Tiger Tracks (Alaskan Tigers Book 9) (3 page)

“I’m not doubting anything, only stating what I’ve seen. I don’t spend much time at the Alaskan Tigers compound, but I’ve seen the changes in my brothers when they come to the island. Dad thinks it’s because things are going to get dangerous soon.”

“How about we focus on one issue at a time?” His cell phone rang, interrupting him just as he had started opening the folded piece of paper in his hand. He unclipped the phone from his belt. The screen read,
Garth
. This time he wouldn’t be able to put it on speaker because they were out in the open, but if Theodore listened closely, he’d still be able to hear. “Styx.”

“We’re just entering the D.C. metro area.”

He pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment and glanced at the time. Not enough time had passed for them to drive from Snowshoe, West Virginia. They must have flown, and it would have taken some good connections to get them a vehicle to the airstrip they used outside the city limits on such short notice. Either way, he was relieved to hear back-up was on the way. They could separate into two groups and try to determine which direction the tigress headed when she left the park. “We’re at West Potomac Park. Head this way, but be on your guard. Something isn’t right.”

“We’re on our way.” Garth hung up without another word.

“Just a little longer and we’ll have back-up.” Styx unfolded the paper in his hand. The same coded message he’d seen at the bottom of the first transmission was etched out on the thick white paper.

“How is that supposed to help us?” Theodore plopped down on the bench. “If it takes hours to translate, just like the last one, we’ll never find her before the Washington D.C. Tigers know we’re here. There are too many of us to go unnoticed for long. Someone will be out and catch our scent.”

Styx didn’t answer. Instead, he took a snapshot of the paper and messaged it to Ty. They’d work on it, and in the meantime that meant he’d have to figure out which way she went when she left the park. They would head in that direction, following the scent until it was either a dead-end or they found her. Either way, they’d continue while the Elders worked on the code.

Help!
A woman’s voice screamed at him as if she was right there. He turned, scanning the park, but there was no one around except Theodore who was still seated on the bench, his legs stretched out before him, looking completely unbothered. Had he not heard the woman’s cry? He pinched the bridge of his nose and wondered if he was getting too old for missions like this. Obviously, he was hearing things that weren’t there, and that didn’t bode well.

Someone please…they’re coming.
The fear that laced those words cut through him like a knife, and terror thickened the air. He had to find her. It could have been her Alpha’s men, or the local tigers. Either way, she wouldn’t stand a chance if they got to her first.

“Let’s go,” he ordered Theodore, and jogged toward the entrance of the park. He wasn’t heading to the SUV, he was listening to his tiger and following his instincts.

“Where are we going?”

“I know where she is.” He couldn’t explain how he knew, but she was at the hotel on the far side of the park.

“What? You can read the code now?”

“No, I just know. Hurry up.” He broke out into a run. Dashing across the park and toward the hotel in record setting speeds, Theodore kept pace with him until he slid to a halt next to some parked cars across the street from hotel. He shot Garth a quick text message to let them know he was at the hotel instead of the park, and then turned to Theodore. “We go in there and get her out, but I doubt it’s going to be easy. Someone is coming or might already be there. I don’t know if it’s her Alpha’s team or the locals. Either way, it could get dicey.”

Theodore adjusted the knife that was on his belt, hiding it under his shirt as they made their way through the lobby. They normally carried guns, but they’d decided to leave them in the car since the local clan had a connection with the police. It wouldn’t help them if things got bad, but they didn’t need the problems that came with carrying illegal weapons. They were playing things as close to the legal limits as they could. However, if things called for it, Styx was more than willing to cross that line to ensure the tigress’s safety.

“Let’s do this.”

Slowly, they crept toward Mira, and the fear washed through her. She was stuck, with nowhere to hide. They had backed her into a corner. Unless she wanted to jump over the edge of the building, she had nowhere to go. Jump to her death or fall into their hands—she wasn’t sure which option was worse. She had been on the far side of the building watching the bench and the two men who had found her message. She had been hoping they were the help she requested. Then, things on the roof had taken a dangerous turn. Not paying attention to her surroundings had cost her.

“We knew there was an unapproved shifter in the area, but we didn’t know it would be a woman.” The man before her growled. “You’re a beauty. We’re going to have an unforgettable time with you.”

His thick body that seemed to be all muscle was covered with leather from head to toe. His blond hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the base of his skull, but it wasn’t his outfit that sent her blood running cold. It was the image of a tiger sewn on the right hand side of the leather jacket. This was a member of the Washington D.C. Tigers. She knew the image would be on the back of his jacket as well; it was their signature. Even though the citizens didn’t realize they were shifters, they knew the biker gang was dangerous.

“I don’t want any trouble.”

As he neared, she pressed herself against the pillar she had been leaning on.

“You should have thought about that before you came into our territory. Since you’re here without protection that makes you ours.” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet.

She wanted to retch as he caressed her face, but she’d bide her time until she saw an opening. With the second guy standing a half dozen feet behind her, this wasn’t the time. He’d be on her before she could do any damage to the man before her. Two against one weren’t horrible odds, but mix in the little experience she had with physical fighting, and that made for a more dangerous game.

Her Alpha didn’t believe in preparing them for what they might face. He only wanted his guards to be able to defend him. After all, when an Alpha was paranoid, his own people seemed like a threat. The best way to combat that is to make sure they’re too scared or don’t have the ability to fight back.

“I think we should have our way with her and loosen her up before we take her back to the gang.” The man behind her stalked forward.

“Lorcan would have us killed for such treason, and this bitch isn’t worth my life.” He ran his hand down her neck. “We might be able to convince him to give us first go with her if we take her now. Delay and we’ll be the last.”

“You’d settle on sloppy seconds?” She licked her lips and let her gaze take him in. “Here I thought you were a
real
man.” It might have been a bad decision to provoke him, but she’d rather they tried to kill her now than take her to the rest of the clan. If she was going to find her opening to get away, it had to be before they left the hotel. Otherwise, she was dead, or most likely the plaything of their clan before they decided to kill her.

He slammed her against the pillar with enough force that her head bounced off the concrete. If she hadn’t been a shifter, she’d have been knocked unconscious, leaving them to do whatever they wished with her. Even with the splitting pain, the beast within her kept her ready to fight. She’d suffer for the hit later, but right now it only enticed her tigress more.

While she blinked to push away the black spots, he took advantage of the situation. He cupped her hand and brought it down to his crotch. “Feel that, bitch. Very soon it’s going to make you scream. I’ll take you first, last, and everywhere in between. After delivering you to Lorcan, I’m going to make you pay for every time you piss me off. Please, keep it up.” He kept a grip on her wrist so she couldn’t hurt him. Slowly, he drew her hand along the length, making sure she realized he was well endowed.

“I don’t mind seconds, because after the first one has you, most won’t care what kind of condition you’re in. I can bloody you all I want, and they won’t give a shit.” He wrapped his other hand around her throat. “You’ll be thrilled to know that Omar here is one of the cruelest of the clan when it comes to sex. Only to be outdone by our Alpha. You’ll be lucky if you make it out of it with all your body parts intact. Or he might just suffocate you by accident. It’s happened before. He loves breath play when it comes to sex.”

She couldn’t stop the fear rising within her. She had been in that position before, and she didn’t want to be there again. Sex with someone other than one’s mate was uncomfortable before the mating commenced, even painful for some. After a shifter found their mate the pain from having sex with someone else would be excruciating. She might not have found her mate yet, but she sure as hell didn’t want to experience the pain she had before, nor did she want to find out she was destined to be mated with one of the Washington D.C. Tigers. That would be worse than death at her Alpha’s hands.

“Not gonna happen,” a voice suddenly announced.

Two additional men came up behind Omar. In a blur, the man who had spoken dashed toward them, tossing her captor across the roof. She grabbed the railing and watched in terror as the scene unfolded. Omar laid in a pile at the other man’s feet, blood pouring out of him. She bit back a scream and tried to get her legs to work. She had to get out of there before her saviors became her new problem. Whoever they were, they were dangerous. She had smelled the awful stench of horror from her captor when the man grabbed him. At the very least, they knew of each other. Whatever was there inspired pure fright.

The new arrival pulled out a silver blade. “Now, I believe you threatened the woman with rape, and for that you’ll pay.”

“You’ve got it all wrong. She wants it…” Her captor looked to her, his eyes begging for her to back him up.

“Didn’t look like it.” He twirled the blade as if debating where to stab him.

“She’s an unprotected female, which means she’s up for grabs. Plus, she came into our territory without permission, so that’s a death sentence.”

“She’s protected now, and as I see it the Washington D.C. Tigers won’t have a place much longer. The Queen of the Tigers is taking over and will eliminate you.” With that, he flung the knife to land dead center in the man’s groin. Howls of pain erupted. “Finish him, Theodore.”

It didn’t matter that they’d saved her life, she had to get out of there. She had learned more than once that there was no one she could trust. These couldn’t have been the men she had been watching because they hadn’t had enough time to track her scent from the park bench.
Run.

* * *

Styx turned from the would-be rapist to the tigress they’d been looking for. Without even asking, he knew she was the woman who’d sent the forum the message. Her terror was pungent, more than before, but it wasn’t her scent that verified it. It was way she looked at him with both fear and hope.

The wind blew her long black hair around her like a cape, the curls tangling in the wind. Desire to pull it all together and hold it away from her face ate at him. He wanted to see her completely, more of the smoky blue eyes that gleamed out at him. He slid his second knife back into the sheath on his belt and moved forward. Each step was controlled, even as his tiger fought to be released. He held it back, allowing determination into every cell of his body.

She darted away from him and toward the door. Beautiful and terrified. He sidestepped and caught her before she could get past him. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her against his body. Sparks tingled within him everywhere he touched her. “Whoa, Catnip.”

“Please, I don’t want any trouble. I’ll leave the city.” She fought against him, slamming her fists into his chest.

“I’d say you’ve found enough trouble on your own.” He took hold of her wrists to stop the assault. “We’re the help you called for. Now, if you’d stop this, I have a few questions.”

“The help…” She froze. Questions she hadn’t put into words were clear in her eyes.

“Tabitha sent me. I’m a member of the Alaskan Tigers clan.” He mentioned Tabitha with the hopes it would calm her, and it did. She relaxed against his embrace.

“
He’s
not a tiger.” She nodded to Theodore, who had finished permanently silencing the tiger who had a knife through his manhood. She sniffed the air. “He’s a bear!”

“Theodore is part of the Kodiak Bears, our ally,” he explained as the other man neared them. “His brothers, Turi and Trey, are the ones who received your transmission. So, though you may think you owe Tabitha and Ty gratitude for sending us here, without the Kodiak Bears we wouldn’t have the forum or your transmission.”

“I’ve heard a lot about the Connecticut Tigers, and your Alpha—Frank,” Theodore began. “Your Alpha’s lies are meant to scare you, to keep everyone devoted to him.” He shook his head in disgust. “That bastard’s days are numbered.”

“What would you know about it?” she snapped.

“Do you think you were the only one?” Styx questioned. “Tabitha has supporters all over the globe and right under the noses of disapproving Alphas.”

“Not there.” She shook her head, sending strands of her wild hair into Styx’s face. “No one helped me. No one there is a supporter.”

“Did you tell anyone you were leaving?” When she didn’t reply, he continued. “That’s why no one helped. No one knew you were in danger. Only Frank and his guards knew where your support was, and how they knew I’m not sure.”

“Oh, I know.” She pulled from his embrace, stalked over to the railing and stared out over the park and river, her arms crossed over her chest. “My sister told Frank what was going on, because she was trying to avoid punishment for her own crimes.”

“Your sister?” Theodore didn’t bother to hide his revulsion.

“Not everyone has the devoted family you do, Bear.” Styx went to the woman and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Catnip, I’m sorry.”

“My name is
not
Catnip. I don’t know why you’re calling me that.” She growled in annoyance.

“Why don’t you tell me your name, then?”

“Mira. Just Mira. I’ve left behind the last of my family when they betrayed me.” She rubbed her hand up her arm. “You can’t trust anyone.”

“You can trust me.” He squeezed her shoulder. “I’m going to protect you. We’re going to get out of here, but I have one more question.” Before she could answer, the roof door opened. Garth and the other man who must have been Red came dashing through. Weapons were drawn and ready for what they expected to be a fight.

She pulled away from him, glancing over the railing, as if for a brief moment she considered jumping. Her fear spiked as she eyed them. There was no doubt she was wondering if they were members of the same clan as the two dead tigers on the ground. Her gaze stayed on Garth, his leather jacket and black jeans failing to help his image.

“It’s okay,” Styx said quickly. “They’re with us. Garth and Red are part of the West Virginia Tigers, and they’re here as back-up.”

“We’re here to get your asses out of here. Now that
this
is taken care of and you’ve found her, let’s go.” Garth nodded toward the dead bodies. “Cops are out, and within the hour they’re going to be setting up roadblocks on every major route out of town. Talk has it that once they’ve got those shut down, the rest of the routes in and out of town will follow.”

“They know we’re here,” Theodore stated.

“They know there’s at least one shifter within their territory without permission, and they believe more from the tigress’s clan will follow. Quinn called me when Styx didn’t answer his cell phone. His unit has been dispatched to assist. They’re calling in all branches of the government with the claim that this was a threat to national security. We’ve got to get out of town,
now
.”

“Give us a minute and we’ll be ready.” He waited until the others had moved toward the rooftop door before turning his attention back to Mira. “How did you know that code from your transmission?”

“It’s hard to explain.”

“
Try,
and be quick about it. We don’t have time for a long explanation but I need to ensure you’re not a security risk before I take you somewhere safe.” They might not be heading back to the Alaskan Tigers’ compound straight away, but the West Virginia Tigers were an ally and he wouldn’t take trouble to their doorstep if he could help it.

“I just
knew
. I don’t know how.” She dragged her hand through her hair, tugging the long strands away from her face. “Do you know what Mira means?”

“What?”

“My name. Mira. In Spanish, it means
sight
, normally of a firearm but it fits me. I have these dreams that let me know what the future holds. Normally it’s just mine or those close to me, but the dream is what showed me the code to send to you. I knew what it meant and that you’d find me. Why?”

“Dreams of the future?” he pressed, instead of answering her question.

“Yes. Not all the time, but I knew you’d find me. Well, not you in particular, but I knew someone from your clan would come for me. I knew it would be on a rooftop just like this, when the moon was just overhead. It’s why I came here tonight. I saw you at the park and you found my message, but how did you know I was here? You didn’t have enough time to trace my scent, not with all the backtracking I did.”