Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Holy shit. What a night thus far. Idris hadn’t actually held out much hope they’d find Svetlana, let alone rescue her.
However, the whole scent-tracking thing proved crazy useful, not only letting them know what floor she was on, but even figuring out which room.
A room with too many people. From the hall, they could hear a raised voice and the apologetic replies from four men.
“If we barge in, we’ll get shot,” Idris had whispered to Yuri.
“Then we should draw them out where they’ll be easier to pick off.”
“Draw them out how?”
“What’s the one thing that would have someone opening the door at this hour in a hotel?”
“I don’t think we have time to look for a hooker.”
Yuri snickered. “Pity, I guess we’ll have to pretend to be room service.”
“Won’t they be suspicious since they didn’t order?”
“Yes. Either way, someone is going to open that door, though.”
He had a point.
Yuri stripped and stashed his clothes in the stairwell, and while Idris stood tucked around the corner, Yuri knocked on the door, replying to the person on the other side in Russian.
The room service trick actually worked. The door opened onto a shifted Yuri, who attacked and fled, leading to a bunch of men racing after him in the hallway that split into a T.
Idris waited until they’d cleared the hall and then raced to Svetlana’s rescue.
A rescue much needed, judging by the blossoming bruises on her face.
Once he knocked out the guy left behind, on her order, he’d gone to give Yuri a paw taking out the KGB agents.
It wasn’t hard to kill this time, seeing as how they shot at him, which made him morph back into a human, and then, while the guy was still gaping, Idris tackled him to the floor.
He shifted again when the asshole bit him.
Rather than spit out blood, he used his claws.
Idris met up with Yuri and returned to Svetlana, his stomach grumbling. He could only change back and forth so many times before he got weak—and hungry. So very fucking hungry. He couldn’t imagine the calories it took to shift.
Freeing Svetlana proved stressful, and not just because of the sirens indicating cops. The guy he’d knocked down was gone. Bad news, since he’d witnessed Idris changing. Nothing Idris could do about it now, and, besides, he needed all his focus on escaping the hotel. Easier said than done.
They must have been a sight. A grizzly Idris leading the way to the stairwell, the more golden Yuri on his nubby tail with Svetlana clinging to his back.
Not something he’d have ever thought of doing, but he could appreciate the genius of it.
With her face buried in her brother’s fur, no one saw her face.
A good thing, since they bolted past several rooms with their doors open.
Curious guests of the hotels peeked out, some with their phones recording, others screaming at the sight of two bears.
They didn’t need to worry. These two predators weren’t hunting. Not anymore.
The stairwell door had a knob, and Svetlana lifted her head only long enough to grasp and turn it, giving them access.
Down they flew, encountering no one until the second-to-last floor, where a pair of uniformed police were climbing.
At the sight of them, the pair did the smart thing and flattened against the wall, not moving, barely breathing.
The bears rushed past them, and Idris, still in the lead, slammed the bar on the last door, spilling them into the hotel vestibule, where two more police officers stood questioning the now-awake clerk.
Rounded eyes watched but did nothing to stop the furry predators from heading for the exit, the weight of their tread enough to trigger the sliding glass door. Outside, the night air provided a cool refreshment after the dusty indoors.
Initially, they headed for Idris’ car, only to veer into an alley as they spotted more flashing lights arriving.
The area would soon be cordoned off. They needed to slip the net before it closed.
Yuri galloped ahead of Idris, obviously having a destination in mind. Good, because Idris didn’t have the slightest clue where to go next.
They ran for a long time, occasionally illuminated by the headlights of the rare motorist on the road. What must they think to see two bears racing through town? Their journey left Idris tired and huffing. The red edges of dawn had begun to color the sky when they arrived at their destination.
Boris’ house.
Not the destination he’d expected, then again, where else could they go?
Svetlana and Yuri couldn’t exactly return to their truck-house, even if they knew where the KGB had parked it.
The vehicle was much too noticeable. Going to Idris’ place was out of the question.
No way he could sneak into his apartment without being seen—either as a bear or a naked man.
Not to mention, Idris had been compromised.
He’d shredded his clothes in the hotel room.
Pants holding his keys. His wallet with his fake ID.
No address, however the KGB likely wouldn’t have problems tracking down his address.
And they would be doing that, not just because of the deaths at the hotel.
The guy who’d seen him shifting had gone missing.
His own fault for being a pussy and not killing the fucker when he had a chance. But, no, his own damned morals wouldn’t let him slash a man when he was down. That weakness might well be his downfall.
Once inside Boris’ house, Svetlana slid from Yuri’s back, and the other man shifted.
“Close the door, would you? I’m going to see what Boris has in his closet,” Yuri stated as he left the room.
Idris nudged the portal with his nose then sat down. No way would he be swapping shape again until he knew he’d have something to wear. He’d already shown his dick off enough for one day.
Svetlana planted her hands on her hips and grimaced as she glanced around. “What a pigsty.”
He didn’t disagree. His sense of smell, amplified in this state, had him snuffling at all the horrid smells.
“Thank you for helping Yuri rescue me,” she stated, crouching in front of him. She showed no fear or repugnance as she grabbed his furry cheeks and planted a kiss on his nose.
He blinked in surprise.
“Such a brave thing to do, but dumb. You could have both been caught,” she chastised before standing to face her brother as he returned, holding out some hideous garments.
“The man didn’t have much left clean in his closet.” Yuri held out a loud patterned shirt that hurt the eyes with the color combinations and a pair of green track pants.
Before Svetlana left the room, she snickered. “Oh, this will be interesting.”
Idris sat down and bit his paw, the sharp pain of it enough to have him bare-assed on the filthy floor.
Gross. He quickly stood and put on the clothes, the shirt big enough to accommodate—thank Boris for having a beer gut.
The pants, however, came halfway up his calf and squeezed uncomfortably tight around his thighs and ass.
Not his best look, and probably why Svetlana burst into laughter at the sight of Idris when he joined her in the living room. It helped that Yuri had the same problem, his own outfit just as hideous.
Yuri smirked. “You and I could be twins.”
“Kind of wishing I was color blind right now,” Idris grumbled.
“It could be worse. At least we’re alive,” Svetlana stated, which led to him frowning.
“How’s your face?” He’d noticed it before, but, in the heat of the moment and escape, couldn’t address it.
“It hurts.” Svetlana grimaced. “I must be a sight.”
The bruises had already begun to blossom, leaving her cheeks mottled, her nose swollen, and the soft tissue around her eyes turning dark. Her lips had also swollen, making them puffy. But even beaten, her beauty shone through, a terrible thought to have after what she’d gone through.
“Do you need to see a doctor?” He worried about a possible fracture.
She shook her head. “I’ll heal, unlike Boris.” She nudged the body on the floor. “Can one of you dump him somewhere else? I am not in the mood to smell cadaver.”
“I’ve got him.” Yuri slung the body over his shoulder and must have found a basement, since Idris heard steps going down. The stained carpet barely showed the fresh blood, but Idris could smell it. Needing distraction, he turned to Svetlana. “Did you find out why the KGB were after you?”
“Not me, Yuri.”
“Me? Why? I haven’t done anything.” Yuri, who’d returned quickly from dumping the body, grinned cockily. “At least nothing recent.”
“According to Ivan, the asshole who rearranged my face, someone bribed an official in the KGB to capture you.”
“Capture? Those fuckers were shooting at me,” exclaimed Yuri.
“Only after they ran out of darts, I’ll bet.” Idris had noticed the tufts littering the floor as he raced to aid his bearish friend.
“Ivan seemed to think that it was all right to inure you so long as they brought you in alive.”
“Did this Ivan say who bribed his boss?” Idris had a niggling feeling.
“No, nor did he know why they were so keen on getting their hands on Yuri.”
“Oh, come on. We all know why,” Idris’ harsh reply. “It’s because of what Yuri can do.”
“That seems doubtful, since no one other than the people in this room are aware he can shift,” she commented.
“What other reason could there be for them to want a bear who can do tricks?” How could she not see the truth?
Svetlana went to bite her lower lip, winced, then huffed, “I don’t know, but we’ve been careful. No one alive has seen Yuri shifting.”
Did she imply they’d killed those who had? “That KGB guy, Ivan, saw me change and managed to escape,” Idris reminded.
“And whose fault is that?” she taunted.
“I’m aware I was dumb. In my defense, it’s one thing to eviscerate someone trying to murder you. Another to do so when they’re unconscious.”
“With that kind of attitude, it won’t be long before you’re captured or killed.” Her matter-of-fact reply.