Chapter 13
13
Lyla shuddered under Gabby’s fingers when the shrew shifter stepped into view. He still wore the clothes he had on in the parking lot by the park, so he must have been following them on foot. But how? She didn’t know enough about shrews to know why Dr. Grimm said he was good at finding things.
Bile rose in the back of Gabby’s throat. She was sick of being hunted and even sicker of being scared. She glanced at Lyla. The shock had blanched her skin, a pale comparison to her vibrant hair. Gabby could tell by looking at her that Lyla had pushed herself too far. It was Gabby’s turn to protect Lyla, to pay her back in kind for rescuing her in the parking lot.
Gabby crawled out from under the limbs of the apple tree for fear of catching her wings again. She wasn’t used to the damn things, and they extended her height by a couple of feet. She stood after clearing the boughs, stretching her wings out. The span of them was incredible, a good seven feet at least in either direction. If the shrew thought she was an easy target as a crow, what would he think of her now?
“Gabby.” The shrew somehow knew her name. He held his hands out as if to show he was unarmed. “It’s nothing personal.”
“Personal?” The word caught in her throat like a piece of unchewed food. Gabby scoffed at his soft tone and polite demeanor. Why did he seem apologetic every time he saw her? In her room, he apologized in advance before capturing her. In the parking lot, he assured her he wouldn’t hurt her. Now “it’s nothing personal.” What kidnapper walked around in a polo shirt and khakis anyway?
She narrowed her eyes at the man who wouldn’t give up tracking her. He’d found her at WANC and then again near the park. “How?” she found herself asking. She wanted to know how he was able to keep popping up when she stopped running.
He sighed, rolling his shoulders forward as if exhausted. He reached a hand into the pocket of his clean pants, pulling out a small device the size of a smartphone. “Dr. Grimm put a tracking device in the back of your neck.”
“He what?” She reached for the back of her neck, pushing the sweat-drenched hair away. After rubbing her palm across her skin, she felt it. A small bump. And cleverly placed where her hair would hide it.
Anger ripped through her body, more powerful than what she’d felt in her cell yesterday. She wanted her life back. She was so sick of hiding. Of wondering if Dr. Grimm was lurking around every corner. She flapped her wings in the direction of the shrew shifter, sending a powerful gust of wind his way. He fell backward, stumbling onto his ass.
Small twigs cut into the soles of Gabby’s feet as she stomped toward him. He would pay for what he stole from her. If it weren’t for him, Dr. Grimm wouldn’t have turned her into whatever she now was. Dr. Grimm had not only fucked with her but he’d fucked with her family as well. Her dad struggled to stay human and could hardly talk. She could barely carry on a conversation herself. And Phin… Look what visiting her and her dad did to Phin each time. Her brother was barely holding it together. All this heartbreak and pain was caused by them.
The man crab-crawled, trying to increase the distance between them, but Gabby was too fast. She picked him up by the neck. Heat seared her skin, the anger burning her up from the inside. It buzzed in her chest and heated her face. “Why?” She squeezed, tightening her grip.
The man clawed at her fingers, but she could barely feel it. Fear filled his green eyes as he struggled to breathe, but she couldn’t let go. His neck felt so delicate and fragile under her fingers. How easy it would be to snap it like a twig and end this, freeing Gabby from fear forever. True, he wasn’t Dr. Grimm, but the shrew was a part of it. She wanted her life back, but more than that, she wanted someone to pay for what was done to her and the others. She didn’t care who was punished, as long as someone was. She gritted her teeth, feeling the pressure mount in her jaw as her hate rose like waves of a typhoon.
A soft, clammy hand touched the back of her arm. “Gabby?” She turned to see tears streaking down Lyla’s face. Gabby crumpled, her knees giving out, letting go of the man, who fell to the ground with a hollow thud. He sputtered for breath, rubbing the red skin of his neck as Lyla wrapped her arms around Gabby. Gabby nuzzled into her neck, smelling her sweet and comforting scent. Her waves of anger broke against the shelter of Lyla’s compassion and warmth. Gabby wanted this nightmare to end, but at what cost? She’d almost sold her soul to finish it.
“It’s okay.” Lyla stoked Gabby’s hair as Gabby’s tears soaked her neck. Gabby couldn’t hold them in anymore. The floodgates of her grief sprang open as she grieved for the life she’d lost. She would never be the same after this.
“Furry United Coalition!” someone shouted as a group converged in on them. “Put your hands where we can see them!”
They all did as they were told, though the agents only pointed their guns at the man in khakis. He looked up at the women as he was being cuffed. “He has my sister.”