Page 75 of Blood Pack Beginning

He emerged from the truck to find Sasha and Amir standing under the fountaining spray, the filth of the fight sluicing from their skin. Cyrus joined them for a moment to clean his face and hands before he stripped his clothes and tossed them in the back of the truck. He wouldn’t be putting them back on. Why would he when they’d each tossed a small bag of gear in the back before leaving the compound? Not his idea. Pierrot had been the one to suggest they might want a change of clothes in case things got messy.

Cyrus shifted, letting the wolf come forth in a euphoric pain that made him want to howl. Instead, he shook out his fur before trotting for Amir, who stepped out of the man-made rain and stood still while Cyrus tongued the stripes and furrows. He made sure to get the most saliva in the bite, the nastiest of the wounds.

Then, despite Sasha’s claim she would be fine, he gave her the same treatment, the strokes of his tongue slower and more languorous. Unlike with Amir, licking her was a joy, not a chore.

When he was done, he headed for the SUV and shifted, standing naked as he rummaged through his bag for clothes.

“Got any spares?” Amir asked, eyeing his drenched and stained garb.

“Actually, I’ve got a bag for you both.” Cyrus waved at the pile of knapsacks.

As they dressed, the others in the group converged, also taking a moment to get changed. Hopefully, not too long. They had yet to investigate the warehouse.

“Good news, only one camera,” Pierrot exclaimed as he approached with his laptop under his arm. He kept well out of the reach of the spraying water. “And it didn’t have the right angle to see anything.”

“Only one? Surprising,” Diego exclaimed as he headed for his own shower, having finished tossing the bodies into the truck.

“The area is mostly abandoned,” Pierrot pointed out. “Probably explains why Monty and his master chose a warehouse in this vicinity.”

“Speaking of which we still need to check it out,” Sasha stated, wringing out her hair.

“I think the first order of business is getting rid of the truck and bodies before anyone shows up,” Anabel countered.

“Get rid of it how?” Amir countered. “It’s not like there’s a river nearby we can drive it into.”

“Abandoning it also isn’t an option,” Pierrot added. “Who knows what the authorities would assume when they found it.”

“Gang violence, if we’re lucky,” Diego quipped.

“We can’t have the bodies examined by humans, meaning we need a way to make them disappear. Any ideas?” Sasha glanced around at them.

Cyrus glanced at the spewing hydrant before his gaze went to the buildings, more specifically the gas meter he could see outside of one, protected by a single cement pylon to ensure no one accidentally smoked it with a vehicle. “I have a suggestion,” Cyrus ventured. “But we’ll have to move quickly once we set it in motion.”

“I think we’re already aware of a need for speed,” quipped Anabel. “I, for one, am not keen on being put in a jail cell.”

“It’s not cops we gotta worry about.” Cyrus indicated the pipe coming out of the ground. “That’s a natural gas line. Ignite it and anything in the vicinity will burn. Question is, who wants to drive the truck into it and risk getting caught in the explosion?”

“Why crash and burn when you can light it up from afar?” Anabel suggested. “All we need is one properly aimed bullet. Who’s the best shot here?”

“Me.” Diego raised his hand. “I used to do sharp-shooting competitions as a teen.”

Sasha shook her head. “Once the gas ignites, the whole area is gonna blow.”

“No shit,” Diego drawled.

“You’re fast, but not fast enough to outrun the blast,” Sasha pointed out. “I’ll stay behind to ignite the gas while you and everyone else stay in the SUV at a safe distance.”

When Diego opened his mouth to argue, she shook her head. “This is non-negotiable, and we don’t have time to argue. I need someone to park the truck with the bodies by the gas line. Keep the back open to make sure the fire gets inside. We want the bodies to burn to a crisp to hide what happened here.”

Anabel cleared her throat. “Um, what about Monty? We incinerating him too?” She pointed to the tailgate of the truck holding pieces of a body.

Sasha grimaced. “We should keep him for ashing. Thaddeus will want to see what he can learn from his remains. I don’t suppose anyone brought garbage bags.”

They ended up using some of the emptied backpacks, a stony-faced Anabel shoving hunks of meat inside before she zipped them up. They were then loaded into the back of the SUV, and Cyrus wanted to gag at the stench of death that wafted.

Sasha grabbed a gun from the stash hidden in the trunk before she shooed them. “Move your asses, puppies. Dawn is coming, so unless you like your lovers crispy fried, we gotta get going.”

“Be careful,” Cyrus murmured, giving her a squeeze. Diego and Amir both also had words of encouragement and warning.

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