Purrfect Protector (16 page)

Aleksi stayed in the bathroom for a few minutes, thinking about the message Kale had left. His mate was smart to leave him clues but he was still going to redden Kale’s tight ass when he got his paws on his mate.

Leaving the bathroom, he wandered casually over to the windows and closed the blackout curtains, plunging the room into darkness. The phone’s cameras would be useless now. However, Aleksi’s cat eyes were as adept in darkness as they were in sunlight.

He threw on his jeans, shoes and shirt and ran out of the room. If Kale was already in Not-Barry’s clutches, it wasn’t likely the man would be monitoring the camera feed closely enough to see the small flash of light where Aleksi had opened the door to leave.

If he was, all it would do was give Not-Barry a warning. There was no way he was leaving his mate in the hands of a killer for a moment longer. He didn’t bother going down the stairs, jumping over the bar instead and landing easily. After bursting through the fire door, he headed for the emergency exit of the other hotel.

Using the handle was overrated and it was almost certainly locked anyway. Aleksi shouldered through the steel-bolted doors as if they were a paper, sending the thing flying several yards down the corridor. It made a horrendous scraping sound and clattering racket but he focused on his next move. Bracing his knees and flexing his hands, Aleksi jumped and grabbed hold of the metal banister on the stairs between the first and second floor and then repeated the move, leaping deftly from floor to floor.

Reaching his target, he threw his body over the bar, bending his legs to absorb the impact, and land silently. Scenting the air revealed nothing, but he hadn’t expected it to. He inspected the door that led to the corridor and his instincts told him Not-Barry wouldn’t leave it unsecured. He could only imagine what the bastard had told his mate to make him leave without waking Aleksi. He felt the madman would have a backup plan in case Aleksi followed or Kale wasn’t able to keep him at the other hotel. Moving to a secondary location with Not-Barry could be fatal because it would take Aleksi more time to track them down.

The modern-style door looked as normal as all the others in the sleek establishment. If anything, it was a little too clean, the shiny metal fingerprint free. This was a good hotel, but even the best didn’t clean their emergency exits this well. No one used them or noticed them unless there was an emergency. He stepped closer until he stood about three feet from the door and inspected it more closely. There was nothing obviously wrong and that made him more suspicious. Not-Barry had been very careful with the tear gas bomb and the police set-up. Both incidents exhibited premeditation.

Whatever was wrong here was making his cat even more agitated.

Aleksi tipped his head to the side and tried to single out what specific detail was making him want to shift and bite the metal barrier standing between him and reaching his mate. His animal didn’t understand technology. It came from a long,
long
history of beasts that existed and dominated before such things were ever thought of, and although his species had adapted and evolved, there was still that distrust and unfamiliarity with technology and electricity.

“Electricity!”

As soon as he said the word, it made sense—the hum in the air and the spotless door. He crept closer, careful not to touch anything, and the buzzing grew louder. A human wouldn’t hear it but his tiger could. It sounded like a stereo system now that he could single it out from the rest of the noises.

Aleksi looked around and spotted a junction box. He walked over to it, then he ripped it open. From the labels, Aleksi concluded that it controlled the lights and electric supply to the floor.

He pulled out the wire for the air conditioning and exposed both ends, stripping away bits of the rubber insulator with his fingernails. Moving back to the door, Aleksi bent and touched both ends to the metal at once.

Immediately, sparks flew and he dropped the wires, kicking them away, growling. Not-Barry had electrified the whole fucking door, guessing Aleksi would take the stairs instead of the elevator. Judging by the violent reaction, there was enough power running through the thing to knock him on his ass. He wouldn’t have been getting up again, even in his stronger tiger form. It would have killed him and any unfortunate human who might have come across it.

Aleksi stepped out of his shoes and inspected the soles. There were thick rubber layers on the soles, enough insulation to stop any circuit forming and keep the electric current from jumping to him.

He put his hands in his shoes then wasted no time in slamming the door open. He caught it with his shoe-clad hands before it made any more noise and hoped the racket would pass as someone closing their room door a little too enthusiastically. He lowered it to the ground and noticed a box the size of a book attached to the doorframe.

On first look, it would appear harmless, but Aleksi’s keen eyes saw the little lightning symbol on it, the symbol that was right next to the serial number that he recognized as US military.
Where the hell is Not-Barry getting these things?
He discarded his shoes, leaving them by what remained of the door and quickly ran back to the junction box. There, he flicked the switch labeled hall lights, plunging the corridor into darkness with just the exit sign glowing green. On his way back through the doorway, he let his claws free and slammed them into the little box, reducing the electrifying device to mere pieces of plastic and screws.

He caught the one piece he wanted with the serial number on it and slipped it into his pocket.

Aleksi jogged down the corridor, watching and listening hard in case there were more traps. He didn’t expect any, however. Not-Barry was too arrogant not to think his backup plan would work, but Aleksi wasn’t taking any chances. Luckily, Caleb’s room was almost at the other end of the floor to the emergency stairs so there was little chance Not-Barry had heard him.

He froze as he reached the correct door and he heard a laugh that sent shivers down his spine. Aleksi had seen many things, done many things—both right and wrong—but that laugh frightened even him. It scared him because he knew his mate was inside with person who had made it.

A whistle and a crack from the other side of the door made his blood run cold. He knew that noise. It was the sound from his past when he’d been captured as a young boy and forced to perform as a freak in a freak show until he had grown strong enough to escape.

It was a whip.

He listened again and flinched, a tear running down his cheek when he heard Kale crying out—screaming—even though it was muffled.
Kale must be gagged to stop him from making too much noise.

All the training as a thief, soldier, mercenary and eventually a bodyguard hadn’t prepared Aleksi for the grief or fury that swamped him at the sound of his mate in pain. He was so overwhelmed with violent emotions that his tiger almost broke free. No one responsible would survive his fury, his teeth or his claws.

Shaking himself, Aleksi squared his shoulders and strained his hearing, listening for the arc in the swing of the whip so he could determine where the wielder stood in the room. Aleksi guessed Kale was on the bed from the sound of the cries, presuming Caleb’s room was the same layout as Kale’s had been. There was another desperate voice shouting a few feet from the door. It must be Caleb.

Everything in him demanded that he break down the door and simply storm in but Not-Barry could have a gun or some other weapon aimed at Kale. He heard footsteps and the whistle of the whip kept changing direction, as if the person was moving around the room.

Whistle. Crack. Scream. The pattern repeated once more. Hopefully, if Not-Barry was holding a second weapon, the man would spin round and point it toward him instead of Kale.

Moving faster than he ever had in his life, Aleksi crashed through the door. He made as much noise as he could, ensuring he had Not-Barry’s full attention. Bullets ripped through his side and he jolted with the impact.

Not-Barry stood between him and his mate, so Aleksi reached for his feline abilities and leaped over the gun-wielding man. Aleksi lost his breath as he slammed into the floor. Quickly getting back to his feet, he planted them firmly and kept himself between Kale and danger. Now Not-Barry was nearest the door, with Caleb in a chair to the right and Aleksi’s mate safely behind him.

Not-Barry fired again and again, reaching for another gun that had been tucked the jeans waistband and emptied that one too. Aleksi was fast—fast enough to get to Not-Barry and kill him before any of the bullets hit him. However, with Kale tied to the bed, it would leave his mate defenseless. Even just one stray bullet could take his mate’s life.

With no choice but to be a shield for Kale, Aleksi stood and accepted the pain as bullet after bullet pierced into his flesh, tearing him apart. Not-Barry backed toward the door. From his peripheral vision, Aleksi saw Caleb had managed to get free from his bindings, but Aleksi didn’t look away from Not-Barry. Caleb must have taken advantage of Aleksi’s arrival to tip over the chair and himself.

Not-Barry ran out of bullets but the crazy man kept clicking the trigger as he backed away. Caleb grabbed a heavy decorative lamp from the side table with both hands and managed to raise it as Not-Barry backed up.

A hard strike knocked Not-Barry out and the stalker crumpled to the floor. Caleb stood next to him, beaten and bloody, but strong and panting with exertion. “No one messes with my brother.”

“
Polizia
!”

The corridor lights turned back on and Aleksi tried to blink away the spots in his vision. Police officers flooded the room. He hissed at the ones crowded around him and Kale. They offered help while simultaneously telling him to get on the floor.

He ignored them all and turned to stagger over to the bed. Breaking Kale’s handcuffs with a flick of his wrist, Aleksi collapsed to the floor beside the bed. Blood poured from his wounds and left a trail behind him. His mate’s face was contorted in agony and pressed sideways into the mattress. Blood covered Kale’s back. There was almost nowhere to touch him that didn’t look damaged. In the end, he settled for gently wrapping his hand over Kale’s ankle and purring softly. Kale jumped and tried to get away from his touch. His mate immediately calmed, clawing closer to him instead. “I’m here, mate.”

Aleksi shouted Gio’s name, knowing his friend would be amongst the cavalry. The police must have heard the gunfire.

“Only the human on the floor is a threat. Secure him,” Gio snapped angrily before looking at him and seeing all the blood. “Call an ambulance. Now!”

The last of Aleksi’s energy left him, bleeding out like the red trail running from the many gunshot wounds in his body. Aleksi reached for Kale. Everything was fading and he couldn’t stay upright.

He needed to protect his mate. Danger. His mate was in danger.

“He’s shifting!” Gio shouted.

The panic in his friend’s voice was the last thing he heard.

Chapter Nine

Kale blinked awake then screwed his eyes shut when the bright lights hurt them.

“Kale?”

Caleb’s voice sounded far away but he felt pressure on his hand as if someone was holding it. Something cold touched his lips and he darted his tongue out to catch it as his throat started to burn from dryness. The little bit of moisture from the ice chips was like ambrosia and he opened his mouth for another spoonful.

“The nurse said you can only have a bit at a time.” Despite Caleb’s words, his brother gave him some more.

Kale moaned as the cold soothed his throat and cracked lips. He opened his eyes again and frowned. Everything seemed wrong but he couldn’t quite figure out why.

“No, Kale. You need to stay like that until the doctor checks you out. He usually stops by around this time,” Caleb said.

It was then he realized he was lying on his stomach and the reason Caleb’s hand felt odd was because of the angle. He tried to remember what had happened, but things were rather fuzzy and in bits and pieces mixed with black periods he couldn’t remember.

He did remember Not-Barry had called, saying he had Caleb and Kale had gone to a hotel room. Everything after that time was blurry and disjointed with flashes of himself screaming as fire raced over his back and ass.

“You okay?” His voice sounded rough and broken.

“Me?” Caleb asked. “I’m fine.”

Kale gave him a stern look—or what passed as one when he was lying on his stomach, glaring up at his brother.

“Really. It’s just a few bruised ribs, a broken nose and a split lip,” Caleb admitted, shrugging and unsuccessfully covering a wince after the motion.

“Heard noise. From your room in the morning.” He couldn’t say anything more. Ever since he’d received the phone call from Not-Barry, he’d been terrified that something had happened to Caleb that time wouldn’t be able to heal, something that Caleb might not be able to come back from.

Caleb obviously got his meaning, because his brother went even paler and looked at the door as if he were contemplating running away.

“He…uhh…he ordered a prostitute and dressed him up in your clothes, then he made the man shower in stuff he stole from your room to smell like you. He fucked the man and strangled him. The police found the body in your room where he’d arranged his victim on the bed so the man looked like he…like he was sleeping instead of…” Caleb coughed, wiping away the tears.

His brother hadn’t cried since they’d lost Garrick. “Caleb—”

“No. No talking about what happened until we’re home and I can drink my way through our scotch collection.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Kale agreed with a sigh. Scotch sounded really good right about now. Aleksi would be impressed by their collection. The shifter had mentioned he liked a glass of quality alcohol once in a blue moon.

Panic struck him in the chest when he remembered gunshots and Aleksi getting hurt. The memory was fuzzy, there was a lot of blood on the floor, soaking the beige hotel carpet.