Chapter Eleven
Molly woke to the sound of shattering glass and a hiss as smoke filled the room. A naked Rafael sprang from the bed and was a panther by the time he hit the floor. Adrenaline coursed through her, pushing satisfied sleep far from her mind. A canister rolled along the floor, thudding to a stop at the foot of the bed.
"Wha—" Her question cut off as pain slammed into her like a truck. Each breath filled her lungs with needles and her eyes burned like acid. Tear gas. She'd been in enough protests over the last few years to recognize it immediately. Fortunately, that meant she knew what to do.
Yanking the blankets off the bed, Molly tossed them in the direction she remembered the canister being. The hissing sound muffled but the effects lingered in the small room.
Tears swam through her vision no matter how many times she blinked and her breath rattled in her lungs. She couldn't remember where the door was, couldn't call out to see if Rafael was okay or even know where he was. Panic squeezed her chest as tightly as the tear gas.
Warm fur pressed against her and Molly instinctively latched on, fingers digging into him. A bit of the tension melted away with Rafael crouching next to her. Bad things were happening, but at least the two of them were safe. For now, at least. They crawled along the floor until they reached the wall when something heavy slammed into the door.
"Molly!"
She couldn't get enough air in her lungs to respond. Wood splintered and the door cracked open, swinging wide and flooding the room with light and clean air. Marc swore then grabbed her under the arms, dragging her into the hallway. She spent a brief second being glad Rafael made her put her clothes back on as she finally got a deep breath. Rafael stayed with her and she kept one hand clutched into his fur. If he was with her it meant he wasn't off getting shot.
"We need an exit plan." Marc's voice was right beside her ear and the coldness in his tone wasn't a comfort. "They're trying to flush us out."
At least they weren't trying to kill them all. They could've just burned down the house. As long as Rafael survived, that was what mattered. Molly scrubbed at her eyes, trying to clear them. Away from the gas, she could almost see again. Everything still hurt though. Bright light spilled over the edge of the closed curtains along the front of the house, like a bank of floodlights aimed directly at them.
"Front isn't an option," Connor said as they continued down the hall, staying as low to the ground as they could. "They'll have the garage covered."
"They have everything covered!" Marc snapped.
The panther fur disappeared from under her hand and Molly made a noise of protest until Rafael appeared again as a human, clutching her hand to his chest.
"They won't expect a bear and a jungle cat," Rafael said, his accent more pronounced. "We'll distract them long enough for you to get her out of here."
"No," Molly said but they ignored her.
"Head north-northeast through the forest," Connor said, setting something down before tugging his shirt off. Molly glanced down, and the sight of the gun on the floor chilled her. "If you can follow the scent markers, you'll find a stockpile shed about a mile out. We'll deal with them here then meet up. If it's more than an hour, keep moving."
"Rafael! You can't—" he cut her off with a searing kiss and Molly didn't imagine the desperation behind it.
"Don't worry, honey. We'll keep you safe."
"That's not what I'm worried about," she said, but he'd already shifted back to a panther. His glittering yellow eyes met hers and the moment seemed to stretch out, hanging off a ledge of possibilities.
One day. Out of all the time in the universe, they'd only had one day and it wasn't enough. No amount of time would ever be enough to spend with Rafael.
There was too much she wanted to experience with him. Pizza nights with bad movies. Lazy Sundays. She still needed to learn what excited him. How he liked his eggs. What Hogwarts house he was in. Did he prefer the movie or the book?
There was too much unknown to balance the love she felt for him, but it didn't matter. Rafael was the one for her, she was sure of it. She could spend the rest of her life finding out why.
Molly reached for his panther, pulling herself close enough to rest her forehead against him and took a deep breath. "Damn it. You come back to me. Got it, buddy?"
Rafael ran his tongue once along her neck. Marc pulled her away as Connor tugged off his pants. Fear clenched her stomach. They would be fine. Nobody would expect a panther and a bear to come charging out of a suburban ranch house. They served in the military together. They knew what they were doing. If their positions were reversed, Molly would use every bit of strength she had to keep him safe. He'd be fine.
If she kept telling herself that, maybe she'd believe it.
"Cover your face." Marc ripped the sleeve off his shirt like it was paper and tied it around the bottom of his face. Molly pulled her own shirt over her face and he led them back into her room. Marc glanced at the blankets over the tear gas and he gave her a thumbs up. With the source blocked, the air in the room was only a mild irritant.
Marc crept toward the window, peeking through the damaged blinds. In the low light, his eyes flashed looking inhuman.
Molly shivered, glancing back through the still open door to see the panther and a naked Connor creeping toward the front room. She held her breath as she watched them. He'll be fine.
Connor hefted the oversized loveseat like it was nothing and tossed it through the picture window. Glass shattered and the house shook as it broke. Molly flinched into her brother. Where Connor had been a second before now stood a massive black bear charging through the gaping hole in the building. A roar ripped through the air and the two ferocious animals charged into the night.
Marc ripped the blinds aside and shoved the window open in one motion. The screen popped out easily enough after that. Marc leaped through the window first, eyes scanning the line of trees behind the house before motioning her to follow.
She couldn't hop out the window as gracefully as he had, so she clambered out one leg at a time. Marc caught her easily around the waist and never let her touch the ground. Instead, he swung her onto his back like a monkey. For one heartbreaking moment, they were kids again, her clinging to his back and they ran off on imaginary adventures.
Only now the adventure was a lot less imaginary and a whole lot more deadly.
"Hold on." Marc gripped her legs and took off at a run as if his chubby sister weighed no more than a backpack. Molly ducked her head against his shoulder, trying not to hear the shouting or gunshots coming from the front of the house.
He'd be fine.
They ran off into darkened trees. At any moment, she expected to feel a bullet rip through her. Or Marc. Or a terrifying hitman to appear in the forest before them. Expected the keen sense of loss to rip through her heart if something happened to Rafael.
He'd be fine.
Nothing stopped them, though, as they darted through the trees. Marc never slowed, didn't seem to tire. The farther they got from the house, the adrenaline faded and Molly started to shake. The more she tried to stop the worse it got. Was she going into shock? That's what they said in the movies. Damn it, she didn't have time for losing her shit. Why didn't movies ever talk about how to stop going into shock?
Molly took slow, deep breaths and counted her brother's steps. Every time she hit fifty she'd start over. It seemed to work.
Although, she had no idea how much time had passed or how far they'd gone from the house. Marc slowed, stalking through the brush. They came to a stop but he didn't let her down and Molly glanced around nervously.
The copse of trees didn't look any different than any of the others. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, dappling the ground around them. Marc hardly breathed heavily at all as he turned in a slow circle, scanning the area.
"You sure this is it?" she whispered.
"Yep." He took a step toward a massive pine tree with four gouges taken out of the bark. Claw marks.
Molly shivered in the warm night air. "You can put me down."
Marc hesitated. "You're not wearing shoes."
"Didn't stop us when we were kids." She smiled and tugged her legs free until he let her slide off his back.
"Guess not, huh?" Marc took a deep breath and grinned at her. "You okay?"
Molly wrapped her arms around herself. "I honestly don't know how to answer that."
"Fair point," he said and for the first time that day he didn't sound like some detached federal agent that she didn't recognize. He sounded like the Marcie she used to know. Molly nearly cried.
Marc turned away from her, but she could tell he was sniffing the air. After a moment, he stalked toward a bush and pulled the branches aside to reveal a sturdy, metal chest. A shiny padlock glinted in the moonlight.
Molly's heart hammered in her chest. For so many years she'd held on to his secret, wishing desperately that he'd tell her. That he would trust her, and they could be friends again.
Not that she'd been willing to give up her pride and hurt feelings and be the first one to talk. Marc was the only family she ever felt a connection to. She wished they could both forget the past. Their issues might be as fragile as spun sugar, but they wouldn't dissolve until one of them added water.
She regretted her words last night. Regretted that she'd spent so much of yesterday snapping at him. Which didn't mean she thought he didn't deserve it. But what if something had happened to her? Or to him? They'd both feel guilty forever. She didn't want to do that to him. Holding on to her pride wasn't worth that.
Rafael's words replayed through her mind. Odds weren't good she'd get another chance to talk to her brother one on one for a while, even if they all lived through the night. She took a deep breath instead and punched his shoulder.
"I know you're a wolf." His eyes went wide and he turned toward her. Molly shrugged. "You and dad need to work on your observation skills. You were both shit at noticing when I was lurking around the corner."
"I guess we were, weren't we?" He shook his head. "Which is how you got mixed up in Family business. Despite dad's efforts."
"Don't forget the mob," Molly said, smiling sadly as she thought of Donnell.
"Christ," he muttered.
Molly grinned, bumping him with her shoulder. "You should check in by New Year's. I plan on having the Yakuza over by then."
Marc laughed and slung an arm over her shoulders. "I'm guessing you have some questions about shifters."
"Only about a million." Molly felt at least one of the weights drift from her shoulders. Sure, neither of them actually apologized, but she was pretty sure it was there in the subtext. "But right now, I'm more worried about Rafael. And Connor."
Marc grimaced. "Rafael, huh?"
Molly breathed a shaky sigh. "I swear to god, Marc, I feel like I've lost my mind a little. Or a lot, really. I haven't even known him a day. And with all this craziness going on, I can't be thinking clearly. But when I'm around him..."
Her blood lit on fire and she couldn't breathe for wanting him. Every good thing in life seemed diminished for the lack of him. His absence was a physical sensation. It wasn't that she felt that she was less of a person without him, it was that he made her feel like so much more than herself.
The fact that he was the hottest man alive didn't hurt.
"That bad, huh?" Marc said, sounding resigned.
"That incredible."
"I'm gonna guess that's the matebond talking." Marc gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Not really a good time to explain. Let's say that love at first sight is a thing for shifters. You two were literally made for each other."
It was nice to have what Rafael told her confirmed. Though she only had to trust her heart to know that it was true. Even now, he was out there facing god knew what for her. Molly wrapped her arms around herself. He'll be fine.
A rustling sound came from off to the right. Marc stepped in front of her but didn't seem too concerned. Hope flickered through her.
A huge, black bear stepped into view and for a moment fear seized her, making her grip the back of Marc's shirt. It wasn't until Rafael's panther came limping into view a second later that she remembered Connor had turned into a bear. Molly moved toward him but Marc caught her by the arm.
"What are you—" Molly broke off when she noticed a naked body draped over Connor's massive back. She took a step back and her eyes flickered nervously to Rafael. "You're hurt."
He kept padding toward her until his muscular feline form pressed against her hip. The rest of the tension in her chest eased and she trailed her hand along the crest of his neck. Molly sighed in relief. He was back with her. He was fine.
Marc stalked to Connor's side, grabbing the man on Connor's back by the hair and yanked up his head by the hair and swore under his breath. It was his handler, Crawford.
Connor shook himself, dumping Crawford unceremoniously on the dirt. His bear form shimmered slightly and a second later the human version of Connor stood there. The very naked human Connor. Molly turned her head away, but not before she got an eyeful and a flush blossomed on her cheeks. Rafael huffed a cat-like sigh and she dug her fingers into his fur.
Life around shifters would always be exciting, that was for sure.
"Raf caught him while he was trying to run." Connor crouched next to the storage bin and after fiddling with the lock it creaked open. "Wolf shifter. But I'm guessing you knew that."
"Yeah," Marc said, voice detached and professional again.
At least they'd had the chance to talk. This was a part of Marc now. She couldn't expect him to stay the caring big brother she'd known once upon a time any more than he could expect her to be the timid little sister that followed him around everywhere. Maybe now they'd have a place to start over.
Provided they all survived the night.
Molly lowered herself to her knees as her brother strapped Crawford's wrists together with a zip tie. Moonlight shimmered off Rafael's glossy fur and he was so magnificent it took her breath away. It was difficult to see in the dark, but she could tell he was favoring his front leg. There was something dark glistening on his shoulder. God, was he bleeding for her?
"Can you shift back?" she whispered.
His form shimmered and then Rafael knelt in front of her. Against his brown skin, the gouges on his shoulder were pronounced, his face pale and clammy. But he smiled at the sight of her and placed a gentle kiss on her nose.
"Hey, gorgeous," he said, and a pair of gym shorts hit him in the face. Connor grinned at them, his lower half covered by sweatpants. Not that his massive and tell toned chest wasn't distracting, too.
"Come on," he said, nodding toward the unconscious man. "This is a huge break in the case."
"You're hurt," Molly protested and Rafael winked at her.
"I've been a very good bodyguard." He kissed her lips, hard and fast before he tugged the shorts on. "And shifters heal fast. Let's go get some answers."
She followed to where Crawford lay face down in the dirt, arms secured behind his back. Molly held fast to Rafael's arm, standing mostly behind him. While she hated to look like a wimp, she'd been through enough today that she felt like she'd earned a little clinginess. As they approached, a trickle of hope pressed its way into her heart. Was this the hitman? If they arrested him, would it all be over?
One glance at Marc's face told her it wouldn't be that simple. Her brother hadn't said much about the mook he brought with him this morning. Other than that Crawford was his handler. Was he part of the mafia cover, too? What would it mean for Marc that he'd been the hitman?
Whatever it meant, Marc looked dangerously pissed.
"Wake up, asshole." Marc smacked the guy's head as he started to stir.
The man blinked a few times, frowning at the dirt and his shoulders tensed as he tugged at the binding. Molly tried very hard not to notice his naked butt. These shifters and their nudity.
"You were the hitman the whole time?" Marc's voice was little more than a growl as Connor knelt on the other side of the man.
Rafael, thankfully, kept his arm locked around Molly's waist. She leaned into the heat of him, taking comfort in the sound of his racing heartbeat. She could've lost him tonight and they'd only barely gotten started.
Crawford's bleary gaze moved from Marc to Connor then Rafael and her. He closed his eyes and swore.
"It's not what you think," Crawford said, his voice thick. He went on before any of the guys could protest. "Not entirely."
"Then you're not a federal agent that's gone dirty?" Marc snarled. "What was it? You realized the payday was better on the other side? Suddenly decided to pick up a few extra bucks by rubbing out innocent humans? What the fuck, man? She's my sister."
"He took my mate." Crawford's voice was low, filled with guilt.
There was a moment of silence before Rafael leaned toward him, a vicious growl sounding from his chest. "And so you try to kill my mate?"
Crawford turned toward them, eyes wide. "I didn't—"
"A beautiful, innocent woman," Rafael went on and she could feel him shaking in anger. "Teaching salsa dance to old people and you were going to kill her. Kill my mate."
Crawford flinched at his words. "I wouldn't have killed her."
"That's why the shooting was just a drive by. Structural damage only but proof of threat," Connor said, the only one of them that sounded remotely calm. "You were trying to flush her out of the studio. Why?"
The man blinked a few times and eyes seemed to lose focus. "I can't...if I say anything else...Maria..."
"Maria?" Marc said, glancing at Rafael. "Who took Maria? The shooter?"
Crawford nodded. "He took her. Snatched her right out of our home. Said if I didn't take the job, he'd kill her."
Molly's hold around Rafael tightened. Crawford would do anything for his mate. Betray his friends, risk his job, go back on everything he believed in. All because of love. That the matebond could run so deep terrified and thrilled her.
"If it were me," Molly whispered, leaning her head on Rafael's shoulder. "What would you do?"
Air hissed through his teeth. "Anything."
Molly bit her lip, staring at the man on the ground. "Would you forgive a desperate man?"
There was a tense moment of silence before the men all sighed. Her men, she realized she thought of them that way and she kind of liked it. It was nice to be part of a family again. Part of a pack, she supposed. Not so nice to be standing barefoot in the woods with a man she thought was going to kill her.
"You're a kind woman, Molly," Connor said, smiling at her as Rafael placed a kiss at her temple.
"She's an idiot," Marc said, but the affection of his tone softened the words. "Why didn't you tell me, man? We could've worked together to help Maria. It didn't have to go down like this."
He dropped his head onto the ground, eyes still closed. "Couldn't risk it."
"If you weren't going to kill me, what were you doing out here?" Molly asked.
The man rolled his shoulders as best he could and fidgeted in the dirt. He couldn't be comfortable like that. "I needed to get you out of the way for the next few days."
"You're the one that told dad about the hit," Marc said. "You knew I'd get involved if you told him. Why didn't you tell me?"
"Deal with that later," Rafael said. "Why the next few days? What's happening?"
"Who hired you? Who's got Maria?" Marc said.
"We'll get her back," Molly rushed to say, wanting to make sure there was no room for doubt. The poor woman must be so frightened.
"I was so fucking stupid," Crawford said, pushing himself awkwardly to his knees and Molly was glad he faced away from her. The guy was still naked, after all. "Coogan got a hold of me from prison. Going on and on about some big, guaranteed pay off that he needed some help getting to. I told him no."
"Why'd he call you?"
Crawford shrugged. "He worked with my pops before he got tossed in the slammer. Pops was dirty, he figured I was, too."
Marc shoved to his feet, arms crossed over his chest. He looked like he wanted to slug the guy but just shook his head. "You'll testify? Tell me you kept evidence?"
"Of course I did," he said with enough energy to sound offended. "Just get Maria to safety and I'll do whatever you want after that."
"Obviously," Rafael growled and the guy lowered his head.
"Where is Coogan? How'd he contact you?"
"Burner phone," Crawford muttered, sitting back on his feet. "I've got a truck about a block from the house. It's in there."
His head sagged to his chest after that as if he'd finally given up. A tense silence hung in the air and Molly looked between her men. "What do we do now?"
"There's no hit," Marc said, frowning as he thought it through. "It was just Crawford being coerced into the job. We've got his confession and he'll testify. I'll call in a team to track down Coogan then we're looking at about sixteen hours of paperwork."
Rafael pulled Molly into a tight embrace, burying his face in her hair.
"Let's get him back to the SUV." Connor stood, dragging the prisoner to his feet.
They began their trek back to the house, Marc leading the way and Connor behind with Crawford stumbling between them. Rafael stayed at her side, not that Molly was about to let him go. She'd latched an arm around his waist, hand clasped onto the firm muscle at his side. His presence gave her the strength she needed to keep going. His warmth soaked into her, wrapping around her stomach and settling low in her belly.
The idea that this might be over soon was starting to sink in. It hardly seemed possible. Though she supposed that everything had fallen apart so quickly this morning, it seemed fair it could resolve itself just as quickly.
"Do bodyguards get time for vacation?" She murmured to Rafael, leaning her head into his shoulder. "Because I think I need one."
He laughed and squeezed her shoulder. "Technically, I haven't started the job yet. But my new boss is kind of a hardass. I'm not sure he'll give me any time before I start."
"I heard that!" Connor called back to them.
Molly couldn't help the giggles that started and Rafael grinned at her, pausing for a kiss as they reached the house.
"Have I mentioned lately how incredible you are?" he whispered, trailing his fingers over her cheek.
Connor and Marc continued on with their prisoner, securing him in the car then disappearing inside the house. She was glad to let them go. Marc was a federal agent, he could take over from here. Actually, it was his job to do that.
"Yeah, no one quite gets a hit put out on her like Molly Torelli."
Rafael chuckled at the sound made her tailbone tingle.
"Seriously," he went on, turning his bare chest toward her and pushing any lingering fear from her mind. "You've been through hell today. And everything life threw your way you tossed right back. More determined. You're strong as hell, Molly."
His head dipped lower, lips running along the sensitive skin at the base of her throat. "And you've got a really great ass. One of the many things I love about you."
Molly's heart flip-flopped. "Love, huh?"
He didn't pause in his tender kisses. "No point in denying what's true, Molly. You're the one for me. But you take all the time you need to decide what you want. One way or the other, I'll be here. No matter what."
Tears pricked her eyes. Rafael made her feel like the impossible was within her reach. Maybe it was stupid to trust him after knowing him for so short a time. It definitely wasn't smart to get into a relationship in such an intense situation. All she knew for sure was that being with Rafael made her happier than anything else. Maybe it was a shitty way to start, but the love she saw shining from his eyes couldn't be faked. They felt too good together to not give it a try.
"What the hell," she said, pressing her lips to his muscled chest. "If I can survive this, I can survive dating a panther."
"When I get you alone and out of these clothes, you'll do more than survive."
They met in a searing kiss and a thrill of excitement ran down Molly's spine and settled between her legs. That was a promise she knew he'd make good on. Molly melted against his hard body, his strong hands gripping her ass. The man that had been trying to kill her was taken care of. Her life had irrevocably changed between the attack on her and the studio and meeting Rafael. Nothing would be the same. It would be so much better than before.
"As disgustingly adorable as you two are," Connor said, making Molly jump. "We've got a problem."
Connor held out his phone toward them and played a voicemail.
"Been keeping an eye on Donnell's studio," Mickey's thick brogue sounded from the speaker in a hushed tone. "That son of a bitch from the dance class just let himself in through the busted window. He's up to no good I can tell ya that much. One of you young lads get your arse over here. I'm too old for this shit."