Page 88 of Bonded

Chapter 26

Gripping her weapon tight, Kat checks out the small room with Zak. It’s empty and she can’t even imagine how they would fit the people in to fill the eight old wooden tables crammed inside. A basic homemade bar counter along the length of the back wall and the rickety shelving behind displays a few limited bottles of liquor and certainly nothing like the overstocked shelves of Hudson’s bar at Selene’s.

Zak picks up a glass half-filled with liquor from the table. “Whiskey!” he sniffs as he shuffles the abandoned poker cards strewn on the table.

“What the fuck?” Something makes the hairs on Kat’s neck bristle and her nose twitches to a sweet, sickly floral smell—something like a heavily scented perfume her grand momma would have worn. The cry comes again, and the man beckons Kat behind the bar. She hesitates, looking to Zak for the go-ahead. He again checks around and though he feels on edge; his stomach knotted with nerves, he hesitantly ushers her forward.

As she steps behind the bar, she now sees a young woman; laid on a blanket on the floor. The rounded bump of her heavily pregnant stomach obvious. “Zak! Zak, she’s here!” Kat takes a deep breath and groans.Fuck! How do I keep getting roped into women’s health care? I’m supposed to be a goddamn field medic.

The woman looks terrified and not expecting to see Kat, her eyes pop and she shakes her head. “No. No, please go…”

“Hey, hey shhh… Just stay calm. It’s okay. We’re here to help… to help you.” Kat stands up and grabs her comms. “Zak, I’ll call it in. Let them know we’re okay.”

“Sure thing,” he nods. Gripping his weapon tighter, he paces the room. He’s oddly nervous.“Shit, there really was a pregnant woman. Oh my God, that’s all we fuckin’ need right now.”

“Alpha 1, this is 6… I’ve got an update on that sit rep. We got one female… and it looks like she’s about to give birth. We’re on-site to give medical assistance, we clear to go on that? Copy.”

“Yeah, copy. Kat, do what you need. We’ll finish clearing this street, then we’ll come around and find you. Hang tight ‘til we get there.”

“Copy that… Six out.”

Looking at the woman’s still nervously shaking her head and moaning ‘Vamos’. Kat gently touches her arm, trying to reassure her. She immediately scrabbles back and Kat can see just how scared she is.

“Hey, it’s okay, just calm down. I… I am going… to… help… you.” She speaks slowly, not sure if the woman understands. “How far are the… contr—” she looks around and then frowns. “Hey, where the hell’d that guy go? Her father, where is he?”

“Oh hell, I don’t know. I think he went through there? Maybe he went to get somethin’?” Zak points to a curtained off area at the back of the room. “Hey… Hey, you guy… Hey, where are you?” He holds his breath and listens. “What’s the Mexican for where are you?”

“I have no fuckin’ idea! Just go and look. Oh, and Zak… be careful.” she grins apprehensively, watching as he pulls at the curtain and disappears behind it. The woman suddenly grabs Kat’s arm, getting her attention. Groaning loudly she takes a tight hold of her hand.“Hey, it’s okay… Can you tell me how far apart the contractions are?”

The woman looks panicked and moans. “Please… So sorry. Getaway. Go… go away… Please Peligro!”

“Peligro?” Kat frowns, the woman’s tone and demeanor making her more apprehensive. She takes a breath and stands up. “Peligro… What the hell does peligro mean? Shit… oh shit, DANGER! Fuck…Peligro! Hey Zak… Zak wait, I think something’s wrong. I have a bad feeling—” She turns but can hear nothing from him. “Oh my God fuck… Stay there!” Quickly she gathers her rifle and moves. “Zak, where the hell are you?”

Hesitantly she pulls back the curtain, her chin drops and she gasps loudly. Looking down she can see the older man, who came to them for help, is now lying in a pool of blood on the floor—his throat slashed. She swallows nervously, trying to assess the situation, and then as she looks up she can see her partner is on his knees, a taller man standing over him with a knife to his throat. “Zak!”

“Kat… Kat just go! Go on… get outta here!” Zak growls loudly, struggling against his captor as the blade sears a line across his neck. “Kat, I said get out of here!”

“Zak, I… Shit! Fuck… Let him go!” She glares as her eyes fixed on the huge muscular man holding him. “I said let him go!” Lifting her rifle she points it but as she does she immediately feels the sharp point of a knife pressed to the pulse on her neck.

“You know, you puncture this vein… just here, you bleed out fast.” The cackel of a laugh against her ear makes Kat freeze. She stands still, not moving, as the man with a strange mix of Mexican sounding accent reaches to her hand and removes her gun. Patting her down, he also takes her side weapon and a Kabar blade from her vest. “Take it off!” He commands. She hesitates and doesn’t move, just keeps her eyes focused on Zak. “You want to watch him die?”

“What do you want?” She keeps her voice quiet and calm. There’s no reply, and then she decides to do as he asks. Slowly, she unclips her utility vest, dropping it with her radio comms and helmet to the floor. Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath as Luna roars loudly. For a split second she thinks about letting her wolf loose—wondering if she does, can she save Zak? She doubts it, and weighing up her options, she remains still. “I said, what do you want?”

There is a hushed whisper against her ear, and he takes a long sniff of her scent. “Mmm…” The mystery man grins as he pulls the elastic tie from her hair and loosens her bun—letting her blond locks drape loosely around her shoulders. “There… more beautiful. I think? No’ that woman my thing.”

Kat holds her breath as he touches her neck and Zak pulls against the restraints holding him; his wrists bound behind his back and a foul-smelling cloth now gagging his mouth.

Kat continues to stand perfectly still. She doesn’t move as the man circles her until they’re face to face.

“Oh my God…” She sneers recognizing him—the skinny but muscular man with weasel-like features from the intel file. “Fabien Alvarez!”

“I am.” He smiles, flashing several gold teeth. Kat can’t help but notice how well turned out he is—this is a man obsessed with his appearance. His clean white shirt is unbuttoned to just above his navel and it shows off his tattoo-covered chest. The long silver chain with an intricate cross style pendant hanging around his neck and his black suit oozes designer, the sheen on the fabric spells expensive. But it’s his scent that makes her stomach retch—the mixed smell of whisky, cigars, and a sickly sweet floral cologne.

Kat wrinkles her nose and growls through her gritted teeth as he grins, watching her. “Oh, no, no… Tut-tut.” He sucks air through his teeth. “No think about doin’ that… Your friend he be dead before you take your clothes off. That blade… it made of argent. You know what that is, right? Great for killin’ lobas.”

Her green eyes lock focused on his amber. “You fuckin’ shifters are all the same.” She sneers snarkily. “Pathetic. But I hear a rumor… you’re now an errand boy… for a Russian shifter clan. Hell, that can’t feel too great?”

“Russian… shifter clan?” He frowns and laughs loudly. “What da’fuck you talk about? Oh, dear girl… God, you been listenin’ to fantasy story. No, no. My partners… they are d’best.” He whispers, his voice hushed against her ear. “They not shifters… They vamps. Though your intelligence agents, they just Russian mafia?” He cackles wildly, and again she sees gold flashes of teeth. “If only they’d open their eyes more to things, it might stop people from getting killed. Was real shame… that D.E.A team. But they made for a good meal.”

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