“X,” Sebastian said, using my pseudonym, and nodded with quick little jerks. A cut slashed the corner of his lips, and bruises turned yellow on his jawbone.
I stiffened, stilling a few feet away from him, palming the artifact in my pocket. I’d been so distracted I hadn’t taken everything in. During a drop-off, as soon as I noted anything suspicious, I left the scene. And there was a lot that was fucking suspicious here.
“You have it?” he croaked, scratching at his hand.
“Same deal as the last few times, Sebastian,” I drawled.
He’d hired me before, so he knew how this worked. Once I showed up, the money went into my account, I received the notification, and only until then did I hand over the item.
The car door opening dragged my gaze to Sebastian’s vehicle where two men exited. Gold from the chains around their necks flickered with the clash of my Jeep’s headlights. Fuck, I’d let myself be too distracted. I hadn’t run my usual safety routines.
The carelessness was about to get me murdered.
I moved my palm to the back of my jeans where I usually kept my gun. I’d fucking forgotten it. Clenching my teeth, I stayed tense.
“Let’s get on with it,” the man with the large beard bit out.
We were supposed to be the only ones here. I narrowed my eyes at Sebastian, but he raised his chin. Smarmy fuck. “Just hand it over and you’ll have no issues.”
There were more footsteps, more assholes rounding the van. Fucking tinted windows. I scoffed and flexed my hand around the palm-sized artifact. All that work for nothing.
Is it really nothing?I had my Sol now. . .
A hiss exploded through the garage, the echoing sound removing the soul from my body.
I jerked around to find another man dragging Soleil over with a hand around her throat and a gun smashed against her temple. My pulse jumped, and thickness tightened my throat.
“Hurry it up.” The man yanked Sol harder until she stumbled and snarled. “She was peeking ‘round the car.”
They were dead. Grinding my molars together, I tossed the item toward the man holding her. His eyes widened, and he instinctively let go of Sol to catch it. I slid in between them until I was her barrier.
I couldn’t let this go wrong. Not when I finally had a reason to live. Swinging my fist, it met flesh with a wet thud. I whirled, grabbed the gun, and slammed my fist into his elbow. He was quick to release it, then I hit his face before shooting his kneecap.
“Don’t,” the bearded man hissed, whipping the barrel of his gun toward my head.
I moved to the side, swinging my arm out to grab Sol, but she was gone. The gun went off, missing me with a loud clink as it ricocheted off the concrete. Sebastian moved, and I lunged for his leg, kicking mine out to drop him onto his back.
Three against one . . .
A sudden scream ripped through the lot, the ringing sound high-pitched and terror-riddled. It cut off with a gurgle. I didn’t get the chance to look because a dark shape bolted past. All I had a chance to see was Sebastian and the man with the beard’s looks of shock. Beard was the first to run.
A lithe, black panther landed on him and sank her teeth into the back of his head. With a quick shake, the man went still. Sol raised her yellow eyes to me. Blood dripped from her maw.
She suddenly pulled her head back with a hiss and lunged, leaping over me to topple Sebastian. She swiped her claw across his stomach. Flesh tore open and organs spilled out from him, various fluids coming out.
He screamed, the sound high-pitched and ringing. I strode over, holding the gun out. Sol backed away, licking her paws and purring. Sebastian continued blinking, his eyes wild.
“In debt,” he wheedled, a plea in his eyes. “I made the wrong bets.” I positioned the gun and shot him in the middle of his forehead. He jerked once, blood spilling from his lips.
I took stock of the area. The guns and bodies, one mangled from an animal attack, the other shot. I wiped the butt of the gun on the bottom of my shirt, approached the first man that had it, and pressed it into his hand, making sure his prints were all over it. I’d finish the rest once I had my tools and Sol back in the car.
Fishing my keys out, I pressed the button to open the trunk. Walking over to where she was cleaning her paws, I crouched and swept her into my arms. I grunted, the weight forcing me to brace myself.
“How do you feel heavier than as a human?” I muttered and returned to the car, making sure to avoid stepping in blood. At the trunk, I placed her on the carpet, then made a mental note to do a deep clean. “Wait here,” I ordered and gripped her face. Her silky fur tickled my skin. “I’m serious.”
With that, I grabbed my tool bag, hooked it over my shoulder, shut my beautiful panther inside the trunk where she’d be safest behind the tinted windows, and strode back to the crime scene.
Her appearance had been a shock . . . but she’d saved my life.
