He reached for the phone to call his mate but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
“Enter,” he barked.
Leo poked his head around the door. “I just had a call about a woman being abducted from Church Street. Boss, they said it was Tara.”
The pencil snapped in Alex’s hand. Someone had dared to lay a hand on his mate? He stood and walked around the desk. “When?” he growled.
“She was taken just five minutes ago,” Leo said. “Ethan and I are on our way there.”
Alex stalked by him, and strode through the room. A path cleared before him, people scrambling to get out of his way. Sometimes it paid to be the big grumpy bear. It had to be Barry who’d taken her. Whatever his mother had done to the fox, it would be nothing compared to what Alex would do. His bear roared inside his head, drowning out all other sounds. Leaving the building, he rushed to Church Street. He could see nothing unusual. The street was quiet. Normal.
He stopped, sniffing the air. His nose picked up no trace of Tara. Puzzled, he looked along the street. Nobody was around. He was aware of something hitting the back of his head, hard. Then he was falling as his vision went dark.
***
Tara finished icing the cupcakes, her eyes straying to the clock. Cheesecake o’clock. Lunchtime to most people. Oh, she’d be having lunch too, but only after she’d eaten some lovely, lovely cheesecake. It was all about priorities.
“Hey, sis,” Sara called, poking her head around the door. “I’m off. I’ll make myself scarce later. Congratulations again. I’m so happy for you and hot bear dude.”
“Thanks.” Tara smiled at her. “You don’t have to stay away though. It’s your house too for as long as you’re staying.”
“It’s ok,” her sister said, a sad little smile on her face. “You’re newly mated and you need your space. Actually, I’m going to go stay with your friend Fiona for tonight. I’ll still be around if you need me.”
Tara walked over to her and hugged her fiercely. “Someday soon you are going to tell me what’s wrong. I just want to help.”
“I know.” Sara’s voice was quiet, barely a whisper. “Just not yet. I can’t. Go be happy with your bear.”
With that, she slipped out the door, leaving Tara alone with her cheesecake.
She checked the clock. Close enough. She walked over to the counter where she’d left herself a slice of cheesecake heaven… okay, two slices. Quit judging. She had been looking forward to this all morning. She heard the phone ringing and Dana’s voice answering.
She lifted a forkful of cheesecake up to her mouth, pausing with a frown when she heard her name mentioned.
“Tara?” Dana was saying. “What do you mean? Ethan, Tara is right here in the kitchen where she’s been all morning.”
The kitchen door pushed open. Dana’s head poking around to look at her.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Dana was saying. “Ethan, I’m looking at her right now. She’s not missing.”
Tara frowned and put down the cheesecake, watching her friend.
“So where is Alex?” Dana was asking.
Tara stood up and walked over to her. What was wrong with Alex?
“I’ll tell her,” Dana said, ending the call.
“What?” Tara asked. “Tell me what? Where’s Alex?”
Dana shrugged. “They got a call that you’d been abducted. Alex went storming off ahead of everyone else and nobody has seen or heard from him.”
Tara felt frozen, unable to move. Her stomach seemed to be somewhere in the region of her feet. Fear crept up the back of her neck and scalp, prickling at her. Nothing felt real.
“What else?” she could hear herself asking but it seemed to come from a great distance.
Dana hesitated.
“Tell me,” Tara insisted.
“They found some blood at the location he was headed to,” Dana said quietly. “Here, sit down before you fall down.” Dana guided her to a stool and pushed her down onto it.
“Alex’s blood?” she asked. Please let it not be his. She couldn’t lose her mate so soon after finding him. Not when things were finally going well.
“Ethan says it smells like Alex’s.” Dana stood beside her, rubbing her shoulder. “It’s not a huge amount, sweetie. It doesn’t mean anything.”
“Where?” Tara said.
“Tara…”
“Where?” she insisted. “Where did it happen?”
Dana sighed. “Church Street.”
Tara stood on shaky legs. “I’m going out for a while.”
“Tara…”
“Look, I need some fresh air, okay?” Tara said, fingers crossed behind her back. It didn’t count as lying then, right? “I’m just going to walk home. I just can’t be here right now. Call me if there’s news.”
Dana looked at her doubtfully but nodded. “Fine. Call me if you need me.”
Promising she would call, Tara picked up her coat and bag, and slipped from the shop. She could see Dana watching from the café window, so she made sure to turn in the direction of her house, before slipping back down another street and making her way to Church Street. She had no idea what she’d do when she got there. She just needed to check it out for herself.
As she reached her destination, she could see Ethan and Leo interviewing potential witnesses. Who on earth would try to take out Alex? Okay, so the obvious suspect was Barry, but she’d never have picked him for suicidal. He was no match for Alex and even a surprise attack would have been risky.
She stayed still for a moment, considering her options. If she approached them, Leo and Ethan would send her home. They’d most likely call someone to babysit her and make sure she stayed there. She sighed. It was all very chivalrous, but right now she needed to be out here looking for her mate.
She didn’t need to see Alex’s blood anyway. She edged down a side street, making her way closer to the spot without being seen. Her mouse half gave her a good sense of smell and she picked up various scents in the area. Most of them she’d rather not be able to smell, but there amongst it all, she could smell Alex. He had been here, in this side street. Along with… Barry… and three others. She could scent Barry’s brother, Geoff, and also two unfamiliar scents. She didn’t know them but she could identify them as foxes. It looked like Barry had help. The question was, where did they go? The scent ended abruptly. Normally that meant that they’d entered a vehicle of some sort.
“Hurry up,” a voice hissed. “There are cops around here.”
She shrank back into the shadows, keeping herself concealed.
“I dropped my wallet when we were lugging that damn bear around,” another voice answered. “If they find it, they’ll identify me and then we’re screwed.”
These must be Barry’s accomplices. Tara scowled. Her inner mouse squeaked at her, urging her to leap forward and gnaw them to death for touching her mate. She reminded her mouse that the men were bigger than her and that there were two of them. Besides, the priority was finding their mate. Revenge could come later.
Keeping to the shadows, she could see the two men searching the ground for the missing wallet. One of them had a bag, a backpack, which he’d left lying on the ground while he searched for his missing wallet. Hmmm… that had possibilities.
She quickly stripped off her coat, shoes, uniform, and underwear. Man, she hoped nobody suddenly took a stroll through here. This could be difficult to explain. She called on her change, feeling her body shrink down to her mouse form. Hopefully there were no stray cats around.
Edging forward, she waited until the men were both fully turned away from her, then she bolted for the backpack, silently climbing inside and hiding in a corner. The smell was overpowering. Gah. Odour of dirty socks and sweaty gym clothes. Gack. This could be the shortest rescue attempt ever as she got herself gassed inside a bag. She managed to control her gag reflex, barely. She could do this, she had to do this. Alex needed her.
“Foun
d it!” one of the men said, keeping his voice low. “Now let’s get out of here before we get caught.”
The bag suddenly lurched as it was picked up and slung over someone’s shoulder. She felt the movement of being carried and then the sensation of flying through the air as the bag was tossed into a car. She heard the doors slam, the car start, and then they were on the move.
“What’s Barry planning on doing with the bear anyway?” a voice asked.
“No clue,” came the answer. “He just needs him out of the way so that he can have a shot at Mouse Girl.”
“So you think he’ll…” the voice paused. “Man, I didn’t sign up to kill anyone.”
“I don’t know. I don’t like it either. Still, I don’t like leaving the bear to come after us. Did you see the state Barry was in?”
“He said it wasn’t the bear.”
“Who else could it have been? He’s just embarrassed that the Mouse’s new mate took him out.”
“Maybe.”
The voices fell silent for the rest of the trip. It seemed to last forever, especially with her delicate nose being assaulted by stinky socks. The car eventually rolled to a stop. Tara felt the bag being lifted as they got out of the car.
“Did you get it?”
Tara recognized Geoff’s voice. She’d met him a few times when she was with Barry. She hadn’t liked him at all. Then again, she hadn’t always liked Barry much either.
“Yeah, got it.”
The bag got dropped in a corner, the clothes inside cushioning her fall. She wiggled her way out of the clothes, climbing her way to the top of the bag. She cautiously peeked out. They were in a kitchen. Geoff was leaning on a wall, bottle of beer in his hand. Two strangers sat at a table, drinking their own beers.
“Where’s the boss?” one of them asked.
Geoff took a long drink. “Outside. Making a phone call.”
“What for?”
Geoff fixed the man with a sour look. “To get someone to deal with the bear problem we have in the shed. Unless you wanna do it?”
There was silence.
Geoff snorted. “Yeah. That’s what I thought. Barry is calling someone to take care of it.”
Tara fought down panic. They were talking about getting someone to kill Alex. She felt physically sick, and not just from the smell in the bag. She had to do something. They’d said that Alex was in the shed. She had to get out there. She inched her way out of the bag, careful not to draw any attention. She climbed down to the floor, keeping her body behind the bag, out of sight. She had to find cover. She sneaked along the kitchen floor, moving a little at a time and resting behind anything she could find. Her little heart was pounding inside her chest.
She made her way to the door. She squeezed herself against the wall in the tiny little space between the kitchen counter and the door frame. She was on the right side of the door to dart outside as soon as the door was opened.
She didn’t have to wait long before the door suddenly swung open.
“The guy will be here first thing tomorrow morning,” Barry’s voice announced as he entered the room.
“Tomorrow?” one of the strangers objected.
“Yeah,” Barry said, taking a step forwards. “It was the earliest he could get here.”
“I don’t like this.” One of the strangers.
“Well, he should have left my mouse alone,” Barry growled. “I spent ages training her and I need her money.”
Money? What money? Tara didn’t have time to waste. She could stand here eavesdropping or she could get out there and find Alex. It was no contest. She had to move now while the door was still open.
She bounded out of the door into the garden, just as the door closed behind her. She stood for a moment, little nose quivering. She was so small in this form, so vulnerable, and she didn’t have a big ass bear protecting her this time. No, this time it was the itty bitty mouse that had to protect the bear. Frightened or not, she had to do this.
She spotted the shed and pattered towards it on little mouse paws. She was right next to the shed when she smelled it. Cat! She saw a streak of black as she dashed at the tiny hole she’d spotted in the shed wall. She could practically feel the cat’s breath on her neck as she ran for her life. She threw herself into the hole and heard the smack as the cat hit the wall, unable to fit through the gap. She could still hear it, scratching at the wall, determined to get to her. She shivered in fear, cowering in the gloom of the shed. Gradually, a familiar scent penetrated her senses. Alex!
She followed her nose to the back wall of the shed. Alex was propped up against the wall, wrapped in heavy ropes. Sure, shifters were strong, Alex more than most, but the staggering amount of rope would keep him in place. He’d been wrapped like a mummy in layers of ropes to keep him immobile. His eyes were closed, his body unmoving. Blood ran from a cut on his forehead, his handsome face bruised. Apparently Barry hadn’t been able to resist the opportunity to hit Alex when he was unable to defend himself. Tara felt rage well within her.
Scampering over to him, she climbed the ropes, bringing her level with his face. She nudged him gently with her nose. Nothing. She nudged a little harder and his eyes opened, his gaze a little unfocussed. He frowned a little and she nudged him again.
“Tara?” he queried. His eyes becoming clearer. “What are you doing here? You need to get out. Now.”
She shook her head at him. No way she was leaving him here like this.
“Tara,” he said firmly. “It’s not safe. You have to go. If you want to help me, you need to go find Ethan and Leo and bring them here. Can you do that?”
She shook her head again. It was a great plan… except she had no idea where they were and how to get to anyone who could help. Besides, they didn’t have time. Alex didn’t know about the hitman arriving in the morning. Wait, if Barry had made that phone call outside, Alex had to have heard him, had to know what was coming. He was still trying to send her away, to protect her while he got his stupid furry ass killed. Not happening.
She squeaked at him crossly and then looked down at the ropes. It would take a long time, but they had the rest of the afternoon and all night. As long as that damn cat didn’t get in here.
She picked a rope and got to work, her little mouse teeth gnawing through the rope.
“You’re not leaving, are you?” Alex sighed. “We’re going to be discussing this later.”
She ignored him. If she failed, nobody would be discussing anything. If she succeeded, he could yell at her all he liked, just as long as he was alive to do so. She kept gnawing. After a while, the rope frayed, only hanging on by a thread. Close enough. She moved onto the next rope. Then the next. Her jaw was tired and starting to hurt. It didn’t stop her. She moved steadily. The gloom turned to darkness as night fell. Still she worked, always aware of the passing time. She had to bite faster. It was working. Thank goodness they hadn’t used chains instead of rope. Finally, she felt the ropes give way, and she scampered down to the floor as Alex fought his way out of the ropes.
She had done it! He was free. He stooped down, his movements slow and careful. He must be stiff after being restrained for so long. He lay his hand on the floor and she stood on it as he brought her up to face level.
“Thank you,” he said simply. “Now let’s get out of here. As much as I’d like to take on those four, I’m not in a fit state and I want you away from here.”
He stumbled to the door and opened it. A black shadow sprang forward, smacked into Alex’s leg, and sat down hard with a yowl. Stupid cat. Even in mouse form, she couldn’t resist the urge to stick out her tongue at the cat as they passed.
***
Alex concentrated on walking, setting one foot in front of the other. His bear grumbled at him, demanding they go back and rip the men to shreds. Alex reminded the bear that they were in no fit state to do so right now. The bear thought they should try it anyway. Alex pointed out that it was a sure way of ge
tting themselves killed. The bear wasn’t interested. Alex reminded it that they had their mate with them and their first priority was getting her to safety. His bear finally shut up and skulked off to the corner of his mind to sulk.
Tara the mouse settled down in his hand, curling into a little ball. She looked exhausted. He couldn’t believe that she’d come after him on her own. Then she’d spent hours freeing him from his restraints. His mate was a brave and stubborn woman. He wasn’t sure whether to throttle her or bow down at her feet.
Unsure where they were, Alex concentrated on moving further away from the house. The property sat a little by itself, which explained how the men could have dragged a large body in there without anyone noticing. Still, it wasn’t exactly in the middle of nowhere, and it wasn’t long before he came across other houses.
He gently popped Tara into his shirt pocket, where she’d be safe and out of sight. She squirmed a little before settling down. He approached a house and knocked on the door. Silence greeted him. Fantastic. Through the glass at the side of the door, he noted a small pile of letters on the floor. Clearly, nobody had been home for a while.
“Looks like we’re breaking in, sweetheart,” he mumbled to Tara. Not a great look for a cop, but it was an emergency.
She squeaked at him, head poking out of his pocket.
“I don’t have a choice,” he pointed out. “We need to get to a phone, so I can call for help.”
The mouse rolled her eyes at him. She squeaked insistently until he lifted her from his pocket. Once there, the mouse pointed down at the ground.
“You think you can find a way in there?” he asked, watching as the mouse nodded at him in response.
He sighed. “Fine. Have a shot at it. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll do it my way.” He lowered her to the ground. “Stay away from cats.”
She squeaked at him and darted off. She disappeared behind a bush that grew beside the house. He waited. Nothing. He cast nervous glances up and down the street. If his attackers came back, he would fight with everything he had to protect himself and Tara, but he was outnumbered, tired, and hurt. He’d rather avoid any confrontations for now.
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