Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Pockmark, real name Ivan, proved less than happy at the loss of Yuri, the main reason for the ambush. Svetlana silently rejoiced as Ivan cursed out his agents—minus two since the pair Yuri attacked ended up being sent to the hospital.
“Find that bear!” Ivan had ordered when Yuri took off out of the alley with all but one uninjured agent in pursuit. While the others chased Yuri, the remaining KGB agent shoved Svetlana into the backseat of a car. That same bullying thug joined her and sat sideways with his gun aimed.
Ivan took the driver seat with a glower and warned, “Don’t try anything, or he will shoot.”
It appeared she wouldn’t have a chance to escape, but at least Yuri got away. She could only hope he was smart and found a good place to hide because it didn’t bode well that the KGB wanted her brother.
Ivan and the agent he’d kept behind to guard Svetlana brought her to a hotel. When Ivan left the car to book a room, the agent in the backseat licked his lips. “Can’t wait for my chance to make you talk.” Words to chill, but she refused to show any fear.
When Ivan returned, he had a room key. He parked the car, and the two men escorted her inside, where the desk clerk pretended not to see her being held at gunpoint. Couldn’t really blame them. Only an idiot would interfere with the KGB.
They took the elevator up to the sixth floor and entered a large suite that boasted a living area with a loveseat and a pair of heavy chairs. Ivan stood by and watched as his accomplice tied her to the seat with some rope. They’d come prepared.
Ankles bound to the chair legs. Wrists to the armrests. Seemed like overkill, and led to her sarcastically asking, “Are the big, strong KGB afraid of a little woman?”
The reply to her taunt came in the form of a backhand slap.
At least now her cheeks would have matching bruises.
Initially, Ivan ignored her, pacing the space, barking on his phone as he got status updates from his men left behind.
“What do you mean you can’t find it? It’s a bear. It’s not like it can go inside a house to hide,” he’d screamed.
He had a point. A giant bear shouldn’t be able to disappear. Unless that bear could disguise himself as a man.
A frustrated Ivan threw his phone and whirled on Svetlana with a glare. “Where would it go?”
She shrugged. “How would I know? I can’t read the mind of a bear.”
“It must have a place it considers home.”
“The truck is our home.”
“Liar. That’s not a home,” Ivan scoffed. “Where do you live when you’re not putting on a show?”
“Nowhere.” Technically true.
Slap. The cuff made her ears ring and eyes blink.
“Do not test my patience, woman. Where is the bear?” Ivan demanded.
“My answer hasn’t changed. I don’t know.”
Whack. A tooth cut her bottom lip, and blood welled.
Ivan gripped her bound wrists and leaned forward close enough to bathe her with his fetid breath as he growled, “You will tell me where it is.”
“Since when is the KGB interested in a bear that can do tricks? We haven’t harmed anyone.”
“The KGB isn’t the one interested. However, someone with deep pockets and highly positioned friends in the government is very keen on getting their hands on the beast.”
“What?” The reply surprised. “Who?” And a better question, why?
“Doesn’t matter who. I have my orders.”
His claim that it wasn’t official KGB business only made the situation more confusing. Surely someone intrigued with Yuri would have approached her first rather than contacting the KGB.
“Aren’t you curious as to why they’re so intent on my bear?” she asked.
“You tell me. What makes it so special?”
As if she’d reveal Yuri’s secret. “Other than the fact he can drink a Russian under the table and still juggle?”
Slap.
The questions and abuse didn’t relent until the agents who’d failed to find Yuri returned.
Ivan paced in front of them, railing at their incompetence.
The agents took it with hung heads, most likely to avoid the blows Ivan seemed prone to doling out.
Her face throbbed, as did her stomach where he’d punched her a few times. Good thing she tended to heal quickly.
A knock at the door interrupted the harangue, and Ivan whirled to glare. “Mikhail, see who it is.”
A tall lanky agent went to the door—which lacked a peephole—and barked, “Who are you? What do you want?”
A muffled, “Room Service,” had Ivan frowning.
“Who ordered food?” Ivan asked as Mikhail opened the door. The last thing he ever did. A bear barreled into him with its claws out. An eviscerated Mikhail died before he hit the floor, and the remaining agents panicked as they tried to pull their guns.
Only to have nothing to aim at. As quickly as Yuri attacked, he retreated into the hall.
The big dumb idiot had come for her. She couldn’t say it surprised. She’d have done the same.
Spittle flew as Ivan snapped, “What are you waiting for?”
“I’m out of darts.” One of them held up his tranquilizer gun.
“Then shoot it. I don’t care how you do it, but bring that bear down.”
The remaining men, only two of them armed with tranqs, vacated the room, stepping over the body of the dead agent wedging the door open.
Svetlana blurted out, “I’m confused. I thought you wanted Yuri alive.”
“I do.”
“Yet you just told your man he can use bullets.”
“Not ideal, I’ll admit, but a bear with a bullet won’t be able to easily run away, which gives the others time to put it to sleep.”
“You do realize an injured bear is more dangerous,” she pointed out.
“Do not question me, woman.” Ivan raised his hand, but before it could connect, someone gave him warning in English.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”
Idris stood in the doorway, big, broad, and grim-looking. Svetlana’s mouth rounded in surprise. Yuri must have convinced him to help rescue her. She couldn’t help a spurt of warmth. Maybe she wouldn’t die after all.
Ivan snapped in horrible English. “You. Go.”
“I don’t think so, asshole. You will release my friend.” Idris appeared unbothered as he stood there, unarmed, arms crossed.
Ivan must have thought he had the advantage because he smirked and pulled his pistol. “American idiot.”
“Canadian, actually.” Idris took a step closer. “But I’m not one of the nice ones.”
Svetlana doubted Ivan understood the words, but he did grasp the threatening tone.
Bang. Ivan fired, and while Idris leaned slightly so the bullet hit him in the shoulder, he didn’t flinch from the impact or pain. Instead, he shifted. Clothes ripped and hit the floor as he went from man to beast.
“Chto za khernya?” Ivan huffed in shock. In other words, what the fuck?
Or more specifically, what the bear?
Before Ivan could aim again, Idris rushed the man, head-butting him in the stomach and knocking him over. As Ivan fell, his head hit the edge of the low table he’d pushed aside to better slap Svetlana. The gash from it had blood spilling copiously, and even better, Ivan didn’t get up.
Svetlana leaned as far as she could and spat on Ivan’s prone body.
“Asshole.” Her glance went next to the furry Idris, who stared with indecision at the downed agent, obviously unable to kill an unconscious man.
She blamed his Canadian blood for being too nice.
Since he seemed torn on what to do, she sent him on to another task. “Go help Yuri.”
He uttered a noise and cocked his head.
“I’ll be fine. Go.” Said just as gunfire crackled in the distance.
Off bounded Idris, his fat butt barely squeezing through the door. While he went to her brother’s aid, Svetlana began rocking the chair she sat in. Not easily, the damned thing weighed more than she did. It fell over, and she grunted at the impact.
Yay, another bruise. Except this one came with no benefit. She’d hoped to crack the armrest holding her left arm prone. Alas, unlike the movies, the chair remained intact. Even worse, she was eye-to-eye with Ivan as he regained consciousness. Not dead as she’d hoped.
Ivan blinked, confusion clouding his gaze before his eyes widened and he exclaimed, “That man! He tuned into a bear.”
Uh-oh. He’d seen and, worse, remembered. And here she was still bound tight, unable to do a thing about it. Unlike the Canadian, she had no qualms about killing.
Ivan rose to his feet, swaying as he put a hand to his bloodied temple. He zeroed in on her, and she saw the calculation as he finally understood why he’d been hired to capture Yuri.
“Your bear is a shapeshifter!” An accusation she didn’t reply to.
Ivan crouched. “Are you one as well?
“Don’t be silly. You’re hallucinating. People don’t turn into bears.” She lied, but Ivan shook his head, which caused him to wince.
“No wonder they were so keen on me capturing it,” he murmured. His focus narrowed. “Where did you find the bear-man?”
She wasn’t about to admit any relation, or anything else for that matter.
“Rather than asking me that, shouldn’t you be running?
Once my furry friend is done mauling your men, he’ll be coming back for you.
” She let him think he’d seen Yuri rather than let him know there were two bear shifters roaming the hotel.
The threat had Ivan turning his head sharply toward the open door just as a distant gunshot rang out, followed by a lingering scream, which abruptly cut off.
“Sounds like you might be next,” she taunted, doing her best to make Ivan scurry because she remained very much tied and vulnerable.
Ivan took a step toward the hall, hesitated, and switched his glance between her and the door, probably gauging how much time he had. The silence didn’t bode well—for him—and neither did the distant wail of sirens.
Ivan came to a decision and blurted out, “You haven’t seen the last of me,” before sprinting for the door.
“If I see you again, I’ll kill you,” Svetlana muttered as she wiggled, trying to loosen the ropes. She did not want to be in this room when the police arrived.
Snuffle. A bear, make that two bears, returned, Yuri’s muzzle stained red, whereas Idris left bloody paw marks on the carpet. At least the Canadian could do harm when needed.
“Help me,” she demanded.
Yuri plucked at the rope with a claw, but while they were great at stabbing, they lacked the sharpness for slicing.
He shifted, crouched on his knees, and began working the knot. As for Idris, he smacked his head hard against the wall before he shifted as well into a big burly naked man that she couldn’t stop staring at. The man might be thick, but it was all muscle.
He went to work on the rope binding her feet while her brother attacked her wrists.
“Hurry,” she uselessly urged. They could hear the sirens and, worse, raised voices in the hall. The ruckus had woken some of the hotel’s patrons.
One hand was freed, followed by a foot. Soon, Svetlana was being hauled to her feet, but before she could urge them to leave, someone gasped. Peeking between the two naked male bodies, it wasn’t hard to imagine what the gaping woman wearing curlers thought.
Svetlana winked at her as she purred, “Wanna join in on the fun?”
The woman fled, and Yuri gagged. “Must you say such things?”
“What? What did I miss?” Idris had no clue since she’d spoken to the woman in Russian.
“Nothing. We have to go.”
“Like this?” Idris dropped his hands to cup his impressive endowment.
“We don’t have time to find clothes. The police will be here any moment.” Actually, given the sirens stopped, most likely they’d already parked downstairs.
Yuri glanced at Idris. “We need to change again.”
“Won’t us being bears make things worse?”
Yuri shook his head. “I doubt we can escape without being seen. While I am photogenic, I do not wish to see my face plastered everywhere.”
“Me either. I already stand out too much.” Idris glanced at Svetlana. “What about her, though?”
“Don’t worry about me. This isn’t our first time escaping a tricky situation. Now quickly, change into your bear.”
Idris wisely didn’t question and, once more, smacked his head off the wall until he morphed. Yuri simply had to think it and poof.
Yuri crouched down, and Svetlana climbed onto his back. As he stood on four paws, she buried her face in his fur and held on as they raced to escape.