Chapter 6
Sitting perched on the ledge of a four-story building in the form of a sleek black crow, Recker watched as Alex deviated from the brightly lit street to make her way down the darkened back alleys. Annoyed that she’d taken the most dangerous route, he watched as she slammed to a halt when her eyes locked on a group of men who were beating the shit out of another. He’d already seen the group and was hoping Alex planned on ducking into the bar or at least kept right on walking. She didn’t. Worse, when she stopped, one of the men locked eyes on her and grinned a predatory smile that had Recker sailing down from his perch and finding a darkened corner where he could shift.
“Well, well, well, boys. Looks like I’m gonna get everything I want tonight.”
The words had a snarl ripping its way up Recker’s throat. But, before he could even step out of the shadow, Alex curled her lip up in a sneer and told the guy, “Fuck off!” before she kept walking.
Recker chuffed a quiet laugh and decided then and there that Alex had a death wish. Sure she’d read him right in the diner, but right now, her instincts were a thousand percent off. These guys weren’t like him, and they clearly didn’t appreciate her sass.
“Check her out,” one of the guys crowed slapping another in the arm as they stepped over the sprawled man’s body, their victim forgotten. “She told Fitz to fuck off,” the guy laughed.
Recker’s eyes narrowed at the man who’d addressed Alex. Fitz, huh? Angling his head, he realized he recognized the men now as the group who’d left Alex’s diner just as he’d entered. What had she said about them? That’s right; she needed to earn her tips. This Fitz fuck was the guy who promised her a night she’d never forget? Recker sized him up in a glance and rolled his eyes with a snort. As if!
Fitz stepped forward, shooting a glare at his friends who were having a laugh at his expense before turning back to Alex.
He responded to her comment with, “Oh, there’ll be fucking alright.” He took off at a quick pace, following Alex down the alley.
Recker took one step to follow then froze.
Alex spun and clipped out, “You think I’m playing games with you?”
Fitz slammed to a halt and so did his friends, one of them hissing, “Shhhit!”
Recker looked around the men and saw that Alex had a pistol in her hand. It wasn’t pointed at anyone, it wasn’t even lifted. Nope, it hung uselessly at her side, but she tapped it repeatedly against her leg in what looked like agitation.
“I dropped my buck this season from three-hundred ninety-five yards.” She canted her head and pinched one eye closed, sizing up Fitz. “Your fat ass is literally fifteen yards away.” She straightened her head and opened her eyes, lowering her chin to glare at the group. “What do you think are the odds of me missing?”
“You can’t hit us all,” Fitz challenged.
When Alex grinned, Recker felt his balls draw up tight as blood flooded his cock.
“Don’t need to.” She cocked the hammer on her pistol and slowly lifted it. “Just need to hit you.”
Fitz threw his hands up and started backing away with an, “Easy, Alex. Calm the fuck down. We were just playing.”
“I ain’t,” she clipped out, and Recker—who was now half out of the shadow—backed up until he was fully hidden again.
Fitz and his crew kept backing up until Alex lowered her weapon and shrugged one slim shoulder before exhaling an annoyed sound and turning to head toward the parking garage. She’d given the crew her back, and they exchanged looks like they were wondering whether or not to rush her. Fitz though was smarter than he looked because he shook his head and muttered, “We’ll get her another time when she ain’t expecting it.”
Recker didn’t like the threat, but as much as he wanted to charge out of the darkness and pound all three men into the concrete, he had bigger concerns. A little white Pinto puttered out of the garage and pulled out of the alley. Recker craned his neck and caught Alex’s side profile from the driver’s seat as she made sure no cars were coming before she pulled into traffic.
A shift blasted through Recker, and because he couldn’t help himself, he tore down the alley straight at Fitz and his two moron friends in a massive Rottweiler form. Growling, snapping, and snarling, he headed straight for the trio who all saw him at the same time.
“Holy shit!”
One of the men scaled a chain link fence and scrambled over top before losing his grip and falling off the other side. He landed with a thud on the unforgiving concrete and cradled his arm as he rolled with a moan.
Fitz and the third guy scanned the alley quickly, but Recker was coming too fast and was nearly on them. Fitz and his buddy dove into the dumpster.
“Aw fuck, dude. There’s puke in here!”
The two men were scrambling back out when Recker’s sharp teeth bit into Fitz’s leg. He shook his head furiously as both men dove back into the dumpster. Releasing his jaws, he let Fitz go because the fucker smelled like shit. Besides, maybe he’d learned his lesson about lurking in alleys.
Disappearing at a full-on run down the alley, Recker followed the way Alex had gone, and when he finally saw her headlights up in the distance, he ducked off into a park and shifted back to crow form before taking to the sky and ghosting her home.