"You can hide under there," Steve called to us.
Rick stood on the top of the stairs with his gun in hand. He stiffened and swung around to point the barrel down the hall. "Better hurry! Ah hear yer friends getting impatient to talk with ya," he told us.
Luke and I jumped into the back and quickly covered most of ourselves with the disgustingly filthy tarp. "Go!" Luke shouted at Steve.
Steve looked to Rick. "Get in!" he ordered the old man.
Rick fired off a shot and scuttled down the stairs. He jumped into the cab, shoved Steve aside, and slammed the door. "Hold on!" he yelled at us.
I heard his foot stomp on the gas pedal and we shot forward so fast I slid down the bed. My feet hit the flimsy board and cracks appeared beneath my bare soles. Luke grabbed my hand and yanked me back up against the rear of the cab. "I wouldn't try that again," he advised.
"I didn't want to try that the first time," I shot back.
We were interrupted by movement behind us. A half dozen werewolves in all their furry glory tore from the back door of the apartment building. They skidded along the damp mud of the alley and sped after us. My eyes widened when I realized they were also catching up. "Must go faster! Must go faster!" I yelled to Rick.
We bounced along the alley and turned a right corner onto the main street. Luke and I slid into the left side of the bed and he winced when I slammed into his side. "Don't you dare make a crack about my weight," I growled at him.
He sheepishly smiled and shook his head. "Never entered my mind," he swore.
The truck sped faster along the traction of the paved road, but that didn't stop the pack from catching us. The lead werewolf jumped onto the rear bumper and grabbed the makeshift tailgate. He was a little surprised when it broke under his clawed hands and he tumbled back onto the street. The lead took out two others like they were bowling pins, but the other three dodged and caught us. A pair of them jumped onto the sides and climbed their way into the bed.
Luke flung the tarp over me and leapt at the intruders. I grappled with the plastic cloth while through its holes I could see Luke grapple with the pair of werewolves at the edge of the truck bed. He knocked one off, but the other one grabbed him from behind and pinned Luke's arms to his sides. I flung off the tarp and threw myself at my enemy's legs. My heavy body knocked his legs out from under him and he tipped over the back of the truck.
Unfortunately, he didn't let go of Luke, so they fell together. I reached out and grabbed Luke's hand before he hit the pavement. The lone wolf swiped at his feet, and Luke gave him a good kick to the face. I pulled him back into the bed and we both fell to the bed facing our foes. "You're heavy," I wheezed. He really was heavy.
He snorted. "And you should be under that tarp," he scolded me.
"And miss all this fun?" I countered.
While we talked the two bowling pins and the former lead were back in action and passed our three defeated ones to overtake the truck. They were lined up shoulder to shoulder five yards away from the rear of the truck, and that gave me an idea. I rolled around and scrambled toward the cab where I picked up the filthy tarp. I grabbed it and turned around to see Luke standing at the edge of the bed prepared for their attack. The other half of the pack were catching up behind them and they made two neat rows twenty yards apart.
I raced to the edge of the bed just as the first row of werewolves jumped us. I flung the tarp across the rear of the bed and they flew face-first into the filth. They tumbled onto their backs on the pavement, and struggled to free themselves of each other and the tarp. The other three werewolves jumped over them and raced at us. I turned to Luke. "Um, we're all out of tarps," I told him.
"Then get ready to fight," he replied.
Two of the werewolves raced up either side of the truck and jumped into the bed. I took the left one and Luke took the right. He tried to punch his off, but his foe ducked and got a fist into Luke's gut. Luke winced, but grabbed him and they wrestled to the bed. Mine tried to wrap his arms around me in a not-so-friendly hug, but we hadn't been properly introduced, so I stepped aside and he caught air.
That's when Rick decided to take an extra-sharp turn and nearly flung me over the bumper. My hands wildly clawed at the air and caught the only thing tall enough to reach: my werewolf opponent's waist. We both toppled over the end of the bed. I landed on my feet, but nearly had my legs torn from under me by the speed of the flying ground beneath me before I used my super speed to go with the flow.
My enemy wasn't as lucky. He managed to grasp the edge of the bed, but he didn't land on his feet so his legs dragged along the pavement. I grabbed hold of the back of his shirt and used him as a prone ladder to crawled onto my knees back into the truck. I turned around and smiled sweetly at him. "Thanks," I told him. He growled at me. Then I kicked his hands with my bare feet, and he fell face-first onto the pavement. That guy didn't get back up.
Luke was finishing off his fun with his opponent, so I hurried to the cab so I wouldn't again fall off the back on a turn. Luke tossed his guy over the side of the side of the truck and turned to me with a dashing smile. Neither of us noticed the third guy climb over the rear of the bed until a shot sounded. The werewolf was hit with a barrage of shotgun pellets. He clutched at his face and howled in pain. Luke took his chance and shoved his shoulder into our foe's chest. The werewolf went sprawling over the back of the truck, and a moment later we drove around a corner and out of sight of our defeated enemies.
Luke and I turned around to find Steve holding the gun through the cab rear window. His eyes were wide, his face was pale, and his hands trembled. Luke smiled. "Thank you," he said to the young lad. Steve could only nod. Luke shuffled over and collapsed beside me.
I leaned my head against his shoulder and sighed. "Well, that was fun," I quipped.
Luke chuckled and brushed back some wild strands of my hair. "You're getting to be a better fighter," he commented.
"I'd rather be a magician and disappear myself out of these messes," I countered.
Rick slowed the truck and glanced over his shoulder at us. "What direction do you want out of this city?" he asked us.
Luke opened his mouth, but I clapped my hand over it and leaned toward Rick. "We want to go to Lord Stevens' house," I told him.
Luke's eyes widened and he tore off my hand. "What? Why?"
I glared at him. "Because for the last week we've done nothing but run. Well, I'm tired of running away without some sort of victory, so let's go rescue Stacy's dad," I insisted.
"That's a suicide mission, lady," Steve spoke up.
"Then you two stay in the truck while Luke and I get ourselves killed," I snapped at him.
Luke's face fell and he raised an eyebrow. "I'm getting dragged into your crazy plan?"
"Do you want to stay in the truck while I go inside the house by myself to certain death?" I asked him.
"No, I just wanted to know if I had a choice."
"You don't, so stop whining. Besides, this is the least we can do for Stacy's helping us out all this time."
"Well, we have a goal, but how do you intend for us to get in there?" Luke asked me.
I flinched. "I hadn't really gotten that far yet and was kind of hoping you could help me."
Luke chuckled. "I have an idea, but you're not going to like it."
"Why?"
"Because it involves damp walls and some foul-smelling water."
The color drained from my face. "Oh goody," I mumbled.
"Still want to kidnap him?" he wondered.
"We're rescuing him," I corrected him.
"That's not how Cranston's going to show it to everyone," he pointed out.
"I think our image is pretty well shot already. What's a little kidnapping added to our attempted assassination?" I countered.
"Good point." He looked to Rick. "Stop the truck two streets off Stevens' place."
Rick shook his head, but stepped on the gas to our next suicide mission.
26
&nbs
p; Rick stopped the truck two streets down from Stevens' mansion, and Luke and I hopped out the back. Luke scoped the ground while I looked around the neighborhood. "I haven't seen any of Cranston's goons for a few blocks," I whispered to him.
"Disappointed this might not be as crazy a plan as you'd hoped?" Luke teased me.
I rolled my eyes. "No, I'm wondering why they aren't around."
"He's spread his forces throughout the entire city. Even if he had several thousand men he still couldn't cover everything, so he's placed them where he thinks we'll be. Going to Stevens' mansion is apparently not where he thinks we'll be," Luke suggested.
"So he doesn't think Stacy would rescue her father?" I wondered.
Luke's gaze stopped on a manhole, and he strode over and knelt beside it. He lifted it up and slid it off to the side to reveal the stinking sewers that led to Stevens' high-security cell. His plan to accomplish my plan was to sneak inside through there, grab Stevens, and sneak out. What could go wrong?"
"Cranston's made enough on our plates that even Stacy isn't suggesting we save her father," he pointed out. He stuck his legs into the hole and looked up at me. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," he told me.
I crossed my arms and frowned at him. He held up his hands and smiled. "Just thought I'd ask."
"Don't think that thought again," I snapped at him. "I'm no coward, and I'm not going to start now."
He chuckled. "And that's one of the reasons why I love you."
"Less flattering, more climbing," I replied.
Luke nodded and descended the ladder into the water. I quickly followed and cringed when my bare feet sank into the thick, gelatinous ooze of sewer water. "What I wouldn't do for a pair of galoshes right now."
Luke chuckled. "Wait long enough and a pair might go floating by."
"I'm not willing to wait that long." I took a step and froze. A large flaw in my plan swept through my mind, and I whipped my head over to Luke. "Um, what if the door to the cell is locked?" I asked him.
He grinned and shrugged. "Then we ask them to open it," he suggested.
I tilted my head to one side and looked at him with my mouth slightly agape. "You're not joking, are you?" He shrugged again and sloshed forward. I scowled at his retreating back. "That's not an answer!" I shouted at him.
"We don't have time to waste. The sun'll be up in an hour or two," he called over his shoulder. I growled, but sloshed after him.
We stumbled and waded through the filthy water until we came to a familiar ladder. Luke looked up it, and then to me. "I'll go first. Listen for trouble, and get out of here if you hear any."
"I'm not leaving you," I firmly replied.
He sighed, but there was a smile on his face. "You can't blame a guy for wanting to be the hero."
"Yes, I can, now get up that ladder, Mr. Hero, and check it out," I commanded him.
Luke swooped his arm in front of him and bowed at the waist. "As you wish, my lady." He spun around, climbed the ladder, and quietly opened the bent hatch. My mate slipped into the room and out of sight. I listened to his soft footsteps across the floor and heard his attempts to open the door. There silence for a moment, and then I jumped a foot in the air when Luke gave a loud pound against the metal door. That was followed by quiet curse under his breath.
I moved to catch every angle of the room the hatch allowed, but still couldn't see him. "What the hell are you doing up there?" I hissed.
"Catching their attention, now stay down there," he whispered.
Luke's plan worked because the sounds of boots echoed along the ceiling of the sewer. It sounded like a pack of wolves, and I knew Luke couldn't handle that many. I clamored up the ladder in time to see the door swing open with Luke behind it. Three men charged in with pistols drawn. They saw me and pointed their barrels at my head. Luke jumped out and barreled into them. He punched the closest one in the face, and grabbed him and tossed the guy in my direction. The guy fell head-first into the hole and took me with him. We flew down the ladder and into the dirty drink below. He landed on top of me and I got a face full of the filthy water. I tussled with him until I realized he was out cold. Then I rolled him off and watched him float face-up down the sewer and around the next bend.
Above me came the sounds of battle, so I dragged my wet body up the ladder and peeked over the side. Luke had his hands full with the pair of them. They were disarmed, but they surrounded and paced around him waiting to strike. I pulled myself out of the hole and dove at the closest one whose back was toward me. My hefty weight brought him to the hard floor and he cracked his head hard against the ground.
Luke jumped at the last guard and tossed him against the wall. That guy also counted sheep now, but I noticed Luke cradle one of his hands in the other. I rushed over and saw his hand was smoking. "What'd you do?" I asked him.
He jerked his head toward the door. "Stacy wasn't kidding when she said there was a silver plating in that door," he replied.
"Next time don't hit it so hard," I advised him.
Luke chuckled. "I'll have to remember that the next time we're trapped in this room."
"Let's hope there isn't a next time. Now you stay here and I'll go find Stevens," I told him.
He raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know how to find him?"
"I'll use my sniffer," I explained.
"And do you know what his scent smells like?"
"Um, I can learn on the way, but you stay here and heal that wound," I insisted.
He chuckled. "Follow me and learn," he commanded. He strode out of the room and down the hall.
"Don't you ever listen to me?" I yelled at him.
"Nope," came his reply. I growled, but hurried after him.
He led us through the halls to the main passage that stretched from the front door to the rear. I recognized the door to Stevens' office to our left. Luke paused at the intersection and sniffed the air. "There's a lot more guards in here, but none on the first floor," he whispered to me.
"Then let's hurry up so they stay out of the first floor," I replied.
Luke nodded and guided me down the hall to Stevens' office. We slipped inside and found the room dark but for the light from the large windows. It must have been fashionable to have large windows in one's office. In the chair behind the desk sat Stevens. He was like we'd seen him last, stiff as a board with his eyes staring straight ahead. I wondered if he'd moved at all.
Luke strode around the desk and touched the man's shoulder. Stevens didn't move. I walked over to the lord's other side and looked to Luke. "Any idea how we can snap him out of this?" I whispered to him.
He shrugged. "I don't even know what snapped him into this," he pointed out.
"Well, I suppose we'll fix this like I fix a broken TV," I suggested.
He raised an eyebrow. "And that's what?"
I slapped my hand across his face. Stevens' eyes widened and he sputtered to his feet. "Why the hell did you-" Luke slapped his hand over the other lord's face and pulled him against himself.
Stevens ripped Luke's hand off him and glared at Luke. "Don't you dare-" Luke covered his mouth again and gave Stevens such a warning glare that it shut the old man up.
"Speak again and I'll tear off your lips," Luke warned him. Stevens frowned, but didn't pull his hand off. Luke slipped his hand off himself and separated them. "You've been under Cranston's power for the last few days. We're here to take you out of here so he can't use you as his pawn."
Stevens scowled at him. "I know what's been going on. I haven't been blind these past days, just unable to act on my own."
Luke and I glanced at each other, then back to Stevens. "So you could see what was happening?" I guessed.
Stevens pursed his lips together, but nodded. "Yes, but if you want me to tell you what Cranston is up to then I can't oblige. He said nothing about his plans in this room."
"What we want is for you to follow us so we can get you safely to Stacy, so let's go," I ordered him. Stevens opened his mouth
to complain, but a noise above us told us the guards were on the move.
"Hurry!" Luke hissed. He grabbed Stevens' arm and dragged him to the door with me behind them. We sped out of the hall and disappeared down the passage to the cell room, but not in time to miss being seen by a group of guards who came to investigate Stevens' yells.
"Stop!" the lead one yelled. That only made us go faster. We sprinted down the hall and into the cell room. Luke slammed the door behind us and we stepped over the unconscious guards to climb down the ladder. Luke pushed Stevens ahead of us, but the old lord hesitated at the top of the ladder.
He wrinkled his nose and stepped back. "I know where this leads, and I won't-" The footsteps of our pursuers grew louder.
I whipped my head from the door to our stubborn and ungrateful rescuee. "You'll thank me for this later," I told him. I grabbed his arm and shoved him head-first down the hole. He screamed like a girl before a splash garbled his cry. Luke pushed me down and followed close behind me. He was one step ahead of the door bursting open and the guys rushing inside the room.
27
Down in the sewer Stevens picked himself up and his face was beet red, and not just because he had rotten beet on his face. "Don't you dare do that to me again," he warned me.
"You'll thank me later than this," I corrected myself.
"Run!" Luke ordered us. He pushed us forward and jumped back.
The three guards crashed down where we just stood. They hunkered down low to the water and growled at us. Luke growled back and jumped them. One of them avoided his grasp and lunged for Stevens. I pushed Stevens to the side and enjoyed watching him fall into the water just before I was myself dunked by the guard. He wrapped his hands around my neck and shoved my face into the filthy water. I struggled to lift my head, but he wouldn't let me up.