Chapter 23
Chapter
Twenty-Three
The man pulled a handgun from his pocket and pointed it at Tessa.
“Nell, get back!” Ryder shouted.
Ryder moved across the man’s path as the shift took him.
Bone and muscle changed in one violent rush.
His body pitched forward as his shoulders widened and his spine dropped.
His hands struck the concrete as paws, his shirt split across his back, and denim tore away from his legs.
His phone and keys hit the floor among the scraps of clothing.
Over his shoulder, Nell caught Tessa around the waist and turned her toward the connector. Tessa stumbled on the turn, but Nell kept her upright and moving. Ryder drove forward before the gunman could raise the weapon.
He struck the man hard enough to throw him sideways into a parked sedan. Metal boomed through the garage when the man’s shoulder hit the rear door. Ryder caught his forearm between his teeth and forced it against the car until the barrel pointed at the floor.
The man dug his heels into the concrete and tried to wrench free. Ryder drove one shoulder against his hips, and the sedan rocked on its suspension.
The gunman punched Ryder’s shoulder, then brought his knee up beneath Ryder’s chest. The blow jarred the soreness beneath the closed cut, and the knee drove a sharper pain through his ribs. The man’s wrist flexed against Ryder’s teeth. The muzzle rose several inches.
Ryder tightened his jaws.
The man screamed and the gun struck the concrete beside the rear tire.
Blood wet Ryder’s tongue, sharp and metallic.
The weapon remained close enough for the man to recover if Ryder gave him room.
The man’s free hand caught a fistful of fur at Ryder’s neck and pulled.
His jacket rasped against the car as he tried to turn, but Ryder kept his weapon arm pinned against the sedan.
“Ryder. To your left!” Nell shouted.
Ryder released the man and pivoted. His rear paw struck the fallen handgun and sent it scraping beneath the sedan as he turned. A second man came between two parked vehicles with another gun rising in both hands.
Ryder crossed the aisle in three strides.
The man tried to step back around the front of an SUV, but his heel caught against a painted wheel stop as Ryder struck him below the knees.
His legs went out, his back slammed onto the concrete, and the handgun bounced beneath the front bumper before sliding past the tire and into the shadow beneath the vehicle.
Ryder landed on the man’s chest. Air burst from his lungs.
His gaze went to the space beneath the SUV.
He drove a forearm against Ryder’s throat and twisted toward it, but Ryder shifted his weight and forced him flat, one paw beside his shoulder and the other across his upper arm.
The man’s boot squealed against the painted floor as he fought for leverage.
Footsteps slapped against the connector floor.
Nell and Tessa were gone. The man beneath him bucked hard enough to lift his front paws from the ground.
Ryder drove him down again. Metal scraped beside the sedan.
The first attacker was on one knee with his arm beneath the car. He came up with the handgun.
Blaze reached him before he could raise it.
He struck the man’s wrist, and the weapon flew across the concrete and hit a wheel stop with a hard crack that echoed beneath the low ceiling.
Blaze drove his shoulder into the man’s chest and carried him away from the connector and into the next parking row.
The second attacker hooked an arm around Ryder’s neck and surged up. Ryder’s paws slid on the smooth concrete, his claws cutting lines through the grime. The man gained one knee and threw his weight toward the SUV. His fingers struck the concrete and stretched for the front bumper.
An impact cracked off a pillar across the aisle.
Blaze and the first attacker separated, then collided again as the man turned toward the loose handgun.
The second attacker slammed an elbow into Ryder’s ribs.
Pain flared through the bruised muscles and loosened his hold.
The man tore free, dropped onto his hands, and lunged for the gap beneath the SUV.
Ryder caught the back of his jacket in his teeth and hauled him away. Fabric ripped down the center seam. The man rolled and kicked at Ryder’s muzzle. The sole of his shoe caught Ryder’s jaw, but Ryder came down across his hips before he could crawl forward again.
Across the aisle, Blaze knocked the first man away from the handgun, but the attacker twisted out of his hold. Siren came through the connector at a run. She scooped up the loose weapon and moved clear with the muzzle directed at the concrete.
Dom reached the first attacker a moment later. He caught the man around the waist, took him to the floor, and pinned him facedown. The man’s cheek struck the concrete. He tried to push up with his uninjured arm, but Dom folded it behind him and kept him down.
“I’ve got him,” Dom said.
Blaze turned toward Ryder.
The second attacker drove both hands against Ryder’s chest and rolled onto his side.
Ryder caught his sleeve between his teeth and forced him away from the SUV until Blaze grabbed one wrist and pulled it behind him.
The man swung his free arm. Blaze took the blow against his shoulder, caught that wrist too, and locked both arms against the man’s back.
The attacker kicked toward the SUV. Ryder blocked his legs and shoved him farther into the aisle while Blaze forced him facedown. His shoes scraped against the concrete, then stopped moving.
Siren knelt beside the SUV with the first weapon in one hand and reached beneath it with the other. She came up with the second handgun and backed away with both muzzles directed at the floor.
Dom checked the first attacker’s hands, then looked across the aisle at Blaze’s hold. “Both contained. Weapons secure.”
Static cracked from the speaker on Dom’s shoulder. “I’ve got Nell and Tessa in the lobby,” Hunter said. “They’re safe.”
Ryder unclenched his jaw and took a full breath despite the pain in his ribs. The muscles along his spine loosened, and the scrape along his jaw began to burn.
He stepped away from the second man while Blaze kept him pinned. The shift back dropped Ryder onto bare feet and scraped knees. Cold concrete bit into his skin. The cuts along his palms stung, a raw line burned across his jaw, and his ribs ached, but nothing felt broken.
His torn clothes lay near the garage-side doors with his phone and keys. Ryder picked up his things. He unlocked the Suburban and pulled sweatpants, a T-shirt, and spare shoes from the emergency bag. His hands shook hard enough that he had to try the drawstring twice.
He needed to know Nell was okay. After he was dressed, he headed for the hotel.
He crossed the distance at a near run, his footsteps striking the hard floor.
He shoved through the hotel-side doors without breaking stride and entered the lobby.
Tessa sat in one of the low chairs near the street entrance, pale and shaking.
Hunter stood between her and the garage passage.
Nell rose as soon as Ryder came through the doors. Her face had lost its color, and her breathing came fast. She crossed the lobby and reached him before he cleared the passage.
“Nell.”
Her hands caught his face and moved over his shoulders. Ryder gripped her upper arms and pulled her against him. Her heart beat fast against his chest, and her hair brushed the scrape on his jaw.
“Are you hurt?” she asked.
“Nothing serious.” His voice came out rough. “You?”
“I’m okay. Tessa’s okay.”
Past Nell’s shoulder, Tessa lifted her head. Hunter remained beside her, watching the garage passage.
“The records?” Ryder asked.
“Still with me,” Nell said.
Her hand settled against his ribs. The tremor in her fingers reached him through the thin cotton of his shirt. Ryder inhaled her shampoo and the scent of her body. She pressed her face against his chest.
“Siren says the garage is secure,” Hunter said.
Ryder rested his cheek against Nell’s hair and held her until his hands stopped shaking.