Sarah stepped forward as she yelled at the guy. Her brothers fanned out as two others came from further in the barn.
"What are you going to do about it, little lady?" The three men grouped together as they eyed the siblings warily.
"I'm going to kick your ass if you try to hurt that horse."
Tyson whispered to Colton. "We need to get them outside. If they shift, we don't have enough room in here." Size was definitely a disadvantage indoors.
"If we're outdoors, we're in plain sight of anyone at the resort."
Drake hissed at them. "Then let's get these dogs on a leash before we have to go shift."
Sarah sashayed her way toward the guy holding the reins. "I don't know why the horse doesn't like you, but she's one of my favorites so I trust her judgement." She almost rubbed against the guy as she took the reins from his shocked hands. They boys moved closer to her, and they saw the instant they smelled her dragon.
One of the men curled his lips and started to bow up. Sarah's elbow shot out and caught him in the jaw. Before he could react, she swung her arm and throat punched him. He fell to the ground. The other two reached for Sarah, but by then, Tyson and the others were on top of them. The one on the ground started to spasm.
"He's shifting," Tyson called out as he held one of the men in a headlock. "Don't let him shift."
Colton's book caught the guy in the head. He kicked hard twice until there wasn't even a twitch. The others were quickly subdued. Sarah wiped her long hair out of her face. "That was fun. What are we going to do with them?"
Tyson glanced around. "Tying them up won't work. They can shift and get out. What about the cage? Is it still assembled?"
Drake ran down to the last stall. "Yep, still in one piece." The resort had a rodeo twice a year, and a tiger sized cage had been built into the stall to hold goats so they didn't escape before the roping contests. Since they were prone to climbing and jumping, it was a full circus-type cage.
They all worked together and shoved the men in there. Even if they shifted, they wouldn't be able to get out. Tyson clicked the lock. "Maybe if you're good puppies, someone will come give you a cookie."
Colton kicked the cage. "Where's your boss?"
"He's long gone with his wife," one of the men retorted. The others kicked at him to shut up.
The Hales headed out of the barn. Tyson shifted almost immediately when they got outside. The big city with its bright lights was waiting for them, and he couldn't get there fast enough.
Chapter Twenty One: Chapter 21 Title
Valerie Blanchette Kenway
Back at her house in New York City, Valerie paced back and forth in her own bedroom. Randall had done a little remodelling while she was gone, and the door had been replaced with one that resembled a prison door, which was now locked, and the floor to ceiling plate glass windows that overlooked the backyard were now reinforced and sealed. She suspected they were made up of bullet proof glass because of the thickness. She pressed her palm against the glass. "I wonder how you'd fare under dragon fire."
Her nerves were taut, as Randall hadn't said two words to her since they got back and she was escorted to her room. She knew it was only a matter of time for the shoe to fall, but the waiting was excruciating and it had only been a couple of hours.
She wondered where Ty was. By now, he knew that she wasn't still in Colorado. The telephone had been removed from her room, as had the television and computer, and Randall had confiscated her cell phone like she was an errant teenager being grounded. Short of tapping Morse code on the glass, she had no way to contact anyone.
Her heart skipped a beat when she heard the lock click and saw the door handle turn. She crossed herself and sent up a prayer in case it was Randall there to dole out the consequences. She just hoped she survived the ordeal for her children's sake.
The door opened slightly, and Mitchell took a tentative step inside. A cry escaped Valerie as she saw her son and ran across the room to him.
"Mommy!"
Valerie dropped to the floor and pulled him against her as the door opened wide. "My baby!" She smothered his head with kisses as she hugged him tight. "I have missed you."
"I brought him here because he won't cooperate. I thought that maybe seeing you would convince him to pay attention."
She looked up at Randall but didn't release her grasp on Mitchell, who was more than happy to cuddle. "What are you trying to get him to do?"
"That doesn't concern you."
"Considering you have me locked in an ivory tower and you came to me, I'd say it does. It must be important for you to lower yourself to ask for my help."
He sighed. "Very well, I'll allow you this concession. Around the time a child is five years of age, he should achieve his first shift. Mitchell isn't even interested in trying to go through the process."
