“Call him.” Just then, someone entered the front doors, and as Randy turned to acknowledge them, chaos rang out.
The Ruby Light was active for an afternoon; they'd worked with the bouncers, breaking up fights and restoring order. It was just what Flint needed to keep his mind off his troubles. Smashing heads was a good way to pass the time.
The troublemakers were primarily wolf shifters, which was odd. Shifters usually kept to themselves, but these shifters were actively bothering vampires and humans, looking to stir up fights.
He and Lazlo stood by the back door, which gave a good view of the main room and the private rooms, including the bathrooms. “The wolf at the table in the corner seems to be observing.” He said. Lazlo casually took in the shifter, not letting on that they were watching him. “What’s that about?”
“He’s testing our limits and seeing how much they can get away with," Lazlo answered with a smile playing about his lips. “Let’s show him what we’re made of.” Together they swept through the room with the vampire staff falling into step. The humans were enveloped in a glamour as the paranormals went to war.
They cleared the bar in record time, wiping the floor with the arrogant shifters who sought to stir up trouble and test their limits. No one was killed, but several probably wished they were, considering the beating they suffered at the hands of vampires. "Such an embarrassment," Lazlo shouted when they both watched the wolf at the back table disappear through the back door. Lazlo continued in the melee, and Flint grabbed a wolf trying to head for the door.
“Why are you guys fucking with us?" Flint held the wolf aloft by its throat as he stared into its eyes. The animal was on the surface, but he dared not shift. If he shifted, it gave Flint the right to kill him. Paranormal law was paranormal law.
“Alpha Rand was testing to see if the Ruby Light was protected.” He stated nervously.
“Who in the hell is Alpha Rand? The only alpha in Pittsburgh is Alpha Kristof.” Flint was working off his frustration, and he was more than willing to finish this wolf and go in search of this new alpha in town.
"Alpha Rand is new. He comes from Harrisburg. He was alone and organized a bunch of shifters once he came to town." The wolf was very chatty, considering his life was hanging in the balance.
“Criminals, I assume." He said, and the wolf nodded. He dropped him to the floor and told him to get out and not return. The wolf scurried away and did not look back. Flint turned and watched the last of the dregs being thrown out into the alley. Lazlo walked up to him, wiping the blood off his hands onto a bar rag. He was smiling.
“They’ll think twice before deciding to test us again.” His tone was filled with venom, and Flint gave a sharp nod. “The wolf observing didn’t waste any time getting out when the fight began.”
"Went off to make his report to Alpha Rand, no doubt," Flint stated sarcastically.
“Who in the hell is Alpha Rand?” Lazlo turned on him.
"My question exactly," Flint told him what the man had said and what Flint had gathered from touching his mind. Shifters were easy to read.
"He's just a thug, nothing to worry about. Basic thugs don’t last long in this town. This town has too many major players, and the top of that list is Nikolas Hadden. Alpha Rand is not long for these parts.” Laslo laughed but stopped when his phone began to ring.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Randy woke up on the shop floor. He looked around, trying to remember what happened. The shop was a mess, and the door to the back room was off its hinges.
He tried to stand, and every part of his body hurt, and his head was swimming. Then it came back in a blind rush. They took him, and Myles was gone. He needed to call someone, but he couldn’t call the police.
He dragged himself over to the counter and found the card that the man had given him when he bought the wallet. The man was with Myles’ date, Flint Marsh. Flint would help him. Flint would save him.
It was ringing, and then someone answered. “Is this the man who bought the wallet at Classic Threads?”
"Yes, it is. Who is this?"
"Randy, I need to contact Flint Marsh; it's a matter of life and death."
“He’s right here." The man said, and in the next moment, he was speaking with Flint.
“Hello.”
"They took him, Flint. They attacked us, and they took Myles."
"Put him in the back room, the one with the rats." The man laughed. He was the same man who had hit him, the man who had been assaulting Randy. Myles was roughly taken to a room in the back of this broken-down warehouse, and he was chained to a pipe.
"Stay still and quiet and you might live, but I doubt it." The man laughed and walked out of the room but did not close the door. He stood with the other one, who was seated on the corner of an old, worn metal desk. He was on the phone talking to someone, and he did not look happy.
Myles closed his eyes and tried to calm down. The man closed his call and then started talking to his friend, but Myles could not hear. They didn’t tell him why they took him or what they wanted. They just knocked Randy out and physically dragged Myles from the shop. His thoughts immediately went to Flint and how he wished that Flint were with him.
It was unlikely that anyone would know he was missing for quite some time, and it was unlikely that these men would just let him go. They wanted something, and whether they got it or not, Myles didn't see himself walking away from this.
