Chapter 17
So this was the infamous Dr. Grimm. Joline seethed with hatred the second the man stepped out from behind the platform with that smug look on his face.
The white lab coat was a giveaway. Only Grimm would be pretentious enough to have to look like a doctor wherever he went.
Even if it was to kidnap people. While fairly even-tempered most of the time, Joline didn’t like people who hurt others.
Grimm doing it on purpose for his own personal amusement made her that much angrier. She was a kettle about to boil over.
She didn’t know what the dick had planned, but it was about to backfire.
As he took a step towards them, he pulled something out of his lab coat pocket.
Joline whipped her right arm forward like someone throwing a frisbee.
The familiar tingling spread down her arm as she let her quills out, then let them loose.
There was a bit of a stinging as some of the quill punctuated her wounded flesh, but she’d deal with it.
It was worth the pain if she could use Grimm for target practice.
The momentum of her arm would throw the projectiles forward.
While she wasn’t the most athletic person, Joline took pride in being accurate.
Especially with her aim. She and her brother practiced as kids, setting up a target made from a flattened carboard box in their backyard.
She was a little rusty since coming to FUCN’A, but with Grimm the only person in front of her, she was pretty certain he’d be the only one peppered with quills.
And she was right. The tiny projectiles made a brown line diagonally from his waist up to his shoulder.
He shrieked in pain. It was too little too late.
His other arm was the one with the weapon.
He pointed the device at Ariel as the quills found his flesh.
Something shot from the device. Ariel rolled to the ground.
“No!” Joline yelled, her voice tense as her throat constricted in fear.
But as Ariel tumbled, she reached for the side opening in her pants.
She stopped with a jerk as her left hand braced her on the ground.
Whatever Grimm shot at her, he appeared to miss.
Ariel tapped on a compartment in her prosthetic leg.
She pulled out the taser and took aim. Grimm was already charging at her, pointing his weapon.
Joline was about to see just how much Grimm liked a smatter of quills across his face when something large and black streaked out of the sky.
Gabby swooped in. Her long wings were tucked back as she dove at Grimm, tackling him to the ground.
He shot off his weapon at Ariel. Once again, whatever was inside missed.
Both bodies hit the ground. Hard. Grimm grunted from the force of Gabby hitting him.
The weapon flew out of his hand, landing in the grass.
Gabby rolled off of him as if touching him for that long could burn her.
Gabby stood up, rubbing her shoulder. Her right wing drooped a little.
Joline figured she must have hurt it in the crash.
“M-m-miss m-me?” she asked in an icy tone. She narrowed her cold, blue eyes at him.
“Gabrielle. What I did to you, I did out of love. Look at how beautiful you are. And powerful.” Grimm’s thin voice cut through the hot air. Joline noticed a hint of fear in his dark eyes. He deserved to be afraid for once. After everything he did to so many people.
“It’s G-gabby!” she yelled before kicking him square in the chest. Grimm flew backward, hitting the platform he’d hid behind earlier. The platform shook with the force of the blow. Grimm gasped for breath as he got the wind knocked out of him.
Joline was about to step in to make sure Gabby didn’t do anything she regretted when Ariel stepped up next to the crow shifter. She placed a hand on her shoulder. Gabby nodded.
Ariel pointed the taser at Grimm. He raised in hands in surrender. “After all we’ve been through, Ariel. After all I’ve given you.” His face contorted in rage. “How dare you, you ungrateful, little bi—”
Before he could finish the insult, Ariel shot him with the taser.
The two small, barbed darts flew through the air, hitting Grimm square in the chest. As the jolt of electricity was sent through his body, his knees gave out.
He sank into the grass below him, his body quivering.
His dark eyes rolled up in his head. The three women stood around in silence, watching him writhe in pain.
Joline looked to Ariel. A pained expression washed over her face. “Everyone was right about you,” Ariel spat out to Grimm. Her words were laced with venom. “You’re nothing but a liar and a phony. No one will even remember who you are.”
As a tear streaked down Ariel’s cheek, Joline put an arm around her shoulder. “Let’s get away from this loser. He’s not going anywhere,” Joline said to her friends. She wasn’t about to waste any more of her life on Grimm. She hoped Ariel would finally be able to move on as well.
The two shifters on either side of her nodded.
As they turned to leave, Agent Talbot emerged from smoky black shadows next to the rope ladder.
The agent pulled a set of handcuffs from her belt.
As she neared the trio, she said, “We had enough agents on standby to scoop up the henchmen from your snares. There were some minor injuries to your club members, but your plan worked.” She tucked some strands of her blond bob behind her ear before kneeling down to cuff the mad scientist. Agent Talbot was not gentle about it.
“Please take Gabby to the hospital wing and debrief Agent Park before you leave,” she ordered as another agent swooped in to help her pull the still convulsing Grimm to his feet.