Chapter 13
Daredevil
The ringing of the phone was sharp in my ear and my eyes flew open. I could feel the warmth of Melody beside me, nestled in the crook of my arm. I reached for my phone in the dark and I sensed her moving, but she was still sleeping.
It was Beasty.
“They hit the pawn shop again,” I heard him say, he was breathing hard. I sat up in bed, my legs already swinging off the edge.
“Were you alone?”
“I shot a guy.”
“Is he still with you?
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Call Ace and ask him to meet us there,” I said and hung up the phone. In the dark, I started dressing myself, while Melody remained peacefully sleeping. I could smell her scent on my skin, the softness of her breathing as she slept was loud in my ears. For the first time, I didn’t want to leave a woman sleeping on my bed. For the first time, I wanted to stay and yet, I had to go.
I gave her one last look before I left the room. She hadn’t moved, just curled up in a fetal position amidst the sheets. Her bare body glistened like silver in the pale moonlight filtering in through the curtains.
I left my apartment and jumped on my bike. At least I knew Melody would be relatively safe there in my apartment. Safer there than anywhere else. I could still feel the throbbing rage in my temples every time I thought about that bruise on her arm.
An ex-boyfriend.
A fucking ex-boyfriend!
I could kill him if she let me.
I rode fast, noisily towards Hill’s pawn shop and found that Ace was just pulling in as well.
The Claws guy was sitting on the pavement, clutching the gunshot wound to his leg. Beasty was pacing in front of him. A giant grizzly bear. The only bear in the Club. His clothes were folded neatly to the side and Beasty just paced. Never taking his eyes off of him.
I clenched and unclenched my fists as I strode towards them. Ace was quick on my heels, but all I wanted to do was beat the shit out of someone. I needed to feel some guy’s jaw on my knuckles. I didn’t know what this ex-boyfriend looked like, but I could picture him well now. This Claws guy would have to do for the night.
He didn’t see it coming. He wasn’t expecting it. I knocked his jaw and a spurt of blood splashed out of his mouth and he fell backwards.
Beasty stopped paced and cocked his brown head at me. He was nearly as tall as I was on four legs. I forgot how foreboding he could appear. Damn shame the kid would never kill somebody with those sharp claws of his. Too much of a softy.
I stood over the guy’s body and his groans only made my blood curdle more. I saw Melody’s long limbs entwined in mine, the curves of her bare hips, her legs stretching invitingly, her red hair flying as she bounced underneath me. Some asshole had touched her and left a bruise.
I punched the guy in the face again and he groaned even louder.
“Daredevil!” Ace’s voice snapped me out of my blind fury. “We need him conscious so we can question him,” he said, in a softer voice. He had seen the madness in my eyes. He knew if he let me, I would kill this guy. I clenched my jaw, my shoulders heaving with rage and I stepped away. I felt something like a crack in my knuckles and when I looked down I saw them bruised and bloodied. Finally, I could feel something.
“Where are the fight clubs?” Ace kicked the guy’s feet. He groaned, and still clutching his wound, he tried to haul himself up. There was blood coursing down the front of his face and I glared at him, with narrowed eyes and flared nostrils. I could go again. I could go all night, till he was senseless.
“Over by Bukawski, the abandoned warehouse,” the guy said, blood sputtering from his mouth as he tried to speak.
“Are they running guns?” Ace asked. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t grab this opportune moment to question this weasel.
Beasty roared at him.
“Yeah. Fuck!” he groaned and clutched his wound tighter. “But the main business is the gambling. Those shifter kids will do anything we tell ‘em too.”
Beasty’s black eyes narrowed. He understood everything being said. The human side didn’t completely turn off when he was the bear. If it had, we’d all be dead.
They were running guns. This was our territory. No one runs guns on our territory. I lunged towards him again and he cowered, bringing his hand up to shield his face from another punch. I fisted the collars of his jacket in my hands and pulled him close to my face, so he could look into my eyes. So there was no doubt left in his mind.
“Go back to your pals and tell them we’re coming for them,” I snarled and then released him. The guy fell tumbling back on the pavement again, but now tried to slide away from me.
“We know about the guns and picking up shifter kids, and if they don’t stop hitting the pawn shop, there is going to be war,” Ace spoke in a calmer, more collected voice to the guy. He shook his head and Ace came over to me. We were going to let this bastard go.
Beasty changed right in front of the guy. His bones cracking, his body twisting. Soon he was throwing his clothes back on.
“Someone woke up cranky,” Beasty said with a laugh, following us towards our bikes as he buttoned up his shirt. Ace was walking beside me, keeping an eye on me.
“You left suddenly from the bar,” Ace said.
I rubbed the back of my hand on my forehead, realizing that I must have left a trail of blood on my face now.
“I haven’t changed in a while. Need to catch up on sleep,” I said, putting on my helmet as I approached my bike. Ace didn’t look like he bought the explanation, but Beasty hadn’t caught on.
“Yeah, get some beauty sleep in ya. Maybe have a mud bath and sip some cucumber water while you’re at it,” he said, laughing by himself. I could still hear him laughing as I rode away from them.