Sure you do. Kate looked at the considerable paunch stretching his t-shirt. She didn’t need the Knowing to know this was a fib. But the customer wanted to be flattered and she needed to sell this watch so of course she would go along with it.
For a moment she felt a rush of despair. What was she doing here? She could have been using her gift for something that mattered instead of picking some hairy rich guy’s brain to sell him an overpriced watch. In fact, she had a feeling she had done something like that in the past but she couldn’t be sure. There were holes in her memory—the three year gap was the biggest but it wasn’t the only one—not by a long shot.
“I can see you work out,” Kate said, getting back to business. She tapped the watch face gently with one fingernail. “Which is why this is the watch for you—it would suit your, uh, your active lifestyle.” She cleared her throat. “You know that every Oyster Perpetual Yacht-Master Rolex is subjected to stringent waterproofness testing? Before being shipped every single one is tested at a depth 10 percent more than it’s guaranteed for. Which means that—”
“Which means you’re going to hand it over or this pretty little bitch is going to be wearing your brains on her blouse.”
Kate gasped and looked up. The customer was frozen in place and there was a tall guy in a gray hoody standing right behind him. He had a small but deadly looking gun pressed to the side of the hairy customer’s head and he was looking grimly at Kate.
How had she missed him? Kate couldn’t understand it—why hadn’t her Knowing kicked in? Or failing that, why hadn’t she at least seen him walk into the store?
I was too focused on trying to sell this damn watch, she thought to herself numbly. Too busy using my gift for stupid, trivial things to notice when something really important was happening until it was too late.
But was it too late? She had her own gun, of course, but the Glock was tucked under her arm in the holster she wore beneath her jacket. How could she get to it without causing suspicion or getting her customer’s head blown off? Well, the first thing was to get the assailant away from Mr. Denrek, who was shaking like a leaf.
She looked around for help but there was no one there. Store policy stated that there should be two employees behind the cases at all times but Rosalie, the other clerk who was working that night, had asked if Kate minded if she ran to the bathroom. That had been five minutes ago, just before Mr. Denrek walked in to look at the watch and she still wasn’t back. There were no other customers either—she would have to handle this on her own.
Kate took a deep breath.
“Let’s just take it easy,” she said in a low voice. “If you’ll just leave Mr. Denrek alone I’m sure we can get you what you want.”
“What I want is that watch he’s wearing and every one like it you’ve got in the store,” the guy in the hoody snarled. “Now.”
“Take it! You can have it!” The customer suddenly unfroze and started fumbling desperately with the clasp on the Rolex. He got it unsnapped but unfortunately, a great deal of his arm hair was caught in the microfine links. He howled in pain as he ripped it off and dropped it onto the glass jewel case with a clunk.
“That’s a start.” The guy in the hoody snatched up the watch and looked at it eagerly. Then the expression on his face turned to one of disgust. “Ugh—there’s hair all up in it—fucking nasty!” He looked at the customer. “You know, they have like, hair removal laser surgery you can get. If you’re rich enough to afford a watch like this, you sure as hell could get some of that done.”
“I…uh…” Mr. Denrek looked offended but also still scared to death.
“Shut up you fat furry fuck—nobody cares,” the assailant snapped. He shoved Mr. Denrek to the ground and pointed his gun directly at Kate’s face. “Okay now, pretty lady, you’re gonna open the case and give me every single watch in this place and you’re gonna do it fast.”
“All right.” Kate was tense but despite the explosive situation, she still felt in control of herself. “Just please stop pointing the gun at me and I’ll give you anything you want,” she whispered, letting her voice tremble appealingly. “Please.”
She doubted her soft plea would have worked if she’d been a man or even a larger woman but her diminutive size worked in her favor this time.
“All right, cutie.” The guy in the hoody smirked and lowered the gun just a little so that it was pointed at the jewelry case rather than her. “I’m not gonna hurt you if you give me what I want,” he told her.
“Anything,” Kate whispered, still letting her voice tremble and pasting a look of abject terror on her face. In reality, she felt calm and collected inside. I can take this guy—all I need is just one good shot.
It was strange that she should have had a panic attack earlier when confronted by the man from her dreams and yet now, faced with a gun-wielding robber, she felt as cool as a cucumber. But she’d never been the type to cry or faint—unlike her customer, Mr. Denrek who was huddled in a ball on the floor whimpering.
No help there, Kate thought grimly. But she didn’t need any help. All she needed was a split second and a little luck.
“I’m going to reach into my inside pocket,” she told the assailant, moving her right hand carefully up to the left side of her jacket. “That’s where I keep the keys to the cases. Okay?”
“Yeah, all right.” Clearly he still suspected nothing. After all, how could such a tiny little girl hurt him?
Oh, I’ll hurt you plenty, asshole, Kate thought grimly, though she was careful to keep the look of fear on her face. I’ll blow a hole in you big enough to read the newspaper through. You’re going to be damn sorry you picked my night to rob this place.
She already had her hand on the Glock when the guy in the hoody started getting antsy.
“Hurry up! And you better not press no silent alarm!”
“We don’t have any of those,” Kate lied. Actually, they had one by every case but she couldn’t reach the closest one without causing suspicion. Her gun, however, was now firmly in hand. “I’m going to pull out the keys now,” she said and with one smooth tug, she brought the Glock out and pointed at his face.
Or that was what should have happened. Instead, the small gun somehow got snagged on her jacket. There was a small part of the lining that was coming unraveled—Kate had been meaning to sew it but she’d just never gotten around to it. Now it caught on part of the Glock—the rear sight maybe. Suddenly she found herself stuck with the gun only halfway out of her jacket but clearly visible.
“What the fuck?” The robber’s eyes widened. “What the hell are you trying to pull, lady?” He lifted his own gun, pointing it at her head. “I’ll fucking blow your head off you little—”
At that point, several things happened at once. There was a blur at the front of the store and then the big Kindred, the man from her dreams who had confronted her in the hallway, was just suddenly there, standing behind the assailant. Kate thought numbly that he must have moved with supernatural speed—how else could he just appear like that?
At the same moment, Rosalie walked back into the store, trilling, “I’m back!” Of course the robber’s back was to her so she didn’t see the gun. Instead she noticed Mr. Denrek, who was still huddled on the floor. “Oh my God—are you all right? Did you fall?” she gasped, and ran over to help him.
“Rosalie, get back!” Kate snapped, still yanking at her own gun. Damn, it was really caught! Her heart was starting to pound and her breath was coming short—it must be because the big Kindred with the burning blue eyes was standing near again—but she fought the panic grimly.
Can’t freak out! I have to deal with this!
The robber, who had been momentarily distracted by Rosalie’s entrance, still hadn’t noticed there was someone behind him—maybe because the Kindred wasn’t touching him and the hoody blocked his view. He turned his attention back to Kate and started to point the gun at her head.
“You dare,” snarled the big Kindred in his ear.
“You dare to threaten my mate?”
“What the—” The guy in the hoody started to turn but the huge Kindred already had him in a bear hug from behind. He forced the hand holding the gun down and pinned it to the other man’s body. He was so tall that his head and shoulders stuck up above the assailant, making it look like he was holding a child even though the man in the hoody was quite tall himself—for a human.
Kate finally managed to get her own gun free. With a low purring sound, the lining of her jacket ripped and she whipped the Glock out and pointed it at the two men in front of her.
“Step back,” she told the big Kindred. “I’ve got this. He…”
But the words died in her throat. Before her eyes, something strange was happening to the huge Kindred’s features. Something wrong.
His eyes, which had been glowing blue before, had suddenly turned a savage, pure silver. They were wild—filled with a hungry lust she’d never seen before. A lust that wasn’t human.
Oh my God—the Beast…it’s the Beast! cried a frightened voice in the back of her head.
Suddenly the panic was back and this time there was no way to keep it in check. Cold sweat broke out all over her body and her hands started to shake so badly it was difficult to hold the Glock. Her airway narrowed to a pinhole and she couldn’t get enough oxygen into her starved lungs.
“It’s all right, Lalli,” the Beast growled. “I’ve got him. He can’t hurt you.”
“Leave me alone” Kate gasped. Suddenly nothing mattered but getting away—putting distance between herself and the Beast that big Kindred had somehow become. She ran out from around the counter and sprinted for the front of the store.
Rosalie and Mr. Denrek had gotten behind one of the counters which gave them shelter but Kate didn’t think she could have stopped to help them even if they were right in the line of fire. She was gripped with a blind panic—a fight or flight response that was completely beyond her ability to control.
Have to get out—have to get away! Can’t let him get me! the voice of panic yammered in her head. Go! Go, go, GO! Then, to her horror, she heard the big Kindred’s voice behind her.
“Kate no! Kate, stop—I won’t hurt you!”
Risking a glance over her shoulder, Kate saw that he had let the guy in the hoody go and was chasing her instead. His eyes had shifted back to normal but that didn’t calm her down. She still felt the blinding urge to get away from him—to get as far from him as she could.
“Come back—I said I won’t hurt you!” he yelled at her in that deep voice. He was reaching for her now, one long-fingered hand snagged the back of her tan jacket and began reeling her in.
Kate acted on instinct. She pointed her Glock at his face and fired.
Running and looking over your shoulder and shooting are all things that almost never go together except in action movies. The shot missed. Instead of plowing right between those glowing blue eyes as Kate had intended, the bullet went through his broad shoulder instead. The big Kindred gasped and let go of her jacket to grab his bleeding right arm.
Kate kept right on running. The shot had only incapacitated him—not killed him. Therefore, she wasn’t safe yet—she had to get away. She was still looking over her shoulder, making sure he wasn’t following her, as her heels clattered over the slick tiles of the upper deck.
“Kate, no!” She saw his blue eyes widen. “Kate, stop—watch where you’re going!”
But Kate wasn’t stopping for anything. She would have kept running forever if something hadn’t stopped her—the waist high railing that ran around the top floor suddenly hit her in the midsection, knocking the air out of her lungs. It should have sent her sprawling but instead, her forward motion carried her over. She felt her feet leave the ground and then she was flipping down and over the banister, headed head-first for the ground floor far below.
A scream rose in her throat but somehow, she managed to grab one of the skinny rails that ran between the support struts of the railing with her free hand and stop with a jerk. A heavier person would have fallen to their death but Kate was light. She gripped the thin rail tightly, hanging by one hand, her legs dangling into empty space.
One of her sensible heels came off and fell into the kids play area below. People who had probably heard the echoing gunshot were beginning to look up and point and gasp.
Suddenly the big Kindred was there, leaning over the railing.
“Kate, oh Goddess!” he gasped raggedly. “Hold on, baby—I’ll get you.”
He started to reach for her with his unwounded arm but just then the guy in the gray hoody came up behind him.
“You son of a bitch!” the robber growled, wrapping his hands around the Kindred’s neck. “I’ll fucking kill you for messing with me!”
Caught off guard, the big Kindred choked and reached up to try and fend the other man off. He pressed his hand into the robber’s face, pushing him away, struggling to get rid of him, presumably so he could get back to Kate.
Kate, meanwhile, could feel her left hand slipping. She still held the gun in her right hand and she knew she ought to drop it and use both hands to pull herself up. But somehow the fingers curled around the Glock refused to loosen their grip. She gave a terrified gasp as she felt the thin metal strut sliding between her sweaty fingers.
It seemed impossible that the big Kindred could pay attention to anything else while he was grappling with the robber but he seemed to hear Kate’s gasp. He was still using his left hand to fight off the other man but he managed to reach down with his right arm—the one she’d shot him in—and grasp her wrist.
At his touch, Kate immediately went into panic mode.
“No—no!” She struggled to get away, fighting even though the alternative to his hand on hers was a fifty foot drop to the first floor below.
“Kate—hold still! This arm is wounded—I can’t hold you if you struggle!”
His blue eyes were fierce with effort as they looked into hers. Kate felt something warm and wet dripping over her wrist. With a start, she realized it was his blood. He was holding her with the arm she had shot him in. God only knew how he was managing to support her weight with a wounded arm.
The Beast! It’s the Beast! screamed the panicky little voice in her brain. But if the big Kindred really did want to kill or hurt her, they why was he trying to save her? Especially after she had wounded him?
“You asshole!” the guy in the hoody growled. He was still fighting to get closer to the Kindred and now he raised his gun, which he must have tucked into his pocket, and pressed it to the Kindred’s head. Kate had no idea why he hadn’t used the gun earlier but it didn’t matter—now he had it out and there was a deadly look in his eyes that said he wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
Inside her, the panic warred with the rational side of her brain. Part of her was screaming that she had to get away from the big Kindred at all costs but the other part was yelling that he was trying to save her—that this fear she felt wasn’t rational or right.
Not knowing what she was going to do, Kate raised her own gun which was still firmly gripped in her right hand.
“Kate,” the big Kindred said and there was despair in his deep voice. “Kate, baby…please, no.”
Kate didn’t answer. She just took aim and pulled the trigger.
Chapter Five
“Gah!” The guy in the hoody stumbled backwards, grabbing his throat. Blood seeped between his fingers and then he lost his grip on the big Kindred and fell over.
Got him, Kate thought and then huge black blossoms began to explode in her field of vision. She felt her fingers slipping again and knew she was losing her grip on the skinny support strut. Her other shoe fell. Dimly, she heard someone scream from far below.
Gonna fall, she thought woozily as the world swayed around her. Gonna fall…gonna die. Well, at least this way the Beast can’t get me.
Then strong hands were gripping her under her arms and dragging her up. Kate felt herself pulled up and
over the railing. Her eyes closed for a moment and when they opened, she found she was being cradled against the big Kindred’s broad chest.
“Kate?” he asked hoarsely. “Lalli? Are you all right?”
No, whispered the panicky little voice in her brain. No, I’m being held in the arms of the Beast. I’ll never be all right again.
Then blackness ate the world and she knew no more.
* * * * *
“Gods! Lalli? Please be all right!” Rone cradled her to him, staring down into the delicate, familiar features. Kate was completely out—hanging limp in his arms like a doll. Her breathing was still rapid and light but she didn’t seem to be injured—at least not in any way that he could see.
He couldn’t understand what was going on. Why didn’t Kate remember him? And why was she so afraid of him? It wasn’t just the normal fear of a small woman confronted by a big male either—he could actually see panic in her big green eyes when she looked at him. And being Wulven, he could smell her fear—it hung around her like a curtain and intensified every time he got near her. Why?
It was as though all she could see when she looked at him was the Beast. What had she said earlier? That he was the Beast coming to eat her up? Something like that. Which was crazy—Rone would never let his Beast hurt her. He knew she could sense it inside him but it had never frightened her so much before—not even back when they were first getting to know each other.
But now it’s like she doesn’t know me at all. When will her memory come back? Will it ever come back?
The sound of shouting from the other end of the long hallway pulled him out of his dismal thoughts. He realized that men in uniform were running towards him—guards of some kind, no doubt. And if they got to him before he could get away, they would take Kate from him and he might never get to see her again.
Have to get her out of here! Take her someplace I can reason with her—try to make her remember.
“Hey—hey, you!” one of the guards yelled.