Chapter Fourteen
I won’t if you won’t. Nash’s words played in Abi’s head like a broken record as he slithered his way across the ground toward the prison, shuffling into the arena.
Abi’s favorite form, besides his human one, was a snake. He could get in and out of places undetected when he was low to the ground.
He stayed in the tall grass, out of sight, and thought about Nash, waiting in the car, pissed off that Abi had gone in alone, as if he needed a big dragon getting in the way. All he had to do was stay small and try not to kill anyone.
He moved when he saw an opening, following beside a slave. The blades of grass brushed against his body. No one saw him, even though he was inches from their feet.
When the door came into view, Abi changed into a mouse and scurried as fast as he could inside.
The lighting was dim in that part of the building. Shadows sat in corners waiting to swallow someone, and so Abi waited too, while people shuffled down the corridor. When the door banged shut behind the last guard, Abi moved with them, hugging the wall.
One slave saw him. He had bruises covering half his face. His right eye was swollen shut. Yet he still seemed happy to see Abi, as if Abi were a bright spot in his darkness.
Abi wanted to explain his presence there. It wouldn’t be much longer before Peter sent a team to rescue them. But he had to stay hidden.
A guard fell in step beside the slave, blocking Abi’s view of him. The guard held a rifle, but he aimed it at the ground since the slaves didn’t pose a threat while chained together. They would barely move as they shuffled together, trying to walk in sync so they wouldn’t trip.
“You’re going to die tonight. Mallor will see to it.” The guard looked smug.
Abi shifted into a cottonmouth and slid along the wall.
“You shouldn’t have fucked with Mallor. Oh, wait. That’s right. You didn’t fuck him when you probably should have.” The guard leaned into the slave. “Maybe I’ll fuck you before you die and describe it to h—”
Abi bit the guard and then shifted into a cockroach and scurried as far away as he could get.
“Ow…what the fuck?” The guard lifted his pant leg and found the bite on his ankle. Two blood trails slid into his sock, soaking it.
The slaves shuffled past him.
Another guard came up behind him. If someone was in charge, it was him. He wore something similar to what the other guards wore but exuded an air of authority. “What the fuck, man? Can’t this wait until we get everybody settled?”
“Something bit me, man.”
“So get a fucking tetanus shot tomorrow. Right now, do your fucking job.” He walked away, further up the way, unlocking cell doors while another guard unshackled the prisoners one at a time.
Concrete walls separated each cell. The doors were thick metal with a lock on one side, much like a prison cell block.
Abi shifted into a rat and made his way around the perimeter. He projected what he saw to Peter. Left at the side door where I had just entered. Then follow the corridor to the cells. Easy to find, but you’ll be sitting ducks. Keep the element of surprise on your side for as long as possible.
When he made his way past the cells, there were several shut doors. He’d reached the skyboxes. He was almost positive. They faced the arena, so it tracked, but he wanted to make sure. He also wanted to find Mallor’s private rooms.
He shifted into a cockroach again and entered the room under the door. The first two rooms were empty and dark. The third room was occupied.
Several people were inside. Mallor sat on a couch facing a wall of windows. The windows look out onto the arena. A woman sat at the man’s feet, naked, and had a metal collar around her neck. The man held the end of the chain with one hand and petted her like a dog with the other.
“The others will arrive soon,” the man whispered to the woman.
The woman shook and cried. Whoever was arriving scared the woman. That much was obvious.
The man just smiled and continued to pet her hair.
Abi had to move or get stepped on when a man with a gun on his belt entered the room. “Your special guest hasn’t entered the building.”
Was he talking about them?
“See that he’s invited up as soon as he arrives.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Bring Toby to me. I want someone willing when my guest arrives. We must make a good impression.”
“Right, sir. I’ll bring him up straight away.” The guard left, and Abi left with him.
Abi continued along the wall until he got to a set of stairs. He shifted into a rat and headed down.
A woman screamed. “Rat! Oh my god, Stan!”
Abi ran down the stairs as fast as his small body would go. He shifted into a fly and took to the air, heading for the main door, which was open. He turned into a bird and landed in a tree close to their car in the parking lot.
He cawed and waited for Nash to open the back door. It was the longest five seconds of his life, but the back door finally opened. Abi shifted into a fly again and flew inside.
He shifted into his human form as soon as Nash closed the door, settling into the seat beside Nash. Was he graceful? No. Did he make Nash smile when he ended up backwards on the seat and had trouble righting himself? Yes. Abi considered that a win.
He straightened his clothes as he tried to catch his breath.
Nash assessed him with his gaze. “Are you okay?”
“Never better.” Flying was tiring. He felt as though he’d run seven miles instead of just flying across a parking lot. “I may need to exercise more, apparently.”
“Did you give Sylvain the intel?”
“Yep.” Abi grinned. “I killed a guard.”
Nash swore.
“Don’t worry. I made sure the species was local.
I just hope the big man in the skybox doesn’t end the event thinking there’s a cottonmouth in the building.
” Abi shrugged. “Not that they saw me. But they’ll find out the cause of death when they do an autopsy.
By then, shit will have hit the fan, and we’ll be long gone. ”
“You saw Mallor?”
Abi nodded. “He’s in the first skybox on the west side of the building. He has a woman with him. A slave.”
“Can you do the job?”
“You mean not kill Mallor because he’s keeping a woman chained to him and petting her like a dog.”
“Yes.” Nash growled the word. The description upset him, but Nash needed to know what they were facing.
“We won’t see her. Mallor is putting on a milder show. Getting someone willing just for us. But he’s still a bastard, so I may need your help.” Mallor was a slimy piece of shit. Abi would rather rid the world of him. Playing nicely would be difficult.
Nash nodded once. “I’ll take care of you.”
Abi leaned forward and kissed Nash. “Thanks.”
“It’s showtime, baby.” Nash got out and then went around to Abi’s side of the car and opened the door for him.
Abi took his hand, and together they entered the lion’s den for the second day in a row.