Page 45 of It's Kind of a Bunny Story
Ignoring him, I finished taping him to the chair. I used the entire roll, not wanting to risk him working himself free while I searched through the records.
“This is overkill,” he snarled.
I couldn’t help but notice he resembled a cocoon a beautiful butterfly was preparing to burst free from, except he was more of a slimy worm, and he wouldn’t be going anywhere. “It’s perfect. Now, stop talking before I decide to cover your mouth… and possibly your nose, too. Hurting you is the last thing I want to do, but it’s on the list if I don’t get what I want.”
“Where are the records?” Leaning down, I held the knife to his throat. “And you better not waste my time! Because if you think I’m short, you should see my patience.”
“I told you, I wouldn’t know.” The man was as arrogant as he was stubborn.
“Then who would know?” I pressed the tip of the knife until he winced.
“Probably the lab rat, Boom… or Boone? Something like that. He’s always working on his little side projects in his off time. Personally, I think his research is a waste of the burrow’s resources. After all, if a rabbit wants to be disobedient and go against the laws of nature, she deserves whatever comes to her, as does any wolf shifter who tries to interfere. Why should wesave them from their own foolishness?” The councilman was far too calm for someone about to face death.
After all, my mates had told me that I needed to kill people. Well, technically they wanted me to keep my stress levels down. But since he was the one causing my stress, it was pretty much the same thing, right?
“And where will I find him?” I snarled.
As if on cue, the office door swung open.
“Councilman, I didn’t realize you were going to be in so late.”
I kept the knife to the councilman’s throat, but nearly snapped my neck when I twisted around to look toward the door. A young man had stepped into the room and froze.
His eyes widened behind thick-rimmed glasses. “I-I will come back later.” He stammered, spinning on his heel.
The guy bolted for the door, but I was on him like a tick on a hound dog. I collided with him, knocking him to the ground and grinding my knee into his lower back.
All three of my mates could have tossed me off as though I weighed nothing more than a dust bunny. But he had the tall, lanky build of a man who spent more time indoors than out, which was probably the only reason I kept him pinned. Or maybe he was just too shocked at the sudden change of altitude and plans to do more than lie there with his cheek pressed to the floor.
“Ah, Boone. Just the guy I was hoping to find.” My delighted relief at not having to hunt him down gave my voice an unintentional psycho vibe that creeped me out… and if his shiver was any indication, I wasn’t the only one.
“Really? You were?” he asked, voice cracking.
“Boone! Do not tell her anything!” the councilman snarled, yanking at the bindings, holding him to the chair. “That is an order!”
“Shut up!” I pointed the knife in his direction, waving it like a teacher wiggling her finger at a naughty student. “Before I make myself a pair of earrings out of your testicles.” Not wanting him to believe I’d actually wear them, I added, “And then I’ll pierce your ears and make you wear them!”
The councilman’s purple face took on a greenish hue, and he snapped his mouth shut.
“I’d like to keep my testicles, if it’s all the same to you,” the man beneath me wheezed. “I’m Dr. Boone. Happy to make your acquaintance.”
I stared at the man beneath me, tilting my head as I studied him. Was he seriously introducing himself to me right now? I hadn’t exactly had the chance to do much socializing while living in Blackberry Burrow, or after I left, but even I knew his formality, given the situation, was strange. Was it possible I’d met someone more awkward than me when it came to ‘peopling’ skills?
Shaking my head, I got back on task. “I’m looking for records regarding the toxin. The one that was formulated by the burrow as a protection against predators.”
“Ah, yes. I know what you’re talking about.”
It seemed he was completely willing to skip the wholeI-don’t-have-the-information-you-wantpart and get right down to business.
That worked for me.
“Good. I want a copy of every document on that toxin.” Deciding he might respond better to niceties rather than threats, I moved from his back, but kept the knife at the ready. “But most importantly, I want to know if there’s an antidote.”
Boone kept his eyes locked with mine as he pushed himself into a sitting position. He was careful to keep his movements slow and non-threatening.
Smart man. My nerves were shot, and my energy was quickly waning. If he attacked, I wouldn’t have the strength to subdue him. I’d have to go for the kill, and I really wanted to avoid that.
“The records aren’t a problem. I can copy the entire folder onto a USB drive. But the antidote is… well, that’s a problem.”
