Series: Shifter Ops Series by Renee Rose
Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 65371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 327(@200wpm)___ 261(@250wpm)___ 218(@300wpm)
I stop in front of the warehouse as Trey and Jared step out. They’re barefoot and shirtless. Ready to shift.
“That was so awesome,” Geo whoops as he tumbles to the pavement.
“You okay?” I ask, adrenaline still rushing in my ears.
He gives me a thumbs up. Kid’s gonna be fine.
“The razor wire was a nice touch,” I say. “How’d you know there’d be bikes?”
“We’ve got eyes in the air,” Jared points to the sky. “They clocked the bikes chasing you and relayed it to us in time. The cheetahs strung the wire with seconds to spare.”
“Who’d you bring us, brother?” Trey asks.
“A dozen hogs carrying shifters of some kind. I don’t know.” I talk fast. In the distance, a werehyena screeches. “Their leader, Hannibal’s got a beef with me. He challenged me at the last fight club. I don’t know his animal. Plus there are four or more SUVs–armored vehicles of some kind.” Engines rev, just out of sight.
“Got it.” Trey nods to Jared, who steps off and signals a group of werecheetahs hanging at the end of the parking lot. “Thanks for the rundown. But I meant the kid.”
“Oh, him?” I drop a hand on Geo’s shoulder. “This is my nephew, Geo.”
A werehyena comes running out of the darkness. “They’re coming.”
The werecheetahs rev their bikes and take off towards the fray. No sign of Hannibal, yet. I bet that fucker survived the wire.
“The big guy, Hannibal,” I say to Trey and Jared, who’s returned. “He’s mine.”
They nod. “We’ll take care of the rest. We’ve got backup.”
More shadows detach from the side of the warehouse and step into the light. Two big guys and three more smaller ones lurking behind. Shifters, all of them. Here for the fight club.
“We’re ready,” says the biggest guy. I think I recognize him. I squint at his scarred face, searching for a memory of his name.
I do recognize the shifter standing beside him. Caleb, pulling on his beard, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Oh hey, man.” I step in to shake his hand. “You joining the party?”
“Came here to fight. Might as well get one.” Like Trey and Jared, he’s barefoot. “Have you met Grizz?”
I swallow my holy shit. Caleb and Grizz are legends. The only one more famous is Nash. If shifters had action figures, the three of them would be the collector’s set.
“I thought you were retired?” I say to Grizz. He’s a big, mean-looking bastard with a fucked up face. I don’t know who in the hell he fought to get scarred up like that, and I don’t want to know.
He shrugs.
Howls ring out, interspersed with the rat tat tat of a machine gun. The werecheetahs found the enemy. Good thing we’re in the middle of nowhere, or we’d have police and firemen on the scene.
“Guys.” Trey nudges me. “We’re about to get company.”
“Right. Geo.” I tighten my grip on his shoulder “A big fight’s gonna go down. We’re making a stand. But you need to be out of sight.”
His eyes are huge and shifter bright. “I want to help.”
“I know. I need you to stay alive and stay safe, so you can protect your mom if something happens to me. Will you accept your mission?”
He nods, so sober I get a glimpse of how he’ll look as an adult. Like my brother.
“And what will you do?”
“I’m gonna fight.” Normally I would grin and say something like, “I’m going to have some fun” but with Geo here, the danger feels real. I need to be serious. More like an alpha. Take care of the pup under my protection.
“C’mon,” one of the smaller shifters says. A dark haired Irishman–one of the bookies. “This way.” His two other bookie friends–the grey haired one and the one who sneezes feathers–are already at the tree line.
“Go with them.” I give Geo a gentle push. “You need to stay out of sight and be ready to shift and run in case the tide of battle turns. It won’t, but it’s good to have a backup plan. Listen to these guys,” I nod to the three bookies. “and do what they say.”
I wait until Geo’s almost to the forest before joining my friends.
“My priority is Geo’s safety,” I tell them.
“Noted,” Jared says. “If anything happens, Laurie will airlift him out.”
I’m guessing Laurie is the one with the feathers.
“Nothing will touch him,” Grizz rumbles. I don’t know him from another shifter, but I believe him. He’d fight and give his life for my nephew. In this moment, we are pack.
As one, Grizz, Caleb and I strip off our leather jackets and toss them against the warehouse. Shirts and shoes are next. Our bare feet crunch over broken glass as we rejoin Jared and Trey, walking towards the other edge of parking lot. We pass a small bonfire, and Jared leans in and lights a long match. He carries it a few feet and touches it to the ground where it smells like someone’s poured a line of gasoline. Flames shoot up and race ahead to light our way.