal’s flank, causing the feral animal to squeal. Blood squirted out of Whitlaw’s side, and though the coppery taste was unpleasant, Brian would eat the damn wolf if that was what it took to make him die.
Jillian had finally crawled close enough and reached out with her paw, digging her nails into Whitlaw’s head. The wolf let go of Brian and fell to the ground, but then quickly jumped back up, acting as if he was fit for another round.
News flash, buddy. Not with that hole in your side, you aren’t. All of a sudden, Whitlaw’s wolf staggered, and Jillian growled. As much as Brian wanted to finish him off, he knew Jillian needed to do this for closure.
Voices sounded off to the side as two men—one being Dalton—rushed to Anna’s side and untied her. Dalton glanced over at them before returning his attention to the injured, captive woman. He must have believed Jillian would be okay or he would have entered into the fray.
Jillian suddenly yelped, and Brian moved forward, ready to help her. She had slammed the wolf into the ground, and had sunk her teeth into his neck. With him firmly in her grasp, she tossed the animal right and left. Wanting another chance to end this miserable man’s life, Brian took a bite out of the animal too, until the small wolf body went limp. Jillian moved back and so did Brian. What was once an animal transformed back into a man—and a very dead one at that. Holy crap.
Brian turned to Jillian ready to comfort her, but because he was still in his bear form, he was afraid to hug her. Just as he attempted to shift, she looked up at him with eyes that were glazed over. Her rear dropped to the ground and then the rest of her body followed.
Oh, shit. Brian roared, hoping to attract the attention of the others. When no one rushed in, he had to do something. Needing to return to his human form, Brian closed his eyes and concentrated. Pain ricocheted through him more intense than the first time, but that could have been because he’d been shot. His body twisted and spun and for a few seconds, he couldn’t see anything.
The next thing he knew, he was on his knees next to Jillian in his human form. He glanced down at his naked body. His chest was covered in blood. Some was probably his, but he suspected most belonged to Frank Whitlaw. Brian reached out and touched her shoulder. “Jillian. Are you okay?”
When she didn’t respond, his heart dropped to his stomach.
Chapter Twenty
‡
Brian was devastated that Jillian had been injured. If he’d run in faster, he might have been able to prevent her from being shot.
Don’t be so hard on yourself, the voice in his head said.
Only now did Brian realize that inner voice had been his bear talking to him all along. If only he’d introduced himself years ago, his life would have gone a little smoother.
Connor and Kip checked out Jillian, who was still in her tiger form. She was lucky. The bullet had been a through-and-through.
“We’ll carry her,” Connor said. “You shouldn’t be using that arm.”
As much as Brian wanted to argue, he and Kip could handle her. He bet Dalton would have been there had he known his sister had been injured, but he’d already left with Anna when Jillian had been in the middle of fighting Whitlaw.
“We can take her to the office or back to Dalton’s place,” Connor said. “We have a room where she can recover. Which do you prefer?” he asked, deferring to Brian.
“She’d be more comfortable at Dalton’s, but why not take her to a vet or the hospital?”
Connor sighed. “Because a human is inside her body. We can’t let anyone find out about our kind. Don’t worry, as a shifter she will heal on her own.”
“If you say so.”
“Dalton’s it is,” Connor said. “Stay here for a minute. Once we put Jillian in the car, I’ll bring you a spare set of clothes.”
“Appreciate it.” He could handle the cold, but someone might call the cops on him if they saw him naked.
Once he changed and slid into the back with Jillian, Connor too
k off. When they arrived at her brother’s house, Dalton wasn’t there, which meant Connor had to use his lock picking tools to get inside. Kip and Connor carried her to the bed.
“Do you want us to stay?” Kip asked.
Brian looked down at Jillian who was out cold but breathing evenly. From what he could tell, Kip didn’t have any medical skills. “You go on ahead. I’ll call if she takes a turn for the worse.”
Once the men left, Brian stroked Jillian’s fur. His own wound hurt like hell, but he wanted to make sure Jillian would be okay before shifting back into his bear form to heal.
A woman by the name of Missy showed up about a half hour later, saying Rye had called her. She explained that she was a Wendayan with healing powers and that she wanted to perform her magic on Jillian. Brian was all for it.
Between the lit candles, the crystals, and some herbs she placed under Jillian’s head, Missy said she would wake up soon and shift back. She also explained that when Rye had been stabbed, he’d slept a long time too, but after he had woken, he was mostly healed.
Jillian should be so lucky. Once Brian was alone with her, he shifted into his bear form and rested on the floor for the next few hours. He’d just woken up, shifted back into his human form, and tossed on clean clothes when Dalton stepped into the room. “Why don’t you shower and get some sleep. I can watch her.”
Brian appreciated his concern, but he wanted to believe that Jillian would heal faster with him by her side. “Give me a little bit more time with her.”
“Sure. I’ll be in the living room.”
“How’s Anna?” Brian asked.
“She’s resting in the hospital. Her face is swollen, but she’ll heal. The doctors expect she’ll be good enough to go home tomorrow.
“I’m glad she’ll be okay.”
Dalton nodded and left. Now that Whitlaw was dead, Brian should return to his apartment, but he didn’t want to leave Jillian just yet. She moaned, and he leaned closer. “That’s it, Jillian. Wake up so we can run in the woods together and splash in the rivers. Hell, the next time it snows we can roll around in it and maybe even slide down a hill on our butts.”