CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE - BIRDIE #3
As the needle descends towards my scent gland, I let my body go slack against the wall.
It’s the last thing my instincts are clamoring to do, but it takes Razor by surprise.
His grip on my restrained arm eases and I force a whimper from my lips.
I can almost feel his smile against the nape of my neck as I whip my head back and crack it against his mouth.
My own smile is vicious, and I hope his cry of pain means I’ve shattered at least a few of his perfect white teeth.
He raises his elbow, ready to smash it into my face, but I’m already moving.
Slipping sideways, I duck under his blow and kick him in his left knee joint.
His leg buckles downward, his curse an unintelligible roar.
He clutches at his leg, and I try for a straight jab to his windpipe, but he knocks my hand aside.
He’s lean but strong, and I feel the full force of his rage as he brings his hand across my face in a vicious slap.
It’s too fast for me to block, and pain radiates across my jaw like lightning. I stagger back against the wall, my vision curling at the edges.
“Stupid bitch!” Razor pants, advancing on me again. “I’m gonna put you on your fucking knees!”
Before he can reach me, I shove off the wall and deliver a furious snap kick to his groin.
I don’t know why he’s always threatening mortal injury with his knot, because it squishes like putty under the toe of my sturdy snow boot.
His face goes a soggy gray, and before he can get his feet back under him, I strike him with a palm heel to the nose.
Blood explodes across my knuckles and his head whips back, his skull making a meaty thud as it hits the wall.
He slides down the brick in a bloody smear, his eyes fixed and vacant.
I step back, my knees wobbling as he slumps bonelessly on the floor.
Dead.
I’ve seen it before. I know that empty look, even if it’s the first time I put it on someone’s face.
Oh, my God…
I turn to run, but Hog’s arms are in the way. I wait for him to grab me, to shake me, but he encircles me instead, a big hand gently cupping the back of my neck. I stare at the worn collar of his hunting jacket, because I can’t bear to lift my eyes any higher. “I didn’t mean…”
“I saw, Omega.” His voice is a gentle rumble. “I saw what he did. It’s okay.”
He saw? How much did he see? Was he following me?
Unless he came with Razor… It’s not such a longshot, since Reeves likes to cover all his bases.
Why send just one alpha when you can send a literal hunter to track me down?
I push away from Hog’s chest, my pulse thudding in my throat.
“Why are you here? How did you find me?”
He looks unaffected by my suspicious tone. “I figured you’d come this way, looking for a ride.”
“You’re not with him?”
He rears back, studying my face. “What the fuck? I’m with you.”
I can’t deny the sincerity in his eyes, or the overwhelming urge to step back into his arms. I rest my head on his shoulder, instead, because it’s pounding, and I’m beat down, and the asshole behind me is… “I think he’s bleeding from the back of his head.”
“He’s nothing.” Hog wraps his arm carefully around my shoulders and turns me away. “Don’t think about him again.”
“But…”
“Go sit while I sort it out.” I look up, blinking at the sight of the pack’s truck reversed into the alleyway.
How did I not see that? Are my survival skills so screwed up, I didn’t notice a potential abduction vehicle entering my vicinity?
What if he really was Razor’s accomplice?
I’d already be on my way back to Reeves’ lab with his shitty cocktail buzzing in my veins.
“Breathe,” Hog says quietly, and I realize the raw, strangled sound is coming from my throat.
“Let me help, Omega. Here. Wrap yourself in my jacket.”
He places me on the passenger seat like I’m about to come apart at the seams. I wrap my arms around myself, and he waits for me to curl my legs up before he drapes his jacket over me, covering me in his scent.
It’s a hickory smoke cocoon, warm from his body heat and heavy enough to keep me from sliding off the seat.
I lie still, my eyes scrunched tight against the burning pain behind their lids.
I killed him. He was going to hurt me, like he’d hurt me a dozen times before, but I killed him…
There’s a dragging sound from the depths of the alley and a thud at the back of the truck, sending a shudder through me. The tailgate creaks and then Hog is back, his hand steadying me under his jacket.
“Is he dead?”
“Not by your hand,” he replies and I cautiously peel back the edge of his jacket.
He places the pillowcase of supplies on the back seat then turns to give me his full attention.
His honey-brown eyes glitter in the low light, as bright and sharp as any predator.
“You gave him a beating, but I finished him off.”
I blink at him, my stomach twisting with hope. “But he hit his head so hard...”
He reaches over and gently smoothes the hair back from my face. “He was dead the second he laid a hand on you, Omega. It was all his doing, and he got exactly what he deserved.”