Page 9 of Stray Cat

A cold draft blew in when the rangy man opened the door then cut off when he slammed it.

Xav’s thoughts churned rapidly. His plan to sit tight and wait for Diego had changed when he’d realized AC was his true captor. AC could kill Xav on a whim, leaving his dead body for Diego to find. Xav would have to get out of this himself.

The zip ties on Xav’s wrists no longer restrained him, but he would still have to disentangle himself from them and the ones on his ankles, disarm the big guy, and use him as a shield against AC. A lot to coordinate. Xav had to choose his moment.

The big man continued to hold out the burner phone they wanted Xav to use. “I can’t call anyone with my hands tied,” Xav told him.

He’d have to make his move when the big guy turned him around to cut the zip ties, especially when they realize he’d loosened them. Now or never.

Another gust of wind rattled the door, followed by something that sounded like a boulder banging into it.

“Check that out,” AC told the large man. “Leave the phone.”

The big guy didnotwant to go out and find out what had happened to his partners, but like his thinner colleague, he hesitated to risk AC’s wrath.

He laid the phone on the dirt floor and hauled himself to his feet, his head nearly touching the ceiling once he straightened all the way. He opened the door, bringing in another cold gust, glanced around into the darkness, and tentatively stepped out.

A blast of wind caught the door and slammed it for him.

Xav was left with AC, who studied him closely. Xav flashed him a grin that held more confidence than he felt.

“You gonna risk untying me? Now that it’s just us?”

“No.” AC crouched out of Xav’s reach and lifted the phone. “What’s her number?”

It wouldn’t help Xav to lie about that so he relayed it. AC tapped the numbers, put the phone on speaker mode, and held it close enough to Xav so he could talk.

After three rings, Lindsay’s chirpy and at the same time sexy voice filled the small space. “This is Lindsay. Leave a message.”

AC swiped the phone off before Xav could speak. “We’ll try again later.”

Xav shrugged. “Whatever.”

Xav had managed to hide his surprise at Lindsay’s voicemail greeting. She didn’t have voicemail—most Shifters still weren’t allowed it. Which meant Lindsay had actually answered and pretended she hadn’t.

Because she hadn’t recognized the number? Or because she was up to something else?

Another muffled bang sounded, this time on the roof.

“Wind really blows around here,” Xav said cheerfully. “Up to gale force sometimes. Dust storms like you wouldn’t believe.”

“I know. I grew up here.” AC removed a pistol from a back holster and pointed it at Xav. “Get out there and see what’s going on.”

“Oh, sure, if the first two landing parties got obliterated, beam a third down into the same unknown situation and see what happens to them.”

AC scowled. “What?”

“Sorry, my niece is really intoStar Trek. She’s three and stares at the shows for hours. Old ones, new ones, and everything in between. My sister-in-law says Captain Picard is her babysitter.”

Apparently, AC had never watched TV in his life. His expression didn’t change as he hauled Xav to his feet.

Xav kept his hands tucked behind him. If he tried to overpower AC while AC’s firearm pressed right against Xav’s ribs, Xav would die. He’d wait until he got outside and then use the darkness and whatever was distracting the other guys to get the hell out of there.

AC opened the door and shoved Xav out, stepping back into the shelter of the building, pistol still trained on Xav.

Before Xav had time to look around, someone tackled him, carrying him several feet from the vault before he hit the ground. The large door slammed in AC’s face and a metal bar slid across it, trapping the man inside.

Xav rolled onto his back, tossing away the zip ties and bracing against the heavy, warm object on his chest.

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