Page 34 of Coming Up Aces

Tamian stepped behind Lucy, placing his hands on her shoulders. “Rayna, I know you want to help Ace, and the best way you can do that is to stay alive. Let me go in after him. Bullets won’t stop me.”

“No, but what if they shoot Asher again?”

“I won’t let that happen. I promise.”

Lucy grabbed Rayna’s hands. “Please let Tamian do this. He can protect Ace. I’ll call Pops and have him get the doctor on standby.”

“What if he can’t travel? His Gryphon said he almost died,” Rayna whispered.

Tamian ran a hand down Lucy’s back before stepping away. “There should be a doctor on the premises. I’ll find him.” Tamian didn’t wait for a response. He took off running at a speed that shouldn’t be possible. Rayna wasn’t sure her Cheetah could catch him.

“What if we’re too—”

“No,” Lucy stopped her. “We’re going to think positive. Have your Cheetah tell Asher’s Gryphon that Tamian’s on the way and to hang on.”

Rayna nodded. After her Cheetah relayed the message, Rayna prayed to her goddess, asking for Tamian to be successful and for Asher to be okay. They had too many years ahead of them for him to be taken away from her now. She wouldn’t be like her mother. She would love Asher with everything she had in her. She would turn in her resignation so she could spend all her time with him. They would go to Arizona so her grandmother could see how special Asher was.

Lucy rose and went to the SUV where she dug out her phone. “Hey, Pops. We found Viper. Or, he found us. He’s wounded, but it’s not life-threatening. According to Rayna’s Cheetah, Asher was shot and almost died, but he’s in the compound’s clinic. We don’t know how bad he is. Tamian’s gone after him. If he can travel, we’ll need Rev on standby. We’ll also need someone to retrieve their bikes.”

“I can ride,” Viper said, but when Lucy arched a brow at him, the male held his hands up. “Fine.”

Lucy finished the call and shoved the phone in her back pocket. “Let’s get your arm cleaned up,” she told Viper. The male didn’t argue. He followed Lucy to the SUV where she retrieved a first-aid kit.

King, who had been mostly quiet, sidled up to Rayna. “So, you’re a Cheetah shifter? I didn’t know those existed.”

“I’m a King Cheetah, to be exact. We’re even rarer than regular Cheetahs. As far as I know, there are three of us. My grandmother, my mother, and me. My grandfather was a regular Cheetah.”

“And your father? Is he a shifter?”

“Nope. Human.” Rayna pushed to her feet and moved to stand beside King so she could talk to him while keeping her eye on the direction Tamian had gone.

“Why were you undercover at Haven? That would make sense if you were a male, no offense.”

“None taken. And you’re right. I think it was to get me out of the way. I interviewed David Spencer extensively, and I think my questions were hitting too close to home with my boss. I was supposed to be at Haven no more than a couple of months, but I was there almost four. When Sutton and the Hounds came in to rescue Glory, I took the opportunity to leave. Then Branson overheard me on the phone with my partner asking for a ride. I called him Sir jokingly, but that was a red flag for Branson. When he told Asher, he decided to follow me. We had a long talk, and here we are.”

“Ace is one of the best Hounds I know. I’m glad he found his mate.”

“Do you have a mate?”

King’s smile said it all. Still, he confirmed he did. “I do. My Heather and I have been together almost fifty years.”

“She’s also a Gryphon?”

“She is. But even if she weren’t, I would still love her dearly. She’s got the softest heart while being a fierce companion. We—”

“Rayna, Tamian has Ace,” Lucy interrupted.

“I don’t see them.”

Lucy tapped her temple. “He told me in here. He said someone operated on Asher, and he’s hooked to an I.V., but when Tamian asked for the doctor, no one knew where he or the nurse were. Things are a bit chaotic in there, but Tamian handled it. He wants us to drive the SUV into the compound so we can load Asher up. It’s not ideal, but it’ll be quicker than waiting on an ambulance and having to wipe the EMTs’ memories.”

“What about the guards? Won’t they shoot at us?”

“No. Tamian voiced all the guards, and they’re sitting in the chapel like good little sheep.”

“Then let’s go!” Rayna jogged to the vehicle and climbed into the passenger seat. Lucy got in on the driver’s side, and King and Viper sat in back. When they were underway, Rayna said, “I thought voicing was a Gryphon thing.”

“It is, but Tamian’s special. He was created from the Original line of Gargoyles.”

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